Don't Be A Bone Head

Don't forget his power!

Mark 6:44-52 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed from those loaves!

45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that His disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while He sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, He went up into the hills by Himself to pray.

47 Late that night, the disciples were in their boat in the middle of the lake, and Jesus was alone on land. 48 He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, 49 but when they saw Him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking He was a ghost.

50 They were all terrified when they saw Him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," He said. "Take courage! I am here! " 51 Then He climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped.

They were totally amazed, 52 for they still didn't understand the significance of the miracle of the loaves. Their hearts were too hard to take it in.

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If you want to get to know somebody you have to spend some time with them, the disciples had three years of everyday events and teachable moments that they could learn some more about who Jesus is, but these guys still didn't seem to know very much about Jesus.

He has already done a lot of healing, they have seen demons leave a man and enter a bunch of pigs, they have seen a dead girl brought back to life and just a few hours ago Jesus feed a crowd from one lunch box.

So in today's story Jesus finishes his quiet time and decides to catch up with the disciples on the lake, he doesn't have or even need a boat, he just goes for a walk. The fact that he is walking on the water should give them a clue that Jesus is capable of handling the storm situation but again they are not catching on too quickly.

These guys had seen Jesus power in action over and over again and yet they were "totally amazed" when Jesus handles the storm. I can relate to that, having grown up in a Christian family in a Baptist church and having accepted Christ at the age of nine, I should have had a better understanding of Jesus power to conquer some of the problems that scared me, there were plenty of storms where I didn't rely on Jesus and his power. I was just as "totally amazed" as they were.

I need to rely on Jesus power through every circumstance that comes my way, I don't want the Teacher to have to ask me:

Mark 8:21 "Don't you understand yet?"

Help me to rely on you Lord and avoid the panic that occurs when I fail to remember who is in control.

Rejected

Isn't This Jesus From Around Here?

Mark 6:1-13 Jesus left that part of the country and returned with His disciples to Nazareth, His hometown. 2 The next Sabbath He began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were amazed. They asked, "Where did He get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?" 3 Then they scoffed, "He's just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And His sisters live right here among us." They were deeply offended and refused to believe in Him. 4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." 5 And because of their unbelief, He couldn't do any miracles among them except to place His hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And He was amazed at their unbelief.

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. 7 And He called His twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. 8 He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick--no food, no traveler's bag, no money. 9 He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. 10 "Wherever you go," He said, "stay in the same house until you leave town. 11 But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate."

12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. 13 And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

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Jesus ministry had plenty of opposition, it had to after all it was three years of intense spiritual warfare, the devil only had three years to "get" Jesus and somehow disqualify him from the purpose that he came here for. The opposition from the people of any town was never as severe as it was from his hometown. They knew a lot of facts about Jesus, his family and his occupation, but they missed who Jesus really is.

Jesus let them know that they need to be ready for rejection, it happened to the Master, it will happen to his students (Matthew 10:24). Nobody likes rejection but we will have to deal with it if we are going to talk about our Savior, when we talk to our family and friends we may find the most opposition, just like they did to Jesus.

Jesus had the power to do more miracles there but he didn't have the will or maybe they just didn't ask for his help because of their unbelief.

I have to keep the faith and tell people about my Savior, no matter what their response is, Jesus already knew that not everybody was going to accept him.

Help me to speak up for you Lord and share about you, help me to accept rejection and shake my sandals off and keep on sharing.

Stretch Your Faith

It can be a challenge

Mark 5:22-24 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at His feet, pleading fervently with Him. "My little daughter is dying," he said. "Please come and lay Your hands on her; heal her so she can live." Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around Him.

Mark 5:35-43 Messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, "Your daughter is dead. There's no use troubling the Teacher now." 36 But Jesus overheard them and said to Jairus, "Don't be afraid. Just have faith." 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn't let anyone go with Him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James).

