THANKFUL

Chatting with Jesus

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Lord, only you can change our lives, and make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We remember the excitement how we could know the God of all creation, our heavenly Father, by having a personal relationship with you, Jesus. This passion for knowing you burned within our soul and gave meaning to our otherwise mundane life.  After your Spirit set up shop in our spirit, every day we couldn’t wait to see what awesome acts you would perform. We were making a difference in our world. This phenomenon of spiritual warm fuzzies snuggles within all who come to you in faith.

This broken world gives everyone ups and downs. Christ followers are no different. Life happens. Jesus, even though we don’t lose our relationship with you unintentionally, we allow the warm fuzzies to lapse into cold scratches.

The Apostle Paul mentored a young preacher, Timothy, in the faith. His zeal for leading others into a relationship with you gave him a noticeable following. But like today, life happened then. Paul observed this lapse of enthusiasm and reminded Timothy only he could “stir the fire” within his soul, that passion for you, Lord God:

“… I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift [passion] God gave you…” 2 Timothy 1:6

Lord, as a Christ follower, I’m no exception. Only I can keep the fire burning within my soul for you and your Kingdom. Help me constantly stir the flame for your message of love, forgiveness, and redemption to a new life that only you can give. People need to hear this message.  No one can do it for me. By your grace, Lord, I will own this responsibility to keep the fire burning.

 Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Monday, February 26, 2024

Lord, you spent your last night on Earth praying with your disciples. Within hours, according to God the Father’s plan, you would willingly go to the cross as the sacrifice for man’s redemption from sin. But before you went, you prayed earnestly for your disciples … and for me personally, too. You prayed that your rag-tag group of disciples would not be removed from the Earth. Instead, you prayed a holy boldness would empower them to tell everyone your message of redemption through faith in you, Jesus. These twelve men’s sharing the truths of your death, burial, and resurrection would change the world.    

Your message of redemption is not complex. The Apostle John simply wrote in his Gospel: “For God so loved the world [that’s you and me] that he gave his only Son [Jesus] that whosoever [again, you and me] believes in him [again, Jesus], should not perish [die without knowing you, God], but have everlasting life [with you, God, in Heaven] (John 3:16).

Lord, you covered all the bases for everyone who would believe in you. I’m a believer because you added an addendum to your prayer:

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message” (John 17:20).

The disciples shared your salvation message to their world, who in turn shared it with those in their world, and the message of grace, forgiveness, and mercy—the message of John 3:16—passed down through the generations and finally reached me.

Lord, you are faithful. Over the centuries, sinful man has tried to cancel you but failed at every attempt. How true your Words. You said heaven and Earth will pass away, but your message of redemption will never pass away (Matthew 24:35).

Lord, help us keep your message alive and ongoing.  Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Friday, February 23, 2024

Lord, where would we be if you hadn’t made a way for us to know you? How would we know your standards? According to Scripture in Romans chapter one, before knowing you personally, our conscience guided our decisions of right and wrong, and verified your existence. Through the centuries, you have given us sacred Scriptures that reveal who you are and your plan to redeem sinful man.  

Only you, Lord, know the number of hours the psalmist spent meditating on your Word and thinking of your holy attributes. He recorded his humble plea for us to follow:  

 ” Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path, for my enemies are waiting for me” (Psalm 27:11 NLT).

Lord, from his long periods of quiet meditations, you must have opened his spiritual eyes to understand that by following your instructions for godly living, it was a given he was on the right path. Therefore, his enemies would become powerless over him.

Your patience is amazing. You waited as I him-hawed, pondered, and questioned my reasoning. “But, Lord, how does this apply to me? Yes, your Spirit teaches me how to live, but I don’t have enemies waiting to destroy me.”

“Are you kidding?” I heard your nearly laughing Spirit say. “You battle the same enemies that the psalmist battled: pride, a judgmental attitude, spiritual arrogance, unforgiveness, lust, greed, lying, self-centeredness, jealousy, envy … on and on.” My enemies list extended until it disappeared over the horizon.

I understand, Lord. Unless we follow your instructions to maintain a righteous life, and stay on the right path, these spiritual enemies wait patiently to destroy our relationship with you.

Lord, help me keep close to you. These enemies must bow before you, for indeed, your power in me is far greater than my enemies’ power. (1 John 4:4).

Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Lord, it’s that time again. The same old worn, ageless campaign slogans and unrealistic promises are dusted off and rehashed. I’ve gotta quit listening to the political pundits and “expert’s” minutia predicting doom and gloom. Politicians declare unless their candidate wins in November, a pox will surely poison everything red, white, and blue. Political parties pay big bucks to create a narrative that only their candidate can save “democracy.”

These happenings are nothing new. You’ve seen this before. Your prophet Jeremiah recorded his experiences when Judah decided they could live just fine without you. Jeremiah describes their spiritual arrogance, how their secular wisdom exceeded your divine wisdom. Because they rejected you, their God, you lifted your protection, stood back and said, “Okay, go for it!” Disaster soon overtook Judah (Jeremiah 17:1–6, 9, 10).

Nonetheless, you gave an unshakeable promise to those who remained faithful during this time of judgment on your unfaithful people.

 “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit,” (Jeremiah 17:7–8 NLT).

In a panic and the uncertainty of the times, some may make radical decisions they later regret. But for Christ followers, what a comfort to know we have the promise of Jeremiah 17.

Lord, despite whoever might be in the White House, your promises remain. You will take care of your own. Jeremiah declared to your faithful followers: “You alone are our [my] hope in the day of disaster” (Jeremiah 17:17)

Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Lord, who hasn’t had a bad day?  I’ve heard some well-meaning people foolishly claim you will never have another bad day after coming to Christ. This is true—if we are in Heaven. But in thie broken world, believers and non-believers alike have “those” days. If you’re breathing enough to fog a mirror, at some point, you will have a stinker of a day. No getting’ around it. Read what our friend the psalmist wrote of his bad days.

“My problems go from bad to worse. Oh, save me from them all! Feel my pain and see my troubles.” (Psalm 25:17,18 NLT)

Those words could easily be mine. And probably yours, too. Bad days began after that ugly snake/woman/fruit incident. In this broken world, things happen that annoy us and disrupt our plans.

·       You get an inner-office memo: the company is downsizing.  

·       On the way to an interview, you dump your $6 Starbucks in your lap.

·       The babysitter has the flu, and you’ll need to make other arrangements.

Life wasn’t any easier for the psalmist thousands of years ago.

·       The horse pulling your chariot develops a Charlie horse. 

·       Inflation causes olive oil to skyrocket to 75 shekels a gallon.

·       A hidden scandal is publicly exposed.  

Perhaps self-righteous people accused the psalmist of some unrepentant sin that caused him troubles. Maybe the psalmist believed this? Maybe the accusation was true. Just in case, he added a quick addendum to verse 18:

“Feel my pain and see my troubles. [And, oh, my merciful Lord] Forgive my sins.”  (Psalm 25:18) [emphasis mine]

Lord, Good Friday wasn’t so good for you, but you stayed true to the Father’s will. Help us keep a pure, repentant heart before you so that when we have a bad day, we’re assured you are good, and your grace still is working for us. Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Monday, February 19, 2024

Lord, I envision the psalmist pacing the floor of the Temple, praying with arms extended toward Heaven, and shaking his head in disbelief. Were you amused when he slapped his forehead, thinking “How could I be so stupid? What was I thinking?”

You answered straightforward: “You weren’t! You were young and made dumb choices.”

Our humanity enjoys taking us on guilt trips, so this probably wasn’t the first time you heard his entreaty. Despite his ongoing penitence, forgiving himself became a struggle when the devil constantly reminded him of his foolish choices. Who among his friends—or enemies— knew his past? What if they find out?  Lord, how you must have desired the psalmist to get through his thick skull you forgave his misdeeds years ago. But once again you heard his plea:

“Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth” (Psalm 25:7 NLT).

Then it clicked. “I’m forgiven!” Incredible joy must have rendered him nearly speechless. I think you didn’t mind him ridiculously repeating, “Thank you! Thank you!”

So, this is the freedom from sin you talk about. You lifted this yoke of self-unforgiveness of those foolish sins of his youth off his shoulders. Those haunting memories no longer controlled him. Finally, the realization you no longer remembered his youthful indiscretions released him to become all you created him to be. Oh, the grace and the joys of having a clean slate before you, O God, and sins remember no more. The psalmist added a new stanza to his prayer.

“Remember me in the light of your unfailing love, for you are merciful, O Lord” (Psalm 25:7 NLT).

