Fourteen years ago, we were packing our small house in Pekin and preparing moving to Chicago. Libby was just weeks away from her first birthday, pulling up on furniture and taking her first steps. This morning, Libby will take her first steps as a high school student at PCHS. My precious little baby is now in the ninth grade, about to turn 15 and asking when she can get her driver’s permit. How is it that life passes by so quickly?

I love to be in control, I love to be in charge. I’ve always been this way and there are times when God has been able to use this leadership tendency for His own good and times when He has had to show me that He is in charge and I am not. My girls are growing up and there is nothing I can do to keep them young forever (or keep myself young forever, can I get an Amen?!).

Registering Libby for high school has not gone smoothly. School starts in just 90 minutes and we still don’t have her schedule in place, her locker, her bus pass, her p.e. clothes – none of that. Yesterday as the school was working on finalizing her schedule, they called to say that Spanish was full and would she like to take French or Latin. What?!! The plan was for Libby to take Spanish for four years. I panicked. Within minutes I could feel the peace of God coming over me. Who am I to say that it isn’t God’s plan for Libby to be fluent in French? I relaxed and let go of what I was trying to control, allowing God His place as Lord in my life and in Libby’s.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had the right attitude, as we discussed yesterday. Life will be much easier for this control freak if I can just learn how to say – “But even if He doesn’t…” (Daniel 3:18). Daily I have to let go of the reins and trust that God reigns. I must let go of my need to manipulate and control a situation and let Him be Lord saying – I know that the God I serve is able to save and rescue me by His power but, even if He doesn’t, I will never serve anyone but Him. I will trust Him.

King Nebuchadnezzar had to learn a similar lesson. His attitude was revealed in this sentence as he looked out across the city: “Look at this great city of Babylon! By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city as my royal residence to display my majestic splendor.”

While these words were still in his mouth, a voice called down from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, this message is for you! You are no longer ruler of this kingdom. You will be driven from human society. You will live in the fields with the wild animals, and you will eat grass like a cow. Seven periods of time will pass while you live this way, until you learn that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world and gives them to anyone he chooses.” – Daniel 4:30-32

Now the king reigning over God’s people who were in exile for 70 years was experiencing his own exile of 7 years. When his sanity returned and he was given back the throne, his attitude had changed. “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.” – Daniel 4:37. He had learned the hard way that God was in control and he was not, a lesson I have had to daily learn from my Savior and Lord.

For the last few years, we have been praying for a precious little guy named Matthew. Matthew was diagnosed with Down Syndrome before he was born but he was perfect in so many ways. His smile and the joy he brought into the lives of those around him were priceless. Yesterday, Matthew lost his battle with leukemia and all of us who had been praying for Matthew’s healing had to face the reality that God had a different plan.

These are the times when it is the most difficult to say – My God is able, but even if He doesn’t… Matthew’s death puts a new perspective on what seemed like such a big deal to me yesterday. How can I complain to God about the details of Libby’s school registration while a young mother named Jessica prepares for her precious son’s funeral?

The other day after getting off the phone with the school I cried out my frustrations to God. “You moved us here; you are supposed to be working out all the details!” Immediately Romans 8:28 came to my mind and a peace washed over me. I need that peace again this morning and I hope God is able to use it in your life – for whatever situation you are facing that needs you to let go of the reins and let God reign.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. – Romans 8:28

(Please remember the parents, family and friends of Matthew in your prayers.)

Tell me what I dreamed and what it means – this was the unreasonable demand of King Nebuchadnezzar of all of the wise men of Babylon. When they were unable to do this, he ordered their execution. When the officers came to kill Daniel, he “he handled the situation with wisdom and discretion.” He asked for more time then went to his friend Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) and asked them to pray. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. He said,

“Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power.
He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars.
He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light.
I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength.
You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.” – Daniel 2:18-23

So, when faced with a difficult situation, a matter of life or death, Daniel gathered his friends together and they prayed for God’s intervention. Then, when God answered their prayer, Daniel first took time to praise God, acknowledging the source of all wisdom, power, knowledge and strength. Prayer and praise – two of the main ingredients to Daniel’s success, to his excellence.

