Rapid Re-Vision

Matthew 4:20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

This man Jesus can make you jump in a moment.  He can make you leave all and follow Him.  He can make you look again at the same opportunity and redo your vision.  The re-vision can cause us to move more quickly.

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That has become a foreign idea in the minds of present Christians.  Sacrifice means not watching a movie.  Sacrifice means giving one night a week to choir practice so we can be in front of others.  Sacrifice means reading our bible five minutes a day. 

 

How weak have we become?  Our definition of temptation is a bag of chips sitting on the counter.  Lives have been anesthetized to real challenge and real sacrifice. 

 

A friend constantly was working with prostitutes.  One day he showed me the bullet holes in his car.  A pimp was upset at him for taking a woman off the street so he could talk to her.  It was cutting into profits.  The bullets never exited the inside of the door.  The bullets were never found.  Somewhere between the point blank shot coming at him and the realization that God had protected, I bet he thought about sacrifice.  His life was on the line every evening he went to reach those beaten women.  His time was robbed from family and friend to give to someone who might never listen. 

 

Sitting in a corporate executive office, we talked with a national community leader about the situation with fathering and fatherlessness plaguing our nation.  Somewhere someone mentioned one of the participants’ giving levels to the cause.  It was a large sum for the person.  The company matched the gift.  It was a stretch gift.  It was sacrificial giving.  It was beyond the reach of their income level.  But then Jesus can make you jump to a higher level when He calls.

 

This week, I am meeting with three pastors and a friend for lunch.  We are talking about sending backpacks and school supplies to Matamoros.  Raul and I will travel and deliver.  It is a long drive for just a few days of giving.  It means taking time off work using vacation leave.  Those days are costly.  But the joy of a child to be able to attend school and learn?  How much is that worth?  The pride of a child who has never had a backpack?  How much is that worth?  These children live and die in the dumps.  Maybe a day of dignity is worth the time and costs?

 

You see.  You see.  You see.  Sometimes we need our vision redone.  We see one way today.  Jesus helps redo our vision.  He rapidly can cause us to see what we did not see a moment ago.  When that happens our world of opportunity looks different and needs a more immediate response.

 

ACT!   What really is sacrifice?     How rapid does God want us to respond?  How willing are we to do it?  What is left undone that He has asked you to do?

 

PRAY!  Father, I believe.  Help my unbelief.   There is a part of me that loves big screen television and stereo sound.  There is a part of me that is more desperate for the easy chair and a great video experience that for loving others.  I love my diversions.  Yank me from my diversions.  Jolt me into a place of immediate obedience.  I repent.  Help me to disconnect from diversions to hear Your voice and respond.

 

Fisher of men

Matthew 4: 18: And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19: And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

 

Peter and Andrew were never the same after meeting Jesus.   His nature as a gatherer of men for His Father's family became their nature.    He took a part of them and changed it to work for the kingdom. They gathered fish.  He needed men gatherers.  Meeting Jesus will change you to gather men and women and children to Him and His Father's family.  No matter what you gather now, He will add gathering men to His family.

 

My son and I were at the quick gas spot one evening.  A furtive man jumped from behind the car.  Assuring us he only wanted to beg some money, he approached.  I signaled to him to stay at a distance.  This was not the time and place. 

 

The next day, a half a block away, we went to lunch with my wife.  The man slipped from behind a car.  I engaged him in conversation as my wife and son went into the restaurant.  On the streets over time, I have talked to many such men.  Some are harmless.  Some are dangerous.  Some are unpredictable.  This one seemed the latter.  He was desperate, either on drugs or suffering from having none, and persistent.  Eye to eye, we talked.  He began to give me a string of problems and diseases.  Mid course, I stopped him and asked him what he was doing with what he was given.  He told me he worked painting and then quit in the last seven days.  He had already spent the money.  It would have been enough for several days in his lifestyle.  

 

He was quick witted.  He was strong.  He was trapped in somebody done me wrong songs.  It would be pitiful to give him a dollar and say the inevitable Jesus loves you stuff.   I gave him a few dollars, and I gave him straight advice.  Sure, Jesus is my motivation.  Do something with what you have.  Take your mind and body and put it to work.  Quit dwelling on the problems and get focused on the solution.  People are helping.  Use their help to get up and out.  Let Jesus pull you from the sea of problems through His fishermen.  Don’t just jump back in the water.

 

All of us get buried in our problems at times.  We like the water.  We like to swim around and feel sorry for ourselves and blame our condition on the waves.  Jesus did not hesitate to tell these two fishermen to get up and do something different.  He asked for immediate change and action.  They responded.  Will you?

 

ACT!  Think of one person around you that needs to be gathered to Jesus' family.  What do you need to do to invite them to be a part?  Think of one plaguing issue in your life.  What do you need to do to start it moving a different direction?