38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, "Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn't dead; she's only asleep." 40 The crowd laughed at Him. But He made them all leave, and He took the girl's father and mother and His three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, He said to her, "Talitha koum," which means "Little girl, get up!" 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then He told them to give her something to eat.

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Most of the established religious leaders of this era were against Jesus, they wouldn't think of asking him to perform a miracle, if they asked him for anything it would certainly be a trap that they had devised. Jairus came to Jesus with a request that demonstrated that he had faith, he spoke with confidence when he asked Jesus to come and take care of his daughter, he was sure that he could heal her and keep her from death.

If you read all of Mark chapter five, you will see that Jesus is delayed on the road to Jairus' house, can you imagine what Jairus was thinking about as he waited for Jesus to continue the walk back to his house where his dying daughter was, any of us would have felt the same way.

The delay was an opportunity for Jesus to demonstrate his power, at this point in his ministry he had not brought anybody back from the dead.

The delay was an opportunity for Jairus to prove his faith. Originally he had the faith that his daughter could have her health restored but now he had to continue a little further in his faith and believe that Jesus was going to bring her back to life.

Sometimes God tests our faith capacity, sometimes when we have already trusted in him for something small, a bigger problem comes along and we have to decide if the faith that got us this far is going to be strong enough to take us a little further than we thought that we would have to go.
I pray Lord that I will keep the faith no matter what, even in the waiting when it seems that faith isn't bringing any "rewards" I still need to wait patiently for you.

I Know Who Is In Control

Everybody likes to be in control, but are we ever really?

Mark 5:1-20   So they came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. Just as Jesus was getting out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit came from the tombs and met him. He lived among the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. For his hands and feet had often been bound with chains and shackles, but he had torn the chains apart and broken the shackles in pieces. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Each night and every day among the tombs and in the mountains, he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him. Then he cried out with a loud voice, "Leave me alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God! I implore you by God - do not torment me!" For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of that man, you unclean spirit!" Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." He begged Jesus repeatedly not to send them out of the region. There on the hillside, a great herd of pigs was feeding. And the demonic spirits begged him, "Send us into the pigs. Let us enter them." Jesus gave them permission. So the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs. Then the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake, and about two thousand were drowned in the lake.

Now the herdsmen ran off and spread the news in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man sitting there, clothed and in his right mind - the one who had the "Legion" - and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demon-possessed man reported it, and they also told about the pigs. Then they asked Jesus to leave their region. As he was getting into the boat the man who had been demon-possessed asked if he could go with him. But Jesus did not permit him to do so. Instead, he said to him, "Go to your home and to your people and tell them what the Lord has done for you, that he had mercy on you." So he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him, and all were amazed.

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Who is in control?

The victim wasn't in control, this poor fellow was a wreck, injuring himself, running around and screaming, he probably didn't even get to sleep.
 
The shepherds were not in control, they probably felt uneasy everyday while they were out there with the pigs, wondering what this guy was going to do next and if they were going to get hurt.
 
Satan wasn't in control, how do you think he felt when he saw his demons bow down at Jesus feet and they called him the Son of God.
 
The disciples were not in control, they were probably still sitting in the boat, they may have been jumping overboard and trying to swim away. This is one crazy scene, of all the things that happened while the disciples were following Jesus, this is probably one of the events that they talked about the most.

Jesus wasn't surprised when the crazy demon filled man came running to him and he isn't caught off guard about any of the circumstances of our lives either.
 
Life is full of surprises for us but you are never shocked by what happens to us or what we do to ourselves. Help me to remember that you are in control no matter what is going on.

Spreading Some Gospel Seed

They aren't all going to grow.

 Mark 4:14-20 The farmer plants seed by taking God's word to others.

15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away.

16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don't have deep roots, they don't last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God's word.

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God's word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced.

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!"

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I have done my share of planting seeds, fruit, vegetables and flowers of every variety, I can definitely tell you that not every seed that goes in the dirt is going to create a fruitful plant, you can plant the seed and apply the water but eventually you realize that your water is being wasted.

