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Posted on May 6, 2021 by beverlyeash

Jesus sought solitude before he began his ministry. He spent an entire night in prayer before he chose his twelve disciples. He trained his disciples to rest along the way as he taught them to take the gospel to all nations.

Jesus, also, often withdrew just to pray. Not before a big decision, not to start something new, but just to be in communion with his Father.

 16But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.

Luke 5:16

I am sure many really good reasons for regular prayer exist. As I write this, I am struck by this particular passage. Reading what comes just before Jesus going away may shed light on his why…

15But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 

Luke 5:15

Keeping things in perspective motivated Jesus. The devil tempted him in the wilderness to subvert God’s plan for saving the world by doing it his way. It included bowing down to worship the devil, doing stunts to gain popularity and attention, using his creative power to produce food. Jesus said no to all of that, but he needed to keep God’s way front and center. He did that by withdrawing to pray.

I don’t know about you, but I can start something with the best of intentions and finish in a cloud of smoke by focusing on what people are saying (the report of his power spread) and how many people show up (vast crowds came to hear him preach). Even focusing too much on how many people read my blog can be a hinderance to me.

Do you feel yourself slipping away from God’s purposes for your life? Do the praises, accolades and appreciation of others distract you? Perhaps stepping away for a few minutes in the wilderness will help tighten your focus and bring things back into perspective!

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Posted on May 5, 2021 by beverlyeash

Jesus is the perfect example of excellent self-care. He worked hard, ministered tirelessly, withdrew regularly. His first time in solitude was extended, forty days to be exact. He did that to prepare himself for public ministry. Emerging from the wilderness, he was empowered by the Holy Spirit to powerfully proclaim that the kingdom of God had come!

He needed a tribe, a community of people to train to continue sharing the gospel after he left. But before he chose twelve disciples to be his crew, he spent an entire night in prayer. Praying before making life changing decisions ensures success.

Jesus’ band of disciples appeared a bit motley from the outside. Uneducated fishermen, a loathed tax collector who cooperated with Rome, a zealot who defied Rome — they were rough. Jesus taught them the gospel by example and at one point in their training, he sent them out with a partner.

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. . . 12So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus knew the value of rest and solitude. When the disciples returned from ministry, they were delighted with the outcomes and wanted to talk. They might even have been ready to get back out there. Jesus knew what they needed most was rest, so he took them to a quiet place.

30The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. 32So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.

Mark 6:30-32

When I enjoy success in ministry or find that it really flopped, I need rest and solitude. Is that what I always do? It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the outcomes – good or bad – that I forget to step away with Jesus to recharge.

Have you experienced a glowing success or a crushing defeat? Maybe it’s time to get in the boat and go somewhere quiet for a bit. Take time to listen to the Holy Spirit. Be refreshed in the truth of God’s word. Take a nap. Eat a really good meal. It might just be what you need to be set up for success the next time.

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Posted on May 4, 2021 by beverlyeash

Jesus often withdrew by himself to solitary places to pray. He is an example to follow as I make my way through the chaos of life, asking myself, “Am I willing to depart from ordinary life to seek direction in prayer?”

Yesterday I noted that before Jesus began his public ministry, he spent 40 days in the wilderness. Led there by the Holy Spirit, he successfully said no to the temptations of the enemy and entered ministry fully empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus also spent time in prayer before he made crucial decisions.

12One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. 13At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

Luke 6:12-13

Scripture doesn’t tell us how many disciples Jesus chose from, but it does tell us that choosing twelve required a night of prayer.

Honestly, I have never stayed up all night to pray about something. I wonder why. Do I not see the decisions I make of lasting importance? What kind of certainty might I enjoy if I had?

Are you facing an important decision? Maybe a new job offer, purchasing a home, moving to a different town, school district or state? Would spending time in prayer over the decision be helpful?

I know how easily I get distracted in prayer but when I am faithful to seek God, he is faithful to provide direction. Go ahead, step away from the chaos of every day life and ask the Holy Spirit what he has to say about the decision you need to make.

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Posted on May 3, 2021 by beverlyeash

Solitude and silence are not easy things to choose. Five years ago, I drove to Kentucky to a monastery and spent five days in silent retreat. I read; I journaled; I attempted to learn to draw; I attended the daily hours of prayer; I walked; I slept. It was during a difficult time in our lives and the benefits of that time away are hard to put into words.

I have done similar retreats in much smaller doses – like a day rather than days or hours rather than a day. But I yearn for that time of focused communication with the Holy Spirit.

I often think of Jesus and how he chose solitude over people at important junctures in his life. The first departure from people was immediately following his baptism. He went away into the wilderness to establish the boundaries of his ministry. He knew the enemy had a plan that was not in line with God’s plan. He met him head on and came out victorious.

1Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry…14Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. 

Luke 4:1, 2, 14

When Jesus came out of the wilderness having soundly defeated the enemy, he began to preach the message that the kingdom of heaven is here and coming, already and not yet!

Perhaps you are facing a challenge, some kind of life change that would benefit from time away. What if you went into the wilderness, so maybe not 40 days, but armed with the Holy Spirit and his power to crush the enemie’s plans? Before you embarked on this wonderful new ministry, job, challenge — whatever is before you — what would it look like to be renewed in the Holy Spirit’s power?

