If you haven’t experienced this kind of feeling, you’re not reading the Bible right. The Word of God, Paul says in Hebrews 4: 12, is alive and active; sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

That sounds uncomfortable and painful to me. I don’t like being probed, divided and exposed in God’s Presence. I don’t like the discomfort of having to allow the Truth of God’s Word cut through the lies I’m telling myself. I hate having to swallow my pride and admit that it is in fact “me” that needs to change “once again”, (unlike my strong belief, otherwise, that everyone around me needs therapy).

Anyway, all this to say, I had one such strong moment early this morning when I chose to open God’s word and read Phil 2. Verses one to four (shared below in italics) had me arrested for a while in the wee hours of the day.

This section of Philippians chapter 2 is titled “Imitating Christ’s Humility” which to me at the start of my attempt to read this passage felt encouraging. “Duh, of course, I want to imitate Christ’s humility, JUST TELL ME HOW!” I have to admit didn’t like reading the “how” at all.

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

This is Paul, pleading to the Philippians to embrace Christ-like humility. He isn’t talking to non-believers. He is speaking to those who are “united with Christ, find comfort in His love and share in the Spirit”. He’s speaking to you and me.

Let’s breakdown what he’s saying. He’s asking us to:

• Be like-minded
• Have the same love
• Be one in spirit and mind
• Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit
• Value others above ourselves
• Not look to our own interests but the interests of others

What????? *Coughs in agony*

No seriously, what????

I must be like-minded with others?

What does that even mean? I have to have similar tastes or opinions as them? I have to agree with them? That’s not tough, it’s easy, Jesus. I can do that. I can easily be like-minded with the 10 people I truly deeply love and actually agree with.

But wait, that’s not what you mean, is it?

You want me to be like-minded with those I can’t stand being in a room with? How? How can I possibly do that?

Oh, but You did it; so I can too?

I must have the same love?

Wut? Same love? For everyone?

But I have circles of love and levels of love. I have my innermost circle of friends and family I love the most. Then, the next circle is people I care about and whose company I enjoy but I wouldn’t really die for them. Then there’s people I tolerate after that. Then there’s people I can’t  bear the sight of. They come last. Of course, there’s also so many others that I don’t feel anything about – they are just blurry shapes in my peripheral vision.

My love gradually wanes off as I move from one circle to the next.

But, what you’re saying, Jesus, is that my love should be the “same”? That’s a little impractical, no?

Oh, but You did it so; I can too?

I must be one in spirit and mind?

Again, really? Spirit, I understand, we all share the same spirit once we are in your family. But mind also? Really?

I can’t begin to understand how some people around me think. I struggle to even wrap my head around their logic. Their mind feels like a strange place to me. My mind is certainly better than theirs, right?

What does this “being one in mind” look like even? It’s unreasonable.

Oh, but You did it; so I can too?

I must do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit?

That’s a challenge, isn’t it? I MUST think of myself, because if I don’t, who will?

Me. I matter. I open my Instagram account and I’m barraged with content that encourages me to prioritise myself.

“You do you, girl.”

“Self-care is everything.”

“You are enough.”

It’s hard not to have “any selfish ambition”. I mean at least I need to think about how to get ahead in life a litte, or how to make myself visible or how to stand out? No?

No, nothing. You’ve said, nothing. I should do NOTHING out of selfish ambition. Ouch.

That’s a little harsh. And quite tough, to be honest, in this “you put you first” generation.

Oh, but You did it; so I can too?

I must value others above myself?

This I can totally do. Especially when there’s people who actually are so much better than me. I look up to some people and of course value them higher than myself.

But not those who are worse than me. No, no.

There’s a hierarchy in my head, you see. There’s people I highly value and respect. They are “above” me. Then there’s me, I’m okay. I aspire to be like those better than me. But I also thank God I’m not as bad as “them”. “Them” refers to those who I don’t respect. They have bad intentions, terrible motives and honestly are just not “nice” people.

But, I have to value everyone above myself? That’s a little far-fetched, isn’t it?

Oh, but You did it; so I can too?

