Author: Jacquelin Stoner

Jacqui is a writer, teacher, life coach, and an encourager. She walks alongside of individuals who need help navigating to the better place God has envisioned for their lives. She has discovered that God is central to genuine lasting life change.

HEAVEN’S HOT MIC

Reacting to a sound bite, I yell at the TV, calling that person stupid and an idiot.

I attended my son’s basketball games and (to his embarrassment) I frequently loudly yelled encouragement from the stands. During a heated battle with a particular team, a parent was ejected from the game. No, it was not me! The parent in question was screaming taunts and jeers at the ref. I knew this unruly father proclaimed himself as a believer. I hung my head in shame for the dishonor he brought to our Heavenly Father.

WHO CARRIES YOU AWAY?

Some people might say, “Oh, it was just a sports game. People just get carried away. They were just in the moment.” Let me pose the question, “Who carries you away?” I don’t think the Holy Spirit performed the carrying in that game.

A HOT MIC MOMENT

Heaven’s hot mic was turned on. A “hot mic” is a microphone turned on and it broadcasts publicly something considered private. All the angels heard the hot mic recording of that parent’s foul and abusive language.

FOUL AND ABUSIVE LANGUAGE

Scripture is clear.  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful…And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. (Ephesians 4:29-32)The Apostle Paul speaks plainly. He refers to words that are coarse, obscene and not acceptable in polite speech. Words you don’t want on permanent record and caught on a hot mic.  Things you would not say it if Jesus was right in the room. However, Jesus is right in the room!!!! Just because you can’t see Him, He still hears us and knows our hearts. Heaven’s hot mic is live.

POLITE SUBSTITUTIONS FOR BAD WORDS

As nice believers, we may adopt what we consider polite substitutions for abusive or four-letter words. Once I was on a mission trip. One of my co-workers constantly and habitually used the expression “freaking”. I finally pulled him aside and said, “Every time you say that word with that tone of voice, I hear its equivalent echoing from my own past. Could you please not say it? I want to put my painful sins in the rear mirror.”

BROTHERHOOD OF FOUL AND ABUSE

Foul language and abusive language are brothers. Abuse is name calling and ridicule. Language considered insulting, offensive, disrespectful, and intended to cause pain.

Have I ever called someone “stupid”, “worthless”, or an “idiot”?  Yes, guilty as charged.

I watch the news and can’t believe the behaviors of individuals. Reacting to a sound bite, I yell at the TV, calling that person stupid and an idiot. Jesus warned: If you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (Matthew 5:22) It is okay to disagree with someone, but using abusive language is clearly not acceptable for Heaven’s hot mic.

DON’T GRIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own. Don’t be the parent ranting from the basketball stands. Refuse to be the one who thinks substituting a four-letter word with an equivalent is a sound idea. Never, never be the child of God who ridicules and disrespects individuals. They called Jesus every name in the book; cursed him right and left, but He always honored God in His speech.

He calls believers His dear children. Who do you belong to? What is heaven recording on your hot mic?

DO YOU WANT TO GET WELL?

Are you willing to be transformed?

“Do you want to get well?” was the question posed to Joe by a stranger. Joe spent 38 years of his life not being able to walk. Yes, he regularly went to services where healers made great claims. However, Joe never was wheeled on stage where he could get full treatment from a healer. He finally resigned himself to living with his handicap. He found that making ends meet wasn’t that difficult with his disability checks and contributions from his church and friends.

ARROGANT QUESTION FROM A STRANGER

Why in the world did that a stranger approach him and ask, “Do you want to get well?” Seems like an arrogant question to ask someone who has spent thirty-eight years in a wheelchair.

THE HONORABLE PROFESSION OF BEGGING

Was Jesus also arrogant when he asked the disabled man (we will call this man “Joe #2”) “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) Maybe some historical context will help. In Jewish society, it is considered a blessing to give money to the poor. Social construct is you do a good work, and God gives back to you. Begging in Jesus’ day was an honorable profession. Joe #2’s job was begging. Yes, he had to make an appearance at the Pool of Salome every day to collect his due, but that was not a huge hardship. After thirty-eight years Joe #2 had regular donors and friends in his social circle at the Pool.

DO YOU WANT YOUR LIFE UPENDED?

