Praying With the Eyes: March 2015

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Jesus Carries His Cross

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(Note: The Stations of the Cross have been used by Christians to remember the path Jesus took to his death. Some of these stations are based on tradition and others on Scripture. For the next five days, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus resurrection, we will meditate on five of the stations, which are recorded in Scripture. The pictures are of wood carvings that have deteriorated over time, yet they still depict the story. I invite you to pray these devotions as you make your way to the empty tomb.)

"So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called The Place of a Skull, which in Aramaic is called Golgotha." John 19:16b-17 English Standard Version

Humble Lord Jesus, soldiers placed a cross on your shoulders, yet they could never have forced it upon you had you not first chosen the cross. "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." (Matthew 26:42 NIV) These Roman soldiers are agents of your choosing. You must bear your cross.

In your action of choosing the cross I hear your words ringing in my ears. You commanded me to pick up my cross and follow you. Like Jonah fleeing your command, I have fled from picking up my cross and following you.

I have chosen the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, and self gratification over a cross. I have not wept with those who weep or rejoiced with those who rejoice. I want people who will make me feel good about myself or who will feel sorry for my miserable life.

Forgive me for my sin.

Point me to your selfless cross that, basking in the wonderment of grace, I might be empowered to pick up my cross and follow in your footsteps. Convert my heart from selfish ambition to reckless self abandonment, that others see in me the power of your cross and the greatness of your compassion.

We adore you, O Christ, and bless you, for by your cross you have redeemed the world.

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You can listen to the Praying With the Eyes broadcast on The iB Network Internet radio station every Sunday at 8:00 & 11:30 am, as well as, 1:00 & 8:00 pm MDT (www.ibnetwork.us). You can also listen to the show using the Tunin app on your mobile device.

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Monday, March 30, 2015

Jesus Is Condemned to Death

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(Note: The Stations of the Cross have been used by Christians to remember the path Jesus took to his death. Some of these stations are based on tradition and others on Scripture. For the next six days, as we prepare to celebrate Jesus resurrection, we will meditate on six of the stations, which are recorded in Scripture. The pictures are of wood carvings that have deteriorated over time, yet they still depict the story. I invite you to pray these devotions as you make your way to the empty tomb.)

"So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." Mark 15:15 English Standard Version

Lord Jesus, all your life you made sure that others were not alone. You ate with tax collectors and sinners. You welcomed children into your lap. You saved a bride and groom from embarrassment, turning water into wine. But now, in your last moment, no one stands with you. You are alone before the ruling council of your people. You are alone before Pontius Pilate. Both Jew and Gentile condemn you to death. The world condemns you to death.

As I see you standing alone, I recognize that I am isolated from others. I have both willfully and unknowingly push people away. They have not deserted me, but I have deserted them. The finger of justice points at me.

I acknowledge that my sin was the cause of your separation from others. You were hung alone on your cross so that I might know that I'm never alone. You stand with me even when I have not stood with you. You are rich in mercy, love and forgiveness.

By the power of your Holy Spirit change me, that like you, I might stand with those who are alone, and in my presence they may know that it is you who will always stand with them.

We adore you, O Christ, and bless you, for by your cross you have redeemed the world.

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Sunday, March 29, 2015

"I Thirst"

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"After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.'" John 19:28 English Standard Version

I didn't work hard at setting up this picture. Believe me, I've spent a great deal of time composing a shot, but not this time. There's nothing special about this pic. It's nothing more than a glass of water sitting on a counter in front of my microwave.

There is nothing outstanding about Jesus words, "I thirst." If you're a parent you've heard these words more times than you can count. More than likely, today you won't or didn't keep track of how many times you ran to the water cooler, or gulped a glass of H20.

It's normal for us to be thirsty. It was natural for Jesus to be thirsty, that is, to be thirsty to complete his Father's bidding. He needed the strength to speak the last words he'd say before death consumed him, words that sealed our salvation.

"It is finished!"

We could (and maybe should) contemplate these words from Jesus. There is nothing left for him to do. Death will come. His heart will stop. His breathing will stop. His body will slump in submission to death.

