Our old friend Isaiah

I'm quite moved by our old friend Isaiah. His hard hitting straight forward no holds barred right out of the box approach to rebuke is fresh nearly three thousand years later. Isaiah 1:27 NLT. I'd encourage you to read the whole chapter again. I love that verse three already insults us and says essentially we are dummer than a jackass. But by verse 27 we are given the hope that revival comes from repentance.

I believe that is a fair formula for God's child.

Want Revival? Repent of your stubborn pride. We're so often right (informed by the Lord and his word) that we forgot we are usually wrong (in and of ourselves).  We are not so clever. We are stupider than a jackass. We need to repent.

So there's your revival tip. Repent of pride. Look for God's leading in his word and obey.
Have faith He is in control.

Isaiah 1:3-6, 27 NLT

Even an ox knows its owner, and a donkey recognizes its master’s care— but Israel doesn’t know its master. My people don’t recognize my care for them.” Oh, what a sinful nation they are— loaded down with a burden of guilt. They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord . They have despised the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on him. Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick. You are battered from head to foot— covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds— without any soothing ointments or bandages. Zion will be restored by justice; those who repent will be revived by righteousness.

Two privileges

Are you privileged?

Philippians 1:28-29 NLT

Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.

Bent u bevoorrecht?

Filippenzen 1:28-29 NBG51

zonder dat gij u in enig opzicht door de tegenstanders laat beangstigen. Hierin is voor hen een aanwijzing van hún verderf, doch van úw behoud, en dat van Godswege. Want aan u is de genade verleend, voor Christus, niet alleen in Hem te geloven, maar ook voor Hem te lijden,

......................
You thought one present was good but two is even better. Possibly the second is what you need now. Everyone at one time or another wants to be rescued. And when you are desperate you are likely to put your trust in the weakest of things. We sometimes say you are grasping at straws. Imagine you are falling. Now imagine that you are slipping down a steep cliff and you are clawing the stone wall looking for anything to grab. You reach out and you catch a hold of a small twig from a little tiny tree trying to grow in the crumbling rock face. At that moment you are not falling anymore and you are putting your trust in the small tiny tree to hold your weight and keep you from plunging to your death below.
Christ is a safe platform, a sure, stable and comfortable place to stand. You can be confident in him far far more than the tiny little tree we imagined earlier. Still it is a privilege to have a safe place to stand. The safe place needs to be protected because people above are hurling down stones. And others who are falling are grabbing at you to drag you down with them.

It's not easy to discuss the privilege of suffering. It isn't such an applauded position. People aren't fighting for the privilege. Suffering comes and you don't see the sigh of relief. A cheer doesn't go up and celebrations don't break out. Trust can be seen to be the natural response to need. And it isn't difficult to employ when the free fall of our tragic position becomes apparent.

But who considers suffering a privilege?

Jesus did. Paul writes hear that he did.

To be associated with Jesus even in suffering is better than a trouble free life.

We are to quick to pray suffering away. We struggle to see that this is God's way.

How might you suffer for Jesus?
Do you see suffering as a privilege equal to trust in Jesus?

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Philippians 1:1-30 NLT

This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus. I am writing to all of God’s holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the elders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ —for this will bring much glory and praise to God. And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me. Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.

Filippenzen 1:1-30 NBG51

Paulus en Timoteüs, dienstknechten van Christus Jezus, aan al de heiligen in Christus Jezus, die te Filippi zijn, tezamen met hun opzieners en diakenen; genade zij u en vrede van God, onze Vader, en van de Here Jezus Christus.  Ik dank mijn God, zo dikwijls ik uwer gedenk; immers, in al mijn gebeden bid ik telkens voor u allen met blijdschap, wegens uw deelhebben aan de prediking van het evangelie, van de eerste dag af tot nu toe. Hiervan toch ben ik ten volle overtuigd, dat Hij, die in u een goed werk is begonnen, dit ten einde toe zal voortzetten, tot de dag van Christus Jezus. Zó van u allen te denken spreekt voor mij dan ook vanzelf, omdat ik u op het hart draag, daar gij allen, zowel bij mijn gevangenschap als bij mijn verdediging en bevestiging van het evangelie, deelgenoten zijt van de mij verleende genade. God toch is mijn getuige, hoezeer ik met de ontferming van Christus Jezus naar u allen verlang.  En dit bid ik, dat uw liefde nog steeds meer overvloedig moge zijn in helder inzicht en alle fijngevoeligheid, om te onderscheiden, waarop het aankomt. Dan zult gij rein en onberispelijk zijn tegen de dag van Christus, vervuld van de vrucht van gerechtigheid, welke door Jezus Christus is, tot eer en prijs van God.  Ik wil, dat gij weet, broeders, dat hetgeen mij wedervaren is veeleer tot bevordering van de evangelieprediking heeft gestrekt. Daardoor toch is aan het gehele hof en aan al de overigen duidelijk geworden, dat ik in gevangenschap ben om Christus’ wil, en het merendeel der broeders in de Here heeft door mijn gevangenschap vertrouwen gekregen om met des te meer moed onbevreesd het woord Gods te spreken. Sommigen prediken de Christus wel uit nijd en twist, maar anderen doen het met goede bedoeling. Dezen verkondigen de Christus uit liefde, daar zij weten, dat ik tot verdediging van het evangelie gesteld ben, maar genen uit eigenbelang, met de onzuivere bedoeling, mij de gevangenschap zwaar te maken.  Wat doet het ertoe? In elk geval, hetzij met een bijoogmerk, hetzij in oprechtheid, wordt Christus verkondigd; en daarin verblijd ik mij, en zal ik mij ook verblijden. Want ik weet, dat dit mij tot behoud zal strekken door uw gebed en de bijstand des Geestes van Jezus Christus, naar mijn vurig verlangen en hopen, dat ik in geen enkel opzicht beschaamd zal staan, maar dat met alle vrijmoedigheid, zoals steeds, ook nú Christus zal worden grootgemaakt in mijn lichaam, hetzij door mijn leven, hetzij door mijn dood. Want het leven is mij Christus en het sterven gewin. Indien ik in het vlees blijf leven, betekent dat voor mij werken met vrucht, en wat ik moet kiezen, weet ik niet. Van beide zijden word ik gedrongen: ik verlang heen te gaan en met Christus te zijn, want dit is verreweg het beste; maar nog in het vlees te blijven is nodiger om uwentwil. En in deze overtuiging weet ik, dat ik zal blijven en voortdurend bij u allen zijn, opdat gij verder moogt komen en u in het geloof verblijden. Dan zult gij ruimschoots reden hebben om over mij te roemen in Christus Jezus, wanneer ik weder bij u kom.  Alleen, gedraagt u waardig het evangelie van Christus, opdat, hetzij ik kom en u zie, hetzij ik afwezig blijf, ik van u moge horen, dat gij vaststaat in één geest, één van ziel medestrijdende voor het geloof aan het evangelie, zonder dat gij u in enig opzicht door de tegenstanders laat beangstigen. Hierin is voor hen een aanwijzing van hún verderf, doch van úw behoud, en dat van Godswege. Want aan u is de genade verleend, voor Christus, niet alleen in Hem te geloven, maar ook voor Hem te lijden, in dezelfde strijd, die gij eens van mij hebt gezien en nu van mij hoort.