When Jesus asked Joe #2 “Do you want to get well”, He was asking “Do you want your entire life upended?” Restored mobility entailed finding regular employment, not being eligible for handouts, and contributing to society. Hard stuff when you live otherwise for thirty-eight years. Did Joe #2 really want to get well? Everything in his world would change.

SPIRITUAL HISTORY

The only other facts we know about Joe #2 are spiritual history. Jesus says (and this also may sound abrupt), “Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” Sounds like Joe #2 possessed spiritual disabilities also in need of healing. Did Joe #2 internally change? As he picked up his mat and danced home Did the message take root? Did he choose to become a Jesus follower?

INNER TERMINAL ILLNESS OF SIN

Some people carry disabilities outside where all can see. However, all of us carry our sin sickness inside, hidden away from praying eyes. Jesus wants to open the windows and expose us. He desires to let the fresh wind of the Holy Spirit wash over our lives.

But do we want to get well? Joe #2 broke the Jewish rules, picked up his mat and danced around on the Sabbath.  At that point he didn’t even know Who Jesus was, but he knew he wanted a life transformed.

Do you want to be transformed? Are you willing to confess and let go of the sin sicknesses which hold us hostage: anger, jealousy, gossip, fear, addiction, etc.? “Transformation” means “change or renewal from a life that no longer conforms to the ways of the world to one that pleases God” (Romans 12:2)

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. (II Corinthians 5:17)

Again, I ask, “Do you want to get well?”

Listen to Fannie’s story of a transformed life

THE PRAYER

Henry Sr. could fix most anything, except for the heart of his son.

“Quiet down everybody! Quiet down! I’m going to pray now before we eat.” Doesn’t sound like a remarkable announcement, except it came from my brother-in-law Henry’s mouth at the Stoner Annual Corn Roast. At least four generations witnessed this declaration.

Ten years ago, Henry would rather be bitten by a snake than publicly declare, “I’m going to pray.” As host of the Corn Roast, Henry would regularly pause for prayer, but never proclaim he was going to say the prayer. He would pass the opportunity off to the “Rev.,” his brother-in-law Bill, or to his daughter, Susan.

TOO BUSY FOR GOD

Even at a young age, Henry was curious about Christianity. He had a favorite evangelist/Bible teacher he daily listened to on the radio. However, except for Easter and Christmas, Henry rarely sat in a church pew. Working two jobs to provide for his family and making repairs to his house, Henry was too busy for church.

Henry knows how to work and to work hard! It took him over a year, but he personally dug out the dirt floor of his basement in order to pour a cement floor. It may have taken several months, but he bought a kit and built an inground pool in his backyard. Maybe not “book smart” or skilled at proper grammar, Henry taught himself to fix or build most anything.

A BROKEN SON

The one thing he could not repair was his son, Henry Jr. (who we called “Little Henry”). From a young age, Little Henry exhibited learning and behavioral problems. Over the years, the struggles grew. By the time he was a teenager, the beloved son had a full-blown problem with drugs and alcohol. This tore at the hearts of Henry Sr. and his wife Julia. Henry Sr. could fix most anything, except for the heart of his son.

THE ACCIDENT

Then came the accident. Drunk and walking down the middle of a dark road, Little Henry was mowed down by a car. The driver never had a chance to avoid hitting him. Emergency services rushed to the scene and Little Henry quickly received medical care. The resulting injuries, especially brain trauma, were extensive. Days became weeks as family gathered and prayed for Little Henry.

A FINAL DECISION

The family pain intensified as a final decision had to be reached regarding life support. We gathered as a family when the doctor turned off the machines.  This was not like the movies where the machines are switched off and the patient peacefully passes away. It took an additional painful two weeks before Little Henry took his last breath on Easter weekend.

TEARING DOWN THE WALL OF SEPARATION

This event tore open the curtain between Henry Sr. and God. All those Scriptures Henry Sr. heard over the radio began to bear fruit. The extensive nudging from his Uncle Phil regarding Jesus moved Henry Sr. from the spectator aisle in Christianity to the participant section. Henry started to pepper my husband with Bible questions. The Bible became Henry’s love letter from God.

TRANSFORMED HENRY

“Quiet down everybody! Quiet down! I’m going to pray now before we eat.” Those are the words of the transformed Henry Sr. They are the words of someone who anticipates an event far better than the Stoner Family Corn Roast. Henry Sr. is now ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING BRINGS NEW LIFE

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life]. (II Corinthians 5:17)

GET ME OUT OF HERE!