Not only does Jesus commend his spirit into the hands of his Father, he commits his body into the hands of his followers who will wrap his flesh for burial and lay it in a grave.

And it all begins with the words, "I thirst." His thirst to do the Father's will quenches our thirst for salvation.

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Saturday, March 28, 2015

"Dear God, I Thirst for Peace!"

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"In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe." Psalm 4:8 New Living Translation

These hands have held each other for a long time, though not until after World War II. These hands have raised children together, worked together, and built a life together. They hold grandchildren and now, even a walker.

Those who lived through WWII, or any war, know the truth of King David's words.

Those who experienced WWII said goodbye to their sons not knowing if one day the official military vehicle would stop at their house as it had at their neighbor's. They wept over comrades killed in battle. In make shift battlefield assemblies they heard Scripture and received Christ's body and blood.

Peace is more than the absence of violence. King David knew war, yet he could sing of peace. This peace was a gift of God for him. It's a gift that God gives us.

Jesus is our peace in the turmoil of life's war. In our struggles with cancer, addiction, and bitterness, he is our peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27 English Standard Version

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Friday, March 27, 2015

"Dear God, I'm Thirsty for Wholeness!"

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"May the God who gives peace make you holy in every way. May he keep your whole being-spirit, soul, and body-blameless when our Lord Jesus Christ comes." 1 Thessalonians 5:23 God's Word to the Nations

The hands captured in this picture grew up in Linz, Austria, the city that Hitler claimed as his hometown, a city that felt the devastating affects of war.

These hands saw troubles both created by the war and those that existed outside of war. These hands belong to a woman whose parents were divorced forcing her to live with her grandparents. She remembered a bomb that penetrated their home yet didn't explode. She recalled hearing that her father was sent to Siberia, a father she never saw again.

And today? Today she wrestles with cancer.

These hands belong to a woman of faith. But how are people's thirst for wholeness satisfied when their lives are shaped by tragedy? Many people have suffered much less than these hands have experienced and they've given up on God.

Paul prays that the Thessalonian Christians would be kept whole until the day of Christ's appearing. Wholeness today is rooted in the promise of tomorrow, a tomorrow of eternity spent with Christ. For some, these words are trite, but for those of us who live in the afterglow of Easter it is the reality to which we cling.

One day our thirst for wholeness will be realized. It is a day that is beyond our ability to comprehend. It is this promise, sealed in the blood of Christ, that will keep us whole until we realize its fulfillment.

For those of you who are history buffs, follow this link to a Youtube video showing the day that Linz was captured by the Americans, a day that these hands still remember. Capture of Linz Austria, May 5, 1945

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Thursday, March 26, 2015

"Dear God, I'm Thirsty for Justice!"

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"But let justice flow like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." Amos 5:24 God's Word to the Nations

The pictures that you will view over the next three days are the hands of people who lived through World War II. Two sets of hands are from women whose lives were touched by the war affecting their homes in Europe. The other set of hands are those of sailor and his wife. These hands tell a story of a thirst for justice, wholeness and peace.

The hands you see in this picture are from a woman who experienced a horrific Palm Sunday Eve. On March 28, 1942, exactly 73 years ago this Palm Sunday Eve, The Royal Air Force bombed Lubeck, Germany using both blockbuster and incendiary bombs.

Lubeck was a civilian target. On February 14, 1942 England's Air Ministry had issued an Area Bombing Directive, which allowed the RAF to bomb industrial and civilian targets. Lubeck was the first German city bombed.

Just before the bombing these hands had walked through the city of Lubeck guided by their brother's hands. Soon after that journey 62% of Lubeck's buildings were destroyed or damaged. The deformed bells of St Mary's Church lay where they fell that night as a memorial to the bombing.

The Germans retaliated against England by bombing civilians, and more people died. The RAF attempted to even the score, and still more people died. Where was justice?

For the prophet Amos, justice is paired with righteousness. You cannot have one without the other. This justice and righteousness meet at Jesus' cross. He does what is right, dying with the weight of our sin, and God's justice is satisfied.