God revealed the dream and its meaning to Daniel, who in turn gave God all the glory explaining to the king why God was revealing this dream. Daniel in essence said – What you have asked is impossible, but nothing is impossible for God. God doesn’t have to explain this dream to you or reveal the future to you, but He has because God wants you to understand what is in your heart (Dan. 2:27-30).

Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court (Dan. 2:48-49). Now these four young Jewish men in captivity were being entrusted with even more. These young men of excellence were faithful to God and God was enlarging their territory.

King Nebuchadnezzar’s response to God revealing the meaning of his dream was to acknowledge that Daniel’s God is the greatest of gods. This was the problem. He did not recognize God as the only true God, just that He was the Most High of all the gods. He still did not accept that God was the only One to be worshipped. Nebuchadnezzar made a 90 foot by 90 foot statue made of gold out in the province where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were in leadership. The base of this statue would have been much bigger than a basketball court to give you an idea of its size. He commanded that everyone bow and worship this statue.

Once more, these three young men were given the opportunity to choose excellence, even when faced with the possibility of death. You see, although the king did not recognize that God was the only true God, these young men did. Their new positions of authority and power did not boast their pride but they remained humbly faithful to their God. They refused to bow to the statue.

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” – Daniel 3:16-18

Wow! This has been one of my favorite testimonies of faith since I was a little girl and it remains extremely powerful to me today. Even if God doesn’t answer their prayer as they have requested, they will serve God and only God.

What are you asking for today? Does your faith in God hinge on whether or not He answers your prayer your way? Prayer and praise. These two ingredients of Daniel’s faith are available to us. Are we prepared to praise God no matter how He answers our prayer? Do we trust the heart of God enough to trust His hand?

When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus (Daniel 1:18-21).

Let’s consider what an incredible opportunity this was for these four young Jewish men. Jerusalem has been attacked and God’s people have been brought to Babylon where they will spend the next 70 years in exile. These Jewish families were allowed to live in peace and comfort in this new country but it did not take away the daily realization that they were most definitely in captivity. They could not leave and go home – they were strangers in a strange land.

They were chosen because they were ready. The king ordered his chief of staff to bring to the palace some of the young men from Judah’s royal family and other noble families who were strong, healthy, and good-looking, as well as knowledgeable in EVERY branch of learning – gifted with knowledge and good judgment (1:3-4). These young men did not have to suddenly prepare themselves for this opportunity; it was given them because they were ready. They had spent their time learning and listening. They were already healthy and strong. They were ready, therefore they were chosen.

They remembered to whom they belonged. Now that they were in royal service to the King, he wanted their loyalty. He renamed them after Babylonian gods in order to redefine them. Daniel’s name meant “God is my judge” but the chief of staff renamed him Belteshazzar, “Bel protects his life.” Hananiah meant “the Lord is grace” but he was given the name Shadrach, “command of Aku”. Mishael, “who is God?”, became Meshach “who is Aku?”; Azariah, “the Lord helps”, became Abednego, “servant of Nebo” (1:7). Nebuchadnezzar was trying to redefine them but these young men never lost track of the God to whom they truly belonged – who was their judge, who defined “grace”, who would tell them what to do and who would help them.

They chose excellence, so God made them excellent. The King wanted their loyalty so he treated all of the young men very well. They were given fine wine and delicious foods to eat (you know what they say – the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach). But the meats prepared were probably unclean by Jewish standards, using unclean meats such as pork. The custom in Babylon was to dedicate their wine to their gods so drinking the wine would have been disloyal to God.

This royal treatment was a way for the King to win the loyalty of all of these young men – giving them a taste of what the world had to offer them, what the King could give them if they were loyal to him. Everyone else compromised their standards but these four young men remained loyal to the God of Israel. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah chose a more excellent way, denying themselves the rich foods and choosing vegetables and water instead (1:8-16).

God blessed their faithfulness by making them men of excellence. God gave these young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams (1:17). No one impressed the King more than these four young men. They were found to be ten times more capable than any of the others.

