Thankful for FREE COFFEE!

“The coffee is on us this morning!”  Those were pleasant words to start the day. I was still half asleep and stepping into an early morning bible study with a group of good friends when the man behind the counter gave me that blessing. Free coffee is always good but to a man that loves, I mean loves, good strong hot coffee on a cold morning, those words were music! And I was thankful. Now the coffee isn’t something I need (sometimes J ) but it is something I really like. I was so thankful not just for the coffee but that this man behind the counter thought enough of me to give it to me freeee!

Another friend recently gave Sandy and me a delicious meal at a great Mexican restaurant. Just gave it to us. Free. I am thankful for the meal but very thankful for their friendship. Another friend recently gave me a copy of the new Gospel Transformation Bible. I had wanted one but it was out of reach for us at that time. And this friend just gave it me. Free. I am thankful for the new Bible but very thankful for the friend that thought enough to just give it to me.  What a huge blessing friends are! And what a huge blessing it is when such kindness abounds!

This week enters us into thanksgiving here in the United States. It’s a time set side to remember and cherish those blessings and friends. The greatest by far is the blessing given by Jesus Christ. He came that I might have life and have it the fullest (JN 10:10).  He came that I might be reconciled to God the Father (2 CO 5:18-19). He came to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, restore sight to the blind and set at liberty those who are oppressed (Luke 4:16-21). Jesus came to show his love and kindness to those he called his own.

And it’s all free. At least free to me. I couldn’t have bought what Jesus has given freely. But like the coffee and meal and bible, someone paid for what they gave freely to me. In this case, all the blessings I have from Jesus were bought by him, paid for with his life, that I would have life… freely. I am so thankful for those immeasurable blessings from Jesus but far more thankful for Jesus himself. Amen.

Anchored in Jesus,
Harrison

Fixed on Jesus

He almost got caught!  The 10-year old boy was playing flag football for a local recreation league. He had the ball with nothing but the end zone in front of him! The problem was that he wasn’t looking at the end zone! This young man had his eyes fixed, I mean really fixed, on the one single opponent still in pursuit. There was nothing but fear in the player’s eyes as he stared over his right shoulder for forty yards. He ran like that all the way down the field. Although he scored, it was much closer than it should have been. The young player almost got caught by the very thing he feared and he came just inches from running out of bounds. Because his eyes were fixed on his fear instead of the prize, he almost lost it all.

What a picture of the way we often run the race of Christianity. There are so many things people fear. We fear sin, failure, death and being alone. We fear conflict, pain, poverty, success, speaking in front of crowds and little bugs. It’s very easy for us to fix our eyes on those fears.

When we fix our eyes on our fears, we are taking our eyes off of Jesus. That’s when we get caught. We get caught by our own fears, sometimes even paralyzed by the “what if’s” of the fear. And sometimes, just like that young football player, those fears run us out right of bounds. We think we are running a race with Jesus but since our attention is held captive by our fear, we aren’t running in the way or even in the direction Jesus has called us to run.

My friend, take your eyes off of your fears and fix them on Jesus Christ!

“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 perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrew 12:1-3, NIV)

Anchored in grace,

Harrison

Little things still leave a shadow

Little things still leave a shadow. 

As I was sitting in the sun recently, the smallest of Ladybugs circled around and landed on my knee. Now I really like ladybugs. Their design is beautiful and persistent. They have unique way of getting inside the house even when it is locked up, closed up, tight! But what I loved about this particular ladybug is that, as small as it was, it still threw a shadow.  It wasn’t a humongous shadow by the standards of an elephant or a giraffe but in the world of Ladybugs, this shadow was awesome! And what made it so awesome wasn’t that it was large or long but that this shadow was HER shadow. It was the one God had designed for this particular Ladybug.

I wonder if Ladybugs ever get “shadow envy”. I know people do. We become envious over the shadow or impact of others, frustrated and discouraged that our shadow and impact isn’t as grand or large as someone else’s. But here’s the thing – when you are walking with God, your shadow and impact is just as big as He has designed it. Hebrews 12 encourages you to run the race God has marked out for YOU. God has designed each person differently, each life differently and each race differently. Every shadow is different, unique, impressive... even a shadow the size of a Ladybug. Run your race. Throw your shadow. Enjoy the day!

