Only Jesus Can do Jesus Stuff

Only Jesus Can do Jesus Stuff

Wherefore he [Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 – AKJV)

Marsha Horn, one of my followers on Twitter posted the following on her Twitter page:

Eat, Pray and Be Happy! (Only Jesus can do Jesus stuff)

I applaud this; it is a joy to find new ways to restate eternal truths in a way that may capture peoples’ attention, and help them see how truly amazing Jesus is.

Only Jesus can do Jesus stuff

So, what is this “stuff” Jesus can do, that no one else can do?

The first, and perhaps the one dearest to our hearts is:

FORGIVENESS

There is a very real reason only Jesus can dispense forgiveness to a lost world. You see forgiveness comes at a great cost; sin is a horrible reality, and must be paid for. In the moral universe forgiveness is not a cheap commodity that can be casually given to anyone who asks for it.

There are only two ways of paying for the sin you and I have committed – either we must pay for it ourselves, which will cost separation from God for all eternity – or Someone Else must pay for it. Forgiveness for our sins can only come at the price of the shedding of blood:

And according to the Law, [one may] almost [say], all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Hebrews 9:22 – NASB)

Jesus shed His own blood on the cross to pay for our sins, and therefore becomes the only One through Whom God can forgives us our sins:

He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24 – NASB)

The next “stuff” only Jesus can do is:

CLEANSING

…if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9 – AKJV)

Not only did Jesus shed His own blood to procure forgiveness for us, but he goes a step further and grants cleansing. We are not just forgiven sinners, condemned to continue our sinful lifestyle; by confessing our sins we have forgiveness and cleansing from all unrighteousness.

If that were not enough, Jesus is also the only One Who can assure us a place in:

HEAVEN

Because Jesus has paid for all that can keep us out of Heaven, He is the only One Who can a place in Heaven:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. (John 14:1-3 – AKJV)

There is a whole lot more “stuff” only Jesus can do, and it will take us the rest of our lives to explore it all. Indeed, we will never get to the end of it in this life; we will need all of eternity to gain even a small appreciation of all has done for us.

So Much More

(© Wednesday 18^th November 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

There is so much more Jesus can give,

To those hungry hearts who seek Him,

If only they give Him their wills,

And dare each day to believe Him.

There are many go only so far,

As is needed to just make do;

The treasures of Grace are so vast –

Always available to you.

There’s so much more you can still claim,

On the grounds of mount Calvary;

Don’t starve- a treasure awaits you –

For all of God’s blessings are free.

So much more if you’ll only seek them,

Christ’s opened so many new doors;

Just hunger and thirst to find Him,

All treasures of Heaven are yours.

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Forgiven by unknown. Shared on flickr by “Lynn ~ Off and On.” Copyright. Used under the CC by ND 2.0 license: please note the Disclaimer at this link. We have made no changes to this photo as found on the flickr link, above.

When the Game is Over

When the Game is Over

When a chess player is defeated by his opponent, and “Check-mate” has been declared, the game is over. There is no point in continuing. You have lost and you had better accept defeat and put the board away. At least, that is true of a game of chess.

With the game of life, however, that is not necessarily so.

It was “game over” for the thief crucified next to Jesus.

He had lived the life of a criminal and was finally paying the ultimate price for it – his life. There was one thing, however, that he could do, and he did it:

And he was saying, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” ⁴³ And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:42-43 – NASB)

The game wasn’t over for him anymore.

It was “game over” for the woman caught in the act of adultery.

She was on the verge of being stoned to death according to the law. She couldn’t do anything about that; it was out of her hands. All she could do was kneel there in the dust  and wait  for the stones to end her life.

She waited…and waited… and waited….

And then…

                Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” ¹¹ She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:10-11 – NASB)

The game wasn’t over anymore.

Perhaps you have come to that place in your life where you are convinced there is no way out. Game over. Or you know someone else who has “lost the game.”

Is the game over for you?

Is the game over for them?

