FOCUS: Waste
Wednesday’s Reading: Matthew 26:3-19, Mark 14:1-11, Luke 21:37 – 22:6, John 12:1-8
“For she has done a beautiful thing to me.” – Jesus (Matthew 26:10)
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About a six weeks ago, a friend had a dream about me. In it I was busy cleaning and organizing instead of praying. Ouch. First, can I just say that I am grateful to have friends who are willing to share hard things in order to help me follow Jesus more fully. In fact, recently there have been several situations where I’ve been overwhelmed with gratitude that my closest friends are people who won’t just affirm my selfishness or feed my self-pity or talk me out of hard things, but who will constantly point me to Jesus. This is what I need! I have enough voices affirming what my flesh wants.
Because of this dream, I’m becoming more intentional about my tendency to DO DO DO. I know I’m a do-er by nature. I know I’m a Martha. And that’s okay, but I also want to cultivate a Mary heart.
On Monday morning I was so overwhelmed by how much I had to do. I’d been out of town over the weekend, the house was a mess, Easter’s around the corner, I had a dozen people coming for dinner that night, and the week’s calendar was so full. The temptation was strong to skimp on prayer in order to make time for all the tasks. But I kneeled by my bed and asked for His input, His wisdom. Clearly I heard,
“First things first.”
So I did. I had my morning time in the Word. I did my normal prayer walk with a friend, then had a phone prayer date with another friend. Then my kids were invited to spend the afternoon at friend’s house, so I found myself with three hours to myself. This never happens. My kids are usually with me 24-7. And I truly had so much to do so I immediately began planning out how I could maximize my alone-time to accomplish as much as possible.
But as I put Justice down for a nap and kneeled on the floor in the dark to pray, I knew God was inviting me to waste a little time with Him first.
My flesh had to die just a little. There were SO MANY THINGS UNDONE. Company was coming. I had legitimate tasks to complete.
“First things first.”
I couldn’t help but hear Jesus’ words for Martha and for me:
“One thing is necessary…”
What is the first thing?
Worship. Adoration. Being with God.
So I looked at all the undone tasks and told them to be quiet. I curled up on the couch and spent time talking to God, listening to Him through His Word, asking His input, rolling over all the cares back onto Him, where they belong.
It was time well spent.
And wouldn’t you know it, Justice ended up taking a longer-than-usual nap and I had plenty of time to finish all the other tasks.
The significance of this all was not lost on me.
Today in the readings we see the religious leaders gathering at the palace of the high priest to discuss how they can secretly arrest and kill Jesus. We see Judas agreeing to betray Jesus. We see Jesus continuing to teach in the temple. And we see Mary break her alabaster flask and pour out her expensive ointment, anointing Jesus with worship, with love.
Everyone said it was a waste, but Jesus said it was beautiful.
I know this is a busy week. I get that there are so many good things to do. But could you carve out some time today to waste at Jesus’ feet?
The sad reality of ministry is that it’s all too easy to busy ourselves with “ministry” tasks and completely neglect the One behind it all. So today, I invite you:
FOCUS on wasting time with Jesus.
Reflection for today: Look over your calendar and to-do lists for this week and carefully consider whether you can cut out any unnecessary activity. Allow some extra margin, some white space, and purposefully schedule time to do nothing but sit, pray, listen to worship music, read scripture, and talk to God. Give your heart time with Jesus. This is the best possible way to celebrate the fact that He is alive today. Hang with Him today! Thanks for reading.
FOCUS: Surrender
Tuesday’s Reading: Matthew 21:23 – 26:3, Mark 11:27 – 13:37, Luke 20 – 21:36 (today’s are longer than the rest, perhaps break up into two sittings…)
“And He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.” Luke 21:3
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Most days I am gaga over my kids. I love their smell, their voices, their hilarious stories and wild imaginations. But some days I do not. Some days I want them to go away. Far away. And it’s usually because of this:
Me: Dutch, please pick up your toys.
Dutch: All of the toys? Or just my toys? What about Heidi’s toys? Do I have to pick up her toys too?
Me: Just pick them all up.
Dutch: What about Max? Can I leave him out?