Destinations

Love, faith, grace and the gift of life in context. What do you see?

2TH 1:3-12 NLT

Dear brothers and sisters, we can’t help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. We proudly tell God’s other churches about your endurance and faithfulness in all the persecutions and hardships you are suffering. And God will use this persecution to show his justice and to make you worthy of his Kingdom, for which you are suffering. In his justice he will pay back those who persecute you. And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for us when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven. He will come with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don’t know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from his glorious power. When he comes on that day, he will receive glory from his holy people—praise from all who believe. And this includes you, for you believed what we told you about him. So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

2 Tessalonicenzen 1:3-12 NBG51

Wij behoren God te allen tijde om u te danken, broeders, zoals gepast is, omdat uw geloof zeer toeneemt en uw aller liefde jegens elkander sterker wordt, zodat wij zelf over u roemen bij de gemeenten Gods, vanwege uw volharding en uw geloof onder al uw vervolgingen en de verdrukkingen, die gij doorstaat: een bewijs van het rechtvaardige oordeel Gods, dat gij het Koninkrijk Gods waardig geacht zijt, voor hetwelk gij ook lijdt, indien het inderdaad recht is bij God, aan uw verdrukkers verdrukking te vergelden, en aan u, die verdrukt wordt, verkwikking tezamen met ons, bij de openbaring van de Here Jezus van de hemel met de engelen zijner kracht, in vlammend vuur, als Hij straf oefent over hen, die God niet kennen en het evangelie van onze Here Jezus niet gehoorzamen. Dezen zullen boeten met een eeuwig verderf, ver van het aangezicht des Heren en van de heerlijkheid zijner sterkte, wanneer Hij komt, om op die dag verheerlijkt te worden in zijn heiligen en met verbazing aanschouwd te worden in allen, die tot geloof gekomen zijn; want ons getuigenis heeft geloof gevonden bij u.  Hiertoe bidden wij ook te allen tijde voor u, dat onze God u de roeping waardig achte en met kracht alle welgevallen in het goede en het werk des geloofs volmake, opdat de naam van onze Here Jezus in u verheerlijkt worde, en gij in Hem, naar de genade van onze God en van de Here Jezus Christus.

Choices. God accepted Abel's sacrifice but rejected Cain's. God chose Noah and destroyed the world and all others in it. God chose Isaac but did not choose Ishmael. God chose Jacob and the Bible says he rejected Esau. Joseph is chosen to save his family. Moses is chosen to lead his people, but Pharaoh is chosen to have a hard heart. Moses is not allowed to enter the land. Fail is chosen as king but then David is chosen and Saul is rejected. But David is not allowed to build the temple. The people of the land are chosen for destruction; Israel is ordered to kill every man woman and child in most cities.

Will you choose Jesus or will you choose destruction? You are faced with a choice.

Will you choose justice? Or salvation and forgiveness?

Will you choose today to love your creator or will you choose to love yourself?

Choose you this day whom you will serve.

Good news

It was Good plan.

The Thanksgiving of Obedience.

Psalms 119:7 NLT

As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should!

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You say you are thankful. You've felt the feelings of appreciation and you've mouthed the words. But genuine thankfulness is coupled with obedience.

One of the times I was visiting my parents in America my dad gave me some boots. I really appreciated the gift. The boots were great and I began to wear the boots nearly every day. I wrote dad and told him how grateful I was for the boots.
But some how their daily use was a constant reminder of my dad's generous love.  I'd think how fortunate I was to have the boots, how good they were for the cold, wet, rainy Sheffield hills.

God's word is meant to be used. Like a pair of good boots we need to be reminded of God's justice, his righteousness and goodness. We need to wear it. When the way is slippery or wet we can feel secure and protected. When the way is steep and rough we can feel supported.

Don't take the gift of truth and store it in the closet.

When  you trust and obey the Word of God you demonstrate your genuine thankfulness.

Meditation doesn't have to be taught.