It need not be!

Jesus is the only one who can finally declare “game over,”

And he’s not going to do it if you call on him as the thief on the cross did.

The woman caught in adultery didn’t even ask for His help, but Jesus rescued her anyway.

But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… (Romans 10:8-9 – NASB)

The game of life is never over till you have been to Jesus.

Game Over?

(© Wednesday 22^nd April 2025 – by Christopher Shennan

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved… (Romans 10:8-9 – NASB)

You think the game is over now,

For the likes of you and me;

You think the scoreboard is final,

And you are lost in misery.

Your life has just come to nothing,

And you are throwing in the towel;

You’ve expended all your effort,

And the umpire’s shouted “Fowl!”

The voice of reason still tells you

There is “no way out” forever;

And the enemy still whispers,

“You’ll find an answer? No! Never!”

I’ve got news for you, my friend:

The games not over, not at all –

As long as you lean on Jesus,

Nothing again will make you fall.

When this life at last is over,

A new game of life will begin –

And you’ll live with Him forever –

A life that is free from all sin.

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Checkmate by Alan Light. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this link. Also used under the Commons GNU Free Documentation License. No changes were made to this photo.

Our Heart’s Condition

Our Heart’s Condition

The Parable of the Sower is familiar to most Bible readers.

The Sower (representing Jesus Christ) sows the seed of the Gospel) scatters His seed indiscriminately over the earth, without regard to whether the place the seed is receptive to it, or not. He gives every kind of soil a chance to be fruitful.

The central idea of this parable is that the soil (representing the human heart) either has the capacity to receive the seed and be fruitful, or it does not. That is the core issue here.

You see the seed is how God initiates a relationship with men and women. It is all about the seed. Jesus is the sower and he scatters the seed of the Gospel to everyone. If this seed finds an entrance in the human heart, He can establish a connection – a relationship with the, Once he does that he can begin transforming their lives.

If, however, something comes between and prevents that seed from gaining entrance, that man or woman is prevented from having a meaningful relationship with God. It is all about the seed, (God’s Word), and the soil, (the condition of the human heart) that determines whether we can know God or not.

This is a basic reality. You cannot know God if you do not receive His Word and believe what it says. If you receive this seed, you can know Him; if the condition of your heart prevents the seed from entering your heart, you will be excluded from having a meaningful relationship with Him. It’s as simple as that.

I should point out that this Parable of the Sower does not tell us how to prepare our hearts to receive God’s seed; it merely states the present condition of the soil, and its consequences. This information is provided elsewhere in Scripture.

So, if I detect my heart’s condition is not receptive to the seed of God’s Word, can it be changed, and if so, how?

Hosea and Jeremiah together have the answer:

Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12b – NASB)

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? (Jeremiah 23:29 – NASB)

• The hard, unreceptive ground of our hearts must be broken up.

The responsibility to do this is ours.  God tells us to; Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord. Don’t put it off; time is of the essence.

• God’s promise is that, once the fallow ground is broken up, He will rain down righteousness upon us:

Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

• The means to break up our fallow ground has been provided.

not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? (Jeremiah 23:29 – NASB)

All we have to do is to seriously engage ourselves with God’s Word, and a process of transformation will begin. The fire will burn up the thorns and the hammer will break up the rock hard condition of our hearts. In time, the soil of our hearts will become more and more receptive to the seed of God’s Word. It is certain to be a painful process, but the rewards will justify any pain and anguish endured.

A Change of Heart

(© Friday 17^th April 2015 0 by Christopher Shennan)

…Break up your fallow ground,
For it is time to seek the Lord
Until He comes to rain righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12b – NASB)

“Is not My word like fire?” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer which shatters a rock? (Jeremiah 23:29 – NASB))

Some think that their heart’s condition,

Is beyond their power to change;

They accept their wayward nature,

Is beyond their scope and range.

Its true God alone can change you,

But He’s called you to play your part;

He’s called you to make an effort

To prepare the ground of your heart.

