2 MINUTE WARNING

I have often wondered what the final survey of my life will truly look like……..

If I were to be truly honest with myself, I would have to recognize that a lot of my life has been lived based on my circumstances.  When things have been great, I have been happy.  When they have gone poorly, I have been upset.  Much like a roller coaster ride, I have had ups and downs and in-betweens….when you live like this—-circumstances control your life.

I have also tried to change my circumstances by working and working and working…..putting a continuous effort into being better than my situation….outworking it.  In that world, my mentality was to let nothing hold me back—–my intent was to work my way into exactly the situation that I wanted……when you live like this—-work controls your life.

As I look at Luke 16, I think these two options are exactly what Jesus is talking about when He refers to beggar and digger.

Luke 16  1 Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg–   

The beggar is in wait for someone to bail him out of his situation.  His outcome for the day is completely dependent on what OTHERS do in his world.  He lives life in a good place or he lives life in a place where he can blame others.  No one helped me do this…No one was there for me when this happened.  No one is kind.  It is a tough place to live.

The digger works his way through all things.  Constantly fighting and rarely “tuning his tools”.  Nothing can stop him from succeeding because he will work until he finds it.  He lives in a place of slavery—and he is, in fact, a slave to himself.  It is……also……a tough place to live.

What could possibly be the other option?

It is to be a steward.  A steward is appointed to look after someone else’s property.  And what he does with that property will be someday called to account.  He will report to the owner on not only what he did do….but what he didn’t do……

Imagine telling the owner of a property that it was actually his fault that you ran down the value and broke his equipment.  Imagine telling him that the value of his estate has gone down while he was gone and that it is, in fact, his fault.

It would be equally unwise to tell him that you had done EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER to hold things together—-but that it was still worth nothing.  That his million dollar estate was now worth …… $12,000.  To stand before him and say that you worked yourself to the bone to please him is simply patronizing…….the owner would not buy that either.

But what if you lived the way Jesus suggests?

What if you actually let go and truly became a STEWARD of what He has given you.

Throughout scripture Jesus says things like:  

• He who wants to keep His life must lose it
• He who is last will be first
• In order to have a part with me you must eat my flesh and drink my blood
• I am the way and the truth and the life

Our reality is that we simply can not manage the estate that is given to us.  Nor will we be able to blame others for the condition of our property should we choose to do it that way.  And not only so—-we would never dare stand before the living God and convince Him that we were able to do it all ourselves.  That our resume is somehow good enough to impress Him and make Him super proud of us.

And so Jesus gives us a third option.  And that option is to let go of all of it and start living like it is a gift.

Our life is not ours to have in the first place.

Our spouse was given to us by God and He asks us to care for them as His representative.

Our job is an opportunity to bring His Kingdom to others.

Our money is to be used to show others that He loves them to.

In fact, as you look at that above paragraph, we need to take all of those words OUR and replace them with HIS.  He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and He owns our lives.  He has given us so much to keep track of and instead of asking for me….we need to ask Him how to better manage what He has so graciously given us.

So today I want to challenge you……

Do you want to be a beggar…..constantly looking for someone else to blame and begging for someone to come and change your position so that you can find happiness?

Do you want to be a digger…….working your way to the top so that you can get denied and then work harder to make your way to the top.  Digging from dusk to dawn with all the effort under the sun?

Or do you want to be steward…..A son of the greatest Daddy you could ever want.  Blessed and forgiven and hopeful……..free and loving and gifted……..grateful and energetic and alive……..

I don’t know the answers to all the questions…..I just know that ANSWER.

I don’t understand all of the mysteries of His word…..I just know that His Word comes alive in my life.

I don’t know the right thing to do even in my next moment…..I just know that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and that the earth is His footstool.

So I am casting my lot this very day with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

For He……..is the only hope I have.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I was intrigued by a show on TV called Undercover Boss….A company owner would go “in disguise” and see what was truly happening at his businesses when people thought that no one was watching…..