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Posted on April 30, 2021 by beverlyeash

11To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. 12The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. . . . 18I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’20“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. . . . We must celebrate with a feast, 24for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ . . . 25“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. . . . 28“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. . . .   ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. . . . 31“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 32We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!’”

Luke 15:11-32

Today pause and ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart. Who in this story most closely resembles you?

Are you the younger son, wandering far from the home of the Father? Desperate, starving, without resources? The invitation is there to return home. The Father watches for you. He has not given up hope; he is not disappointed in you. Turn away from the fruitless life you are living and return to the abundance of the Father’s house!

Are you the older brother, exhausted by slaving in the Father’s house, fulfilling all the duties, checking off the boxes? The invitation is to come into the house as a son, not a slave. Enjoy the provisions of the Father. Celebrate his love for you. Wallow in the peace and joy of his presence!

Are you the father, patiently (or not so patiently) watching for the return of a wayward soul? The invitation is to foster the unconditional love God has for all his creation. Continue to watch, fatten the calf, prepare the feast! (I find it interesting that the father had a calf fattened. How often do you think he went through the process before the son returned home? He didn’t give up and neither should you!)

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Posted on April 29, 2021 by beverlyeash

The story of the prodigals is told in Luke 15. Jesus uses the story to expose the self-righteous behavior of the religious people contrasted with the lavish, reckless, unconditional love of the Father for those who have wandered away. The cliff notes version of the story can be found in Tuesday’s blog post.

The older brother found it impossible to rejoice when his younger brother returned home. Doing so seemed irresponsible to him after his brother’s wasteful extravagant use of their father’s wealth. He put himself in the place of judge, determining that his younger brother did not deserve to be celebrated. What would make it so difficult for him to see past the wandering, rejoicing that his brother was home again? It is helpful to carefully read the complaint he registered with his father.

28“The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, 29but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. 

Luke 15:28-29

The older son wasn’t taking advantage of his sonship; he saw himself as slave in his father’s house. When I live according to a lie – I am a slave – I will not experience the depth of Father’s love for me. Jesus said, “I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” (John 15:15)

Paul reiterates the same concept in his letter to the church in Rome. He says, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, ‘Abba, Father.’ For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.” (Romans 8:15)

The older son saw himself not as a friend or a son, but as a fearful slave. He didn’t enjoy the benefits afforded to him as a child of the father; rather, he lived a dutiful, responsible life getting the required work done. Perhaps he focused on not being like his younger brother, but he missed the point of relationship. Notice what the father has to say to him.

31“His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours. 

Luke 15:31

There are certainly benefits of living next to the Father. Everything he has is mine. But all of that will be worthless if I don’t live in the truth of his love for me. I won’t access it. Obedient legalism will be the trademark of my life rather than outrageous joyful service. Wallowing in perceived neglect, I am unable to celebrate or rejoice in the good things that come to others.

The difficulty doesn’t really lie in whether or not others deserve God’s goodness, forgiveness and love. It stems from my own perception of my position with the Father.

Certainly developing the discipline of celebrating others will help, but that is only a symptom of a deeper issue. Pause and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the lie you are believing. Do you see yourself as obligated to serve the Father? Are you a slave or a dearly loved child? How have you neglected to access the blessings of God because you are dutifully serving rather than joyfully responding to the love of Father?

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Posted on April 28, 2021 by beverlyeash

In the story of the Prodigal Son which I believe would be more aptly named the Prodigal Father, there are three characters. There is the father who owns a large estate and two sons. You can read the whole story in Luke 15 or check out yesterday’s post for the Cliff Notes version.

The outstanding characteristic of the father is his reckless, lavish, unconditional love for his son who squandered his inheritance, dishonoring his father and their cultural customs in the process. He kept his eye out for his son’s return every day so when his son was on the way home, he saw him from a long way off.

The older son, while not displaying the same lavish love for his brother, is far easier for me to relate to. He could not find it within himself to rejoice when his brother returned home. The wasteful use of his inheritance was all he could see and he determined that he could not applaud someone who was so careless. Refusing to come into the party, he pointed, judged and shamed his brother.

How often have I stood in the place of judge toward my fellow humans? Sometimes it is jealousy that prevents me from rejoicing with the successes of others. Other times, it is my judgement that the person hasn’t earned the right to be celebrated. I find that I keep a scales well oiled and operational and when needed, I put the perceived good on one side and perceived evil on the other. I then respond to whichever side wins out – my perception of the good and evil in another.

Except that isn’t what we are supposed to do and scripture would indicate that I cannot possibly know the heart condition or motives of another. While it may seem to my human eye that a person has not adequately repented or done the work of penance, it simply is not in my wheelhouse to make that determination.

Rather, it is my responsibility to forgive as I have been forgiven; to give as freely as I have received. Perhaps the reason I find it difficult to give is because I haven’t fully received. I haven’t experienced the lavish love of the Father in my own life?

12I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus.

I John 2:12

8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!