There’s a process you must follow;

There’s a sowing of seed you must do.

The fallow ground must be broken,

Before God’s seed can enter you.

How can I break this hardness?

How can I dig up this hard ground?

How can I make my heart answer

To God’s Voice I hear all around?

God’s Word is just like a fire,

Like a hammer that shatters stone;

Has power to make my heart listen,

And to receive God’s seed alone.

So I’ll let God’s Word disturb me;

I’ll let it fertilize my soul –

It will change my disposition,

And make my broken spirit whole.

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The Sower (Le semeur) by James Tissot. This image is in the public domain.

One Essential Thing

One Essential Thing

When embarking on a journey, particularly a long and hazardous one, you want to make sure you don’t leave something essential behind.

The children of Israel were on a journey to the Promised Land through the wilderness. The distance itself could have been covered in a few short months, but it took forty years. Their unbelief, rebellion, and hardness of heart caused this lengthening of days.

There was one essential thing, however, Moses knew they could not do without. This essential thing is revealed in the following verses:

And He said, “My presence shall go [with you], and I will give you rest.”¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with us], do not lead us up from here. ¹⁶ For how then can it be known that I have found favor in Your sight, I and Your people? Is it not by Your going with us, so that we, I and Your people, may be distinguished from all the [other] people who are upon the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:14-16 – NASB)

When God told Moses His Presence would go with them it jolted him into a realization. If God’s presence did not go with them there was no point in continuing.

In modern terms he was saying, “Don’t take us any further on his journey if you’re not going to be with us. We won’t be different from anyone else if we do not experience your Presence all the way to the Promised Land.

“We’ll be just like all the other heathen nations if you don’t go with us. No one will know the difference between us and them; there will be nothing to distinguish us from the other nations. They won’t know we are Your people if they can’t sense your Presence in our midst.”

The same thing can be said for the church, today:

Unless unbelievers can sense the manifest Presence of God in our midst, they won’t be able to distinguish us from the rest of the people in this lost and dying world.

The Presence of the Lord

(© Sunday 12^th April 2015 – by Christopher Shennan)

And He said, “My presence shall go [with you], and I will give you rest.”¹⁵ Then he said to Him, “If Your presence does not go [with us], do not lead us up from here. (Exodus 33:14-15 – NASB)

I can’t go into the future,

Unless You are close by my side;

I can’t face the trials and troubles,

Unless I can in You abide.

Life without You is uncertain.

Worse, it is a dangerous road;

Death and destruction await me,

Except when You carry my load.

Without Your Presence I’m done for;

No bright future’s waiting for me –

Despair will be my companion,

And nothing but darkness I’ll see.

Don’t let me go any further,

Lord, not even a step ahead,

Unless I’m sure of Your Presence,

And know that by Your hand I’m led.

Make me to feel You are with me;

Make me to breathe Your pure air.

I cannot go into the future,

Unless I know You are there.

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(Picture in the public domain)

Seeing People as Trees – The CONSEQUENCES

Seeing People as Trees – The CONSEQUENCES

(Picture credits at end of post)

And they came to Bethsaida. And they brought a blind man to Jesus and *implored Him to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting on his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” ²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.” ²⁵ Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. ²⁶ And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.” (Mark 8:22-26 – NASB)

This is a remarkable incident and the life and ministry of our Lord and deserves some special attention.

Could not Jesus have healed this blind man completely to begin with, instead of performing it in two stages? Why did Hi first touch only give the man only partial vision? Why let him see people as trees walking about when He could have given him perfect sight to begin with?

First let us establish that Jesus did nothing by accident; He did everything with a purpose. Therefore there was a reason Jesus healed the man in two stages. He had something to teach us. He appears to have intended for us to see this miracle as a parable of some spiritual principle; He wants us draw a parallel physical and spiritual vision. He wants us learn a practical lesson that will aid us in living the Christian life, and in interacting with the people around us.

