June 14, 2019

June 14

Running with Jesus

Luke 19:30-31 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.

     Well here is a case that once again proves Jesus was God in the flesh.  He was all knowing.  They went and found the colt tied and sure enough they ask why and they told them, “The Lord needs it.” 

     They say by this time Jesus was well known in this area and I guess so! I mean healing lepers, opening blind eyes and doing so many miracles. He gave them all the signs.  The Jews looked for signs. They got them but they still did not accept Jesus. 

      I think today people are still looking for a sign, however, God has chosen the preaching of the gospel to share eternal life.  The Bible says a person cannot be saved without the preaching of the word and how can they hear without a preacher. Hmmm. Let’s have a think.

     “The Lord needs it!”  The Lord needs souls who are willing to give Him their life to be used to carry the gospel.  Jesus chose a donkey for the King of Kings to ride into Jerusalem.  I have always said if He can use a donkey He can surely use me.

     Most of the problems people have in serving are getting untied.  We are not supposed to be entangled with the world. 2 Tim. 2:4  No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.( “Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.”)  I think this is one area the church is suffering from in this church age.  Pleasures and materialism has entangled us so much we barely have time to breathe.  We live our lives like a book with words with no margins.  Our calendars are so full we run to and fro and have no time to think.  Has this helped our society?  Has this helped our families? We ask,”Why is our land and world in this shape?”  Jesus has not changed and as usual man is one who does. Just like in the beginning God told man what not to do and we are still doubting the Word of God.  We don’t believe or teach we shouldn’t be entangled and if you do we get mad or don’t listen.  We want to gouge Eve for biting the fruit.  Are we any better?  We just like to pick and choose verses to obey.

 Father, have mercy on us, help us examine areas we have become tied that we need to untie so we can be useful in Your kingdom work.

Tomorrow: We will be running beside Jesus as He enters Jerusalem!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

June 13,2019

June 13

Running with Jesus

Luke 19:12-13,26 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

     When we accept Christ as Savior the Holy Spirit enters our hearts and brings us a gift that is to be used to build up the kingdom of God.  Just like in the story today this king gave his servants money to be used to grow his kingdom.  The first nine were faithful and earned a return for the king.  The one servant just buried it and did nothing to increase it and did not even put it in the bank to draw.

     We have so many in the body who are just burying their gifts.  They have no concern for kingdom work and they are self focused and as a result lose the blessing of serving.  They do not grow in Christ. One of the reasons the church is suffering and not moving forward.  

     We have a spiritual growth inventory that helps people discover their gifts. You have to do a graph and it will show you where your strong areas are.  Over the years I will take this inventory and I can see where my dominate gift is, however, I can see the progress of other gifts rising as I mature in Christ and learn from others.  We have always heard,” if you don’t use it you will lose it”! This is true, ask someone who took piano lessons and didn’t continue to practice.

     In order to grow you will have to step out in faith and be led by the spirit to find where God wants to use you.  At first you may feel uncomfortable but, like taking a new job you have to become uncomfortable to become comfortable.  On the other side of uncomfortable is a blessing waiting for you.  I remember early days in teaching older women after leaving children, I shook and trembled and poured sweat.  I found in teaching others was when my life changed.  Someone told me recently God will bless those who love on His children.  God is looking for those someone’s!  So let me encourage you today get involved in kingdom work, don’t let Christ return and find you with your gift buried.  Use it or lose it!

Father, help us grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of our gifts.  Give us the strength to take that step of faith and get involved and show us that place. 

Tomorrow: The Lord needs it.

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

June 12, 2019

June 12

Running with Jesus  

Luke 19:7,10 “And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner.”  “For the son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost.”

     Sometimes as Christians I think we forget “all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God”   Romans 3:23. Those Pharisees are still running right along beside us as we are running with Jesus.  When they saw Jesus going home with Zacchaeus they started murmuring.  He is a guest at a sinner’s house. We must watch out and remember we become like those who we run with.  Today, we often have to remind ourselves of where we come from and only by grace, God kept us from going down a wrong path. Praise God!  Our run through life should be on mission with Jesus and we need not to be too quick to judge people.  It is so sad that we live in a world that many do not know who Jesus is and therefore don’t even know they are lost and dying and will spend eternity in hell.  It is our job to share the love of Christ with them. We are to never participate in their sin but, we are to find a way to share the gospel with them. 

     Jesus is our image of compassion and mercy.  We tend to not be merciful. Mercy is giving unmerited, (undeserved) favor.  God was merciful to us as sinners and we are to be merciful to others who are sinners.  When Jesus looked at the lost He saw their soul needing help.  He died to redeem them.

     A sinner can be born again and his heart changed and we see the effects of Zacchaeus life when Jesus came home with him.  Zacchaeus told Jesus he would give half his goods to the poor and any false accusation, I will restore fourfold.  Sinners with Jesus can change, never right a person off.  Pray for the lost souls running around you and ask God to open doors for you to witness to them.  Never have a Pharisee attitude that you are better because only by God’s grace have you been kept from some ungodly life style. We are all sinners and sin daily saved by grace through Jesus Christ.