In some cases, people would be fired.  In other cases, people would be reprimanded.  But more often than I might have thought, the boss caught his employees being loyal, hard-working, and even incredible.

On one particular episode, the boss discovered the awful conditions that he truly put an employee into each and every day….and he was shocked that the employee worked incredibly hard to do exactly what was required of him.

In many of the shows, the employees told the “undercover boss” how hard it truly was to work in his very company.

Many of us experience this.  We are sometimes put in hard situations and wonder if our superiors truly know what they are putting us through.

It is at this point that I bring up the incredible story of the gospel….

And the reality that someday we are going to stand before a perfect God and give an account.

On that fateful day….we will be able to say a lot of things.

We will be able to say that life was tough.

We will be able to say that the temptations we crumbled to were very hard to avoid.

We will be able to say that we really tried.

But here is what we won’t be able to say:

• We won’t be able to say to Him that He doesn’t know what it’s like to be in our shoes.
• We won’t be able to say that He put us in conditions that no one could have handled.
• We won’t be able to say that He had no idea what we had to go through.

Born illegitimate, His father married His mom only after a radical encounter with an angel.

Before He could even speak, a powerful boss put a hit on Him.  Slaughtering kids His age in an attempt to wipe away His very existence.

As He grew, He would be the subject of being an unimportant peasant trying to succeed under a governmental rule that would intimidate, bully, and execute anyone who would even question their policies.  He would also be the subject of a religious hierarchy where He would never be respected due to His race, His status, and His career.

In spite of this, He would find favor.  He would convict and deliver.  He would heal and redeem.  He would flourish and be wise beyond His years.

Though He would have no political power, no money, and no military influence…He would somehow find a way to challenge unjust authority, to provide for those in need, and to influence powerful leaders.  He actually had rapport with many…..and those who challenged Him were humiliated and rebuked…..

And yet…..in spite of all of this……He would arrive unrecognized among a people who should have seen Him coming.  He would be betrayed, denied, and abandoned by the very people He had saved.  He would be given one of the most unfair trials a person could face, beaten within an inch of His life before anyone even could find He had done wrong, and sentenced to execution in order to free a political insurgent due to the fear of a man who wanted to get through an ugly situation without any incident.

And so…..He was mocked, beaten, and executed between two thieves in about the most gruesome way that you could kill someone.

And why on earth did He do that?  I will tell you why….He was doing it because He was the best leader of all time.

When Pilate was not even taking responsibility for himself, Jesus was taking responsibility for ALL OF US.

When Pilate was afraid of what things looked like, Jesus was staring fear in the face and standing up to the most incredible evil the world has ever known KNOWING THAT HE WAS GOING TO LOSE THE FIGHT.

When Pilate was asking “what is truth?”, Jesus was being THE TRUTH.

When Pilate was being arrogant, Jesus was being HUMBLE.

When Pilate was worrying about what others would think, Jesus was only worrying about what ONE PERSON WOULD THINK:

YOU.

And that’s because You were the very intent of the cross.  He wanted to come down and show you that He knows what it is like to be here.  He knows what it is like to have pain and betrayal and a lack of recognition.  He knows what it is like to be poor, to be illegitimate, to be in the wrong clique.  He knows what is like to be betrayed and abandoned and doubted.

So take your chances with what you might want to say then when you face Him if you want to….because He has given you the freedom to do WHATEVER YOU WANT.

But I choose LIFE.

I CHOOSE TRUTH.

I CHOOSE THE KINGDOM AND, MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE KING OF THE KINGDOM.

HE IS THE LORD OF LORDS AND THE KING OF KINGS.

THE EARTH IS HIS FOOTSTOOL AND EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW AND EVERY TONGUE CONFESS THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Pontius Pilate is our next topic representative for leadership.

But that being said—we are going to reference him in a “what NOT to do” type of way.

For our discussion today, we will be using the passages from various scriptures from John 18-19.