The art of slow thinking is natural. I can remember each of my children at some point in their very early life 'coming out with something unexpected'. These statements or questions could arise in any situation or at any time. These gems of cognitive connection may bear no discernible link to the current circumstances but they always evidence meditation.
It very likely that meditation performed properly, slowly and naturally will produce a crystal clear, concise and relevant question. This question will reveal more about the heart and motive than the casual ,inattentive listener might ever realise.
Suppose your child overhears a conversation about whether or not grandparents will be able to come for the child's birthday party. It seems grandma and grandpa may not make it because their car had to go into the shop to have the transmission replaced and so they would not have a car for a week. The plan couldn't be changed because the garage was very busy and they were doing the job for grandpa for half price. Grandma and grandpa live three hours away so it was unlikely they'd make it to the party in two weeks.
Days later you are in the checkout line at the store buying wiper blades for your car. And your child blurts out, 'Couldn't they borrow aunt Sharon's car?'

Now here is the unknown chain of thought behind the statement: The news of grandpa's absence from the birthday party means your child thinks they won't get the money grandpa always gives at birthdays. This is a real disappointment to the child. A few days later your car's wipers cause a lot of stress on a trip home from school  Now it is raining hard again so you borrow the neighbour's car to quickly get some wiper blades. You need to do this before you drive to get the older kids from camp. It's pretty urgent since the weather forecast is for heavy rain.
While waiting at the checkout, your youngest child sees a snickers and remembered that aunt Sharon bought a snickers for grandma last time we visited. 'Then the light comes on': aunt Sharon lives near grandma and grandpa's house, aunt Sharon has a car, we just borrowed the neighbour's car......

... 'Couldn't they borrow aunt Sharon's car?'

One form of meditation is driven by the recognition of a need and the patient search for a solution to your dilemma. A lot of good meditation happens because of an acute awareness of need or desire.

The child's active but relaxed mind accepts they can't solve the issues that are out of their league. But they are looking for an answer. They are listening to all the new information and sifting through the old information. Snickers, the lack of money, grandpa's gift, aunt Sharon's proximity, wiper blades, and borrowing the neighbour's car all converged to become a solution.

As you consider meditation and the reading of God's word this week, let me encourage you to identify your needs or the needs of the world.

I've often noticed in my children a period of relative quiet during the meditation process. It is easy to miss this because you are busy and the quiet is a welcome break from nonstop requests and questions. But this quiet is the evidence of meditation. It doesn't mean that all of life stops; it does mean at times we need to concentrate. But we can concentrate in chunks while doing the washing up or standing in a queue.

Meditation sees the complexity of life and draws on it all no matter how seemingly unrelated to find formerly unrecognised connections. I say unrecognised but often meditation isn't comparative between people. It is usually a personal journey. It is possible Grandpa would send the money, it's reasonable to think that grandpa had already considered Aunt Sharon's car and probably no one except the child realised the severity of the need. But meditation isn't about what others may have already considered; often it is highly personal and so it takes responsibility to weigh all the data themselves. Somewhere in the arena of family, cars, needs, and the wonderful world of possibilities, there lies a solution and the ever-attentive mind of the child is trying each block in every shaped hole until they find a match.

Will you meditate on God's word? Will you find the solutions you seek for your most pressing needs?

Have you gone?

Where has Jesus sent you?

You can't ignore it in the end...

The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. JHN 16:9 NLT

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The message is simple. The question is not complicated. What will you do with the claims of Jesus?

Jesus makes some extraordinary claims about himself. And he draws lines. It's not very popular.

Love and live in Freedom

We are free.

Wij zijn vrij.

Geen Dienst

#One in the Signature Series

'Geen dienst' : The Bible Study

Introduction:
The signature series is the theme of Jeugd Paulus Gemeente Genk 
Friday Youth Gathering. The signature series looks at the Bible to discover “Jesus’ signature moves”! Every top athlete, artist, musician, businessperson, inventor or leader has a set of signature moves. Jesus is known by what he does, what he says and who he is. We’re looking for Jesus’ signature moves so we can be like him.

Possible Resources to use before the  sketch story to introduce the signature series:

http://open.spotify.com/track/0G8SywgMLkEAtJwzUTxGXH Sail by Awolnation

https://vimeo.com/35641714 RedBull signature Series intro
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-free-tools-online-video-editing/

Aim:
Discover that service flows from love. Service in itself is not Jesus’ signature move! Sacrificially doing the right thing has to be marked by dangerous love to reflect Jesus’ signature move.

Sketch Story:
‘Geen Dienst’ The disappointment.
Scene 1-- A young guy feels desperately lonely. He is discouraged and is thinking about committing suicide. He prays asking Jesus to rescue him and send someone to help him. Jesus immediately leaves to go to the young man’s house to help him.

Scene 2 -- A man is waiting for a bus and looks at his watch. His face brightens as he sees a bus in the distance and thinks he will get a ride soon. But then he can see that the bus says, ‘Geen dienst’ and he is noticeably disappointed. This happens once again and the man becomes noticeably frustrated when an old, noisy bus comes by but it says, ‘1 Gemeente’. But neither the condition of the bus nor its bumpy ride bother the man at al--he is just really happy to be under way.

Story Summary:

Jesus is asked a question by an expert in the bible.
The “expert” wants to know how to get eternal life.
Jesus asks, What does the bible say to the ‘Bible Expert’?
The man says the most important thing is to love God and to love your neighbour.
Jesus says the bible expert is indeed an expert.
But he needs to do it!
The Bible expert then wants to know who his neighbour is.
So Jesus tells a story.
The story goes that a man coming from Jerusalem is jumped by thugs and is stripped of his clothes.
The man, badly beaten, is lying on the ground all messy, naked and nearly dead.
A priest happens along and sees the man laying there needing help, but he stays far away from the man who needs help really bad.
Another man who worked in the temple came along and has a closer inspection of the dying man, but he decides not to help and also keeps his distance.
Then who comes by next but the dying man’s enemy (well maybe not enemy, but Jews and Samaritans didn’t get along and Jews would not help Samaritans)
The Samaritan has compassion on the Jew lying there. Despised man loves his enemy.

