Devotional Blog

Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Posted on by richlyspeaking
There is no light in heaven for the Lamb is the Light!
There is no light in heaven for the Lamb is the Light!

They call me the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved…. Well, actually, I’m the only one who called me that. But, oh, how I loved our Jesus, our Messiah. It’s been decades since we watched Him ascend into the Heavens. But that hasn’t stopped followers from following. There are communities of faith throughout the region. From Rome to Babylon. Sadly, I believe I’m the only one of the 12 left. All the others were martyred for our faith in Jesus. Some days, because of the pain of this island prison, I think I’d rather be dead, as well.

You see, I’m exiled on this lonely, desolate isle called Patmos.  There is not another soul in my life who loves the Master or follows the Way. I, too, have been cast out by the authorities for proclaiming the Good News that Jesus is the Light of the World. He loved us so. There are days when I am so consumed by His great love that I can hardly move. I remember those final hours like they were yesterday.  The way the crowd jeered. The beatings and lashings. The public humiliation. The pain when He cried out from the cross. And the final exclamation, a weary, “It is finished.”

We were all stunned to think that a man would lay down his life for us like that… oh, how He loved us! But He was not merely a man, He was and is our Lord and our King!

My name is John. And the other day when I was praying and fully enveloped by the Holy Spirit I saw a vision… well, many visions, actually. And Jesus was in the midst of them. And He told me to write it all down. Messages of the future, the end of the earth as we know it. Challenges to churches. And a picture of the glory of eternity.

I saw Heaven in this dream. Oh, it is a beautiful place. The streets are paved with glistening gold. There is a river that flows through it; it sparkles like crystals. The gates never close for there is nothing to keep out.  There is no evil here. There are no tears, no sorrow, no pain. And there is no darkness in Heaven, for the King, Jesus… He is the Light! And He sits on the throne in the center of Heaven. And from the throne there are flashes of lightning, and peals of thunder. And all around the throne I saw leaders, the elders, each one themselves worthy of commendation. But each one bowing low before Jesus. And day and after day, they worship the great King! They say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty. Who was, and is, and is to come again.”

And in my vision, I finally understand the answer to the question: “Why, why did Jesus have to die?” You see, many years ago, on that hill called Golgotha, all I understood was that He loved me. And in God’s grand plan of eternity, Jesus had to die for me. But in my vision, it all became crystal clear. He, Jesus, is the Passover Lamb, the final and ultimate sacrifice. As the Baptizer said: “He’s the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Ever since the Garden of Eden — when God slaughtered an animal to give its skin to clothe Adam and Eve, to surround them with love and to restore them — God has required blood, shed on behalf of each of us, for the forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation. In the days of Abraham and Moses, it was the blood of bulls and rams. And every year people had to offer God many animals to cover their many sins. But Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice. It was His blood that was shed. And He became the Passover Lamb, slain and sacrificed. No lamb or bull ever volunteered for that assignment.

His love for me was so great… He voluntarily laid His life down for me! For you. Jesus had to be the Passover Lamb, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. Jesus, fully human, fully God, was the only solution to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

And the compassion He showed to others? The world could not hold a library full of books detailing His great actions and love for the people we met together.

And God rewarded Him. We saw Jesus alive in this world after the resurrection… and I know for certain that He lives in Heaven and sits on the Throne for all eternity!

In my vision, He once again said: “It is finished. It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” On the cross He cried out, “I am thirsty.” And now, in the glory of eternity, Jesus is the one who says: “To the thirsty I will give water from the spring of the fountain of life! Come and drink!”

He has shown me the New Jerusalem. And three times He told me that He is coming back… He is coming soon!

And to that, I say: YES! Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus, come!

 

Some of the words, and perhaps thoughts, of the Apostle John, the writer of Revelation and the one whom Jesus loved.

 

(2015) Rich Ronald

Abraham, a true friend of God. My friend too!

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"Count the stars, Abraham. That's the number of your descendants!"
“Count the stars, Abraham. That’s the number of your descendants!”

My name is Abidah. Believe it or not, I have been a servant of Abraham for over 100 years now. No one has been with Abraham as long as I have been, not even his wife Sarah.

