COME IN…GO OUT…FIND PASTURE…GO! Part I of II

“I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate, must surely be a thief and a robber! But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.” Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, so he explained it to them: “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:1-10 (NLT)

Ever sense a tug or an aching in your heart that you just couldn't explain or get rid of? Ever sense a disconnection or possibly a disbelief of God or of Jesus? We have all felt this from time to time, you are not alone! The Good News is even before we were born God put the thoughts of eternity and the “chip” in our DNA that recognizes we belong and long for our Creator. God is pursuing each one of us however we tend to fill this longing with other things that only bring temporary satisfaction, never totally fulfill the missing pieces of our lives until we surrender. If you are like me surrendering in not easy! I want to be in charge, be in control of my decisions and life. Surrendering takes courage sometimes even desperation to be willing to lose control in order to gain freedom.
In the above verses the Gatekeeper (Jesus) has walked through the sheep pen prior to calling the sheep to follow him. We don’t have to enter with fear, because we have learned to trust the Gatekeeper. He has told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you”, “I am with you always.” In biblical times and even now in some places there are multiple shepherds who use the same sheep pen to protect their sheep. But the sheep will always recognize their particular shepherd’s voice. We live in a world sheep pen with multiple shepherds overseeing a variety of flocks. Not all shepherds lead with the same purity, sincerity and the best interest of their flocks as our Shepherd does. Some shepherds even delegate the privilege of leading to hired hands that run and abandon the sheep when they experience danger or difficulty.
The purpose of the sheep pen is not for the sheep to remain permanently but as a retreat for a specific time. At night, when the danger is more prevalent from wild animals a sheep pen provides safety and salvation for the sheep.
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.”
But he also said, “He (the sheep) will COME IN, GO OUT and FIND PASTURE.”
Let's look at these three actions:

COME IN… Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)
Our COMING IN is a time of release from the past—its pain and bondage, from misconceptions, from the labor of our control, pride and our works. It is a time of leaving behind; a time of temporary and not permanent staying. We all need times of retreat, rest and renewal in order to go back out into the pastures. Throughout our lives there will be multiple COME IN’s. Jesus had multiple times of COME IN when He sought times of refreshing with God. COME IN is a preparation for......GO OUT.

(Part II coming......)
Blessings,
Kay

The Dagobah Perspective

I love Star Wars.  Yes, even the prequel trilogy.  But that's a different post for a different blog.

One of my favorite scenes in the original trilogy happens in Return of the Jedi.  (Warning, possible spoiler alert if you haven't seen them.)  Luke is in the middle of a swamp on a planet named Dagobah.  His teacher has just died and he is searching for answers.  It's then, that a translucent carbuncle of his previous teacher, Obi-wan Kenobi, arrives and explains somethings to him:

    Luke: Ben! Why didn't you tell me? You told me that Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father.
 
    Obi-Wan: Your father... was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force. He ceased to be Anakin
        Skywalker and "became" Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man who was your father
        was destroyed. So what I told you was true... from a certain point of view.

    Luke: A certain point of view?

    Obi-Wan: Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own
        point of view...

 Now, don't get all caught up in words like Dark Side, Force, and Skywalker.  The concept we're looking at here is perspective.  Let me ask you a question:

Can truth be dependent upon your perspective?

I don't want to get into a discussion of semantics or existentialism here, but let's go to a simple example.  You and I are standing next to each other in the woods.  You're standing behind a tree.  I am not.  I tell you there is a bear running straight toward us.  You tell me, there isn't.  The only way I can convince you this is a truth (before the bear reaches us) is to somehow get you to move from behind the tree and see the bear.

What bear?

Let's put this in a different context.


You have a friend that is addicted to porn, drinks like a fish every night, and gambles whatever money they have left over.  They need to hear the good news, you want to share the love of Jesus with them, but they are confident they want nothing to do with him, or church.

Or maybe you know someone who volunteers at a soup kitchen three nights a week.  They don't do drugs, they are responsible with their money.  They are also devoted and faithful to their family, and help their neighbors out regularly.  They've heard the typical "Christian" spiel.  And are not interested.

