The "Nike" Moment - "Just Do It"!
The “Nike” Moment – “Just Do It”!
The Beijing Olympics is on and going great. One name is has become very prominent, Michael Phelps. He has broken and set records (8 gold medals) that no one else has ever set. He is being decorated and highly honored. He is blessed and we will all agree. The question is how did get to this point of honor? By doing and putting into practice whatever his coach has taught him. Any of us may be tempted to envy him but are we willing to do the same things he has done to put into practice what he had learned from all the many swimming lessons he has had? Honor, blessing comes through doing. It is faith in action. Jesus makes this point clear to an admiring envious woman. I believe Jesus is also saying the same to us, “Just do it”. You will be blessed when you obey God’s word.
Luke 11:27-28
27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
Luke 8: 19-21
19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In the middle of His teaching and preaching, Jesus gets interrupted in two different occasions and He gives similar answers. In our current chapter 11, a woman who admired Jesus and wishing she had a son like Jesus, tells Jesus literally, “I wish I was your mama”. Jesus’ reply was not a rebuke but an encouragement. Basically, Jesus is saying, “Yes, you can equally be my mother if you would listen and do what you hear me teach about loving God and loving others like yourself”. Have you sometimes envied some one who is “blessed”?
2. When you read the above encounters, you may draw a wrong impression that Jesus was slamming Mary (his earthly mother) and not honoring her. This is quite the contrary. Jesus is saying that Mary, His virgin mother is blessed because Mary heard the voice of God and put it into practice. Mary obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit.
3. Notice that our usual definition of blessing is different from that of Jesus. We often define one being blessed as possessing so much material things and lacking nothing. For Jesus, blessing is not what we are receiving but what we are doing or giving? We are blessed when we obey God’s word. When was the last time you were truly blessed? The question should be when was the last time you and I obeyed the word God spoke to us either through His Word or through wise counsel by godly people?
4. If we can get hold of this concept of blessing, we will stop running around chasing ministers to pray for us to receive blessings. You are blessed by obedience. Mary accepted to do God’s will and obey His word. Mary accepted the shame and ridicule of bearing God’s son even as a virgin. Her husband Joseph could not understand her but Mary took the risk of trusting God and said, “I am the Lord’s servant,” “May it be to me as you have said”. “From now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1: 38, 48). Stop chasing blessings. Do God’s word you have heard and you will be blessed and honored first in the sight of God. People may not recognize you as blessed but when you and I obey God’s word, Jesus says, we are blessed.
5. In the encounter in Luke 8:19-21, James the brother of Jesus must have been one of his brothers who came to see Jesus. James never forgot the Word of Jesus on that day and it shaped the rest of his life. Bible scholars agree that this James (the brother of Jesus – Matthew 13:54-56) is the one who wrote the book of James. The book of James is the “Nike” book. “Just do it”. It is full of practical advises and words for us to put our faith into action. I do not know about you, but I am tired of non-practical Christianity. If you get bored with your Christianity, read James again.
6. Listen to James on practical Christianity. James 1:22, 27. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says….27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”. In this election year, the American Church is consumed by the issue of Abortion. People may be making up their minds on who to vote based on whether a candidate is pro or anti abortion. It is an important issue to most of us but it is not the only one. We should equally be concerned with the Adoption issue as James calls us to be. Most of us may not be able to do anything to change the abortion debate or even reduce the number of abortions but you and I can do something about orphans and widows. You may not be able to adopt or may not have thought about it. I challenge us to at least do something about orphans and support ministries that are caring for them. Be blessed and sponsor a child for Jesus.
What has God spoken to you directly through the Bible or from the Holy Spirit? Has He spoken to you to forgive someone you have a grudge against? Has He spoken to you to give up something that is not adding to your spiritual life and repent of it? Whatever it is, Jesus says, “Blessed” (happy, fortunate) are you if you do it. Have a “Nike” moment and “Just Do It”. I speak to myself as I speak to you. May God help us and grant us grace to be “doers” of His Word and not just “hearers” only. The world is tired of the “talking” and “hearing” Christians. They want to see some “doers”. Matthew 7:26 “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash”
Be Blessed Today! Just Do It.
