Month: July 2023

The last two days have been a crazy ramp to next week where we will have our GOV customer with us witnessing the testing of the product we are building. My team is the one who plans and executes that testing…will be a stressful week.

And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.  But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. Luke 9:10-11 [NKJV]

This is time right after the apostles had returned from their missions journey where the Lord had given them power over demons and the ability to heal. This is one of those passages where you see the tender heart of Jesus our Savior. Read the above passage again and think of that Man standing at the right hand of the Father in Heaven representing us and our needs.

He took them aside privately (intimately). He wanted personal alone time with His friends and disciples to hear their stories and encourage them after their travels. Somehow the multitudes of people who had been following Jesus got wind of where He was with the disciples and they came to Him. He then promptly shoo’d them away and went back to spending time with His friends….nope, that not what happened. He received them, spoke to them about the Kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.

Application:

When Jesus told the disciples that He would send a helper, this is how I think the Holy Spirit wants to be with us. He receives us when we follow and seek Him out. He reveals things about the Kingdom of God through His Living Word as we read our Bibles. He heals our hearts and gives us peace when we need it. This is the Holy Spirit inside of us Who is available when our inner spirit seeks to commune with Him. I need to constantly remind myself that this picture of Jesus above in the passage is Who the Holy Spirit is for me in this life under the sun.

First day back to work after a 4-day weekend…Meh. I really enjoyed being off. Lots of time with my kiddos and Marianne and I could have used more. I needed to be back to work though as the next 10 days are going to be quite crazy and busy.

​Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.  He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 
Luke 9:1-2 [NKJV]

On the topic of ‘Spiritual Gifts’ comes a lot about what God’s Word has to say, as well as a lot of opinion around the Christian community on said gifts. Pastor Steve’s rollup on gifts over the last 2 weeks of June was really good and essentially nets out to be a couple of takeaways.

• Gifts given by the God are rare
• Gifts are always for the Glory of God alone
• Gifts are always given by the God at His discretion
• Gifts edify/build up the church body

Here we see the extension of abilities to the Disciples by Jesus for the work of ministry. JESUS GAVE THEM POWER to do these things. They did not get these powers by just following Jesus. Like Jesus, the Spirit will give gifts to facilitate ministry and to equip for specific tasks. The focus of the Disciples in this commissioning was to take care of both the spirit (through the Gospel and casting out demons) and the body (by curing diseases). There is nothing said of personal edification or anything…in fact Jesus sent them on their way with no provisions for themselves…. everything would be provided by God through hospitable people in each town that would accept them.

Application:

Firstly, I need to always bump up the presence of supposed gifts with the backing of scriptural support. When it happens, it will fit within the takeaways above. Secondly, God provides when He is using me in the furthering/building of His Kingdom. He equips: I just need to BELIEVE and be OBEDIENT to what He is calling me to do.

Today was all about the 4th of July Parade in Bothell, WA. Marianne did such an awesome job grabbing us some great seats in the shade and we were able to cheer on the Cedar Park Christian Cheer Team as they walked the route. Great memories created today. Thats Bella doing a heart with her hands, Prim standing to her right, and Sophie is in the back of the group pulling the wagon with her hand in the air.

While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.”
  But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” Luke 8:49-50 [NKJV]

See, I can only get a few verses each day before the Lord gives me a new primary takeaway, I feel I must absorb and apply. Today is no different.

“While He was still speaking…” is when He was telling the woman who had the Blood disorder that her faith had healed her and to go in peace. So the feeling is that these things are happening right after each other in a quick-fire kind of way. You must notice that Jarius says nothing here…Jesus doesn’t let him get a word in (right after the messenger brings word that his daughter had already passed away). I can see Jesus turning his attention to Jarius and holding His hand up saying [Ben’s paraphrasing and color added], “Don’t lose it, don’t worry or be afraid…Just believe. Your daughter will be made well.” As we follow the rest of the story, that promise is made good on by Jesus telling the girl to get up and she does.

Application:

The order of events here are 1) Jarius comes to plead with Jesus (falling at Jesus’ feet even) to save his daughter who is dying, 2) Jesus’ journey through the city is interrupted by a lady touching His cloak and Jesus stopping to address her, 3) a messenger comes and says that Jarius’ daughter is dead, 4) Jesus comforts and reassures Jarius that his daughter would be made well, and 5) Jesus comes through on that promise…but there are two words that Jesus presses in His reassurance to Jarius, –> “only Believe“. This same set of steps happens all the time to us. So, how do I apply “only Believe” in my earthly walk? I Believe that what God is doing is to bring about His good will and purposes. That when I pray, I pray believing that God’s best outcome for my situation will prevail — this may not be the outcome I am looking for; but it is the outcome leading to the completion of His will on this earth in my set of circumstances. I can’t lose heart; I must keep faith in the moments.