He was a wealthy, wealthy man. Always has been as long as I’ve worked for him. He hired me when we left Haran. I was number 1 of 318 servants. It was a joy to serve this great, great man.  You know, he had more sheep and cattle and camels than anyone in the entire region, maybe more than anyone on earth. Of all his possessions, he truly cherished one thing more than anything else: the gift of his son Isaac.

He made sure everyone knew that God made a promise to him. The promise went like this: God said “I’ll make you a great nation and bless you. I’ll make you famous, you’ll be a blessing. I’ll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I’ll curse. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.” Abraham always told us stories of his personal encounters with God. I don’t know anyone who knew God like Abraham knew God. And everywhere we went, he built an altar to the Almighty.

Yet, early on, while Abram owned many things, I would hear him arguing with God. “What good are all these things if I don’t have any children to pass them down to?” he’d say shaking a fist at the heavens.  And I’d say Abram had every right to question God’s promises, as he was an old man, and Sarai’s womb was closed.

One night, the Almighty took Abram outside and said to the man: “Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You’re going to have a big family, Abram!” And the man believed. He believed God. And because he believed, God called him his friend. My master? A true friend of God! Amazing!

Yet even though he was God’s friend, Abram’s troubles didn’t magically cease. Ten years after we left the Land of Ur, Abram and Sarai were still childless. They decided God might need man’s help in bringing to fruition all these “star children.” So Abram slept with the much younger, and much more beautiful Hagar, Sarai’s servant. It was Sarai’s suggestion. Can you believe it? And Hagar gave birth to a son. They called him Ishmael.  But God wasn’t too pleased and Ishmael caused more problems than Abram ever dreamed of. Even though he sinned, Abram still had this tight relationship with the Father.

Thirteen years later Abram is out tending the sheep when God shows up in power. The way Abram tells the story, one more time God reminds the man of the Almighty’s promises and tells him that he’ll have a huge family. Abram says he fell flat on his face. The next day he announces that we are all to start calling him Abraham. No longer is he merely “Father,” he is “Father of Many Fathers.” We joked with him, because by this time he was 99 years old! And Sarai, who we were to now call Sarah, was 90!

While we laughed, something about Abraham changed. He set a covenant between God and himself… and all of us male servants were dedicated to God that very day!

And just as God promised, about a year later, little Isaac was born. Isaac. The name means “laughter.” And we all laughed with his new parents, for they were so old.

While this was a joyous time, it wasn’t the end of Abraham’s struggles… but he remained faithful to God. Oh so faithful. No one in all the land was as faithful as this man. Sarah died some 27 years later.  And that old man? He passed away a few weeks ago at the age of 175. He lived a long, joyful life! We just came back from burying him next to Sarah in the land of the Hittites. He has seven children. 13 grandchildren so far. All those star children are just getting started!

Abraham. The father of many fathers. A friend of God. He was my master and my dear friend as well.

 

My interpretation of some of the key points of Genesis, Chapters 12-25, the life of Abraham.

(c)2015. Rich Ronald.

Christmas Devotional Book. 25 Days. 25 Gifts.

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No trips on donkeys. No angels singing. Not even a baby in a manger. Yet, there are still 25 gifts God wants to give you for Christmas. And they are found in a little six chapter book half way through the New Testament.

Rich Ronald uncovers The Greatest Gifts as they are revealed in Ephesians. 25 Days. 25 encouraging Gifts. 25 devotional messages, along with a prayer and a place to write your own prayers, comments and thoughts each day.

Along the way you’ll find the gift of love, the free gift of salvation, the gift of unity and many more. Prepare your heart in a special way this Christmas season by receiving, and giving, God’s greatest gifts.

Now available in paperback or Kindle.

http://bit.ly/GreatestGifts

 

When we worship, God fights on our behalf!

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When the Shofars blew, the enemy was defeated and the walls fell down.
When the Shofars blew, the enemy was defeated and the walls fell down.

The story of Joshua and the fall of the walls at Jericho.

I’m a minister in the Tabernacle, a priest. My grandfather was Aaron. My name is Phineas. I was born in the Wilderness. Growing up we heard great stories of God. How He was with our people during the Exodus. How He parted the Red Sea. How He gave Moses the Law. But, honestly, we feel more like nomads instead of a “chosen people.” We are a people without a homeland.