I have to not look to my own interests but the interests of others?

“Looking out for the interests of others” is a tiring business, Jesus. I give up.

I have a 1000 personal interests that need attention. I need time to scroll through my phone, time to socialise, time to paint, time to cook, time to entertain, time to chill, time to journal, time for Netflix, time for friends, time for shopping, time for game nights, time for small talk, time for longer meaningful talks, time for so many things!!!!

My interests overtake me. They consume me. How on earth do I find time for all my interests?

Are you saying I don’t have to make so much time for them? I need to lay some of them down and take an interest in others’ interests? That’s not interesting!

Oh, but You did it; so I can too?

Sigh.

You can imagine why I have heart burn now.

Christ-like humility isn’t easy on the palate. It certainly isn’t a piece of cake. It isn’t something I want to readily embrace. It is tough and it requires death on my part – death to self.

It involves giving up the idea that I’m a gift to those around me and embracing the idea that I constantly need to be purged of the filth that I so easily accumulate in my heart.

Christ-like humility is hard work in the secret place. It’s a lot of coming in His Presence and saying, “I just can’t, I just can’t love this person” and walking out of His Presence feeling “His love” for that very same person.

It’s going into His Presence angry, irritated, grumbling and complaining; and walking out feeling love, peace, comfort and strength.

It’s participating in a Great Exchange in the secret place – trading your pain, struggle, weakness and frustration for His grace.

I hope and pray that you are encouraged as I am to lift up God’s Word more often as a mirror and take a hard look at yourself.

I hope you’re okay with the heartburn that comes from eating the kind of humble pie Paul is talking about here.

Peace.

Becky.

The post Heartburn from Humble Pie! appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

Whose newborns just won’t sleep through the night

You are tired beyond words and rest is not in sight

You’re fighting the blues and crying for no reason

You want to be more grateful for this season

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Whose tiny toddlers are testing every limit

You just want a break, even if for a minute

You don’t want to scream, you don’t want a scene

But things are crazier now than they’ve ever been

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Whose teens have rebelled as only teens would

You feel alone and so misunderstood

You are going against a smaller version of you

It feels like you’ll never win, there’s no getting through

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Whose children are adults that live far away

You wish they’d come home more often to stay

You hope they will remember all your advice

You hope they have turned out to be half-nice

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Who did the unimaginable and buried their young

Your heart feels broken, battered and wrung

You don’t think you’ll recover from this palpable pain

You feel like you may never ever smile again

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Who’ve longed for a child, to care for and hold

But month after month, the same story unfolds

You’re angry at God, it’s tiring and frustrating

Another Mother’s Day and you’re still in the waiting

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

To all the mammas

Who’ve lost themselves and become completely numb

You’ve forgotten who you were before you were a mum

You’ve poured out so much, you now feel empty

You’ve forgotten to dance, to sing and to be free

It’s okay, It’s alright

Breathe in slow and hold on tight

God’s got you, He has.

And this too shall pass.

The post To all the mammas… appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

Or are lonely with too many friends around you?

Are you lonely because you just haven’t found “the one”?

Or are you lonely in your bed lying next to “the one”?

Are you lonely because you are aching for children?

Or are you aching with little children alone in your home?

Are you lonely from being stuck in a job you hate?

Or are you lonely from hating being stuck without a job?

Are you lonely from feeling like your mind is a mess?

Or are you lonely in feeling like you’re always a little less?

Are you lonely because you feel invisible?

Or are you lonely because you’re a little too visible?

Are you lonely because no one follows you?

Or are you lonely because too many follow you?

Are you lonely because you haven’t achieved much?

Or are you lonely because it’s isolated at the top?

Are you lonely because your voice feels like it’s unheard?

Or are you lonely of always being the one to speak up?

Are you lonely because your heart was just broken?

Or are you lonely cos’ you had to break someone’s heart?

Are you lonely because of the sad, slow song you just heard?

Or are you lonely because the dance party is too loud?

Are you lonely because you hate who you’ve become?

Or are you lonely because you don’t know who you are?

Are you lonely because you have too many questions?

