John 21:17 (NIV)
The third time He said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love Me?"
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time. "Do you Love Me?" He said, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."
Jesus said, "Feed My sheep."
When I was very young, my father would always come home to have his lunch and then return to work.
Every morning, my mother would go into the kitchen to prepare that lunch and she insisted that I accompany her.
Once in the kitchen, she would have me sit at the table while she began preparing the meal and would use this opportunity to tell me stories from the Bible.
One of the stories I remember quite vividly was how Jesus foretold that Peter would deny Him three times.
I know this particular episode was special to my mother, because she told it to me several times and always with a great deal of emotion. Looking back, I suppose she could not grasp how someone could deny Jesus once let alone three times.
That is probably why the last chapter of John has always been my favorite chapter in all of scripture. Not only has Christ risen, but He also redeems Peter.
I have always found the conversation between Jesus and Peter particularly moving.
Jesus asked Peter, "Do you truly love Me more than these?"
Peter replied, "Yes Lord, You know that I love You."
Jesus asked a second time, "Do you truly love Me?"
Peter replied again, "Yes Lord, You know that I love You."
Jesus asked a third time, "Do you love Me?"
The Bible tells us that Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him three times, "Do you love Me?"
Why was Peter hurt?
Did he recall how he boldly told Jesus that he would die for Him?
Did he recall how Jesus foretold that he would deny Him three times?
Did he recall that it happened just the way Jesus said that it would?
Three times Peter denied Jesus.
Three times Jesus asked, "Do you love Me?"
I have always found Peter's response particularly poignant.
Then, one day, years after my mother first told me this story, the implication of Peter's response crystallized in my mind.
Peter said, "Lord, You know all things..."
Since Jesus knows all things, He knew Peter would deny Him.
In that same moment, He also knew that Peter would be forgiven and redeemed!
It was not an afterthought.
It was not something He deliberated.
He knew it all along.
As a Christian, I take a great deal of comfort in that.
Since Jesus knows all things, He knows that from time to time, I will let Him down.
At the same time He knows that the day will come when I will regret it and come back to Him.
Like Peter, I may feel awkward or perhaps even hurt.
Whatever I may feel, He also knows that I need to go through this experience in order to bring me closer to Him.
After all, He does know all things.
Author's Note - My dear mother went to be with the Lord several years ago. I am forever indebted to her for the foundation of faith she instilled in me at that kitchen table so many years ago. It serves me well to this day and I build upon it with confidence.
I wish you a very happy and blessed Easter,
The Other Brother Jim
IN TWO WEEKS...
"He Thinks He Saw Jesus"
Friday, March 26, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Blinded by Rage
Psalm 135:13 (NIV)
Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations.
The sun shone brightly in the clear morning sky.
People were already at work perhaps thinking of their next deadline... perhaps thinking of the weekend... perhaps just thinking.
The morning calm was suddenly disturbed by the sound of a plane flying much lower than usual.
Some people looked out of their office windows and watched with curiosity as the plane drew ever nearer.
"That's odd," a few must have thought.
That thought faded quickly when they realized the plane was headed straight for their building.
Impact.
This wasn't New York in September 2001.
This was Austin, Texas in February 2010. A place where things like this were just not supposed to happen. But it did happen.
A man, angry with the agency that had offices in this building flew his private plane into it, killing himself and one individual working inside.
The access road in front of the building was closed for days.
The view from the highway was appalling.
This once pristine steel and glass office building now bore the scars of one man's rage.
The broken glass.
The smoke stains from the flames.
Now, the access road is open to both those that need it to get where they are going and those who are merely curious and want to see it up close.
If you look carefully enough, you will see one more thing.
Nearby is a church which appears to have sustained absolutely no damage from the incident.
The office building has been deemed to be structurally sound.
Eventually, it will either be repaired or perhaps even replaced.
One structure now stands as a temporary memorial to one man's rage.