That all changed recently, however. We’ve just entered the Promised Land. What an experience! Moses died a couple of months ago and had appointed Joshua to take us into this place that flows with milk and honey.  We had all just been consecrated to the Lord and it was the end of Passover. Joshua told us to get ready for a great battle, and that God Himself would be the Captain of our Army!

Yes, we’ve conquered a few lands east of the Jordan, but, we all grew up in the Wilderness. We’re learning to be warriors, but we are mostly shepherds. Except for the 40,000 trained soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.

God has gone before us. God has defeated our enemies. I’m thankful Joshua knew what to do, although, I’m certain it’s not the way other armies would do battle. He says that God kept telling him to “be strong and courageous.” Looking back, I can see why.

Just ten days ago we crossed the Jordan River on dry ground as our ancestors had crossed the Red Sea. I was fortunate to be chosen as one of priests who blew the ram’s horn, with the procession of the Ark of the Covenant. It was amazing! This rushing, flowing river, stopped immediately as our feet entered the water. It was our generation’s miracle. And everyone crossed on dry land.

We were camped just outside the fortress city of Jericho. It was going to be our first stop – and our first conquest — in this New Land. God told us this land was now ours, all we had to do was go and get it. “Go and get it?” But, by force. As in, a battle? Some of us would probably die.

Joshua, our Commander, lined us all up… 600,000 men, plus the women and children.  The strategy was to surround the city of Jericho with people. It was only about a half a mile around, so that meant that the line only needed to be a half mile long.  Picture this: each row was 1,000 people wide, shoulder to shoulder.  The line was almost half a mile wide!  And guess who was at the front? I was. Yep! This huge mass of people. And at the very front, an armed guard. Then all of us priests. Some of us were part of the worshippers, blowing the Shofar. Other’s carried the Ark.  Joshua put my people up front! As I said, we are of the tribe of Aaron. My work in the tabernacle is to blow the trumpets and encourage all of the children of Israel to gather together in singing praises to the Almighty. When we heard the news that Joshua would put us up front, I must admit, I was frightened and worried. I’m not a student of battle strategy, but I kept wondering, “don’t those who lead up front get killed first?”

It was early in the week and we marched, over a million pairs of feet, around these massive city walls. The line was so immense, when those of us in the front had finished the circle, we met those from the back of the line who were just getting started. We had fully surrounded the city.  I’m sure the people inside Jericho were confused at our actions. We had heard they were afraid of us before we ever got here. Many wondered why we didn’t just attack the citadel once we had it surrounded.  But we listened and followed Joshua. He kept telling us of this face-to-face meeting he had with the one he called “The Captain.” How God said that He would go before us into battle. That He promised the victory! All we, the descendants of Aaron, were to do was lead the people in worship and walk around the city.

Once we had circled back around to where we began, we went back to our encampment and spent the night there. Early the next morning we did the same thing we did the day before.

And this continued. Day 3. Day 4. There was no one visible any longer on the city ramparts. We guessed they were filled with great fear by now. And we, soldiers in training, were looking for a fight.  And yet, we weren’t fighters.

Day 5. Day 6. “Forgive me, Joshua, but what’s the strategy here?”

Day 7. Would today be just another of the same thing? “No. Today would be different,” Joshua told us. We lined up as usual, but today the march would be quiet. Only the priests were to blow their shofars. No noise from any of the rest of the people of Israel. When we concluded our trip around Jericho, Joshua ordered us to go around again. And again. And again. This was taking all day and we were tired! Something big was about to happen. Our heart rates increased. There was lots of nervous energy. Finally, as we concluded the seventh circuit Joshua told us to blow the ram’s horns with all our might. And he told the people to shout! To scream. To cry out to God. To worship! Previously it was ominously quiet. Now, it was raucous! The din of the shouts of praise to the Almighty was deafening.

And then the ground underneath our feet began to shake, and the dust began to boil. The walls of the city shook as first one stone, then another fell from its mooring in the rock. Our people shouted louder and louder. We sang “Hallelujah!” to our King! We blew the trumpets until our cheeks hurt and we were spitting everywhere. And in a matter of seconds the city walls came crashing down. Waves of dust and dirt blew everywhere with great force. We were covered from head to toe. But the walls, the walls, they fell in a manner as to make ramps up into the city. Our brave soldiers charged forward and destroyed everything and everyone, except for one lone family who had sheltered some of our advanced spies earlier in the week.

