Where is Your Treasure (Apr 7)

Posted on April 7, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 7
Where is Your Treasure?

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 49:14-20 | Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27 | Luke 12:8-34 | Proverbs 12:21-23

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 12:8-34

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Luke 12:31-34 NIV)

Nothing reveals the state of our heart like our attitude toward possessions. As Jesus put it: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” This is true for the one who has little and for the one who has much—and everyone in between.

Worry and anxiety are common to us all. Some wonder where the next meal will come from. Others fear that they won’t have enough money to pay the rent. Worry seems the natural reaction. Yet, Jesus tells us not to be anxious but to trust God—doesn’t he care for the birds and the flowers? Doesn’t he care about you?

Of course, those with wealth and possession also have the worry that they might lose what they have. There is no foolproof way to provide security through wealth and possessions. Life takes unexpected turns. Markets often prove to be unpredictable. Wealth is easily stolen. Homes and possessions are easily lost in a fire. In any case, the end of life comes too quickly—and what do we do then?

Hold possessions lightly—don’t grasp on to them. Be quick to give when you see a need. Invest in people and causes that extend the kingdom and enjoy a storehouse of riches in the life to come. This is the way to live this life abundantly—and prepare for the life to come.

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Religious Games (Apr 6)

Posted on April 6, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 6
Religious Games

Today’s Scripture Readings:
Psalm 49:1-13 | Deuteronomy 29:1-30:20 | Luke 11:37-12:7 | Proverbs 12:19-20

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 11:37-12:7

Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? (Luke 11:39-40 NIV)

When it comes to religion, there are some who play the game better than others. They come dressed in their Sunday best. They never miss a service. They are there every time the church door is open. They work hard making sure that everything looks good on the outside. They never admit failure. They try to do all their “religious acts” out in the open so everyone can see. Scrupulous about the details of their performance; every “t” is crossed—every “i” is dotted.

Then Jesus shows up and tells the people in the lead that they are playing by the wrong rulebook. They are playing “charades” and doing quite well—but they are supposed to be playing “hearts.” Play-acting might be fine for charades, but Jesus isn’t concerned about the external performance. He wants to deal with issues of the heart.

The Scribes and Pharisees had play-acting down. The other name for it, of course, is hypocrisy. It is never a pretty thing: Trying hard to impress others; using our privileged position to manipulate the rules in our favor; looking down our noses at others who haven’t learned the secrets of the insiders; working hard at keeping things looking good on the outside, all the while neglecting the more difficult work of dealing with our heart.

Jesus called the Scribes and Pharisees to come clean—to deal with the internal mess of their lives. Only then is it possible to “play the game” as it was meant to be played. Only then do we see the mess we are in and cry out to God for his forgiveness and grace—only then do we turn in repentance and faith.

Open your heart to Jesus. No holding back. No religious games. Authenticity is the road to life lived to the full.

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Reckless Words, Healing Words (Apr 5)

Posted on April 5, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 5
Reckless Words, Healing Words

Today’s Scripture Readings:
Psalm 48:9-14 | Deuteronomy 28:1-68 | Luke 11:14-36 | Proverbs 12:18

Today’s Scripture Focus: Proverbs 12:18

The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. (Proverbs 12:18 NIV)

The Proverbs are filled with wisdom regarding our words. This one is particularly insightful. Reckless words pierce and wound like swords. Wise words bring healing.

Reckless words come easily: When we’re tired; when we’re stressed; when we are caught off guard by the comments of another. As easy as they are to say, they are very difficult to take back.

The wound of a sword doesn’t heal in a day. Neither do wounding words. It usually takes time—and more than that—it requires releasing forgiveness to the one who has wounded you. Further, healing is aided by words of affirmation and encouragement.

For some reason, we tend to hold onto reckless words that have wounded us. They are difficult to forget. Worse, they often cause us to retaliate with another set of reckless words. The battle of words—back and forth—cuts, wounds and, ultimately, destroys relationships. Such is the wounding power of reckless words.

Words also have the power to heal. Encouraging, affirming words of a friend are salve to the wounds left by reckless words. Wise words from a godly counselor can likewise have healing power. Wisdom and insight that brings affirming words through prayer by a seasoned, wise prayer warrior can bring deep healing to a soul wounded by reckless words.

In a world of reckless words, we do well to ask God to train our tongues to speak wise healing words rather than words that wound. When wounded we are wise to find the healing that comes through taking our hurt to Jesus who was wounded for our healing and who is able to strengthen our hearts to forgive so that we might find healing.

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One Thing Is Necessary (Apr 4)

Posted on April 4, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 4
One Thing is Necessary

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalms 48:1-8 | Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26 | Luke 10:38-11:13 | Proverbs 12:15-17

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 10:38-11:13

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42 NIV)

Martha knows that things need to get done. When you have guests, there are numerous details that have to be attended to. All that is true. Life is filled with details and things that need to be done, things that require our attention.

