Who is Jesus #39 (Savior Cont.)

Two men, who have become very dear brothers, and I are in a very intense study of discipleship. Our time together this week will be around the story that has come to be known as "The Prodigal Son." We find this in Luke 15:11-32.
The son found salvation, but what was he saved from? He pridefully strolled up to his father and demanded what was rightfully his, but it wasn't his yet - for his Father was still alive. He got what he asked for and went away and lost it all. He found himself in the pig pen wishing he could eat what the pigs were eating. A most telling phrase is found in verse 17, "when he came to his senses." Another version will say, "He came to himself."
This young man needed saving from himself - his pride - his arrogance - his attitude - his decisions. I do, too. My pride gets in the way and paves the way for sin to enter my life. Sin finds a seat at my table because I think I know a better way - a better way than the Savior's way.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #38 (Savior Cont.)

Maybe the problem is that I do not know what I need saving from. The annoucement from the angel said, "He will save His people from their sins." I can think of a lot of things I might need saving from, but what is this sin thing?
I need to be saved from fear, from procrastination (when I get around to it), from the threat of terrorism,, etc. Maybe, most of all, I need to be saved from myself.
Sin is what has separated me from God. That's it! I need to be saved from the position I have assumed realtive to God because of my sin.
Is it sin that produces the fear? Is it sin that that make me put things off? It is sin that affects the relationship I have with God.
I do need saving from myself. I let sin inside. Jesus is the only way for it to get out. He washes it away and I stand before God cleansed, not because of me but because of Him - the Savior.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #37 (Savior Cont.)

I wonder if, because it sounds like a spiritually neat thing to do, If I have ever invited Jesus in without really listening to what He has to say. Yeah, kind of "hang" in His company to make pseudo-spiritual impressions on people. Wow, "he's such a Jesus person!"
When in reality I didn't/don't listen to what He has to say.
I guess Zacchaeus could have done that. "O.K., Jesus. If you insist on going home with me, let's go and get it over with." It would probably be good for the neighborhood to have you around. We'll be making all the "right" noises, but as soon as you leave, things will get back to normal."
For the Savior to do the Saving, He must reach my heart. Then, and ony then, will salvation come to my house.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #36 (Savior Cont.)

One thing that amazes me in the story of Zacchaeus, is that the Savior - Son of God - sits right down in fellowship with the tax collector.
When Jesus saw Zac. up in that tree, He could have said, "Come down, I need to talk to you." He could have said nothing. He could have said, "Come down, all of these people you have cheated want to see you." What he did say was - in so many words - I want to be with you and you need to be with me. "I'm going to your house."
Fellowship with the Son of God! That thought boggles my feeble mind.
Maybe, just maybe, that is the way it has to be before salvation can come. Why not just sit down with Jesus and learn about Him, talk with Him, even laugh with Him? Get to know Him and what He has to offer.
Come on in Jesus, though not as good as what you have to offer, my house is Your house.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #35 (Savior Cont.)

He will seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). This is the mission of Jesus. Not only is He a Savior but also a seeker. He found Zacchaeus - told him, "I'm going to your house today." Zacchaeus didn't even know he was in need of saving; that is, until confronted by Jesus.
What a salvation blessing - to know that Jesus is not only waiting to save me, but He is seeking me in order to save me. I am not sure what a stationary savior would be like, but I don't have to worry about that with Jesus. He is a seeking Savior.
Kind of a two way salvation highway then. I seek Jesus, He seeks me. If both those are in place, then there is no way I can miss.
Keep looking for me, Jesus. I am here somewhere and I know I need you in ways I haven't even thought about, yet.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #34 (Savior Cont.)

"Today salvation has come to this house." I wonder how that made Zacchaeus feel as these words came from the mouth of the Savior (Luke 19:9)? As a cheating/extorting tax collector, Zacchaeus may have never thought about it: salvation, that is. It appears he knew the difference between right and wrong as he alludes to his, "cheating" of people. He new it was wrong. Maybe he thought that was just the way things went. But then something happened. Someone came to his house.
The Savior came to his house. Following right behind the Savior, right on His heals, was salvation. The Savior came, salvation came and, for that time and place, the ministry of the Savior was accomplished as the last verse in the text says, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost (v.10).
A lot to think about, here, but has Jesus been to my house and did He leave behind salvation? Have I allowed Him to fulfill His ministry in me and my household?

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #33 (Savior Cont.)

