Mar

15

Father Knows Best

By Julie B Cosgrove | 1 Comment


All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father (Jacob) said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him.  Genesis 49:28

I want the best for my family. I think we all do. Yet, I cannot mold them into what I think is right, nor shape their  lives to go a certain way, no matter how hard I try.  I can influence, or at least make that effort, but where the seed falls is beyond my control. How much easier it is to turn over a stranger’s life or an acquaintance’s circumstances to God. But when it comes to our own family and the path they are walking, it is much harder, isn’t it?

Recently in Church we read the familiar story of the Prodigal.  The loving Father gave unconditionally, even when he knew his son would go off and make mistakes. Yet the father remained steadfast, hopefully watching the horizon each day, believing one day that son would come back around, saving back the fatted calf,  polishing the ring and stashing a set of dry clothes aside.  It reminds me of the nursery rhyme, “Leave him alone and he’ll come home. . .”

Jacob knew his sons better than perhaps they knew themselves. He knew their traits, their tendencies and loved them all anyway. So did the father to the prodigal son. So does our Father in Heaven. Yes, I will keep on my knees. Yes, I will keep watching.  I so much want the people in my family to each receive the abundance of blessings God has for them. I want them free of illness, free of pain, free of the consequences of their life choices. 

But, Father knows best and He has it all under control.  Just as He has for me and my life. Because, I know there those in my family who feel the same way about me.

Mar

12

Lord, Pass Me By?

By Julie B Cosgrove | 2 Comments


Mark 6:47-48  And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land.  And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night (about 3 AM) he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, . . . 

Why would Jesus mean to pass by his disciples?  Wouldn’t He want them to see Him so they would know He hadn’t abandoned them in their time of need? Perhaps because He knew what their reaction would be – they would be afraid instead of trusting in Him. That is exactly how they reacted.

” . . but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,  for they all saw him and were terrified.” (vs 49)

It wasn’t “Thank you, Lord, for hearing our cries and coming to our rescue.”  The disciples were already in an anxious state trying to battle the sea and the waves that were defeating them. It was three in the morning. They were worn out, tired, probably cranky. In other words, they were not in the mindset to receive peace. 

Have you ever been in a stew like that? I have. It seems like a magnetic tornado of bad is swirling around me. Everything else that could go wrong seems attracted to me and sucked into the situation. The stress grows and grows. It is “Really? What could possibly happen next?”  In my struggle, I am relying on my own strengths, and not God’s. Frustration sets in.

Perhaps it is those times that God chooses to come to my rescue even if I don’t ask Him to do that.  He goes ahead while my head is bent to the pressures and calms the situation. He knows I just can’t ask Him to help me with whatever storm I am facing because of my mindset, but He also knows I can’t deal with it on my own (even though I, like the disciples, do not yet realize it).  Instead He handles it, then reveals He was right there all along.

But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And he got into the boat with them, and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded. (vs 50-51)

Would I, like the disciples, be afraid and astounded by His mighty power if He revealed it to me? No. not so much now, because He has come to my rescue, over and over again. But early on in my walk with Christ, probably. God knows our hearts and the amount of faith we can muster. He is always finding ways to increase that faith in Him. He meets us where we are. Often, it is only after the storm that I can see the part He played in calming it down, or calming me down. Then, and only then, can I look up and see His mighty Hand was in it after all. That’s when I stop and fall to my knees in relieved thanks and praise.  Several years back, there was a Christian song that spoke to that – “Sometimes He calms the storm - other times, He calms His child.”

Trust and letting go of control is a learning curve. Perhaps, someday, I’ll ace that test.

Mar

11

Just Feed ‘em

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment


When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”  But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.”   Mark 6:34-37

The Feeding of the 5,000 is a familiar Bible story. With a peasant boy’s meager lunch, a multitude of people are fed with plenty left over.  Hundreds of thousands of sermons have been written on this miracle and thousands more have speculated how it happened. Some think that the boy was an example and that everyone began to follow his lead, producing food to share instead of horde from under their cloaks  – sort of a Biblical pay it forward. Whatever.

The point that struck me is what happened just before this miracle of the fish and loaves. Jesus had sent the disciples out two by two to do miraculous things. They cast out demons and healed people, spread the Gospel and probably baptized. That is why they attracted the multitude. Word got around. Now the people all converge upon them and after that wonderful series of sermons in Matthew’s recording, it is getting late.  What was the theme of a lot of those sermons? Serve and trust in God to provide because He loves each and every one of us. The disciples obviously were not listening. 