I want to be a woman of excellence. That is my prayer. I want to be prepared for the opportunities God sends my way. I want to prepare myself – both physically and intellectually – so that I am ready to be used by God. When the world tries to win my loyalty, I want to remember to whom I belong and who is my judge and choose what God has to offer me instead of what the world has to offer. When difficult times come, I want to remember the grace of God and that He is the One who will help me. I want to be ready. I want to choose excellence.

Now that we’ve spent a couple months in the New Testament books of Ephesians and John, I am eager to get back to where we left the Israelites after studying 1&2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Ezekiel. Just as the prophets foretold, God’s people have been captured by Babylon and taken into captivity. Jerusalem has been destroyed. God’s promise to His people is to bring them back home after seventy years of captivity.

To go back a little farther, we see that God’s people now in captivity are the descendants of Jacob. The descendants of Jacob’s brother, Esau, are the people of Edom. The prophet Obadiah focuses on the reaction of the Edomites as they replay the animosity that Esau felt towards Jacob. As the people of Israel are being attacked and carried into exile, Esau’s descendants are celebrating – they are gloating and even going as far as to assist the Babylonians instead of stepping in and helping the Israelites. God addressed this infidelity head on through the prophet Obadiah.

The Lord says to Edom, “I will cut you down to size among the nations; you will be greatly despised. You have been DECEIVED BY YOUR OWN PRIDE because you live in a rock fortress and make your home high in the mountains. ‘Who can ever reach us up here?’ you ask boastfully. But even if you soar as high as eagles and build your nest among the stars, I WILL BRING YOU CRASHING DOWN,” says the Lord (Obadiah 1:2-4).

“Because of the violence you did to your close relatives in Israel, you will be filled with shame and destroyed forever. When they were invaded, YOU STOOD ALOOF, refusing to help them. Foreign invaders carried off their wealth and cast lots to divide up Jerusalem, but you acted like one of Israel’s enemies. You should not have gloated…You should not have rejoiced…You should not have spoken arrogantly in that terrible time of trouble…As you have done to Israel, so it will be done to you” (Obadiah 1:10-12,15).

God, help us! How often have we been found standing aloof while those around us are struggling? How often have we refused to help those around us who are suffering the consequences of their own actions? We stand back and say, “It serves them right” or “I’m not surprised” or “That’s what you get when…” Just as God expected the descendants of Esau to step in and help their neighboring brother nation, He communicated strong expectations in both the Old and New Testaments for how we are to help those around us.

“If you see your neighbor’s ox or sheep or goat wandering away, don’t ignore your responsibility. Take it back to its owner. If its owner does not live nearby or you don’t know who the owner is, take it to your place and keep it until the owner comes looking for it. Then you must return it. Do the same if you find your neighbor’s donkey, clothing, or anything else your neighbor loses. Don’t ignore your responsibility. If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, DO NOT LOOK THE OTHER WAY. Go and help your neighbor get back on its feet!” – Deut. 22:1-4

“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me your clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.
Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.” – Matthew 25:41-46

Obadiah spoke of this same kind of fire while prophesying of the Edomites future:
The people of Israel will be a raging fire, and Edom a field of dry stubble.
The descendants of Joseph will be a flame roaring across the field, devouring everything.
There will be no survivors in Edom. I, the Lord, have spoken!

God obviously takes our responsibility to those around us VERY seriously – to the point of punishment here on earth and eternally. For this reason, we also should take it seriously. So how can we apply this? The Holy Spirit has spoken to me this morning and I trust He will faithfully speak specifically to you.

Dear Lord, show us today to whom you would have us reach out. Forgive us for our complacency and our gloating. Destroy our pride and replace it with compassion for others. Convict us when we look away and give us Your eyes to see the world through. Amen.

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other – Romans 12:9-10 NLT

Jesus replied, “’You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Matthew 22:37-39

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “THE LORD IS GREAT!” (Psalm 40:16b)

That is exactly what I want to do this morning. God is so wonderful and so worthy of our praise.
When I think of the pit of sin He has rescued me from I say, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
When I see what God has done, I am amazed and put my trust in Him saying, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
When I remember the long list of all of God’s wonderful deeds, too numerous to list, I cry out, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
When I think of how God has a plan for me and how He daily writes the instructions for that plan on my heart, giving me a desire to follow His will for my life, I fall on my knees and pray, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
I don’t want to keep this good news hidden away in my heart. I want to tell everyone of God’s unfailing love and faithfulness. I want everyone to hear, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
When I think of the situations I get myself in, how I have at times buried myself in my own sins of self-righteousness, I think of how He rescues me and I am filled once again with joy and gladness.
“THE LORD IS GREAT!”