Anchored in grace,
Harrison  

The Precipice of Cheap Law

What could a man say that would bring some to repentance and others to desire his death? John the Baptist did just that in Luke 3. There, John brings the law back from the precipice of a cheap substitute. Reminding Jews and Romans alike of the holiness of God and his law, he left them all in an unfamiliar place. The truth was so evident that they had to respond to a God they didn’t really know. Some saw their guilt and responded with teachable hearts – “what do we do next?” But some, like Herod, wanted him arrested. When we come face to face with God’s holiness, at least as much of that holiness as we can bear to see, we either fall in worship or we fight in vain or we flee, hoping that we can outrun justice.

What do you choose? Herod chose to fight and John was killed. John was killed because he worshiped Jesus. But before John was arrested, he saw Jesus coming his way. My friend, Jesus comes your way, not to cheapen law, but as the only one able to fulfill it and take your justice. Don’t run and don’t fight. Give in, believe, repent and worship. It probably won’t cost you your life but if it does, the price will be worth it all.

Anchored in Grace,

Harrison

Painful and Beautiful

Jeremiah 18:1-4, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: ² “Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words.” ³ So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel. ⁴ And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter's hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.”

I watched a potter working with her clay recently. She had a lump of wet clay on a spinning wheel, her hands lightly surrounding the clay. As the wheel spun, her hands shaped the lump into a pot. It looked good to me but suddenly the potter smashed her creation. She did it all again, and again flattened the pot. This time she just flattened the top portion. As the wheel turned she continued to shape the clay into her idea of what it was supposed to be. She shaped it very well with just the right amount pressure exerted by her hands… the hands of a master potter.

It seemed painful and beautiful all at once. The potter knew better than the pot what she had designed it to be and was willing to inflict pressure to make it so. No doubt the pressure is painful but the result is beautiful, bringing glory to the potter rather than the pot. I think that most of us, given the opportunity would jump off of the potter’s wheel. The pain and process can be scary but here’s the good news. In the bible God is called faithful and true and love. We can be certain that the pressure the master puts on us lumps of clay will be from his heart of faithful love.

I don’t know what the week holds for you but I pray God will give you the faith and courage to stay on the wheel.

Grace for the journey,

Harrison

Face to Face

^{Luke 2:41} Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴² And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. ⁴³ And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, ⁴⁴ but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, ⁴⁵ and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. ⁴⁶ After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
If I sat with Jesus for three days would my life be any different? If I got to talk with him, ask him questions, hear his questions, would I be amazed? When Jesus sat with these above, he was 12 and had not begun to minister publically. Yet all who heard him were amazed.

I hope that my idea of what’s important in life would be transformed. But would it? I hope that my soul would be captured ever more by Jesus. Would I begin to love what and who he loves? Yearn for what he yearns for… would I seek the lost and broken and outcast… would I really take care of the orphans and widows and downtrodden? Would I let go of my self-righteousness and comfort of soul and instead love freely?

Oh, Jesus, we do not get to sit face to face yet – but that day will come when this life is done. Until then, we do still get to walk together, talk together, and you teach me, show me, how to love like you. I am so thankful that my time with you is not limited to three days! Amazing. Amen

Faith is simpler that it seems

Faith is simpler that it seems. Yet faith in anyone outside of our selves is so difficult so as to be laughable. The tendency of man is to look within and drum up courage and rightness, striving all the while to turn our ideals into fruit. Such fruit is just rotten.

AW Tozer wrote, “The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One.  While he looks at Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.

Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirecting of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus. Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said, "I will set my throne above the throne of God." Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line.

All this may seem too simple. But we have no apology to make. To those who would seek to climb into heaven after help or descend into hell God says, "The word is nigh thee, even the word of faith." The word induces us to lift up our eyes unto the Lord and the blessed work of faith begins.”

 

A man can no more purify himself than an apple tree can purify rotten fruit.  Our faith must be in Jesus. our eyes must look to him. The abundant life we seek is found in him.  Our rest is all in him. It's Christ Jesus! And when rest is found in him, we rest complete.