Thank you!
Hey Regular Joe’s,
This has been a great experiment. I am exceedingly grateful for all of you who checked in, commented, encouraged and were encouraged. All glory to God for the fruit of this devotional.
It has been a joy to write and I will do it again someday. I am working on several writing projects and would love your prayers. In the mean time if you want to read something go check out www.pastorleonard.wordpress.com. I will be posting there 1-2 times a week.
May God Bless!
Pastor Leonard
28 Words “LOVE” Sunday, February 28, 2010
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
Love. What a great word with which to end our 28 Words Devotional. Huey Lewis and the News said that the Power of Love is a curious thing. I agree with Huey, it sure is.
Jesus said something curious about the power of love. He said, love your enemies because anyone can love someone who loves you in return. I’ve read those words for years but until the last few years I never understood the implications of them. Here is what I used to think. Be nice to mean people. Be kind to rude people. If someone is a jerk, ignore them and walk away instead of clobbering them. I thought, I just don’t have that many enemies so this is one of those fine china verses. (you only need it on a special occasions and usually for family)
Two words keep challenging me as I chew on Jesus’ teaching. Common and Uncommon. Common – normal, natural, everyday… Uncommon – out of the ordinary, against the flow, stands out from the norm. The more I chew, the more I see these words applied to love. My conclusion is that I do not want to live my life and be known only for common love.
Don’t get me wrong, I want my life filled with common love. I am not trying to elevate one over the other or pit them against each other. Common love is not always easy and takes a great deal of intentionality. I know I can be so dang selfish that I actually don’t love at all. So if I can fill my life and my days with common love, I wont complain. I just don’t want it to stop there. Here is why.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
These words are used to describe uncommon Love. I read them and check them off with a “pretty good” right up till I get to the “Always Section” and that’s when I see the need for some rearranging in my life.
To be honest, if you were to take the “Always Section” and share only that with someone, they would probably think “what a dumb way to love someone… Always… protect, trust, hope and persevere…? You got to be nuts to do that! People will take advantage of you…” But the truth is, we all want uncommon love like that when we are the one who needs protecting, trusting, hope and a persevering presence in our lives. Here is the curious power of uncommon love.
Uncommon love is the love that caused God to create us and stamp us with His image. Uncommon love is the love that the Father demonstrated by sending His Son to earth. Uncommon love is the love that drove Jesus to the cross where the penalty of our sin was paid. Uncommon love is the love God the Holy Spirit shows as He indwells and gifts us for purpose and service to our Father. Look above at the verse we started with. Faith hope and love… and the greatest of these is love… uncommon and amazing love.
Random Act of Kindness: Today, give away uncommon love to someone.
28 Words “PRIORITY” Saturday, February 27, 2010
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33
“First things First” I have heard this more times than I can count and said it more times than I remember. Usually, when I say it, I am putting something I want right now in first place. I’ve said it when it came time to choose between eating and working on a project. (food won) I’ve said it when it came time to watching TV or reading an important book. (TV won)
When I was 15 I was handed a strip of paper that had words typed on it. It was handed to my by Ernie Pierson. Everyone in the church called him Grandpa Pierson. His habit was to hand me a strip of paper about every 6 weeks with a verse, a quote or just a note to say he believed in me. On this day, the paper had a quote with a scripture reference.
“Our priorities are shown in how we actually live not in how we say we live.” Matthew 6:33
What a true statement! I live out my priorities long before I speak them. What I do points to my core values much more than what I say. In one sense, “first things first” is how I already live. Living out my priorities happens easily, living right priorities… now that is another story.
Look again at the verse above. In it we are told our task is to “seek first HIS kingdom…” Honestly, this is one of my daily adjustments. I have this kingdom I am very loyal to. I love the king, I think about him all day long and I am concerned for his wishes and seek after his desires. I am very loyal to this king and his kingdom. You could say that my priorities are a direct reflection of this loyalty. You might have heard of this King, his name is Leonard Edward Lee the First. His kingdom? It goes by the same name.
When Jesus was on earth He spoke about the kingdom of God over 100 times. Much of His teaching was about living out the priorities of His kingdom on a daily basis. The Kingdom of God is the place where God’s priorities are first, where Jesus the King reigns.
For me getting the “right” priorities in place is about these two kingdoms in conflict. It is about these two kings in conflict. The reality is that one of the kings really isn’t. He just acts like it. How do I know? Because I am that king!