Justice isn't found in retaliation and revenge. Justice resides in God who in his justice has declared us to be right with him. His justice flows like a river, and his righteousness like an ever flowing stream.

Though this world is filled with injustice, God is always just.

Our thirst for justice is satisfied in Jesus.

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Wednesday, March 25, 2015

"Dear God, I Thirst!"

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Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 1 Peter 4:1-2 English Standard Version

Peter's words have cause Christians no end of grief. Does he really mean that if I've suffered, I no longer sin? That doesn't make sense. We still struggle to obey the will of God, that is, to love him above all else and to love our neighbors. Sin isn't done with us.

So what does Peter mean? Let's take a closer look at what Peter says. First he speaks of the person who is separated from sin as having suffered. Our suffering will come to an end when we die, and not any sooner. At that time sin will cease.

In light of this promise, we live differently, not perfectly, but differently. We live differently because the Spirit transforms our lives. We no longer thirst for the things of the flesh, but for the things of God.

We thirst for justice. We thirst for wholeness. We thirst for peace.

Will we experience peace now? At times, yes, and at times no. Will we experience wholeness now? At times, yes, and at times no. Will we experience justice now? At times, yes, and at times no. However, when sin has ceased we will know the fullness of Gods justice, healing and peace.

Back in chapter three of 1 Peter we read that "Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit." 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) It is in Christ's suffering that our suffering meets its end. It is in Christ's thirst to complete his work, that our thirst will be satisfied.

"Dear God, I thirst to live for you!"

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Tuesday, March 24, 2015

"Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

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"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?' which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Mark 15:34 English Standard Version

You might not be aware that Jesus quotes Psalm 22 from the cross. Right after these words King David continues, "Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer, and by night, but I find no rest." Psalm 22:1b-2 (ESV)

I'm not quite sure why most translations use the word "groaning." The Hebrew word is that of lion roaring from deep within, a roar that would frighten anyone to the core. Feeling the abandonment of his Father, Jesus roars from the cross, "My God, my God, why?"

We learned from Job that God doesn't owe us an answer to our questions about suffering. "Why me? Why this? Why now?" might be the questions we ask in the face of suffering. Even though God may not answer these questions directly, God isn't silent. He calls us to trust him when trusting him doesn't make sense.

Jesus was forsaken on the cross, but he didn't give up on his Father. Though he roared like a lion, he entrusted himself into his Father's hands. "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Luke 23:46 (ESV)

Jesus' cry from the cross encourages us to do the same thing. Not that we will immediately die, but that we will experience life in the midst of our suffering. Jesus' cry ought to be our daily prayer, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit even though I don't understand the pain and suffering."

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Monday, March 23, 2015

"Where Were You?"

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"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you have such insight." Job 38:4 God's Word to the Nations

Watch out when God speaks and answers our questions. We're probably not going to get the answers we expect, but the ones we need.

For some reason we think that if we understand why God allows pain in our lives we'll feel better about our suffering.

"If I understand why God allowed my child to be born Down syndrome, if I understand why my eyes suffer from macular degeneration, if I understand why I'm always second when I'm looking for a job, then I'll be at peace."

Would we be at peace with the answer we get from God? Wouldn't we argue with that reason? "God you don't know what you're doing. I could do so much more and be so much more productive if I didn't have this thorn in my flesh."

So God never told Job why he suffered. Instead he told him how to handle suffering. Through all his questions, God tells Job, "You be you, and I'll be me. Trust me." This trust produces hope.

Paul puts it this way in Romans 5. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Romans 5:3-4 (NLT)

It is what God does through suffering that matters, not why we're suffering. In the end, God desires that our confident trust in him will produce hope that is rooted in his eternity for us.

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Sunday, March 22, 2015

"I Will See God"

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"Even after my skin has been stripped off my body, I will see God in my own flesh." Job 19:26 God's Word to the Nations

The trees that remain standing from the Hayman fire thirteen years ago have had their bark stripped by the flames and the elements. One day they will unceremonially fall to the ground; no one to weep, no one to notice.