The other stands as a far more permanent memorial to God's love and how He expressed that love to us through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
Lord, You Know All Things
Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations.
The sun shone brightly in the clear morning sky.
People were already at work perhaps thinking of their next deadline... perhaps thinking of the weekend... perhaps just thinking.
The morning calm was suddenly disturbed by the sound of a plane flying much lower than usual.
Some people looked out of their office windows and watched with curiosity as the plane drew ever nearer.
"That's odd," a few must have thought.
That thought faded quickly when they realized the plane was headed straight for their building.
Impact.
This wasn't New York in September 2001.
This was Austin, Texas in February 2010. A place where things like this were just not supposed to happen. But it did happen.
A man, angry with the agency that had offices in this building flew his private plane into it, killing himself and one individual working inside.
The access road in front of the building was closed for days.
The view from the highway was appalling.
This once pristine steel and glass office building now bore the scars of one man's rage.
The broken glass.
The smoke stains from the flames.
Now, the access road is open to both those that need it to get where they are going and those who are merely curious and want to see it up close.
If you look carefully enough, you will see one more thing.
Nearby is a church which appears to have sustained absolutely no damage from the incident.
The office building has been deemed to be structurally sound.
Eventually, it will either be repaired or perhaps even replaced.
One structure now stands as a temporary memorial to one man's rage.
The other stands as a far more permanent memorial to God's love and how He expressed that love to us through His only Son, Jesus Christ.
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
Lord, You Know All Things
Saturday, March 13, 2010
A Noble Friend
Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV)
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
God has blessed me with many friends in my lifetime. He has also blessed me with the ability to make friends with people whose ages are different from mine. Some are younger; many are older.
One of the best friends I ever had was an older man appropriately named Noble.
Although he was older than I was, I considered Noble to be one of my very best friends.
As a young man, Noble played college football when helmets did not have cross bars. Once, while making a tackle during a kickoff return, Noble broke his nose. The team doctor would not clear him to play unless a cross bar was added to his helmet to protect his broken nose.
He told me, "I felt like such a wimp being the only player on the field wearing a cross bar on my helmet!"
When World War II broke out, my friend Noble found himself working at the Pentagon in Cryptography. A result of a gift God gave him, he enjoyed cryptograms, crosswords and various other puzzles throughout his lifetime after the war was over.
Noble was also a talented artist. He took up painting later in life and specialized in landscapes. He had landscapes hanging in several galleries. He also painted a few portraits of some the locals in our community and captured them quite well.
He also was quite the student of Civil War history and he loved to travel. Often, he combined these interests and visited many historic battlefields from that era. Please don't misunderstand me, Noble did not glorify war. He understood that those who failed to learn from history were doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Here, in Texas, high school football is huge.
At every home game I attended, there was Noble. He was always part of the Honor Guard standing at perfect attention ready to bring the colors out onto the field as part of the pre-game ceremonies.
Beyond these things, my friend Noble was a Christian.
Although we attended different churches, I know he was very active in his.
One day, Noble was not feeling like his usual self and a mutual friend talked him into going to the hospital.
A battery of tests was run and the news was not good.
My friend was told that he had a terrible disease that very few overcome.
He was asked to stay overnight for additional testing.
That night, alone in his hospital room, my friend knelt and prayed. In his prayer, he told God, "let not my will, but your will be done."
The next day, after his testing was complete, his doctor began treatment.
For a short while, my friend responded well to treatment and actually began to look like he might make a recovery.
Then, just as quickly, he took a turn for the worse.
The next thing I knew, one of my best friends was gone.
The next thing I say might sound odd at first, but, I never grieved for my friend.
Do I miss him? Certainly!
The reasons I never grieved for my friend are really quite simple.
I knew my friend was a Christian.
I knew he lived his life to the fullest.
I knew he got out of life what he put into it.
Above all, when he knew his time was limited, he was okay with it.
He did not argue with God.
He did not ask God for more time.