Yes, Jesus, how I related to the psalmist’s youthful follies. This freedom from stupid sin, and all sin is stupid, is available to all who call on you. May we all call on you, Lord. I’m thankful I called.

Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Friday, February 16, 2024

Lord, over three thousand years ago, the psalmist faced a major decision. Trust you? Or trust his understanding? He breathed a simple prayer:

“Show me the right path, O Lord. Point out the road for me to follow” (Psalm 25:4 NLT).

How many gazillion people through the centuries have prayed these words? And you heard every word. In brokenness, you heard my desperate plea after I had traveled many winding, pothole-filled roads that led to dead ends. But honoring the small amount of faith I could muster, you answered my prayer.

At some time, everyone breathing has faced or will face a fork in their life’s road. Should I take the road left, or stay to the right? One road may look safe, but the other exciting. One road appears well-traveled, the other resembles a trail leading into the Amazon jungle.

Lord, we try to use the brains you gave us to reason the factors of each path and then make an educated decision. You know how uncertainty about major decisions makes normal folks uncomfortable. Secular folks rely on their human wisdom. Christ followers rely on your divine wisdom. Or they should.  

Your Word tells us before we are born, you have a plan for our lives (Psalm 139:1–6). Teach us to listen for your voice speaking to our inner self, and may we follow the path where your Spirit leads. Forgive our grumbling when your leading takes us to an uncomfortable place. You have a purpose for that. Help us put aside our desires and even if we don’t understand, follow your leading. You see the whole picture from beginning to end. We can’t see past the end of our prideful noses. And you always know what is best for us.

Guide me, Lord. I don’t want to mess up again. My plea is that of the psalmist, “Point out the road for me to follow.”

Amen, Jesus.

“When we avoid taking the blessings off of God’s holiness table, desiring to take the sinfulness and the unholiness from Satan’s table, we bring upon ourselves many hurts” — Pastor Robert Goodson

Chatting with Jesus

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Lord, you left no doubt of your mandate. Following you required putting our desires and wishes aside and seeking what you have for us to do. Our aggressive, wheeler-dealer friend, the psalmist, after numerous ups and downs, and unceremoniously humbled, finally learned that trusting you completely was in his best interest.

For a while, he maintained his appearance of holiness but hid his rebellious heart. Psalm 25 recalls the turbulent times in his youth when he made foolish youthful choices, which pleased his enemies instead of pleasing you (Psalm 25:7). As he matured in his relationship with you, he learned to control his fleshly desires, and accomplished mighty deeds for the Kingdom of God.

In my relationship with you, Lord, at times I ignored what you wanted and pursued my desires. To say those choices were painful would be too lenient.

You gave the psalmist timeless truths that have been proven to be steadfast over millennia:

“No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced, but disgrace comes to those who try to deceive others” (Psalm 25:3 NLT)

Lord, if we refuse to live by your precepts and ignore your warning, you step aside and let us have our way. Maybe some are deceived by our actions and words, but the most crucial person we deceive is ourselves. We even try to blame you for our miserable plight.

As the psalmist, and all who have come to their senses have found, repentance isn’t optional. It is mandatory. The joy of restored relationship with you, Lord, is like no other happiness. You even leave us with a gift.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).

Amen, Jesus.

Chatting with Jesus

Monday, February 12, 2024

Lord, things are worrisome down here. Chaos abounds worldwide. Wars wage in the Middle East, conflicts brew between ethnic groups, and evil actors strive to divide and sow corruption in our societies. Of course, all these troubles are nothing new. When you walked among us, societal divisions were rampant. Religious and political divisions had groups fighting one another for power of the populace.

Like us today, surely your disciples felt apprehension in their spirits over the uncertainty of their times. John 14 records your encouragement to your anxious followers instructing them they can trust putting their futures in your hands.

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.  There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3 NLT).

Don’t let our hearts be troubles? How often do we flippantly throw that phrase around, but how do we implement a trouble-free heart? Today, believers jump-start their trouble-free hearts the same way as the disciples. They made a deliberate choice to put their trust in Jesus.

Jesus, you promised your followers that putting their faith in you, that you are who you claimed to be—the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of God—that no matter what happened in the world they lived in, you held their futures firmly in your eternal hands.  

Today, Lord, might we deliberately do the same and place our faith in you completely. By doing so, we too will experience your peace amid our troubling times.

Amen, Jesus.