June 30: Suffer the Children

"Then were there brought unto Jesus little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. 15 And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence." (Matthew 19:13-15, King James Version)

I was taken aback by the young mom in the orthodontist’s waiting room. She was surrounded by several children, all about the same age. One girl sat two chairs away from the woman. The girl apparently did something that didn’t suit the mother, although unnoticed by the other adults in the room. The woman was suddenly towering over the toddler, voice raised, finger pointed into the young face, demanding obedience. She swatted the girl on the legs and returned to her own seat.

The little one immediately burst into tears and went to her mother hoping for an affectionate hug and comfort. The mother, with a calm and syrupy voice said, “Did you bump your little leg? Come sit with mommy, you should never ever leave me, shame on you for bumping your leg.” It was creepy—physically and emotionally abusive and manipulative. I was uncomfortable, but at a loss as to how I should respond.
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Later in the day I picked up the local newspaper, the Virginian-Pilot, and read an article by Elizabeth Simpson:

“The numbers in a report released Wednesday add up to a picture of the region's children who die of abuse. More than half of the children who died during the past three years were less than a year old. One in five had been injured before by abuse. And 65 percent were in families or with caretakers who had had some contact with social workers.”

“The report” was by the Hampton Roads (Virginia) Child Fatality Review Team, and summed up three years of child abuse fatalities, from July 2003 through June 2006. The study team was composed of regional health and social experts who compiled statistics for 18 cities and counties in the region.

“About 40 percent of the state's child abuse deaths occurred in this region, even though only about 23 percent of the state's children live here. That percentage has stayed fairly consistent during the past decade. The region had higher rates - more than half of the state's total - in 1998 and 2003.”

There's no clear reason why more child fatalities occur here, though child welfare advocates have pointed to the transient nature of the area because of tourism and the military. One professional in Child Protective Services said she thinks local abuse investigators are better than their counterparts in other parts of the state at pursuing and documenting cases.

There were some positive notes from the study, one of which was that the number of deaths also decreased by nine from the previous three-year period.

"People think they should be perfect parents. They take it personally if they can't get their baby to stop crying." The majority of abusers were parents, and the most likely cause of death was a brain injury, often occurring when a baby is shaken or thrown. Boyfriends or girlfriends of parents were the second most likely caretaker in child fatality cases.
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This is NOT what Jesus had in mind when He said, “suffer little children…” (As phrased in the above scripture reference in the old King James English). Statistically, those who are abused today become abusers later on in life.

We must find ways to encourage and pray for the adults and teenagers we know who are responsible for caring for children—theirs or someone else’s—and find ways to help them deal with the pressure. I’m not sure what that looks like just yet, but we’ve got to find a way to stop the abuse and break the cycle.

~ Father, help me to love and care for children the way Jesus did. Give me your peace, patience and self-control. Show me ways to be a real help to those who are struggling. Amen.

June 29: How Low Can You Go?

Today's "thought" is from author and singer/songwriter John Fischer. You can subscribe to his "Catch of the Day" by taking a plunge in the fischtank at www.fischtank.com

If you've ever wondered how far God would go to show His love, look in the mirror and wonder no more. We need not look any further than ourselves to find the most shocking and amazing displays of God’s grace. If we think otherwise, it is only because we have not seen ourselves as we truly are.

It has been said and sung many times: "There but for the grace of God go I." At first this sounds grateful, but such sentiment masks a dangerous pride. It is actually not unlike the statement of a religious leader in Jesus' day as he looked upon a sinner on his knees who was crying out for God's mercy. "I thank you, God," said the Pharisee, "that I am not a sinner like everyone else, especially like that tax collector over there" (Luke 18:11 NLT)!

It is a view that focuses on someone else's misfortune. Someone else is worse than I am. Much better to be thinking and praying, "Here, because of the grace of God, and for no other reason, am I." I am the only person I truly know about when it comes to sin. I am the authority on the subject.

The Pharisee hasn't a clue about the sinner—who he is or what he has done. He has no point of reference to judge the man's life but from his own inflated view of himself. If he had even the slightest clue about his own sin, he would realize he doesn't have any business making the assumption that the sinner is any worse than he is. The only prayer any of us can pray on the subject of sin is: "Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner." This is the one prayer that sends heaven scurrying.

It is best to steer completely clear of the comparison game. Any attempt to better ourselves at the mercy of someone else's failure will always bring a twisted view of us and others. The immensity of God's mercy is not displayed in what He did for the world, or for someone else. It is not displayed in someone else’s story about how low they were before Christ picked them up (of course, never as low as we would ever go—heaven forbid!).