Are you living in a spiritual wilderness time, asking God, “Please, just make it end. Get me out of here!!!!”

Are you living in a spiritual wilderness time, asking God, “Please, just make it end. Get me out of here!!!!” Daniel (of the Old Testament) lived in the spiritual wilderness of Babylon and Persia for a total of sixty-eight years. How does a good Jewish boy end up under these circumstances? It was not Daniel’s choice.

Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar conquered the Kingdom of Judah and “ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.‘Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,’ he said. ‘Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.’ … They were to be trained for three years, and then they would enter the royal service. (Daniel 1:3-5)

NOT A GAP YEAR. THIS WAS PERMANENT

Strong, healthy, good-looking, smart, and of noble birth. Young Daniel meets all the requirements and is promptly carried off, never to see family or home again. This is not a voluntary choice.  It is not a “gap year”; this is permanent.

I would feel a huge amount of resentment and probably spit in the face of my captors. Furthermore, how could God betray me and discard all my dreams and aspirations? So glad that Daniel makes better choices than me.

DANGEROUS CHOICES

He and his three friends decide to not buy into blending in with the Babylonians. But isn’t this dangerous? Remember who holds the sword over their heads. The first challenge came when “the king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens.” This meant violating Jewish dietary laws, and potentially eating food offered to idols. Young Daniel faces his first major test. Whose standards will he choose to live by?

BUCKING THE SYSTEM

Teenaged Daniel bucks the system. Living in a foreign culture, no human protection on his side, Daniel handles himself wisely. He says “No” but in a wise way. He asks permission from the king’s chief of staff, who already had “both respect and affection for Daniel”. (Notice that last line. David is both winsome and responsible.)

Daniel does not resort to a loud protest, demanding his rights. He requests the king’s staff, “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water. At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.”

THE TEST

The results are phenomenal. “At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.”

IT ALL BEGINS WITH ONE STEP

This is teenaged Daniel’s first major stand for God. He does it with wisdom and prayer. He goes on to a powerful career influencing both heathen King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians for God. It all begins with one step.

ASK FOR WISDOM

Are you living in a spiritual wilderness and asking God, “Please, just make it end. Get me out of here!!!!”? It wasn’t written during his time, but Daniel believed, “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. (James 1:5-6)

It all begins with one step.

GETTING THROUGH UNSCATHED

Did he understand what “unscathed” means? The definition is: “whole, safe, untouched, unscratched, unhurt.” Doesn’t sound applicable.

Numerous people associated Justin’s story with tragedy. He endured severe headaches as a teenager, testing revealed a brain tumor. Surgery was right after his college freshman year. The operation went well; the recovery did not. Major medical mistakes resulted in Justin experiencing devastating brain trauma. Hundreds of people (including me) wept as we prayed for Justin to be spared and restored to his former self.

WHAT WAS TO COME?

Justin’s mom, BJ, was a nurse and the hospital sent Justin home post-surgery in a semi-coma. It’s a step above a vegetative state and below full consciousness. No one knew what was to come and how sizeable the brain damage would prove. After extensive time, Justin emerged, but blind, lacking short-term memory, and severely disabled.

He needed care 24/7. Exhausted BJ was his primary caregiver. The church rallied around and supplied an army of loving and dedicated caregivers. Family moved from out of state to help take up the slack. All helpers were in it for the long term. Did anyone know it would be the long term of 27 years?

LIVING UNSCATHED

Regardless of limited communication skills, there is one phrase Justin would often say to his caregivers: “Thanks for getting me through life unscathed.” Did he understand what “unscathed” means? The definition is: “whole, safe, untouched, unscratched, unhurt.” Doesn’t sound applicable.

RESTORED 27 YEARS LATER

Justin finally was restored, but not in the time frame originally prayed for 27 years ago. Last week, he died from cancer. I went to his funeral. Justin traveled to heaven at the age of 46. Full body restoration finally achieved. Over half his life, he lived with severe limitations. How does “unscathed” fit into this? Is this a cosmic joke?

THE LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE

Not at all. At the memorial service, one would have thought a celebrity had died. Justin could barely communicate, yet the number of people who loved him is innumerable. Over and over, friends and family mentioned Justin’s joy and his love for Jesus. Often people dropped by his home expecting to help Justin and his family. They didn’t anticipate that Justin would give back much more than he received. The man in the wheelchair led a significant life.