Me: Whatever. Just pick up!
Dutch: What about the papers and coloring stuff? Do I have to pick up the coloring stuff?
[Insert me leaving the room so I don’t say, “I don’t give a rip what you do just STOP TALKING AND MAKE ALL THIS STUFF GO AWAY!!!!”]
Now, I understand it’s important for me to clarify exactly what I’m asking Dutch to do. But often (OFTEN) he’s only asking questions so that he can do the least amount of work possible.
His questions are thinly-veiled attempts to keep his own discomfort to a minimum.
Over and over and over in Tuesdays’s passages we see the Scribes, Pharisees, chief priests and Sadducees approaching Jesus with “questions.” But their questions had nothing to do with wanting to gain knowledge, wisdom or understanding, their questions were challenges of authority and thinly-veiled attempts to keep their own discomfort to a minimum.
One in particular stands out: The chief priests and scribes ask Jesus about paying taxes, crafting their question in a way that might easily entangle a lesser man than Christ. But Jesus cuts to the heart of the issue:
“Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.”
Done. The response: “Marveling at his answer, they became silent.”
See, our world is full of people who are “questioning” the faith. Often these “questions” are nothing more than an attempt to be let “off the hook” of worshiping Christ and bowing before Him in humble obedience. They are thinly veiled attempts to keep their own discomfort to a minimum. Do you know what I mean? There is absolutely a place for humble, honest, sincere questions–but we are wise to recognize when our “questioning” is nothing more than an attempt to slip away from surrender.
Right after this story, a woman comes on the scene. She does no questioning. In fact, she doesn’t even speak:
“And Jesus looked up and saw … a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”
She easily could have questioned the tithe. She could have tried some similarly-slippery Scribe-like reasoning to weasel her way out of worship:
“Jesus, do I really have to tithe? I mean technically it’s impossible to tithe off of two coins, an amount that can’t be divided by 10, right?”
She saves her words and just obeys. She gives all she had. Instead of arguing, questioning, and trying to “figure it out” she just goes ahead and gives all she has. No calculating or scheming.
Just surrendering. So today we:
FOCUS on simply surrendering everything to Him.
Reflection for today: Is there any area of your life you’re struggling to trust God? Are you peppering Him with questions instead of simply obeying? Is there any portion of your heart, your time, your finances, or your family, where you sense you’re still fighting for white-knuckled control? Spend time quietly with Him and ask Him if there’s anywhere He wants you to simply surrender this week. Thanks for reading.
FOCUS: On the sacred celebration
Monday’s Reading: Matthew 21:12-22, Mark 11:12-19, Luke 19:45-46, Luke 21:37-38
“Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, “It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.” Matthew 21:12-13
After the Triumphal Entry, after the crowds are shouting Hosanna, the following day (Monday) Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and entered the temple. It is not a sweet and peaceful scene. This is kind of a scary one. Jesus only openly demonstrates outrage one time in Scripture and this is the time. Even when He’s beaten, scourged, and hung on a cross He is in complete composure, but this, this scene in the temple sets Him off, holy anger consumes Him and He’s enraged, overturning tables and chairs, driving out the peddlers, refusing to let anyone carry anything through the temple. Why? Because, as He said, “My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers.”
God intended the temple to be a sacred place where man and God commune, but people had turned a holy ritual it into a money-making venture.
Let’s think about this: They had turned a holy ritual into a money-making venture.
When we look to Jesus we see Him ticked off about letting sacred celebrations turn into crass commercialism, turn into a money-changing event.
FOCUS on the sacred celebration, not the Easter items to buy.
I’m always surprised at how strong the pull is to buy the latest seasonal items. Just last night I was looking at pastel-colored tops. For Easter, right?! Pretty sure I can still honor Jesus’ raising from the dead even if I’m not wearing pastel! 😉 Not saying seasonal shopping is bad, but it’s interesting how easily we are pulled into whatever the “must have” item is. This Easter, our church community is taking time to fast, a simple sacrifice to purposefully dis-engage from all the self-centered aspects of the holiday, and focus our hearts and minds on the incredible sacrifice Christ made for us.