Again, I encourage you to READ IT!  I am not a religious scholar or an expert—-just a guy who loves Jesus and has opinions on what he reads.

John 18

29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?” 30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” 32 “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.  33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” 34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”  35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.  Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” 38 “What is truth?” Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him……

John 19

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”  But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” 7 The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” ……. 12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.” ….. 16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So what can we learn from Pilate?  Here is why I believe that Pilate failed as a leader:

• He Had No Moral Compass.  In his first conversation with Jesus Pilate asks:  What Is Truth?  This is the question that many people now ask.  And to be honest, we have lost our desire to have the TRUTH.  But the TRUTH is everything.  And it should dictate what we believe, what we do, and how we control our mindset.
• The Popular Belief Swayed His Opinion.  In these two chapters Pilate repeatedly says:  “I Find No Basis For Charges Against This Man” and yet….He gets crucified.  Evil will grow in our world if people are not willing to stand up to evil before it gets out of control (Think:  Adolf Hitler).  Today’s world seems to attack peace-loving citizens rather than truly defending acts of hideous intention.
• He Acted In Fear.  The enemy’s number one tactic against all of us seems to be to convince us that we can not survive if we stand up.  Pilate actually set a man free who caused a rebellion because he feared….a rebellion.  Fear makes us make irrational decisions…..and there is a reason that God tells us 365 times  “Do Not Be Afraid” in the Bible.
• He Acted In Arrogance.  Do You Refuse To Talk To Me?  How often do we think that we are actually more important than we are….nothing ruins a great team like one of it’s members thinking he or she is irreplaceable.
• He Tried Not To Take Responsibility.  Pilate “washed his hands” of the very thing that he was in charge of.

I hesitate to stop this writing here…..because without the Jesus part of leadership this is incomplete.  But the bottom line is this:

All of us need to take a big look inside and rid ourselves of the character traits that lead to bad leadership…..

Because the world needs all of us to be a lot more like Jesus and a lot less like Pilate.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

I am a Bronco fan and the Broncos did something on March 12, 2014 that made me very excited.

They signed one of the best football players in the history of the NFL—DeMarcus Ware.  I was a great fan of his—-and it was not because of his talent.  It was because of his character.  He played through pain.  He was unselfish.  He was a first-class individual in all that I had observed about him.

Those beliefs of mine were verified when I had a chance to visit the Broncos facility, meet coaches and players, and watch a practice.  When we entered the weight room, he was in there rehabilitating an injury.  After finishing two sets of his exercise as we were walking through, he came over to say hi to us.  He introduced himself to all of us and then voluntarily took pictures and talked to both me and my players.

As we walked away, the guy who was giving us the tour told me:  “He is that nice ALL THE TIME.”

It did not stop there.  DeMarcus was a great teammate…..and I looked into stories of how he personally invested in the other guys to push them to be better—-not only as players—-but as people.  The team that won Super Bowl 50 was a great TEAM….and I know that one of the reasons that the Broncos were a great team was because they had great leadership.  The story is told that he gave the pre-game speech the night before that big game—-and that it was an incredible motivational talk….and that the Broncos—coaches, players, and staff—-all wanted to win the championship for him.

How did he have so many who wanted to do it for him?

I believe it was because of Jesus.  I had heard that DeMarcus was a follower and that He walked out his faith.  And when Jesus gets a hold of someone, they are never the same.

You see, Jesus gives us the best leadership manual we could ever use….and that’s the Bible.  And His life is testimony to how you lead….

Let’s start with His talk to the disciples in Mark:

Mark 10

42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus was a team player.  And when He lead, He was all in.  And He was all in on this very principle:  Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be a slave of all…..  

Jesus put His money where His mouth was not too long after this…..taking responsibility for all man’s sins and calling His people home.

The rise of Christianity in Jerusalem could not come from one man with no political or military power–and Jesus knew this.  So He put it all on the line and did it for us.