It’s truly amazing what God did as we obeyed and worshipped Him. He assured us He would fight on our behalf. And oh, how He did! It was His victory as we worshipped and entered the Promised Land with shouts of great joy!

My interpretation of Joshua, Chapters 1-6.

(c) 2015 Rich Ronald.

The Secret to Success?

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The secret to success? Meditate. Study. Read. The Word of God.
The secret to success? Meditate. Study. Read. The Word of God.

When I was in high school, a speaker at a conference I attended asked, “Do you want to be successful? I know the secret to guarantee your success!”

Like many teens at that stage of life I had one foot that was finishing 12 years of education and my second foot in the “almost-an-adult” world of college. I had plans. I had dreams. I had a career picked out and I couldn’t wait to get there. So of course, the speaker’s question piqued my interest.

He then began to unveil this great mystery by reading a passage of Joshua, from the Bible. The words of the LORD to the new, young captain of the army of God.

“No one will be able to defeat you all your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forget you. Joshua, be strong and brave! You must lead these people so they can take the land that I promised their fathers I would give them.  Be strong and brave. Be sure to obey all the teachings my servant Moses gave you. If you follow them exactly, you will be successful in everything you do. Always remember what is written in the Book of the Teachings. Study it day and night to be sure to obey everything that is written there. If you do this, you will be wise and successful in everything.” Joshua 1:5-8 (NCV)

Remember. Follow. Study. Obey. If you follow, if you do this, you will be successful.

What a great promise from God!

Another version says to “meditate” on God’s word. It can mean to pour yourself into it night and day. Listen to the wisdom in the Bible.  And then, follow it. This week our pastor told us the Greek word for meditate is “logizomai.” The root of the English word “logic.” He suggested that when we meditate on God’s word, we are thinking clearly, logically, about what it means to us. And it’s the stongest way to fend off anxiety.

Whenever I have found myself in seasons of challenge, times of confusion or wonder, I go back to the Bible to study and hear first-hand what God’s instructions are. I’m a verbal processor, so not only do I read it and think about it, I will often read it out loud to myself so that I can fully grasp it.  I may even write the words down in a journal or write out what I perceive God wants me to know about Him through those words. Then, with the Holy Spirit as my guide and the One who gives boldness and courage, I do my best to follow. And God has granted success every time!

Have there been times of trial? Absolutely. For example, I’ve had 22 jobs in the last 34 years. But God has been faithful to me through it all. Why? By His grace I believe it’s because I have done my best to be a student of His word. To read it. To learn it. To teach it. To model it. To meditate on it day and night. I’m so thankful for His promises and the truth that is revealed on page after page of the Text.

It brings comfort. It brings wisdom. It brings understanding.

Have I lived a “successful” life? In the world’s eyes, probably not. My bank account is not overflowing. I don’t live in luxury.

But in God’s eyes? The eyes that matter most to me? Yes, absolutely. I am successful because I am walking every day under His umbrella of true grace, true forgiveness and true joy!

And that’s a secret He calls me, and all of us, to share with the world.

(c) 2015 Rich Ronald

Dad. My wonderful Dad.

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The last photo of my dad and I together. 1981.

Lessons from my dad (with some input from my sisters, thank you!), in random order:

How to polish my shoes.

How to take calculated risks.

How to provide for your family.

How to work hard.

How to sing with your whole self (especially “How Great Thou Art”).

How to trust others.

How to fix a flat tire.

How to mow the lawn and shovel the snow.

How to be a gentleman.

How to be a Good Samaritan.

How to serve God and honor God.

How to encourage and love your wife.

How to provide for your family.

How to fly a plane.

How to fix just about any broken thing around the house.

How to be a good son-in-law.

How to give good gifts.

How to be a creative problem solver.

How to use my common sense and good judgment.

How to tie a neck tie, a half or full Windsor.

Measure twice, cut once.

How to siphon gasoline out of car and into the lawn mower can (I can still taste the gasoline, yuck).

How to properly tuck in my shirt tail.