God knows about the perils of farming he knows that when he asks us to spread the seeds of the gospel that it is going to be productive in some places and that in other areas it isn't going to take. Still he commands us to spread the seed, we are not allowed to stay in bed and refuse to be farmers just because the soil isn't good, we need to see what we can do to improve the soil so that the seed will have a better chance. Sooner or later we will find some productive soil, maybe where we least expect it, and then the fruit will start popping out all over.

The tough questions that need to be asked are:

• Why isn't there any fruit?
• Am I sowing in poor soil or am I not sowing at all?

If I sow everywhere that I go then eventually there is going to be a crop, as the prophet Isaiah told God's people:

Isaiah 32:20 The LORD will greatly bless His people. Wherever they plant seed, bountiful crops will spring up.

I need to be more in planting mode at all times, it is easy to make excuses for the lack of fruit, I can easily blame the lack of good soil for the lack of fruit, but I have been told to continue to improve the soil and cast out more seed.

I pray Lord that I will not give up on planting seeds, it is easy to give up when I see how hard the soil is but I must still be obedient and throw the seed out there.

Judging My Motives

What is my motivation, is it a good thing?

Psalms 26:1-3 A psalm of David. Declare me innocent, O LORD, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, LORD, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. 3 For I am always aware of Your unfailing love, and I have lived according to Your truth.

1 Samuel 24:15-19 May the LORD therefore judge which of us is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and He will rescue me from your power!"

16 When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, "Is that really you, my son David?" Then he began to cry. 17 And he said to David, "You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. 18 Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the LORD put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn't do it. 19 Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the LORD reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today.

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It takes a lot of confidence to say to God  "Judge me, go ahead, put me on trial" In David's experiences with King Saul we see that David had an incredible amount of integrity. David had a clear conscience in how he handled the threats that Saul was making, I don't know how pure my thoughts would be about somebody that was trying to kill me, but David didn't let fear get in the way of what he believed about God.

"I have done what is right," David says "My motives were pure" King Saul could have been assassinated by David but David didn't make a power grab to get what was already promised to him, instead he waited for God to take care of fulfilling his promise. It would have been easy to jump at the opportunity to "help God" and accomplish God's work for him without worrying about the means.

David said "Your love for me is my motivation for trying to please you" His love should be all we need to motivate us to live so that he will be pleased with us. How incredible is that? What better motivation do I need? The God of this universe loves me and has a plan for me to spend eternity with him in paradise, could there be any better reason to please him in the way that I live?

I need to be careful that I don't work around God in order to accomplish what he has asked me to do, all I have to do is to continue to please him with my life, I just have to focus on "who" (that's Jesus) and he will take care of the "how" he is going to accomplish it.

Forgive me Lord when I try to do things my way, I pray that everything that I do will be selfless and loving, help me to be able to say that my motives are pure.

Love Your Savior And Your Neighbor

The simple way to please God

Mark 3:1-6 Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus' enemies watched Him closely. If He healed the man's hand, they planned to accuse Him of working on the Sabbath.

3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone." 4 Then He turned to His critics and asked, "Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?" But they wouldn't answer Him.

5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then He said to the man, "Hold out your hand." So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 6 At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus.

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They just didn't get it, over and over Jesus told the religious leaders how wrong they were, they just wouldn't listen. Occasionally in the scriptures we get a glimpse of Jesus humanity and we can see that he had to deal with his emotions.

He told them that all of the law and the prophets could be summed up with just two simple commands:

Mark 12:30-31 And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

It all seems so straight forward to us, how simple is that, but I know that we are just as bad as they were, Jesus is looking at me and he isn't happy all of the time. This man has been dealing with a physical handicap, the handicap didn't get treated as well as they do in our society, he probably cannot get a job, but all the Pharisees were interested in was for Jesus to fall in line with their rules.

