All Things Pass

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 18:1-8 ~~~ Psalm 98 ~~~ John 16:16-20 ~~~

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Paul met Jewish friends in Corinth, but for the most part
 his preaching fell on deaf ears.
His decision was to redirect his attention to the nearby Gentiles.
As a result of Paul moving on many Corinthians
heard and were baptized.
There minds and hearts were open to the word of the Lord.
Paul was steadfast and determined to preach to those who would listen.

We thank you Paul for not getting discouraged.
There were so many times when you could have
walked away, and gone home to stay.
The Spirit, which was upon Paul, gave him the strength of heart
to carry on in the face of rejection and apathy.

‘A little while and you will not see me,

and again a little while and you will see me’?

These words almost make you think of a baby's game of peek-a-boo.

To a baby if they cannot see you then you are gone.
Hiding and revealing your face to them is a surprise.
The surprise of seeing your face again
causes them to laugh and giggle.
It is delightful joy to play with babies.
But of course we know that Jesus
 is not playing with the apostles;
he really is physically going away. 

He is returning to the Father in Heaven
so that he can send down the Holy Spirit.

...your grief will become joy.

We all experience grief to some degree in our lives.
We grieve over the death of a loved one...
we grieve over losses in our lives...
some even grieve over their own lives.

Jesus does not tell us not to grieve...
he does tell us it is foolish to grieve.
He validates our grief with the promise of joy.
Jesus does not want us to remain in a state of grief.
He wants us to believe that whatever grief we experience;
he will transform it into joy.

The only genuine experience
of joy we can have must come from him.

Blessed with grief so that we can better appreciate his joy.
~~~Peace~~~

In the Mouth of a Fish

~~~ Deuteronomy 10:12-22 ~~~ Psalm 147 ~~~ Matthew 17:22-27 ~~~

 

Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and be no longer stiff-necked.

 

Overwhelmed with grief at hearing that Jesus must die,

now they must deal with a civil issue.

There is a long standing saying that paying taxes and dying are the only

two things you cannot get away from doing.

 

So here we have Jesus speaking about how he must die and the temple

tax collector jumps right in.

 

Jesus does not want to offend, but he also does not encourage

blindly following the letter of the law.

 

Jesus performs one of his most unusual miracles...

He pays his taxes with a coin from out of the mouth of a fish.

How odd is that?

He fed large crowds with a small handful of fish.

His first disciples were fishermen.

In a way it is almost ironic that they should get the money to pay their

temple taxes from a fish.

They were certainly familiar with catching fish...

it was their livelihood.

 

 

Jesus told Peter and the others that he would make them fishers of men.

In spreading the gospel message there are gold coins to be found.

There are treasured stories of how God

 works in the life of each person.

You may have your own treasured story of how

you came to realize the presence of God.

 

go to the sea, drop in a hook,
and take the first fish that comes up.
Open its mouth and you will find a coin worth twice the temple tax.

 

Whatever you owe to Cesar does not compare to what

God has in store for you.

Jesus pays the ultimate 'tax' paying with his life for us.

 

Peter was to take the first fish...he was to open its mouth.

The fish did not just jump out of the water a spit up the coin.

Peter was to approach the sea with his fishing gear

 as any other normal day of fishing.

 

If you have ever been fishing you will know

that you may be waiting for that first fish for quite a while.

You must exercise patience to be a fisherman.

 

Jesus pays the expected taxes in a very unconventional way.

Jesus wants us to cut open our hearts,

even to circumcise them.

 

Jesus says give to God what is God's and to Cesar what is Cesar's.

He never says something he does not support with his actions.

Remember he did not come to abolish the law,

but rather to fulfill it as had never previously been done.

 

In the middle of their grief Jesus performs a miracle

right in the mouth of a fish.

 

When was the last time you looked in the mouth of a fish for God's blessings?

I can honestly say I have never

considered a fish as a source for tax money.

God never ceases to amaze!

He will always provide.

Overshadowing Joy

~~~ Acts 18: 9-18 ~~~ Psalm 47 ~~~ John 16: 20-23 ~~~

"...your grief will become joy."

Even a devout Christian has difficulty waiting patiently for the joy when in the midst of a time of grief. There are times when you cannot se 'the light' at the end of the tunnel. There are times in grief when you fell trapped inside of a dark cave.

The light of joy must be one of faith. We are asked to believe in this joy through our faith in the promises of God.

"...she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy

that a child has been born into the world..."

Just last night I caught the end of a program spotlighting the struggle and pain of unwed mothers who make the difficult decision to give up their child for adoption.

Having dear friends who just adopted I was compelled to listen as each of these mothers struggled with making the choice. Each of them admitted from their heart they knew giving up their baby was in the best interest of the child. Parallel to their child's best interest was their emotional pain and profound sadness for themselves.

While they were joyful at having given birth to a beautiful healthy child their personal emotional anguish was great. I pray for these women and the courage they have for not terminating their pregnancy. Once you see your child giving him or her up for adoption takes great love.

The adoptive parents too experience emotional pain of waiting for the birth mother's final signatures. It is not until all signatures are obtained before the adoptive parents can breath a sigh of relief and thanskgiving.

Adoptive parents acknowledge tremendous gratitude

for the great gift they have received.

"But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,

and no one will take your joy away from you."

This scripture verse is one of comfort for anyone who is mourning and grieving the loss of a loved one. Jesus was talking to the apostles as they were sad about his leaving them. Jesus is saying to them don't be sad it will be alright...I will see you again and when that does happen it will truly be a glorious time.

Jesus closes this section with more words of assurance...

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father

 in my name he will give you."

When you are grieving hold on for the Joy.

Ask for joy to be born into your heart.

Wait for the Joy to overshadow the pain.