Blind Leaders: Jesus Series

   Luke 6:39 "If a blind person is leading a blind person, both will end up in a ditch."   Jesus said this after he talked about judging others and why we shouldn't do it. He then began talking about leaders. This one seems kind of obvious. Why would Jesus say this? I'll tell you one thing I know about Jesus, and I hope you know or will soon see, Jesus does everything for a reason. 

   In our lives we will probably be a follower and a leader at some point. I don't know about you, but it's hard for me to follow someone who's morals and character I don't agree with. That's because eventually that leader may ask me to do something I don't want to do because I don't agree with it.
   Jesus is talking about a blind man being a leader. This isn't someone who is physically blind, though it is what the parable wants us to picture. This leader is blind to the truth. Following leaders who are blind to the truth will only get us hurt.
   Let me illustrate it this way: one time I was at a barn party with my soccer team. At the barn party there was this huge hay maze. This maze was as wide as the barn and as high as the bottom of the roof. It had many levels and turns. Some of the girls had already done the maze. One of my friends, who hadn't done the maze yet, wanted me to go in with her. I didn't really want to do it. I don't do well in small, dark spaces when I don't know how to get out.
   Nevertheless, eventually I gave in. My friend went in the maze first and I followed her. Soon it became clear we couldn't figure out how to get out (it was a really good maze). One of my other friends, who had already completed the maze, came in with a flashlight. She found us and led us out safely.
   The friend who was originally leading me was blind. But, the friend with the flashlight wasn't blind in more ways than one. She knew the way and brought a light. That's what good leaders do. They know the truth and the light. Then they pass that knowledge on to their followers. After that, the followers become leaders and pass on their knowledge and the cycle goes on and on. If that leader isn't passing the right knowledge then the followers will not have the right knowledge; that's why teachers are held to such a high standard because their teaching can lead people to truth or away from it.
   What does this mean for us? It means that we need to make sure we keep who we are following accountable. If we know our leader is leading others astray it is our job to let them know in a nice way. It means that when we are leaders we need to make sure we are teaching our followers the right way to go. It means that we need to know the truth that Jesus is our savior and the ultimate teacher.
   So, are you following godly leaders? Are you a godly leader? Do you know the truth about Jesus?

   Image from here. 

The Enigma That is Jesus: Jesus Series Intro

   Jesus. That name has power in it. It means savior, which is exactly who he is. But, he is also so much more. While on earth, Jesus healed people, preached, are with sinners, performed miracles, and more. Jesus is amazing but he is also confusing.
   Atheists and other people from various religious backgrounds look at Jesus in different ways. Some think he was a liar. Others think he was a lunatic. While others still believe he was a great prophet, but not God. There are many different reasons for why people think these things about Jesus. I'm not going to list all of these because we would be here forever.
   Instead, I'd like to focus on why people think Jesus was a lunatic. Jesus said and did many things that people thought were crazy. People don't understand why he said and did these things. They don't understand for different reasons but some just don't want to look deeper and get to know who Jesus really is.
   This is the reason why I am doing the digging for these people. I have looked into different things Jesus said that people thought were strange or didn't make sense. Each week we are going to dig deep into who Jesus is and why he did what he did. I hope you will put on your shoes and take this journey with me.
   So, I'd like you to think about who you say Jesus is. Do you truly believe that he is your savior? Do you think you understand who he is and why he did what he did?

   John 14:6

   Image from here. 

Focus on What You Have

    As a goalkeeper for soccer, I had to do many different drills in order to get my skills as a keeper up to par. Some of those drills involved had me having multiple soccer balls shot at me at once. In that drill if I focus on all of the soccer balls coming at me then I could either get hurt or miss stopping all of the soccer balls, which, in case you did not know, the job of a goalkeeper is to stop the ball from going in the net. 
   At this point you may be wondering why I am telling you this. This situation relates to our lives in multiple ways. The first way is that many times we are focused on what we don't have in life rather than what we do have. In goal if I go to stop one shot but I take my eyes off that one shot and look at another shot that is better I lose out on saving the first shot. In life if we focus on what we don't have we will never be happy. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The things of this earth are temporary. If we focus on the things we don't have, the people we don't have, or the looks we don't have we won't be happy and we won't be able to reach others for God. We need to be transformed and focus on what God has blessed us with. 
   The next way this situation relates to you is leadership. At some point in your life you will probably be asked to lead. Being a leader is not always easy. Leaders make many choices and people under them may not always agree with them. That's why leaders need to focus on what they do have character wise and follower wise. If leaders focus on what other people have or the people who stopped following them then they will not be as effective. A leader's job is to do his work to the best of his ability. The leader must focus on what God is calling him to do. 
   So, are you focused on what you don't have? Are you using the abilities God has given you to glorify him? 

   Image from here.

Pressing On

   One place that I go every year whether on vacation or to counsel is Camp YoliJwa. This year the camp's theme is Press On. It comes from the verse Philippians 3:14 which says: "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." 
   It seems like a fitting theme for what has happened in the world. We all got blindsided by COVID last year. No one, except God, was expecting a virus to shut down the world. Many of us got sick, were stuck at home, lost jobs, lost money, etc. We all had rough years. And, we all have a choice.
   One quote I say to my soccer players a lot is: "when something happens you have a choice: you can let it rule you or fuel you." That is a lot like this verse. When bad things happen, we can dwell on them. We can focus on how bad our lives are. We can complain about how unfair life is. Or we can choose to press on. We can say "this situation will not beat me." We can lean into God or press into him. We can gain strength from going through a difficult situation with the Lord by our side.
   Think about something that has happened in your life that may have been what you consider a bad situation. Did that problem bring you closer to God or did it make you angry with the Lord? Reflection is important in life. It is good to look back and see how much you have changed and grown. However, we cannot continue to be content to just sit by and stay stagnant in our growth. Verse 13 in Philippians 3 says "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead." If we dwell on the past, we will not be focused on our goal. It is just like in a race. You can look back for a bit but if you continue to look back you will trip and fall. That's why Paul tells us to press on toward the prize. If we keep our eyes fixed on our goal or heaven, then we will make a difference for the kingdom. We will grow in God. We will, eventually, finish the race and truly abide with Jesus, our savior.
   So, are you focused too much on the past that you are hindering your future? How can you grow in God today? Are you focused on pressing on toward our heavenly goal?

Image from here.