We need a sign

Miracles happen everyday, yet we need proof. Not new. In Luke ch1, we read about Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. When the angel Gabriel met him in the sanctuary and told him of his impending fatherhood, Ol Zech didn't believe him. So Gabriel silenced him. We focus on logic and human understanding. We don't allow room for faith. Spock was more like us than we care to acknowledge. God has done wonderful things, yet we struggle to believe He can and will help us. How can God change our heart? Zech was old, too olod for kids, right? Nope. Lazarus died right? Nope. Blind men stay blind right? Nope. God can do miracles. It sometimes takes faith to understand them. No such thing as coincidence. God has a plan. Find your part!

Trust your Dr.

Trust your doctor. Mostly today, we do. After all, they have been through much training and usually know more than we do. Luke, the writer of the gospel of Luke and Acts, was a doctor/physician. In ch1, he starts out with his purpose for writing, to write an account about the events that have been fulfilled. So much is going on in that one sentence. First, Luke has carefully examined things. Second, he wants to write an account to his friend to witness events, and third, these events happened, have been fulfilled. That last one leads you to understand that the events were foretold and have now come true. What an intro eh? Luke is saying, trust me, I've carefully researched this, and it is better than the cure for cancer. Don't you want friends like Luke? Let's see what the dr. has to say over the coming weeks..

God Has a Plan

In Mark ch14, we read of the Last Supper and then the arrest of Jesus. If we read this closely, many questions can come to mind. The story is familiar as we hear it each Easter. Why was Jesus arrested at night? Why was Judas' betrayal even necessary? Why didn't the Jews simply kidnap Jesus or kill him immediately? God had a plan. We can be angry with the jews or the Romans, but God's plan was to bring good out of our understanding of bad. We mourn loss. We get mad when things seem unfair. We might even be able to alter the future some, but God still has a plan. Would we seek God if Jesus had overthrown the Jews & Romans? If the story were different, could sin have been defeated? We don't knwo, but God does. Have faith, He has a plan.

Battling Blindness Alone....

Will God do for us what we cannot do for ourselves? Yes! And no. Yes, he can and does and has. No, there are times we must seek Him first. In Mark ch10v46-52, Jesus encounters blind Bartimaeus. Jesus does not instantly heal him, rather Jesus asks the man what he wants. Bartimaeus had to seek first. Jesus wants to heal us from Spiritual blindness. We need to ask first though! Whatever we struggle with, God assures us we need not struggle alone. He will help. The blind do see, and realize it is not about them, instead it is about God and the glory of His kingdom. Let God open your eyes today.

Through a child's eyes

Do you still have child-like wonder? Like how big is the sky? How do bridges stand? What makes engines work. Children are hungry for answers. Do we hunger for the kingdom of God? Jesus talks about this in Mark ch10v13-16. Parents are bringing their kids to see Jesus and have Him bless them. The disciples think that they are bothering Jesus, so they try to shoo them away. But Jesus becomes angry with them and rebukes them. He says the kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children. So, are we eager for knowledge, or do we think we know everything. Innocence, seeking, and curiosity should strive a hunger for God in us. Our society has focused kids today on becoming little adults. We have lost child-like wonder. So, how does the VCR clock work?

What is your cross?

What is your cross? Jesus notes in Mark ch8v34-38 of the cost of following Him. One must turn from their selfish ways. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. Coming from a recovery background, I can appreciate the simple truth to this. If I had continued in my prevvious ways, I'd be worse for the wear or perhaps dead. But Christ has saved me and changed me. It did not happen overnight. Took years of success and failure. My cross of self-centered behavior kept me from the pure joys of knowing and walking with Christ. Now, I better understand giving up my life to and for Jesus. He wants to reward and bless us, but cannot do that when we are so focused on blessing ourselves. Our blessing pales in comparison. So, count the cost, but know that it is worth it!