Nor is it discovered through some theological understanding or study of the many nuances of His grace. No, the immensity of God's mercy is revealed finally—and only—in the incredible realization that, lo and behold, it found out the worst of the lot. God’s mercy looked down from heaven and found out me!

June 28: Crazy About ‘Heroes’

My daughter is crazy about “Heroes”. The TV show has soared in popularity. Ordinary looking young adults possess extraordinary powers. All it takes is the mention of the word 'hero'--not even in the context of the small-screen drama—just the mention of the word and she is energetically talking about the different plots and characters and their powers to talk to machines, or regenerate or absorb other heroes’ powers. She is a fanatic about the show.

So I was thinking about people who claim to have “met Jesus”; to have had some kind of personal encounter with the resurrected and still-living Son of God. In the Bible, in the Book of First Peter, chapter two it talks of people’s reaction to Jesus. For many he is a stumbling block and for others he is a stepping stone to forgiveness, freedom and a relationship with God.

"As you come to Jesus, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-- you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house… Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, this “stone” causes men to stumble, this “rock” makes then to fall. They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

But then Peter goes on to describe those who believe in and follow Jesus:

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the Excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:4-10)

It’s that phrase, “declare the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” that has me thinking about my daughter and her enthusiasm for a television show. That’s how true Christ-followers are: at the mention of his name there is this bubbly excitement where they begin to talk about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. They can’t help themselves; It’s not scripted are manufactured, it just bubbles out of them.

That kind of enthusiasm is contagious. I’ve never seen “Heroes”, but I can’t wait for the next episode. Why? Because of my daughter’s enthusiasm. She’s got me curious. I want to see for myself.

That’s what happens as people who’ve had a life-changing encounter with Jesus serve other people, meet needs and talk about Him: our enthusiasm breeds curiosity—people want to see Jesus for themselves.

~ Father, thank you for calling me out of the darkness in which I used to live. As I declare your “excellencies”, may my enthusiasm breed a divine curiosity in the hearts of others. Amen.

June 27: Anyone for PETH?

Stem cells, war, the death penalty, animal rights and euthanasia. Arguments over all of the above are heated and escalating. So I figure I’ll give my two-cents worth.

I believe life begins at conception; if not at that point, then when? I believe this fantastic universe was created, and I call that Creator "God". And God has put into every embryo all the “stuff” it needs, the DNA, the potential, for a full and fruitful life. There’s much more there than “just a clump of cells”.

War is horrible and evil. Life is sacred. War involves not just the combatants who choose to fight, but innocent civilians who are not warriors and have no means of escaping the consequences. “Collateral damage” sounds so much more benign than “slaughtered and maimed innocent men, women and children”.

Because I believe life is sacred and valuable I am opposed to the death penalty. I favor life in prison for horrible crimes, although I think the “rights” and freedoms of violent criminals need to be limited far below the standard some enjoy today.

On all these issues some people would simply make the distinction between born life and unborn life, and only recognize the value of the former. They would distinguish between innocent life and guilty life; the former to be protected, the latter to be snuffed out.

What about seeing all lives as sacred and valuable; born and unborn, innocent and guilty?

Abortion continues to be a hot topic, the argument often being reduced to “choice” or “life”.
God gave us both “choice” and “life” and God values both. We have not only the freedom, but the responsibility to make choices; but when the two values collide and one has to choose between “life” and personal preference or freedom, then God says, “Choose life!”

The way we treat prisoners, both military combatants and domestic criminals is a reflection of the value we place on human life. Some people are more concerned with the way animals are treated than the way people are treated. Some will physically beat up or harm a person who doesn’t agree with them about the value of animals. To them animals are sacred, people a little less so.

The area where I live in Virginia is home to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Michael Vick. For those who don’t know, Vick is quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons football team and has made national news lately when evidence of dog fighting, including dog carcasses, were found on the grounds of a home he used to own in the area. The investigation is still on-going regarding his knowledge and involvement in these activities.

To say that PETA and Vick have different views about the place of animals in our society would be an understatement. To say that PETA is up in arms over these discoveries in their own neighborhood would be an understatement.

I want to start a new movement. Let’s call it PETH—People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans. There would be no registration, membership dues or meeting requirements. Just live out two ideal ideas taught by Jesus: “Love you neighbor as yourself” and “do to others as you would have them do to you.”