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
And he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
Out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
And steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
A hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “THE LORD IS GREAT!”
As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
O my God, do not delay (Psalm 40).

Will you join me in giving a shout out to the Lord today? Will you look for opportunities to say those four words over and over again today, giving God the praise for everything that happens today? “THE LORD IS GREAT!”

We talked on Friday of how Jesus very purposefully ministered to Peter after His resurrection, restoring him and calling him to serve. There were two others who experienced a specific encounter with Jesus after the Resurrection – Mary of Magdala and Thomas, the disciple.

We see Mary standing near the cross with Jesus’ mother, his aunt, and Mary the wife of Clopas. To get a picture of how much Mary loved and cared for Jesus, who had changed her life drastically, we can fast forward to Sunday morning.

Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” – John 20:1-2

We don’t know a lot about Mary and how she was treated in her community but we do know that women were not respected but considered possessions, having no rights of their own. If Mary had at one time been possessed by seven demons, I wonder how that affected her position among her family and community. Did others treat her as a new person who had been healed by Jesus (Luke 8:2) or was she marked by her past to be forever known as the one who had been possessed? How did she see herself?

This possibility makes her encounter with Jesus even more significant. If she ever struggled with feeling unloved and unimportant, I wonder if those feelings went away when Jesus chose her to be the first person He appeared to after His resurrection – even before returning to His Father. I can only imagine how this encounter with Jesus changed her life, just as our encounters with Him change ours.

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. “Dear woman, why are you crying? The angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
“Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message. John 20:11-18

“Who are you looking for?” This morning I find great significance in Jesus’ question to Mary and I ask myself the same thing – “Who am I looking for?” Am I looking for Jesus? Am I expecting Him to reveal Himself to me today? Am I expected to hear from Him, to encounter His presence in my life today?

Thomas struggled to believe – he is known as the one who doubted. Jesus appeared to Thomas, showing Him his wounds and calling him to believe. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” – John 20:26b-27

I have several close friends raised in the church who still struggle to believe in Jesus and His Sovereignty. Today, I ask them and I ask you the same question Jesus asked Mary and the question I challenge myself with today, “Who are you looking for?” Jesus is ready and willing to reveal Himself to us today but we will miss it if we do not expect it – if we live today as if Jesus will not personally reach out to us. Things will happen and we will call them coincidences. God’s blessings will pour out on our life and we will call ourselves “lucky”. Evidence of Jesus will be all around us and we will say, “I wish God would show Himself to me.” I don’t want to miss out on seeing God today.

We have been studying the book of John for a couple of weeks now. Jesus’ call to Thomas to “Believe!” brings me back to one of the first verses I ever memorized and a verse we looked at towards the beginning of the book of John. It’s familiar to all of us, probably the most well-known verse in the Bible, and a good place to end our study.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Who are you looking for today? Will you join me in walking into our day with confidence that Jesus will reveal Himself? Will you believe? And then, when we do experience Jesus today, let’s follow the same instructions He gave Mary and pass on the message to others – “I have seen the Lord!”

Do you remember in grade school getting a list of vocabulary words each week? The first task was to open up the dictionary and find the definition for each word and write it out. I remember looking for the shortest definition of each word in order to speed up the assignment. To me it didn’t matter if it was the first definition, I was content with the shortest as long as it was a right option and could not be considered incorrect. The sooner I could finish the assignment, the better. After all, I had better things to do – ride my bike outside until the street lights came on and then go inside to watch The Dukes of Hazzard or Charlie’s Angels or Joanie loves Chachi.

