Author: Chuck & Deb

Read Matthew 20.17-19

“As Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem, He took the twelve disciples aside by themselves…” (Matthew 20:17)

THE INNER CIRCLE

If you ask me to keep a secret, I’ll probably ask you if I can tell my wife. I don’t keep many secrets from Deb because we try to tell each other about everything that happens in life. That’s how close Jesus was to His disciples. He just had to pull them aside and give them the inside scoop on what was about to happen to Him for their sake and the glory of God. I know many of us have this kind of relationship with our spouse. But do we have it with men and woman we are discipling? Is there someone we feel compelled to let into the inner circle for the sake of protection, instruction, or rejoicing? It’s amazing how affirming this act of trust can be. If you’re looking to build a special relationship with a few disciples, let them into the inner circle of your life.

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Read Matthew 20.1-16

“When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us” (Matthew 20:11-12)

DO YOU WANT WHAT YOU DESERVE?

My son Wes had learned a crucial lesson in life. His Gameboy was taken away by his teacher and he wasn’t even playing with it in class like the other boys. When we asked him what he learned from the whole circumstance, he calmly replied, “Life isn’t fair.” Wow! Fifth grade is pretty early to be making that observation. Sometimes you’ll hear people demand justice or complain about not being treated fairly. One of the things we need to come to grips with is that grace is never fair or just. In fact, it’s counterintuitive for us — unless, of course, we personally need the mercy. It‘s God’s prerogative to extend His grace when and how He wishes. Can you imagine what our life and future would be like if we got what we deserved or if God was “fair”? That’s what makes grace so amazing!

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Read Matthew 19.27-30

“And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)

INVESTING WISELY

After I quoted a Scripture verse to answer his question he said, “I wish I could do that.” “Do what?” I replied. “I wish I could remember where Bible verses are and be able to answer peoples‘ questions like that.” I assured him, “Oh, but you can! It just takes a little time memorizing and you can do exactly what I did.” I could tell by his expression he wasn’t even remotely interested to do the work that it would take to make his wish a reality. There is reward for sacrifice and hard work. Jesus promises as much. It‘s true that God is very gracious and gives to us even what we don’t deserve. But He is also the “Great Multiplier.” See how He exponentially increases our small but important efforts. His ways are always a wise investment.

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Read Matthew 19.16-26

“And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

SAVE YOURSELF?

My son, Chuck, was recently in a firefight in Afghanistan. He told me how bullets kicked up dirt in front of and behind him. His tactics were sound, he was doing the right thing, and yet the enemies bullets still came that close. By the grace of God, he was spared. It only goes to show how impossible it is to completely protect ourselves from danger. The rich young ruler wanted to be saved but he was relying on his own ability. Until, of course, Jesus raised the bar. The standard was set so high that the young ruler was forced to acknowledge that he didn’t have it in him. We need to remember the same: we don’t have it in us. It‘s impossible for us to do enough to save ourselves. Ultimately, our fate rests in the grace of God. Only the mercy of Jesus and His work on the cross is powerful enough to do the impossible.

How does knowing you can’t do enough to earn your salvation effect you?

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Read Matthew 19.13-15

“But Jesus said, “Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14-15)

BRINGING OUR CHILDREN TO JESUS

One of the greatest mistakes I made in raising my boys was not emphasizing Jesus enough. There were so many things that clouded a clear view of our Lord: ministry, career, religion, school, discipline, finances, recreation, and the list goes on. If I had to do it over again, I would have talked about Jesus as though He were really in the room (and He is) and all that He is and does for us. I would have majored on His teaching and life instead of the classic Sunday school stories of David and Goliath or Noah and the Ark. I would have majored on reading the gospels over and over again until being like Jesus was second nature. Why will we teach our kids about everything else and only give them a little bit of Jesus? My advice to parents today? Bring your kids to Jesus. Make Him the focus of Your teaching.

How often do You talk about Jesus with your kids?