What would our families, neighborhoods, nation and world look like if we lived by those two principles and treated all life; born and unborn, innocent and guilty; as though life were sacred and valuable?

June 26: inseparable

in·sep·a·ra·ble: adjective
1 : incapable of being separated or disjoined
2 : seemingly always together : very intimate

Lyrics of “Inseparable” by Natalie Cole:
Inseparable, That's how we'll always be
Inseparable, Just you and me
It's so wonderful to know you'll always be around me
Incredible, What you are to me
Incredible, You bring out the woman in me
With your style of love
Inseparable, Yes we are

Well like a flower to a tree
Like words to a melody of love
There's no way we could break up
No words that can make us
Blow our thing. We're just

Inseparable, That's how it is
Inseparable, For the rest of our years
It's so wonderful to know you'll always be around.

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I officiated at a funeral service today. The deceased was an 85 year old World War 2 veteran, married to the same woman for 60 years, father of 5, 11 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren.
Long, full life; well done!

So I’ve been thinking about the 60 years part, the wedding vows “til death do us part”. Inseparable.

There is a love deeper than that, stronger than that, with a reach farther than that--reaching beyond the grave. That is the love God has for you. Consider the words of the Apostle Paul from the Bible:

“And we know that God is working in all situations to bring about good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose… What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:28-39 (NIV)

~ Father, thank you for your eternal love, which makes you and me inseparable. Amen.

June 24: Fearlessly Facing Eternity

Today's inspirational story is from author and pastor, Max Lucado:

Joe Allbright is a fair and fearless West Texas rancher, a square-jawed, rawboned man with a neck by Rawlings. In Andrews County, where I was raised, everyone knew him. One of Joe's sons, James, and I were best friends in high school. We played football together. (More honest, he played while I guarded the team bench.)

One Friday night after an out-of-town game, James invited me to stay at his house. By the time we reached his property, the hour was way past midnight, and he hadn't told his father he was bringing anyone home. Mr. Allbright didn't know me or my vehicle, so when I stepped out of the car in front of his house, he popped on a floodlight and aimed it right at my face.

Through the glare I saw this block of a man (I think he was in his underwear), and I heard his deep voice. "Who are you?" I gulped. My mind moved at the speed of cold honey. I started to say my name but didn't. Mr. Allbright doesn't know me. My only hope was that James would speak up. A glacier could have melted before he did so. Finally he interceded. "It's okay, Dad. That's my friend Max. He's with me".

The light went off, and Mr. Allbright threw open the door. "Come on in, boys. Food is in the kitchen."

What changed? What made Mr. Allbright flip off the light? One fact. I had aligned myself with his son. My sudden safety had nothing to do with my accomplishments or offerings. I knew his son. Period.

For the same reason, if you align yourself with Jesus, you need never fear God's judgment. Not today. Not on Judgment Day. Jesus, in the light of God's glory, is speaking on your behalf. "That's my friend", he says. And when he does, the door of heaven opens.

Trust God's love. His perfect love. Don't fear he will discover your past. He already has. Don't fear disappointing him in the future. He can show you the chapter in which you will. With perfect knowledge of the past and perfect vision of the future, he loves you perfectly in spite of both.

June 23: Avoiding Entanglements

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Source and perfecter of our faith..." (Hebrews 12:1-2)

It was February 16, 2002 at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. There were five finalists in the Men's 1,000 Meter Speed Skating Race. Apolo Anton Ohno of the USA said he was skating the best race of his life. The winner would receive the Olympic Gold medal.

During the final lap, Ohno and the Chinese were out front with the Canadian and Korean skaters hot on their heels. Australia skater Stephen Bradbury trailed behind, obviously destined for last place.

Suddenly, the Chinese skater slightly bumped the American. With no time or space to get out of their way, the tangled mess caused the Canadian and Korean skaters to also spin out of control and join them in a tangled heap of arms and legs, careening into the wall.

The Australian skater, who was dead last, pushed by the heap and crossed the finish line. He won the Gold for no other reason than he crossed the finish line. He finished the race! He was not the fastest. He did not set any records. He simply didn’t quit or get tangled up in the mess around him.

Ohno ended up struggling forward and pushing his left skate over the finish line to get the silver medal. Ohno, who had hopes of getting four gold medals in the speed skating evernts suffered a gash in his inner thigh and had to be taken up to the medal ceremony in a wheelchair.

Yesterday's entry was about "Heroes of the Faith". Who is the hero of faith? The one who becomes extraordinary, the exception to the rule, simply by avoiding the entanglements of this world, and enduring the tests of this life with eyes fixed on Jesus.