How to garden… even gardening and raising vegetables you don’t like yourself.

How compounding interest can add up to big returns.

How to use a slide rule.

How to balance a spoon and fork on the smallest bit of toothpick.

How liquid nitrogen turns a hot dog into glass.

How to put “English” on a pool shot or a ping pong return.

Why playing the lotto is morally wrong.

How to drive. How to drive a stick shift.

How to let the School of Hard Knocks teach me a thing or two.

How to camp. How to build and start a fire.

How to swim.

How to bargain for a car. How to bargain for a casket (now that’s a funny story).

How to give grace. How to laugh. How to love. How to live. How to die.

 

My favorite story about my Dad: He was a Gideon — best known for being one of those folks who place Bibles in hotels.  He was also a private pilot and he would go flying on Saturday mornings.  At his memorial service over 30 years ago, his good friend Lou — also a pilot and a Gideon —  produced a talley sheet from Dad’s pilot log book that included the names of many, many small airports in the midwest.  Lou explained that these were places where he and my Dad had flown to on many a Saturday and placed a Gideon Bible in the pilot’s lounge.  And it was something only he and Lou knew about.  He combined two loves, flying and the Lord, into something that blessed God and many unknown souls.

What lessons did you learn from your dad?

 

(First published on Father’s Day 2012…)

26.2 Miles and Fixing Your Eyes on Jesus

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I have never really been much of an athlete. I never hit a home run in little league. I never caught a touchdown pass in high school.  And yet, here I am in my mid 50’s and by God’s grace and strength, I recently ran my second marathon, 26.2 miles. Running has become my “empty nest” hobby.

The Apostle Paul talks a lot about running races in the New Testament. He notes the value of physical training but says that spiritual training is more important as it prepares us for the life we live in the full presence of Jesus for all eternity.

There are so many different stories to tell and analogies from my experience in running this recent race that parallel life.

Two are quick to come to mind.

The first is this: Nobody gets up and decides they are going to run a marathon today and does it. It takes time. It takes training. It takes discipline. There were many weeks during the winter when I had to get out there and run 20+ miles on a Saturday morning. And this particular winter was not kind to runners, even south Texas runners. Some of those Saturdays were very cold and rainy. But it didn’t matter. I ran the distance that my coach told me to run. Sometimes it was really fun! It was delightful, the wind at my back and not a care in the world. Other mornings it was wet and I bundled up and slogged through the miles. Somedays I carried specific and heavy burdens to the Lord in prayer with every mile.  But it was all discipline… training… preparing my body for the grueling task of running for five hours on the first Saturday in April. And because I did three full months of training and stuck to the race day plan, I achieved my goal! I beat the five hour timer with six minutes to spare!

In life there are some seasons that may feel like training runs, where it’s cold and rainy, difficult or challenging. Finances are a mess. The marriage is rocky. Health is compromised. The job is stressful. Children are childish.  In order to succeed we must keep getting out there, week after week after week… season after season. And by doing so, as you persevere, you become stronger.

jamilawilliams04042015
Jamilia Williams runs in the 2015 Irving Marathon carrying the American Flag on April 4, 2015.

Jamila Williams is from Las Cruces, New Mexico. She runs for Team Red White and Blue, an organization that honors our military veterans and wounded warriors. During my marathon she carried a four-foot-tall American Flag for the whole 26.2 miles! With the flag high above the runner’s heads, from the back of the pack I could easily see her for miles and miles. In fact, I chased her for 20 miles. When I finally caught up to Jamila, I thanked her for being an inspiration without knowing it. I told her how I kept seeing those Stars and Stripes ahead and how it egged me on to run faster and run harder. She told me she carries the flag for those who are no longer able to do so. I shared with her the verse in the Bible from Hebrews 12, where we are encouraged to “fix our eyes on Jesus.” I mentioned how when I fixed my eyes on her flag way out in front of me, I was also calling out to Jesus to give me strength for the next mile. We ran back and forth for about a mile. And, since I was following my training plan and drinking lots of water, I had to duck into the port-o-let at Mile 22. When I came out, she was out of reach again. She finished five minutes ahead of me.

