Jesus is NOT a patch.

"No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; otherwise the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear results.  No one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins as well; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins." Mark 2:21-22

Here Jesus is saying He is not just a patch for the current mode of religion (that is the Pharisees).  He cannot just be attached/fit in to their way of doing things.  Jesus was bringing something completely new and it did not mesh with the Judaism He found.

It is the same today.  Jesus is not a patch to be put on stale religious tradition.  The only way the two mix is if we drop useless traditions and let Jesus transform other traditions into what they were meant to be.  Take fasting for example.  If done as God intended, it deprives us of something physically necessary (like food), teaching us to rely on Him.  In the case of food, when we get hungry we are to turn to God and spend time in prayer with Him.  This should then help us remember to turn to God when we are in need, even with something as basic as hunger.

A few questions to ponder:

Have I become like old skins or old cloth?

Am I trying to hold onto both Jesus and some tradition He is asking me to lay aside?

Am I blindly following common protocol, or am I truly walking with Jesus?

Angels

Have you ever wished to have an an angel come and tell you what God wants you to do?  I know I have.  All you think is, "oh, an angel will come, give me some message, I will go do it, and it will be a fun experience."  Well, I realized something the other day: it does not work like that.

When an angel appears to someone in the New Testament the first words they usually say are "Do not be afraid."  Here are a few examples: Luke 1:13, 30, 2:10, and Rev 1:17.  A few days ago my small group leader said something that made me realize this is not just a passing welcome phrase.  Having an angel appear to you is truly frightening.  The sheer power and awe of an angel is overwhelming.  I doubt it would be the sunny, fun, grand experience we envision it as.

In light of this revelation, do I still want to have an angel appear to me?  Yes, I do.  Why?  Because God is even more awesome and powerful.  Because the fear seems to subside as they speak those words.  Because it would not be an experience easily forgotten.

So, while I do not expect an angel to appear to me, I know that if one does I will be terrified.  I know that it will not be what I expect.  Just remember, angels are not the cute little guys with wings and harps.  They are warriors.

God's promises

So it has been a while.  But I wanted to share a song that I have grown to like in the last few months.  Raising support to be a missionary has felt like shadowlands at times.  I have found this a good reminder of the promises of God and that I am not alone in the struggles of life.  The last line is the key to it all.  Do you believe that God will never leave, won't give more than we can bear, will be there when we cry out, or that He will breathe life to your soul?

You promised me that You'd never leave, or let me goYou promised me that You'd love me through the highs and lowsYou promised me You won't give me more than I can bearYou promised me that when I cry out that You'd be there 

The shadowlands are what I knowSo I'm hanging on to Your every wordThe shadowlands surround me nowBut You walk with me through the cloudInto the sun, into the sun 

You promised me if I sow in tears, I'll reap in joyYou promised me that You will breathe life into my soul 

The shadowlands are what I knowSo I'm hanging on to Your every wordThe shadowlands surround me nowBut You walk with me through the cloudInto the sun, into the sun 

I know it's true all that You sayI believe in You and I am standing onThe promises you've made, hey, hey 

The shadowlands are what I knowSo I'm hanging on to Your every wordThe shadowlands surround me nowBut You walk with me through the cloud 

Into the sun, into the sun, the sunInto the sun, into the sun 

You promised me and I believe

And while you are here, take a listen to the song.

Doing what God calls you to.

I got this quote at a work conference the other week.  And being a missionary myself found it very fitting and challenging.  But I don't think it just applies to missionaries.  It can apply to anyone.

"If God calls you to be a missionary, don't stoop to be a king." -- Jordan Grooms

Whatever God has called you to is the best possible thing you can be doing.  Just because at some other job you could be making a lot more money or have a more comfortable life does not mean you are in the wrong job.  In fact, if God has not called you to that other job, you will be more happy and experience more of His glory/mercy/love if you stay where He has called you.

So for me, God has called me to be a missionary.  For me to do anything else, even if it were being a king, would be a step down, not up.

So remember, if you are doing what God has called you to then you are doing the best possible job available.

Why has God pardoned me?

For Your name's sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. - Psalm 25:11

Did you catch that?  Did you see for who's sake David asked for his sins to be pardoned?  It was not for David's sake that he asked.  It was not so that he would live, or go to heaven, or benefit in any way.  He asked for the sake of the name of our Lord.  David saw that it is God's name that benefits when He pardons us.  It brings glory to, and magnifies, His name.  


We live in a very self-centered, individualistic culture and I would bet that many of us have never even considered this before.  To me this is another reminder of how much God has done for me and that my life is His.


How do you view God's pardon of your sin?  Do you see it as for your own sake so that you can have eternal life?  Or do you see it as for God's sake, bringing glory to His name?  Does (or would) viewing it as the latter change the way you live? As you consider this, look at verses 8 through 11.

⁸ Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.⁹ He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.⁹ He leads the humble in justice, And He teaches the humble His way.¹⁰ All the paths of the LORD are lovingkindness and truth To those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.¹¹ For Your name’s sake, O LORD, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great. - Psalm 25:8-11 

God's timing

Lately God has been reminding me a lot about His timing.  How it is almost always not my own.  How it is perfect.

The church I go to when I am in Portland spent the last year going through 1 Corinthians.  The first week I went there to check out church was the first week of the year long series.  At the time I thought it was a cool coincidence.  That was last September.  A few weeks ago I was in Portland briefly and happened to catch the final sermon of the series.  This time I knew it was more than coincidence.  God was teaching me something.

So while I am raising support I am trying to remind myself daily that God's timing is perfect and that He will get me back to Portland exactly when He wants to.

Random observation of the day:

At the beginning of this summer I got a new pair of black shorts.  I just noticed today that the button on them has a skull and crossbones on it.  Sometimes I amaze myself with how long it takes me to notice some things.  Anyway, just wanted to share that.