Posted by: jakinnan | April 29, 2014

Did Jesus Get Dirt on His Robe?

Mtn Road

You might think that keeping Jesus all mysterious and heavenly is the proper thing to do, but consider this: When he came, he came as presented in the Gospels—very much human, a person, a man, with a very distinct personality. This is the primary witness we have of him, recorded for all who would know him. This is how he chooses to make himself known. This is the “self” he presents to us. Be careful you don’t push him away with your religious delicacies.

“Jesus was so obviously human,” notes Eugene Peterson, “but this has never been an easy truth for people to swallow. There are always plenty of people walking around who will have none of this particularity: human ordinariness, bodily fluids, raw emotions of anger and disgust, fatigue and loneliness.” Did you think Gethsemane was the only time he sweat? Or maybe we assume his sweat smelled like lilies? And what is with the snowy white robe? Every movie I’ve seen costumes Jesus in an immaculate white robe. He never got dirty? Those were not paved roads he walked for miles.

– John Eldredge, Beautiful Outlaw

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 29, 2014

04/29/2014 Scripture

vegetable

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

-Daniel 1:8-14 NLT

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 28, 2014

The Relief of Jesus’ Life

RMNP

Before we go any farther in our search, I need to make the offer of Christianity clear: There is a way to be good again. The hope of Christianity is that we get to live life like Jesus. That beautiful goodness can be ours. He can heal what has gone wrong deep inside each of us. The way he does this is to give us his goodness; impart it to us, almost like a blood transfusion or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. We get to live his life—that is, live each day by the power of his life within us. That’s the hope: you get to live that life. “But there is a reality of being in which all things are easy and plain,” wrote George MacDonald, “oneness, that is, with the Lord of life.” He makes us whole by making us holy. He makes us holy by making us whole.

Think of how you feel when you commit some offense—yell at your kids, lie to someone or hide the full truth, harbor resentment or bitterness toward a friend, indulge sexual or romantic fantasies over someone at work or their spouse; maybe you’ve been acting on those fantasies for three years now and it is tearing you apart. Whatever your regrets may be, think of how you feel when you commit these acts repeatedly, when you vow never to do it again and find yourself doing it moments later. And think of what an utter relief it would be to be free from the whole entangled nightmare. I mean to be so free that you’re not even disciplining yourself not to do these things anymore; you just don’t do them. You simply don’t struggle with whatever it is that haunts you; it’s not an issue.

That’s the utter relief of holiness. That’s what happens when the life of Jesus invades your life.

– John Eldredge, Free to Live

Photo: Pat Gaines

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 28, 2014

04/28/2014 Scripture

Yosemite

Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. He said,

“Praise the name of God forever and ever,
    for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events;
    he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise
    and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things
    and knows what lies hidden in darkness,
    though he is surrounded by light.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors,
    for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you
    and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

-Daniel 2:17-23 NLT

Photo: National Park Service

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 27, 2014

04/27/2014 Scripture

Grand Canyon

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

-Daniel 3:24-30 NLT

Photo: Jacob W. Frank

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 27, 2014

04/26/2014 Scripture

redwood

“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever.

His rule is everlasting,
    and his kingdom is eternal.
All the people of the earth
    are nothing compared to him.
He does as he pleases
    among the angels of heaven
    and among the people of the earth.
No one can stop him or say to him,
    ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’

“When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before.

“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

-Daniel 4:34-37 NLT

Photo: Jessica Watz

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 25, 2014

04/25/2014 Scripture

 

Balanced Rock

But when the queen mother heard what was happening, she hurried to the banquet hall. She said to Belshazzar, “Long live the king! Don’t be so pale and frightened.  There is a man in your kingdom who has within him the spirit of the holy gods. During Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, this man was found to have insight, understanding, and wisdom like that of the gods. Your predecessor, the king—your predecessor King Nebuchadnezzar—made him chief over all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune-tellers of Babylon. This man Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, has exceptional ability and is filled with divine knowledge and understanding. He can interpret dreams, explain riddles, and solve difficult problems. Call for Daniel, and he will tell you what the writing means.”

-Daniel 5:10-12 NLT

Photo: Brad Goldpaint

 

 

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 24, 2014

Just Keep Walking

843

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him (Colossians 2:6, ESV).

The writers of Scripture use many vivid pictures to describe the Christian life. It’s called working in a vineyard (Matthew 20), building a house (Matthew 7), and running a race (1 Corinthians 9). But by far, the most common New Testament image of living the Christian life is a walk.

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”(Galatians 5:16).

“If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1).

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1,NKJV).

The theme of walking echoes throughout Ephesians: “Walk in love” (5:2), “Walk as children of light” (5:8), “Look carefully then how you walk” (5:15). Remember, the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to express the very words and thoughts of God.

Walking depicts the course of an individual’s whole life: Enoch and Noah “walked with God” (Genesis 5:22, 6:9); King Jehu did not (2 Kings 10:31). It is a dominant, inspired metaphor in Scripture and a picture of what our relationship with God should look like. God hasn’t called you to an Olympic decathlon. Nor has He asked you to scale the Himalayas to find Him. He has invited you for a walk with Him on the journey of life.

And along the way, God is changing you. Sometimes you may grow impatient and want instant, complete victory over all your sins and problems. Sometimes you’ll grow discouraged; a lifetime of battling sin and seeking victory can seem overwhelming. But as you walk with Him and grow spiritually, you will see change begin.

If you are ever going to be the person God intended you to be, your focus must be on the next step. Just that step and nothing else. When you strain to see the future or fear you won’t have the energy or strength for tomorrow, the enemy will have succeeded in intimidating you—and you’ll have missed the opportunity to live for Christ in this moment.

“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6).

As you walk with God today, rather than scanning the horizon for whatever lies ahead, just focus your eyes on the next step and live fully for Him.

– James MacDonald

Photo: Katie Kinnan

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 24, 2014

Looking for a Glory We Know We Were Meant to Have

 

RMNP

The poet Yeats wrote,

If I make the lashes dark
And the eyes more bright
And the lips more scarlet,
Or ask if all be right
From mirror after mirror
No vanity’s displayed:
I’m looking for the face I had
Before the world was made.
(“Before the World Was Made” from the poem “A Woman Young and Old”)

Yes, that’s it. When we take a second glance in the mirror, when you pause to look again at a photograph, we are looking for a glory you know you were meant to have, if only because you know you long to have it. You remember faintly that you were once more than what you have become. Your story didn’t start with sin, and thank God, it does not end with sin. It ends with glory restored: “Those he justified, he also glorified” (Rom. 8:30). And “in the meantime,” you have been transformed, and you are being transformed. You’ve been given a new heart. Now God is restoring your glory. He is bringing you fully alive. Because the glory of God is you fully alive.

“Well, then, if this is all true, why don’t I see it?” Precisely. Exactly. Now we are reaching my point. The fact that you do not see your good heart and your glory is only proof of how effective the assault has been. We don’t see ourselves clearly.

– John Eldredge, Waking the Dead

 Photo: Richard H. Hahn

 

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Posted by: jakinnan | April 24, 2014

04/24/2014 Scripture

 Waterflower

Then King Darius sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world:

“Peace and prosperity to you!

“I decree that everyone throughout my kingdom should tremble with fear before the God of Daniel.

For he is the living God,
    and he will endure forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
    and his rule will never end.

He rescues and saves his people;
    he performs miraculous signs and wonders
    in the heavens and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel
    from the power of the lions.”

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Photo: http://www.usapics.net/usa-national-parks.html

-Daniel 6:25-28 NLT

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