After His great actions of love—–His disciples grew and moved in ways never seen in history.  A new faith started.  And it started because the men who knew Him became radical followers and summoned His Spirit to come on them and all who met with them.

Do you want to be a great leader?

Then be a servant.  Be a slave of all.  Be the person who goes first to do the things that no one wants to do.

Ask God to put something in you that can show the world how much you truly love them.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

A friend of mine who is a doctor said something when we were talking at a party that instantly caught my attention.  He was explaining something about the human body in great detail and then went on to say that some things could only be explained by the “God factor”…..that they were “infinitely” complicated.  

I have often thought about this very principle…..just the idea that we, in society, sometimes claim to know much more that what we really know.

The reality is…..the MORE we know about things—the more we realize how inadequate we truly are.

Paul was on his way to Damascus to persecute and probably even kill people who were firing up a movement….and that movement was centered around a man named Jesus Christ.  In the middle of his journey—God showed up.  And when God shows up—our worlds get turned upside down.

And so Paul became the very thing that he was hunting……….  He became a champion for the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What strikes me is not what he took on…..but what he gave up.

He gave up years of education.

He gave up elite status.

He gave up privileges that he could enjoy as a citizen.

He gave up a wealthy lifestyle.

He gave up a life of comfort to live a life of purpose.

He tossed his life, as he knew it, in the trash and became a mouthpiece to tell the world about Jesus.

And in his writings in Romans, he casts out a warning to all of us about thinking that we have it all figured out….

Romans 1

22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles…….. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator–who is forever praised. Amen.

Paul is issuing a warning…and it is a warning not only to a specific issue….but to the idea that we all, if we are not careful, can blend in with our culture rather than be salt and light in a dark world.  I have thought about this very principal a lot:

Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of God for a lie…..

How many times have I thought that I knew it all and exchanged a God-given truth for something that simply was not true?

Paul was living that lie….As he walked to Damascus he was strongly convicted that he was serving God by getting rid of the Jesus-followers……but the journey did not end the way that it started.  Paul became a converted, radical, Jesus follower……

What if we all need that type of conversion and transformation?

What if Jesus has a greater plan for us than what we ever thought He could do?

What if we have listened, in some area, to the lies of the world….and professed to be wise only to find out we had exchanged the glory of God for a lie?

God’s Word is so rich.

His impact on our life is so powerful.

His saving grace is so unmistakable.

What if He got a hold of all of us the way that He did Paul?

I would have to think that the world would be radically different!  Please join me in striving to pursue a Savior who loves us too much to leave us the way we are!

Lord, come right now.  Come and meet with us and come and transform us.

If there are roots of worldly things that have been planted in us that are not true and do not belong….then rid us of those things.  If there are mindsets or spiritual lies or family curses that have disallowed us from seeing the truth….rid us of them right now in the Name of Jesus.  Father….do not allow darkness to sway us from light.  Show us the way and convict us in it through Your Word, through our prayers, and through our Godly friendships.  Let no incorrect or false teaching sway us away from connecting to you in mighty and miraculous ways.

You….and You alone….Hold the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

Micah 6:8

8And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

How can you have JUSTICE and MERCY at the same time?

JUSTICE is giving someone what they truly deserve for what they have done….it is applying the punishment that is due to fit the crime.

MERCY is not giving someone what they truly deserve for what they have done…..is applying a “look the other way” mentality in order to avoid giving them what is due for their crime.

So how do you act justly and love mercy at the same time?

You bring in Jesus.

Jesus is the perfect meeting of Justice and Mercy.  He paid for our crimes and gives us full mercy at the cross……As He proclaimed in His last moments (John 19:28):

It is finished = It is paid in full

(Tetelestai….A Greek word to indicate that a receipt was:  paid in full)

I love that He did not just say:  It is paid.  He said:  it is paid IN FULL.  Our sin is not only overlooked—but fully forgiven and PAID FOR.  I love that we can use a money analogy for this…..I understand debt and owing someone.  And Jesus…..not only said you do not owe me….He paid off the debt that NO ONE gets shorted.