Face in the crowd

Do you like amazing stories? In Mark ch5v21-34, Jesus is engulfed in a huge crowd. A woman with a bleeding irregularity decides that if she can just touch his robe, she'll be healed. Jesus feels the healing power leave him. His discipl?es look at him as if he's mad. How could he feel anything with this mob crowd pressing against them! But Jesus knows and the woman comes forward. Even in times of crowded chaos, Jesus hears us. Perhaps it is focus. We focus on the crowd. Jesus focuses on the individuals making up the crowd. God has made each of us and he cares for each of us. Think about that the next time someone cuts you off on the road. Take time to see the faces in your crowd!

Who's your audience

In keeping with God's plan, we read in Mark ch5v1-22. Jesus confronts a demon-possessed man. He relievies the man of the demon spirits and sends them into a herd of pigs. The man, now healed, wanted to follow Jesus. But Jesus denies him this and tells the man to go home to family and tell them everything the Lord has done. Some are meant to follow closely, while others are meant for different purposes. We all have parts to play. So, what is your part? Are you seeking God's will? Where does He want you to serve? He has healed us all, and we do have a story to tell. Find your audience.

God has a plan

God has a plan. He has revealed Himself to us in the Bible. In Mark ch4v35-40, Jesus is on the sea with his disciples when a storm comes up. Jesus is asleep and the disciples are frightened. They awaken Him, fearing for their lives. He rebukes the storm, then the disciples. He challenges their faith. He rebukes them for not believing in God's plan. Things seem dire to the disciples, but they forget that God has a plan for them. God has a plan for us as well. He has taken us this far. Do you feel done? I don't. There is definitely more work to be done. We should not fear this world, Jesus has overcome this world.

Heart's Desire

How's your heart? In Mark ch3, Jesus heals a man with a deformed hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees are outraged and plot to kill Jesus for not honoring the Sabbath. Jesus, knowing what was in their hearts, became angry and deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Did this miracle need to occur on this day? No. The man was not in danger of dying over this deformity. Yet, to Jesus, it was important. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. We should not forget it was God who gave us this day of rest. While we should honor that day, we should not become blindly consumed by keeping the letter of the law and ignoring the intent. God has placed this in our hearts, it is called desire. What is your heart's desire today? Something lasting? Or to follow the letter of law.

Do you Think, or do you know

Have you been to the doctor lately? Probably not if you don't feel sick. But are you really well? In Mark ch2, Jesus does some amazing things. First, in vv1-12, he heals a man paralyzed. Four friends bring this man to see Jesus. For healing? Who could possibly heal paralysis? Jesus does, by saying the man's sins are forgiven. Pharisees in attendance were outraged. Only God can forgive sin. Notice it was not enough for Jesus to merely teach, he proved his authority with action. Similarly, we cannot just say we have faith and continue life as normal. Faith should change us! In ch2v13-17 Jesus calls Matthew to follow Him. In his excitement for his conversion, Matthew throws a party and invites his friends. Normal. We have good news and want to celebrate and tell others! V17...Jesus did not come to call those who THINK they are righteous, but those who know they ARE sinners. What say you? Think you are ok, or do you need THE doctor?

If you are Willing...

Me: The Gospel of Mark begins rapid-fire. He jumps from one situation to the next, like he is in a hurry. Remember, this writer was the disciple of Peter. The purpose of this Gospel is to reach the christians in Rome. Roman culture is much like ours today. There was much national pride, strong military, and focus on richness. I imagine the converting to Christianity was difficult given the power and strength that Rome possessed. In ch1v40-45, a man with leprosy approaches Jesus to request healing. He has heard about Jesus' miracles of restoration and casting out demons. He begins by asking Jesus, "If you are willing". Jesus' response is "I am willing". Seems simple eh? Do we go to the Lord with this attitude? Or do we command in our prayer to have God "fix" things. We Romans believe it is our right to control. Be careful, Jesus IS willing, but only if you ask with the right heart. We'll see how later He rejects the Pharisees' plea for a miraculous sign. Fix your heart!