Samaritans are like today’s Palestinians. Jews treated Samaritans like American Blacks were treated for years. Samaritans got the worst place to live, the worst food, the worst opportunities for jobs, education and everything. So the Samaritan is loving his oppressor.

The Samaritan touches him. Uses his precious oil to heal him, his cloth to bandage him. The Samaritan lifts the hurt man on to his transport to carry him so he’d have to walk, and then he was more vulnerable to the same thug bandits that beat the first man too!
The Samaritan took the dying man to an inn and stayed for a bit and cared for him.
Then the Samaritan payed for his care and said if he cost anymore, he’d pay that too!
Jesus asked which person was most like a neighbor to the man beat by the thug bandits.
The  Bible Expert said, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Read the Bible:
Luke 10:25-37
The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Lucas 10:25-37
Het enig noodzakelijke
25 Er kwam een wetgeleerde die hem op de proef wilde stellen. Hij vroeg: ‘Meester, wat moet ik doen om deel te krijgen aan het eeuwige leven?’ 26 Jezus antwoordde: ‘Wat staat er in de wet geschreven? Wat leest u daar?’ 27 De wetgeleerde antwoordde: ‘Heb de Heer, uw God, lief met heel uw hart en met heel uw ziel en met heel uw kracht en met heel uw verstand, en uw naaste als uzelf.’ 28 ‘U hebt juist geantwoord,’ zei Jezus tegen hem. ‘Doe dat en u zult leven.’29 Maar de wetgeleerde wilde zich rechtvaardigen en vroeg aan Jezus: ‘Wie is mijn naaste?’ 30 Toen vertelde Jezus hem het volgende: ‘Er was eens iemand die van Jeruzalem naar Jericho reisde en onderweg werd overvallen door rovers, die hem zijn kleren uittrokken, hem mishandelden en hem daarna halfdood achterlieten. 31 Toevallig kwam er een priester langs, maar toen hij het slachtoffer zag liggen, liep hij met een boog om hem heen. 32 Er kwam ook een Leviet langs, maar bij het zien van het slachtoffer liep ook hij met een boog om hem heen. 33 Een Samaritaan echter, die op reis was, kreeg medelijden toen hij hem zag liggen. 34 Hij ging naar de gewonde man toe, goot olie en wijn over zijn wonden en verbond ze. Hij zette hem op zijn eigen rijdier en bracht hem naar een logement, waar hij voor hem zorgde. 35 De volgende morgen gaf hij twee denarie aan de eigenaar en zei: “Zorg voor hem, en als u meer kosten moet maken, zal ik u die op mijn terugreis vergoeden.” 36 Wie van deze drie is volgens u de naaste geworden van het slachtoffer van de rovers?’ 37 De wetgeleerde zei: ‘De man die medelijden met hem heeft getoond.’ Toen zei Jezus tegen hem: ‘Doet u dan voortaan net zo.’

Discover
v25 What is the man’s job who asked Jesus the question?
v26 What is the irony of Jesus’ answer?
v27 Can you summarize the big idea of Jesus reply and the man’s answer in verses 27-28?
v29 What was the motive of the Bible Expert?
(possible dig deeper questions)
-- When we want to justify our own actions who are we loving and serving?
-- Why might the man’s clothes have been stolen?  (We are not sure of this but it fits well with the story)
-- What was the responsibility of the Priest and the Temple assistant? Who created their roles and for what reason?
v33 How is the Samaritan man described?
v33 What is the Samaritan man’s signature move?
v36 Why is Jesus’ question to the bible expert surprising? (The least likely person in the story to be the neighbour of the man beaten and dying was the Samaritan).
v37 What was Jesus asking the Bible expert to do?
-- What was the doing Jesus spoke of?
-- What does it mean that Jesus signature move was service?
-- What are the differences between the motives described in  verses 27, 29 33, and 37?
-- How are Jesus and the good Samaritan the same?
Consider:

Elicit and list when “geen dienst” happens to us--and how it makes us feel:
Foutmelding bij het kopen van tickets online (Error message when buying tickets online)
404 Bestand niet gevonden (404 File not found)
De automaat kost je geld, maar zal het niet geven wat je wilt! (The vending machine takes your money but won’t give you what you want!)
De bus is te vol om op te krijgen. (The bus is too full to get on.)
Wat anders? (What else?)
Wat is het probleem? (What’s the problem?) Expectations not met
Wie is de schuldige? (Who is at fault?) De Lijn? Belgacom?
Die wordt beïnvloed door het? (Who is affected by it?) Me!

(Duty causes us to find excuses not to serve. Love looks for ways to serve.)
Plicht ervoor zorgt dat we excuses om niet te dienen. Liefde zoekt naar manieren om te dienen.

Application

How can we practically be like the good samaritan?
Who should we be helping?
What will motivate this service?
How can we work as a team to be the hands and feet of Jesus?
What do we need to do so that each of us can serve others?
How can we make our needs known?
Who is our neighbour in Genk?
Why is it important to be a Bible Expert?
What might a Bible expert lack?

Who will you serve tonight? Tomorrow? This weekend? Next Week?
How will you feed your love for God?
How will you focus on loving God by listening to him?