So today……let’s just focus on the simple message of the cross:

Jesus came down.

He fully experienced what all of us experience.

He was tempted in EVERY way that man is.

He was mistreated and falsely accused and disregarded.

He was tried and administered the punishment of a criminal and crucified between two thieves.

We must all come face to face with this information……and we then must come face to face with the reality of seeing it in our lives…….

So what does the Lord require of you?  To seek justice and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God………..

Respond to the gospel with gratitude and hope and love……and then go and give it away to all you know……

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

John 2:12-25

12After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

13When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

17His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”

18Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

20The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. 22After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

23Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name.  24But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. 25He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.

Why did Jesus tear up the temple?

Here are a few things that we do know:

The men selling cattle, sheep, and doves were selling “perfect” animals at higher prices…..the animals of the “common man” were NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

The men exchanging money were not using fair exchange rates…..the money of the “common man” did not have the same VALUE.

Watching over the entire show….we had the religious leaders—dressed in their fancy clothes and dictating right and wrong…….the level of the religious leaders to the “common” man was not on the same level.  They were BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE.

Also watching over the activity were the Roman guards……and they ruled with an iron fist.  Crucifying thousands and ruling with an iron fist.  Their methods were fear, intimidation, shame, …… to the “common” man, the Romans controlled their DESTINY.

And then there was the idea of the temple itself.  It was the idea of Passover….and this Passover celebration was set up, by God, so that “anyone who had the blood” could be saved by the Lord and the judgment of God…..but men had ruined it.  And now, for the “common” man, this was not about the Passover, it was about standing.  It was a constant reminder to the “common” man that they simply stood on the outside looking in.  And so…..thousands of broken, poor, and overburdened people came to the temple each year to come to the IN-YOUR-FACE realization that they did not have the STANDING to be important.

Enter Jesus of Nazareth.  Not Sunday School Jesus as I like to call Him….but Jesus of Nazareth—-the greatest man who ever lived and the lion of the tribe of Judah.

I have to think that this was not about money or animals or levels of accomplishment or conforming to Roman way…..it was about the fact that the people believed that “our standing will never be good enough”.

This was about:  LOVE.  This was about the fact that we, as people, can build things up and create walls between us and God that are not there…..and Jesus came to BREAK DOWN THOSE WALLS.

He stood in vision of this scene and could not stand to watch it any longer:

Jesus brings a new message….and it is as true today as it was the day that He cleared out the temple:

• You are UNCOMMON…Even Extraordinary.  You belong to Him and that makes you more than anyone who could be defined as great by any measure in a man’s heart.

• You are VALUABLE.  You don’t need to exchange your money at an unfair exchange rate to somehow attain your value.  Your treasures are in heaven.

• You are GOOD ENOUGH.  Never does He devalue who you or what you are….He is simply calling you to Him…..for in Him is your peace and value.

• There are not levels of prestige.  There is simply God who loves us….and us.

• Thy Kingdom Come is our destiny.  Not government, not law, not money…..but God bringing peace, hope, and love to all.

• Your standing is with God.  Your citizenship is in heaven and your future is set.

Jesus has claimed the right to your destiny.  He has bought you at a price.  He has put value on your life and given you standing.  There is no level of purity or righteousness…..just a God who left heaven and came to earth to proclaim His kingdom and rescue His people…….

And all who saw Him that day in the temple backed away in awe and reverence.  There would be no standing up to Him that day or ANY day when He did not allow it.  He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  And when He gave His life—-He did it on His own terms and of His own choosing on a cross on Calvary some 2000 years ago…..claiming that it was “PAID IN FULL” to seal it with His blood.

So when you come to the “temple on the Passover”….bring yourself and yourself only.  You don’t need money or a perfect animal or a resume of all that you’ve done or a certain level of accomplishment.  You don’t need anything but a soft and teachable heart……….that would say to Him:

“Lord Jesus….You and You alone….Hold the keys to eternal life.”

