How Loyal Are You?

When reading about Jesus’ last days on Earth, one of the themes that emerges for me is that of loyalty. Jesus, who had 12 devoted disciples, was left betrayed and abandoned that fateful night when He was arrested and brought to trial.

The obvious disloyalty came from Judas Iscariot, who led a mob sent out by the chief priests directly to Jesus.

“…Judas had told them, ‘You will know which one to arrest when I go over and greet him. Then you can take him easily.’ So as soon as they arrived he walked up to Jesus. ‘Master!’ he exclaimed, and embraced him with a great show of friendliness. Then the mob arrested Jesus and held him fast…Meanwhile, all his disciples had fled.” (Mark 14:44-46, 50)

Judas betrayed Jesus with cunning precision. He planned the whole thing out, right up to the embrace.

The other disciples however, didn’t exactly have Jesus’ back. “Meanwhile, all his disciples had fled.” When the going got tough, the disciples got going! That is perhaps the more disturbing betrayal. Judas was supposed to be the bad guy—it was in the script. However, why were the other disciples, who had earlier that evening been arguing over whom Jesus loved the most, unwilling to stand by their teacher, friend, Lord during a difficult time?

It actually began earlier in the evening, when Jesus was distraught over the events to come.

“He took Peter, James and John with him and began to be filled with horror and deepest distress. And he said to them, ‘My soul is crushed by sorrow to the point of death; stay here and watch with me.’ He went on a little further and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible the awful hour awaiting him might never come. Then he returned to the three disciples and found them asleep. ‘Simon!’ he said. ‘Asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Watch with me and pray lest the Tempter overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak.’ And he went away again and prayed, repeating his pleadings. Again he returned to them and found them sleeping, for they were very tired. And they didn’t know what to say. The third time when he returned to them he said, ‘Sleep on; get your rest! But no! The time for sleep has ended! Look! I am betrayed into the hands of wicked men. Come! Get up! We must go! Look! My betrayer his here!’” (Mark 14:33-42)

The disciples didn’t let Jesus down once, but three times! All they had to do was stay awake in case He needed them for comfort. But they failed Him. Jesus told them, “my soul is crushed by sorrow.” Can you imagine a friend telling you that their soul is crushed by sorrow? That’s pretty intense. And yet the disciples still couldn’t manage to stay awake to comfort Jesus. Furthermore, when the mob came to get Him, they dispersed.

Peter hid in the shadows and followed the mob back to town from a distance. However, even he showed disloyalty to his King by denying that he was with Jesus, when asked by one of the High Priests’ maids.

“Meanwhile Peter was below in the courtyard. One of the maids who worked for the High Priest nocied Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and then announced, ‘You were with Jesus, the Nazarene.’ Peter denied it. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ he said, and walked over to the edge of the courtyard. Just then a rooster crowed. The maid saw him standing there and began telling the others, ‘There he is! There’s the disciple of Jesus!’ Peter denied it again. A little later others standing around the fire began saying to Peter, ‘You are, too, one of them, for you are from Galilee!’ He began to curse and swear. ‘I don’t even know this fellow you are talking about,’ he said. And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he began to cry.” (Mark 14:66-72)

I get the sense from the scripture that Peter surprised himself by betraying Jesus that way. However, Jesus wasn’t surprised. “‘All of you will desert me,‘ Jesus told them, ‘for God has declared through the prophets, “I will kill the Shepherd, and the sheep will scatter.” But after I am raised to life again, I will go to Galilee and meet you there.’”
(Mark 14:27-28)

I would like to think that if Jesus Christ asked me to stay awake for a couple of hours to be there for Him in case He needed me that I would. I would also like to think that if someone asked me if I knew Him or was with Him, I would not lie. But I know in my heart, that I am just as guilty of abandoning Him on a daily basis as His disciples were the night of His arrest.

How often do I deny Him by not speaking up when non-believing acquaintances poke fun at Christianity, either because I don’t want to offend anybody or because I don’t want to be ridiculed and singled out? How often do I abandon Him simply by not communing with Him in prayer as often as I should? I can go weeks on end devoting time each day to prayer and scripture, and then one busier than usual week pops up and what goes to the bottom of my to do list? Praying and reading scripture.

I know Peter’s pain to some extent. I have that awful feeling of not being loyal to my Lord and Savior. I have abandoned Him. And maybe He doesn’t need me the way I need Him, but He wants my love and devotion. And yet I withhold those from Him regularly, and offer them only when it’s convenient for me.

How would you handle a friend like that? If you had a friend who only came around when they needed something or when it was convenient, but was never there when you truly wanted or needed them to be, what would you do? Most of us would sever the relationship. What good is a friend like that?

Yet, Jesus doesn’t cut us off. He patiently waits for us to return to Him. He would rather have our hearts some of the time than none of the time. Can you imagine feeling that kind of love for a fair-weathered friend? I can’t. And knowing that Jesus can love me despite my on-again/off-again loyalty makes me realize the magnitude of His love for me, just as He loved the disciples despite their abandonment. He appeared to them as soon as He rose from the dead. The human in me would have said, “Forget about those guys! They abandoned me, to hell with them!”
But Jesus didn’t write them off. He loved them anyway. He appeared to them anyway. And they went on to be fierce proponents of His teachings, most of them being martyred in His name.

The legacy of Jesus’ love is still felt two millennia later. We crave His love, His peace, His wisdom. And just like the disciples, we abandon Him from time to time. But also like the disciples, we always come back.

Do you abandon Jesus from time to time? If so, how?

Happy Barbie Day!