What he told God was simply, "let not my will, but your will be done."
He knew God had a plan for his life and for his death.
It did not matter to Noble that his friends did not understand that plan.
It did not matter to Noble that his family did not understand that plan.
It did not matter to Noble that Noble did not understand that plan.
The only thing that mattered to Noble was that God understood that plan and that He understood that plan perfectly.
Noble got it right.
I wonder if his parents knew just how appropriately they named my "Noble" friend?
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
Blinded by Rage
This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
God has blessed me with many friends in my lifetime. He has also blessed me with the ability to make friends with people whose ages are different from mine. Some are younger; many are older.
One of the best friends I ever had was an older man appropriately named Noble.
Although he was older than I was, I considered Noble to be one of my very best friends.
As a young man, Noble played college football when helmets did not have cross bars. Once, while making a tackle during a kickoff return, Noble broke his nose. The team doctor would not clear him to play unless a cross bar was added to his helmet to protect his broken nose.
He told me, "I felt like such a wimp being the only player on the field wearing a cross bar on my helmet!"
When World War II broke out, my friend Noble found himself working at the Pentagon in Cryptography. A result of a gift God gave him, he enjoyed cryptograms, crosswords and various other puzzles throughout his lifetime after the war was over.
Noble was also a talented artist. He took up painting later in life and specialized in landscapes. He had landscapes hanging in several galleries. He also painted a few portraits of some the locals in our community and captured them quite well.
He also was quite the student of Civil War history and he loved to travel. Often, he combined these interests and visited many historic battlefields from that era. Please don't misunderstand me, Noble did not glorify war. He understood that those who failed to learn from history were doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Here, in Texas, high school football is huge.
At every home game I attended, there was Noble. He was always part of the Honor Guard standing at perfect attention ready to bring the colors out onto the field as part of the pre-game ceremonies.
Beyond these things, my friend Noble was a Christian.
Although we attended different churches, I know he was very active in his.
One day, Noble was not feeling like his usual self and a mutual friend talked him into going to the hospital.
A battery of tests was run and the news was not good.
My friend was told that he had a terrible disease that very few overcome.
He was asked to stay overnight for additional testing.
That night, alone in his hospital room, my friend knelt and prayed. In his prayer, he told God, "let not my will, but your will be done."
The next day, after his testing was complete, his doctor began treatment.
For a short while, my friend responded well to treatment and actually began to look like he might make a recovery.
Then, just as quickly, he took a turn for the worse.
The next thing I knew, one of my best friends was gone.
The next thing I say might sound odd at first, but, I never grieved for my friend.
Do I miss him? Certainly!
The reasons I never grieved for my friend are really quite simple.
I knew my friend was a Christian.
I knew he lived his life to the fullest.
I knew he got out of life what he put into it.
Above all, when he knew his time was limited, he was okay with it.
He did not argue with God.
He did not ask God for more time.
What he told God was simply, "let not my will, but your will be done."
He knew God had a plan for his life and for his death.
It did not matter to Noble that his friends did not understand that plan.
It did not matter to Noble that his family did not understand that plan.
It did not matter to Noble that Noble did not understand that plan.
The only thing that mattered to Noble was that God understood that plan and that He understood that plan perfectly.
Noble got it right.
I wonder if his parents knew just how appropriately they named my "Noble" friend?
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
Blinded by Rage
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Office
Isaiah 37:14 (NIV)
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.
My first job as an adult was in a factory.
I worked in quality control which was located next to shipping.
The completed product was wheeled into my department for final inspection and the survivors, I mean, "product that passed inspection", was sent on to shipping.
Beyond shipping was a pair of double doors which might as well have been a drawbridge with an alligator filled moat thrown in for effect.
Virtually no one on my side dared venture beyond those doors for beyond them was "The Office."
You see there was a definite us versus them mentality in this facility. Exactly who was "us" and who was "them" depended entirely upon which side of these doors you were on.