I need to remember that every day is a good day for good deeds, if I love my Savior and my neighbor then it will be easy to do good deeds and please God.

Romans 7:4 So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the One who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God.

I pray that you will be pleased with the way that I live Lord. I want to love you more and do good to others so that they can see the love and forgiveness that they need and they are looking for.

Satan’s Panic Attack

Be careful, the battle is still going

Mark 1:23-28 Suddenly, a man in the synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit began shouting, 24 "Why are You interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One sent from God!"

25 Jesus cut him short. "Be quiet! Come out of the man," He ordered. 26 At that, the evil spirit screamed, threw the man into a convulsion, and then came out of him. 27 Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. "What sort of new teaching is this?" they asked excitedly. "It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey His orders!" 28 The news about Jesus spread quickly throughout the entire region of Galilee.

Mark 1:32-39 That evening after sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought to Jesus. 33 The whole town gathered at the door to watch. 34 So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and He cast out many demons. But because the demons knew who He was, He did not allow them to speak. 35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find Him. 37 When they found Him, they said, "Everyone is looking for You." 38 But Jesus replied, "We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came." 39 So He traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.

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It looks to me like Satan is running scared. There were so many demon-possessed people around, even in the synagogue, it looks like Satan is desperate and he is prepared for a show down. Satan's purpose was to distract, he wanted to distract those that needed to know the Messiah and keep them from hearing the gospel message and he wanted to distract Jesus from his mission.

Jesus didn't allow the distraction to work, Satan's plan was about to backfire and Jesus would use the opportunity to prove his power over Satan and the entire demonic army, Satan was desperate to thwart God's plan. There is spiritual warfare going on all around us, the devil will use people in our church to distract the preacher and distract the listener as well.

What better proof could you possibly get than the testimony of Satan's army, they knew without a doubt that Jesus is the Promised Messiah and on many occasions they let it be known.

I need to keep in mind that Satan has lost the war but he doesn't know that he lost already. He is trying to distract the church from being effective as possible, we need to remember that we are fighting in spiritual combat.

Help us Lord to persevere and keep on telling the good news despite the distractions that Satan throws in our way. Help the church to realize that we are fighting a spiritual battle that isn't about the physical fighting that we can see.

What Is A Disciple? Are You A Disciple?

God's people seem to have the term confused.

Mark 1:16-20 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" 18 And they left their nets at once and followed Him.

19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He called them at once, and they also followed Him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

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In today's scripture I see the first time that Jesus invited somebody to "Come, follow me" break away from the typical, ordinary life and choose to become a follower of Christ. These guys were familiar with the concept of being a disciple, all the big religious groups of the day had disciples, even John the Baptist had disciples (Matthew 9:14). Jesus had a different lesson plan for his disciples, they were going to learn how to "fish for men."

Webster's dictionary says that a disciple is:

1. A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another; as the disciples of Plato.

2. A follower; an adherent to the doctrines of another. Hence the constant attendants of Christ were called his disciples; and hence all Christians are called his disciples, as they profess to learn and receive his doctrines and precepts.

Easton's Bible Dictionary says that a disciple of Christ is one who:

1. believes His doctrine,
2. rests on His sacrifice,
3. receives His spirit,
4. imitates His example.

Jesus invitation wasn't an invitation to become worshippers, tithe givers or workers. He didn't invite these guys to become nice, care about others, he didn't ask them to be lovers of the Bible, or church goers rather he only invited them to be his students. Too often in our churches we try to find all of those other people but there isn't any place in the Bible that tells us to go and make anybody be anything other than a disciple.

If we attempt to qualify a disciple by saying that he has to be loving, kind, a tither, a church goer or a teacher then we are saying that at some point a new Christian crosses over to being a disciple after he has accomplished a certain degree of growth.

We must be careful that we don't get a check list mentality and stick with the basic definition of a disciple as being a student that is learning about Jesus teachings and applying what God has revealed to him.