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a “king” is a male monarch of a major territorial unit, especially one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life; or a paramount chief. If the word king is capitalized – “King” – it is by definition God or Christ. The dictionary actually offers 7 different definitions of the word “king”, including the playing card, the chess piece, the crowned checker, or a kind of salmon. The shortest definition and the one I choose again today – God or Christ.

Defining who was “King of the Jews” was the argument surrounding the trial of Jesus Christ. Pilate asked Jesus if he was king of the Jews and Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”
Pilate said, “So, you are a king?”
Jesus responded, “You say I am king. Actually, I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. All who love the truth recognize that what I say is true.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked (John 18:36-38).

Finding Jesus not guilty of any crime, Pilate went out to the people and asked them, “Would you like for me to release this ‘King of the Jews’?”
But they shouted back, “No! Not this man. We want Barabbas” (18:39-40).

Just moments before Jesus was going to die on the cross for their sins, the people were emphatically denying him and crying out for his death – “Crucify him! Crucify him!” The soldiers mocked Jesus, placing a crown of thorns on his head and purple robe on his back – “Hail! King of the Jews!”

Still finding Jesus not guilty of any of the charges against him, Pilate again went out to the people and said, “Look, here is your king!”
“Away with him,” they yelled. “Away with him! Crucify him!”
“What? Crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the leading priests shouted back.
Then Pilate turned Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus away (John 19: 14-16).

But Pilate seemed to know who he was handing over to be crucified. It didn’t matter to him that the people and the Jewish leaders were rejecting Jesus, he knew who Jesus was and he was determined to make it known. As was the custom, he had a sign made to hang over each man being crucified. Over Jesus the sign read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” Once more the leading priests, men appointed by God to lead His people in sacrificial worship of Him, led the people in their rejection of the promised Messiah saying, “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am the King of the Jews.’” Pilate stubbornly refused, “No, what I have written, I have written” (19:19-22).

God’s people stubbornly refused to acknowledge His Son as their King at the same time that Pilate stubbornly refused to acknowledge Him as anything but the King of the Jews. Just as they rejected God as their King, demanding an earthly king instead, they were now rejecting His Son – the promised King.

“Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer” (1 Samuel 8:5-7).

Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all the nations that were oppressing you. But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’” (1 Samuel 10:17-19a).

According to Webster, a synonym for “king” is “lord” – one having power or authority over others. Again, when capitalized, the word “Lord” means God or Christ. So, I have to ask myself how good of a job am I doing capitalizing God in my life? As Pilate asked, “What is truth?” I can say God is King of my life but am I truly letting go of control and letting him rule for life? I can claim Him as Lord of my life but is His power or authority evidenced in the decisions I make?

Today, I want God’s Kingship to be evidenced not only in my words but in my actions. I want to look back and see where He has brought me from and from what He has rescued me. He gets to be in charge, He gets all the authority and it is to Him that I bow in reverence this morning as I enjoy my morning coffee with the King of my life!

Simon Peter asked, “Lord, where are you going?”
And Jesus replied, “You can’t go with me now, but you will follow me later.”
“But why can’t I come now, Lord?” he asked. “I’m ready to die for you.”
Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter – before the rooster crows tomorrow, you will deny three times that you even know me.” (John 13:36-38).

So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the Temple guards arrested Jesus and tied him up…(18:12)

Simon Peter was following Jesus, as did another of the disciples. The other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest’s courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.” (18:15-17)

Meanwhile, as Simon Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, they asked him again, “You’re not one of his disciples are you?”
He denied it, saying, “No, I am not.”
But one of the household slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you out there in the olive grove with Jesus?” Again Peter denied it. And immediately a rooster crowed. (18:25-27)

I cannot imagine how Peter felt in that moment. His words to Jesus, “I’m ready to die for you” must have come back to his mind. I do know what it feels like to regret something I have done or said, or to be ashamed of my lack of faith or a missed opportunity to represent Jesus in a situation. I know the feelings of guilt when the Holy Spirit tugs on my heart to do something and I freeze, the moment lost forever. I know all too well the feeling of knowing I have sinned and knowing I need Jesus’ forgiveness, even though I do not deserve it. Because Peter was an emotional and passionate man, I imagine he experienced all of this to a higher degree than I can comprehend.