Mary knows that when you have guests, they are there to enjoy your company. Details shouldn’t get in the way of enjoying time with those you love.

Martha consumed by practical details and worried about getting everything done right, sees Mary shirking her duties and she’s upset. She’s not helping in the kitchen. She is sitting at Jesus’ feet—enjoying fellowship.

Jesus reminds Martha: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed-or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her.”

It is good to follow through with the details of our life—to be responsible in the details of life. Yet often we crowd our lives with unnecessary things—our lives become too complicated. We miss out on the joy of what is most important.

Only one thing is necessary, according to Jesus. What is that one thing? It is time spent in the presence of Jesus. It is enjoying fellowship with him through time in his word and in prayer. There is plenty of time for the other stuff—first things first.

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Who is My Neighbor? (Apr 3)

Posted on April 4, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 3
Who is My Neighbor?

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 47:5-9 | Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19 | Luke 10:13-37| Proverbs 12:12-14

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 10:13-37

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? ”The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise. (Luke 10:36-37 NIV)

What does it mean to follow Jesus? One way Jesus put it was this: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your strength and with you’re your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.” These two commands that were the heart of God’s way of life for his people in the Old Testaments, are reaffirmed as central to the life of faith for the follower of Jesus.

But what does it mean to “love your neighbor?” Or as Luke’s gospel asks: “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus tells a story that gives an example of true love for neighbor, and includes a bit of “plot twist” that cuts to the heart of the problem in answering the question.

The story he tells is the familiar tale we call the “parable of the Good Samaritan.” A man is robbed, beaten and left on the side of the ride to die. A priest comes near the scene and to avoid getting involved passes by on the other side of the road. Then a Levite comes upon the scene and he too passes by on the other side of the road. Clearly these are two people that are intimately acquainted with the law—two people that knew they were to love their neighbor. Yet they passed by.

Then another man comes upon the scene. He goes out of his way to have mercy and help the man in need. He bandages him up, puts him on his donkey and takes him to the nearest inn to recover. He leaves money with the inn-keeper to pay for the man to stay until he is able to travel home.

Now the plot twist: the hero of the story is a . . . Samaritan! Since we don’t live in the world of Luke’s readers, it is easy for us to miss the startling plot twist of the story. Jews despised Samaritans. Jesus is confronting the prejudice of his day by making the despised Samaritan the hero of the story.

Who is our neighbor? In practical terms, it is the person we meet on the way who is in need. It is the person we meet in everyday life that we might be tempted to pass by because we are busy or afraid. All that is obvious enough from the story.

Jesus plot twist reveals something else about identifying our neighbor. Jesus tells us that the neighbor in the story is the Samaritan. In so doing, Jesus calls us to confront personal and societal prejudice. He calls us to love to those we find it most difficult to love—those easiest for us to stereotype—those easiest for us to despise.

Who is your neighbor? The person in need, yes. But more to the point: the person you find most difficult to love.

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Become the Answer to Your Prayers (Apr 2)

Posted on April 2, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 2
Become the Answer to Your Prayers

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 47:1-4 | Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30 | Luke 9:50-10:12 | Proverbs 12:11

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 9:50 – 10:12

He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. (Luke 10:2 NIV)

Jesus calls us to follow him and to join him in his mission to go and proclaim the kingdom of God. What is your response?

Some try to make excuses. “Let me go and bury my father” (9:59). I have to admit that when it comes to excuses that seems like a pretty good one. My excuses tend to seem lame in comparison. Yet the urgency of the kingdom message requires sacrifice: “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

A better response is to pray. “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send forth laborers” (10:2). When we look at the immensity of the task and the hardness of so many to the message, we might be tempted to become discouraged and give up. Therefore we must pray.

The prayer response is a good start, but it is not enough. It is an important and essential beginning point to our mission. But notice that after Jesus calls them to pray, he calls them to go. He calls us to be the answer to our prayers.

Jesus gave us a big job—to share his message of the kingdom with a world of people who need to experience his love. Don’t make excuses. Don’t become overwhelmed or discouraged. Pray. Then Go.

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Stillness in the Midst of Chaos (Apr 1)

Posted on April 1, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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April 1
Stillness in the Middle of Chaos

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 46:8-11 | Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20 | Luke 9:28-50 | Proverbs 12:10

Today’s Scripture Focus: Psalm 46

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. (Psalm 46:10 NIV)

I’m always struck by how noisy this psalm is: Mountains quaking and falling into the middle of the sea, water roaring, nations in uproar, kingdoms falling, the earth melting, desolations, wars. Yet, it is in the midst of all this noise and chaos that God says to us: “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted.”

At first it seems ironic that a passage about being quiet and still before God is found in the midst of a noisy cacophony. Yet it is in such a place that we most need stillness, quietness and solitude. It is in the midst of craziness and busyness that we most need to slow down and be quiet.