God’s kingdom is not about getting “first things first” but about getting ”right things first.” If I seek first His kingdom, I am seeking to live a life where His rules and authority are the operating system. I am seeking to live a life where “First things first” changes to “Right things first.”
Here is what hijacks this process for me. Other things. The daily ebb and flow of things. Getting, having, hanging on to, protecting and acquiring more things. This is actually the context for Jesus words. His instruction is this… Instead of “first things first and building your kingdom” live “right things first and build my kingdom.” Jesus’s kingdom promise is that when we do, He will add to our lives all we need. So what will it be today, “first things first” or “right things first?”
Random Act of Kindness: Today, serve others. Get their coffee, soda, water… find a way to put others first.
28 Words “GENEROUS” Friday, February 26, 2010
Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:8
Why is it that being generous is something a lot of people like to do but far too many people forget to be? When I am generous, there is something that I feel inside my heart that blows me away. It is almost as it the power of God is flowing directly through me. When I act generously I have a lift in my step, song in my heart, joy in my spirit and I am generally pretty happy. Being generous is a shortcut to overcoming sadness, depression, anger and a host of other emotions. Generosity improves health, improves friendships, improves self worth… I honestly cannot find anything wrong with being generous.
Unless you are the skeptic who gives the “Yeah But” to everything, you probably get that being generous is a better way to live as well. So what’s the hang-up? Why are so few people genuinely generous? What makes us miss being generous when we KNOW we should? Why is it that when the day is done, most people I know, me included, cannot make a laundry list of places they were generous? Is there anything we can discover about generosity that would move us toward a lifestyle of being generous? The verse above gives us a clue.
Look how Jesus starts this verse. Heal, raise, cleanse, drive… all action words. All words that indicate intentionality. All words that when fleshed out point to an awareness of others. Here is an observation about generosity. Generosity is not a feeling you have it is something you do. I might feel generous but unless I act generous, it leaves no mark on others.
Being generous is what happens when I start seeing the needs of others through the eyes of God. Most of the time when I see the needs of others I see them through my eyes. Immediately I size up if I can help… if I want to help… if I should help… the “I” in each of those descriptions means that generosity will always have a hard time being a way of life.
Generosity is what happens when I imitate Christ. One verse in the bible puts it this way;
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us… Ephesians 5:1-2a
Do you see it? Imitate Christ by being generous with love, just like He was generous with His love. Call me crazy but is it possible that I cannot grow to maturity unless I choose the pathway of Christlike generosity? Freely you have received… God’s generosity is mind blowingly huge.
Generosity is what happens when gratitude fills my life. I will always lack generosity if I lack gratitude. In fact, if my gratitude does not produce generosity, it probably is not gratitude. Look how Jesus ends the verse. Freely you have received… so what do I do? From a heart of gratitude… freely give!
Random Act of Kindness: Be generous with someone today. Give them time, give them a gift, go out of your way and be generous.
28 Words “RUN” Thursday, February 25, 2010
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free. Psalm 119:32
Some kids learn to run before they walk. Momentum takes over and staying upright requires speedier legs. Life is a lot like that too isn’t it? We start out at one pace and momentum takes over and we are left wishing for speedier legs. We might run for differnt reasons and we might run different paces but make no mistake, we all run. Did you know that the Bible often speaks of life as a race?
This race (life) requires endurance, technique, a course to run and just like any skilled runner, some help along the way. “Running the Race” is not just something only followers of Jesus do, it is something humans do. Maybe that is why we are called the Human Race. When God enters the picture He invites us to follow Him. When we say “yes”, He makes some adjustments.
The verse above tells us that God adjusts the path we run when we follow Him. This does not necessarily mean that when we follow Christ we change jobs, houses and states. “I run in the path of your commands” means that when we follow Christ, the path we run in our life becomes the codes and instructions of God.
In the wilderness, hiking trails are often marked by a Rock Carin. A Rock Carin is a small stack of rocks that identify the path a hiker is to walk. The commands of God are His Rock Carin’s. They are how He marks our path. Using them keeps us from getting lost, or as the verse says, using them brings freedom. One real life example is Eric Liddell.
Eric Liddell was an Olympic 100 meter runner in 1924. He was also a devout follower of Christ. Born of missionary parents in China, his plan was that when his running was over he would return to missionary work in China. While traveling to the Olympics he discovered his race was on Sunday. His deeply held conviction (Rock Carin) was that he should not run on the Lords day, so in keeping with this conviction, he withdrew from the race. One of his teammates gave him his spot in the 400 meter race on the next day. The American coach and other runners said that since this race was 4 times longer than he had run and trained for, Eric Liddell was no threat in this race.
