What about me...?

This parable suggests that even when you’re in the presence of Jesus, you still sometime fail too see him. In Matthew 26 we find the disciples caught up in the moral status of another. We find them distracted by an act of generosity. They were so consumed with emotions of anger and self righteousness that they missed the object of greatest value and priority...Jesus. Jesus said to them..."Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.' (Matthew 26:10-11) What about me!

It's easy to get caught up in the cycle of serving & speaking Jesus, but even the disciples failed to see him in different circumstances, and they were in the same room as him!
It's not all about what we do. It's all about Jesus, and if it's about Jesus, then what we do will naturally follow. Sure, the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor, but shift your focus to Jesus and Jesus will shift your heart, not your wallet, to the poor.
Jesus is worth more than any jar of perfume, and his worth will heal a poor man before your wallet will! Jesus needs to be at the center of your sight because Jesus is longing to redirect your seeing, hearing & doing with a heart that reflects only his heart. Go for the heart of Jesus over the natural ability to effect change - His heart is completely pure.

Interesting that Judas may just have been the one that was so focused on the value of the perfume that he went out and began to use the value of Jesus to generate and perhaps even make up some of the wealth that he just saw lost? Jesus became nothing more than a money making object. Why? Because the wrong focus consumed him. In the world of ecclesiology, this also can become a focus that dominates what we see, hear & do - allowing our association with Jesus to assist us in the generation of wealth! Perhaps then we become only one step away from betrayal? Or perhaps we're already there...

The role of a leader.

I'm reminded again of the essence of leadership spoken by the mentor of perhaps the greatest leader in history (and perhaps right there lies one of the greatest lessons a leader can ever learn...that even in greatness there is still much to be learnt!).

'Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.' (Exodus 18:19-20).

So the role of a leader is 3 fold; (1) To pray. 'You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him'. We're called to intercede. (2) To teach, 'Teach them the decrees and laws'. We're called to feed. & (3) To live as an example. 'show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform'. We're called to lead!

So we Lead, we Feed and we Intercede.

Bless all our leaders Lord, may we hear your voice that comes via their intercession, may we eat of your word as they teach it to us and may we follow them, as they follow Christ.

The one who Blesses

I find it extraordinary that during a time when the people of all the world, including Jacob and his family of 70, were living in debt to the Pharaoh of Egypt because of a severe drought, that it's Jacob who, twice, blesses Pharaoh,

'Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?"And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence' (Genesis 47:7-10).

In one sense, Pharaoh and all the people of Egypt were living in debt to Joseph because he was the one who fore-warned and then worked for 7 years to prepare for the severe and life threatening drought, so you'd think that the king of that land would be appreciative enough to bless that same mans father when he entered his presence!? But more than that, in the eyes of the people of Egypt, and particularly of Pharaoh himself - he was god! The people of Egypt worshiped many gods, but ultimately, Pharaoh was god on earth. So then why is it Jacob blessing Pharaoh and not pharaoh blessing Jacob?

If i picture myself in a parallel circumstance - i simply think of work. I go to work because i need to earn money. I need to earn money in order to provide for my family, otherwise we'll live in drought! So therefore my work is something that i need, that, in a sense I'm subject to, and in debt of. My employment is a blessing. It blesses me. But a change in perspective would say that I work primarily for the God that employs me and the God that I serve, the creator, sustainer and governor of all things, and according to Gen 12, he who blesses me will be blessed. Therefore I present myself there, not to be blessed but to be the one who blesses. It's not about either work or myself being greater than the other, but rather the God that i serve being King of kings and Lord of lords. I worship and serve the creator of the universe, the one who holds all life in his hands - including that of my employer. And so I bless them. Twice.

Blessed pt. 7

A paraphrase by William Barclay on Matthew 5:9, 'O the bliss of those who produce right relationships one with another, for they are doing a Godlike work!' (p127, the new daily study bible, 2001)

Blessed pt. 6

A paraphrase by William Barclay on Matthew 5:8, 'O the bliss of those whose motives are absolutely pure, for they will some day be able to see God!' (p124, the new daily study bible, 2001)

The Valley

Here's an interesting revelation; on which side of the valley of the shadow of death is the green pastures, still waters and the restoration of your soul....?
(see Psalm 23)

Blessed pt. 5

A paraphrase by William Barclay on Matthew 5:7, 'O the bliss of those who get right inside other people, until they can see with their eyes, think with their thoughts, feel with their feelings, for those who do that will find others do the same for them, and will know that that is what God in Jesus has done!' (p120 the new daily study bible, 2001)