A Reed Shaken by the Wind

Scripture: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?” Luke 7:24

Observation: Jesus is talking about John the Baptist. He is telling the crowd that John, contrary to what they might have expected, is truly a prophet, the prophet, come to make way for Jesus. Jesus tells them this by asking some questions about who they really came to see. Did they come to see a reed shaken by the wind? Did they come to see a well-dressed man living in luxury? Or did they come to see a prophet of God? Jesus is challenging their expectations. And at the same time, he is commending John for not being a reed, flimsy and uncertain. He is commending John for not being a man living in luxury. He is commending John for being God’s man.

Application: I feel God is speaking to me this morning about my role as a pastor. Many people may have many expectations about me and who and what I should be. But I need to be God’s man. Specifically, I am struck by the reed-shaken-in-the-wind metaphor. People do not need a leader who is waffling and uncertain, who allows whatever pressure the wind blows at that moment to bend and jar him. While maintaining humility and flexibility, I want to be a man who knows his God, knows his purpose, and carries it out.

Prayer: God, give me strength to be more than a reed. To have spiritual backbone, true grit when it comes to your truth and your vision. Don’t let me allow people pleasing to shake me, but be willing to stand for your truth in love.

When Jesus Says No

Scripture: I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose. Luke 4:43

Observation: After healing all who came to him, Jesus gets away to a desolated place. But the crowds follow him, begging him to stay in their town. They are looking for Jesus to be their full time caretaker and personal physician. But Jesus refuses this request. He *must* leave for he has been sent with a purpose. A purpose much bigger than healing the hurting. He has come to preach the good news.

Application: Sometimes I forget Jesus’ purpose in my life. I come to him to heal, to fix, to change things, to improve my life. None of these are necessarily wrong requests, but if they do not line up with his purpose, they may get denied. Jesus is not here for my needs, he is here to do the Father’s will. This could make him unpopular, but he *must* be about his father’s business. Even if this means he says no to legitimate needs.
As I continue to explore the new role I have as pastor of this church, I find that people come to me with all kinds of needs. I have to prayerfully consider these, but ultimately, I have to weigh all needs against the purpose for which I was sent, the mission of God among his people. What may be hard news to swallow (and harder to deliver) is the answer, “No, I must do this instead.”

Prayer: God, give me discernment to know your purpose in any opportunity that comes my way. And give me courage to stick to your truth even at the risk of being unpopular or seen as unspiritual. And give me the love to be able to share truth.

But For This Purpose

Scripture: Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.” Exodus 9:13
But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

Observation: God declares his purpose for people. His purpose in rescuing his people is that they might serve him. His purpose in placing Pharaoh in power is so that God’s name may be proclaimed. For both the faithful and faithless, God has a plan. He uses all for his purposes.

Application: I think loss of purpose is a modern-day plague that affects us all. It affects those far from God in that they live lives unaware of the purpose for which they have been created. It affects even believers who tend to forget why they were rescued. Believers can easily think they were rescued for some future purpose—Heaven. Or they were rescued to be free from a past consequence—their sin. But it is easy to forget we are saved to serve. We are rescued to follow and obey God. When we see this, it helps us put the purpose of evil in context. Instead of shaking our fists at Heaven and asking why an evil like Pharaoh has power in this world, we can see that ultimately, Pharaoh is a pawn of God, moved around His chessboard for the purpose of proclaiming God’s name. Because of Pharaoh’s evil, the power of God to rescue is a bell that still sounds to this day. Without the evil, there could be no deliverance.

Prayer: God, help me remember my purpose. You saved me to serve. You use even evil to proclaim your name. Help me remind my kids of this, myself of this, my church of this. God has a purpose for Pulpit Rock—he saved us to serve His purpose now. Thanks for your sovereignty. It has always been a rock I come back to again and again when the world spins.

When God Gets Dressed

Scripture: For as the loincloth clings to the waist of a man, so I made the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah cling to me, declares the Lord, that they might be for me a people, a name, a praise, and a glory, but they would not listen. Jeremiah 13:11

Observation: Just as my clothes hang on my body, God’s people were created to hang on God. On our own, we are crumpled piles of cloth. But when God puts us on and begins to move, we have purpose. We belong to him, we have a name, we have a praise and a glory. But unlike inanimate clothes, we have a choice. We can either listen to God and cling to him, or ignore him and become a loincloth good for nothing.

Application: I was created for God. He does not exist for me. I am a t-shirt in the closet of God. I only have life and meaning and purpose and power as God puts me on and wears me around. The question is, as God is getting dressed today, will he put me on? Will I be worn by him, or passed over? The key, is seems in Jeremiah, is me making the decision to listen and follow what God says. God wears clothes that listen.

Prayer: God, I feel over the last year you have been teaching me that you want to talk to me in some different ways than I have been used to. You want to tell me things, if I will listen. I have already seen your words come true. Help me to discern your voice. Help me to listen. Speak to me, and I will follow you. I want to be worn by you today.