History tells us that he ran, he won Gold and he ran in the path of God’s commands at the same time. Later Eric Liddell returned to China and did his missionary work. Check out this quote from Eric Liddell; I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.
Eric Liddell felt the pleasure of God when he ran in the paths of God’s commands. Reading these words today reminds me that God indeed has a purpose for my life and when I run in the pathway that His commands lay out, I am free.
Random Act of Kindness: Buy some socks to donate to the mission or Salvation Army.
28 Words “LISTEN” Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” Mark 9:7
One of the great philosophers of our time gave us the following instruction. “Leave a tender moment alone.” Billy Joel, 1984
I speak at a lot of youth camps and I especially love Junior High Camps. A common trait of these camps is that after a session, where we will have had some pretty fantastic worship through song, a message that God uses to connect with these kids and a time of commitment and prayer, no one knows how to act. With all the awkwardness of a toilet paper stuck to the bottom of your shoe, these sessions will end and kids will not know how to leave a tender moment alone. Usually I summarize it like this. (speaking as a kid) “I just entered the presence of God, heard him speak to me for the first time, lets go wrestle.”
Imaging being next to Jesus when he lived here on the earth. What would it be like to stand next to Him as He raised Lazarus from the dead? Think about how incredible it would be to listen to His very own voice as He spoke in the temple. Wow! Now let your imagination go a bit further. You are a Regular Joe. You have a small fishing business and you are repairing your nets on the shore of the sea when Jesus walks up to you and says, “Follow me.” You drop your nets and for the next season of your life, you sit in the front row of everything Jesus does and says. All the miracles, teaching, the private conversations… You are on the inside circle.
Then Jesus invites you and two others to come with Him to a secluded place. While there, the skies open, Jesus takes on a radiant stature and right next to him appear the two greatest people in your history books, Moses and Elijah. You watch as Jesus and Moses and Elijah chat. Umm… Uh… If it were me I would shout “OH MY GOD!” and mean it.
Peter, who never met a tender moment that didn’t need his input, starts talking. “Jesus it is a good thing were here… Lets build a shelter, no lets build three. One for you, one for Moses and One for Elijah.” (the bible says that he just had no idea what to say and since he was afraid, he just started talking.) Just then a voice from heaven says… “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” God the Father just told Peter… shush. Leave this moment alone. It needs no improvement; it does not need your input… LISTEN PETER!
Very often Jesus finished his teaching with a similar instruction. Who ever has ears to hear… Let him hear. The point being that God has much to say and is very good at saying it. Were just not always that good at listening, we hijack a tender moment. . Daily, God speaks to us through His Spirit, His word, His people. Daily, I run off at the mouth or get going another direction. Like Peter, I fill the tender moment with words. Today, try this. Listen. Listen to God’s Spirit. Listen to God through His word. Listen to God through His people. And then when He speaks… leave a tender moment alone… just soak it in. “LISTEN! TO HIM”.
Random Act of Kindness: Invite someone to coffee, lunch or dinner. Ask them questions and then sit back and listen.
28 Words “REACH” Tuesday, February 23, 2010
For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:7
Okay, before you read any further, use the word REACH in a sentence. Reach has so many different uses and meanings. For example…
- A voice mail greeting might say… “you have reached…”
- A burglar might say… “reach for the sky”
- A phone company did say… “reach out and touch someone”
- A response to an incredible conclusion might be… “That was a reach”
- An aerobics instructor might tell you to “Reach for it”
- A motivational coach my inspire you to “reach for your dreams”
- A church might say… “lets reach out” or plan an “OutREACH”
How did you use the word? REACH has to do with an attempt to connect, to bridge build. It is an action word that implies someone or something is attempting to bridge a distance.
When I was in my early 20’s a virus had severely impacted me. I could not walk, I could barely talk and every muscle in my body atrophied. I remember my first day of physical therapy; they wheeled me into the room, put my wheelchair next to a table and said, “when you REACH the table, you can go back to your room.” I can’t remember how long it took but it felt like days. I lacked muscle strength and coordination to REACH the table. Finally, exhausted and frustrated, I REACHED the table and sure enough they wheeled me back.