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Read Matthew 19.1-12

“The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this, it is better not to marry.” (Matthew 19:10)

THE MAINTENANCE FREE MARRIAGE

As a Chaplain, I counseled hundreds of couples who had made a train wreck of their marriage. Most expected me to wave a magic wand and “poof” everything was better. Instead, I would lay out a plan for them to work their way back into a healthy relationship. Why do we expect this to be easy? You can see our attitude in the statement made by the disciples, “Man, if I have to work at this thing, I may as well not even start.” Jesus says it could work for those with the gift of celibacy but not for the normal Joe and Josie. Couples need to realize that marriage is work. Love is work. God expects us to be diligent in the labor of love. It’s amazing to see what can happen when we put a little elbow grease into our relationships. There‘s no such thing as maintenance–free marriage.

Are you giving daily attention to your relationships?

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Read Matthew 18.21-35

“My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35)

A DISASTROUS MISCALCULATION

I watched him quickly descend the face of the cliff. He was showing off in front of the students and his Australian Rappel was flawless until he hit the small ledge at the end of the rope. Now, having run out of rope, he would fall another 50 feet because he had misjudged his speed. He survived the fall but his miscalculation cost him dearly. The unforgiving slave in Jesus’ parable made a gross miscalculation, as well. I don’t pretend to understand how to reconcile total forgiveness of all sin and Jesus‘ pronouncement about conditional forgiveness based on forgiving others. But I do know this; I am at the end of my spiritual rope and desperately need to be forgiven for my sins. So I will slow down and carefully forgive others as I have been forgiven. Then I will land safely on the ledge of His grace. Failure to do so could be a disastrous miscalculation.

Who do you need to forgive? Do it today and don’t look back!

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Read Matthew 18.15-20

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.” (Matthew 18:15)

WHO LOVES YOU THIS MUCH?

It stung to hear the words coming from my friend. He told me that I was being petty and had lost focus on what was really important. My normal reaction is to be defensive and hurt by the frankness and the truth of what he was saying. But he had evaluated the situation accurately and now I was exposed in the nakedness of my sin. My first inclination was to do exactly what has been done since the first sin in the garden: hide. Then, to give justifications and excuses so that I could maintain the veneer of my reputation. But instead, I listened and took it to heart. He was right. But much more than that, he loved me enough to risk our relationship and draw me out from my hiding place. True friends enter these very dangerous places. They go to the depths of the crevices to rescue us from our disastrous falls.

Do you have a friend like this? Have you made it easy for someone to be this kind of friend?

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Read Matthew 18.12-14

“If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.” (Matthew 18:13)

THE POWER OF ONE

If you try to call my cell phone while I’m in a one-on-one discipleship meeting, you’ll have to leave a message. It’s because at that moment this one person has my undivided attention. Why am I so dogged about this ministry? Because I realize the potential residing in this one person. So much of what we do in Christendom is oriented toward the 99 but I have found people merely get lost in the masses. One of the reasons people don’t become healthy, reproductive disciples of Jesus is because they don’t get the individual attention required to pull off such a feat. Imagine what the Church would look like if every individual could help another individual grow in their relationship with Christ. I tell you there is no building big enough to contain such a movement.

Who is your one sheep you are helping follow Jesus?

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Read Matthew 18.1-11

“Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!” (Matthew 18:7)

REMOVE ALL OBSTACLES

Just a few days ago, I became “that guy.” I got confused in the mall parking lot. You know, the ones where there are no stop signs where there should be and are where they shouldn’t be. I got confused, but proceeded across the intersection anyway and got caught in the middle. Now I was stuck with traffic hemming me in on all sides, the center of attention. I had become an obstacle to many committed Mallsters and their shopping pleasures. Jesus talks about obstacles that are in the way of eternal life. He says, “Woe to the man” who becomes a stumbling block to peoples‘ spiritual growth. And it’s better to whack off body parts than to be a stumbling block to one’s own spiritual growth. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather face a mob angry shopaholics than hear Jesus say “Woe unto you” because I became an obstacle to His plans for me or another.

How can a person get in the way of another’s relationship with Jesus?

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