The Beijing Olympics is on and going great. One name is has become very prominent, Michael Phelps. He has broken and set records (8 gold medals) that no one else has ever set. He is being decorated and highly honored. He is blessed and we will all agree. The question is how did get to this point of honor? By doing and putting into practice whatever his coach has taught him. Any of us may be tempted to envy him but are we willing to do the same things he has done to put into practice what he had learned from all the many swimming lessons he has had? Honor, blessing comes through doing. It is faith in action. Jesus makes this point clear to an admiring envious woman. I believe Jesus is also saying the same to us, “Just do it”. You will be blessed when you obey God’s word.
Luke 11:27-28
27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
Luke 8: 19-21
19Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. 20Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you."
21He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. In the middle of His teaching and preaching, Jesus gets interrupted in two different occasions and He gives similar answers. In our current chapter 11, a woman who admired Jesus and wishing she had a son like Jesus, tells Jesus literally, “I wish I was your mama”. Jesus’ reply was not a rebuke but an encouragement. Basically, Jesus is saying, “Yes, you can equally be my mother if you would listen and do what you hear me teach about loving God and loving others like yourself”. Have you sometimes envied some one who is “blessed”?
2. When you read the above encounters, you may draw a wrong impression that Jesus was slamming Mary (his earthly mother) and not honoring her. This is quite the contrary. Jesus is saying that Mary, His virgin mother is blessed because Mary heard the voice of God and put it into practice. Mary obeyed the voice of the Holy Spirit.
3. Notice that our usual definition of blessing is different from that of Jesus. We often define one being blessed as possessing so much material things and lacking nothing. For Jesus, blessing is not what we are receiving but what we are doing or giving? We are blessed when we obey God’s word. When was the last time you were truly blessed? The question should be when was the last time you and I obeyed the word God spoke to us either through His Word or through wise counsel by godly people?
4. If we can get hold of this concept of blessing, we will stop running around chasing ministers to pray for us to receive blessings. You are blessed by obedience. Mary accepted to do God’s will and obey His word. Mary accepted the shame and ridicule of bearing God’s son even as a virgin. Her husband Joseph could not understand her but Mary took the risk of trusting God and said, “I am the Lord’s servant,” “May it be to me as you have said”. “From now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1: 38, 48). Stop chasing blessings. Do God’s word you have heard and you will be blessed and honored first in the sight of God. People may not recognize you as blessed but when you and I obey God’s word, Jesus says, we are blessed.
5. In the encounter in Luke 8:19-21, James the brother of Jesus must have been one of his brothers who came to see Jesus. James never forgot the Word of Jesus on that day and it shaped the rest of his life. Bible scholars agree that this James (the brother of Jesus – Matthew 13:54-56) is the one who wrote the book of James. The book of James is the “Nike” book. “Just do it”. It is full of practical advises and words for us to put our faith into action. I do not know about you, but I am tired of non-practical Christianity. If you get bored with your Christianity, read James again.
6. Listen to James on practical Christianity. James 1:22, 27. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says….27Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”. In this election year, the American Church is consumed by the issue of Abortion. People may be making up their minds on who to vote based on whether a candidate is pro or anti abortion. It is an important issue to most of us but it is not the only one. We should equally be concerned with the Adoption issue as James calls us to be. Most of us may not be able to do anything to change the abortion debate or even reduce the number of abortions but you and I can do something about orphans and widows. You may not be able to adopt or may not have thought about it. I challenge us to at least do something about orphans and support ministries that are caring for them. Be blessed and sponsor a child for Jesus.
What has God spoken to you directly through the Bible or from the Holy Spirit? Has He spoken to you to forgive someone you have a grudge against? Has He spoken to you to give up something that is not adding to your spiritual life and repent of it? Whatever it is, Jesus says, “Blessed” (happy, fortunate) are you if you do it. Have a “Nike” moment and “Just Do It”. I speak to myself as I speak to you. May God help us and grant us grace to be “doers” of His Word and not just “hearers” only. The world is tired of the “talking” and “hearing” Christians. They want to see some “doers”. Matthew 7:26 “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash”
Be Blessed Today! Just Do It.
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