Or are you lonely cos’ you always have to have the answers?

Are you lonely because no one took care of you in a while?

Or are you lonely because you have no one to take care of?

Are you lonely cos’ your family and loved ones are away?

Or are you lonely in a home filled with people and laughter?

Are you lonely because you haven’t prayed in a while?

Or are you lonely cos’ you’re not sure someone’s listening?

Tell me, what kind of lonely are you?

The post What kind of “lonely” are you? appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

Allow me to paraphrase: The whole world at the time spoke one language and had a common form of speech. They acted in unity and came together desiring to build a city with a tower that will “reach to the heavens” they said. This extremely ambitious goal upset God and He decided to come down and confuse the languages of the people so that they couldn’t communicate and got scattered all over the earth.

What a strange story! At the onset, it seems like something perfectly good and smart. A people united, gather to build a city so that they can live at one place and not get scattered. They also want to build a lofty tower in the city that reaches the heavens. Very progressive, very modern and very self-sufficient, I thought to myself. How clever. They even wanted to do it meticulously. Gen 11: 3 tells us that they said to each other, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.

What about these people’s intentions are wrong? Seemingly NOTHING! They were smart, ambitious, united, forward-thinking, thorough, organised and intentional.

All good things, right? I thought so too. But then, the more I studied and meditated on this passage; a few very alarming things stand out.

Let’s begin with looking at a few facts about the “Tower of Babel”:

1. We have to remember that the Bible we read with chapters, verses and headings isn’t how the Biblical text was originally written. So while our Bibles might have the title “The Tower of Babel” over this section, the tower or city weren’t actually called that. The original text only tells us what happened and the place where the people of the earth were “scattered or confused by God” came to be known as Babel afterwards. Babel sounds like the Hebrew word for “confused”. So this was added to the text much later. 
2. Also, something to note here is that though we refer to the “tower” very often, like it was one singular structure the people were building; we have to remember that they were, in fact, building an entire city with a very tall tower in it.
3. A little digging into history suggests it is most likely that Nimrod ordered the construction of this “failsafe” city. Nimrod was Noah’s great-grandson (Gen 10: 8) whom the Bible describes as the first of the “mighty men” to appear on the earth after the great flood.
4. The fact that the people intended to use brick and tar (something that wasn’t the norm then), suggests that they intended to build a ziggurat type of structure. A ziggurat is a massive stone structure resembling pyramids and featuring terraced levels. It was primarily accessible by stairways and traditionally symbolized a link between the gods and the human kind – although it also served practically as shelter from floods. Note that this structure was being built post the massive Noahic flood and it makes sense that Nimrod wanted to commission something that would withstand another flood.

After understanding this background about the city, it is a little clearer why this unified effort upset God. The city and the tower of Babel represent:

Disobedience and rebellion: God’s command to His people was very clear – to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth (Gen 1:28, Gen 9:1). However, it seems like they chose to directly disobey and settle in one place. The attempt to build this city was an act of rebellion against God.

Self-sufficiency: The city symbolized man shaking his fist at God saying, “I don’t need you.” I can take care of and protect myself. The city was being fortified and built in a way that it would be infallible – at least they planned for it to be so. The people felt if they make a city fail-proof enough, nothing could destroy them, perhaps not even God!

Faithlessness: The tower of Babel and the city surrounding it that was being built as a ziggurat structure was meant to protect them from a devastating flood (like the one the world had recently experienced). If that was the purpose, then the people didn’t have faith in the promise of God in Gen 9:11 – “never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” They didn’t believe in the covenant God established with Noah and sealed with a rainbow. They wanted to take things into their own hands and just make sure they were okay.

Prayerlessness: The building of Babel by the people shows us something in stark contrast to the building of the Ark by Noah. Noah prayed and conversed with God and built the Ark with a blueprint given by God. The people here talked amongst themselves, didn’t pray, and decided to build something that wasn’t inspired by God. What a glaring difference!