Job is isolated by his pain. His friends have replaced Satan and are now the accusers, claiming that Job has sinned against God. "Stop and think! Do the innocent die? When have the upright been destroyed?" (Job 4:7) Eliphaz's words strip more flesh from Job's boil infested body.

Not only does Job's pain isolate him from his friends, it separates him from God. Chapter after chapter he pleads to God, yet his pleas go unheard, at least that's the way that it feels.

Though Job's case is extreme, we relate to his pain. Pain has isolated us from family, friends, and even people in the community of the baptized. Pain has separated us from God. Pain strips us of our flesh.

In the depth of isolation Job knows that when the suffering is over, even after the flesh has been stripped from his body, he will see God in his own flesh. He sees the resurrection long before Jesus flees the tomb. Even when he feels that God is not responsive to his prayers, he will find hope in the promise of the resurrection.

This is my prayer for those of you who are intimate with pain. In the depth of your struggle, tears, and forsakenness may you boldly claim that when this is all over, in your flesh you will see God.

Jesus is your guarantee of this reality. In a couple of weeks, on the day we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, the community of God's people will declare with one voice, "Even after my skin has been stripped off my body, I will see God in my own flesh."

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Saturday, March 21, 2015

The Acceptance of Suffering

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"[Job's] wife asked him, 'Are you still holding on to your principles? Curse God and die!' He said to her, 'You're talking like a godless fool. We accept the good that God gives us. Shouldn't we also accept the bad?' Through all this Job's lips did not utter one sinful word. Job 2:9-10 God's Word to the Nations

I refuse to be upset with Job's wife. She watches her husband suffer not only the loss of his wealth and children, but now she watches him lose his health. His body is covered with boils as God allows Satan to afflict Job's life a second time. We forget that Job's loss is also her loss. She has lost her children, wealth and her husband to pain.

She wants his pain, and hers, to stop.

All that we can think about when we experience pain is when will it end. We spend a great deal of money on doctors in the hope that our pain will stop. Sometimes it does, but other times it lingers. And in some situations the pain grows worse.

Job's attitude toward pain slaps us upside the head. "We accept the good that God gives us. Shouldn't we also accept the bad?" That probably sounds like weak resignation to some of us. "I might as well accept the pain. Life isn't going to get any better." The writer then tells us that in all this Job didn't sin. He was willing to entrust himself to God even when God's actions didn't make sense.

This acceptance of a horrible situation is probably a huge step for most of us reading this blog. We're angry at God, the doctors, the dog. We need someone to blame for the pain of our lives. We need something at which to shake our fists.

Can we entrust ourselves to God even when he doesn't make sense?

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Friday, March 20, 2015

"The Lord Gives, The Lord Takes Away"

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"[Job] said, 'Naked I came from my mother, and naked I will return. The LORD has given, and the LORD has taken away! May the name of the LORD be praised.'" Job 1:21 God's Word to the Nations

Job makes this affirmation of faith after his first round of suffering; that's right, after his first round. A second round of pain is coming. Satan is permitted by God to take away everything from Job's life, but not to touch his body.

First Job loses his wealth. His oxen, donkeys, sheep and camels, along with his servants, are killed. Last of all, his children die when a house collapses on them. War and natural disasters have taken everything away from Job.

In the loss of everything, Job affirms his trust in God. He realizes that he brought nothing into this world and that he will take nothing with him when he dies. In the midst pain, God can be trusted. The Lord's name is praised even in the tragic loss of everything.

Job speaks to us. His story forces us to consider our expectations of God. Is it in the nature of God that he must provide us with things? Is it in the nature of God that he must protect our loved ones from experiencing pain and even death? Is it in the nature of God that he must make life a "happily ever after"?

As we experience loss, is it possible for us to sing with Job, "May the name of the Lord be praised"?

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Thursday, March 19, 2015

"My Servant Job"

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"The LORD asked Satan, 'Have you thought about my servant Job? No one in the world is like him! He is a man of integrity: He is decent, he fears God, and he stays away from evil.'" Job 1:8 God's Word to the Nations

For the next five days we're going to consider Job's life. His story reads like a three act play. Maybe that's the way your life feels, too.