LIVING WELL

Something that blew me away was when his brother mentioned that Justin “lived well”. Pre-surgery Justin loved Jesus, missions, and dreamed of becoming a poultry farmer. God’s plans were much bigger. Disabled Justin became an ambassador for Christ making a profound impact on others. Justin lived well.

His brother said that if Justin could choose to do it over again, he knows Justin would not change the trajectory God placed him on. Justin’s faith and cheerful spirit spoke volumes to those around him. His life is celebrated. 

DEFINE YOUR LIFE BACKWARDS

Remember that phrase: “Thanks for getting me through life unscathed”? Somewhere in his spirit, Justin made an eternal connection for the term unscathed. Yes, his body was broken, but his faith remained whole, safe, untouched, unscratched and unhurt. “Søren Kierkegaard wrote, “Define your life backwards and then live it forward; determine at the outset where you want to be at the end of your journey.” Justin from an early age knew how he wanted to end up: his life a symphony of praise for Jesus.

Heaven rocks in jubilation for this man with a broken body who chose to live for Christ. Justin lived unscathed.

RUNNING FROM GOD

God pursues. I run harder. Doesn’t matter how loud He calls; I run. Why don’t I take Him seriously?

As a child, I had a dog named Brownie. You can probably figure out the color of the dog, but you don’t know its temperament. If he got off the leash, he did what most dogs do. He ran and made a bounder to the field in back of our barn. He thought it was play time, but it was time for me to go to school. I remember yelling and chasing the dog through the alfalfa.  The dog was mine, but no way did he want to stay close.

GOD PURSUES…I RUN

Often, my heart is like Brownie’s. As soon as I can, I spring away from God and run the opposite direction. God pursues. I run harder. Doesn’t matter how loud He calls; I run. Why don’t I take Him seriously?

WHO IS THE MASTER?

Instead of God being my Master, I convince myself that God is at my personal beck and call. I can whistle for Him or tell Him to go away.

KEEP THE HEART WITH GOD

“The greatest difficulty in conversion,” wrote Flavel, “is to win the heart to God; and the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.” However, I want to run away, make my own choices, and trample all over my field of life.  I forget my Master and His plans are far better than mine.

Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

DANGEROUS SEASONS OF THE HEART

What times do I need to be especially diligent? Flavel lays out the “Special Seasons in the Life of a Christian which Require our Utmost Diligence in Keeping the Heart.” His list includes:

  • The time when we think we have it all
  • The time when pain takes up residence
  • The time of Church hurts
  • The time of danger and distraction
  • The time when my desires don’t match God’s
  • The season of hard work and exhaustion
  • The time of injuries and abuse from people
  • In the hour of temptation, when Satan goes after the Christian’s heart, and takes the unsuspecting by surprise

I learned and am still learning not to be like Brownie. He was not a very smart pet. I mimic him as I run away from God. Regardless of the season of life, I constantly need to remember to keep my heart next to God’s.

Is your heart running away, trampling down the field of alfalfa? Time to keep your heart with God.

THE END IS NEAR

I gave my writing class a challenge: “You are given forty days to live. What does it mean to “number our days” as the psalmist says and live them fully?

I gave my writing class a challenge: “You are given forty days to live. What does it mean to “number our days” as the psalmist says and live them fully? What choices will you make, what supplies will you need?” The clock ticks away as we make our choices. Should we write in capital letters in our planners: “THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!”?

There is an urgency in Galatians 5:13-15 and I Peter 4:7-11,17. What do we do with the time God gives us? “It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God” does not encourage us to float lazily along with the status quo (I Peter 4:17). The end is near!

BEDROCK OF HIS PLAN

What guidance are we given regarding time? Be sound-minded and self-controlled for the purpose of prayer [staying balanced and focused on the things of God so that your communication will be clear, reasonable, specific and pleasing to Him.]  That’s the bedrock of God’s plan. Solid prayer; lots and lots of prayer. Picture a road with miles of asphalt. Prayer is the asphalt for wherever God desires to lead us. Without it, we become lost in the woods, useless, even though the end is near!

FERVENT LOVE

Posted on God’s road is a huge sign: Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another. Costly love. Fervent and inconvenient love. The love that stops me in my tracks and focuses on the person in front of me, regardless of how I plan my time. God writes using a large Sharpie on my calendar: the end is near!

COSTLY LOVE

Fervent love is costly. Love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. Regardless of how nasty the other person has been, giving them the grace of praying blessings for them. Expensive love is needed because the end is near!

