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Jesus the Lobbyist

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You’re a lobbyist?

You’d almost have better luck putting “Top Used-Car Salesman” on your resumé. Politicians, especially those with an ambitious eye on a comfy white house in our nation’s capital, make sure we all know they’ve never been a lobbyist, never been influenced by a lobbyist, never even met a lobbyist. They cast their votes based on just the facts, ma’am, and not on golf junkets proffered by influence peddlers from Big Pharma or Freddie Mac bankers. Hey, for all they know, a quid pro quo is something you order at a seafood restaurant.

The surprising thing, then, is that the Bible proudly describes Jesus as being a lobbyist! If any man sin, John writes in his first epistle, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The Living Bible paraphrase has a decidedly K Street flavor with this rendering: There is someone to plead for you before the Father. And whether we view our Savior as a lobbyist or a very effective defense attorney, the end result is the same: he offers to peddle his influence regarding a rather weighty decision . . . our eternal destiny!

Hebrews 4 adds to Christ’s curriculum vitae by lauding him as our high priest – and in Bible times the priest was an advocate on behalf of sinners seeking absolution. If we sign with him, we find a Friend who is not only sympathetic with our travails, but who empowers us to approach the throne of grace with confident boldness.

The biblical concept of propitiation – the turning away of God’s wrath – has maybe given frail Christians the idea that we do need a powerful lawyer to stand before the bar on our behalf. But this ignores the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ and his Father are united in their desire to redeem and restore us. The late John Stott comments in his standout book, The Contemporary Christian: “Whenever we have cast Jesus Christ in the role of a third party” – a lobbyist, if you will – “who intervened to rescue us from an angry God, we have been guilty of a travesty which stands condemned, since it is God who loved the world and God who took the initiative to send his Son to die for us.” Remember the wonderful hymn? “O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God.”

Whenever we confess a sin, or imagine ourselves going into that great galactic courtroom, or even just whisper a prayer, we need to bear in mind that the things Jesus wants, God wants too! John unravels his own “lobbyist” metaphor by having Jesus say to his disciples in John 16: I don’t need to send God a basket of fruit on your behalf . . . because the Father himself loves you!

So instead of reading Scripture as saying, “We have an advocate with the Father,” let’s envision both their names on the same corporate letterhead. And now, “We have an advocate with the Father.”

Read more at the source: Jesus the Lobbyist

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

The Mayonnaise Jar

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I do not enjoy reading but fortunately for me, my wife Linda, and my daughter, DeAnne, do. They both know I love illustrations and when they find good ones, they always share them with me.

DeAnne sent me the following story and I fell in love with what it says. I share it now with you because in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we all need to remember its message.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items before him on the table. When the class began, and without a word, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with gold balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and proceeded to pour them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Once again they all agreed it was.

The professor next picked up box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked the class once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced a couple of glasses of lemonade from under the desk and poured them into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students broke into laughter.

It All Adds Up

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are important – God, family, friends, health – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life like your job, your home, your car, etc. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for things that are really important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend personal time with God, talk with your children, take your husband/wife to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn. “Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

A student raised his hand and inquired. “What does the lemonade represent?” The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple of glasses of lemonade with a friend.”

Read more at the source: The Mayonnaise Jar

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

I Am Someone

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Dear God: I’m a nobody! I feel like I do not amount to very much. It appears as though whatever I do is insignificant. Nothing of any count! Not many friends – and, yes, at times I feel like a social misfit. I could drop out of existence and no one would know the difference.

But today I read in your word “that you have redeemed me, you have called me by name, I am yours” (Isaiah 43:1). Because of your Son Jesus, I am someone! You gave your all to redeem me. You have put your love inside me. That makes me worth something. That makes me “somebody.”

Thank you, God, for taking me, a nobody, and bringing me into your family –the family of Heaven–and by your compassionate grace giving me value. God, you are wonderful!

In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Read more at the source: I Am Someone

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Online prayers.

A Radical Idea

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Dear God: The law of heaven calls for a radical way of living that turns human logic on its head. It’s customary for us to love and value those who treat us well. It is easy to embrace people who are kind and considerate. But you want me to love the unlovely, rude, and disrespectful “nuts” who could care less about me or the needs of others. That’s hard to do! In fact, it is impossible! But then, you’re not afraid of impossibile things.

Today, give me the ability to love as you love. Fill my heart with heaven’s light. Teach me that even the “nuts” are your children, which makes them my brothers and sisters.

Change my heart and fill me with your righteousness. Wash away my sins and make me clean.

In Jesus’ name. Amen!

Read more at the source: A Radical Idea

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Online prayers.

Well Connected

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Dear God: I’m pretty connected. After all, I work at my computer all day and sometimes into the night and have full access to e-mail. My Outlook actually makes a beeping sound when I get a new message. And Facebook. What can I say? With that instrument, I’m connected to people all around the world. We share really important things like how glad we are it’s Friday and bad news such as the Cardinals lost. Then there’s my Blackberry. Even when I’m not at my computer, I’m “connected.”

But what about the most important connection? Being connected to my boss and my friends is one thing, but what about the connection to the one who sustains me? (Ephesians 6:18, NLT) is pretty specific: “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.”

God, make me aware of my need for prayer and also my need to pray for others.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read more at the source: Well Connected

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Online prayers.

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