Activities:

The youth divide into two teams and play a form of net ball where every member of the team must have had possession of the “ball” before anyone can take a shot on goal. Three of the team members are chosen by lot to be handicapped.
One person will have a blindfolded.
One person will have their power arm in their shirt.
One person will have to stand on one lag for the whole match and can not switch leggs.

Blue Room
Paper towel Ball
Three “handicaps” for each team?
Goals (waste bins) for each team

Dig even Deeper
Lucas 10:38-42
38 Toen ze verder trokken ging hij een dorp in, waar hij gastvrij werd ontvangen door een vrouw die Marta heette.39 Haar zuster, Maria, ging aan de voeten van de Heer zitten en luisterde naar zijn woorden. 40 Maar Marta werd helemaal in beslag genomen door de zorg voor haar gasten. Ze ging naar Jezus toe en zei: ‘Heer, kan het u niet schelen dat mijn zuster mij al het werk alleen laat doen? Zeg tegen haar dat ze mij moet helpen.’ 41 De Heer zei tegen haar: ‘Marta, Marta, je bent zo bezorgd en je maakt je veel te druk. 42 Er is maar één ding noodzakelijk. Maria heeft het beste deel gekozen, en dat zal haar niet worden ontnomen.’

Summarize the Story
What was Mary’s motive?
What was Martha’s motive?
How was Jesus serving Mary?
How was Mary serving Jesus?

How does this story connect with the last one?
What correction does this bring to our responses to the story of the good samaritan?

#Deel 1 van de  Signature Series

'Geen dienst' : bijbelstudie

Inleiding:
De signature series is het thema van de Jeugd Paulus Gemeente Genk 
Vrijdag jeugdsamenkomst. De signature series onderzoekt de Bijbel om “Jezus zijn signature moves” te ontdekken ! Iedere topatleet, artiest, muzikant, zakenman, uitvinder of leider heeft bepaalde signature moves. Jezus is gekend door wat hij doet, wat hij zegt en wie hij is. We gaan op zoek naar Jezus zijn signature moves zodat we als hem kunnen zijn.

Mogelijke bronnen te gebruiken als inleiding voor de sketch van de signature series:

http://open.spotify.com/track/0G8SywgMLkEAtJwzUTxGXH Sail by Awolnation

https://vimeo.com/35641714 RedBull signature Series intro
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/5-free-tools-online-video-editing/

Doel:
Ontdekken dat dienstbaarheid ontstaat uit liefde. Dienstbaarheid zelf is niet Jezus zijn signature move! Sacrificially doing the right thing has to be marked by dangerous love to reflect Jesus’ signature move. Wanneer onbaatzuchtig het juiste doen gekenmerkt wordt door een liefde waarbij men zichzelf wil opofferen enkel dan weerspiegelt Jezus zijn signature move.

Verhaal van de sketch:
‘Geen Dienst’ De teleurstelling.
Scene 1-- Een jongeman voelt zich erg eenzaam. Hij is ontmoedigd en denkt aan zelfmoord. Hij bidt en vraagt aan Jezus om hem te redden en iemand te sturen om hem te helpen. Jezus vertrekt meteen naar het huis van de jongeman om hem te helpen.

Scene 2 -- Een man wacht op de bus en kijkt op zijn horloge. Zijn gezicht klaart op als hij in de verte een bus ziet aankomen. Maar dan ziet hij dat er op de bus ‘Geen dienst’ staat en hij is zichtbaar teleurgesteld. Dit gebeurt nog een tweede keer en de man begint zich gefrustreerd te voelen als er uiteindelijk een oude lawaaierige bus aankomt met opschrift ‘1 Gemeente’. Maar noch de staat van de bus noch de woelige rit irriteren hem, hij is gewoon blij eindelijk op weg te zijn.

Samenvatting van het verhaal:

Een wetgeleerde stelt Jezus een vraag.
De “expert” wil weten hoe je eeuwig leven krijgt.
Jezus vraagt wat de bijbel zegt tegen de wetgeleerde?
De man antwoordt dat het belangrijkste is om God en je naasten lief te hebben.
Jezus antwoordt dat de wetgeleerde een echte expert is.
Maar hij moet het wel doen!
De wetgeleerde wil dan weten wie zijn naasten zijn.
Dus vertelt Jezus een verhaal.
Het is een verhaal over een man die uit Jeruzalem komt en beroofd wordt door dieven en ontdaan van al zijn kleding. De man ligt geslagen en gewond op de grond, naakt en bijna dood.
Een priester komt langs en ziet de man in nood op de grond liggen, maar hij blijft er ver vandaan.
Een andere man, die in de tempel werkt, loopt ook voorbij en kijkt wat beter naar de stervende man maar besluit niet te helpen.
Dan komt de vijand van de stervende man langs (misschien niet een letterlijke vijand maar Joden en Samaritanen kwamen niet goed overeen en een Jood zou zeker nooit een Samaritaan helpen)
De Samaritaan heeft medelijden met de Jood De verachtte man had zijn vijand lief.

Samaritanen zijn zoals Palestijnen de dag vandaag. Joden behandelden de Samaritanen zoals men jarenlang de afro Amerikanen heeft behandeld. Samaritanen kregen de slechtste huizen om in te wonen, het slechtste eten en de laagste kansen voor werk, opleiding of iets anders. Dus de Samaritaan toonde hier liefde voor zijn onderdrukker.

De Samaritaan raakt hem aan. Gebruikt zijn waardevolle olie om hem te genezen, zijn kleed om zijn wonde te verbinden. De Samaritaan helpt de man op zijn eigen vervoer zodat hijzelf moest lopen, en liep zo meer gevaar om dezelfde rovers tegen te komen die de eerste man hadden geslagen!
De Samaritaan bracht de stervende man naar een herberg en bleef bij hem en zorgde voor hem.
Hij betaalde voor de medische zorgen en zei dat indien er extra kosten zouden zijn hij die ook wilde betalen !
Jezus vroeg wie het meest als een naaste was voor de gewonde en beroofde man.
De wetgeleerde zei, “degene die hem genade toonde.”
Toen zei Jezus, “Inderdaad, dus ga nu en doe hetzelfde.”

