Eyes on Jesus – Page 11

{Day 9}: Beauty of Blessedness

October 9, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Jesus walked away from the crowds, to a mountainside, where He sat with His disciples. We call His words the Sermon on the Mount, but this is far from a formal sermon.

Let’s sink into the beginning of the passage, called the Beatitudes, or Declarations of Blessedness.

Here Jesus spoke to His followers, and described a person living in a right relationship with God. He emphasized internal qualities, attitudes of the heart. Those which exist only when one fully trusts in and surrenders to God.

The religious rulers of the day, known as the Pharisees, favored outside appearances, so Jesus’ words contradicted them. But God–who reads our insides clearly–cares much about the motivations of our hearts.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3-10, NIV

The Amplified Bible expands on the word blessed–to be envied, spiritually prosperous, with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of outward conditions. So blessed means a whole lot more than happy or materially blessed, as we might imagine the word.

There’s a difference between the word blessed (barak) used often in the Old Testament, and blessed (makarios) in this section of the New Testament.

Both words describe human attitudes or actions that lead to blessing. But in the OT, the blessed life certainly included material blessings.

In the NT, God’s kingdom is now present (in the person of Jesus) and His blessed ones already know the joy which comes from living in that kingdom. Here, blessing describes the inner experience of the believer and does not necessarily have anything to do with material blessings. (Summarized from the Encyclopedia of Bible Words by Larry Richards.)

So a person in a right relationship with God looks like this (or is growing toward this) on the inside:

The opposite of proud and self-sufficient.
Knows their needs and presents them to the Lord.
Humble and gentle, patient and longsuffering.
Desires personal righteousness.
Loves people, shows mercy.
Inwardly clean from sin through faith in Christ and continual acknowledgement of their sinful condition.
Peaceful toward others, at peace within.
Stands out, are misunderstood, and therefore persecuted.

For the list-makers and check-off people among us–my people–it’s important to note that this passage is a description, and not a list to accomplish. We should desire these characteristics for ourselves, yet we are unable to make them happen on our own, without the indwelling of Christ.

This is a picture of the beauty God works in a heart given to Him, and a list of ways He rewards His people. The more I read these words, the more I want them to be about me, in greater measure.

God wants good things for us, but not the kind of “things” we can hold in our hands. He wants us to see Him and be His and desire His kingdom more than this whole world.

Can you hear the Love today? The Love in these Red Letters?

For the beginning of this series and list of posts by day, click here.

See you tomorrow for one last thought before we weekend…

~Angela

{Day 8}: Take the Stairs

October 8, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Then he said, “I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth. John 1:51, NLT

Self-discipline expert, Rory Vaden, spoke at our annual business convention a couple years ago. Sharing messages from his book, Take the Stairs: 7 Steps to Achieving True Success, he encouraged us to stop looking for quick fixes, instant gratification, and escalators in life.

Most of us struggle with that a little bit, don’t we? Fast is just so much…faster. But we all know it’s often not best.

He challenged us to take the stairs instead–one focused, self-disciplined step at a time. Around our house, we started saying “take the stairs” when talking about doing things the hard way.

Today’s verse is a totally different way of looking at the concept of take the stairs.

Stairway leading to Montmartre, the highest point of the city of Paris, France

Just before we get to the scene in John 1:51, Philip, a disciple of Jesus, tells his friend Nathaniel to “come and see” the Messiah. Nathaniel has doubts about Jesus, and asks, Can anything good come out of Nazareth? So Jesus, in all His wisdom, tells Nathaniel some things about himself. Things He wouldn’t have known without supernatural knowledge.

Nathaniel then believes He is the Messiah, and Jesus says, That was nothing compared to what’s coming. You will see much greater things!

I tell you the truth

With this phrase, Jesus calls attention to an important affirmation. He’s saying, Pay careful attention to this.

You will all see heaven open

Scholars disagree on whether Jesus meant this literally or figuratively. Either way, Jesus’ work on earth gave human beings a glimpse of heaven.

Revelation 1:7 speaks of things yet to come with, “Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him…”

And the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man

Remember Jacob’s dream?

He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12

The one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.

Jesus says now He is the ladder between heaven and earth. He is Jacob’s ladder to us, and angels continually assist Him for the good of His followers. When Nathaniel understands Jesus as the link between heaven and earth, he will have seen greater things.

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. He alone bridges heaven and earth.

I hope this verse gives you a picture that sticks to your thoughts today, a picture of Jesus standing as the only stairway on earth that reaches to heaven. Take the stairs!

31 Days Paris France Jesus Red Letters take stairs

Stairs leading up to Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Paris, France

*If you wish to find the first post in this series, as well as a list of all posts in this series, click here.

**To receive these posts in your inbox, sign up to the right.

Happy October Wednesday,

~Angela

{Day 7}: On Fishing

October 7, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Can Can we talk about fishing one more time?

To be honest, I don’t like fishing.

When my husband and I were dating, he thought I enjoyed it. But you all know, I really just liked being with him, so I would make the sacrifice and smile a little while we were out there.

Fishing’s funny, though. Sometimes I’d cast my line out into the water and catch a fish right away. A few times, I was the only one who caught anything. Clearly, the fish had no idea how I felt about them. Or that I was the most inexperienced fisherperson around.

I guess what I’m saying is, catching fish may sometimes be a matter of technique, of having the right equipment and using it the right way. But not always.