Here’s that passage from Hebrews 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV)

My point here is that I’m certain there are many who are just like Jamila Williams. You lift high the flag of Jesus, and of your churches, and of your schools, neighborhoods and of your families. You are such an inspiration to many and you don’t even know it. You serve and you love unconditionally and you keep doing so every single day.  Even when it’s not easy. Like running a marathon, life is not a flat open course. You have had to run up some very long hills when you just didn’t have the energy to do so. You may have been weary eyed and physically spent. Because you are keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, you are making it. And you are inspiring many!

And I’m here to tell you, when you are going through your rough struggles, make a plan, stick to it, keep trusting God and you will make it. How am I so sure? First of all, because I made it! The marathon I ran had a long, slow, uphill climb around Mile 23. And yes, by that time in the race, my running form did not look much like it did at Mile 3. It was grueling. But once I made it to the crest, those final miles were downhill and rewardingly easy.

I had trained well, so I finished well. I event sprinted the last 100 yards!

The other reason we all can run well? The Hebrews 12 text says it is because those who have gone before us are cheering us on. Parents, grandparents, friends…  They have set the example for us. They have encouraged us to always keep the banner of our King Jesus raised high. And by their inspiration and supernatural presence, we can accomplish much. We can steadfastly accomplish the goal and the vision God has set before us!

So, my call to you: keep on running the race. Keep praying. Keep training. Keep listening to what Jesus has to say to you. Keep His vision set before you. And as He leads, be courageous and follow. Be obedient.

I believe the best part of this race is ahead of us. I also believe when you train and stick to the plan, and keep your eyes on Jesus, you will finish the race as I finished last Saturday’s marathon… with great strength, a fist pump or two, maybe even with tears running down your cheeks… and with great joy!

(c) 2015 Rich Ronald

Bold. Humble. Intimate. Putting the past behind.

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My friend, Simon, the Pharisee, was having a grand party that day. All of the really important people of the Temple were there… the priests, the servants, the scribes. Everyone was having a great time.

Then the one from Nazareth came in. We all kind of looked and stared at him. We really weren’t sure what to make of him. We had heard he had performed miracles. Just the other day, a young boy was being carried out of town on a funeral stretcher. His mother was in tears. Everyone agreed that parents shouldn’t have to bury their children. So, word has it that this Jesus came up and spoke to the dead lad, who immediately sat up and hopped off the mat.

Many were finding his views convincing. And, it didn’t matter if the people were religious or not. The day before that, up in Capernaum, a Roman soldier had pleaded with Jesus to heal his servant… but the centurion didn’t even ask Jesus to come touch the man or pray for him. He, a Roman officer, said he had faith to believe that Jesus could even heal the servant from a distance. “Just say the word, I know he will be healed.” Jesus made a big deal of the Roman’s faith. Since when do Roman soldiers care anything about the One True God? Turns out the servant was healed. By Jesus? I do not know.

Anyway, so all of us from the Temple were here at the party. My friend, the Pharisee, must have decided to invite this Jesus fellow… just in case, you know?  Just in case this man was someone special after all. Some said he was a prophet. And yet, most of us have, frankly, been pretty confused by him. It seems like sometimes he follows the laws of Moses; most of the times, he has his own rules, or no rules at all. People all around the Galilee have been swayed by him, that’s for sure.

During dinner we were all reclining and eating and laughing when she came in. No one invited her. I’m certain she had never been to Temple before. She had a reputation… and not a good one. She went right over to the prophet and fell at his feet in tears. Those sitting nearby got up and gave her distance. No one wanted to admit we knew who she was, and yet everyone knew exactly what she did for a living.  Reckless, she was. She knelt there and sobbed uncontrollably, her tears falling on his feet. She then did something that only a man’s wife would do in private: she let her hair down and she wiped her tears with her curls.

Then, if that wasn’t awkward enough, she took the vial of perfume that hung around her neck – all the women of her profession had one – and poured it out, emptying it completely on his feet. And she did that thing with her hair and was kissing and washing His feet with her tears and the last of her perfume.

This went on for several minutes until Simon, our host, had had enough. He spoke out loud to no one in particular, but said what we were all thinking: “If this man was really a prophet, he’d know who was touching and kissing his feet and that she is a sinner!” I thought, “If he was a respectable man he’d dismiss her immediately!”