I’ve been deeply moved in my Spirit. I feel like we — the Church — have allowed disobedience, self-sufficiency, faithlessness and prayerlessness to enter into our lives. As individuals, we’ve allowed worldly reason, popular ideologies, secular thinking and vain ambition to creep into our lives. Some of us have allowed our lack of prayer and our disinterest in the Word of God to create a rift between God and us that seems irreparable now. We feel God is far away; or is He even there, we wonder? We question His existence and debate His perfect Truth. We indulge in podcasts, videos and media content that has swayed us away from the Secret pPlace. Our fascinations lie with our choice of entertainment not with our Eternal Loving Father. We’re incapable of waiting on the Lord patiently to hear His voice — it feels tedious and unnecessary. We see the Church community as a social gathering and don’t value the true fellowship of saints. We have theories on how “church should be done” when Church is who we are! We lack godly accountability and aren’t vulnerable in His Presence anymore. We don’t need God – we seem to have all the answers.

The Word of God is clear about what such disobedience, self-sufficiency, faithlessness and prayerlessness leads to – confusion!

If you’re reading this and feel like you’re struggling in any of these areas – all hope is not lost. Let’s come before Him in humility and contriteness of spirit. Let’s come back to the basics — it’s not very complicated. It’s actually very simple – God loves you, He loves you enough to have sacrificed His Only Son for you, so that you (yes,  YOU) can have eternal life. His Word is the only Truth and it is His love letter to you. You can choose to shake your fist at God and “build” your own life here on earth or you can choose to invite Him in and “build” with Him.

Are you (like the people of Gen 11) investing your gifts, your abilities, your time and your resources in building a tower that is in defiance of the direct commands of God? Or are you (like Noah) building an Ark that is going to be used by God for His Kingdom Purposes?

Are you self-sufficient or deeply reliant on God?

Do you have actual solid faith in His promises? Or do you believe them as much as you do fairy tales?

When was the last time you truly prayed to God and involved Him in your life choices? Or is the power of prayer something that you don’t trust anymore?

Faithlessness and prayerlessness, my friends, is the new pandemic.

My prayer for you today is that you cling to God, that you talk to Him daily and that you never stop reading His Word. and studying it.

Please, take a moment, look inside and ask yourself, “What are you building today?”

The post WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING TODAY? appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

But let’s look at the lot that made the cut to the table.

There was Bartholomew. The Gospels tell us close to nothing about him. He walked around with the most significant Man on earth but somehow faded into the background and wasn’t interesting enough.

There was James, the brother of Jesus, who is also often called “James the Less”. I can imagine why. Being a sibling of the Miracle-working, Son of the Most High God could have been daunting.

There was Andrew, the disciple who was “first called” by Jesus. He was a follower of John the Baptist and was the first one to recognize Him as the Messiah and follow Him.

There was Judas Iscariot, infamous for betraying Jesus with a kiss on his cheek, and for what? 33 pieces of silver… worst transaction in history!

There was Peter, previously known as Simon. He was “The Rock” before Dwayne Johnson. He walked on water, set up the early church and passionately preached about Jesus. But, he also straight up denied ever knowing Jesus, just hours after hanging out with Him.

There was John whom we are told was “beloved by Jesus”. He was a favourite and knew the Son of God intimately.

There was Thomas, the one who doubted the resurrection of Christ. He needed proof to believe.

There was James the Great, who wanted to sit at the right hand of Jesus and made that known to Him. He desired greatness and somehow made it to Jesus’ inner circle.

There was Philip who was, perhaps, one of the first evangelists. As soon as He started following Jesus, he went and convinced Nathaniel that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.

There was Matthew, a tax collector at the time that Jesus lived and tax collectors then were known to be liars, cheaters and fraudulent by nature.

There was Jude, who was also one of Jesus’ brothers and also a possible sceptic. The Bible tells us that Jesus’ own brothers did not believe Him. He, of course, went on to write the book of Jude and become an early church evangelist.

And, lastly, there was Simon the Zealot. He was labelled the “zealous one” to distinguish himself from Simon Peter. He clearly left an impression as someone with a lot of passion.

Each of these didn’t earn their place at the table by anything they did; they just consistently walked with Jesus intimately.