Aren’t we the same? Christ guides us, uses our hands and feet, and showers us with His grace. We absorb it all like a sponge. We can feel so useful and thankful to be used. We can even feel humbly empowered – for a while.  Then, another situation comes up and we run to Him. How can I handle this?His answer? “I have given you what you need. Don’t you think I will again. Just get out there and do it and trust in my provision. You feed them.”

I have to ask myself how many missed opportunities have I passed up while I questioned if I was capable of doing that for God?  How many times have I prayed for the strength, or the wisdom or the endurance that Christ has already given me?  I just need to tap into it again, realize He is the provider and get out there and serve, knowing He will never give me more than I can do with Him by my side.   I shouldn’t worry about where the fish and loaves will come from, or all the baskets to hold all of His abundance.  All I need to do is obey. Yes, easier said than done. 

Perhaps when Jesus told Peter before He ascended into Heaven to “feed my sheep”, Peter realized that He was alluding to that day on the mount when Christ provided for a multitude who were like sheep without a shepherd.  Maybe He was telling Peter, “I will provide all you need. You just get out there and do it.” And so Jesus would again, and again, and again for Peter.  Just as He will for you and for me.

Mar

10

I know He knows

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment


And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. . . But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”  Mark 6:13, 16

In a way, Herod was right. His sin, lusting after his own niece, now his daughter and promising her anything, even the death of John, had caught up with him. He could no longer ignore it’s consequences in his conscience, try as he might. But, eventually the Truth would smack him in the face. Little did he know that in a few years, he’d make the most important decision of his life. He’d stand before Jesus and decide to acknowledge Him as Lord of All, or to condemn Him to death. Scared of the repercussions either way, he simply asked, “What is Truth?” and tried to wash his hands of the whole thing. But it haunted him. Deep down Herod knew that Jesus knew.

We are more like Herod than we care to admit. We think it is easier to ignore something we have done wrong, or perhaps said in the heat of a moment. We try to put it away in a box, hide it and just go on with our lives.Dealing with it is too painful or embarrassing. It will all smooth over. But it can still gnaw at our conscience. And sure enough, if we don’t confess and make amends, Jesus will bring it full circle and confront us with it.  Why?

For our own good. Like a splinter in our finger, that sin can irritate us.  Every time we tap our finger, it reminds us it is there. If we do not work to get it out, if we try to ignore it, it can fester.  Unconfessed sin blocks us from receiving God’s blessings in our lives. He loves us enough to bring us face to face with that sin and will help us dig it out so we can heal. Sure, it may be painful, but the alternative is more so. 

Let the Healer do His work in your life as we approach Easter. Then, His glorious death and resurrection will have new meaning. Unlke Herod, we will be able to embrace the Truth and be thankful.

Mar

9

Dammed

By Julie B Cosgrove | Leave a Comment


He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him.  And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands?  . . .  And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.    Mark 6:1-2, 5-6a

Only one thing can block us from receiving God’s blessing and power in our lives – our own lack of faith.   

If there is any dam that blocks the flow of grace and mercy, we have built it ourselves like busy beavers. It is constructed out of twigs of doubt, held together with the sludge of our anxieties and negative thoughts.  All of the debris in our lives that we try to scoop up ourselves and turn into something useful and purposeful accumulate to plug up the flow between us and our Lord. We stop His love from gushing into our souls, and then wonder why it only trickles through and we are left parched.

In the Doxology we sing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”  Until we realize the truth of that phrase and let it seep into us, that dam remains. We built it up ourselves, but Christ can send it crashing down with the force of His love – if we let Him break through.  The people of his hometown wouldn’t. So His power to influence their lives was thwarted. He only could heal a few of the sick – perhaps individuals who were desperate enough to believe.

Do we give him bits and pieces, like doling out candy to a small child? “Here Jesus- do this for me or heal this hurt. Then, if you do that, I might give you something else.”  Or do we give it all to Him, trusting He will handle it in perfect timing? Do we give him just a bit of the sludge clogging up our lives, or invite Him to knock the dam down and flood our lives with His abundant grace?

Do we dare do that? Could we handle that much God in our lives?

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