Lees de bijbel:
Luke 10:25-37
The Most Important Commandment
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
29 The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10)
30 Jesus replied with a story: “A Jewish man was traveling from Jerusalem down to Jericho, and he was attacked by bandits. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him up, and left him half dead beside the road.
31 “By chance a priest came along. But when he saw the man lying there, he crossed to the other side of the road and passed him by. 32 A Temple assistant walked over and looked at him lying there, but he also passed by on the other side.
33 “Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. 34 Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. 35 The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins,telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’
36 “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.
37 The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”

Lucas 10:25-37
Het enig noodzakelijke
25 Er kwam een wetgeleerde die hem op de proef wilde stellen. Hij vroeg: ‘Meester, wat moet ik doen om deel te krijgen aan het eeuwige leven?’
26 Jezus antwoordde: ‘Wat staat er in de wet geschreven? Wat leest u daar?’
27 De wetgeleerde antwoordde: ‘Heb de Heer, uw God, lief met heel uw hart en met heel uw ziel en met heel uw kracht en met heel uw verstand, en uw naaste als uzelf.’
28 ‘U hebt juist geantwoord,’ zei Jezus tegen hem. ‘Doe dat en u zult leven.’
29 Maar de wetgeleerde wilde zich rechtvaardigen en vroeg aan Jezus: ‘Wie is mijn naaste?’

Parabel van de barmhartige Samaritaan (Lucas 10)

30 Toen vertelde Jezus hem het volgende: ‘Er was eens iemand die van Jeruzalem naar Jericho reisde en onderweg werd overvallen door rovers, die hem zijn kleren uittrokken, hem mishandelden en hem daarna halfdood achterlieten.
31 Toevallig kwam er een priester langs, maar toen hij het slachtoffer zag liggen, liep hij met een boog om hem heen. 32 Er kwam ook een Leviet langs, maar bij het zien van het slachtoffer liep ook hij met een boog om hem heen.
33 Een Samaritaan echter, die op reis was, kreeg medelijden toen hij hem zag liggen. 34 Hij ging naar de gewonde man toe, goot olie en wijn over zijn wonden en verbond ze. Hij zette hem op zijn eigen rijdier en bracht hem naar een logement, waar hij voor hem zorgde. 35 De volgende morgen gaf hij twee denarie aan de eigenaar en zei: “Zorg voor hem, en als u meer kosten moet maken, zal ik u die op mijn terugreis vergoeden.”
36 Wie van deze drie is volgens u de naaste geworden van het slachtoffer van de rovers?’
37 De wetgeleerde zei: ‘De man die medelijden met hem heeft getoond.’ Toen zei Jezus tegen hem: ‘Doet u dan voortaan net zo.’

Ontdek
v25 Welk beroep had de man die een vraag aan Jezus stelde?
v26 Waarin ligt de ironie van Jezus zijn antwoord?
v27 Kan je de kern van Jezus zijn antwoord en dat van de man uit verzen 27-28 beschrijven ?
v29 Welk motief had de wetgeleerde?
(eventuele verdiepingsvragen)
-- Als we onze eigen daden willen rechtvaardigen wie hebben we dan lief en aan wie tonen we dienstbaarheid?
-- Waarom is de kleding van de man gestolen?  (Zeker weten doen we dit niet maar het past wel binnen de situatie)
-- Welke verantwoordelijkheden hadden de priester en de Leviet ? Wie heeft hen deze rollen gegeven en waarom?
v33 Hoe wordt de Samaritaan beschreven?
v33 Wat is de Samaritaan zijn signature move?
v36 Waarom is deze vraag van Jezus aan de wetgeleerde verrassend ? (De minst logische persoon in het verhaal om naastenliefde te tonen aan de beroofde man was de Samaritaan).
v37 Wat vroeg Jezus aan de wetgeleerde om te doen?
-- Wat hield dat in?
-- Wat betekent het dat Jezus zijn signature move dienstbaarheid was?
-- Welke verschillende motieven worden beschreven in de verzen 27, 29 33, en 37?
-- Welke gelijkenissen zijn er tussen Jezus en de Samaritaan?
Bedenking:

Geef een opsomming wanneer wij “geen dienst” ervaren--en hoe we ons dan voelen:
Foutmelding bij het kopen van tickets online
404 Bestand niet gevonden (404 File not found)
De automaat slikt je geld, maar geeft niet wat je wilt!
De bus is te vol om nog bij te kunnen.
Wat nog ?
Wat is het probleem? Verwachtingen worden niet ingelost
Wie is de schuldige? De Lijn? Belgacom?
Wie is het slachtoffer ?  Ik !

Verplichting zorgt ervoor dat we excuses zoeken om niet te dienen.
Liefde zoekt naar manieren om te dienen.

Toepassing

Hoe kunnen we praktisch gezien zijn zoals de barmhartige Samaritaan?
Wie moeten we helpen?
Wat is de motivatie voor deze dienstbaarheid?
Hoe kunnen we als een team samenwerken om de handen en voeten van Jezus te zijn?
Wat moeten we doen zodat ieder van ons anderen kan dienen?
Hoe kunnen we onze eigen noden kenbaar maken?
Wie is onze naaste in Genk?
Waarom is het belangrijk een “bijbel expert” te zijn?
Wat kan er soms ontbreken bij een bijbel expert ?