Jesus stooped low to wash each of their feet.

There’s place at His table for the obscure ones, the smart ones, the first ones and the last ones, the beloved ones, the passionate ones, the unreliable ones, the arrogant ones, the sceptical ones, the betrayers, the deniers, the doubters and the cheaters.

He washes everyone’s feet with the same love, humility and acceptance. He trusts each of these with His Mission and Purpose for the world.

No matter who you are and what you’ve done, there’s room at His table for you.

He washes all kinds of feet.

The post He Washes All Kinds of Feet! appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

• Cut out the broccoli florets from two heads of broccoli and put them in a bowl.
• Add about 15 cloves of garlic to this bowl.
• Season with Keya Pizza Oregano generously and drizzle the florets with olive oil.
• Place them on aluminum foil on a baking tray and bake them at 200° C for 35-40 mins or until they look crispy and roasted. Turn them around half way through, so that all sides of the florets get crispy.

The Salad:

• Wash and dry out a bunch of baby spinach leaves and add them to a large salad bowl.
• Add your roasted broccoli florets with the roasted garlic cloves as well.
• Add a handful of almonds sliced lengthwise.
• Lastly, (and this is optional) add a just a few shavings of any block cheese (I used Amul cheese)

The Dressing:

This is the best part! In a bowl, mix the following ingredients and whisk them thoroughly till they form a nice creamy dressing…

• 4 tablespoons of hung curd
• 1 teaspoon mayonnaise
• The juice of two lemons
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Toss the salad with the dressing only just before serving. You’re going to be addicted to this yummy salad.

The post Roasted Broccoli Salad appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

I’ve become a bawling ball of mush on the floor during powerful moments of corporate worship. I’ve felt the Holy Spirit envelope me in a giant invisible but very tangible hug. I’ve had moments when my jaw has dropped in shock as a scripture has come alive and “spoken to my exact situation”. I’ve had innumerable experiences of God that are stories worth telling.

Recently, I’ve been deeply longing to experience God in some way that’s felt “big”. I’ve been pining for an “experience”. But today, as I sat and listened to the quiet of both my babies napping at the same time (which is rare); I felt a deep peace. I realized that right there in the room with me was “The One Who Sees Me”. 

While we often selfishly crave big moments with God, we easily miss that He’s constantly with us in the tiny, insignificant ones, too.

I realized how awesome and precious it is that He sees me when my heart breaks trying to put my teething son to bed. He sees me when I rejoice that my baby girl is finishing her entire bowl of food. He sees me when I’ve hardly slept at night and feel like a shell of a person in the morning. He sees me when I’m powering through my list of to-dos each day trying to conquer everything. He sees me when I don’t feel enough to manage what’s on my plate. He sees me in all those moments that will never be worth telling stories about.

He sees me. 

He sees you too. He is God when you feel Him and He’s God when you don’t. He’s still on the throne even when you’re off the platform and backstage doing boring “unseen” work. He is just as proud of you when you’re slaying it as He is when you’re staying in. He loves your game face in public as much as He does your worn-out, tired, unkempt face in private.

You’re never invisible to the One who sees you.

Genesis 16 tells us about how Hagar felt lonely, rejected, tired, and fed up in the scorching desert sun when she was running away from Abraham and Sarah. But God met her in that place of nothingness to remind her that He had plans for her. That’s when she said this (verse 13): “You are the God who sees me… I have now seen the One who sees me.”

My prayer for you today is that you see the One who sees you. 

