bits and pieces or feasting?

They were at the Feast.

12 men and 1 Savior. Bound together by bread and wine. A covenant. A last supper. The Last Passover that ever needed to be kept because finally, the Lamb of God was to be slain. It would be finished. And Judas sits satisfied with a bit of bread. It was Judas’ last supper too.

21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table at Jesus’ side, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the piece, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.

27 Then after he had taken the piece, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. John 13:21-30

Crumbs and scraps.

Judas settles for a morsel from The Bread of Life, the Manna which comes down from heaven. Mincing and tasting the crumbs instead of consuming the Feast, eaten by faith in the One who saves us.

We consume the bread and wine as He consumes our guilt and sin.

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And Judas sells his soul to the lowest bidder.

Bits and crumbs in place of a feast.

30 pieces of silver in exchange for streets of gold. He seals the unholy deal and Judas settles for bits and pieces. Judas could have had a kingdom.

What have I settled for?

What morsels have I chosen instead of the feast? My hungry soul tries to dine upon the crumbs of the world. But the world never satisfies and my soul-hunger turns into famine of the heart. My 30 pieces of silver rob me of the streets of gold. God’s hands remain full while my heart remains empty. Gifts given but not received.

Unopened. Unused. Unsatisfying bits and pieces.

Jesus came so we can have life and have it abundantly. But abundance requires sacrifice, receiving, waiting, enduring, abiding and praying.

This Thanksgiving season Jesus calls us to come, buy, eat and feast. Without money, without price. Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Leave your bits and pieces and come to the Feast.

How will you feast on the goodness of God this Thanksgiving? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving.

Don’t Go to Church …?

Church plants. The underground church. Online church. Live streaming. Virtual church. Church in the 21st century is very different from the church of the 1st century. What exactly is the church? People or steeple? Covenant or concrete? Mission or mortar? What does it mean to be a part of a church? What is the church and do Christians have to go to church?

29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.”

31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:29-33

First, let’s start with what the church isn’t.

It isn’t a building.

First century churches did not have a specific building. They usually met in a house. Even today many churches do not have buildings. According to the Global Church typical rural churches in Uganda meet under a shade tree. Focus on the Family states, “Church structures facilitate the role of God’s people, but they do not fulfill it.”

It isn’t a sermon or a song.

Songs help us worship and glorify God. Sermons enable us to gain wisdom and understanding which leads to transformation. While these things are beneficial and beautiful, they are not the church.

It isn’t potlucks and programs.

Wholesome alternatives to the lure of the world, these activities are fun and entertaining, but they are not the church. Fellowship is fun, but events don’t transform the culture.

What it is.

The church: in the original Greek, ekklesia, which means to call, to call out, to invite. The church is the invited, the called, the summoned. Sinners saved to be the body of Christ. Not bricks but bodies.

The Body.

Hands working. Hearts loving. Feet walking. Souls giving.

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOEVER believes in Him shall have eternal life.”

All are invited. All are called, chosen, needed.

So don’t go to church, go BE the church, go be the invitation. Go be the call. Live your life, and use your gifts in such a way you make it easy for others to want to be a part of Gods family, the body of Christ. The church.

Go be the church.

How do you “go be the church”? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to chat with you!

Today Bible Journal 2

Spend time with Jesus Today!

Today is a new kinda quirky Bible journal for busy people who want to jump-start their day with Scripture. Begin the day with a look verse and short assignment. Then, revisit your work in the evening to add notes, make changes and apply what you’ve learned. Only By Prayer recommends you focus on one journal entry a day.

Today is a good time to be with Jesus!

Click to open the Today Bible Journal pdf !

Today Bible Journal Part 1

Today Bible Journal Part 2

Today: Bible Journal

Spend time with Jesus Today!

Today is a good time to be with Jesus!

Click to open the Today Bible Journal pdf !

Today Bible Journal

Short & Sweet: Road Trip

“So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated, and the people he had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the site of Shechem, at the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.” Genesis 12:4-6

Abram was born in the land of Ur, a city dedicated to the worship of the moon god, Nanna. Because the Amorites invaded Abram’s homeland, Abram’s father moved the family out of Ur to Haran. It was in the city of Haran that Abram (later renamed Abraham) heard the call of God to journey to Canaan, the Promised Land.

Why did God tell Abram to leave the land of Ur?

Because He wanted to bless Abram and all other nations through Abram’s family line. Sometimes in order for God to bless us, we have to leave some things behind; things that stand in the way of God’s best; things that obstruct our relationship with God; things that prevent our progress, keep us shallow and make us small. Things that make us less when God wants to make us more. Things like false gods, bad habits, and generational sin. Sometimes God uses a change of scenery to change a life.

“Then Abram journeyed by stages to the Negev.”

He started in Ur.

Stage 1, Ur (Genesis 15:7) In the original Hebrew, Ur comes from a Hebrew word that means light, revelation. Just as God met Abram in his everyday life, God meets us in the middle of our mess and calls us to walk with Him in the light.

Then Abram live in Haran.

