THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

                                               What makes a good Christian.

We are well into the start of a new year and I want to just remind us all of what it is that we think makes a good Christian in today’s world.

1Co 13:1  If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2  If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3  If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. 4  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 

5  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 

8  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9  For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10  but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 

11  When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12  For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

When I was a child just starting school it became evident to me on the very first day that school was not going to be fun. First of all I did not want to go, so my mother walked me to school. Second, I would be away from home, which no doubt my mother wanted.

 I did not want to be away from what I considered to be contentment, security, and safety. I was basically afraid of school. Of course I did not know that at the time, I just felt that I was being punished. Of course I knew I had to go to school, but I was not ready for it.   

I whined all the way there about not wanting to go. I was five years old, I had no real desire to start going to school, I was satisfied not learning anything. Still, my mother led me to the great double doors of my school entry, and opened the doors, led me inside and turned and left. 

I waited a couple of minutes, milling around with the kids in the hallway just outside my classroom, then turned to the great double doors and opened them and beat my mother back home. Crying all the way.

My mother promptly took me back, and opened the great double doors and took me to the classroom door, opened it and introduced me to my first grade teacher. Ms. Hooper. Who immediately introduced me to her rules for tardy attendance. Fifteen minutes in the cloak room. 

So you see, my foreboding feelings were justified. I had dreaded this day for a whole summer and sure enough, my apprehensions were correct, school was not going to be fun.  

I spent the first fifteen minutes of school in the cloak room, being punished for tardiness. Not a great start to an effort that I would spend the next 12 years of my life trying to cope with. 

But in just a few days I had made new friends and came to understand that actually school was not that difficult. It was not all that long that I learned what it is that I was there to do. I was to be a good student, and all I had to do was to learn what it is that makes a good student. 

 

Some of us Christians come into life that way, we just don't like the way things come into and out of our lives, Jesus too was a rebel of sorts, an inconvenient man for many of his Jewish brothers, the teachers  of the law, the Pharisees and the saducees, He just didn't win many friends with the religious authorities. There was always that feeling when one was around Jesus that there was something he was trying to tell us. with Jesus the feeling always seemed to be that one was lacking something.   Jesus was uncomfortable for some of us to be around. I always felt inadequate around him. Like he always knew what I was thinking. But we began to listen to him and he began to make sense, sure there has always been a God, but He was someone that was always remote, way up there on his throne, just an observer who kept records. We would someday have to face him, but not now. How wrong does Satan make us feel?

ON THE JERICO ROAD

          The Jericho Road, Another Perspective on the Parable of The Good Samaritan                                             

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most popular and insightful teachings of Jesus Christ. This parable, was an answer to a question that came to Him from an expert in the law. These Jewish priests and rabbi along with the scribes and Pharisees were always looking for a way to charge Jesus with breaking the Mosaic law

                                                Scripture Luke 10: 25-37

Luk 10:25,  On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" 27  He answered, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" 28  "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." 29  But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor”? 30  In reply Jesus said: "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31  A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32  So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33  But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.34  He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35  The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.' 36  "Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?" 37  The expert in the law replied, "The one who had mercy on him." Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise." 

The story Jesus relates takes place on the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho, about 20 miles of road through mountainous terrain, which travelers of Jesus day either walked or rode their animals when they traveled. The road from Jericho to Jerusalem The Jericho road as it was known, was the scene of many biblical events. From David's escape from the clutches of his son Absalom, and various trips that Jesus made including one when he healed the blind man Bartimaeus. In Jesus day it was a very dangerous place and there was hilly mountainous terrain which made for a difficult journey. And there were thieves and robbers along the road where they had their hideouts in the wilderness which the road passed through, This story told by Jesus includes the dangerous Jericho road as the location for this event. 

Here we read these words and are left to our own imagination as to the events that took place to have left this poor soul in such a near death condition, and just from the events Jesus tells, it is clear that without the help of someone, this man would surely die. Who is the man?.. we do not know...that is open to our imagination.

                                                           Meditation                                                                       

In the parable,...why does this lawyer ask Jesus his second question, "Who is my neighbor?"…. And it is noteworthy that Jesus never answers that question. In the story, the poor victim is beaten and stripped of his raiment,... 

