My Daily Pause

Author: Butch Adams

  • 3 Things Jesus Taught Us About Praying

    The Lord's Prayer - ca, 1890 - James Tissot (1836–1902)
    The Lord’s Prayer – ca, 1890 – James Tissot (1836–1902)

    How much prayer is enough?

    Whatever the answer to that is, my guess is that we don’t pray enough.

    We’re too busy. We don’t really need any help. It feels awkward.

    Sometimes it is difficult to know what to say. Maybe we feel what we have to say is inadequate.

    When we look at Luke’s account of Jesus’ model prayer, we can learn a few things that might encourage us to develop a better prayer habit. (Luke 11:1-13) Jesus taught us that he doesn’t require it to be a fancy production, but it is more about remembering to do it.

    Here’s How to Do It:

    From looking at only his six line example, he shows us that God wants a prayer that is…

    • short and simple
    • reverent to God
    • about our basic needs – food, forgiveness, etc.

    I know we have heard others give long beautiful prayers that say all the right things. That is intimidating. Luckily, we are not responsible for praying like that – and it may even be sinful if the person is doing it to be flashy!

    Be comforted that in terms of content, this is one of those times that less is more!

    Here’s When to Do It:

    The other thing that Jesus teaches us about prayer in Luke 11:9-10 is to always be asking, seeking and knocking. In other words, we need to get out of the habit of going solo until we need something. The way those verses are worded says that God wants us talking to him all the time.

    We all know the usual “good times” to have a prayer: At meal time, bed time, etc. Why don’t we add a new time to our schedule –

    ALL the time!

    What better way to grow closer to God than to talk to him more often “just because?”

     

     

  • 5 Things We Can Do To Love Others Better

    Parable of the Good Samaritan - 1670 - Jan Wijnants (1632–1684)
    Parable of the Good Samaritan – 1670 – Jan Wijnants (1632–1684)

    This:

    Love your neighbor

    Equals this:

    Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind

    According to Luke 10:27, both are required to inherit eternal life. In fact in Matthew 22:39, it is worded quite clearly:

    And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

    It’s an astounding thought at first glance. But then – not really. The expectation is for Christians to be kind and loving to other people.

    Here’s the Problem:

    One of our goals is supposed to be to get people to heaven – to give them the same hope we have.

    Collectively, we might need to do a better job at that. We will not win many people over for Christ being less than loving. A less than loving Christian, is not Christian at all.

    Once we put ourselves out there, everyone is watching. They are going to make a judgment about our sincerity.

    The kind of stuff that hurts us:

    • Gossip – Remember what mother taught. Just say nice things about others.
    • Inconsistency – Mood swings are no good.
    • Unhappiness – The Bible says over and over again to rejoice
    • Selfishness – that self-love is exactly the intensity we are to show toward others
    • Dependability – When a neighbor calls on us, they need to hear “yes” more often. Being true to our word wouldn’t hurt either.

    The Fix:

    Nobody is perfect. It is unlikely that any of us will get to the point of winning over everyone we meet. We will get a good start down that path if we just clean up some of those hurtful things. My guess is if we work on these suggestions, we can build momentum to do even more:

    • We have to stop being negative about others. The Bible has much to say about gossip and idle talk.
    • Control that mood. Running hot and cold causes people to avoid us.
    • Rejoice! Be happy. Take it from me – It’s a habit.
    • Collect less stuff. Give more.
    • Never go back on your word.

    God loves us and expects us to return that love. Part of that love is loving others just as much.

    What is the first thing you can do to contribute?

  • Will Christ Accept Your “Good Reasons?”

    Landscape with the Parable of the Sower - 1557 - Pieter_Bruegel
    Landscape with the Parable of the Sower – 1557 – Pieter_Bruegel

    Excuses.

    Pick any goal or responsibility that didn’t quite turn out as was expected. Is there a good reason for it or just an excuse?

    Is there a difference?

    If we contrast the account of Jesus’ three prospective followers (Luke 9:57-62) with the parable of the sower, (Luke 8:4-8) some similarities pop out. I’m looking mostly at the people represented as being eager to follow the Gospel when they first heard about it.

    Think of some reasons why a new Christian might fall away after obeying the gospel:

    • It is hard to leave that old lifestyle
    • Dear old friends are left behind
    • Family pressures
    • Learning to read and understand the Bible is a challenge
    • The feeling of being out of place with the “experienced” Christians

    In both of our passages, we see reasons for whom are presumably new followers of Christ, but are the reasons much different for a “mature” Christian falling away – or being slack?

    • That other lifestyle looks interesting
    • There are some “really good” people out there
    • No support from extended family
    • Bible reading habit never really developed
    • Not growing relationships with other Christians

    Excuses

    Good reasons

    Excuses

    Good reasons

    In the end, the result is the same. We were never given any exceptions to the requirement to follow the Gospel.

    To not fall in that trap, we have to put a lot of effort into prioritizing what is required over what is a “good reason.”

    To avoid the trap, we have to recognize an excuse for what it is.

    When we look at the three prospective followers, some might say the reasons they gave for wanting to do something else first were pretty “good reasons.” Jesus didn’t see it that way. It seems like this would worry us more than it does.

