Saturday, December 21: Mark 6-I'm filled with mixed motives.

I actually read and re-read this chapter.  Nothing in particular jumped out at me as a point to ponder. Some days are like that, and this gives us a choice. We can close up our Bible and head into our day or we can linger. I chose to linger. I read each short section again, some sections yet again. What was the kernel for today, Lord?

I never did zero in on a single verse. Instead, with each reading, I marveled at Jesus. How selfless He was. How committed to doing the Father’s Will. From one stop to another He presented God in human flesh, caring, teaching, healing. There is lots of healing and miracles in this chapter. Jesus seems genuinely disappointed that He could only do a few healings in His hometown.

Crowds came to him. The 5,000 men He fed on that one day could easily represent 12,000 if we add in the women and children. The numbers and crowds never seem to bother Him. He continued to give and give of Himself. Even when He crossed the lake, in what I think might have been a chance to get a brief RnR break, Jesus finds Himself inundated by people and needs. Jesus never flinched.  He continued to give of Himself and heal what seems like multitudes.

Truly to do the Father’s Will was food for Jesus’ life.

Finally this led me to think about how my life, unlike Jesus’ life, is filled with mixed motives. One minute I seek to do God’s Will; the next I am chasing my own wants, desires and dreams. Then another moment comes and I am devoted to the Lord, followed by a time of serving self.

I am such a mixed bag of motives and actions. I am so thankful for mercy and grace!

Jesus, You were so absolutely consistent in Your Will to do the Father’s Will. I never cease to be awed by You. Thank You for giving Yourself wholly to Your mission. Lord, help me to turn up my devotion, even on notch, so that this time next year I can see changes in my life, changes that honor and love You, the Father and the Spirit more fully. In Your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

 

Friday, December 20: Mark 5- The original action hero.

 

The thought kept hitting me as I read this chapter. Jesus is the original action hero. Oh, I know He doesn’t have a costume or magic suit, but He is continually going around, doing good and saving people. Isn’t that what action heroes do?

And more than that, the ‘story line’ is that He will save the whole world from the sinister evil forces of the devil!

Doing good, helping people in need, saving the world, that is the prototypical action hero.

On to deeper things… Jesus crosses all manner of human erected barriers to help people. In this chapter alone Jesus crosses barriers of gender, race and socio-economics to help 3 people in different strata of life than he.

Jesus cares about people and He is blind to any human cultural division that would keep Him from helping someone.

Maybe you stumbled upon this blog today or only recently. Maybe you have been a Follower for years, either way if you have a need, spiritual, physical, or emotional, reach out to Jesus. He is willing to help, no matter who you are or what you have done…

And if you are not sure how to reach out to Jesus, shoot me an email and we can talk…

Lord Jesus, thank You for the many ways You have reached out and touched my life over the years. For 35+ years I have been walking with You and You have never let me down. Never. I thank You for this and I reaffirm my allegiance to You as Lord and Savior. Direct me to places and people You would have me speak to or help in Your name…. Amen.

 

Thursday, December 19: Mark 4- More Jesus wonderings.

I have recently read RC Sproul’s book, The Holiness of God. In it he referenced the account of Jesus calming the sea, which was part of the reading this morning.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" (35-41).

RC made an interesting observation, which I now see in the text. I am not sure I noticed this before. Clearly the disciples were worried by the storm, which is why they woke Jesus. But they were terrified of Jesus after He calms the storm because they had never seen anyone command nature like Jesus did!

The power and authority of Jesus can be terrifying. He is so far above anything we know from in our world.

Mark is telling the story of Jesus Christ (Christ means Messiah, Anointed One of God), the son of God (1:1). And this is only one of the incidents where Jesus is completely other, completely different, completely above any other person we know.

I pondered why this was and two thoughts filled my mind. One, Jesus is the God-man, fully God and fully man. Two, even in His earthly state He is the perfect Spirit-filled man.

I sat and marveled at Jesus… my Lord, my Savior, God in human flesh. A wonderful meditation less than a week from Christmas…

Thank You for coming and saving me, Lord. Thank You for coming to save all who believe in You. Thank You for being the full expression of God’s love for the world (see John 3:16). Thank You for showing the way into relationship with Almighty God, the Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You. Amen.

 

 

Wednesday, December 18: Mark 3- Always there.

Do you ever get annoyed when people crowd your space or time? You have a day off and then someone calls and asks for a favor. Or you are working and you set the afternoon for a particular project and it seems like everyone in the office needs to ask you a question.

Maybe it is ‘introverted me’, but sometimes I need my space and I don’t want to be bothered.

Anyway, I got to wondering how Jesus did it. In this chapter alone, Jesus is pressed, and I mean PRESSED, by crowds on at least 3 occasions.

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed (7).

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat (20).

A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you."  (32)

How did He keep going? How did He keep giving?

