Who is Jesus? #131

Well, let's see - Undergraduate school, Graduate Medical School, Internship, Residency, Specialty Training.- It takes much time and money to go to work in the medical field. I would expect that when we step into a doctor's office we want them to be well qualified and trained before they start trying to diagnose us. My wife has had her fair share of health issues over the last 2 1/2 years. We want to have confidence in whomever she goes to that they know what they are doing. I sometimes wonder why we call what they do, "practice." I hope they are beyond the point of practice when they operate on me.
What qualifies Jesus to be the Great Physician? He was together with His Creator Father in the beginning (John 1:1), so He has ample experience with human beings. His degree hanging on the wall might say "Been there done that" (Hebrews 4:15), so He can relate to His patients. He had a great mentor, His Father (John 17:4-5). He cares about His patients (John 11:35-36). He is not in it for the money. He put His life into His work (I Timothy 2:6). He has a great referral plan - one patient tells another who tells another who... and what is this doctor’s fee? It will cost us our lives, but we get life in return.

I believe only the Son of God can do that.

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #130

What was/is His interest in healing?

He healed the blind. He healed the demon possessed. He healed the lepers. He healed those deaf and dumb. He healed the lame. Was that what He was truly interested in? If so, couldn't He have just spoken a powerful word and everyone would have been healed of whatever illness they were dealing with? There had to be more to it than that. There was something about COMING to the Healer for Healing. Do we not hear the call of Jesus resounding in our hearts, "Come?" "Come to me all who are heavy burdened and I will give you rest." Perhpas Peter give us the ultimate statement about the ultimate healing. " "The Lord ... is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to COME to repentance, (II Peter 3:9)." There is certainly power in the Healer, but there is also power in the COMING.

Here we come!

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #129

Another thought about this physician. What would you do if your doctor told you to cut off your arm if it was giving you trouble or poke out your eye if it was offensive to you? I might find another doctor though sometimes amputation is the only way to save the whole body. Jesus makes such bold statements in the Sermon on the Mount. "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of our body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. it is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell, (Matthew 5:29-30)." Pretty tough prescription! I am sure some there did not want to hear, much less do, what the physician was prescribing.
Not to take anything away from Jesus' teaching, but we need to understand that Kingdom living was going to take, and does take, some real commitment. There can be nothing in the way or cause distraction for Kingdom dwellers. This was straightforward teaching for a straightforward commitment.
However, I am glad that the doctor offered another solution to some with eye problems. The Laodiceans could buy a healing salve for their eyes from the doctor, (Revelation 3:18). It's one thing to have the diagnosis and quite another to be the source of healing. He has got what we need for Kingdom living.
If our eyes are focused on the physician then healing will always be nearby.
Call the doctor - apply as needed!

L.T.

Who Is Jesus? #128

I started a blog several years ago around this question. Life got busy, grad school, remembering to do it, etc. and so the blog has gone somewhat inactive. Still, every now and then, when studying the N.T. something a little different is revealed about our Lord. This thought comes from our Sunday Night study last night as we talked about Jesus' statement in Matthew 9:12, Mark 2:17, Luke 5:31, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."We spent quite some time in talking about the context of this verse and who just exactly was the sick and who was healthy. We concluded everyone needed the doctor and there he was.Physical sickness spurs us to call the doctor to begin to get some healing. However, the great physician is standing at the door an knocking. Imagine that, He's there before you call Him! Now, there is some healthcare reformation!
Heal me!
Blessings,
L.T.

Back to School

Today is my first day back to school. I have taken several classes online as a part of my graduate studies. This is the first time I have been in a physical classroom which is kind of interesting. I have to be here in Searcy for a week in what is called J-mester.
This class is entitles "Theological Foundations of Ministry" being taught by Dr. Ross Cochran. We had a good start this morning with everyone introducing themselves.
This class purported to be very practical for ministry that has held true so far.
My blog this week will be an update to what happens each day in class.
Today will end with a dinner for all the students and guests and a devotional led by Dr. Bill Richardson (not the gov. of NM).
Should be a good and tiring day.

Blessings to all,

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #127

Jesus is Lord (How do you know?)

I Corinthians 12:3

'Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.'

There seems to be many who would deny that Jesus is Lord because of circumstances in the world or the way they "feel" inside. There are others who, based on the same circumstances or evidence, would conclude just the opposite. To eliminate the confusion God gave us something (someone) very special.

Paul tells our Corinthian brothers and sisters that you can shout "Jesus is Lord" to the top of your lungs, and know that it is true, because you and I have been given the Holy Spirit who testifies to that fact.

Maybe our perception of the evidence might lead to another conclusion, but God's Spirit inside of us confirms that Jesus is Lord. Listen to the Spirit. He knows!

Thanks Father for your Spirit who lives inside us.

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #126

Jesus is Lord!

This may be the dominant theme in my blog this year as it is also the theme for our church in 2009.

I wonder if we really want Jesus to take control of our lives. Are we willing to live with Him in charge? I know how often I try to get into the drivers seat. I am willing to let Jesus be my co-pilot, but am I willing, once and for all, to let Him have the controls and hang on for the ride?