Stage 2, Haran Haran means, dried, parched, angry, shriveled. Do you have any dried up places in your life? Any relationships or circumstances that drain you of life, joy and energy? Haran also means to be burned, scorched, charred, shriveled up, to be angry, to burn with anger. When we burn with anger, we scorch everything around us, even our own souls. God never wants us to live a life of anger. Small wonder God called Abram out of the Haran, the “land of anger.” God had a better way of life for Abram. His way. The only Way.

After Haran, Abram had to get out of Shechem.

Stage 3: Shechem Shechem means back, to turn the back, a place where blows fall. In order to walk with God, Abram had to turn his back on his old way of life. He had to walk away from his idols, wrong relationships and bad habits. To walk with God, we will have to back away from some things.

Then God led Abram to Moreh.

Stage 4: Moreh Moreh means teacher, early rain. In order to progress in our relationship with God, we need sound biblical teaching. As we let the living water of God’s word rain down on us, we will grow in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord.

Finally Abram was ready for the Land of Promise.

Stage 5: Cana’an Cana’an literally means lowland. It also means: to humble, to bend the knee, to humble oneself, to bind together. The land of Cana’an is the place where we humble ourselves before God, and on our knees, admit our great need for Him. It is a place where He binds our heart to His. Cana’an is aka the Promised Land. A Land of Promises.

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

“I will be your God and you will be my people.”

“You shall be white as snow, though your sins are as scarlet.”

Those are some good promises.

I need the Land of Promises.

How did Abram get from Haran to Cana’an? He followed God closely down the road of obedience. He depended on God’s instruction for each step of the journey. Abram walked so close to God he could hear Him whisper, This is the way walk in it.

My own journey with God has been marked by stages. I’ve been to Ur and back. I had an extended stay in Haran. I know every nook and cranny of Shechem. Stages of joy, peace, hardship, struggle, pain, growth and suffering. You name it I’ve been there with God , and He has used it for my good and His glory.

The key to progress?

Keep walking. Never stop. When you fall, GET UP. With God there is always a next time, always another stage, and always a second chance (and a third, fourth, fifth etc.).

I’m glad God changes us in stages. If He had shown me everything that was wrong with me the first day I started following Him, I would have died of shame. He is good. You can trust Him. Keep following Him.

Action Points:

Where are you? Look at your life. In order to make progress, you have to know where you are. Are you in Ur, at the beginning of your walk with God? Are you on a detour? Lost? Ask God to show you.
Get up. Maybe you have blown it. (I have several times). Or maybe you have been wandering around not really getting anywhere. It’s time. Get up. Get going.
Ask for directions. What do you need to do next to keep walking with God? Add something? Leave something? Wait for something? Pray and ask God to show you.
Help someone find their way. Maybe you’ve been walking with God for a long time and you have a little road-worthy experience to share. Find someone who needs your help and show them the way.

Where are you in your journey with God?

Leave me a message. I’d love to hear from you!

Life is sweet! Road trip!

Short & Sweet: U-turn

“You just passed the road,”

Morgan said as I breezed by our turn. We were driving home from a middle school retreat at Bair Lake on a beautiful September afternoon. The long shadows of late summer played upon the fields and forests. Winding through the peaceful Midwest cornfields, on back country roads, dotted with weathered barns and farmhouses, we chatted about this and that. Until I passed our turn.

I had to make a quick decision. If I kept going, we would go well out of our way, turning our leisurely drive into a frantic haul to make it back to school before the bus load of kids. I decided to make a u-turn.

U-turn: a quick redirect in the opposite direction.

One minute you’re heading east and the next minute you’re heading west. A bad choice rectified with one good decision. A bold move is all it takes to change your course. I’ve blown past the right turn in my lifetime too. Enjoying life in the fast lane, I’ve ended up lost. Endless detours. Enormous potholes. Living a wrecked life. The highway to hell—an old super-highway. Yep, I have been on that road.

Thankfully, God allows U-turns.

U-turn yourself around.

U-get back on the straight and narrow.

U-follow-God kind of U-turns.

Funny thing is, every U-turn begins at a Cross-road. U-meet Jesus at the Cross-road and U-turn from living your own way and U-follow Him. U-gotta love Him. One minute you’re on a dead-end road, spinning your tires, and the next you’re heading to the Promised Land.

Where are you headed?

Are you going the right way? Remember, the road you’re traveling will end somewhere. Make sure you’re headed in the right direction. There’s only one way—His way.

I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me.

U-Turn Steps:

U-stop. Take some time to stop and take stock of your life. Is the direction you’re heading in now going to take you where you want to end up?
U-look. Look at your habits. How you are spending your time, money and resources.
U-listen. Get alone with God and listen to what He has to say about the direction you’re headed.
U-turn. You make decisions based on the truth of God’s word and u-turn from what doesn’t line up with his truth. No matter how inconvenient, no matter how painful, no matter how messy, u-turn right now. Note: God will never call you to do anything against His word. Pray and turn.

What is God calling U to turn from? Leave me a comment in the Comment Section below!

Life is sweet when u-turn and follow Jesus.