Tag: Rev. Dr. Ken Crawford

“I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.”
— Henry Ward Beecher

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, “I find no pleasure in them.”
— Ecclesiastes 12:1

When we are young and have so many things to do, many things can distract us from what is important. We must let the Lord gather our passions under his grace in those early days of excitement and frenetic joy so we can be used for God’s greater good. For most of us, age brings a crescendo of limitations of one kind or another. This doesn’t mean life has to be bad, just that we had better put our priorities in order. Hopefully we learned the lessons of faith in our youth so that we have the maturity and wisdom to be mentors, examples, and counselors for those who come after us on the path.

Holy God, I pray for the youth of your Church. Give them passion and joy as they find you and follow Jesus. May their faith be real, vibrant, joyous, and triumphant! Give them a sense of your glory. Sustain them through their later years with a deep assurance of your presence, victory, and grace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Light to See
“If I didn’t have spiritual faith, I would be a pessimist. But I’m an optimist. I’ve read the last page in the Bible. It’s all going to turn out all right.”
— Billy Graham

Read About It
[Jesus explained his statements about the gate and the sheep:] “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.”
— John 10:7-8 NLT

Look It Up
Ezekiel 34:7-10  
Mark 10:42-45
Matthew 24:24

Think About It
People were constantly looking for a messiah, and many false messiahs had come and gone. Many religious leaders were ready to claim the role of messiah. But only one was sent by God. Only one did the will of God completely. Only one was willing to lay down his life for the sheep of God. This kind of shepherd not only entered through the gate but he was also willing to lay down his own body to be the gate in the pens set up in the open fields to protect the sheep and to calm their restlessness and fears. Jesus was not seeking his own good or glory; he came to serve God’s sheep – including us. Why? He did it because of his love for us and because that is what God wanted him to do and that is what a real shepherd does!

Pray About It
Lord God, help me not to listen to the false voices of self-appointed religious leaders who are unwilling to sacrifice for your sheep and instead want to fleece them for their own benefit. Thank you, Jesus, for being the one real shepherd that I can follow. By the authority of your name, I offer my prayer and thanksgiving. Amen.  

Light to See
“An idol of the mind is as offensive to God as an idol of the hand.”
— A. W. Tozer

Read About It
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice. They won’t follow a stranger; they will run from him because they don’t know his voice.”Those who heard Jesus use this illustration didn’t understand what he meant, … — John 10:3-6 NLT

Look It Up
John 20:24-28
1 Peter 2:25
2 Corinthians 11:2

Think About It
RCA Victor once used an old recording logo that showed a dog listening at a megaphone-type speaker with the words, “His Master’s Voice.”^® In the same way, we – as the sheep in today’s verses – should know the voice of the true shepherd. We should train ourselves to recognize him and trust him so much because of his love for us that we will not follow anyone who does not sound like our shepherd. Jesus is our shepherd. He speaks, and we hear the Master’s voice. We follow him as Lord, and him alone.

Pray About It
Please God, give me a heart to follow only Jesus and an ear to recognize any impostor that might seek to steal away my heart from my Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Light to See
“The long dull monotonous years of middle-aged prosperity or middle-aged adversity are excellent campaigning weather for the Devil.” — C. S. Lewis

Read About It
When Jesus heard [that the man he had healed was thrown out of the synagogue], he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. — John 9:35-38 NLT

Look It Up
James 2:14-20
2 Timothy 2:11-13
Matthew 11:27-30

Think About It
Jesus shows by his actions that he is who he claims to be. When everyone else abandons and casts out the healed man, Jesus goes and finds him. The man shows he is a true God-seeker because when Jesus shares with him his identity, the man worships him. Let’s show who we are by our actions and trust that Jesus will do so as well!

Pray About It
Dear God, thank you that Jesus does not abandon me when everyone else does. Thank you for your steadfast faithfulness toward me even when no one else believes in me. Help me form my character so that I will be steadfast and faithful as you are. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Light to See
“The church exists by mission, as fire exists by burning.” — Emil Brunner

Read About It
“You were born a total sinner!” [the Jewish leaders answered to the man who had been healed of his blindness and who said Jesus had to be from God]. “Are you trying to teach us?” And they threw him out of the synagogue.
— John 9:34 NLT

Look It Up
James 3:1
Matthew 23:27-36
John 7:16-17

Think About It
God despises the abuse of power. He repeatedly warned against it in Old Testament times, ^[1] and he warns those who teach and lead in his Kingdom that they had better do so honorably or they will stand under harsher judgment. When these religious authorities cannot discount the truth of the healed man’s statements and they cannot discredit Jesus, they resort to shaming the man and expelling him from their society. In other words, they want to get rid of the witness and the evidence. Such behavior is damnable. If we are leaders – and we are all influencing someone, let’s be warned of how awful such behavior is and how God abhors it. [1] For example, Isaiah 10:1-2.

Pray About It
Almighty and holy Father, please give me the courage to always look for truth. Help me never be so self-deceived that I resort to such deplorable actions as these religious leaders in today’s verse. Give me a teachable heart that yearns for your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Light to See
“It’s a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally.
It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand.”
— Madeleine L’Engle

Read About It
Then [the Jewish leaders cursed the man who had been healed of his blindness] and said, “You are [Jesus’] disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”
— John 9:28-29 NLT

Look It Up
John 1:16-18
John 5:39-46
John 17:25

Think About It
Sadly, about the only truthful thing the Jewish authorities said about Jesus in the whole episode was that they knew nothing about him. But, if they really knew Moses, as they said they did, they would have known Jesus. If they really knew God, they would have known Jesus. So many people reject Jesus because they don’t really know him – church experiences, church people, or chosen lifestyles get in their way of knowing Jesus. As we seek to reach the lost, we must remember that the core, the essence, the truth we share is centered in Christ Jesus. Rather than getting lost in a lot of church jargon, let’s share Jesus with them. Let’s help them see the Savior.