Wie zal je vanavond dienen? Morgen? Dit weekend? Volgende week?
Hoe voed je je liefde voor God?
Hoe richt je je aandacht op het liefhebben van God door te luisteren naar hem?

Activiteiten:

Verdeel de jongeren in 2 teams voor een netbal-achtig spel waarbij ieder lid van het team de bal in handen moet gehad hebben voordat men een punt mag scoren voor het team. Drie teamleden worden uitgekozen om met een handicap te spelen.
Iemand krijgt een blinddoek om.
Iemand moet zijn speel-arm in zijn shirt houden.
Iemand moet het hele spel op 1 been staan en mag niet wisselen van been.

Speelruimte
Bal van papier (keukenrol)
Drie “handicaps” per team?
Goals (afvalbakken) for each team

Extra verdiepingsvragen
Lucas 10:38-42
38 Toen ze verder trokken ging hij een dorp in, waar hij gastvrij werd ontvangen door een vrouw die Marta heette.39 Haar zuster, Maria, ging aan de voeten van de Heer zitten en luisterde naar zijn woorden. 40 Maar Marta werd helemaal in beslag genomen door de zorg voor haar gasten. Ze ging naar Jezus toe en zei: ‘Heer, kan het u niet schelen dat mijn zuster mij al het werk alleen laat doen? Zeg tegen haar dat ze mij moet helpen.’ 41 De Heer zei tegen haar: ‘Marta, Marta, je bent zo bezorgd en je maakt je veel te druk. 42 Er is maar één ding noodzakelijk. Maria heeft het beste deel gekozen, en dat zal haar niet worden ontnomen.’

Vat het verhaal kort samen
Welk motief had Maria?
Welk motief had Marta ?
Hoe diende Jezus Maria ?
Hoe diende Maria Jezus ?

Welke verbanden zie je tussen dit verhaal en het vorige ?
Welke wijzigingen brengt dit aan onze bedenkingen bij de parabel van de barmhartige Samaritaan ?

How do you want God to treat you?

Luke 6:37-38 CEV

Jesus said: Don't judge others, and God won't judge you. Don't be hard on others, and God won't be hard on you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. If you give to others, you will be given a full amount in return. It will be packed down, shaken together, and spilling over into your lap. The way you treat others is the way you will be treated.

-------

The good news of the day of that God will forgive you!

And oh boy do you need a heap of forgiveness. I've heard it said that every time you point the finger you've got three pointing back at yourself.

Who are we to judge others harshly? Who are we to draw the line and assume grace and mercy have run thier course.

I can tell you that when you face the Almighty God you'll hope that he is more merciful than you.

Thankfully God is more merciful. Thankfully Jesus trays his enemies like family and loves them.
Thankfully the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of a believer and all the selfish, hateful pride we have doesn't drive him away.

We are covered by the righteous of Jesus.

Mere people

HEB 13:5-6 NLT

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”

--------------

Is it possible you've made people into giants in your imagination? Has your envy grown others out of proportion?
The situation is that you look to others for your self worth. You feel insecure. You want what others have. You imagine the possession of things makes you valuable.
The accumulation of things does not give you value. We make this mistake when we say of the wealthy, "He's worth a million dollars!" A person may have at their disposal a vast amount of money and resources but this adds nothing to thier value.
Our value does not come from our wealth.

Nothing

When nothing means everything to me!

Rest

“Jesus calls us to his rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort.”

― A.W. Tozer, Pursuit of God

Look no further!

Only Jesus can give you rest. Deep soul rest, understanding of the world's pain rest, contentment in suffering rest, purpose in failure rest, birth to death rest, only comes from Jesus.

Been stabbed in the back? Been lied about? Been majorly crushed by disappointment? Been dumped? Been passed over, let go, overwhelmed, pushed to the limit? Jesus has too! He understands.

More importantly, he, as your maker, can do something for you none else can. He can give your soul rest, he can share your burden.

Just do it!

Hebrews 5:11-14 NLT

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

----------------

Am I spiritually dull? Do I fail to listen?  Do I have spiritual insight and teaching to offer others?

What are the marks of maturity in the Christian life? Aren't they clear here in Hebrews 5? The author explains it is knowing how to do what is right. Knowing how to do right didn't come easily. A person must train. This is the real spiritual discipline.

Some time ago I had developed a rather nice routine of cycling and swimming. The skills did not come quickly. It required a daily attempt to do what at first seemed a simple task. Well,  as easy as riding a bicycle. And swimming, according to my knowledgeable swim coach, was a simple set of steps to a smooth stroke. But in each case I had to practise. I had to break down the steps and make sure nearly every day I was thinking about and practising them. Stay straight in the pool to create a minimum of drag or keep my body streamlined. It was the same on the bicycle and both with a steady cadence or rhythm.

You might know what's right but do you have the repetition to keep doing it while fatigue sets in? The person who has suffered the pain of discipline can make it look easy but knows that it is actually only really because of practice and discipline.

Do you actually know what is right to do? Often in sport it is a subtle personal change in motion or attitude and thought process that adds the miles or shaves the minutes. But for these gains to become repeatable, expected, teachable, reproducible, daily actions we have to humble ourselves to make slight but important changes. We have to study the right way. Some athletes and coaches spend hours watching the best in video, and often in slow motion, trying to figure out what makes the best so good. Then they try to reproduce it.
Shouldn't the Christian look to Jesus and his word everyday? Shouldn't we study the nuances of his righteous life? Shouldn't we practise repeatedly? Shouldn't we ask spiritual coaches to point out our flaws and the areas where we can improve?

Are you training to do right? Do you really know the difference? Is your spiritual life poetry in motion because of the pain and discipline of practice? A righteous life doesn't come from thinking you know it all or from sitting on your back side assuming you can do it right. Train in righteous! Just do it!