In the first act we're introduced to Job's life, to his integrity, wealth, and concern for his family. We're also introduced to God who interacts with Satan, and as a result of their interaction a dynamic change happens in Job's life: He loses everything except his wife and life.

Job's dilemma in the second act centers around the question of why he suffers. Through his poetic interaction with three friends he attempts to understand why he has lost everything when he hasn't done anything to deserve his pain. His so-called friends press the knife into Job's wounds by adamantly clinging to their belief that Job has offended God and he is receiving what he deserves.

When God reappears in the third act of Job's life, we expect him to reveal why Job has suffered, but the question goes unanswered.

This picture of the Hayman fire in Colorado depicts both healthy and burned timber, symbolic of the collision between God and Satan over Job. Even though it is God who draws Satan's attention to Job, it is God who seeks to give him life. Satan seek's Job's demise.

Even though you're life might feel like a three act play centered on the question why, God desires to breathe life into your story. Does this mean we'll understand what God does? Probably not, but he can be trusted.

As we walk with Job through his suffering and are reminded of the pain we endure, may we learn to trust God when God doesn't make sense.

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Wednesday, March 18, 2015

"My God, My God"...Why?

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"In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith-- more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:6-7 English Standard Version

The Colorado Springs community has seen devastating wildfires in the past thirteen years. The Hayman fire burned over 138,000 acres of land in 2002. The Waldo Canyon fire of 2012 was much smaller than the Hayman fire but was for more costly with insurance claims of over $450 million. The last of the three fires was the Black Forest fire in 2013 which consumed 509 homes.

Tragedy itself is nothing new. In 365 AD an earthquake leveled Alexandria, Egypt killing an estimated 50,000 people. The city of Pompeii was covered in the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD killing an unknown number of people. It's believed that China's Communist leader, Mao Zedong, slaughtered 45 million people in four years.

How could a loving God permit these kinds of tragedies?

This is an important question that becomes even more personal when we personally experience tragedies. How could a loving God permit cancer? How can a loving God keep us from having a child? How can a loving God let me be without work?

How could a loving God permit his Son to die? Jesus himself cried, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Yet, it is in those words of abandonment from the cross that we find hope. Tragedies are a reality. The question is not, "Can I live a life without suffering?" but "How can I live life in the midst of suffering?"

In the forsakenness of the cross, we know that we will never be forsaken by God even in the most gut wrenching situations of life. In the midst of tragedy we have a promise that after the life shaping experiences of pain we will one day see Jesus and know that he has brought us safely to his Father's side.

"My God, My God" thank you for experiencing hell that I might experience life.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Who Is He? He's Love in Flesh

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"And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, 'Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly." Matthew 26:75 English Standard Version

Facial tissues are a staple on my office desk. People have entered my office many times with tears over some situations that have radically changed their lives. At first they feel embarrassed, apologizing for these tears, until they're given permission to cry.

Weeping is a part of Jesus' story. A widow weeps before Jesus at the death of her only son. A sinful woman washes Jesus' feet with her tears. Peter weeps at the denial of his master. Jesus himself weeps at the death of friend.

Jesus weeps with Peter, the sinful woman, the widow, because he is God's love in human flesh. Jesus weeps with you. This week we examined passages from 1 John that have encouraged us to love each other. This love is rooted in the one who loves us, and weeps with us because he is God in flesh.

This mystery of God becoming man is referred to as Jesus incarnation, but this mystery is more than a theological position, it's a reality that brings us comfort. Knowing that we have a God who understand all our weaknesses and who even bore our sins upon his cross, is our motive to love one another.

Who am I? As we have examined this question, it's best answered with another question, who is he? Who is Jesus? He is God's love expressed in our human flesh.

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Monday, March 16, 2015

Who Am I? I'm a Conduit of Love

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"No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12 English Standard Version

Okay, so I wasn't a boy scout. I had to look up on Pinterest how to tie this knot. I don't even remember its name. (Yes, guys, I occasionally sneak over to Pinterest to get in touch with my feminine side.)