"Reign" is both a noun and and verb. He regins! He has a reign!

This is personal, now! It is not between you and me or me and anyone else. This is between Him and me.

Lord, reign in me!

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #125

This story has been around a while but it has a strong and very relevant point.

A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl, Shelby. She wanted to know what the United States looked like.
Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country. Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to Shelby and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today.'After a few minutes, Shelby returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together.
The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.
'Oh,' she said, 'On the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.'

Shelby had no idea how profound and powerful her words were. If we will just put Jesus back where He belongs, then everything else will fall into place.

This is true not just for our nation, which sorely needs this lesson, but it is also true for our families, schools, businesses, etc.

Jesus told us that He "is the way..." There are those who have seemingly spent a lifetime trying to "chop up" our Lord into a package they can finally accept. Our national leaders and those that influence them have decided that our nation is no longer "under God." Jesus is no longer "the way." Just look at us now!

If we can but take a fresh look at Jesus and put Him back in His rightful place with all the pieces accounted for then everything else will be just like He wants it.

Who is Jesus? He is one who makes everything fit and fucntion just like it was intended.

I am ready to do this one piece at a time if necessary.

Blessings,

L.T.

Welcome, Claira!

Claira Susan Tittle was born on April 21, 2008 at 3:33 P.M. (CST) in Searcy, AR to my son Brandon and his wife Joy. This was their first. Claira came in at 8lbs 7oz. She was 21 1/4 inches long.

My wife and I did not make it to the hospital from NM before Claira was born as her mom had a speedy and relatively easy delivery.

Mom and baby are dong great and we brought them home today from the hospital after a one night stay.

This makes grand baby number four with two girls and two boys. As far as we know there are no more on the way.

At this point I plan on returning home on Monday, April 28, while my wife will make up her mind later when she will come back to NM.

This will be a great experience as we will get to be together with Joy's parents for several days.

We are very thankful for the successful delivery of a very healthy baby and praise God for His goodness.

MDA Lock-up

Well that was an interesting and not so terrifying experience. I had been "tagged" to raise $1,000 for MDA or be thrown in the MDA jail until I did. Of course I tried to raise the money before jail day, but was unable even though I made several appeals to family and friends.
However, the experience convinced me that I would like to do it again next year. I think I can do better.
My connection with MDA, or at least this lock-up, was quite by accident and random because someone submitted my name to be locked up.
However, I have another connection that goes back to my dad. He suffered from what is commonly known as Lou Gehrig disease or you will see it abbreviated ALS. This is one of the diseases that MDA furnishes research funds for.
There is no cure but they have been able to sustain patients' lives and quality of life for longer than was available when my dad had the disease.
I don't know the technical explanation, but ALS moves up the spinal cord and destroys muscles until finally the patient succumbs. For my dad it was about a year from diagnosis until his death in 1961.
At one time in my life I thought I wanted to be a doctor and somehow do something about this debilitating condition.
For now, I will try to raise money every year for MDA.

Who is Jesus? #124

I guess all good things must come to an end. No, I am not halting my blogging and I am not changing the subject.

I am just going to move away from the book of Revelation, though I reserve the right to come back any time, and take thoughts from other areas of the New Testament.

The journey through the first chapter in Revelation has been a revealing one as we tried to answer the question, "Who is Jesus?"

John gave as comprehensive a description as is possible. I still wonder if we lose something by having to read it in words rather than seeing it as John did in his glorious vision.

More to come.

Who is Jesus? #123

"And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

I wonder if we ever wonder as to where it will all end or where eternity will begin for us after we die.
Do we doubt? If we do, are we not giving the key holder enough credit?

John told us, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." (I John 5:13).

Knowledge and confidence in the one who holds the keys is essential. He is not willing that any should perish. (II Peter 3:9).

Who else would we want to be holding those keys? Doesn't it build our confidence that the one who holds the keys is one who has experienced death Himself? This is not new territory for Him!

No matter what is behind that last door, I know Him who holds the keys.

Who is Jesus? #122

"And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

When we acknowledge that Jesus has all power and authority, even over death, then we can join Paul is his affirmation of faith, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

Relinquishing control of life means also relinquishing control of death - not that we have any control over death in the first place.

Yes there are things we can do, and should do, to live healthier lives. Our physical well-being is important but not just to add more years to our lives but to have more time to serve Him who has all authority.

If we are willing to let Him guide our life, we need also to remember He will guide of death, also.

Don't be afraid for Him to put the keys into the lock.

Who is Jesus? #122

"And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

Oh, I know that Jesus raised Jairus' daughter from the dead. His good friend, Lazarus, died and Jesus brought him back. There is Peter's mother-in-law and others.

What I don't know is why we have come to believe that Jesus will lengthen our lives when it is time for us to go. For Jesus to have "the keys of death" does not mean that He is going to keep us from dying. The Christians of the first century could testify to that.