There was that time when I was stuck out on 635-LBJ late in the afternoon and trying to get home from work and my car died and would not start. That's a pretty unnerving situation. Hundreds - thousands - of cars zipping by as fast a traffic would allow (which at that time on LBJ in Dallas, TX is not all that fast). There were those who would honk and wave as they drove by.
This was before I owned a cell phone, so I had leave my car on the side of the road and walk up the embankment to an IHOP and call for a tow truck.
I hadn't been back to my car for very long when this white pick-up pulled over and out jumped Bob. I hadn't seen Bob in a long time. We had been good buddies but our lives had taken us in different directions.
About the time he arrived, the tow truck came on the scene and the two of them worked together on my car. My car needed more help than I thought it did.
I hadn't expected Bob to drop by and I wasn't really aware of how badly I needed help.
"But when the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman, ....(Galatians 4:4). God sent my soul saving deliverer at just the right time - right when I and the entire world could see Him for who He was and is and He saved us from "stuff" that we didn't even know was wrong.
He knew what was wrong and came to the rescue and we didn't even expect it.

Be Strong and Courageous,
L.T.

Who is Jesus #32 (Savior Cont.)

He was called "Savior" before He did any saving. Maybe - maybe not.
From our mere human point of view and perspective it may appear that way. As commanded, Joseph and Mary named their baby "Jesus." O.K. - after about thirty years He begins His ministry of bringing salvation to the people and ultimately dies on the cross to release us from the quilt of our sins.
What is going through my mind is God knew in His eternal mind that it was already a done deal before His son's feet hit terra firma. What we call foretelling the future, God sees as present tense and happening. That certainly blows me away.
In the mind of the Father, Jesus had already accomplished it and so he had the great prophets like Isaiah foretell it for our sake. Maybe that is why, in past tense, Isaiah 53:4 says, "Surely he took our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God..." "He was pierced for our transgressions," (Isaiah 53:5). It is told like it already happened. Who but only the God of the universe could have known that.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #31 (Savior Cont.)

Maybe everything is in a name! It was that way for the Jews. Their names meant something. People were named because of a characteristic or a promise. Sometimes their names were changed when major events took place in their lives. The names of their cities and towns had significance. They were named according to the significance of events that took place there or to describe their location and appearance. Bethel was "house of God" (Gen. 28:19). Jacob was named "heel grabber" (Gen. 1:26). Things significant and noteworthy about people and places impacted what they would be called.
The Messiah's name we "Jesus." It is the Greek equivalent of the name "Joshua." Now, what's in a name? Both of those names mean "deliverer/savior" or "the Lord delivers/saves." It appears to me that somebody knew something.
He was called "Savior" before He did any "saving." Or, was/did He?

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #30 (Savior Cont.)

Some needed saving from their blindness. There are those who wanted deliverance from demons who possessed their spirits. There were times Jesus saved lives from storms. A woman had been bleeding forever and he saved her from that malady. He saved a tax collector from a life that would continue to cheat people and extort money.

"He will save His people from their sins," (Matthew 1:21).

I may not understand how he saved the people mentioned above from their particular conditions or situations, but it is described for us in the book. It is pretty straight forward?

But, how about this "sin" thing? What is the deal, here? Is that harder than salvation from physical things? Is it just as straight forward as the physical?

Is there or can there be spiritual blindness? Does/can the prince of demons dwell in my heart? Is there a "storm of sin" in my life that needs quieting? Am I bleeding internally because of the spiritual sickness that is inside of me? How does the Savior take care of this mess?

Must explore this further.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #29 (Savior Cont.)

"She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."

(Matthew 1:21)

No wonder the angel had to explain things to Joseph. He didn't understand it in the least. That makes me feel a little better because I am right there with you, Joseph. Explain it to me. I need an angel to come and explain it to me. Oh, I believe it, but it all blows me away.
Call Him Jesus. The same name as Joshua - Deliverer - Savior.

What are you going to "save" me from? Or are you going to save me "for" something? And, why do I need saving, anyway? While we are at it, what is it going to take to save me and why does it have to be you do the saving?

Where's that angel, anyway?

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #28 (Savior)

Trying to save "stuff" gets pretty involved these days. I don't like to waste things, but I am not one to save every little thing either.
My wife got one of those vacuum food savers for Christmas and it works pretty good. We found out that we can even make a bag of chips last longer by "sucking" the air out of the bag and then resealing it. We use it quite often to save leftovers.
So, do we go back to the freezer and get those leftovers, nuke them in the microwave and eat them all over again? Sometimes, most of the time, not! We still prefer the fresh - new - never been used stuff.
Jesus is my Savior! He has made me fresh and new. A new creature - a new man - a new purpose - a new direction. That's what I call saving!

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #27 (Bread Cont.)

It was well worth waiting for. The family sat around the table as mom brought the fresh piping hot homemade bread straight out of the oven. It had been especially prepared with them in mind.
Dad said, "Well, I don't know about this. The shape of the loaf is not all that even. We all know how the loaves of bread look at the store. This doesn't look like the bread I am used to."
The son said, "I think we really need to look into the recipe mom used for this bread. How do we know that she really knows how to make bread? We shouldn't eat until we are sure what this bread has to offer."
The daughter said, " Bread is supposed to be soft, but this bread has a hard crust on the outside. How do I know that it is not like that on the inside? If it were like that, it would be one very disappointing experience."
As the family talked about and discussed the bread, it was eventually removed from the table by the one who prepared it especially for them.
In John 6, people were doing entirely too much talking about the Bread of Life and completely forgetting or unwilling to partake of what had been prepared especially for them.
Lord, Bread of Life, please help me do less talking and a lot more eating!