The post The One Who Sees Me! appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

1. Clean a whole chicken and wash it inside out nicely. Make sure you pat it completely dry with paper towels. Also, make sure you use a chicken which has the skin on, the skin adds a lot of flavour.
2. Fill a vessel with buttermilk and soak the chicken in it. Keep this in the fridge to marinate overnight. Remember, this will keep your chicken extremely moist through the whole roasting process. So, don’t skip this part.
3. Now take 100g of salted Amul garlic herb butter at room temperature and add to it 2 tablespoons of the Nomad Food Project Bacon Fat. Add two tablespoons maple syrup to it, as well as salt and pepper as seasoning. Mix it nicely till it becomes a soft creamy mixture.
4. Now use your hands to coat every corner of the bird with this bacon butter. Put it inside and outside. Make sure there’s no part of the chicken not coated with this butter. Even apply the butter under the skin of the chicken wherever you can.
5. Take a large baking tray and spray it with oil or rub butter on it.
6. Now cover the bottom of the baking tray with vegetables of your choice. I used onions, mushrooms, carrots, yellow and green zucchinis, and garlic. You can add beets, beans, broccoli if you like too. Avoid adding leafy vegetables.
7. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on these vegetables as well as KEYA oregano seasoning. Add a few dollops of the Nomad Food Project Bacon Stout Marmalade to these veggies.
8. Now, place your bacon butter bird on top of the vegetables right side up and then, place this in a preheated oven for 90 mins at 200°C or till it’s completely cooked. Make sure you place or in the middle of the oven equidistant from the top and bottom. Also make sure the oven setting is set to heat from top and bottom. The time can differ based on how big the chicken is.
9. Half way through, remove the bird and brush some barbecue sauce mixed with honey on the top of the bird evenly.

After the chicken is done, let it rest for 1 hour at least before you cut it. This way the juices remain inside and it stays nice and juicy. Do not cut it soon as it is out of the oven!!!

Roasted baby potatoes:

1. Cut 1/2 kg of baby potatoes in half.
2. Heat up 2 teaspoons of the Nomad Food Project Bacon Fat in a pan.
3. Put a fistful of garlic cloves in there and let them turn golden brown.
4. Add the baby potatoes and season with salt, pepper and KEYA oregano seasoning.
5. Let the potatoes roast till they are soft and cooked all the way through.
6. Add 3 teaspoons of the Nomad Project Bacon Bourbon Relish to them when they’re cooked and nicely mix it.

Serve the roast chicken with the roasted veggies, baby potatoes, fluffy flavoured basmati rice and a salad.

Thank me later.

The post The Best Roast Chicken Ever! appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

Over the weekend, I have been meditating on one particular verse and have not been able to get past it. It gives me such deep insight into the mind of Christ and His character. Of course, I decided that I had to share this insight with you today…

This is the verse I’m talking about:

John 6:15
Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

Now, a little back story, alright? For context…

This happens just after the incident on the mountain where Jesus miraculously fed more than 5000 people with just five loaves and two fish. This marvelous miracle on the mountain wasn’t His first. He had, by now, become known as a Miracle-worker, a Rabbi and a Teacher. In fact, that’s exactly why He was followed by such a huge crowd. They wanted to hear what He had to say, they wanted to experience a miracle, they were fascinated by Him. You have to understand a lot of these Jews who followed Jesus were longing and waiting for a Messiah — for their promised Savior. Was Jesus going to be that Savior? They didn’t know for sure. All they knew is that this Man from Nazareth was someone they were attracted to and mesmerized by. So, they followed Him up to this mountain.

They were tired, exhausted from the heat and hungry. There was no mall with a food court close by. They were famished and far away from their homes. At this point, Jesus took a little boy’s lunch, that his mother had probably meticulously packed for him. It was just five barley loaves and two fish — just enough to keep the boy fed. Jesus gave thanks to God and asked His disciples to distribute this tiny meal among the five thousand. It was a ridiculous request but they were familiar by now with these kinds of requests from the Teacher and so they just followed through.

It was an astounding miracle of multiplication. Incredibly, every person on that mountain had more than enough to eat and there were still 12 baskets of food left over. How could this be humanly possible? It was an amazing feat and the people marveled at Jesus. Verse 14 says that when people saw this particular miracle, they started to say amongst themselves, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”. They felt convinced He was their promised hope and insisted He become their King. But that’s when John documents something important about Jesus that captivated me: v.15. Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.

Jesus basically realized these people wanted to forcefully make Him their King and instead of giving in to their requests, chose to retrieve into solitude. I didn’t quite understand this. I had so many questions the first time I read this.

