Attitude is EVERYTHING

The rich young ruler asks Jesus how to obtain eternal life...and Jesus looks at him...LOVES HIM...and tells him that he needs to sell all that he owns and care for the poor. The man walks away sad. So...does that mean that we are all doomed?

I don't think so, I think this is about attitude. I think Jesus is talking to the rich young ruler about priorities, where his heart lies. In the text in Matthew 6:21 Jesus talks about our heart being where are treasure is...so don't store up your treasure where "moth and rust decay", but focus on eternity.

Those that are blessed with wealth play such a wonderful vital, roll in the church, when their eyes are turned towards eternity. We have some that just offer what they have so generously to lift up and care for those in need. They have an attitude of generosity and they seem to realize that giving generously doesn't take away from their abundance, instead it blesses them. They are wise with their finances, but not so frightened of it's loss that they won't share with others. It's as if they understand that when it's all said and done it's not about money at all...but about how we love and treat one another. What a wonderful attitude to cultivate!

*Part of having an attitude of thankfulness includes counting our blessings. What blessings to you have today that you are thankful for?

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I LOVED Mr. Roger's neighborhood when I was a kid...and...well....I'm still really fond of it today. Caleb went through a short phase of wanting to watch it, too, which I thought was wonderful considering that the program was recorded years ago and has stood the test of time as far as a child's desire to enjoy it. Why? Because being kind to your neighbor (or to those you encounter along your life's journey) just doesn't go out of style. Mr. Rogers was all about building up the self-esteem of children and teaching them about the world that they live in, including caring for and being kind to those who are placed in our lives.

The Good Samaritan risks so much to care for someone in need...to be kind. I realize that it isn't always easy, or popular, or even safe, to be kind. But I know that it's good and right. Even in our anger and expression of pain, we can be kind. We can choose the words we use more carefully or even choose to not speak at all, which might be the kindest act of all in some circumstances. The point is we should make an effort to be a good neighbor. Isn't it interesting that it comes back to something that we learned as children? Hmmm....

As a special treat I found a wonderful little YouTube video tribute for Fred Rogers, who passed away in 2003. Here it is:

Mary, The First Missionary

Mary Magdalene. She certainly has become a woman of controversy as the years have marched on between the time of her living on this earth and now. We know that Jesus healed her and her life was transformed. She was with "the other Mary" at the tomb in the text that we read today. I could spend many hours writing about her and the various theories about her life, quoting source after source. She has become quite popular for scholars and even fictional novel writers.

However, I want to quote what someone said at Bible Study Wednesday night about her...and I suspect that he was quoting from something that he had heard before. Art said "Well, Mary was the first missionary." I paused...hmmm...I was thinking Paul and the missionary journeys in Acts...he went on to say "She was told by the angel in the tomb to run and go tell the others that Jesus is alive...and she did. She was the first missionary."

Interesting, the text tells us that the women are afraid, but also happy...and they run to tell the disciples the amazing news. And this is the good news of the Gospel that they had to share: Jesus was dead...now he is alive! Go tell the others! And the good news still remains: We can be touched by God and experience a resurrection in our own lives...that is the good news of Easter!

Run...go tell the others!

Well Written

I think that it's interesting that Luke wrote about 27% of the New Testament himself in the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. And even in the text we read for today we hear that the intent of Luke is to somehow, in an organized fashion, express the events that surrounded the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We certainly are the beneficiaries of his need to capture the events of the day!

Have you ever wondered what you are contributing in the world just now that will make a wonderful, lasting impact? I do...I want very much to leave the world a better place for my being in it. So if I care for someone who is in great need and it helps them survive through a really challenging time...I've done a good thing and it will effect the world for the better. And if I've written a blog that seems really simple but someone who needs a word of encouragement reads it and is lifted up...then I've done a good thing.

What about you? What "Lukan" act have you done that will make this world a better place?

It's tempting...

What is your greatest temptation? What was it for Jesus....power? Avoidance of death and the future that he was moving towards?

We are challenged today in a simple and profound way...resist temptation and it will flee from you. (James 4:7) See how it works today....let's do it together. When we face temptation we will be conscious in our resisting the devil.

*Join me in this day in praying for all of the others that read this blog and will make a choice to resist the evil that faces them.

To do Nothing

We talked about it at Bible Study last night...the fact that Pilate has become a villain...and yet he wasn't the only one involved in the death of Christ...the Jewish leaders certainly played their part as well.

What really was Pilate's sin? He obviously doesn't want to find Jesus guilty...he gives the crowd another choice in Barrabas, he continues to try to release Jesus, but he eventually gives in to the crowd, to those pressuring him, and even to his position. He does what his is supposed to do, according to his position. However....

It's a challenge, isn't it, to live outside of the opinion of others. And yet, to follow Christ and to accomplish our purpose in life we will need to do just that. Let's face it, we can't make everyone happy all of the time. It just isn't humanly possible! Instead of focusing our moral compass on those around us and their opinions (however good or not so good those opinions might be) it is infinitely better to focus on the opinion and teachings of Christ, as we understand them to apply to ourselves and our own situations. It is also a worthy challenge not to impose our judgments on those around us, as the pharisees did, but to understand that we are on a journey together and we are meant to love one another...to care for one another, not to tear each other apart but to lift one another up.

*Who can you encourage in this day? Don't let the sun go down without doing just that!!!! Go...NOW...encourage someone that needs you!!!!!

Fair is fair...right???

It only seems right....Jesus, we are working really hard for you...SO.....we want you to do anything we ask of you...just give us this one wish. In other words...we scratch your back and you scratch ours....

But, thank goodness, that's not how it works. The justice and mercy of God are not like ours. So often we see things in columns...you do this, I do this. You get this, I get this. It is all really on the surface. It doesn't take into account the whole person, the circumstances, the past, the present, the future...and it certainly doesn't reflect our ability to forgive and move on after someone has made a mistake. And when we look at things that way we become so focused on others...what THEY have or don't have...who THEY are, what THEY do....it's quite childish, actually. We expect children to act in this way, but part of our job as parents is to help our children understand that it's not for us to constantly compare ourselves and our possessions with others. We are to move beyond this behavior into a more mature form of communication, which takes into account many factors in processing information and relationships.

In essence, we are to become more Godly. Imagine that?! My prayer for us, for all of us, is that we will stop focusing on others and what they do and don't do, what they have and what we don't have...and be intentional about our own journey.

May we all be filled to overflowing today with God's grace, so much so that it splashes out of us and gets others wet!