"Majoring on the Minors"

Jesus, speak to me this morning as I am listening for your words of life

“As he spoke, a Pharisee invited Jesus to have a meal with him, so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was astonished when he saw that Jesus did not first wash his hands before the meal.” (Luke 11:37-38)

Jesus, if You lived physically on the earth today and I invited You to spend a day with me, what would I be astonished by because of the things You do and do not do?  I claim I know You, however how much of the image I have for You is a creation of  my image, my actions, my religion, personal preferences and my beliefs that I have imposed on You.  The Pharisees, who spent much time reading Your Word, understanding Your laws and rules, and who were the “experts” in modeling and living out “Holy Living” and teaching others to do the same, got so much about You wrong. So it makes me reflect this morning on how much of my image of You I have that is wrong 

For “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? “(Romans 11:33-34)  Remind me of this today Jesus.  Let me apply to my heart and life Your words to the Pharisees.

“Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:39-41) 

Jesus. Your illustration of only washing, cleaning the outside of the cup and not the inside shows you knew what they were thinking and deliberately set up a contrast that charged them with hypocrisy and majoring on minors.  Jesus, you know what I am thinking as well.  I do not want to be a hypocrite.  I do not want to major on the minors.  

So by Your Holy Spirit free me today from my image I have imposed on you Jesus.  Come out of the “box” I have put you in and reveal yourself to me in a way that is new. Astonish me today! Shake me to my core so all the characteristics I have placed on you fall away, and I experience only Jesus. That way I can see, enter into the lives, and love those around me today like You would.  In Jesus’ name.

My family, I pray today as a meditation of Lent you ask the Holy Spirit to give you a new revelation of who Jesus really is.  I pray you are directed away from focusing and cleaning the outside of the cup to focusing on and cleaning the inside, directed away from majoring on the minors, and you are astonished by who Jesus really is.  Please pray the same for me.  God bless you my friends!

Take 5 minutes, turn up your volume, close your eyes, click the link below and listen to the song “Simple Gospel” and simply worship.

Please share your reflections and prayers with us on this blog in the comment box below.

 

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community/Toney UMC

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website:https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC

You Can Help

I could use you’re the gift of your financial support reaching with the Gospel those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around.  Please partner and support my family and ministries through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.

Thank You!  

 

 

 

 

"Have Faith In Jesus"

Good morning, Lord Jesus. I welcome You here in my heart and every moment of my day -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit of God. ...

"Jesus answered them, 'Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours'" (Mark 11:22-23).

You invite me to pray and ask n faith. And the main focus of my faith is to be in You. You said "Have faith in God." So the main focus of my faith, my prayers, and my words is to be in You and who You are.  Yes, I am to have faith in what I asking for and speaking to, because You said "believe that what you say will come to pass," but the main focus of my faith is not to be in what I'm seeking to come to pass but in the One I'm seeking. I'm to seek You first, and then these things I'm praying for and speaking to (Matthew 6:33).

 Relationship first.

It's like when You sent out Your disciples to proclaim the coming of the kingdom of God in Your name, praying for people and speaking to whatever held them bound and held them back from the fullness of Your mercy and love (Luke 10:1-12). When they returned, they were excited that even the demons submitted to their word spoken in faith and the authority of Your name (Luke 10:17). But even as You rejoiced with them and thanked our Father for them, You reminded them that the main focus of their faith was to be in God and their personal relationship with You (Luke 10:21). You said, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that yhe spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (Luke10:18-20).

Lord, increase my faith in You. Help me grow in my focus on You first -- on who You are, on Your nature and on the nature of Your relationship with me. It's out of this intimacy and communion of our relationship that I can pray and say in faith what's on Your heart and what's in line with Your will, because You're aligning my heart and my will with Yours. "Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

This is how I keep growing to the place in my relationship with You where I pray and say and "do not doubt in (my) heart, but believe that what (I) say will come to pass;" and this is how I keep growing to the the place in my relationship with You where I can "believe that (I) have received it, and it will be (mine)" (Mark 11:22-24). It's not by what I have done or will do, but all by You and what You have done -- the One who's written my name in heaven and on the palms of Your hands (Luke 10:20; Ephesians 2:8; Isaiah 49:16). In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

My family, I pray as we move into the third week of Lent you press into growing in your faith in God and your intimacy with Him that you can pray and say in faith what is in His heart throughout your life, in Jesus' name! Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friends!

Please share your thoughts and reflections in the comment box below.

 

Gary Liederbach- Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Email: garyl@onedirection.community

Website: https://www.onedirection.community

Facebook: One Direction Community-ODC 

 

I could use your financial support for One Direction Community, my family, and those on the margins God has placed in my path I refuse to walk around.  Please partner and support myself and One Direction community through setting up a monthly donation or a one –time gift by clicking the link below. Donation checks can be made out to ODC, PO Box 1293 Madison, Al 35758.  

Thank You!