• “Jesus, if they’ve realized who you are and want to make you King, you’ve just saved the next three years of ‘ministry’, right?”
• “Why are you rejecting such a great offer?”
• “If you really wanted to be their Savior, wouldn’t it be easier to do it as their King?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around His desire to retreat from people who wanted more of Him. That’s when I felt the Holy Spirit bringing on an important teaching moment.

As usual, I’d like to share the notes I made to myself in my journal:

1. Jesus wasn’t interested in the position of a King. He was more focused on His purpose on earth. He cared more about His function than a fancy title.

Note to Self: You need to be so focused on what you are called to do that you’re never distracted by a lucrative position or title that may sound really attractive. You need to really be aware of what good opportunities are keeping you away from your greater purpose.

2. Jesus wasn’t going to succumb to this flattering proposition even if it came by force. He knew this was a distraction and didn’t confuse it with God’s plan for His life on earth.

Note to Self: You need to be so much more discerning when things come your way. It’s easy to get carried away with recognition from man and to confuse it with God’s plan for you. Approval from God is what you need more than accolades from man.

3. Jesus withdrew from the crowd to be by Himself. He did not stay back a bit to soak in all the attention. He chose solitude at a time when people wanted to be around Him the most.

Note to Self: You don’t really mind attention do you, Becky? But guess what? It’s temporary and can be such a distraction from your purpose. Choose to retire to the secret place more often, especially when there’s a temptation to be around people and bask in their appreciation. When God uses you in a public place, immediately make time for the secret place.

4. Lastly, Jesus wasn’t pursuing a fascinating purpose and He knew very well that it involved death. Becoming King now would’ve been the perfect way to avoid death and take a short cut. But He made the hard choice. He chose solitude over salute, pain over praise and purpose over position.

Note to Self: Pursuing your purpose is not easy and definitely involves death to self. It is easy to avoid that pain and just take a shorter path to what may seem like a position of success. But, Becky, remember that Kingdom success is only measured by the position of your heart.

I’m so deeply encouraged by these small insights that John gives us into the life of Jesus. He clearly could’ve been King without the Cross but He didn’t choose that. He chose the Cross because He knew His Purpose. He had you and me in mind. He reminded Himself of the millions of unborn people from the future who would make Him King in their hearts and change the world through love. He knew that was far more valuable. He had the big picture in mind and thought about posterity.

My prayer today is for you and me is that we are more purpose-led like our beautiful Savior, Jesus.

Blessings Always,

Becky.   

The post Are You Purpose-led or Position-led? appeared first on Becky Lee Pearson.

I started studying the book of John earlier last year with one goal: to see Jesus the way John did – intimately. Needless to say, it’s been such a rewarding journey. I’m still on chapter 5 and I wanted to share something from this passage that completely floored me.

Allow me to paraphrase:

When Jesus was back in Jerusalem, He visited the Sheep Gate which was known for a famous pool called Bethesda that was distinguished by these five columns. Hundreds of sick people — blind, crippled, paralyzed — gathered around this pool because it was believed that, every once in a while, an angel stirred the waters and as soon as this divine occurrence happened, the first person to immerse themselves in the pool would be completely healed. The Bible isn’t clear on how often this happened but I imagine that this wasn’t a frequent incident. Also, clearly, people who thronged by the pool, deeply pined and waited for that angelic stirring to happen.

Now, John tells us that there was one particular such pining man who had been an invalid and was waiting by the pool for thirty-eight long years. I can’t imagine what that existence must be like — spending his whole life almost waiting for this miracle and just always missing it when it happened because being an invalid meant he couldn’t immerse himself in the pool on his own. He needed someone to carry him to the pool. My heart goes out to this man.

So did Jesus’. When Jesus saw him stretched out by the pool and knew how long he had been there, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” The sick man explained his situation to Jesus and said, “Sir, when the water is stirred, I don’t have anybody to put me in the pool. By the time I get there, somebody else is already in.”

Jesus instantly sympathized with him and said, “Get up, take your bed, start walking.” The man was healed on the spot! He picked up his bed and walked. Without the angel. Without the stirring. Without the miracle that he was waiting for.