What is that lesson? How can we make this passage speak to us in a manner that will transform our behaviour, rather than just pass through our minds as an interesting occurrence in the earthly ministry of our Lord?

I have thought and prayed much about this and believe there is one central message Jesus would convey to us, and it seems to me to be a message both simple and obvious: He does not want us to see people as trees.

• If we see people as trees we may want to cut them down
• If we see people as trees we may admire them but not value them
• If we see people as trees we may want to use them
• If we see people as trees we may want to re-shape them

People as Trees

(Tuesday 11^th May, 2010 – by Christopher Shennan)

And he looked up and said, “I see men, for I see them like trees, walking around.”

                                                                                 (Mark 8:22-26 – NASB)

I mostly saw people as trees;

Just part of the scenery where,

If standing too much in my way,

Could be cut down – so there!

I could cut them down with my tongue;

A very effective means,

Of making these folks go away,

For daring to hinder my dreams.

The people as trees were not all,

In my way, some were really quite fair;

I admired them, inspired them;

And found them quite easy to bear.

There were some, these people like trees,

Who were useful, fulfilling my needs;

When done with them, had fun with them;

They were hardly more valued than weeds.

Some of these people like trees,

Were like pieces to carve and design;

Like works of art on display,

I could proudly claim them as mine.

This state of affairs was before

I admitted my vision was flawed;

I knelt before Jesus and wept,

And received Him once more as my Lord.

Since then, by the touch of His Hand,

My Master has opened my eyes,

And I see each one who’s been born

As a precious, incredible prize.

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Photo by Joe Mabel. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license.; please note the Disclaimer at this final link. No changes were made to this photo. Photo was also used under the GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2

Under the Door-Mat

Under the Door-Mat

(Picture credits at end of post)

Colossians 1:21-29

… Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27 – NASB)

Following the classic pattern of the absent-minded professor, I left my car-keys on the cedar chest, and went out the front door. After locking the door I remembered my car-keys and tried to get back inside, but the house-keys were on the ring with the car-keys.

I panicked. Going behind the house I removed the screen from the back window. This was the window into our downstairs bedroom. The distance between the ground and the window was too high for me to climb in without assistance, so I enlisted the aid of a rickety bench-like contraption so I could get to the level of the window. I should mention the ground under the window is extremely un-even.

Balancing like a circus clown trying to do a trapeze act, and already out of breath, I squeezed through the window, over the head-board of our bed, and lay panting on the bed with a feeling of relief. I retrieved my keys and was able to make it to church on time.

A couple of days later I happened to look down as I was putting the key into the door, and it suddenly hit me. A spare key to the door was under the door-mat.  I had endured trial and suffering to get into the house when all the while the key to the door was under the door-mat.

Many of the struggles we face in our Christian lives; many of the lengths we go to in order gain the victory, are unnecessary. All we need is to remember where the key is, and sing the victory song: … Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Christ in Me

(© Thursday 17^th July 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

The key to unlock my troubles,

Was near to me, and close at hand;

It was sitting right beside me –

It was waiting for my command.

I struggled to live like Jesus;

I battled with all of my might,

The strength to prevail just failed me –

The key remained out of my sight.

I’d forgotten Christ living in me

Would live His own life divine,

Through me, and in me, as promised,

If only I’d claim Him as mine.

Not a great deal of my effort

Would have won me the victory;

If I’d remembered His promise,

I’d have found that His grace was free.

So the key under the doormat –

It reminds me, close as I breathe

The Saviour Himself lives inside me,

And when I just ask I’ll receive.

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Photo by The McClouds. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license; please take note of the Disclaimer at this link. No changes were made to this photo.

Silver and Gold

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Silver and Gold

But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” (Acts 3:6 – NASB)

Whenever the church has become wealthy, it has generally lost its power to heal.

Now I know this is a generalization, and money is often needed to do the Lord’s work. But that’s not what I’m talking about. I am talking about a pre-occupation with money as the primary means to accomplish the mission of the church.