There is nothing about him that can be used to identify him…. This man could be imagined as anyone by his listeners, and Jesus is sensitive to that, Jesus knows his listeners can imagine the man as anyone,...and from whence cometh his help.

Jesus lays out the story and leaves us with the notion of our potential neighbors,...they in God’s own words are to be loved even as we love ourselves

A Pharisee,….a Samaritan,….a Jew,... a gentile, or a pagan… regardless of whether they are followers of Jesus or not….It is not ours to question their beliefs,..are they our neighbors?...

Does Jesus ever say that the injured traveler is the Samaritan's neighbor? No. but he asks which man "proved to be a neighbor."... So the question is not "Who is my neighbor?"... The question is,... "Am I a neighbor?" 

Now the question posed by this lawyer….seems to have been made to convince Jesus that “to love God….is without limits but,... to warrant my love,…..anyone besides God has to meet certain standards before they can be called neighbor

 Of the three men that day,….who had the encounter with the man,… which one... had compassion for him?”...  To whom are we to be a neighbor?... Jesus wants to teach us not so much who is our neighbor…. 

as to make us understand who it is lying there dying….. by the side of The Jericho road,….. the one who it is that needs a Good Samaritan. 

 Are we to choose the neighbor we must love,…. with the possibility to refuse the ones that in our eyes,...are not worthy?... Jesus revolves that question…..

We need only look at whomever is in front of us…. One never can be certain,…. lest there may be a time when,… without warning,...I am the one stripped of my identity and left for dead.

The Jericho Road was a dangerous place,…. we know that because as did the priest,... and the Levite,... one fear they both had,…. was that if they stopped to help,... that would not be the end of it,... 

nor would they be safe while helping this poor man.... It would be a very inconvenient thing,... getting involved in this mans trouble, Besides,…. He may already be dead.

Is the world we live in now comparable to that dangerous Jericho road?…. And as we travel that road... We as born sinners could easily be the unfortunate victim,... felled in this dangerous world by our sins,…. and left there to die in our sins,... stripped of our righteousness, 

We are felled there,... in our sins,... without hope lest there be Jesus... The Son of God,...  the one who sees us there half dead,... yet he sees something in us worth saving,... Jesus it is then,...who takes up our redemption, 

He pours the oil of healing on our wounds and cleanses us with his blood,... saves our condemned soul by taking our sins upon himself,... as he was destined to do,... and at the place of His crucifixion,... 

He gives his life as our security,... and covers the cost of our sin,... and leaves us in good hands,... in the salvation which he provides,... through those with whom he places us,... with instructions to care for us,... at the Inn of our redemption, God’s Church, cared for by His followers…. 

Then it is also Jesus who will return to cover the cost on the day of reckoning…. He has assigned us a place among the righteous….apart from that Jericho road,…. It is Jesus then who saves us,… Jesus is our “Good Samaritan”…We are to be Good Samaritans who Go and do likewise AMEN

WHO IS TO SAY ?

From Habakkuk the third chapter  LORD, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, LORD….. Repeat them in our day,……. in our time make them known;…..in wrath remember mercy….. 

3  God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran…….. His glory covered the heavens…...and his praise filled the earth……….4  His splendor was like the sunrise;……. rays flashed from his hand,……….. where his power was hidden………..

17  Though the fig tree does not bud…... and there are no grapes on the vines,…….. though the olive crop fails………. and the fields produce no food,…….. though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,……... 

18  Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,………. I will be joyful in God my Savior………..19  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights……….. 

There is a story about an old New Yorker,... a man of the streets,... one who lived by only his wits…….. and the money he got….. from panhandling……..One day while panhandling at his usual post, he was bothered by the noise of a jack hammer out in the street….. The noise was deafening….so he decided to move from there.

Walking away now,... he was looking for another less noisy spot when he noticed a woman walking across the street,….She was leading a little girl by the hand…. It was obvious that the woman was not watching……. where she was going as she walked swiftly along…... She was reading what looked like a letter. 

As she walked along…. it became apparent that she was so engrossed in the letter…. that she did not notice……... a city bus moving towards them,…..Then as they were about to step into the path of the bus…. The man screamed out but the sound from the jack hammer…. and the hustle and bustle of the morning was just too much,... he could not make himself heard…. 