The teacher caught Simon’s statement and posed a riddle in return. “Suppose two people who owed a lender money,” he started. “One who owed 50 days wages, or about $10,000 to the lender. The other owed him almost $150,000. To both, the debts were forgiven.” Then he asked the Pharisee directly, “Who will love the banker the most?”

Simon answered as we all would have, “The one with the biggest debt.”

Jesus said, “Exactly!”

The Nazarene went on this rant about how Simon didn’t offer Jesus any of the customary things a host should offer a guest who enters his home… he didn’t offer to wash his feet… he didn’t greet him with a kiss… he didn’t offer oil for his head.  All of the rest of us had received those gracious gifts from Simon as we entered.  And yet, Jesus was not presented with these things. We all felt embarrassed for Simon as the prophet suggested that the woman, that woman, was somehow better than our host because she did all of those things for him.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Jesus then spoke to the harlot directly. He told her, her, that her sins were forgiven.

Who is he that he can forgive sin?

Then he concluded by telling her that her faith has saved her! Just like the Roman centurion earlier in the week!

But what about us… us who serve our regular times in the Temple… us who keep the laws of Moses… what about us who give our money… us who pray the right ways and eat the right foods and who have memorized Torah and keep the Sabbath? Surely we are more religious than she is!

Then He added this blessing over her: “Go in peace, daughter!”

Peace!? But she is such a sinner!

 

 

The first-person story of a friend of Simon, the Pharisee, from Luke 7.

What can we learn from the sinful woman? She was bold, humble, intimate and put her past behind her. How about you?

For 2015, may I encourage you to choose to imitate this woman. Although her actions were admirable, it wasn’t her deeds that saved her. It was her heart. Choose to be a true Follower of Jesus.

This sermon can be found at www.vimeo.com/115604707.

 

 

(c)2014. Rich Ronald.

“Nothing is impossible with God”

Posted on by richlyspeaking

GodSaves

 

From the Journal of Miriam (Mary), the mother of Jesus:

I’ll never forget that night. It wasn’t all that long ago. Ah, the little boy is growing up. Just turned two at his last birthday.

So, that night… Jacob, oh my, had been running crazy. We had to get to Bethlehem for the Census. His family is from this region. The four day journey on that donkey? Yes, of course, I grumbled and complained almost non-stop.  I told him we couldn’t go to Bethlehem for the baby was due any day.  He told me we had to do what the law required. And so, we went. Dear sweet Jacob. We looked all over town for a suitable place. And at each door we knocked, the pain only intensified.  The contractions were closer and closer. The hour was later and later. Jacob was at his wit’s end. “Oih vey, it wasn’t supposed to be this way,” he said over and over mostly to no one in particular.  And when he finally found me a place, it was really not a suitable place at all. Of course, I told him it would be fine, but inside my head I kept thinking, “No, no, no! This is not what we had planned.” The air was damp. There was a cow and her nursing calf less than ten feet away!  The place smelled! All we had was a single candle, we could hardly see.

The agony of the labor. The challenges of the delivery. I had no mid-wife. Unless you consider Jacob. But he was venturing into places few husbands ever go. This was the hardest thing I have ever done! And yes, there was much pain, and much blood. And even though Jacob held my hand, I felt very much alone. But all of that changed in an instant.  When that little child was born… it was all so worth it! It was amazing. You wouldn’t believe the little glint in his eyes or the turned up smiled of his pursed lips.

Oh dear Yahweh! I kept thinking, “How am I going to be able to be the mother to this child, Your son? He’s so perfect. And we are so not perfect. I mean, look at this place where he was born. Such an awful, smelly place!  And we are so ordinary people. We are obviously not wealthy. Where was I to put him to rest? In the cow’s manger, the feed trough? Really?”  I wrapped him in the only cloths we had and laid him down and he went fast asleep. Jacob said we are to give the boy the name Yeshua, “Yahweh saves.”

Some shepherds came to visit us. Who knows how they found us? I’m reminded of the prophet Micah who said that Messiah will come from Bethlehem and will shepherd his flock in the strength of Yahweh.

Even now, I wonder how Yahweh will use this sweet child? Will He be a mighty warrior like David?