 

PRAY!  Father, help me to be a fisher of men.  Jesus has come to my life.  He's met with me and called me to be a fisherman with Him.  Help me to see those around me that He wants in the family.  Help me to know how to draw them to Him and Your family.

 

Father, give me a life of a productive fisherman.  Teach me to lay aside the excuses and embrace the solutions.  Take me to a place of action and response.  Open the eyes of my understanding to see and respond willingly with action.  Show me ways to fight the waves with action.  Show me ways to believe in Your support to do the impossible.  Then as my life shows promise, others will ask what makes for success and I will have the ready answer.

 

A Ready Blessing

Ps 86:5 the Lord is good and ready to forgive

Talking to a friend today the focus was so much on the law versus the gospel.  Both are needed for salvation.  Salvation is a work of a moment and every moment thereafter.  We need forgiveness and goodness momentarily.  Maybe not this particular one, but the next moment is coming shortly.

What a joy to walk with a God of good and ready forgiveness.

Never assume you are in a position of not needing grace.  A blogger friend pointed to God as the source of all grace.  He is the giver.  She was the dispenser used of His Spirit at the moment I needed grace to fail and still be valued.  Her poetry spoke the word of grace that inspired me at the moment.

What a joy to walk with a God of good and ready forgiveness.

Another friend took me to lunch.  Searching my eyes, he quizzed me on my standing in hope.  Wow, I needed the ready blessing of a faithful friend..

What a joy to walk with a God of good and ready forgiveness.

Then a pastor friend of mine just hung up the phone.  He spoke of a season of allowing God to overflow.  The seasons in the world have been of loss and vaporous prosperity.  Now, this saint declared to us all and my soul a season of God's provision.  Over the hands free phone in my truck I took all I could.  My heart united with his vision in receiving.

What a joy to walk with a God of good and ready forgiveness.

Another friend and I are headed to Mexico with backpacks and school supplies.  Our destination is the dumps.  Thousands live there.  Dr Carrillo and a local congregation choose to go and offer good and ready forgiveness to these loved and precious of God.  They are there all the time, we have the privilege to come and go.

What a joy to walk with a God of good and ready forgiveness.

How does this all add to prayer?

Meeting with a group working on a citywide fathering focus, this scripture came to mind.  Isn't this what we need in broken and struggling relationships?  We need goodness, ready forgiveness, and a spirit of overwhelming loving-kindness.   That is worthy of the focus of your prayer.  In our relationships with others and with God, we need all three directed from and to us.

Let's Pray:

Father, this is a wonderful day.  So many opportunities in front of us come in the form of problems and pains.  Yet, they are people looking for a little goodness.  These situations lead to the grace of forgiveness.  In all a spirit of loving-kindness can turn pains away for the season and restore hope.

Let us be the hands of goodness.  Let us be the hope of a ready forgiveness.  Let us be the dispensers of a spirit of loving-kindness.  

When our world experiences such moments of momentary grace and mercy, it will move closer to Your heart and kingdom principles in action.  Let us take dominion with goodness, forgiveness, and loving-kindness.  Let us be Your dispensers in a struggling world.

Father, enter into my world.  Enter into the spots I have hidden that need Your forgiveness.  Take dominion in the dreams that are slowed for the moment and pour goodness into them for energy.  Allow Your loving-kindness to permeate my thoughts and expectations so hope will always be with me and available for those around me.

Thanks, Father.  Thanks for being the God You always are.  

 

Two Brothers

Matthew 4: 18: And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

 

Two brothers.  How often does action come in twos?  These two brothers were of the same thought.  Apparently dad had done a good job raising them to be workers and to be sensitive to God’s direction.  When Jesus called, they responded.  The wisdom writers of the scripture talk about the power of two in warming each other, in helping each other when one falls, and in sharpening each other.  The power of two in faith means if one can put a thousand to flight, two can put ten thousand.  The power of agreement of two with Christ brings heaven results to earth.

 

There is a power in two that Jesus sees and acknowledges.  There is a power in unity and in brethren.  It matters not if you are brother or sister, just brethren.  Over time these two brothers would make a huge difference for us all.

 

Today is an interesting day.  Our teams at work are performing phenomenally. With continual challenges against them, the individual performance of each is overpowering the issues.  With each doing their part the whole is built.  When one is down, another performs.  It is a phenomenon.  The performance in every area is top notch.  There is no way to describe why what we are doing is working.  Everything is stacked against us.  Yet, we are holding and growing.  Sitting in my office, I was moved to tears.  How could I be so blessed to work with such a team of twos?  It isn’t just one, it is many.  It is a different one added to another over and over.  The results of the team are amplified.

 

It is a blessing Jesus saw.  So should we.

 

ACT!  Do you have a two?  Do you have a partner alongside?  How do you see amplified results?