Pray About It
Then Dear heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus. I know that he is your greatest message. Forgive me for the times that I have gotten lost in religious arguments and forgotten to share Jesus with those who need him. Bless my efforts to share Jesus with those who do not recognize him as their Lord and Savior. It’s in Jesus’ precious and mighty name that I pray. Amen.

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Light to See
“Satan, the Hinderer, may build a barrier about us,
but he can never roof us in, so that we cannot look up.”
— J. Hudson Taylor 

Read About It
Then [the people questioning the man who had been healed of his blindness took him] to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it.
So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away, I could see!” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could
an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a
deep division of opinion among them. Then the Pharisees
again questioned the man who had been blind and demanded,
“What’s your opinion about this man who healed you?”
The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
— John 9:13-17 NLT

Look It Up
1 John 5:8-10
Matthew 23:13-15
Matthew 12:9-14

Think About It
While many parents are conscientious and dedicated to raising their children in the Lord, unfortunately, there are also some parents who view their children only as mere biological products. Their tie to their children is simply genetic, neither spiritual nor emotional. That’s the kind of parents the healed man had. They were more concerned about their place in the synagogue than with their son’s healing and spiritual development. They left their son on his own to defend himself and to fend for himself. As God’s people, we must remember his heart for the orphaned and abandoned, and we must defend and care for them as God’s people. We must care for our own families as well as those people who are abandoned and alone.
(1 Timothy 5:8; Matthew 25:34-36, 40)

Pray About It
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times that I have wrongly used your word to hurt other people. Empty me of my theological and doctrinal arrogance that could blind me to your work in the people around me. May I always love and respect people as you do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Light to See
“The greatest battles are fought in the mind.”
— Casey Treat

Read About It
Then [the people questioning the man who had been healed of his blindness took him] to the Pharisees, because it was on the Sabbath that Jesus had made the mud and healed him. The Pharisees asked the man all about it.
So he told them, “He put the mud over my eyes, and when I washed it away,
I could see!”  Some of the Pharisees said, “This man Jesus is not from God, for he is working on the Sabbath.” Others said, “But how could an ordinary sinner do such miraculous signs?” So there was a deep division of opinion among them. Then the Pharisees again questioned the man who had
been blind and demanded, “What’s your opinion about this man
who healed you?” The man replied, “I think he must be a prophet.”
— John 9:13-17 NLT

Look It Up
1 John 5:8-10
Matthew 23:13-15
Matthew 12:9-14

Think About It
Isn’t it interesting how we can “bend” reality to make it fit faulty theology? This man was healed. He was healed on the Sabbath. But, in the theological wrangling of the Pharisees, that “work” of healing was a violation of the Sabbath. So either Jesus was bad, or the man hadn’t really been healed. Some disagreements on obscure or much-debated minor theological points are inconsequential. However, when we use disagreements to wall out and condemn people, or when we use them to make God’s good work appear
to be something bad, then those theological positions become evil. Theological principles can be misused, but that misuse doesn’t mean
we water down the plain teaching of Scripture on morality and all
other aspects of our lives as disciples or on the nature of Jesus;
it does mean that we should be a lot more humble and generous
when it comes to the value of people.

Pray About It
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times that I have wrongly used your word to hurt other people. Empty me of my theological and doctrinal arrogance that could blind me to your work in the people around me. May I always love and respect people as you do. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

Light to See
“Christ is with those of humble mind,
not with those who exalt themselves over his flock.”
— Clement of Rome

Read About It
His neighbors and others who knew [the man whose sight was restored by Jesus] as a blind beggar asked each other, “Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was, and others said, “No, he just looks like him!”
But the beggar kept saying, “Yes, I am the same one!”
They asked, “Who healed you? What happened?” He told them,
“The man they call Jesus made mud and spread it over my eyes and told me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash yourself.’ So I went and washed, and now I can see!” “Where is he now?” they asked. “I don’t know,” he replied.
— John 9:8-12 NLT

Look It Up
1 John 3:16-17
James 2:12-13
Luke 10:2 1 John 3:16-17

Think About It
How often have you judged someone simply based on his or her appearance? The folks who were supposed to be the neighbors of this man Jesus healed knew him only as a label. That label was based on his physical blindness and his need to beg. They never spent enough time to move beyond the label to the man. They didn’t know him, only his label. They didn’t bother to befriend him because he was a blind beggar. Before we become self-righteous, let’s ask how different we are! We all need to ask ourselves: Do I make unfair assumptions about people based on external appearances? Do I use labels to push people away so that I do not have to deal with them in everyday life? As Jesus’ disciples, we need to overcome any of these tendencies we might have and show Jesus’ love to everyone.

Pray About It
Father, please forgive me. I confess that many times I do not view people as you do. I find myself dismissing them based on external appearances, so I don’t have to involve myself in their lives. Father, I don’t want to use my time with folks who won’t change. However, dear Father, I also don’t want to neglect to bless anyone that you send my way, including anyone that has not yet experienced your grace. Please give me the wisdom to know how to respond appropriately so that I do what you would have me do in the life of anyone I meet. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.