We often speak of marriage as "tying the knot." That cliche can have both positive and negative connotations. Tying the knot might seem restrictive to some of us, but to others it can symbolize security, or maybe even strength.

We haven't seen God, yet we know that his love is the knot that ties us to him. He has tied his knot around us and will not let go even though there is much in life that would pull us free of his love.

John reminds us that God's love abides in us as we love others. We sense God's powerful hold on our lives as we give ourselves away in love. God's love grows to maturity in us even as we love our enemies.

So, we're a conduit of God's love. People experience his love because of the tangible nature of our love for them. That's how it works. Love is not a theory, it's action. God's love for the world, given in the gift of Jesus, is lived out today in our flesh.

Who am I? I'm a conduit of God's love flowing with the richness of his grace.

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Sunday, March 15, 2015

Who Am I? I'm a Reflector or Love

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"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11 English Standard Version

In the past thirty-two years I've lost track of the number of weddings at which I've officiated. If a couple caught me after worship and told me that I presided at their wedding thirty years ago, I'd believe them, even if I didn't recognize them.

However, I've recently added something special to say about the rings the couple exchanges after they've spoken their vows to each other. I remind the couple that long before God called the world into existence he loved their partner. And now, this ring is symbol that they have promised to love this person as God does. They are to reflect God's love to their newly embraced spouse.

This reflection of God's love isn't limited to newlyweds. This reflection of love is a part of our identy as followers of Christ. Through our baptismal call, we are God's light in the world in much the same way the moon reflects the sun's light.

Where is God calling you to reflect his love? Is it in your marriage? Is it in your dead end job? Is it in ... you fill in the blank. I would guess that most of us have felt the tug of the Holy Spirit to express God's love at some critical intersection of humanity.

Who am I? I'm a reflector of God's love to a world he called into existence.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Who am I? I'm a Box of Love

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"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7 English Standard Version

Forrest Gump said, "My momma always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.'" Opening a box of chocolates often comes with a surprise. The box might list what we can expect from its contents, but there's still a surprise when we open it.

John states that love is from God. That's shouldn't surprise us. From the time we were small, many of us heard someone say that God is love. However, even if God's love might be expected, his love still surprises us.

We're surprise that God loves us. We know our faults, our sin, our self-centeredness, and yet God loves us. Through Jesus Christ we are surrounded and embraced by God's love everyday. We are loved at the expense of his cross. It is in the nature of God that his love surprises us.

Would others say that our love is like a box of chocolates? Is our love full of surprises? Are people surprised by our love for the homeless, the aging, and the brokenhearted?

God's love is full of surprises. May that also be said of our love, a love that is rooted in the biggest surprise of salvation.

Who am I? I'm a box of chocolates, full of surprises.

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Friday, March 13, 2015

Who Am I? I'm Believer in Love

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"And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." 1 John 3:23 English Standard Version

I miss my rose plants in Portland, Oregon, the Rose City. I've tried planting roses in Colorado Springs, but it's not the same.

There is something magical about roses that makes us think of love.

Throughout history the rose has symbolized love and not only in the secular world, but also in the church. The charity of Jesus' mother, Mary, was pictured by St. Bernard of Clairvaux as a red rose. Luther used a white rose in his seal. At Christmas we sing, "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming."

We, men, give roses to that special woman we love, but guys it's hard to buy roses, isn't it? The last place we want to be is in a florist shop. It's not the most masculine place in the world. It's got cute sayings on balloons. And it smells, well, like flowers (a man want to smell like a man).

So, why do we enter this foreign world? Because we believe in the love we have for that special woman in our lives.

Love calls us to believe in the One who was crucified for us. We believe in the name of Jesus because we've experience from him something we don't experience much of elsewhere. In Jesus we experience grace.

It is by this grace that we love others. We believe in love because of Jesus, and as those who believe in Jesus we go to uncomfortable places to express love to each other. We cry with the grieving widow. We listen to a father sharing his pain in parenting. We walk with a friend through the valley of addiction. It's what we do because we believe in the one who did it for us.

Who am I? I'm a believer in love, because God's love has captivated me.