Soak in that verse again. God’s love is higher than the heavens. Simply stated the expanse of His love is more than the expanse of the heavens. Limitless, immeasurable, beyond comparison, beyond comprehension are just a few descriptions that come to mind. We are also told that His faithfulness has an unlimited REACH.
My filter for these thoughts about God’s love and faithfulness tends to be ME. I think, “what if I do not possess the REACH necessary to enjoy and live in this love and faithfulness.” Sure God’s love and faithfulness REACH to the sky but mine don’t. I also think “how nice, God is so loving and faithful to me.” True as these thoughts are, it’s probably not the intent of these words.
These words point me to the very nature of WHO GOD IS. He is love, therefore the expanse of His love is as immeasurable as He is. These words make this statement; “GOD WHO YOU ARE IS FAITHFUL therefore HOW You are, is faithful.” God cannot act unfaithful or unloving because that would violate WHO HE is. His love and faithfulness is so expansive and immeasurable because He is so expansive and immeasurable.
Here is what this means for us. God’s love and faithfulness are never out of REACH because they are connected to His presence. The bible puts it this way; “There is no place YOU are not there.” You have never been in a place or situation that cut you off from the Love and Faithfulness of God. This also means is that you have never been out of the REACH of God’s love and faithfulness because they are also connected to His power. The love and faithfulness of God cannot be stopped. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 108:7
Random Act of Kindness: Reach out to someone you know by calling them on the phone just to ask how you can pray for them. Pray with them on the phone if appropriate.
28 Words “GROW” Monday, February 22, 2010
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 1 Peter 3:18
We have a wall in our house with lines and numbers on it. The lines and numbers represent dates, ages and heights of our kids. The wall is a chronicle of their growth. Looking at it tells me that my son has grown almost 3 inches this past year. When our kids were little measured them and the very next day they would com back to get re-measured. They were so dissapointed that they did not grow over night. Growing is such a big deal for kids, they so want to be big.
Here is an observation; What someone grows in or toward determines the quality of their growth. For example, if someone grows in kindness, good. If someone grows in their anger, bad. If someone grows wiser, life gets better. If someone grows bitter, life narrows drastically. If someone grows their faith, then God’s leading is an adventure. If someone grows their doubt, God’s leading becomes fear ridden and uncertain.
Here’s another observation: Whomever it is that feeds your growth, shapes your destiny. We know this in both positive and negative ways. I see thinking in my kids that most definitely came from me. Some makes me smile and some makes me cringe. As a dad I feed the growth of my kids and in doing so I shape their destiny. If I feed criticism, I shape them into becoming critical. If I feed service and humility to my kids, I shape them into caring people.
The verse above was written by Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends. From the moment he met Jesus he began to GROW. Jesus invited him to follow and for three plus years, Jesus fed into the growth of Peter. When Peter met Jesus he was a burley rough and tumble fisherman. His words and actions were impulsive. Peter needed to grow and his friendship with Jesus provided that growth. Want to know what Jesus fed into Peter’s growth? Look again at the verse.
Grow in the GRACE and in KNOWLEDGE of Jesus. The growth that marked Peter’s life was a growth in the Grace of God and growth in the knowledge of Christ. Grace is a word that means gift. It is an over the top kind of gift, way beyond the scope of what you deserve. To grow in grace is to expand your understanding and impact of God’s grace in our lives. God’s grace, the bible says, teaches us how to live. God’s grace treats us as though we are who we are suppose to be, even when were not. In doing so, it shows us how were supposed to act, even when we don’t. And when we don’t act as we should, God’s grace treats us as if we do.
Peter grew in God’s grace by living in it and by growing in his knowledge of Christ. In reality, if I do not grow in my knowledge of Christ, I cannot grow in grace. Peters instruction is not to know more about Christ, rather it is to know Christ better. For Peter this happened as he and Jesus lived together. Here is how I am choosing to live with Jesus in 2010. In 2010 I am reading Matthew, Mark, Luke and John between 6 times. In doing so, I am getting to know Jesus better and growing in His grace.
Random Act of Kindness: Send a text, e-mail or a card to someone and share favorite verse from the bible.
28 Words “FOUND” Sunday, February 21, 2010
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate. Luke 15:22-24
For almost 18 years I had the privilege of working directly with teens, during which time I took students on approximately 23,000 trips to the beach, snow, amusement parks, camps and conferences. At the end of every trip we did the ritual of the LOST & FOUND.