He is the one who will guide us through that door. He is the one who has prepared the "other side" for us. He is the one who has preceded us in death. He is the one who has promised to lead us through that door. He has not only shown the way, but is waiting for us over there.

I should not be afraid to go where Jesus has gone. The one who has the keys is the one who has the authority. That's Jesus!

Please, Jesus, unlock that door as only you can.

Who is Jesus? #121

"And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:18)

For those who are into the Jurassic Park movies, you might remember the second one where the evil corporation captures a T-Rex along with her baby and endeavors to bring them into the U.S. We are to assume that during transport the T-Rex gets out of the hold of the ship and everyone on board is killed. The problem is that the ship is on autopilot headed for the harbor and there is no one to steer it much less slow it down.

She is totally out of control and slams into the harbor and everyone goes crazy and the T-Rex escapes and wreaks havoc in the city. The ship was out of any one's control.

I wonder if we feel that way about life and death. Do we think death is out of our control. Well, it really is, and that is a good thing considering who is in control of death. HE has got the keys in His hands.

Our brothers of the first century may have thought that the persecuting Roman powers had the keys of death. No way! Not only did Jesus have the key, He had the Master key!

We shouldn't be afraid for Him to unlock the doors of death and allow us to slip through.

It's all under control.

Who is Jesus? #120

"I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever." (Revelation 1:18)

One can't, or at least I can't, leave this thought without talking about myself.

Being dead and then alive is an accurate description and depiction of what happens to us when we finally give in and give our lives over to Jesus.

The New Testament definitely points out that without Jesus we were/are dead! People don't want to hear that today. But it is, nevertheless, true.

We are brought to life through and by Jesus Christ. We no longer have anything to do with death. It has no victory or sting (I Corinthians 15). The only dying we do now is to self (Romans 6) and to sin (Romans 7).

Between the death and becoming alive again is a glorious resurrection!

Can we not or should we not be able to walk up to people and say, " I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever."

It is great to be alive!

Blessings,

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #119

"I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever." (Revelation 1:18)

I just wonder what the early Christians thought about Jesus as they were having to endure hardships and persecution because of their belief in Jesus.

They believed He had died and then was alive again. How many of them now thought that for all practical purposes he was dead again? Life had gone out of the church so life must have gone out of Jesus, they thought. Maybe He was dead and then alive, but now He must be dead again.

He wasn't of course. Jesus was still alive and John heard His declaration to be, "alive for ever and ever."

If life has deivered you a severe blow, don't think that Jesus is not around. He promised to be with us. "always." He still declares to His faithful ones that he was dead and now is "alive for ever and ever." Don't count Him down and out just because life has tumbled in. He is alive!

Because He is alive, He is near and He is at work. Look for Him! Be aware of His presence! Bathe in His love!

Forever!

Blessings,

L.T.

The Devil and Divorce

The devil continues to have a heyday in and among our families. I learned today where another marriage is over. Satan not only plants thoughts in our hearts about our marriages but also provides opportunity for us to really mess things up.

He brings together two people who probably shouldn't be married. He infiltrates hearts to the point that negativity and criticism invade the home. He brings outsiders into the marriage to confuse and tempt.

I am all for declaring a day at our church where we have a Satan exorcism service. With one voice we will tell Satan to get behind us. We will no longer allow him to infiltrate our families and wreak the havoc that he is so proficient at producing.

"Satan, you have done enough! Away with you!

Blessings,

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #118

"I am the Living One, I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever." (Revelation 1:18)

There was such a movement during Jesus' ministry in Palestine to finish Him. Very early in Jesus' ministry, according to Mark, the Pharisees hatched a plot, "how they might kill him." (Mark 3: 6).

Though as Christians we see the blessings in the resurrected and alive Jesus, the death of Jesus would have been a blessing to many people. As a matter of fact it was some of those people who managed to eventually have Him killed. They thought that it was over after that. He was gone!

There was perhaps no greater impression God could make on mankind than to demonstrate a Savior -alive!

Interesting that Jesus explains this John in His description of Himself. "I was dead,...I am alive..." Why did John need to recognize this? Why do we? Much to contemplate, here!

He is Risen indeed!

Blessings,

L.T.

Who is Jesus? #117

" I am the first and the last, (Revelation 1:17)."

Can't let it go, yet. There is just too much here in this description of Jesus.
Have you ever been in an argument with someone or maybe in a fight and either you or they said, "You started this but I am going to finish it."
It seems that in this life we rarely get to complete something like it was originally intended. I have lost count of how many projects I have started that either didn't reach completion (learning Spanish) or did not reach completion in the fashion I have imagined.
Even Solomon commented that no matter what we may accomplish in our life that it will all be handed over to someone else when we die.
Jesus is an amazing exception to this fact of life.
He completed with amazing power in Jerusalem what started in the mind of God way before creation. What if there had been a manger but no cross? It was announced to Joseph and Mary that Jesus would be the Savior. When His earthly ministry was complete, His mission was also complete. He started it and He finished it.
Quite obviously, to be more like Jesus I need to finish for Him what I start.

Thank you Jesus for finishing!

Blessings,

L.T.