 

PRAY!  Father, there are so many that come alongside us and help us.  Bless them.  Bless our coworkers.  Bless those that are brethren in heart and action in our daily lives.  Cause them to enjoy the blessing of their faithfulness.  Help me to find ways to be one of the ones that helps.  Help me to see opportunity to be “brethren” to another.

 

If we can pray for you regarding anything in your life, please let us know.  Our greatest blessing is to bless others in prayer.    www.prayermetro.com   Phil@prayermetro.com

Sitting in Death

Matthew 4: 15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Matthew pointedly pricks at our sensibilities.  Over time, we find ourselves so insensible to the stench of death that we conclude we are okay.  The gospel writer talks to those sitting in the region and shadow of death.  He is speaking to tribes of people, who have had the great news of redemption spoken and promised to them by prophets and even the direct voice of God for centuries.  He speaks to those that should absolutely know better.  Like us, they have sat near light all their lives.  Like us they have sat in darkness all their lives.  They have become insensible to the difference, just like us.

 

So what is it that makes light push through our insensible natures?  Watching a movie recently with massive graphics and then comparing that to the simple picture sets of an old Star Trec show, it impressed me how insensible we become to change.  The change in graphic and sets is beyond description.  Yet, we would not allow a current show to use the old methods.  They are too simple.  We like to live in a land of death.  The death is the deception.  The ability of the show makers to deceive us has increased many times.  Simultaneously, we crave the deception.  We lost touch with reality many years ago.  What is in front of us is really deception.  It is not real; yet, we purchase it and take it for entertainment.  Reality shows have no reality in them at all, but we choose the death of deception over the real life next to us.

 

Jesus walks into this scene.  Jesus walks into the daily lies we accept as real.  Jesus walks into the deceptions of accepting dark for light and confusing the light with darkness.   He pulls back the curtains on the act and gets us to face reality.  Then He preaches, “Repent”.  His message screams for us to step out of the deception that we have chosen to mask our pain and accept life head on.  He speaks for us to give up our lies of abortion and unkindness and mixed sexualities and gossip and absorption in sexual pursuits and rebellious attitudes and vulgarity for comedy and dedication to drugs as a means of alleviating simple attention to life pressures.  We sit in death.  He shines a light.  There is no degree in deception of better or worse.  Deception is death.

 

ACT!  What lie have you purchased and decided to sit with?  Abortion is okay?  Gossip is okay?  Feeding yourself on sexual pursuits of others as a daily diet is okay?      Vulgarity is acceptable?  What have you bought?  Can you write it out?  Can you describe it?  Has it become so common you are insensible to it?

 

PRAY!  Father of Love, Light, and Joy, open my eyes.  There is a death that surrounds me.  There is a frivolity and ignoring of the kingdom that surrounds me.  I confess I choose to sit in that death and let it mask reality.  I confess it is easier to ignore what needs done and sit in comedic relief based on deception than to step forward and pray and act with kindness.  I confess, I have too become one of those sitting in the dark.  Bring light to me.  Spur me to action.  Spur me to fill my thoughts with truth instead of the deception of the world.

 

If we can pray for you regarding anything in your life, please let us know.  Our greatest blessing is to bless others in prayer.  Over the next months, we will be reinventing portions of the website to better serve you.  Take a look, we’ve done much lately to make it simpler and more serving.  www.prayermetro.com   Phil@prayermetro.com

 

 

 

Near At Hand

Matthew 4: 17: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

Meeting Jesus is so easy.  He is near at hand.  When Jesus declares the kingdom, it is His kingdom.  Access to Him and all He is is as close as your hand.  Your hand is attached.  His kingdom is attached.  Access to Him is attached to you.    He is not a distant God.  He is an ever-present, ever-available King.  Turn around.  He is near at hand.

 

Jesus is near at hand in us to others.  Brad was talking to his friend at work.  For many months this friend had been disconnected from fellowship in a congregation.  Sure, they went to church.  Sure, they talked to other Christians.  But they really were not in fellowship.  They were not in real communion heart to heart with other Christians.  Brad challenged the friend.  Brad encouraged them to reconnect with some kingdom friends.  Brad was being Jesus, declaring the love of the kingdom.

 

There needs to be repentance.  The word simply means a change of mental direction.  Looking to ourselves, we cannot see Him.  Though He is close at hand, He is invisible when we are looking to our own strength and endurance and possibility.  With a twist of vision, turning to Him, He is at hand instantly.  Repentance opens the eyes to see.

 

ACT!  What could be keeping you from meeting with Jesus?  Turn away from it.  Turn to Him.  He is exactly at hand.

 

PRAY!  Father, I turn from my way to Jesus' kingdom.  I turn from my thoughts to Jesus' kingdom.  I turn form my ideas to Jesus' kingdom.    Let Him be near at hand to me.  Work in me to remove any block to receiving Jesus' kingdom near to hand.  Let my friend get a close up glimpse.  Open the eyes to see Jesus, near at hand.