What does the first friend need from Jesus?

Ok change your perspective and look through their eyes.  They are having fun.  Or at least think they are.  It's their money, their body, they can do what they want with it.

How about the second friend?  See it from their eyes.  Church has nothing to offer them.  They are as the expression goes, "good people."


So, what do we do about this?  How do we change their perspective.  How do we get them to see what we see?  Well, I don't have a solid answer for you.  My response is, change your perspective.

Leave your comfort zone.  See the world through their eyes, or at least closer to their perspective.  Now, I'm not suggesting that anyone start drinking, gambling or doing other things of that nature to better understand a friend.  Open up to them.  Hear what they are really saying when they talk.

For Luke, Darth Vader was the man who murdered his father Anakin.  For Obi-wan, Vader was always the man who had been Anakin.  But Luke had the wrong perspective.  In his example, that wasn't his fault.  It was what people had told him to that point to give him that perspective.

Jesus changed his perspective for us.  He left the splendor that is Heaven to see the world how we see it.  To live like we live.  He came and felt the sun on his face, water at his toes.  He smelled the sweet and the pungent.  He felt with hands like yours and mine.  Philippians 2 says it like this:

        5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

        6Who, being in very nature God,

        did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

        7but made himself nothing,

        taking the very nature of a servant,

        being made in human likeness.

        8And being found in appearance as a man,

        he humbled himself

        and became obedient to death—

        even death on a cross!

So, since you're changing your perspective to see life from a friend or neighbors point of view, try and see that same friend from Jesus' perspective.

Jesus didn't see fishermen, he saw disciples.  He didn't see a woman caught in adultery, he saw a woman to forgive.  He didn't see a lost cause, he saw his cause, that was lost, and he came to bring us back.

Try changing your perspective, and experience life with the people around you.  Remember what Obi-wan said (yes I know he's a fictional character but his words ring true,)

"...many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view..."

Then remember the truer words Jesus said, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:16.  Try to show them something their perspective can see.

Christ living in you.

Stuck

Do you ever feel like you’re stuck?
That you’re not quite sure how or where to minister to others?
Disciple new believers?
Know what to say?
Or even know when those opportunities are right smack in front of your face and you end up missing it completely?

I know there are people that have a divine calling to ministry and can easily recognize opportunities, but what about the rest of us? Sometimes we miss those divine moments or opportunities that God puts in front of us and we miss those chances to follow the great commission of making disciples. Do not be discouraged! In Erwin McManus’s book, ‘Chasing Daylight’ he provides some insight into these moments or missed moments. He says, “If you’re stuck in a moment, turn around, stop looking backward, and dare to look forward. There is a life that awaits you, an opportunity to explore and even create a future. Time was not created with the power to hold you back. And if the future terrifies you, then just take it one moment at a time.” This should be used as encouragement to those of you, like me who have missed moments and opportunities.

Let me give you a personal example of a missed opportunity that may have happened to you before. For example, I didn’t take the time to offer to pray with a friend who I knew needed encouragement. I was busy cleaning up and taking care of other useless things that were occupying my time. I didn’t spare 5 minutes to encourage this person through prayer. I knew I should have taken the time to talk and pray with this friend. I even felt it in my conscience, but even still, I let the opportunity pass me by. How many times do we get caught up in our own lives and agendas that we miss out on opportunities to show God’s love through even simple things like 5 minutes of prayer with a friend? If we want to live alongside people, we must invest our time in them and their lives.

I think Erwin McManus is saying, so you missed a moment? We all have and will continue to miss moments because we aren’t perfect, but guess what? God already knows that, but just because we missed one moment or opportunity, doesn’t mean he will not stop providing opportunities in our daily lives. Pay attention to these moments; divine moments that God puts in our paths. Take down the blinders. “That’s the mystery of a moment. It is small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever. Life is the sum total of what you do with the moments given to you,” Erwin McManus, ‘Chasing Daylight.’ I encourage each of you to do life with each other and speak into other’s lives.

Invest in people, live alongside people, encourage people, show God’s love.