Paul advised young Timothy: "Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer. " (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

The "things that entangle us" spiritually can come in many forms: illness, temptation, worry--the possibilities are endless. Not letting these things "trip us up" in our faith is no easy task. The one who endures, the one who doesn't get tripped up is promised a great reward.

~ Father, guard my heart and guide my steps. Amen.

June 22: The Extraordinary Ones

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the Source and Perfecter of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

I love chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews often referred to as “The Roll Call of Faith”. Biblical heroes like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Rahab and Moses are called to mind and held up as examples. As I read that passage a couple of things become clear. First, these “Heroes of the Faith” are the exception, not the rule; that’s why they stand out as unusual. Secondly, most of the heroes are "no-names". These “others” were faithful though imprisoned, flogged, stoned and sawed in two; people who gave everything for the faith, but their names were never recorded for history’s sake.

Heroes don’t have to be extraordinary, just faithful. Anyone who keeps their eyes fixed on Jesus and endures faithfully becomes extraordinary; a hero or heroine of the faith from whom others draw inspiration. Faithful endurance is extraordinary, the exception and not the rule.

The Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint. Pastor Mike Stover tells the story of the 1986 New York City Marathon in which almost 20,000 runners entered the race. What is memorable is not who won, but who finished last. His name was Bob Wieland. He finished 19,413th—dead last. Bob completed the New York marathon in 4 days, 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 17 seconds. It was unquestionably the slowest marathon in history—ever.

So, what is it that made Bob Wieland’s marathon so special? Bob ran with his arms. 17 years earlier while in Vietnam, Bob’s legs were blown off in battle and he was pronounced DOA (Dead On Arrival). He uses his arms to catapult himself forward one arm-length at a time. He can run a mile in an hour. That is real endurance in the face of adversity.

Spiritual endurance is keeping the faith--staying the course--in the face of difficulty, temptation and persecution. Jesus said, “the person who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:22)

Endurance, be it physical or spiritual, is the exception to the rule and always heroic. Whatever difficulty you are facing, look to Jesus and keep the faith.

~ Father, give me strength and endurance and help me stay close to you. Use me as an example to encourage others. Amen

P.S. Bob Wieland is a modern-day hero and motivational speaker. For more details and contact info go to www.fivestarspeakers.com/wieland

June 19: Judge Not

"You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. " Romans 14:10-13 (NIV)

It's human nature. We all do it. And we do it about everything. We love to critique and criticize. We are a very judgmental culture. Some christians even justify the behavior by saying, "I'm not judging, I'm just being a 'fruit inspector'." Whatever. Same thing.

The above scripture passage is sobering for several reasons. I like the last line about "stop passing judgment on each other...and not to put a stumbling block in your brother's way."

One way the church places stumbling blocks is by giving the impression that once we become followers of Jesus we should automatically be immune to depression, despair and struggles with sin. The message is sent that if we struggle we are somehow defective. A friend recently shared a story with me about how a minister suggested that her child was dying because she didn't have enough faith. Another friend was once told that his son was born mentally challenged due to the parents' sin. That's not only sad, it's sick.

I often hear stories of people feeling condemned by other Christians over struggles with depression. People can be so hard on themselves because they feel their lives don't measure up to some elusive target set by some of the Christians around them. Over and over the issues of guilt and shame and feeling judged come into play.

Life is tough enough without the added pressure of "trying to be a good Christian". This burden is not necessary and not from God. What makes this even more tragic is that the added pressure is coming from those who should be a source of hope. When the unconditional love of God has strings attached, conditions for acceptance, then it's not God's love that's being offered.

One of my favorite writers, Jon Fischer observes, "We need to come alongside each other and help -- no questions asked -- not run our spiritual Geiger counters up and down everybody's faith." We need to become aware of how judgmental we can be and when we're doing it--learn to "catch ourselves in the act". Then ask God to help change our hearts.

~ Father, help me to be a "path-clearer" for others and not a "stumbling block-placer". Help me to live out the grace I have received from You. Amen.

June 18: Physical Therapy, Day 1

"As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!" Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. "Lord," they answered, "we want our sight." Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him." Matt 20:29-34 (NIV)

Today I am hopeful. The doctor has seen the x-rays and hopefully passed them on to the Physical Therapist. A week of muscle relaxers, pain killers, anti-inflammatories and heating pads. No lifting, anything, not even a newspaper. No driving. This past week stunk. I had many things to do and several people I needed to see. Confined. Grounded. Rest. Rust. That was last week.