 

Great Light

Matthew 4: 14: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,  15: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16: The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

 

Too many times in life we live in the shadow and region of death.  Darkness surrounds us in our minds in hearts.  Meeting with Jesus means meeting with light.  His light dispels the shadows and puts us in a bright place.

 

When Jesus is on the scene, there is a springing up of light.  That is active.  That is powerful.  Darkness causes us to sit and be inactive.  Jesus springs with activity and light to get us back into motion.  Death is brown.   It is the refraction of light that lets us see color.  His light brings back color.

 

The prayers of the saints for each other are wonderful.  Struggling with many trials can get old and cold.  When another saint sees and takes prayerful action, it is a blessing.  It brings light to a dark situation.  That happened to me recently.  As I worked through many items for others, other saints prayed for me.  The light of that prayer sustained me so I could sustain others in their hard moments.  It all works together. 

 

Interesting that in the last few weeks, many friends have called and taken time to visit.  From golf games at the lake to lunches in the Asian district to just visiting in the office to phone calls, it has been a few weeks of friends.  Wow it is so good to have light shone on my path.

  

ACT!  Describe a place of  hurt and pain to Jesus.  Imagine what it would be like in that spot with bright, brilliant light shining all over and colorful plants growing all around.

 

PRAY!  Father,  there are areas of my life that need light.  I have given up on anything other than death and despair in that room of my heart.  Give me the courage to let Jesus meet me in that room.  Surely, He will bring light and color back to my darkness.

 

Sorting

Matthew 4: 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he returned to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali

 

Bad news can put a hard spin on life.  Each of us has places to go and things to do.  Jesus is no different. 

 

John was Jesus’ cousin.  He was the first recorded to rejoice at the coming King.  He leapt in his mother’s womb when Mary approached for a visit.  No one knew Jesus was coming.  John knew.  That is an early praise.

 

John prepared people for the coming of Jesus.  He was ahead of Him getting the people ready.

 

News about John in prison was not good for Jesus.  Scripture doesn’t say why he went to Galilee.  Knowing the affinity Jesus had for John and the respect He had for him, it seems he needed time away to sort it out.  He went where it was quiet and familiar.  He went away.  He did not despair.  He did not become discouraged.  He met the news with an action plan.  He kept His confidence and went to people He knew.

 

This scripture came up in my daily study some years back on an interesting day.  All week I had been taking in bad news in multiple areas.  Family, friends, work, community, and other areas have been full of hard bad news.  At the same time, the coming week, I had a business trip planned many months before.  It took me to the ocean.  It was timely to go sort out the news and make plans.  God is faithful.  He gives us space.

 

ACT!  Bad news?  How did you respond?  Did you respond with faith and joy in Christ?  Do you need time to sort out the next steps?  Let Him give you a respite.  He is faithful.  It may only be a few minutes or a few hours, but He is faithful.  He will not push you beyond His ability in you.

 

PRAY!  Father, it is comforting to know You care so much for me.  In the middle of the tempest, You cover.  In the face of bad news, You allow a breath to come to take it in.  How can I thank You enough?  Help me to face every bad news with joy and confidence in Your provision.  Help me to absorb the punches of life with joy and family and friends.

 

Served

Matthew 4:9: And said to him, All these things will I give thee, if you will fall down and worship me. 10: Then Jesus said to him, Get away, Satan: for it is written, You will worship the Lord your God, and him only will you serve. 11: Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.

 

His Selection

Angels minister to Jesus, and so should we minister to Jesus with our worship.  In Paul's letter to the Romans he talks of a reasonable or rational service and worship done with presenting our bodies as living sacrifices.  This is our pleasure and our part.  Our worship of Jesus is to serve Him, to present ourselves totally to His selection for our life.  Satan had it backwards.  He forgot who was to serve whom.

 

Josue's Wander

Josue was determined to follow God this day.  Lately, he had been wandering from his relationship with Christ.  Over and over events just did not seem to go his way.  Something he had read before was now stirring in him.  There was something about praising God in everything.  He was ready to try it.  He was ready to try anything that would restore the warmth of the love of Jesus back in him.  As he lifted his voice in the quiet of his room late that night, something broke.  He began to weep.  He began to praise God out loud.  He began to know again the reassurance of the presence of the Holy Spirit.

 

ACT!  Where does Jesus need your active worship?  Take action this week on worshipping with real action where He needs you to serve another in the kingdom.

 

PRAY!  Father, Jesus is the center of my worshipful services.  Help me connect with the right actions for which You created me.  I was created in Jesus for good works of  worship done unto You.  Enable me, Father, to find those works for which You created me and act on them.