HOSPITABLE LOVE

My personal plans fly out the window with the verse: Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Why oh why does God interfere with my time? It is inherent to His character. My plans aren’t your plans, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8) Often I want to demand of God, “What in the world are You thinking? This is not how I planned it!” Rarely does He reply to my impertinence.

GIFTS FOR THE JOURNEY

While we wonder at His plans, He provides supplies for His plans. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God. Gifts. All kinds of gifts. The kindness of God, like a parent’s, has great variety. God knows exactly what we need foe all our circumstances.

The multifaceted grace of God uses the different gifting of believers to help each other grow and bloom in the Kingdom. What present has He given you? Are you driven to use your gift(s) as the clock ticks away and the end is near?

How are you using your freedom to prayerfully love, gifted by God? What if this is the last day God gives you on this earth? THE END OF ALL THINGS IS NEAR!

Click to listen to the story of Gladys Aylward, a woman who, despite all odds, kept forging ahead. She had time to waste.

NURTURED AND LOVED. NEVER WORSHIPPED

No child can learn discipline from a parent who turns a blind eye

George Sr. thought his life was about as good as it could possibly get.  After God blessed him and Sue with two lovely daughters, they found themselves the proud parents of a gorgeous baby boy.  They named him George Jr. and George Sr. promptly deposited on his son’s tiny shoulders dreams of a brilliant future.  George Sr. wanted his son to have all the advantages that he himself never had.  Nothing was too good for little Georgie, the apple of his father’s eye. 

AN ACCOMPLISHED SON

Georgie was an adorable precocious child with a lively imagination.  He quickly captivated adults with his friendly nature and sense of humor.  George Sr. continuously gave a long running tally of his son’s accomplishment to everyone in earshot.  Georgie’s future would far exceed the life of George Sr. The boy possessed a knack for quickly charming his father. Seldom did Georgie suffer from his bad behaviors.

ANOTHER FINE LOOKING SON

II Samuel tells of another father who took the easy road with his son.  Everyone agreed that Absalom, David’s son, was one fine-looking man.  Scripture says, “Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.” (II Sam. 14:25).  If there had been a Mr. Israel Competition, Absalom would have won, hands-down.  As is often the case with parents of winsome children, David took the easy road and indulged his son. He let Absalom’s sins go far too long without discipline. 

THE SCHEMER

Absalom demonstrated a knack for making the most of every opportunity to promote his own schemes. God ordained that brother Solomon would be the next king, not Absalom. Regardless of God plan, people seemed only too glad to support “Mr. Israel”. Absalom led a revolt. The products of Absalom’s character were murder, arson, slander, and theft of the hearts of his father’s subjects. He thought nothing of shamelessly sleeping on the rooftop with his father’s harem.

Absalom met his ignominious end dangling from a tree by those gorgeous locks of hair everyone had earlier admired.  The man who erected a large monument to himself wound up being buried under a large heap of rocks in the forest.

NOT SO ENTERTAINING

No child can learn discipline from a parent who turns a blind eye.  Georgie is now an adult and has yet to learn that the world was not created for his own amusement.  The childish antics earlier charmed everyone. Nowadays, people do not find encounters with the adult Georgie entertaining.  George Sr. is bewildered by a son who changes hair color and professions at the drop of a hat.  He doesn’t understand this stranger who regards with contempt everything George Sr. holds dear.  The source of his joy has turned into a source of profound sorrow. 

David also mourned over the loss of his troubled son.  When David heard the news of his son’s death, his heart wailed, “Absalom, my son!  My son! If only I had died instead of you!” 

David and George Sr. loved greatly but learned too late that God cannot be left out of the parenting agenda. Children are to be nurtured and pruned (when necessary); never to be worshipped.

GLORIOUS FORGIVEN GLORIA

Are you the religious person with no joy?

And there she stands. Asked to share her new love for Jesus with the congregation, Gloria tentatively takes the mic.  Tattooed from head to foot, she wears a t-shirt with a beer company logo. Weeping, she describes her years of addiction and brokenness. Gloria is amazed that Jesus loves her, despite her baggage of sin. He died for her! As she tells her story, Gloria’s language is rough. She doesn’t know that there are certain words that church people don’t use. Mascara runs down her face as describes her beloved Savior.