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

Matthew 1

1A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:  2Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6and Jesse the father of King David.  David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11and Josiah the father of JeconiahF1 and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.  12After the exile to Babylon:  Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, 15Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.  17Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

I used to read through that passage like it was a list of names…almost skipping it to get to the “important part” that I thought God had for me.  But today, as I was driving to work….I thought of that list differently…..

In that list is brokenness.  It is a story of men not being all that God had called them to be.

In that list is sin and disobedience.  People going in a different direction and suffering the consequences of their choices.

In that list is imperfection.  It is not the story of people living out the call on their lives—-just the opposite.  In every case, God does something to redeem their life.

But at the end of that list is Jesus.  The Messiah.  The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

And He, at the end of all of those lives, shows up……where He was supposed to be, when He was supposed to be there, doing what He was called to do, how He was called to do it, and representing PERFECTLY who He is supposed to represent.

You see…..there is a plan.  And that plan is perfect.  And that plan is written by a PERFECT GOD.  In the midst of all of that brokenness—-God showed up.

And so it is with you.  He will show up.  And you are the result of the perfect plan.

He has written the genealogy over your life just the same…..42 generations back…..and just like that genealogy over Jesus—it’s not pretty.  There is sin and brokenness and imperfection.

But that makes no difference.

What makes the difference is what is written at the end of the story…….

Because if the end of your story has Jesus in it……it will make the entire story work.

So don’t get caught up in what doesn’t work.  Don’t get caught up in how many times you made a mistake.  Don’t get caught up in your past or curses that may have been spoken over you…..or done to you…..or the pain that you can’t out of your head.  Get caught up in having Jesus start to put His life over your story.  Because if He is at the end of your story—-your life will begin to work right now.

How do you get Jesus in the end of your story?

You have Him start writing it now.

It will be the best decision you have ever made.

Father,

Come now.  I trust Your plan over my life.  I trust that Jesus can redeem my life.  I trust Your leadership over my life.

I don’t know how I am going to do it……or what I will do to do it…..or when or even where…….

But I know who will do it.

You will do it.

And even if I don’t do it perfectly……You will.

You are the Alpha and the Omega.

The Author.

The lover of my soul.

The redeemer of brokenness.

The teacher.

The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Create in me a new heart, Father, and renew a right spirit within me.  Keep me close to your presence…..for You, and You alone, hold the keys to eternal life.

In The Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J

2,000 years ago a man named Jesus showed up in Jerusalem preaching a new message……it was a message of love and forgiveness and it had no ties to money, political power, popularity, prestige, or anything that defines greatness the way this earth defines greatness.

He was described as a healer and a magician, a good guy, a crazy man……..but some called Him God.  So what was He?  Was He crazy or a good guy or a magician or God?

Today, I would like to comment on John chapter 10:

John 10  1“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.

7Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.

9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

The world has painted a picture of Jesus that the Bible does not paint.  

• He cleared out the temple with a whip.  
• He told His own brother:  “You make no difference.”
• He told Peter:  “Get behind me Satan.”
• He looked at the religious leaders and said:  “You brood of vipers”.

If you have not seen controversy in what Jesus said or did, then I want to challenge you to open your Bible and read it.  Don’t go by what others say….don’t blend in with a culture…..don’t settle up on your eternity based on what someone else says…..actually read about Jesus in the book of John.  Because here He says something fairly important:  I AM THE GATE.

We have watered down so much in today’s society….we have tried to make things okay that are not okay……we have tried to bring politics into our churches….we have tried to bring culture into our churches…..

But what we really need to do is bring Jesus into our churches.

What we really need to do is define whether or not we are a follower of Jesus with everything that we do…….

Because if we are a follower, we are going to have to ask:  “Is He going this way?”…….and if He is not—-then we must not.

Because you can’t follow someone if you are going in a different direction then they are…….

In The Name of the Father and the Son

and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Know anyone who might like these?  Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J