The Untouchables

Over the past few years, one of my favorite things to do is visit high schools during lunch hour just to hang out with the students. After sitting down at a table with a group of teenagers, I soon noticed that there was a boy at the end of the table, disconnected and disengaged from the group. It was clear that he was not invited to be “one of them”. As he ate alone with his head down, my heart was breaking. None of the other teens wanted to talk to him or wanted to eat with him. Untouchable.

Leprosy is an atrocious skin disease. One that is infectious and brings a great deal of suffering. In Biblical times, lepers had to live isolated from other people, and had to shout “Unclean!” as they approached others. I cannot imagine what it would be like to not be able to show or receive affection because of a disease. Cannot imagine not being able to hug my family and friends. Lepers do not have this luxury; they are an exiled and forgotten people. Nobody wants to be around them, and they are disconnected and disengaged from intimacy. Untouchable.

Despite what religion sometimes publishes, God is love. He involves Himself with the untouchables. At times, I have felt disconnected and disengaged from intimacy with Him. That through my sin and massive shortcomings that He did not want or could not touch me with His mercy. I have felt isolated and forgotten by those around me. Like no one understood. We all have felt untouchable.

In Luke 17:11-19, we read a story of ten lepers. Ten untouchable people. While on the way to Jerusalem, they approach Jesus and say “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus told them to show themselves to the priests, and as they went, they were all healed of this disease. Only one out of the ten, when seeing he was healed, turn and ran back to Jesus, thanking Him and falling at His feet. It is at this moment that we see Jesus with a broken heart. He asks, “Were not all ten cleansed?” How much did it hurt Jesus to heal ten and only have one to be thankful?

There are so many things that He does for us that we take for granted. With it being Thanksgiving week, this is an encouragement to turn back and run to Him, giving thanks for all that He has done for you. Don’t forget about the untouchables, Christ didn’t. In all actuality, we are all untouchables until we allow Him to forgive our sins. Remember those that are forgotten, exiled, and isolated. I got up that day and left the group to join the boy at the end of the table. We had small talk and I put the focus on him, treated him like he was the coolest kid in the room, because he was. Now, when I see him in public, we talk, even though he does not fully trust me yet, with each encounter he opens up a little more. I am thankful for that.

If you feel like you are the forgotten, exiled, and isolated, ask for His mercy, He will freely give it just like He did in Luke 17. And when He heals you, trades the pain for sorrow, trades the loneliness for love, turn, run, and thank Him.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving, Shaun.

Why Prayer Works

Prayer works because it is God's designed way of heart communion with Him.

Consider Paul before he was Paul. Saul, perhaps one of the most vicious haters of Christianity of all time, until his Damascus Road experience. In Acts 9, the Lord told Ananias to go and pray for Paul's sight to be restored! Can you imagine the fear that struck Ananias?! He must have been scared out of his mind! But its almost like the Lord said to him..... Don't be afraid, "he is praying".

It is as if prayer is the one thing that made Saul different now. The fact that he "was praying" tells us that prayer is the ultimate agent of change. Saul was getting spiritual and seeking the Lord's face, he was even given a vision of Ananias coming to restore his sight. (little nuance...Get spiritual and start praying and you will see visions, and you will receive sight over the things you are blind about)

Just how special and important are your prayers?

Check Revelation 5:8...."And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."

God keeps your prayers in golden bowls!!

They must be special to Him. Friend, God longs for your prayers. And He offers you promises through prayer.

You have not because you ask not.

Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.

Prayer is what separates you from non believers and lukewarm church goers.

When you can approach His throne with confidence, all things are open to you.

Worrying on your knees is not prayer. Petitioning the heart of God through words of faith is prayer.

Let's pray.

When the Dove Does Not Return

There is a special pain that follows losing someone, or something. It could be the passing of a loved one, it could be losing something significant in general. When they are removed from our lives, heartbreak ensues and questions follow. If you have lost someone, and are going through that pain, this devotion is for you. If you are not in that place, it will still serve as great encouragement. The following passage of Scripture was a special revelation for me, and I trust it will help you.

Genesis 8:6-12

"So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out from the ark. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did not return again to him anymore."

At first glance, reading "the dove did not return again to him anymore" could be seen as negative. But its quite the opposite. Let's think about it, Noah had just spent 40 days and 40 nights on the ark and had endured the flood. Imagine dark and lonely nights as waters roared outside, imagine the desolation and wondering if the rain was ever going to stop. Then, he sends out a dove to check the water. First she could not find a place to put her feet, then she comes back with an olive leaf in her mouth, which means the water was steadily decreasing, then last but not least, he lets her go and she does not return.

What this means for us is that we might endure great rain, might endure dark and lonely nights, but it is gradually getting better! Remember seasons do not last forever.

The dove not returning was an incredible sign to Noah! The storm was over! God then spoke to Noah and told him to come forth from the ark and to be fruitful and multiply!

What joy?!

To bring this home, if someone has left your life and they have not returned, maybe, just maybe, it is a sign for a new beginning. Maybe it is not a negative thing at all, what if it is God's sign to you to move on and be fruitful and multiply in a new place?