While on the bus

I've tried writing a few notes while riding the bus to language school in the morning. I have been using my Kindle Keyboard. When I got home I synced it to the web and copied the notes here.

1 John 3

19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God.

Note: true that

20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.

Note: God is greater than our feelings of guilt. we can know confidence before God. we are not held hostage by our feelings. And what is the sign of this relationship of acceptance? Isn't the fact that we can freely ask whatever we want. When we are free from guilt when we feel acceptance then we can freely ask God for whatever we want. We know because we love him that we will ask for things that will please him. 

1 John 4

9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

Note: Loving others and loving God is the full expression of God's love. We don't need some deeper experience. The love of God and his love for others is the pinnacle, the ultimate. There is no deeper experience. We are not lacking in any releam of spiritual understanding, wisdom or knowledge if we have love. Love for God and love for others is the ultimate in spiritual, human, and church life, nothing can top it. When your heart swells with unconditional love for your enemies you are experiencing all that God has to offer. 

Kerk en School

1 John 5

1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ* has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.

And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. 

Note: It is belief in the Son that makes a member of the family of God. And thus it is family status that causes us to love our Christian brother and sisters. Since we are loved by the Father and since we love the Son (we do not really believe if have no love for the son.) it is natural that we also will love the our brothers and sisters. And since we were loved by God when were enemies we also will love our enemies. 

3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 

Note: We have the author of life indwelling us. How could we think his way was burdensome? He gives us all we need and more. He fills us with hope and joy. We who walk in his ways are able to break free of sin and death we have hope and he possibility to do right. This is not a weight or restriction this is life itself. His way is the way of righteousness. To walk on his ways is to walk the path of light. No more stumbling in the dark. No more bearing the burden of guilt we who keep his commands are free. So lets not think of his rule as a restriction, rather we see his way as the way of lightness; We see his commands as the path of abundance, provision and light. We who follow his commands become complete and live as we were intended. It is like discovering that proper way to use a chain saw is to turn the motor on after spending a life time trying to cut with it with out turning it on. It's like finding the motor car has motor so you don't have to push it everywhere.

10 All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son. 11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.

18 We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them.

Note: What does it mean that evil can not touch them?

21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.*

Note: This warning is profound. We have the greatest treasure possible in knowing Jesus so why would we allow our hearts to be filled with something inferior? Why would we allow ourselves to be deceived?

Mind the Gap

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1

Daarom moeten wij al onze aandacht richten op wat we gehoord hebben, dan zullen we niet uit de koers raken. (Hebrews 2:1)

---

Every single day we have to believe the truth again. This is not to earn favour with God. Nor is it because God isn't capable of saving us. Jesus' work on the cross is enough. The gift is complete. Nothing needs to be added or topped up. Yet we stray. We forget.

We jump to attention when sin calls us to action as if we are still under Sin's command. We are free, but we have developed a habit of obeying sin rather than God. We are easily deceived and we need to regularly remind our hearts of the truth. Jesus must be our focus. Jesus must captivate our hearts. 

Do you have a daily spiritual check list? When life gets difficult do you have a truth list you tell yourself?
Here are some of the items on my check list:

• God is good!
• God loves me.
• God is in control.
• Nothing happens by chance and nothing is out of God's control.
• God knows best. ( God knows better than me!)
• Jesus died for me.
• Jesus loves my enemies. 
• Jesus forgives all my sin, past present and future.
• I need to do nothing to earn God's favour.
• I am not a slave to sin; Jesus has set me free.
• Jesus rose from the dead to give me an abundant life. 
• An abundant life does not consist of things!
• Jesus will meet my needs, not leave me alone, cares for my soul and has shown me the way in his Word and will guide me through the church and the Holy Spirit speaking truth from His Word.
• To follow Jesus requires suffering and persecution.

(and more depending on what my heart must hear.)

What is your list?

Can you find some of the truths I tell my self in Hebrews Chapter 2?

Why not have a look for yourself.
http://bible.com/116/heb.2.1.nlt

Eating with your enemies.

U nodigt mij aan tafel voor het oog van de vijand, u zalft mijn hoofd met olie, mijn beker vloeit over.

The author, David says, "You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings." (Psalm 23:5 NLT)

For years I read that to mean my enemies watched me get blessed by God. They stood at a distance or watched from hell, while I had a feast. 

I think I was very wrong all these years.

I think David means the enemy is at the table with me. 

Think about it. Jesus ate with his enemies all the time. Both the obvious enemies like the Pharisees and may the less obvious like Judas or even Peter (Peter at least spoke the words of Christ's enemy Satan when he tries to discourage the talk of dying and Jesus says get behind me Satan. Or less obviously, when Peter denies Jesus).

I think this shows us that we will become like Jesus. We will be able to graciously eat with those who seek our demise. We, with God's help, will welcome our enemies to the table. Maybe even it is the idea that God makes our enemies to share their table with us. 

Either way, I do not believe any longer that it is a description of a spoilt children sticking his tongue out at the enemy while tucking into a great feast laid on by God for his favourite child. 

Rather I must see this passage as describing Jesus. And if I am going to be included in this promise I must walk the way that Jesus walks.

So look forward to how God will bring your enemies to the table with you. 

I can think of no greater way for this to happen than for my enemies to become my brothers and to sit at the table with me. Could it be that they come to the table as an enemy and leave a brother?

So can we rejoice and look forward to God both feeding us and bringing peace to us.

Certainties!

Do you understand the plan of God? Have you read the Bible so you know why the law was given? Do you know the promise of God?

I'm convinced that there is a good God who keeps his promises.