CHURCH IS NOT A PLACE FOR WOMEN LIKE THAT

Deacon Roy is horrified. It takes every bit of willpower for him not to storm up to the mic and rip it from Gloria’s hands. Why is Pastor allowing Gloria to share her story? Church is not a place for women like that. Roy’s face flushes with rage. Immaculately dressed, He tightly grasps his red-letter edition of the Bible. Under his breath he utters a prayer, “Thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. Thank you God that Gloria isn’t related to me!”

Roy steers his family away from the likes of Gloria. He has served the church all his life, taught Sunday School, faithfully given 10%, and done his duty for God. His record is spotless. What rankles him the most are her words, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” Why doesn’t Gloria take the hint and worship elsewhere? There are surely more suitable places for a woman like her.

JESUS’ TAKE ON THE SAME STORY

Sadly, (names have been changed) the story of Gloria and Roy is true. This took place in my friend’s worship service. Jesus describes a similar story in Luke 19:9-14; the tale of the Pharisee and the tax-collector. Jesus observes (paraphrase my own), “I tell you, sinner Gloria, not Roy, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

God, in His patience, matured the tax-collector and Gloria in their faith. His Holy Spirit continues to transform Gloria’s heart (including her vocabulary). Today, she glows as one of the King’s beloved daughters. God burdens her to love on and reach similar women imprisoned in sin.

ROY’S PRISON OF SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS

Alas, Roy (like the Pharisee) remains locked in a cell of self-righteousness. He may look all shiny and clean on the outside, but his Bible has never taken root in his heart. Occasionally Roy feels uneasy during his devotions. Recently, Roy read: You too, be patient; strengthen your hearts [keep them energized and firmly committed to God], because the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain against one another, believers, so that you will not be judged [for it]. Look! The Judge is standing right at the door. (James 5:8-9)

Roy beamed when he read, “The Judge is standing right at the door.” Roy prayed, “Thank You God that in the end You will give sinners like Gloria what they deserve.” Glancing at his watch, Roy rushed out the door. He did not want to be late for church.

WHICH ARE YOU?

Which are you? Gloria or Roy? The one who revels in God’s forgiveness and reaches out to those desperately lost apart from God? Or are you the religious person in whom Scripture has never taken root? Jesus said, “Who are you to [hypocritically or self-righteously] pass judgment on your neighbor?” Time to fall on your knees before the One Who came to save us and all the Gloria’s of this world. Will you allow Him to love them through you?

TIME TO CLEANSE THE TEMPLE

Where is the quiet, gentle Jesus they know? Where did He get that whip?

Series 5, episode 2 of “The Chosen” can be quite thought provoking. Jesus appears in the Outer Court of the Temple. The occasion is Passover Week and Jerusalem is mobbed by visitors. The Temple Court overflows with animals sold for sacrifice. The money changers charge exorbitant fees to trade regular currency (which features the portraits of idols) to Temple currency. There is money to be made and no lack of greed.

WHERE IS QUIET GENTLE JESUS?

Jesus walks in, horrified at the mayhem in an area meant for prayer and worship of the Father. Out of His bag He takes a whip and begins to turn over the stands, chase out the animals and yell at the merchants. Shock registers on people’s faces. Where is the quiet, gentle Jesus they know? Who is this man demanding holiness and repentance? Where did He get that whip?

DEN OF THIEVES

The frightened disciples see the Roman guards. The guards’ purpose is to keep order. This is not orderly! Temple officials are furious that someone questions their money-making operation. Jesus is in tears and enraged that His Father’s house is a den of thieves.

CLEANING HOUSE

He sees the temple, meant to be a place of prayer for all nations, turned into a marketplace. Genuine worship is non-existent. Taking advantage of people is pre-eminent.  God’s design is for a house of prayer, a place to meet with God and worship Him. Stepping into the Temple courts, Jesus does not see any of this. Jesus sees avarice, extortion, and oppression. He responds by cleansing the Temple (Matthew 21:12-16). The Son of God cleans house.

HOW CLEAN IS YOUR TEMPLE?

What does Jesus discover in the temple of your life? Each believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Is your relationship with Him a cornerstone of communion with God with a centerpiece of prayer? Have your turned down the noise in your life? Is it time to bring out the whip, turn over the stands, chase out the animals, and yell at the merchants? Better yet, time to shut down the computer, the phone, and clear the calendar? Are you living your temple purpose: prayer and worship of the Father?