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Thursday, March 12, 2015

Who Am I? I'm a Giver of Love

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"For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." 1 John 3:11 English Standard Version

Okay, so a chain of pink Christmas light flamingos isn't what you normally think of as a gift of love, but you didn't know my mother-in-law. Her children and in-laws received gifts from her that she found in some novelty store or catalog. Pink flamingos would be right up her alley, and they would be a gift of love.

Love is not an option in the Christian community. It's the message that we've heard from the beginning. It was in love that God called the universe into existence. It was in love that God sent his Son to claim that which was unlovably tainted with sin. It was in love that God gave us his Spirit that we might know we're never alone.

From the beginning God has loved you and me. It is this love that God has for us that we reflect in the world, and sometimes reflecting that love means giving someone a pink flamingo.

Giving someone a pink flamingo is an act of love when we know that's what that person cherishes. It's not about what we think is best for them, but knowing that person and giving them something that touches their heart.

Why would we give this kind of gift? We're willing to give a pink flamingo simply because we know that God loves us, and we shine with his love when we give a gift that touches another heart.

Who am I? I'm a person who has been gifted by God to express love, even if that means giving someone a pink flamingo. And mom, I miss your crazy gifts of love.

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Who Am I?

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"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another." 1 Peter 4:10 New Living Translation

We reflect the creative nature of God when we make something from scratch. God created all that exists out of nothing. We're privileged to create meals, build houses and fashion sculptures out of what God has made. God created everything by his word, we have to use tools.

There are many different cooking utensils in this picture. There are spatulas, spoons, forks and whisks. It would be hard to use a fork when whisked is needed. It would be hard to use a spatula when a spoon is required. Each utensil is important to the creation of an amazing meal.

Peter reminds us that we have ALL been gifted by God as a result of his love for us.

Some of us have the gift of service, others have the gift of gab. Some of us have gift of encouragement, others have the gift of leadership. All of these gifts are necessary in the community of God's people.

You need me, and I need you.

The call of Christ is to "love one another" not "every person for themselves." Love demands an object. That object in the Christian community is the other person. I need you because I need someone to love. You need me because you need someone to love.

For the next six day's we'll attempt to answer the question, who am I, by stating that we are people called to love. We re the redeemed of God called to share his love in our own unique, God gifted way.

Who am I? I'm a special creation of God who best reflects his nature through loving others.

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Tuesday, March 10, 2015

This Is It! - Paradise

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"And [Jesus] said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.' Luke 23:43 English Standard Version

Before sunset on that dreadful Friday, there were three empty crosses, not one, but three. There were three corpses that were placed in tombs. There were three people who died, yet only one who probably never understood what happened.

You know the story. Jesus dies between two criminals. It's possible that in the story of their lives they both spoke their insults at Jesus, but one had a change of heart. Hanging on a cross with no hope except for a quick death, one criminal understood his story.

He doesn't ask to be healed. He doesn't ask for a miracle. "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He asks to be remembered. In his desire to be remember he receives much more. He receives the promise of a story that will never end. "Today you will be with me in paradise.

As we bring this week of devotions to an end, we consider that our story has the same ending as this criminal. We have received the promise of eternal life. This promise gives value to every breath we breathe. This is it! This is life!

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Monday, March 9, 2015

This Is It! - Signs

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"The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven." Matthew 16:1 New International Version

How many times have you asked for a sign from heaven? You've asked probably more times than you can count. We somehow think that if we received a sign descending from the clouds our faith will be that much stronger.

The story of our lives is often caught up in looking into the clouds for signs. We look for signs that we're loved. We look for signs that life has meaning. We look for signs that God is real. We want something concrete in our lives that will attest to the reality of God.

Jesus gives us a sign. It's the sign that symbolizes his story more than any other sign. It's the sign of the cross. This sign is the cross with his body hanging lifeless, killed by the weight of our sins. This sign is the empty cross of his victory over death.

Faith connects our story to Jesus' story of the cross, and it is only by faith that we are connected. At times God may grant us a different sign, but these are only momentary. The cross lasts for eternity. This is it! This is our life!