One of those days when I had the only catch!

Today I want to focus on the second half of yesterday’s verse. It tells us what will happen when someone follows Jesus.

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” Matthew 4:19

Mark 1 says it this way: I will make you become fishers of men.

Make you become implies growth over time. We change to become like Jesus through a process. He changes our hearts, through time spent in His Word and prayer, getting to know His heart. He changes our hearts through the circumstances of our lives.

He also molds us through the church and other believers, but nothing grows a personal relationship with Jesus more than personal time with Him.

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He traveled around, inviting people to follow Him. At the end of the book of Matthew, He commissioned His followers to do the same. To go out and make disciples and baptize them. Not just the pastors and teachers, but every believer.

The ways we go out and “fish for people” will look different from person to person, and that’s exactly how it should be in the body, which is the church. But we were never given the light of Christ to keep it to ourselves.

When Jesus’ disciples were caught up into His kingdom, these previous fishermen caught people in a new net. They naturally passed it on–not in a swindly way, not to add to their personal number or pat themselves on the back. They didn’t need to memorize outlines or use the correct technique to get people to convert. But out of love for Jesus, which turned into love for others, they simply invited people into the kingdom.

What are some ways to share the light of Christ with people in your corner of the world? My hope here is that we learn from each other, so please share in the comments below.

See you tomorrow,

~Angela

To find the Archive of this Series, beginning at Day 1, click here.

If you’d like to receive these posts in your inbox, subscribe in the box to your right.

{Day 6}: Follow

October 6, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Welcome back to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters. (Click here to find the beginning of the series and a list of posts.)

I hope you spent your weekend days well!

Growing up in Michigan in a house full of girls, we didn’t spend a lot of time fishing. That, or I blocked it all out of my memory.

We have pictures from when I was 1, of me sitting on a dock screaming bloody murder while a fish flopped nearby, completely out of control and slimy. Where were my parents? I still have nightmares. Maybe this is why we rarely fished.

I do have some happy fishing memories. The ones of the stocked Bass Pond. Times when Dad hooked the worm for me, and also took the fish off when I reeled him back in. There, it was instant success, definitely not like being a true fisherman. Not a lot of persistence required for the bass pond.

In this photo, I’m only screaming on the inside. If only I could find the others…

In Matthew 4:19, Jesus spoke to a some professional fishermen, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Jesus walked along the shore, where brothers Simon and Andrew cast nets into the lake in their usual fishing spot. He invited them to walk away.

Their response? They left their nets behind and followed Jesus immediately.

Remember this was not their first encounter with Jesus. (See Day 3.) They had spent the day with Him and already believed He was the Messiah.

When they heard the call of Christ, clear as day, they knew it was a total commitment, to become His disciples. And they committed. They left their livelihood behind. Think about it. That’s no small thing…it was probably everything to them.

It’s easy to confess belief in Christ—at least here in America. Especially here in the Bible Belt. But it’s an entirely different matter to leave and give up and let go, in order to follow Jesus.

His call doesn’t necessarily come in the form of “Leave your job behind,” though I know a number of people who wish He would say that right about now. But we all have nets we’ll have to drop in the water in order to follow Jesus.

Maybe it looks like:

Drop your plans, and take up Mine.

Leave that sin, and obey Me.

Let go of those desires, and hold onto My desires instead.

What net will you leave behind? Our call to follow Jesus is another instance of Love in Red Letters.

Wishing you a Monday…that doesn’t feel like a Monday! 🙂

{Days 3-5}: Desire

October 3, 2014 By: Angela Parlin

Welcome back to 31 Days of Love in Red Letters. To start back at Day 1 of this series, click here.

In John chapter 1, Jesus walked along the road, while Andrew and John followed. The day before, they heard John the Baptist call him Jesus the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. They wanted to know more.

They followed behind him, and Jesus noticed. He initiated a conversation. Jesus spoke up first, asking them what it was they wished for, what they wanted from Him.

Maybe we should all ask ourselves the same question. What do I desire? Do I want Christ, but also glory for myself? People’s praise? Things this world offers? Or do I want God’s favor alone and the life He offers me?

Jesus notices when a person takes interest in Him. I love the beautiful way Matthew Henry says this: “Christ takes early cognizance of the first motions of a soul towards him.”

And then? He invites them in for more.

Jesus said, Come and see where I’m staying. He invited them over. He opened His life up to them. Right away, no need to wait, and they went.

After they spent the day with Him, Andrew ran home to find his brother Simon and tell him about the Messiah. He wanted Simon to see Jesus for himself.

And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter). John 1:42, NIV

When Jesus looked at Simon, He saw beyond who Simon was. When we read the gospels, it’s easy for us to understand what kind of guy Simon was at that time. He was impulsive and unstable, the kind of rough-around-the-edges guy who makes us feel a little better about our own issues.

But Jesus saw Simon for who he would become, by the grace of God—a pillar of the early church. Jesus gave him a new name right then and there–Peter, which means Rock.

Next week, we’ll read about another invitation Jesus extended Peter.

For this weekend, think about this: What are you looking for? What do you desire?

The invitation to come and see stands. If you want to read more of His love wrapped up in red letters, read John chapter 1.

And with that, I’m checking out until Monday…have a great weekend!

~Angela

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{Day 9}: Beauty of Blessedness

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