Be blessed, and I hope this has encouraged you in some way. Shaun

Pause

It happens to all of us. Getting caught in the chaotic flow of life to the point that days become confused, perception gets skewed, and it is easy to become exhausted and dry.

What makes this moment crazy is that it was God that gave the mandate, God that opened the doors, God that made it happen, and right in the middle of the plan things suddenly change.

So what happens when you should be enjoying God's blessings, taking comfort in the fact that He holds all things in His hand, but all you find yourself doing is questioning where God is?

I'm taken to one of my favorite passages of Scripture. I Kings 19 verses 11 and 12: "And he (the Lord) said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind and earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

These verses concern Elijah, the great prophet who himself was exhausted and dry. After falling asleep, he awoke to wind strong enough to rip mountains, but God was not in that wind, then an earthquake, but God was not in that either, then a fire, but God was not in the fire as well. But then came a whisper that encouraged Elijah and gave him the strength to keep moving forward.

I imagine the chaos of the strong wind, the earthquake, and fire. The devastating power of God on display. And then, by His mysterious splendor, simply whispers. Have you felt like you are in the middle of a massive wind, earthquake, and fire?

Pause.

Be still and know that He is God. Know that everything is going to be alright. The Lord goes before you. Believe that. Trust it. Sometimes we need to rebuke the chaos, slow down, or better yet, pause.

Follow the Leader

Psalm 27:8-9 from The Message version says:

"Listen, God, I'm calling at the top of my lungs:
"Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered, "Seek God,"
my whole being replied,
"I'm seeking him!"
Don't hide from me now!

Have you ever felt like you were seeking God and could not find Him?

Its kind of like the boy's father in Mark 9 that said "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

However you feel towards God, one thing must remain true...you must continue to seek His face!

I Chronicles 16:11 say "Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually."

Be encouraged! Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness SHALL be filled!

God seems to lead and mislead at the same time. Like He reveals and conceals simultaneously.

Much of the Bible strikes me as if God has gone into a deep forest, so to speak. To most people, it seems like He has simply vanished and does not wish to be followed. But the most intense follower sees something that others do not see. A broken twig here, a crushed leaf there, an occasional shred of clothing hanging from a limb. This is what God wants! He wants to be searched by the most intense and determined!

God never puts spiritually superlative things out of our reach, but He always puts the richest truth on the highest shelf. Stretch and get it!

To put it differently, gleaming gold is never found in huge chunks lying around on the surface of things. You might be able to find a few grains of gold there, but the big chunks are always buried deep below the surface. Dig deep!

Lastly, Jeremiah 33:3 says "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

My friends, lets continue to seek God's face, lets Follow the Leader.

Have a great rest of the week, Shaun

Rooted

"The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Luke 3:9-14

What an incredibly powerful passage of Scripture! When I was reading it, I was pierced by these words. I asked myself if I was producing good fruit, or was the tree of my life deserving of being cut down at the roots?

Is your life producing good fruit? A tree is known by the fruit it brings forth. We all know that it is impossible for an apple tree to yield oranges, just like a Christian should only bring forth good fruit, and not the fruit of the world.

What do I have to do to bring forth good fruit? This passage tells us very clearly: Give to those that do not have like you do, be honest with all manner of business, do not accuse people falsely of things, and be content with what God has blessed you with.

We can begin to bring forth good fruit by preparing our hearts.
Hosea 10:12 says "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you."

Break up the fallow ground of your heart and let Him rain righteousness on you!

Finally, be rooted in spiritual things!

Galatians 6:7-8 says "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

Amen. Self-explanatory. I hope you all have a wonderful week rooted in the Word of God. Bring forth good fruit this week. Love God with all of your heart, mind, body, and soul. Enjoy the Easter spirit this week. The tomb is empty. God bless you. Shaun

Affliction...(Not the clothing line)

Affliction...
*to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering or anguish.
*a general term that applies to the causing of pain or suffering or of acute annoyance, embarrassment, or any distress.

While answering the questions I got from several of you, I found that many of the questions, just like the ones I have been getting before, seem to all have a common theme...Suffering and Affliction.

So I want to pour some love on you. God loves you and wants good things for you!
Jeremiah 29:11 says "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

So stop whining! Take a look at the life of Job! Have you had all of your possessions taken away? Family taken away? Your health? Spouse and friends sold you out?

Romans 8:37 says "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." !!!!!

As I look back on my life, I can honestly say that it was the "afflicted" and "times of suffering" that I was closest to God. And out of that closeness was born a stronger, more grounded faith in Him.

I heard an old lady that was a prayer warrior once say, "If anything makes you pray, be thankful for it."

So I guess I am just encouraging you, if you are going through a valley, suffering, hardship, understand that God has great plans for you, but is waiting on your trust in Him.

Nobody enjoys affliction, but we all enjoy the mountain top experience with God. The true key to life is to maintain joy in pain, keep trusting God through the hardest of trials, know that His grace is new every morning, and you will be able to say..."I'm thankful for affliction."

Hope you all have a great weekend, Shaun.