I suspect that kind of work environment hasn't changed very much over the years.
I was one of those few intrepid souls who dared venture into "The Office".
Once there, I encountered their first line of defense otherwise known as "Department Management".
Here, the heads of the various departments managed the day to day affairs of those actually
doing the work.
On a couple of rare occasions, my needs could not be met by these individuals, so I ascended to level two of the gauntlet otherwise known as "Mid-Level Management."
Beyond this group lay the final frontier known as "Upper Management."
These people actually existed. I know. I've seen their offices.
Many of my coworkers did not believe me.
I really can't blame them. Seeing their offices was one thing. Seeing the occupants of those offices, well, that was another matter.
I suppose I could have tried to walk casually in the direction of those offices as if I actually had business there. I probably would not have succeeded. I am sure they had rehearsed contingency plans just in case some hardy soul had been brave enough to try.
I am sure that in the long run, I would have been politely (or perhaps not so politely) been told that these magnates of the business world were just too busy to spend time with someone the likes of me.
I certainly am glad that God does not run the business of His creation that way.
In a way, God is like the ultimate CEO that keeps the business of His creation running like clockwork.
The sun goes up; the sun goes down.
Spring follows winter; summer follows spring.
You get the idea.
As busy as God is, He is never too busy too spend time with any one of us. In fact, he actually cares about each and every one of us and actually wants us to spend time with Him.
Best of all, you don't have to go through a lot of bureaucratic red tape just trying to set up an appointment to see Him.
You see, He really wants you to meet with Him.
In fact, He really would like nothing better than for you to have a personal relationship with Him.
So, what are you waiting for?
His door is open and there is no waiting.
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
A Noble Friend
Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord.
My first job as an adult was in a factory.
I worked in quality control which was located next to shipping.
The completed product was wheeled into my department for final inspection and the survivors, I mean, "product that passed inspection", was sent on to shipping.
Beyond shipping was a pair of double doors which might as well have been a drawbridge with an alligator filled moat thrown in for effect.
Virtually no one on my side dared venture beyond those doors for beyond them was "The Office."
You see there was a definite us versus them mentality in this facility. Exactly who was "us" and who was "them" depended entirely upon which side of these doors you were on.
I suspect that kind of work environment hasn't changed very much over the years.
I was one of those few intrepid souls who dared venture into "The Office".
Once there, I encountered their first line of defense otherwise known as "Department Management".
Here, the heads of the various departments managed the day to day affairs of those actually
doing the work.
On a couple of rare occasions, my needs could not be met by these individuals, so I ascended to level two of the gauntlet otherwise known as "Mid-Level Management."
Beyond this group lay the final frontier known as "Upper Management."
These people actually existed. I know. I've seen their offices.
Many of my coworkers did not believe me.
I really can't blame them. Seeing their offices was one thing. Seeing the occupants of those offices, well, that was another matter.
I suppose I could have tried to walk casually in the direction of those offices as if I actually had business there. I probably would not have succeeded. I am sure they had rehearsed contingency plans just in case some hardy soul had been brave enough to try.
I am sure that in the long run, I would have been politely (or perhaps not so politely) been told that these magnates of the business world were just too busy to spend time with someone the likes of me.
I certainly am glad that God does not run the business of His creation that way.
In a way, God is like the ultimate CEO that keeps the business of His creation running like clockwork.
The sun goes up; the sun goes down.
Spring follows winter; summer follows spring.
You get the idea.
As busy as God is, He is never too busy too spend time with any one of us. In fact, he actually cares about each and every one of us and actually wants us to spend time with Him.
Best of all, you don't have to go through a lot of bureaucratic red tape just trying to set up an appointment to see Him.
You see, He really wants you to meet with Him.
In fact, He really would like nothing better than for you to have a personal relationship with Him.
So, what are you waiting for?
His door is open and there is no waiting.
God Bless You,
The Other Brother Jim
NEXT WEEK...
A Noble Friend
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