Peace on Earth?

"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." Matthew 10:34

I love scriptures like this because they challenge our perception of our Lord. When we think of Jesus, one of the first things we think of is peace. Here Jesus says, "wait a second. Don't automatically assume I came to bring peace to the earth. I came to bring peace to the extent that it will bring glory to my Father. Sometimes however, my sword is needed to accomplish my Father's will."

What does a sword do? It cuts, it divides. Wait, isn't Jesus supposed to unite and not divide. Yes!! Jesus is supposed to unite those who are on his team. But in addition to that, he has to determine who exactly is on his team! That means he has to divide his teammates from his opponents. Think about this: the Super Bowl is in 2 weeks. If Arizona and Pittsburgh both had the same colors and jerseys on, don't you think it would be a little difficult to distinguish who you needed to pass the ball to in order for the correct team to score? That's what Jesus is doing here. He is basically saying, I have to determine who is on my team and the only way I can do that is by dividing those on my team from those on the opposing team.

The unfortunate thing about Jesus' team is that (according to him) it divides mother against daughter and father against son. However Jesus is saying if you're playing on my team, no one can take priority over your coach and your teammates. Verse 37 of this same passage says "anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." In Luke's parallel passage (14:26) Jesus says 'if anyone does not hate his father or mother, son or daughter, he is not worthy of me.' Can you believe that? How can our great and glorious Lord be promoting hate?!?!?! Actually, he isn't. He's basically saying that your love for me has to be so great that in comparison your love for father, mother, son, and/or daughter should seem like hate. That's how strongly I want you with me and this team. Sticking with our football analogy, let's take two NFL quarterbacks who are very popular: Eli and Peyton Manning. Brothers who quarterback for different teams. In the past few years, they haven't had to compete against each other but if they did, guess what, their brother relationship would be cast aside once they get on that field. While in that game, Peyton's allegiance is to Indianapolis and Eli's is to New York.

So, whose team are you on? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!

-Jake Greene

The Impossible Prayer Journal

This past Sunday, Linda Sothern taught on journaling as a spiritual discipline. She called me the Journal Queen and I am. But Linda talked about a type of journal that I don't have: the Impossible Prayer Journal. This journal is to record things that seem impossible. She talked about how Chaplin Black at the Senate has one and how he has seen God answer his impossible prayers.

Since I'm such a journal junkie and I have a pile of unused journals on my office table, I committed to start one. I wrote my first entry in it tonight. It wasn't fancy but the list was things I feel are impossible right now.

Here is the strange thing. After I finished writing, I realized that I was praying too small. Everything on my list was things God already promised to do or that are probable. For instance, one of my impossible prayers is to get a three-book contract. Well, if I keep writing and studying my craft, it's already possible for me to get one.

Sad to say, I see where I'm limiting God. I've been asking for things that I can already see happening, but not what is really impossible. Do you do that? Do you pray and ask God for things that are already probable?

My list revealed my faith in God. Why are my prayers so small if I believe that God is the God of the impossible? So I'm going to make another attempt. I'm going to pray that the AIDS epidemic in Africa stop. I'm going to pray that the people in China will be able to be openly Christian. I'm going to pray that the abortion rate go down and the adoption rate go up. I'm praying that every unbeliever that comes to National be saved.

What about you? How big are your prayers?

-Terri J. Haynes