Father, forgive us from any judgmental spirit and help us to be moved with compassion when dealing with lost souls.  Lead us today to someone we can share Christ with.  Father, restore our land, keep the freedom to worship and talk about You so lost souls can know You love them.  Help us be lost soul seekers, like You. 

     Stay focused as you run today, sinners are running beside you; use the run as an opportunity to share.

Tomorrow: Are you using your gifts and talents?

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

June 11, 2019

June 11

Running with Jesus

 Luke 19: 3-4 And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way.

     Here is our wee little man, Zacchaeus, the most famous and hated Jewish tax collector. Being too short he had to climb a tree to see Jesus because of the crowd.  Now, we may not be too short physically but we may be too short spiritually to see Jesus. Our usual crowd that blocks our view is our life circumstances that are caused by people, places, and things that block and crowd out Jesus.  We become desperate during our circumstances and forget in order to see we have to run ahead of them and climb up high so we can see Jesus.  We will never overcome running around in the crowd of life’s circumstances.  

     Isn’t it amazing that in this huge crowd out of all Jesus could have picked to go home with, he chose Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus made a great effort to see Jesus.  We have to do the same when we live in daily circumstances.  Jesus asks to let Him come to be a guest at our home every day.  Do you run to see Him coming down your dusty road? If only I could get a glimpse, we cry out.  Friend climb your tree today, don’t live life short and allow those crowded circumstances to block your view. It is the one who climbs above the circumstance that He is looking for.  Jesus dumb founded this crowd when He chose Zacchaeus to come down and take Him home to be his guest.  When he took Him home his whole life circumstance changed.  Until we bring Jesus home to stay with us, our circumstance will never change. We will always live as a short person whose vision is blocked and cannot see. 

      Zacchaeus was a changed man because Jesus came to his house.  Jesus also used his life to try to get those around Him to see He was the long awaited Messiah.  If Zacchaeus was here today he would share how his heart changed and what joy he had that caused him to turn his life around.  Jesus wants to turn our lives around but we have to stop living under our circumstances, we must climb up high over them in order to see Jesus. So stop a moment today because Jesus is passing by, don’t think you are blocked by the crowd, climb up out of your situation.  Hear Jesus say, "Come I must be a guest at your home today".  Let’s invite Him to come every day because every day has a view blocking circumstance.  Begin right now to praise Jesus Holy name. It will lift you up high.

Lord, we thank You for wanting to come home with us and help us.  We praise You for coming down our road and help us today not focus on our crowd blockers but on You the glory and lifter of our heads.

Tomorrow: Sinners run with Jesus!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015

June 10, 2019

June 10

Running with Jesus  

Luke 18:39-41  And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, Saying, What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee? And he said, Lord, that I may receive my sight.

     Son of David is what the beggar kept crying out. The beggar had no eyes to see and he had more understanding than the Pharisee’s who had eyes to see Jesus.  They knew exactly what the blind man was calling Jesus, the long awaited Messiah.  This beggar could only hear a commotion and ask what was going on and they told him that Jesus the Nazarene was going by and he began to shout and the people in front told him to be quiet. He only got louder.  His cry was, Son of David, have mercy on me.

     In that big crowd of people they had little to do with a beggar, Jesus heard him!  So many times we feel like that beggar shouting and crying out for help but no one hears.  He was the only one shouting Son of David, long awaited Messiah.  The religious people never called Jesus by that name. They watched day after day and saw miracle after miracle but never came to know He was indeed the Messiah they were looking for.

     The blind man told Jesus He wanted to see.  Many of our days we live as blind men.  We have so much we cannot see or understand with our natural eyes.  We cannot survive life by using only physical eyes. Paul taught us that we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. We try over and over to win our battles by warring in the flesh.

     What did Jesus say in response to him wanting to see? “All right, receive your sight! Your faith has healed you.”  Faith healed him.  He believed in Jesus.   We win our battles by trusting Christ.  Christ will fight for us.  It takes more faith to be still and trust Him than to physically do something that usually messes things up. It takes blind faith and crying out to Jesus who has the answer that we so long for.

     What darkness are you walking in today that you don’t need physical eyes but spiritual eyes to have victory?  Cry out to Son of David for mercy and wait upon Him to open your blind eyes.

Father,  we love You and today even though our eyes are blinded by our circumstances we choose to trust You, Son of David.  We know that in Your way and time our blinded eyes will see when You are ready. We choose to live by faith in the dark times because You are the King and Lord of our lives. We know the righteous man lives by faith in You and not by sight. The beggar knew before he got his healing.  Faith believes when it is not seen but hoped for.

Tomorrow: Running up a tree with Zaccheaus!

Judy Hollaway

Originally penned 2015