Coffee With The Lord

The Lord knows what makes us tick – what our inner motivations are – better than anyone else!

A rich you guy came up to Jesus… obviously, something had been bothering him… he had a lot of money and plenty of “toys”… but there was still something missing!  A lot of people looked up to him!  He was the epitome of success… probably “dressed for success,” enjoyed a lot of recognition in the community, attended a prestigious synagogue, lived a good life – in every way looked like it had it all together… But deep within there was still something missing… a haunting uncertainty… “eternal life”?  What about “eternal life?”  What happened after death?  Could you get “insurance” for that?  Was that an “investment” you could make?

He had heard Jesus knew a lot about those kind of issues… so he put on his best suit, and approached Jesus at one his meetings respectfully after one of his talks… “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?”

Jesus suggested a few commandments from the Torah… The Bible.  His response?  “I’ve kept all of those to the best of my ability… But there’s still something missing!

I think Jesus knew Him inside-out! He knew what “made him tick!”  (He knows us all that completely and thoroughly!)  He knew this incredibly successful young businessman had a “stealth god” … Materialism!  Mammon!  Money!  Perhaps even, God forbid, greed!!

Jesus nailed his issue!  Here’s what the Bible says about the encounter… “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’  But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich!

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!  Again I say, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.’”  (Matthew 19:21–24 NET)

Jesus knows us inside-out!  He knows what motivates us deep within!  Our “stealth god” may be money and possessions (it is for many people – it even was to a degree for Peter… read the next verses and Peter’s “what will there be in it for us” comment).  But for you and me it may be something else.  Jesus knows… He’ll put His finger on it if we’ll ask Him.  Oh my!  I’ve got to tell you… “I don’t want to go away sorrowful” because I’m unwilling to deal with it!  I want “eternal life” more than anything else!  I don’t want any other “gods” before Him!  I want to serve Him with a “pure (undivided) heart,” don’t you?

I’m not much of a composer and certainly don’t think of myself as a songwriter.  I do however, have melodies that arise in my heart and words to music that periodically pop into my head… At best they’re probably “songs for the shower!”

Today, however, I read a Psalm of David that had words I think I’d like to sing to my wonderful God!  So today, instead of waking everyone up in the house, I hummed a tune and let David’s words become a song to the Lord… Maybe you’d agree with what they say and try your own tune and make them your song to the Lord for His faithfulness and goodness…

“I say (or sing) to the Lord, ‘You are the Lord, my only source of well-being! … Lord, you give me stability and prosperity; You make my future secure… I constantly trust in You because You are at my right hand, I will not be unended.  So my heart rejoices and I am happy… You lead me in the path of life; I experience absolute joy in Your presence; You always give me sheer delight!’” (from Psalm 16)

I’m still humming a tune to Him and thinking of His goodness!  Hope this attitude of joy in the Lord continues all day long!

Read a great story in the Bible this morning, filled with tension and drama… But it is more than that – it describes a sobering reality!

“The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.  In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.  He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt.  But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’  Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.  But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.  His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.  When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset! They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.  Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.  Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’  Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.  AND THAT’S WHAT MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL DO TO YOU IF YOU REFUSE TO FORGIVE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS FROM YOUR HEART!”  (Matthew 18:23–35 NLT)

I read this story this morning and prayed… “Lord, I want you to know I NEVER want to be guilty of treating a fellow human being that way!  Thank you for forgiving me!  I always want to be willing to forgive others “from my heart!”