Matthew 10:8

Stop for just a minute and ponder the older brother? Is there any way that he reflects your own response to others? What prevents you from rejoicing when others prosper, succeed, are promoted? Would it be a fitting discipline to consciously speak words of affirmation, praise and rejoicing to someone today?

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Posted on April 27, 2021 by beverlyeash

Prodigal means to use or spend in a wastefully extravagant manner and to be lavishly generous. While one is irresponsible, the other is received with joy. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus tells three stories to his listeners regarding lost items — the sheep, the coin and the son.

In the first story, the shepherd leaves the 99 sheep to look for the one sheep that is lost. It illustrates the passion of God for the one who wanders away; he concludes by saying that all of heaven throws a party when one person repents and returns to God, but does nothing for the 99 righteous people who didn’t wander away.

In the second story, a woman loses a coin and searches her entire home until she finds it and then rejoices and throws a party for the neighbors. In the same way, the angels rejoice when a sinner repents.

In the third story, a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance and proceeds to spend it with wasteful extravagance. Eventually, he is working among the pigs, longing to fill his stomach with their slop. He decides to return home, knowing that his father’s slaves have plenty to eat.

The father sees him coming from a long way off and runs to him. Not waiting for the son to explain himself, he clothes him in the best robe and kills the fattened calf to celebrate this son who wandered off but now is home.

As the story goes, the older brother comes in from working the fields and hears the music. Learning of the party to celebrate his younger brother’s return, he refuses to come in. Complaining that he was never offered anything to party with his friends, he remains outside.

The story concludes with the father telling the older son he was always with him and had access to everything whenever he wanted it.

To be honest, the story ends in an unsatisfying way. We don’t know what happens between the brothers. Jesus doesn’t really finish; there is no solid conclusion.

Perhaps that is the beauty of this story. It allows the reader to draw her own conclusion, to identify with each of the characters.

To me, this story is about the lavish generosity of God not the reckless wastefulness of the younger son. In spite of all the ways the younger son dishonored the father and their cultural traditions, he looked for him to return every day. Notice this outstanding characteristic of the father:

20“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Luke 15:20

No matter where I go, how far away I get — my father in heaven is watching for me. He sees me coming from a long way off and runs to meet me. It isn’t a “I’ll meet you halfway” sort of thing. He runs to me, pushing aside my explanations and welcomes me back into the family. All of heaven throws a party.

No matter what you’ve done, you can’t outrun God’s love. He watches for you to turn and he starts running toward you the minute you do. Our God is a prodigal God — lavishly, recklessly, generously receiving those who wander away. Sometimes he’s accused of being wasteful with his grace, but he offers it anyway. And he’s offering it to you!

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Posted on April 26, 2021 by beverlyeash

My friend recently purchased a new vehicle. As often is the case, she wanted to keep it “new” as long as possible. As also is often the case these days, not all restaurants are open for inside dining. While on an all day outing, we needed to get some lunch. Do we eat in the vehicle or not? Eating outside wasn’t an option; eating inside the restaurant wasn’t an option; skipping lunch wasn’t an option. We ate in the vehicle.

When I was putting my purchases in the back seat, I noticed little person mud on the door frame and floor beneath the car seat of her granddaughter. I also have grandchildren evidence in my backseat. Try as I might to keep it clean, I would rather have the smudgy prints on windows and cracker crumbs in the seat than the alternative. The mess is worth the time spent with children.

In the “One Year Bible” reading today, I heard these words read:

4Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

Proverbs 14:4

It’s true. There are things in my life that add extra work, perhaps even chaos at times. But without them, my life suffers. Even as I look around my living room today, I see evidence of yesterday’s events. Saturday began with a family breakfast, the remains of which were only wiped away on Sunday morning. I still see books, toys, princess dresses, dolls and home decor in places it doesn’t belong. Most conspicious of all is the Little Tikes swimming pool and water contraption in the middle of the room.

It will all soon be back in order, but I wouldn’t trade the hours of play on Saturday for the cleanliness of an unused space.

Many arenas of life require fastidious work to maintain. Perhaps, the messiness of interpersonal relationships at work is getting on your nerves, but without a job life is tough.

In what way do you find yourself wishing for a clean barn with no oxen, forgetting what you give up to keep the barn clean? What are you willing to sacrifice to enjoy an abundant life harvest right now?

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Posted on April 23, 2021 by beverlyeash

1The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. 2For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas and built it on the ocean depths.

Psalm 24:1-2

April 22 every year is Earth Day. It is a day set aside to raise awareness of the increasing need to care for the planet, it’s natural resources, energy sources, air and water pollution. As with anything, there is controversy that surrounds caring for the earth and how that should be done.

Recently I have wondered how well I care for God’s creation. Not only in nature, but the body he has given me. Am I caring for ALL of God’s creative work in a way that honors the Creator?

Here I am, with the Master Creator’s personal works of art all around me. Some days I metaphorically leave them out in the rain, not understanding or caring that they are being destroyed by the wind, rain and sun.

I am making the hard choices to be more attentive to all of God’s creative works. After all, the earth and everything in it, including the people, are His!

How will you better care for God’s creation around you today?

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