So like the guys sitting beside the road in the above story, I’m waiting with hopeful anticipation.

What do you do, spiritually, when you’re in an unwanted “holding pattern”?

You can wait graciously or obnoxiously. You can wait with patience or impatience. I choose grace and patience.

June 17: Breaking the Cycle

It's been said that Mother’s Day is a day devoted to honoring moms while Father’s Day is a day to beat men up for not doing a better job! That's not been my experience at all. My family treats me like a king and showers me with affection and appreciation on Father's Day--it's wonderful!

Father's Day can stir up a lot of painful stuff, though. We inherit the pain and consequences of our father’s bad choices and sins. We often repeat the same bad habits generation after generation. My own dad was physically abused as a child. He wanted to break the cycle and in many ways he did, and in some ways he failed. He had a lot to overcome.

It’s time to break the cycle. In the Old Testament the Prophet Malachi spoke for God, "See, I will send one in the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will go before the Lord and will bring many of the people back to the Lord their God. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Malachi 4:5-6, Luke 1:16-17)

God wants to empower dads, to bless them and help them me a blessing to their families. Role models are needed; dads who walk with God and are committed to passing on eternal values to the next generation.

Rick Warren notes that our culture basically values four things - pleasure (I want to feel good!), possessions (I want to make a lot of money!), prestige (I want other people to envy me!), and power (I want to be in control!). The kids you care about can do better than that! We need to help cultivate substantive character and convictions.

Young people need to know we believe in them and that they have our blessing. They need to know we aren't holding on to power, territory, or authority. They need to know we believe in them and their potential to take God's love to the world.

God wants to break the cycle of abuse and resentment, to turn fathers and children’s hearts back to each other. Forgiveness brings freedom from past failure! What’s at stake if we fail?

A little boy who grows up without an involved, affectionate, affirming dad can carry a lot of hurt and bitterness. If you had an absent, preoccupied, passive or mean dad, you are probably an angry man. If you had a father who let you down you have some choices to make: repeat the sins of your father or break the cycle. Carry the pain and bitterness or forgive, and redeem your family line.

God wants to set you and your family free. Are you still bound by the sins of your father, or your father’s father? Let God set you free and set you on a course of godliness and reconciliation for generations to come. If you can reconcile your past you won’t be doomed to repeat the sins of your father or father’s father. You’ll be a good dad to your own kids, or step-kids. You will have broken the cycle. You will be free. Forgiveness brings freedom from past failure!

~ Father, thank you for the fathering I got from my own Dad and from others who helped fill in the gaps. Help me to break the cycle of generational strongholds and set the next generation free. Amen.

June 16: Sight for Blind Eyes

“Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place (61:1-2) where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Luke 4:16-19)

My friend and colleague Henry, who is 80+ years old and blind in his left eye, had eye surgery this week. His account:

“After 10 hours in hospital I was released and then had to go back on Thursday for the removal of the huge eye patch which covered half my face. That rally got a lot of attention when we went to Wendy's for supper.
The result of the surgery, which had three doctors in attendance and assisting along with 8 others helping, It was my joy to find that I have had up to 75% of my usable sight restored and the hope of the surgeon is that the retina will rebuild itself overtime; If not, there may be more surgery later.
I want to than all those who were praying for me during this time. Two men set the time apart and prayed during the time set for surgery. Several others made a pledge to pray during the day. This is what brought about there return of so much sight. Tell everyone I appreciate their caring concern in this. God loves you and we love you too."

Wow! Having one’s sight restored is phenomenal! That’s amazing. Jesus said that basically we all need our sight restored and He came to do that. Not our physical sight, although there are many accounts of Jesus doing that, but our spiritual sight. Jesus’ desire was that we would see the things of God clearly: His purposes and priorities. God wants us to become passionate about the things which He is passionate. .

In the Book of Revelation Jesus has a message to each of seven churches. "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
'These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!

So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." (Revelation 3:14-22)

Some say that it as apt description for the church in America today: rich and without need, but lukewarm and spiritually poor, blind and naked—pitiful. Jesus encourages the church to open the door and let Him in! To buy eye salve from Him so we can see. See what? The things that matter most to God because we’ve become distracted and side-tracked with temporary and material things.

Jesus is the Great Physician; he always wants to correct our hearing and eyesight. In spiritual terms, what does that look like in your life?

~ Father, help me to open the door and let you in to make a house call. Restore my spiritual sight and hearing to perceive things from Your point of view. Amen.