Many Questions

We have come to the end of Matthew. The last 2 chpts rush through the cruxifiction, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. John's gospel is much more in depth. Matthew is almost giving quick highlights. One thing Matt does is write about Jesus' last command, the Great Commission. We are to go and make believers of all nations, baptisizing i n the name of the trinity. Folks, we have work to do. Jesus ends with the assurance that He will be with us. Do you feel His presence? Is He close with you in your work? Do we even invite Him into our work? How is our kingdom building going? Are we discipling others? The next generation? Are we reaching out to those who are older? Lots of questions. The NT has just begun. There is still much to learn and read through. Onto Mark!

Misunderstood Motives

Misunderstood motives. How often do we fail to see why others do what they do? We don't see the big picture, only the immediate. We get caught up in our small understanding of security and safety. In Matt ch 27v39-44, Jesus is crucified. While He is on the cross, many scoff and jeer at him. They mock his assignment of staying on the cross because they fail to understand the true purpose. They are looking at the temporal, not the big picture. In v42, one added that if He came down from the cross, they'd believe Him. News to that guy, He did even better! He not only was obedient to God (are we?), He had eternal vision and realized that there was more important work than that moment. We, perhaps, are too quick to judge, not allowing understanding of one's true purpose. Think long term!

What We Pass On

During the passion week as explained in Matt ch27, Jesus is arrested and tried by the Roman Gov, Pilate. Pilate understands that Jesus really has committed no crime, yet the Jewish leaders cause an uproar to have Jesus crucified. In ch26v25, the jewish audience responds to Pilate washing his hands of responsibility by declaring that will, they and their children. Lucky for the children eh? Talk about responsibility, as parents, what we do and what we promise does fall on our children. Our reputations, debts, and successes fall on our kids. We need to be aware of that and careful as to what we pass on. Also, we need to think about our actions and promises and how those will affect our kids. Even Pilate preferred to do what was easy, not what was right. Let's be doers of right!

Gifts we possess

Football is for the birds. At least this year. In Matt ch25v14-30, Jesus tells a parable of three servants. A king leaves on a trip and gives amounts of money to three different servants. One is given 10, one has 2, and one has 1. Over his absence, the king's servants all do something with the money. The 10 and 2 double the amounts. The one hides his. The king returns, happy with the two who used their gifts wisely, doubling them. To the one, he rebuked as laze, wasting what the king has given. Do we use what God has blessed us with? Or are we waiting or unsure? God has given us talents, gifts and abilities to use in glorifying Him and advancing the kingdom. Don't waste them or misuse. See v29 for that moral. We can all tell others what Jesus has done for us!

What are you putting your faith in?

Happy G-Hog Day. Happy G-Hog day. There is definitely a shadow. In Matt ch24v1-2, Jesus' disciples are in awe of the Temple in Jerusalem with the various majestic buildings. They point out the power of these buildings and that God himself has resided there. Jesus informs them of the coming destruction of the Temple. He is warning them not to put their trust in things (like rodents?). Rather, God is in control. The disciples were caught up in national pride and physical structures bigger than themselves. Are we not the same? We rest knowing our military can defeat any foe. We build mighty walls to keep ourselves safe, and others out. (Not so you say? How well does an accountability partner know you?) Our pride should be in the kingdom of God alone. Be ready!

Greatest Commandments

The greatest commandment. Matt ch23V34-40. The Pharisees tried to trick Jesus by asking what the greatest commandment was. Looking back, God gave us the commandments as a way to live properly, and to show our need for Him, as it was impossible to keep the law! Jesus' response is loving God, then others. If we truly love, would we ever want to disappoint or do wrong to God? What about others? God loves them too, yet we judge others all the time. So Jesus sums up the entire law and words of the prophets in two commands, love God, and love others as yourself. Easy right? So, how do we love? Tough love? Mushy love? Soft love? Love could mean sacrificing self, serving another, putting their needs and desires ahead of our own. Try it and see how it works for ya!