This has been such an amazing experience! I continued to ponder and treasure every moment as I watched him rest that night in that unlikely crib.  “Impossible,” I thought. But then I remembered the words of the angel nine months prior – the message of the manger: “Nothing is impossible with God.”

 

(c) 2014. Rich Ronald.

So, I ran my first marathon Saturday…

Posted on by richlyspeaking

Do you not know, that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.

1 Corinthians 9:24-25

Crossing the Finish Line!

This weekend I ran my first marathon. 26.2 miles. I ran the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon route with my friend and training partner/coach, Todd. I ran the route on Saturday because the race itself is on a Sunday in two weeks. This year’s Rock n Roll will be Todd’s 12th marathon! He’s amazing.

Most marathons are scheduled on Sunday mornings. I choose not to run on Sundays. Mostly, because I’m a pastor and I have other priorities. But I also favor the principled Eric Liddell, the sprinter who grew up in a missionary family in the early 1900’s. He and his family respected and honored the command to keep the Sabbath day set apart for God. It was always a special day for their family. They went to church together and spent time together. As a family.

Liddell’s story is legendary. He was one of the fastest 100 yard sprinters in the world going into the 1924 Paris Olympics. But he made the difficult choice of not running the 100 at the Olympics because it was scheduled on Sunday. So, with a team-mate’s suggestion, he switched to the 400, which was run on Thursday. He won the 400 on Thursday and a Jewish friend and competitor won the 100 on Sunday. His story is captured in the Oscar winning film “Chariots of Fire.”

So, in honor to God and in the spirit of Eric Liddell, I have personally decided not to run races on Sundays.  If you run races on Sundays, that’s your call. My hope, however, is that you get a Sabbath-type day of rest at least once a week where you spend it with people you love.

What do you do if you if you want to run in your town’s premier marathon?  Well, you can do what I did. I joined a free running club. This one is called the Downtown Run Group and is championed by a retired man and his wife, Bo and Pat, who have the incredible gift of encouragement. He is also an elder at our church. We meet every Saturday morning at The Pearl, an old brewery in San Antonio that has undergone a recent transformation and is now an urban center. Some mornings there have been over 100 runners. Some are seasoned marathoners. Some are first timers like me. Most will run the half-marathon in two weeks. Yet Bo respected my position and encouraged me to run my individual race on Saturday. He’s famous for saying, “It’s not a big deal. But it IS a big deal!”

marathon1
The unexpected hardware!

A little background: In 1994, I ran a 5K run sponsored by our neighborhood YMCA in Cincinnati. Afterwards, someone asked if I’d ever like to run a full marathon. I thought about it and said, like many other people, “Yes! Someday, I’d like to run a marathon.”  I ran my first half marathon last year (a Saturday event) and decided to run the full marathon this year. I’ve had some great running companions during those 6 a.m. runs. It was an encouragement to me as I began training in August to accomplish this 20 year goal of running a marathon.

The actual run on Saturday was pretty good. The weather was a perfect 54 degrees and it was misting at the start. There was a steady rain for much of the 6 hour run. My head was clear and my body mostly cooperated… until we hit the 21 mile mark. That’s when it became really challenging. We were running a 3:1 interval. That means we ran for three minutes and walked for one minute the whole race. Miles 21 through the end I couldn’t wait for the beeper to go off. “I’ll take that walk break!” I exclaimed often.

When we turned the corner at The Pearl and headed for the finish line 100 yards away, we were surprised to see a handful of friends and family cheering us on. My wife Linda even took off work to make sure I saw her smiling face at the Finish. We whooped and hollered and celebrated those final steps! What an incredible feeling!

 

marathon3
Todd and I pause at the turn. We’re half-way home. Todd’s dog, GW, and wife Debbie were there to cheer us on!

And thanks to Todd, I got an unexpected prize medal inscribed with the Scripture noted above.

But as the author of Corinthians states, the true crown of victory every believer earns, will last for all eternity! It’s an amazing principle of God’s economy.

Will I do it again! You betcha!

Our Downtown Run Group says to each of us “Run inspired!” Run with purpose. So, whether you run marathons or bake cookies with your kids or manage millions of dollars in assets or create beautiful art or wait on tables or care for the sick, do it to win the prize.

 

And God says to the believer, “Here’s a prize that will last for all eternity! Life!”