I missed getting my quiet time in yesterday. First, Marianne and I got up early to get to church with ‘the Littles’ by 9am so I could pray with the elders over a man with cancer in our church (come to find out, this is next Sunday [face palm]). Bella and Sophie were not feeling well so they stayed home. Marianne and I attended church at the 9:30am service and then immediately headed south to go look at a couple of houses on Herron Island (about a 90 minute drive south). It was a beautiful day with a leisurely drive, a 10-car ferry ride to and from the island, and then a late trip home getting us back around 8:30pm. A full day of adventure for us and ‘the Littles’.

My Quiet Time this morning was one of those reinforcing moments the Lord is likely laying on my heart through repetition. Yesterday Pastor Steve spoke on the many testimonies of the Apostle Paul as he was led circumstance by circumstance into more and more opportunities to share God’s gift of Grace brought by His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. In every situation Paul leveraged the opportunity of ‘witnessing’.

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
  When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
  But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”  Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
  And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” Luke 8:45-48 [NKJV]

Yesterday I read ahead a little and thought that I would be pondering the healing of this woman who had been battling a hemorrhaging disorder she had struggled with for 12 years and how this interrupted Jesus’ quick travel to see Jarius’ daughter who was dying…but no, God had something else to show me today –> It dawned on me that Jesus knew exactly who touched Him. He knows everything.

So, why did He ask? I think it was because that even though the woman had the faith in Him to heal her, she also needed to understand that she could not hide the amazing work that had been done in her by God. The LORD deserves all the glory and we should never withhold the accounts of God’s work in our lives. Notice that as soon as she revealed herself to Jesus and the throngs of people who were around them, He answered with “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Application:

This whole takeaway sides right in with what Pastor Steve taught yesterday. When the Lord does a work in my life, answers prayer, or when I see the Hand of God moving in powerful ways, I must be open and quick to acknowledge it and call it out…interleaving it into the testimony God has given me. Beyond all else God deserves the Glory and secondly it places me in an Eternal Mindset and focus because that becomes the goal; sowing the seed of God’s goodness and mercy available to anyone who will listen and is being called by God to Himself.

Now when Jesus came back [to Galilee], the crowd received and welcomed Him gladly, for they were all waiting and looking for Him.
  And there came a man named Jairus, who had [for along time] been a director of the synagogue; and falling at the feet of Jesus, he begged Him to come to his house,
  For he had an only daughter, about twelve years of age, and she was dying. As [Jesus] went, the people pressed together around Him [almost suffocating Him]. Luke 8:40-42 [AMP]

A little bit shorter of a post today — As I was reading the return of Jesus from across the lake (Sea of Galilee), this story of Jarius (A synagogue leader whose name means “Yahweh Shines”) falls at Jesus feet in a desperate request to save his only daughter of 12 years old who was dying.

There is so much more to this story that I will get to tomorrow, but the one thing that kind of hit me was the similarity of this story and the Centurion who also came to Jesus about a sick servant girl. Jarius was a devote follower of the God of Israel and the Centurion was a Gentile (Roman Soldier). Yet, it was the Roman Centurion (a Gentile) who believed that Jesus could heal His servant girl from a distance and the Jewish Leader felt it necessary that Jesus needed to come to his house and lay His hands on his daughter to heal her.

Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and He turned and said to the crowd that followed Him, I tell you, not even in [all] Israel have I found such great faith [as this].

Luke 7:9 [AMP]

The truth is that since Jesus is God and His healing ability has no boundaries. It is the measure of Faith of the requestor that shows Jesus the strength of their devotion. Jesus even called out the fact that the Centurion had more faith than He had seen in others. So, what does that mean for me?

Application:

As a Jesus follower and one who meditates on the Word of God, do I put limitations on the ability of the God I serve? God’s will is perfect and He hears everyone of my prayers; His answers to our needs come in many ways and there are things that will happen to me in my life that are for His Glory and plan that I may never see the benefit of my suffering or waiting. I think of the 2 families we know that lost pregnancies yesterday. One that was really far along and another that was in the first half of the pregnancy. I know that both of these families had saturated their pregnancies in prayer; but God has a different plan and their suffering will play a part in the building of God’s Kingdom and their own good. It will take a measure of faith to see beyond their pain and grief but that Hope we have in Jesus, the God we serve Who can do anything from anywhere, will keep us to the end.