What about you? What material items are most important to you during this season? Is there anything perhaps you could go without this year, for the same of simplifying and keeping the focus on the sacred celebration? Not saying every purchase is forbidden, or that a fast is required, but consider which purchases and indulgences are really necessary to help your family, and those around you, FOCUS on Christ. {Thanks for reading.}
FOCUS: A gospel gaze in a Peeps culture
{I shared last week that things are a bit cray-cray at my house as we move on Saturday (tucked in between the Good Friday evening service and Easter morning service). My house looks like a bomb went off, and my to-do list is as long as my leg, BUT in the midst of this I want to FOCUS my gaze on Him. This week is the perfect opportunity to FOCUS on His face in the midst of the crazy-mundane. So I’m revisiting these thoughts from a few years ago, and I hope perhaps some tidbit from them can be encouraging for you too as we celebrate Passion Week, and what our glorious Savior accomplished for us on the cross. Thanks so much for joining me this week as we look to Him.}
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I took my kids to Winco last week. I know, I’m not sure which is worse, going to the mall on Christmas Eve or going to Winco at noon during flu season with two small children. No matter what precautions I take it’s inevitable that at some point I look down and one of them is resting his or her mouth on the edge of the cart. I turn into psycho-mom: “STOP! DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING!!”
Now, keep in mind I am a very focused shopper. I have my list (that’s short) and I maneuver strategically through the store to cross off said items and exit as quickly as possible. Obviously shopping alone is the best way to achieve this, but I thought I’d be fun to take my kids with me. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I was masterfully weaving through the aisles, and was just about to head into the shortest line when I made my one fatal mis-step. The last item on my list was hairspray and I needed to pass by the Easter display in order to reach the toiletry aisle. I should have skipped it. (Who needs hairspray?) But I did and so I risked it.
Big mistake. As soon as we turned a corner the ENORMOUS pink bunnies stared at us, along with 8-foot high wall-displays of Peeps in every color and chocolate bunnies as tall as my daughter, and pastel baskets and eggs and purple Cadbury packages as far as the eye could see.
“WOW!! Mommy, look! Look!!!”
And then there was no stopping the commotion of excitement and what are these and can we have them and maybe next year and when I’m older and just a bite and I wonder what they taste like and can I use my Christmas money to get some??? PLEASE???”
We came out of it fine, without any pastel-purchases AND without tears, so that was no small victory, but my sweet children were such a picture of ME so often, of us, of our culture. And of course I adore my children so I make this application with affection because the same way I bear with and understand (and even find humor in) their something-shiny nano-second attention spans, I believe God looks at us with affection (and perhaps humor) when we demonstrate that same sort of focus. Hopefully, however, we grow up just a bit.
That’s my prayer for us this coming week. That we would have a gospel-gaze in a Peeps-culture.
First off, don’t worry—I’m not here to rant and rave about how evil the Easter bunny is. I find that a teaspoon of inspiration is worth a truckload of brow-beating, so my hope for this week is that as we simply look at the Easter story, we will be so captivated by its beauty that we get a gospel-gaze. A fixed FOCUS on Christ that carries us through the distraction of shiny-objects and the commotion and chaos of not just the Easter season but LIFE.
See, life here in this culture can be distracting, yes? We live in a Peeps culture. And I don’t just mean the hideous marshmallowy things, although they do a pretty good job representing what we typically seek after—bright colors, instant sugar-high, long-term headache, lethargy and craving for more. Right? But even the name Peeps — by definition “peep” is to “look quickly and furtively at something.”
We are, as a culture, constantly peeping from one thing to the next. Always the next newest shiny thing, the next fad, the next quick fix. But Scripture draws us to leave the peeping life of distraction and fix our focus on Christ. With a gospel-gaze we intentionally choose to turn out the distracting cacophony of competing voices and noises, and we choose to zero in on the cross and filter all of life through the lens of the gospel. The only way to do this is to look — often — at Jesus. The more we focus on Him, the light of the world, the more we’ll be able to see the rest of our lives in their true light. So that’s what we’re doing this coming week, looking at Jesus through the events of Passion Week.
Letting His life bring FOCUS to our own.
Thanks for reading.