    Just as an experiment, let’s practice what we would say to Jesus on judgment day to explain why we put him second. How would that change your priorities?

  • Happy Atheist’s Day!

    April Fool's Day
    April Fool’s Day

    The joke goes something like:

    An atheist complained to a friend, “Christians have their special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter; and Jewish folks celebrate their holidays, such as Passover and Yom Kippur. EVERY religion has its holidays. But we atheists,” he said, “have no recognized national holidays. It’s unfair discrimination.”

    His friend replied, “Well … Why don’t you celebrate April first?”

    There is plenty of scripture that compares the non-believer to a fool. I am convinced that in the Proverbs, wisdom = God’s word and the fool or foolish = non-believer.

    In fact once, when Paul differentiated his inspired speaking from his own words, he said he was speaking as a fool. (2 Corinthians 11:16, 17, 21)

    For fun today, here are five of my favorite verses that David and his son wrote about non-believers:

    Psalm 14:1 – The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

    Psalm 39:8 – Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool!

    Psalm 53:1 – The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

    Proverbs 10:8 – The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.

    Proverbs 10:23 – Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool, but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.

     

  • Is Jesus Ashamed of You?

    Calling of the Apostles - 1481 - Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494)
    Calling of the Apostles – 1481 – Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449–1494)

    As incredible as Jesus’ miracles were, it is even more incredible that he had followers.

    The Jewish establishment of the time had so many highly ranked detractors of Jesus, it was easy to convince people that what they saw was not important. It was easy to discourage them by insulting Jesus over and over again. In a previous post, we listed ten of those insults recorded in the gospels.

    Not only was he insulted, they planted little seeds of doubt.

    They made racial slurs.

    They lied.

    They even used their power and money to elevate themselves above him in the eyes of the people. Through that power and influence they were able to stem the flow of believers to Christ during his lifetime. In addition to the ten insults we looked at previously…

    • They said that no prophet could come out of Galilee (John 7:52)
    • They accused him of leading the multitude astray (John 7:12)
    • They said that since Elijah had not risen from the dead, it was impossible for Jesus to be the Christ (Mark 9:11)
    • They said he had an unclean spirit (Mark 3:30)
    • They said, “He is beside himself” (Mark 3:21)
    • They said he transgressed the tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:2)
    • They said, “This man is not from God” (John 9:16)
    • They said he forbade to give tribute to Caesar (Luke 23:2)
    • They said that he made himself a king (Luke 23:2)
    • They said he was an evildoer (John 18:30)
    • They said that Jesus claimed he would destroy the temple of God and build it in three days (Matthew 26:61)

    Disciples of Christ

    We often refer to the events recorded in Luke 9:18-22 as “Peter’s Confession.”

    During that meeting, Jesus tells them that he has to suffer and be rejected by those in power. All of the negative chatter must have come up along with the other speculations of who the people thought Jesus was.

    Not much has changed now:

    We still hear similar lies about the Lord…

    His teachings are challenged at every turn in the news media…

    They even make movies that change “what the Bible says” in people’s mind.

    There are many that believe in Christ right now that do not defend him when they have an opportunity. It doesn’t really matter the reason, not defending that belief in Christ is as good as not having it.

    As much as ever, he needs good solid disciples that are willing to talk about him despite his current low popularity.

    Jesus’ meeting with the twelve ends with a discussion on how important that it is to make the sacrifice and keep following him. (Luke 9:23)

    Question: Will you be one of those Jesus is ashamed of? (Luke 9:26)

     

     

     

  • This is What Happens When Our Light Shines

    When our light shines in a dark world we become very conspicuous!
    When our light shines in a dark world we become very conspicuous!

    I love the Bible’s light metaphor!

    • Jesus said he is the light (John 8:12, 9:39)
    • Jesus called his disciples (us) the light of the world (Matthew 5:14)
    • Paul called us children of light (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
    • John said “God is Light” (1 John 1:5)
    • And the light is the only place to have fellowship with God (1 John 1:6-7)

    When we consider that living like a Christian makes us conspicuous, we begin to understand the point Jesus was making about the lamp in Luke 8:16-17.

    Jesus didn’t come to bring his gospel (literally, his good news) to us to have it hidden away. He has told us that would be as useful has lighting the underneath of our bed with the expectation of being able to see in the rest of the house. (Luke 8:16)

    What does that mean for us?

    We are expected to do all we can to make sure our light is shining.

    • We do this with our lifestyle choices
    • We do it with good deeds
    • We make sure others are aware of why we do it

    And we do this …

    … so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 5:16

    What will happen when I do?

    One of two things might happen in the course of “shining our light”:

    1. We will make others interested in why we are content
    2. We will make others find excuses to not be like us

    But don’t worry about #2. Jesus expects that and said as much in Luke 8:18.

    We don’t even have to force it

    It is very difficult to hide light. By simply living in a way that demonstrates that we have Jesus in us, we will find those who also want to be “in the light.” When that happens, we get to tell them more about Jesus. Once we have done our part, God takes care of the rest! (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:6)