Now after narrating this story, John goes on to tell us more of what happened after this man was healed but I was arrested by the Holy Spirit at this point in the story for a while.

Here are a few things that He put on my heart:

1. Stop thinking you know what your miracle looks like.

I thought about this man’s situation and the situation of so many of us who are not unfamiliar with waiting and pining for a miracle. There are expectations we have of our miracle. We know what it should look like. We have seen how it happens with others. We have witnessed others experience it. We are familiar with the usual ways in which God works. So, we wait expectantly for things to happen a certain way. Our minds have painted a beautiful picture of what our miracle looks like. And we are disappointed, over and over again. I felt the Holy Spirit challenge me to stop putting God in a box. The Miracle Worker doesn’t have a template that uses for every need. He doesn’t rely on gimmicks and He’s full of surprises. His timing is unpredictable and His methods are unusual.

2. Don’t wait for a “stirring” when the Savior is with you.

I feel like I identify with this man who was waiting for the stirring at so many levels. I want a stirring. I want something dynamic to happen. I am often pining for the experience of something so tangibly supernatural that it is obvious to all around. I often find myself yearning for a Sunday message that will stir the waters for me or a prophetic word that will just come at the right time. I feel like the Holy Spirit reminded me oddly through this passage that the stirring is great but the Savior is more important. He is in me and with me every day. Imagine that — that the God of heaven and earth, the God who said, “Let there be light” and the same God who made this invalid walk is in me and in you. But we are pining for an experience. Something temporal. Something tangible. Something fleeting that may or may not happen. I am challenged to choose to spend so much more time with Jesus this year. More time sitting at His feet, more time listening to His still voice, more time pursuing His heart.

3. Obedience is key to your miracle.

Now Jesus came along and said something preposterous to this invalid. He said, “Get up, take your bed, start walking.” I mean, the audacity! Imagine the situation. This man wasn’t alone by this pool, there were hundreds of others waiting like him. They all were familiar with the supernatural. They knew what a miracle looked like. It involved an angel, a stirring, immediate commotion, jumping, joy, disappointment, etc. What this man wasn’t expecting was a young unfamiliar carpenter to come along and tell him something as simple as “Get up, take your bed, start walking”.  But when he heard those words, he did exactly that. He got up, picked his bed and walked.

I wondered a lot about this. What made him think this would work? What made him think, “I must listen to this unusual command”? If I were him, I’d be disappointed that Jesus couldn’t see that all I obviously wanted was someone to pick me up when the “stirring” happened. No, this man just obeyed. No questions. No wondering. No challenging the audacity of the command. He just did it. This was the deepest of my convictions from this passage. I don’t think I obey God like this. Immediately, no questions asked. My first impulse to anything God says is to question it, try to reason with it, try to interpret it, try to do something else that looks similar but is easier — anything but downright, immediate obedience.

Wow. What a way to be challenged for the New Year!

Lord, my prayer for this year is that:

• I don’t put you in a box and script my miracle. I will not let my finite mind limit the infinite God. I won’t let my restricted expectations of what you can do, define my understanding of you. I’m entering 2021 unexpectant but so ready!
• I don’t want just the “stirring”. I want You. I want to know You. I want Your Presence in my life. I want to be friends with the Miracle-worker more than I want the miracle.
• Also, I want to learn to obey you like this man did. I want to be able to do exactly what you’re instructing me to, no questions asked. I want to put my logic, my fundas, my thoughts and my ideas aside and just do what you say. And immediately.

Hey, if you’ve read so far, I encourage you today to make this prayer too. I pray that, this year, you will walk intimately with the God of angel armies instead of waiting for an angel to stir the waters for you. I pray that you will know God like John did, as a very close friend, not as a distant prayer-answering machine. I pray you will experience your miracle in no common way — that it will be special, unique and quite a spectacle. I pray that in 2021 your wait will be over and that you’ll move away from familiar territories you’ve hung around for years.

Have a fantastic year, my friends. So much love.

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