Here is how the ritual worked: When the trip was over, I collected all the coats, gloves, towels, shirts, shoes, pants… that did not find their way back into the suitcase from which they came. Standing in front of the whole group, I would hold up each item and ask, “does this belong to someone?” Almost never, did what was in the LOST pile, find someone willing to move it to the FOUND pile. My conclusion? A lot of teens do not care that much about lost things.
When Jesus was on earth, there were many people who were considered by the religious elite to belong in the “LOST PILE.” These were folks were often the ones that were drawn to Jesus and quite frankly, Jesus was drawn to them. Once, while He was teaching, many people from the LOST PILE gathered around him. This caused the religious elite to grumble. Their complaint? “This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them.” Upon hearing this, Jesus responds with three stories about God’s LOST & FOUND.
The verse from above is a part of the story of a father, whose son rebelled, leaving home with his part of his inheritance. After a season of partying, he fell on hard times because he had squandered everything. Sitting in shame, the son had a long overdue moment of clarity and decided to go home to beg his fathers forgiveness. While still a long way off, the father saw his son returning and ran to meet the LOST son. When the father reached his son he spoke; “Get my robe, put my ring on his finger, get the calf we have been fattening up, we are having steak tonight. My son who was LOST is now FOUND!”
Jesus used these stories to describe the heart of God for those who are lost. Unlike the students we worked with who sat quietly while lost items were paraded in front of them, Jesus says that God, upon seeing the lost, jumps up and shouts MINE! At one point in time Jesus said that HE came to seek and save the LOST and to do so at the very cost of His life. My conclusion? God cares very deeply about lost people.
Right now, no one reading these words can escape the word LOST. We are all people who were once lost, some are people who might even now be lost and we certainly have been given the invitation to seek the lost. The question that I am wrestling with right now is this. When seeing that which is lost… When interacting with people who are lost… am I like the teen sitting back and letting what is lost stay in the LOST pile or am I in partnership with God helping what is lost move into the FOUND pile?
Random Act of Kindness: Give five sincere compliments today to people you might not otherwise compliment.
28 Words “DANCE” Saturday, February 20, 2010
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25
Will you join me today in a DANCE LESSON? For today’s class, our first instructor will be a 2 year old, followed by a TV show.
Have you ever watched a toddler when music begins to play? It seems that without any prompting or lessons that kid will start dancing. There is something deep inside that just responds to the music and instantly they begin to move. I saw this once and realized I have the dance moves of a toddler? Sweet!
One show that is very popular with half the people in our house is “So You Think You Can Dance.” It is a dance contest where thousands of dancers, with a variety of dance styles, try to win a contract to be a professional dancer. Each week these dancers and their dance partner have to learn a new dance in a new dance style. They then have to perform that dance before the judges. The teams that build the best chemistry between the dancers are the ones who seem to be able to handle the weekly assignment best.
Look again at today’s verse. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” This verse contains a DANCE lesson we all need. Every day throughout our life a tune is played. For many the tune is a loud scratchy number about our finances. Others hear the song of Love Gone Bad and several of us here the driving sound of songs of pain, fear, nervousness, loneliness, worry and stress. When these songs play, like the toddler we dance.
God’s word says that God’s Spirit lives within every Christ follower. One of the ways our lives intersect is that HE, God the Holy Spirit, interprets the life’s songs and gives me the dance steps I need. When life is stressful, God the Holy Spirit says “pray, trust, hold on to Me.” These are the dance moves I need in order to live out my life. Letting God provide my “Dance Moves” is what it means to “Live by the Spirit”.
Confession time; I do not always let God the Holy Spirit determine my moves. Sometimes I let pride. Sometimes I let fear. Sometimes I let laziness. Sometimes I let indifference. Hence the second Dance Lesson.
Chemistry between partners matters. Here is what chemistry between partners does. Chemistry is what allows each partner to take their role in the dance. One should lead and the other follows. Chemistry with God’s Spirit is what helps me to follow His lead. Chemistry between partners builds trust. Sometimes a dance requires a jump or a lift. Without trust, one partner will not give themselves to the dance. This is also true with my relationship with God. If I do not trust, I will not leap, I will not follow, I will not let Him lift me. In other words I will not “KEEP IN STEP WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
So there you have it, today’s dance lesson. Let God’s Spirit determine the way you move to life’s song, let Him lead and enjoy the dance.
Random Act of Kindness: Today, slow down enough to encourage someone you work with, live with or encounter. Look them in the eye, use their name and give specific words of encouragement.