The woman and the little girl were one moment away…. from stepping right in front of the bus, and being killed,... there was nothing the man could do now but watch….. …...He knew it would be instant death for both ….. But suddenly there happened a momentary miracle.

As she and the little girl were about to step into this coming disaster,….. and while still reading the letter……. a quick breeze blew the letter out of the woman's hand……... and over her shoulder,….. backwards….. She spun around and reached for the letter, the force of her action…... also knocking the little girl backwards.

By the time she reached out for the girl….. and the two of them fell backwards the bus had passed by,……. narrowly missing them……. The woman and the little girl never saw it,….. Neither of them knew……. that they had narrowly missed what would have been certain death…...In an instant a miracle,……. witnessed only by the beggar.  

To this day the man who had seen this miracle happen,…... remembers only two things about the event….. The first memory is a question,….Where did that one spurt of wind come from………. to blow the letter out of the woman’s hand?

The second memory is,…. if the woman had heard his warning shout out,….. she might have looked up……. as she continued to walk into the path of the bus,…...but there was no possibility….. that his screams could have been heard….with all the noise of that morning. 

So indeed the noise was there for a purpose....  The breeze was there for a purpose. And so it was that two lives were spared…. divinely by the providence of God,…. and witnessed only by this man of the street,….. who by the divine providence of God…..Found himself at church the next Sunday….. Thanking God for the miracle he had witnessed…... Who is to say…… That God does not involve himself in the affairs of  His creation.

Rom 8:27-31  And he who searches our hearts……. knows the mind of the Spirit,…... because the Spirit intercedes……... for God's people in accordance with the will of God….. 28  And we know that in all things…... God works for the good of those who love him,……... who have been called according to his purpose.

29  For those God foreknew……... he also predestined………. to be conformed to the image of his Son,………... that he might be the firstborn……... among many brothers and sisters………..

30  And those he predestined,…... he also called;……... those he called, ………..he also justified;………. those he justified, he also glorified……….. 31  What, then, shall we say in response to these things?……... If God is for us, who can be against us? 

The window to the soul

A window to the soul, a look into the soul of only one.
At one time in my life I was a free spirit, doing whatever my fanciful imagination might happen upon. then I learned of my own selfish desires and selfish concerns. A study of some of my acts left me with a disgusting feeling about myself. Why am I so self aware? It came to me from reading and studying the Bible, here is a sample of what I found about myself

Proverbs 30:17 – The eye is the window to the soul

It is often said “the eye is the window to the soul”.  The eyes do communicate various emotions.  Wide-open eyes communicate fear, while a squint of the eyes communicates anger or disgust.  Dreamy eyes are said to communicate love and affection.

In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught His disciples that the eye is the light of the soul.

Matthew 6:22-23 – “The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single [clear; undivided; without hypocrisy], thy whole body shall be full of light. 23  But if thine eye be evil [wicked; malicious], thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!”

Proverbs 30:17 instructs us that a “look in the eye” can tell you a lot about what is going on in the soul and spirit of a man.

Proverbs 30:17 – “The eye [face; countenance] that mocketh [derides; scorns] at his father, and despiseth [disrespect; rejects] to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out [pierce; thrust out; hollow out], and the young eagles shall eat it [feed upon].”

I have studied faces in family photos over the years and been fascinated by the change in countenance of children as they enter their teen years.  The faces of youth Roland and Sadie Whitley grandchildren - circa mid-1960often convey an innocent, unpretentious joy and sincerity; however, those same faces with the passing of years sometimes etch on their countenances an angry, rebellious, squint-eyed appearance.  I have observed in those rebellious eyes a hollow, desensitized soul that is frightening, cold and tragic.

It is that spirit Proverbs 30:17 identifies in a son or daughter who mocks his or her father and despises the mother.  This proverb warns that such a child will inevitably come to a tragic end…rejecting the umbrella of spiritual security and Charles-Manson-2sanity in his parent’s household, this rebellious fool will surely come to a tragic, ignoble end and no one may be there to bemoan such a waste of life.

Matthew 13:15 – “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.”

Someone reading this devotion may fit the description of the son or daughter in today’s parable.  I urge you to open your eyes and ears to your fate should you continue down a path of rebellion and repent of your sin.