It’s when the world seems to be falling apart that we most need to remember that he is God and is still in control and that he will be exalted in the nations and in the earth. It is when life gets difficult and we are most vulnerable that we need to remember that “the LORD Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our fortress.”

Does your world seem to be falling apart? There is no reason to fear even if a mountain falls into the heart of the sea (2). Be still. Remember who your God is. Spend some time there in reverent awe meditating on his greatness. Slow down and put your trust in him! He is the fortress to whom you can run to find safety and rest.

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Who Do You Say I Am? (Mar 31)

Posted on April 1, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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March 31
Who Do You Say I Am?

Scripture Readings: Psalm 46:1-7 | Deut 16:1-17:20 | Luke 9:7-27 | Prov 12:8-9

Scripture Focus: Luke 9:7-27

Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.” (Luke 9:18-20, NIV)

Jesus asks what is perhaps the most important question that can be asked, “Who do you say I am?” For the most part the crowds didn’t have a clue and even those closest to him seemed a bit confused. But impulsive Peter has it right this time: “God’s Messiah.”

All the Hebrew Scriptures pointed to this one who was the fulfillment of the promise: Jesus the Messiah. Yes, a prophet, priest and King—the ultimate expression of each—but yet he was more. Israel’s long awaited Savior, King and Messiah would one day rule in glory and every knee would bow and every tongue would confess; wrongs would be righted; The King of Kings would bring justice and rule forever. But first, he would “suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Before the glory, there is the suffering. Before the exaltation, there is the humbling. Before the resurrection, there is the cross.

To answer the question rightly, to understand who Jesus really is, leads us down a similar path. In the words of Jesus: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?”

How does one answer Jesus’ Question, “Who do you say I am?” Jesus seems to imply that the real answer to the question is found not so much in words as in our commitment to follow him wholeheartedly—denying our selves and taking up the cross daily.

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Passing it on to the Next Generation (Mar 29)

Posted on March 29, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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March 29
Passing it on to the Next Generation

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 45:1-9 | Deuteronomy 11:1-12:23 | Luke 8:22-39 | Proverbs 12:4

Today’s Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 11:1-12:23

Love the LORD your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always. Remember today that your children were not the ones who saw and experienced the discipline of the LORD your God: his majesty, his mighty hand, his outstretched arm; the signs he performed and the things he did in the heart of Egypt, both to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his whole country . . . It was not your children who saw what he did for you in the wilderness until you arrived at this place . . . but it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done. (Deuteronomy 11:1-5 NIV)

In this text we are once again reminded that our Love for God expresses itself in obedience to God and his word (1). This is a key theme of Deuteronomy: The Torah—the law of God—was given to the people of God that they would be able to walk in the ways of God. True love for him was to be expressed in obedience. This basic principle remains true in the New Testament as well: “If you love me, obey my commands.”

Love for God also expresses itself in remembering what God has done and then passing on what we remember to the next generation. “It was not your children who saw . . . but it was your own eyes that saw all these great things the LORD has done.” We are quick to forget the answers to prayer; we are apt to forget the ways he has blessed us. Taking the time to remember produces gratitude in our hearts. It strengthens our faith during times of testing. Passing on the stories of God’s blessings and his intervention reinforce not only our own faith but also the faith of the generations that follow.

As we pass on the stories of God’s goodness—his intervention, his answers to prayer, his blessings—our words of testimony become a strong incentive for the next generation to love, trust and obey.

It was not your children who saw these things…it was you…so pass it on!

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Fertile Soil (Mar 28)

Posted on March 28, 2015 by pastorjeffsneighborhood

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March 28
Fertile Soil

Today’s Scripture Readings: Psalm 44:17-26 | Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22 | Luke 8:4-21 | Proverbs 12:2-3

Today’s Scripture Focus: Luke 8:4-21

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown. (Luke 8:5-8 NIV)

Is God’s word growing and producing a bountiful harvest of righteousness in you? What is the condition of the soil of your heart?

Jesus tells us that God’s word sometimes ends up on a rocky path where it is trampled upon and eaten by the birds. This is a heart where the seed is stolen before it can take root and grow. The word doesn’t have a chance in such a heart.

Other times God’s word is planted in rocky ground. These hearts initially hear the good news, but their roots are unable to go down deep and they quickly dry up in the time of testing. When things get tough, they haven’t allowed the word of God to grow deep and they quickly dry up and wither on the vine.

Other times God’s word is planted in thorny soil. The weeds of prosperity, pleasure and the worries of life come and choke the word. The pursuit of pleasure and things keeps the word from maturing, as it should. It stunts the growth and we prove to be unproductive in our faith.

But thankfully for others, God’s word takes root in good soil that represents “those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (15).

Don’t allow God’s word to be stolen from you. Don’t allow times of testing to choke out the word. Don’t allow the pursuit of pleasure or wealth or the worries of this life keep you from being productive. Open up your heart to God: hear, retain and persevere in obedience to produce an abundant crop.

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