I once suggested to a denominational hierarchy the need to start a work in a certain area. Their response: We don’t have any money to start that work.”

I’m not sure if I actually told them this, but my heart answered, “You don’t need a lot of money. All you need is someone with a call of God upon them – someone with a passion to share the Gospel. That man or woman will find a way, with little or much, to spread the Word and win people to Christ.”

Not Silver or Gold

Give me a man, or a woman, or child

With the love of God in their heart and mind,

Rather than a church with treasure high piled,

Yet faintness of heart in the pew still find.

There’s nought to compare with a holy, zeal,

That will live or die for the Master’s cause.

To find a man who in his breast can feel

True love for God and His holy, just laws.

It’s a treasure beyond all earthly gain,

It will bring down upon you Heaven’s smile;

It will comfort the heart and banish pain,

And create a soul that is without guile.

Silver and gold you may not have to give,

But the power of love will cause men to live.

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Sprott Gold and Silver Coins, by Sprott Money. Copyright. Used under the Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license: please note the Disclaimer. No changes were made to the photog

Superpowers

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Superpowers

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (John 14:12 – NASB)

If you could choose for yourself any superpower from those fictional superheroes you’ have ever heard of, which would you choose?

Would you choose those of Superman, man of steel, and able to fly at lightning speed?

Or would it be Spiderman, fighting for justice while clinging to the walls of high rise buildings and swinging through the streets to apprehend criminals?

This discussion arose in one of our family gatherings and family members chose a number of different options. I chose none of the superpowers discussed that day. My heart hungers for superpowers of a different order. I choose the superpowers Jesus said would belong to those who believe in Him. I quote his words again:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do; because I go to the Father. (John 14:12 – NASB)

This verse is so stunning that many of God’s people choose not to take it seriously, or re-interpret to mean something mundane and non-spectacular. I choose to take the words of Jesus at face value: He said what he meant and he meant what He said. How God means to work it out in your own life is between you and God. As for me, the poem below expresses what I am expecting to receive from His hand:

Super Powers

(Monday 30^th April, 2012 – by Christopher Shennan)

While sitting around the table,

At a family dinner at noon,

One spoke up and asked a question

That got us thinking, and soon

The buzz of conversation

Could be heard for quite some time,

To try to find the answer

To the question, and I found mine.

The question was, “If you could be

A super hero, what are the powers

You would want to call your own?”

We talked of this for hours.

One chose to be a Superman

With his power to fly though air;

A Man of Steel to vanquish all

The evil men out there.

Another spoke of Batman

And his fight to stamp out crime,

Who vanquished the arch villain;

Whose rescue was in time

Now Spiderman was mentioned,

With his will to right defend;

To champion all the weak ones,

And cause all terror’s end.

But the super powers I’m craving

Are the ones’ that will not die;

Those that come from Heaven,

And are sent by God on high

They’re not earned, but freely given

To those souls who hunger, thirst,

Who by faith can claim the promise –

Though they’re last, they’ll come out first.

No, the super powers I’m craving

Are Faith that’s pure and true –

And Love sent down from Heaven,

That will other hearts renew.

These are super powers, friend,

That are worthy of the name –

They’re powers that last forever –

They’re the only ones I claim.

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Copyright. Used under the Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) license. Picture found at http://superherolike.com/coffee-health/, where it was posted by Neal Malik. Christopher Shennan Publishing has made no changes to the picture.

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Free, but not Cheap

Free, but not Cheap

Picture credits at end of post

To those who have obtained like precious faith with us . . . (2 Peter 1:1b)

It is precious faith because of:

The PRICE Paid For it

There is a danger in thinking that just because all the gifts of God come to us free, that they are also cheap, and of little value. Faith is the gift of God but it didn’t come cheap. It cost… everything

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – NKJV)

Not only does faith come from outside of ourselves, and we did not obtain it by our own ingenuity; it came to us at great cost to the Giver.

Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. (John 10:17-18 – NKJV)

Think of what value Christ places on your soul.

A van Gogh painting sold for around $40 million. When you think about it, what is a van Gogh painting but a piece of canvass with a few splashes of paint on it. Yet someone was willing to pay $40 million for it. What is the value of any object of art? It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

What are you worth to God?

You are worth what Christ was willing to pay for your salvation. You are worth what God the Father was willing to pay: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 – NKJV)

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

You are my friends… (John 15:13-14a – NKJV)

Salvation by faith is free, but it is not cheap.

They Have no Idea

(© Friday 24^th October 2014 – by Christopher Shennan)

For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:20 – NKJV)

Some think because God’s salvation

Is free it must also be cheap;

They have no idea how precious

It is, just how wide – or how deep

They tread under foot – cast aside –

This Pearl of Great Price from above;

They know not how much it has cost

The Saviour in anguish and blood.

But I know how much Jesus paid –

With eyes of true Faith I now see –

There’s nothing He would not have done,

To save and to sanctify me.

So I call to those who, unknowing,

Have passed my dear Saviour by,

Just look again how He suffered,

Then ask yourself the question – “Why?

‘Christ on the Cross,’ by Eugène Delacroix. No changes have been made to the photograph. Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License Creative Commons, Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License (shown here: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en) and the GNU Free Documentation License, (shown here: http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html).

Drawing a Circle

Drawing a Circle

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Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more… (1 Thessalonians 4:9-10 – NASB)

The Thessalonians drew a wide circle around themselves to include all Macedonia as “their world.” We do not know how they did this. Perhaps they did it by keeping contact with the other churches by letter. Perhaps they supported missionaries to the whole region. Or, maybe it was just that they had a disciplined prayer ministry. Whatever their method, they did not become ingrown. They did not just get into their own little holy huddle. They drew a wide circle to include others.

How wide is the circle you draw around you? How big is your world? Is it just big enough to include you and your immediate loved ones? Does it only include your own church fellowship, or have you learned to draw a wide circle of love around your heart to include more than just your own circle of friends and acquaintances?

We must learn, as we grow in grace, to enlarge by degrees the circle of our love.

THE PEOPLE NO ONE ELSE WANTS

The pastor had moved and the people were left

To the task of soul-winning and some felt bereft.

For, what could they do when their leader was gone?

How to replace him? – They could find no one.

But the first prayer meeting conducted alone,

Could even have softened some hearts made of stone.

For the first prayer prayed by the deacon up front,

Was, “Send us the people whom no one else wants!”

You can well imagine the stirring inside,

And the silence that settled, as though one had died;

Till someone else cried a spontaneous response:

“Lord, send us the people whom no one else wants!”

Soon, like a rare, contagious disease,

Touching the company down on its knees,

Fell the Spirit of prayer, and they prayed all at once:

“Lord, send us the people whom no one else wants!”

What do you think was the outcome of this?

Why, the people there gathered each knew Heaven’s kiss.

And the people God sent in response to this prayer,

Were the hurting and broken ones, needing much care.

The first was a drunk and his beaten up wife:

They both knelt up front and received a new life.

Then a thief and a robber, who came to repent,

Stood up to praise God for the Grace He had sent.

A junky, a prostitute, contacted next,

Heard God speaking clearly from some simple text

In the Bible, the Spirit made plain:

In a moment of time, she had been born again.

An unmarried mother, and a “gay” person too,

Wept long at the altar until they prayed through.

It seemed that these broken, despised, needy folks,

Could hardly wait to be rid of their yolks.

When nine months had passed and twenty four came,

To the foot of the Cross and shed all their shame,

It wasn’t so hard to decide then and there,

That the miracle wrought – was an answer to prayer.

And what was the prayer that the deacon had prayed?

What was the thing that the heart of God swayed?

It was the prayer that was prayed o’er the weeks, o’er the months:

“Lord, send us the people – whom no one else wants

– by Christopher Shennan

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