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Sunday, March 8, 2015

This Is It! - Healing

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"That evening many demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick." Matthew 8:16 New Living Translation

So what does Shaggy of Scooby-Doo fame have to do with healing? Those of us who grew up on the cartoon might be scratching our heads trying to find a connection, maybe an episode that would connect with healing. There might be an episode, but that's not why I included this picture.

This is an ice sculpture of Shaggy. As an ice sculpture, its life is short. It wouldn't be long and Shaggy would become a puddle of water flowing down the streets of Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Our story is much like this ice sculpture. Our life is short. It doesn't matter whether we die young or old, life is fleeting. This is our story.

Jesus' story was short. He was thirty when he began his ministry. He died at thirty-three. The man who turned this world upside down like no other figure in history only lived thirty-three years.

This world is filled with disease. All those whom Jesus healed eventually died. It happens to us all, yet we've received a promise. It is the promise that even though this life is short we possess eternal life. It is ours today.

Even though the fullness of our story is yet to be written, through Jesus' story we have eternal life. Death will not destroy us. We are healed. This is it! This is life!

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Saturday, March 7, 2015

This Is It! - Proclamation

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"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!' Mark 1:14 New International Version

Imagine yourself walking down this street and proclaiming, "Repent and believe the good news!" That probably makes us uncomfortable. We consider street preachers to be a little off center at best.

Yet, Jesus was a street preacher of sorts.

Jesus' story is one of proclamation. He proclaimed the presence of God's kingdom by his actions and by his words. He proclaimed the reign of God when he healed people with leprosy and when he taught the crowds.

The reign of God has drawn near in Jesus, and as such, our story is one of proclamation too. We proclaim the reign of God in this fallen world. We proclaim his kingdom when we live as his people, doing what he has called us to do. We proclaim his kingdom when we feed the hungry and when we talk to our coworkers about Jesus.

Proclaiming the reign of God is not in word OR deed, but word AND deed. It's a packaged deal. Jesus' story becomes our story, a story that we cannot keep hidden, a story that must be proclaimed. This is it! This is life.

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You can listen to the Praying With the Eyes broadcast on The iB Network Internet radio station every Sunday at 8:00 & 11:30 am, as well as, 1:00 & 8:00 pm MST (www.ibnetwork.us). You can also listen to the show using the Tunin app on your mobile device.

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Friday, March 6, 2015

This Is It! - Temptation

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"The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him." Mark 1:12 New Living Translation

Jesus' temptation in the wilderness mirrors the life of the people of Israel who face temptations for forty years in the Sinai wilderness. The focus of these temptations for both Jesus and the Israelites was to avoid the will of God.

In the story of the Israelites, they failed the test. On the brink of entering the Promised Land, they failed to seize the moment. Their failure of faith delayed what God had promised.

We, too, come up short in resisting temptation. We've not acted in obedience to God's call. How many times have we heard God say, "Go!" and we've said, "Yes!" only to find ourselves passing the hours before our televisions instead?

Unlike us, Jesus resisted the temptation he faced. He resisted the temptation to flee the cross. It was a temptation that he not only faced in the wilderness, but in the garden, in Pilate's presence and as the crowds jeered him with the words, "Come down from the cross!"

Our salvation is dependent on Jesus saying, "No!" to temptation. This is it! This is our life!

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Thursday, March 5, 2015

This Is It! - Birth

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"And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7 English Standard Version

Jesus' life begins as ours does. It begins with birth.

Now granted, there probably was room for us at the hospital in which we were born, but the tender care Jesus received is much like ours. He's wrapped in clothing and carefully laid in a manger.

He slept. He nursed. He burped, and yes, he filled his diapers. It's what babies do.

The greatest mystery of our Christian faith is that God takes on our humanity. He cares about our story by becoming like us, yet, as the Scriptures remind us, without the brokenness of sin. But why would he take on our flesh?

He became like us that he might bear to his cross what has kept us separated from His Father. What he is not, he becomes on the cross. He who knew no sin became sin for us.

Our story is one of freedom because of this baby. This is it! This is our life!

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