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #26 (Bread Cont.)

Bread everywhere. I'm not sure what else you would find to eat in an average meal during the time of Jesus, but there would be bread. There was always bread. Bread for everyone.
The same is said of Jesus. The religious scholars of the day tried to fault the Bread of Life for being found in the presence of sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, the poor ect.
The bread was everywhere. No one was too bad, too sick, too poor or too uneducated to be unqualified for the Bread of Life.
He travelled everywhere speaking to everyone. They all deserved Bread and it was available.
Not sure what they were seeking when they came to Jesus, but they found Bread.
I am not disqualified. The Bread is for me, too.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #25 (Bread Cont.)

He had to have been hungry! He had been out in the wilderness for forty days and had eaten nothing. That's hard to relate to. Satan said, "turn these stones into bread." Makes sense to me. He could have done it. "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God," (Matt. 4:4) was our Lord's reply. Maybe I have finally made a connection here. Just maybe.
Man lives by every WORD that comes from God. (Matt. 4:4)
In the beginning was the WORD .... and the WORD was God. (John 1:1)
The WORD became flesh and lived among us. (John 1:14)
Eat the WORD'S flesh. (John 6:53-56)
Ah! THE BREAD from HEAVEN! (John 6:58)

It does all connect!

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #24 (Bread Cont.)

She was probably doing what she thought needed to be done at the time -- and, it was a good thing. She was in the kitchen attending to a meal that would be served to the guests who had showed up at her door. She was probably making bread as a part of that meal.
However, she was frustrated that her sister was not helping her get ready to feed these people that showed up. Mary, the sister, was in the family room listening to what one of the guests was saying - hanging on every word. "Why wasn't Mary in the kitchen helping her," she wondered? "I would like to be out there visiting myself, but then the work wouldn't get done."
So, she confronts her sister in front of Jesus saying, "...tell her to help me."
Jesus' response says that it was better that Mary partake of the "bread of life" then help Martha prepare physical bread. This short episode is recorded in John 10:38-42.
There are so many things that I need to be dong that "sound" good. They sound like the right thing to be doing. But really, when it gets right down to it, they amount to busy work and a distraction from the truly important thing - listening to Jesus; taking in the bread of life.
It is so urgent that I do the things that are "far better!"

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #23 (Bread Cont.)

Hearty Italian Bread, Honey Oat, Italian White Bread, Italian Herbs and Cheese, Monterey Cheddar, Parmesan Oregano, Roasted Garlic, and Wheat and are just some of the bread choices you can have at a certain place that serves submarine sandwiches. Jared knows. Why all the choices? It's simple. So everybody can get just what they want. Quite frankly, before Atkins, I had a hard time making up my mind so I just stuck with wheat. At any rate, here it is. Come have the bread of your choice. We can make you happy.
The "Bread of Life" came here and said partake of me. There's only one - the genuine - the authentic. We don't need several options in order to please each individual taste or preference. Just one will do. He is the one. Each one can find eternal pleasure. There is something here that is uniquely offered to each individual. So, what's your pleasure? You will be fulfilled here. How can He help you?

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Who is Jesus #22 (Bread Cont.)

Well, I could ramble on about my new granddaughter, Emily; but, back to Jesus as the Bread of Life that comes down from Heaven.
I just finished reading, re-reading, the account of Jesus sharing, for the first time, with His apostles what we have come to call the Lord's Supper. They were observing the Passover meal as any good Jew would be doing; but, this was different. The Passover bread/meal was there and in the middle of this sacred feast, Jesus adds something to it.
"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body'"(Matt. 26:26). The Bread of Life takes the bread and says, "This is me."
The Lord's Supper offers a very special time for us to remember - meditate - worship - the Bread of Life. The "bread" of the supper points us to the "Bread' of life. It is all tied together somehow; I can't figure it out - but it is Awesome.
It will have an impact on me the next time I have the blessing to partake.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

My New Granddaughter

Yes, this is one of those interruptions. God has created life again! This time it is very close to home! I now have a granddaughter. This is my first. I am so excited and thankful.
So many thoughts go through my head. Little Emily is so precious and innocent. How could anyone not love her? How could anyone ever think about taking the life of an unborn child - of any child at any age?
I am drawn to the words of Jesus, "Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:4). Why is that? Is it because of their innocence? Is it because of their sponge-like minds? Is it because then, and only then, as little children Jesus has first crack at winning our hearts and souls?
I have a hard time imagining myself as little Emily. That is what Jesus requires.

Be Strong and Courageous,

L.T.

Emily Trcka
Born - February 27, 2005 6:22 P.M. Texas Time
Weight - 8 lb. 13 oz.
Length - 20"