Luke 19:1-10 Join the Search Party

Luke 19:7 and 10

All the people saw this and began to mutter,

“Jesus has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” They said………..

……Jesus said,

“The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”

Lost……

Every second the light seemed to dim a bit more.

All rational thought or action had vanished.

I was quickly becoming desperate.

Was I walking in circles?

Was I……. lost?

Have you ever been lost?

I mean really lost.

Now there are times I have been lost and……

Maybe didn’t realize it……

Or…..

Maybe wouldn’t admit it.

I have driven along and acted as if nothing were wrong.

I could always backtrack.

I might even ask for directions.

No panic…..

Oh, but there is something different……

Different about being lost in the forest……..

Lost……… with night coming on…….

In the dark…..

ALONE.

That kind of lostness…….

Well……

It might be enough…….

To make a man climb a tree…….

Just in hope of a glimmer of rescue.

That kind of lostness…..

Well……

It might be enough…..

To lead a man to give half…….

Half of all his possessions to the poor……

When he’s found.

Maybe it  helps…..

To remember our own lostness……

To remember our own time of desperation…..

When Jesus found us.

Now what about…….

Those who have wronged….. us……

Well….Maybe they’re lost..…

Maybe they’re lost…

Just like we were.

Jesus said,

“The Son of Man came to seek and save…..

What was lost.”

Come on guys,

We’ve been found….

We’ve been…….

Rescued.

Maybe it’s time we join the Search Party.

Father,

Thank You for sending Jesus to find me…..

To rescue me from the darkness,

From the aloneness,

From the fear,

From the pain.

Holy Spirit,

Bring me into deep union with my rescuer….

So that I may join You in the search party.

Amen

Reset (Part 2)

John 8:11-12

“…Neither do I condemn you” Jesus declared

“Go now and leave your life of sin.”

When Jesus spoke again to the people He said

“I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will

Never walk in darkness, but will have the Light of Life.”

As I turned away from the horror…

I saw…………..What?

It is not enough…….

To turn away from sin.

It is not even enough…..

To turn toward trying to do better.

Guys,

If we would repent….

If we would truly turn from sin….

If we would truly turn from the horror……

The horror of darkness and death…..

What…...No check that…….

Who…Who is it we …..

Will turn to?

Matthew 11:28

Jesus bid them,

“Come unto me….”

My Jesus,

I say along with Peter,

Where else is there to go….

You have the words of eternal life.

I believe and know that You are the Holy One

Of God.

Holy Spirit

Please keep the Light of Life always in front of me….

So that…..

I will turn from the allure of sin….

So that…….

I will turn…..

To my Jesus.

Amen

Reset

Jonah1:12

Pick me up and throw me into the sea….

And this storm will calm.

I know it is my fault

This storm has come upon you.

When I sin, I know…..

It is my fault we suffer…..

My sin has brought this upon us.

Do with me as God leads you in all this.

Guys…..

The beginnings of a reset….

The start of setting things right…..

It all begins with my own confession.

It is my fault this storm has come….

In our sin….

What kind of storms are we bringing into the lives….

Of the people God has brought our way?

I have sinned

This is not who I am, but….

I have done this thing that is hurtful….

I want to…….

Do

Act

Think

And Speak…..

Better.

I am sorry.

Christ in me……

He is better……….

Than I have shown.

Do with me as God leads you in all this….

Be it hard or compassionate…..

Do with me as God leads you.

Holy Spirit

Search me and reveal to me

Anything in me that is not of Jesus.

Give me real sorrow over my sin.

Give me a hatred of my sin.

Do with me as You will…

To bring me Life.

Amen

Running to Tarshish

Jonah 1:3

But Jonah ran away from the LORD

And headed to Tarshish.

The voice in my head sounds something like this…..

There is no way…..

God couldn’t be telling me…..

Are you kidding me…. Really God… You want me to…..

And off I go to Tarshish.

I wonder what it is…..

What it is I might have heard from Jesus….

But instead, turned away……

And headed off to my Tarshish...

My place……… of escape.

I even wonder if maybe……..

Maybe I have become so accustomed to running…..

That I scarcely hear from Jesus at all.

He starts….. I run……

He begins with a word…..

Immediately I turn a different direction.

Reason, logic, busyness, food, lust, work..…….

Anything to drown the voice of God.

Guys,

He is calling us.

He’s calling us to join Him.

He’s calling us to participate......

He’s calling us to participate in the Life…….

He will bring to Nineveh.

Can we stop being afraid of what He might say?

Wait….

What’s that I hear….

Could it be……

Nahhhhh…..

Oh….. look at what time it is…….

Man…… I’d better get going……So much to do……

I wonder what the weather will be like today…..

I hope it doesn’t storm.

Father, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit,

Give us the courage to hear from You.

Give us the faith to follow You……

Even to our Nineveh.

Amen

Sin (Part 3) I Hate Tickets

2 Chronicles 19:7

Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you.

Judge carefully,

For with The LORD our God

There is no injustice or partiality……..

I hate tickets….

Driving down the road….

Enjoying some awesome tunes.…..

Thinking about seeing my beautiful wife…..

Some beach time….. Some restoration time……

Tybee Island here I come!

Until….

No it can’t be…..

Not that…. I couldn’t have been….

Blue Lights……No, not the blue lights…….

Aaarrrrghhhh……

Why me?

Why me……

Well I suppose……

Because I was speeding……

Breaking the established standard…..

Going against what has been laid out as…

The good, established order……..

The order established……

For my own benefit.

Guys,

There is a sense in which that is exactly what sin is……

At least that’s how it shows up.

There is either a……

Deliberate defiance of God’s order……

Or a brand of carelessness which pays Him no mind……

As I do……

What I do.

I love tickets…….

There is a way to live…..

A way to live that lets us participate……

Participate in the very Love and Life  of our Creator.

Guys….

Sometimes I just get careless…..

Other times I just live in blatant defiance and denial……

Either way…..

I miss Life.

Either way…..

I need reminders…

I need consequences……

Proverbs 3:11-12

 My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not resent His rebuke,
 because the Lord disciplines those He loves,
    as a Father the son He delights in.

Father,

Thank You for using even the consequence of my sin to move me toward Life.

Thank You that You have not abandoned me or left me to my own ways.

Holy Spirit,

Help me to know the consequences of my sin even today and so…

Turn to You for Life.

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for opening the way….

For being……. The Way…..

To Life.

Amen