Beelzebub, Esquire

I met the devil by happenstance

at night in a local convenience store.

I asked him why he was browsing brownies

and cigarette selections.

(I knew he prized his health,

and never puffed on tobacco stuff.)

"My friend,"—he recalled us meeting before—

"haven't you read the news today?"

He pulled a paper from his pocket

and pointed out the headlines.

"There's genocide in Africa,

millions of them have died.

AIDS is spreading like melted butter,

and there's some new strain of flu alive.

In Palestine there’s always war,

and even I’ve forgotten why.

Christians hate and kids have sex—

even our preachers lie!

If smokes and ding-dongs kill, my boy,

then I deserve to die.”

If My People Pray

"One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles..."

Luke 6:12-13

I found this verse the other morning during my devotions. I'm sure I've read it before, but I've always missed its depth of meaning.

When we Christians look at the life Jesus lived, we're often tempted to disregard the impossible miracles he performed as a "God thing"--part of Jesus' divinity that allowed him to have extra-sensory perception and super-human powers. That's a dangerous line of thinking, because in the same moment that we see Jesus as something other than fully human, we suddenly lose the hope that we can ever be like Christ.

How did Jesus know everything? How did he know what people were thinking, who was going to betray him, who his disciples should be? How did he prophesy with perfect accuracy the events of his own death and resurrection? Was it because he was God? No. It's because he kept a direct line of communication open with his Father.

The ability to choose the twelve apostles doesn't seem like the most mind-blowing of Jesus' miracles. But even in preparation for something as simple as choosing his followers, Jesus spent an entire night praying in solitude. We don't need to wonder how Jesus was able to do the things he could do.

And the best part is, the same power that was available to Jesus is available to us. We are called to be perfect--to be just like the Father. Is perfection impossible? I've heard people say that perfection is impossible in a sinful world. But I don't think anyone can make that claim until they've spent as much time with God as Jesus did. Try it.