After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, he appeared to his disciples and said the words that must have been like salve on Peter’s wounds, “Peace be with you” (20:19). Yes, peace was exactly what Peter had been without for three days and exactly what he needed from Jesus.

Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven” (20:22). Peter had experienced the privilege of watching every moment of Jesus’ ministry – the healings, the sermons, sins forgiven, the false accusations – and yet he had denied Jesus on that dreadful Friday afternoon when His Savior had needed him the most. And now here Jesus was, giving the man who needed forgiveness the ability to forgive. I believe Peter was feeling very unworthy of this gift of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ conversation later with Peter was in response to Peter’s need for restoration.

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
“Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
“Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” (21:15-17)

Everything – what was Peter thinking of when he acknowledged that Jesus knew EVERYTHING. Was he thinking of his betrayal in that moment? Jesus did not speak of Peter’s denial, maybe because he knew Peter’s heart and knew how much he regretted his words, “No, I am not.” He was giving Peter the opportunity to replace his denial with commitment – commitment to serve Jesus for the rest of his life, to become a shepherd of the flock. Jesus had died on the cross for Peter’s sins of betrayal so that Peter could experience restoration and then dedicate his life in service to God. Peter was saved to serve!

We too have been saved to serve. If we have asked for forgiveness, if we can truthfully testify that we love Jesus, then God has a call for us – feed my lambs, take care of my sheep, feed my sheep. That call looks different for each one just as the sheep have different faces and different needs but all of us have been called to care for someone in some way. Jesus wants us to move beyond the “I’m not worthy” feelings produced by our guilt and shame. He wants to change our “No, I am not” to “Yes, Lord.” He wants us to boldly program our love for Him and faithfully commit to follow His call on our life – to feed his sheep!

Let’s just soak in the words of Jesus in John 17 as He prayed for his disciples and for us. He knew he was about to be arrested and crucified, yet He was concerned for us and lifting us up to His Heavenly Father. He knew that the world would not like us, that there would be times of persecution and ridicule – so He prayed for God’s protection on us. He knew He was the only way to eternal life – so He died for us.

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me.26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

I have really enjoyed watching the Summer Olympics over the last 12 days. It is inspiring to hear the stories of the athletes and then watch as their journey of hard work and dedication becomes a reality of a medal around their neck. I especially love the moment when an athlete throws their arms in the arm, looks to the sky and has a moment of praising the God who has been with them on their journey. Athlete after athlete have stood at a microphone and given glory to Jesus for what their body and mind were able to accomplish at these games. Several athletes have been seen “Tebowing” as they fall to one knee and bow their head in thanksgiving to God.

In that moment, the world is cheering them on but we also know the reality that the cheering will soon cease. The patience with those who are using their Olympic platform to glorify God will run out and many will criticize the athlete, looking for holes in their faith – hoping for the moment when this follower of Christ will mess up. They will pull their support of the athlete, just as millions pulled their support of Chick-fil-A when its owner stood for the Christian values on which his business is built.

Jesus spoke of how this world would treat his followers and how the ruler of this world would be an enemy seeking to destroy them. He mentioned this in his prayer for his disciples and spoke of it often when preparing them for what the world would do to him. Let’s look at the words recorded by John:

“I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father.” (John 14:30-31a)

“If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? “A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me…Anyone who hates me also hates my Father.” (John 15:18-21, 23-24)

“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith. For you will be expelled from the synagogues, and the time is coming when those who kill you will think they are doing a holy service for God. This is because they have never known the Father or me. Yes, I’m telling you these things now, so that when they happen, you will remember my warning.” (John 16:1-4a)

“The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.” (John 16:9-11)

Jesus’ final prayer: “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by our truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.

“I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they will be one, just as you and I are one – as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.” (John 17:13-21)

In that moment, Jesus was praying for us! He has called us to bring the message of God’s love to the world around regardless of how they respond to that message. There will be times when our message is rejected or times when we are treated unfairly because of our faith but it is okay because we do not belong to this world. Our eternal rewards will far outweigh any Olympic medal or earthly praise and position we could attain here on earth.

Do not be surprised, my brother, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13).

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13).