Today is Barbie Day. Even though Barbie is not the best role model for little girls with her ridiculously unrealistic figure and feet in a constant high-heel-wearing formation, I can't help it--I love Barbie!

I used to play with Barbies all day long. I can remember getting backaches from sitting cross-legged on the floor of my bedroom all afternoon playing with Barbies. I still have some of my old Barbies (and Barbie townhouse!) in my basement, just waiting for my 15-month-old daughter to be old enough to play with them.

Here are a few fun links relating to our old friend, Barbie Roberts (yes, that's her last name!):

Barbie Makes Her Debut

Barbie's Wikipedia Entry (includes her biography and fun controversies!)

Collector Barbies

How to Transform Yourself into Barbie (very creepy and cool!)

1959 - First Barbie commercial ever aired on TV

Enjoy!

How Do You Pray?

One of the key components of Lent is prayer. It is through prayer that we unite ourselves with God, worshipping, seeking, confessing, and reflecting. Sometimes, I sit down to pray and feel like I am spouting off a laundry list of requests, like a kid running through his Christmas wish list with Santa at the mall. I always feel a bit uncomfortable doing this, as I feel like I’m asking too much of God. I ask for healing, wisdom, comfort, peace and an array of other things on behalf of many people. While I feel compelled to petition God this way (people need prayer!), I don’t really feel a true connection with God in these prayers, as I’m doing most of the talking.

Other times, I pray by talking with God as I would a friend. I tell him what’s on my mind, and He responds. If I ask for advice, He gives it, just as any of my friends would. Unlike any of my mortal friends, however, God’s responses are infinitely wise and loving. They are also surprisingly simple. That’s how I know when I am truly hearing His voice and not my own: I could never come up with such profound thoughts on my own!

Sometimes my prayers are lengthy. Sometimes they are short. Sometimes they are desperate pleas. Other times they are hopeful requests. Often times they are loving exaltations and declarations of my love. Sometimes they are prayers of repentance. Other times they are prayers of thanksgiving. Most of the time, my prayers are solitary. Other times, they are in communion with others.

Regardless of how you pray, God wants you to pray. You don’t have to be a first rate orator. You don’t have to pray out loud even. You don’t even need to set aside a specific time. Just pray constantly in your head!

1 Thessalonians 5 says, “16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Sometimes though, I don’t know what to pray. Or maybe I just have too much to pray about and don’t know where to begin. That’s when I turn to the ultimate prayer: The Lord’s Prayer. In Matthew 6 [NIV], Jesus writes:

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a]
but deliver us from the evil one.[b]’

The reason I call this the ultimate prayer is because it contains everything you could possibly need in a prayer. It contains exaltation, supplication, and repentance.

My favorite line of the prayer is, “Your will be done.” Doesn’t that say it all? If we just pray for God’s will, how can we go wrong?

Another favorite line of mine is “give us this day our daily bread.” Max Lucado, in his book The Great House of God, brings another view to this phrase. He states that bread can be literal, but can also be a euphemism for God’s word. “Give us today our spiritual food.”

Regardless of how you pray, just know that when you talk to God with an open and honest heart, you are communing with Him. If you are not accustomed to praying regularly, Lent is a great time to begin. Give God your time, attention and your heart. You won’t be sorry.

In the Light

I was listening to my iPod on the way to work the other day when a song came on that I hadn't heard in a long time. The song, "In the Light" by DC Talk, is about how we are weak in our determination to be self-sufficient; we need God.

As I was listening to this song, I found myself at a stoplight next to a church. I glanced over and read the sign: "Walk in God's Light this Lenten season."

Needless to say, I figured God was trying to tell me something. He wants me to walk in the light with Him. But what exactly does that entail?

In Ephesians 5, Paul writes,

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”

That seems simple enough. Find out what pleases the Lord and do that. It's not difficult to find out what pleases the Lord; there are pages and pages in the Bible written about what is pleasing to the Lord. Love one another, give freely, do unto others and much more.

Another way of describing walking in the light can be found in 1 John, chapter 1:

5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.

So if we walk in the light with God, we have fellowship with Him and are thereby purified from all sin through the blood of Jesus. And what exactly does fellowship with God look like?

I suppose that's a very personal question, and one which cannot be given a blanket answer that would encompass all people and all situations. For me, fellowship with God is just plain talking to Him. You can call it prayer, but it really sounds no different than me talking with my best friend, except that I begin and end my conversations by exalting Him.

I'm always dumbfounded by my tendency to lose sight of this. I will go weeks without having a good heart-to-heart with God when suddenly, one day, I find myself in great need of comfort or peace or advice. If I'm able, I get down on my knees and rest my head in my hands while I talk to Him. Sometimes though, that's just not possible, and I find myself talking to Him from behind the wheel of my car. And you know what? He's always there. He always gives me comfort in one form or another. If I am in need of sound advice, I pick up my Bible and always find comfort in His word. Sometimes I thumb through the index until I find just the right verse. Othertimes, I close my eyes, open the book to a random page and find the perfect phrase or idea to soothe my mind.

And then I get busy. And I neglect my relationship with God. Why does He always come last?

For me, Walking in the Light this Lenten season means making the time to read His word and spend time with Him in prayer. It means keeping God near me all the time, disposing my usual everday cares and worries and replacing them with heart-to-heart talks with my Lord. It means learning to make God the single most important part my life.

Let us pray:

Dear Father in Heaven,

Thank you for being so accessible to us. You are always there when we need you, ready to offer comfort, peace, or wisdom. Please help us to make you our number one priority in life so that we may walk together with you in Your Light.

Amen.