This got me thinking, I cannot come up with one time when Jesus refused an invitation or passed by someone asking for help. This speaks volumes to me.

And now that Jesus is resurrected and ascended into heaven, things haven’t changed. Jesus is available whenever I need to talk, cry, scream, or rant. What a blessings it is living life in relationship with Jesus…

Thanks, Jesus, for always being there for me… Amen.

 

Saturday, January 18: Joshua 16- .

I read the chapter this morning and sat with it for a while but nothing settled into my heart. As the day passed, I kept thinking about the last verse. It was gnawing on me.

They (Ephraim) did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor (10).

They did not dislodge. The words “did not” bothered me. I wondered if they tried and if so, how hard they tried. It is not that they ‘could’ not drive them out. It was that they ‘did’ not. Was it laziness, was it disobedience? What was it?

Ephraim would be one of the larger tribes of the northern kingdom when it revolted from God and the southern kingdom. I wondered if their not dislodging the Canaanites was the seed disobedience that eventually grew in their rebellion against the Lord.

This got me thinking about how small seeds of disobedience can lead to much larger disobedience if they are not repented of and confessed.

Lord, search me. Are there small seeds of disobedience in me that I do not see? If so, Lord, please show me, so that I might confess them. Amen.

 

PS: The next morning I was listening to Psalms as I was working out and I came across Psalm 78, which confirms my thoughts about Ephraim. Here are a few of the verses from Psalm 78 that caught my attention.

Psalm 78:9-11: The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. They forgot what he had done, the wonders he had shown them.

 

Tuesday, December 17: Mark 2- Wondering about Jesus.

What a chapter! I watched and listened to Jesus. I wondered what it would have been like to see Him in the flesh. There was something about Him that presents a commanding presence. People flocked to Him. So much so that people who couldn’t get a front row seat, ruined a family’s roof in order to get a paralyzed friend to Jesus. And what does Jesus do? He speaks forgiveness! Yes, the man is healed, but Jesus speaks forgiveness, something only God can grant!

Next up Jesus issues a simple call to Levi and Levi closes up shop and follows. What’s more, Levi throws a party for all his friends (Jewish outcasts, by the way). What kind of a person commands this kind of immediate response?

The scene shifts and Jesus is answering questions about fasting and particularly why His disciples aren’t fasting.

Another instant fade-through-black and we find Jesus walking on the Sabbath. His disciples, apparently hungry, grab some gain to munch on as they walk. Religious types pounce on Jesus for Sabbath-breaking. Jesus meets them head on with a story about famed King David and a veiled comment that Jesus is even Lord of the Sabbath.

The relentless pace of Mark’s Gospel is tremendous. But what gets me is Jesus…

·         never caught off guard

·         never stumped

·         seemingly in charge in every situation

·         constantly throwing curveballs to religious leaders, while at the same time attracting a following of everyday people, even irreligious people

·         comfortable debating religious pros and partying with regular folk.

Today I simply sat and watched and listened to Jesus and marveled at who He was and wondered what it would have been like to meet Him in the flesh.

Today I wondered at and marveled at Jesus…

Thank You, Lord, for this glimpse into Your life among us. I am more enthralled by You than before I sat to read and pray.

Lord, I pray that Your Spirit within me would allow me to be more comfortable, more at ease in all situations. However, not for my benefit, but that I might shine for You more brightly and effectively no matter who I am with or who is watching.

This I pray for Your glory and honor. Amen.

 

---

Monday, December 16: Mark 1-Who is Jesus?.

Mark’s Gospel begins with a flourish and proceeds at a furious pace until we reach the passion of Jesus in chapter 14. In this chapter alone we have the introduction of Jesus, His wilderness time, calling disciples and a number of healings, plus the casting out of a demon. Quite a plot line for the opening chapter!

Where I found my pause was with the opening verse. Not even a complete sentence yet it gives a powerful summary of the gospel. The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1).

Two incredibly rich phrases are the heart of this opening… Christ and Son of God.

Christ –Messiah, Anointed One- was a potent title in Jewish life. The Messiah/Christ would be God’s Anointed One to save Israel. Mark’s Gospel moves at a relentless pace, finally in 8.29, Peter cries out, “You are the Christ.” The disciples begin to get it.

From that point on in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem and the cross, the reason He came. As Jesus dies on the cross, Mark notes that the centurion watching His death cries out, “Surely He was the son of God” (15:38).

All that really remains in the story is the account of Jesus’ Resurrection, the vindication that He is the Christ, the Son of God!

I spent most of my morning thinking about Jesus as Christ and Jesus, the Son of God… a wonderfully rich morning with Jesus, my God.

Lord Jesus, Messiah, Ssavior, Son of God, Savior of my soul, Lamb of God, Lord of lords and King of kings… I bow before You. I worship and adore You.

Bless You, Praise You. Alleluia. Amen.