I want to continue to learn from Jesus teachings and do a better job of being a man that is:

• Called To Walk With Christ
• Equipped To Live Like Christ
• Sent To Work For Christ

Help me and my church Lord as we need clarity a lot of the time about what our mission is, help us to set aside anything that gets in the way of  being your students.

For more on What is a Disciple?  from "Man In The Mirror"

Completely Alone

You are not a hopeless case

Matthew 27:35-43  After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

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Completely abandoned and left without a friend in the world that would be willing to say a kind word in his defense, Jesus is thrown to the savage Roman executioners where he is beaten and mocked, left all alone. It's not easy to read about Jesus not having a friend, I like reading about the crowds swarming around singing his praises, I like to see the quiet moments with his disciples. It is too sad to see a person friendless without anybody to stand up and say that they have worth. 
 
John 16:33  In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 
Sometimes we can feel like the world has trampled us like a shopper at a Black Friday sale at Walmart but for those of us that have a relationship with the one that has overcome the world it is encouraging to know that we will also overcome.

“Nobody who has truly seen the cross of Jesus Christ can ever again speak of  hopeless cases. -G. Campbell Morgan

 I need to help those that need to be encouraged, I need to defend those that are weak, they all need the hope that they can overcome the world.
 
Help us to remember Lord that we have hope in every circumstance, our Savior overcame the world and he promises the same future for us.

Use Your Gifts

Do we use our gifts for our own gain and forget to use them for God?

Exodus 35:21-29  All whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved came and brought their sacred offerings to the LORD. They brought all the materials needed for the Tabernacle, for the performance of its rituals, and for the sacred garments.

22  Both men and women came, all whose hearts were willing. They brought to the LORD their offerings of gold--brooches, earrings, rings from their fingers, and necklaces. They presented gold objects of every kind as a special offering to the LORD.  23  All those who owned the following items willingly brought them: blue, purple, and scarlet thread; fine linen and goat hair for cloth; and tanned ram skins and fine goatskin leather.  24  And all who had silver and bronze objects gave them as a sacred offering to the LORD. And those who had acacia wood brought it for use in the project.

25  All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning prepared blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine linen cloth.  26  All the women who were willing used their skills to spin the goat hair into yarn.  27  The leaders brought onyx stones and the special gemstones to be set in the ephod and the priest's chestpiece.  28  They also brought spices and olive oil for the light, the anointing oil, and the fragrant incense.

29  So the people of Israel--every man and woman who was eager to help in the work the LORD had given them through Moses--brought their gifts and gave them freely to the LORD.

Exodus 36:4-6  Finally the craftsmen who were working on the sanctuary left their work.  5  They went to Moses and reported, "The people have given more than enough materials to complete the job the LORD has commanded us to do!"  6  So Moses gave the command, and this message was sent throughout the camp: "Men and women, don't prepare any more gifts for the sanctuary. We have enough!" So the people stopped bringing their sacred offerings.

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Imagine what it would be like if your church were in the middle of a special project and the pastor had to tell you "Enough already" Those words will not be spoken by very many pastors in this day and age, instead they are usually busy trying to convince you that you have an abundance and that you need to give some of it away.

The Israelite's were generous in their giving, they had plenty of riches when they left Egypt and so far they haven't run across a shopping mall out in the desert, so they still had plenty of silver and gold. It is interesting that the Egyptians supplied all the items that were necessary to do the work that God was asking them to do, they had to do is not be selfish and give some of it back to God.   

They were also giving their time and talent to the Lord, the scripture says that "All the women who were skilled in sewing and spinning" These people were giving their all to be obedient to the Lord. 

God has given me so many resources that I need to be sure that I am willing to use for his purposes.

Help me to be willing to be willing to give my time, talents and treasure to you Lord, show me how you want me to use the resources that you have blessed me with.

Where's The Change?

Stay the same and you will lose.

Matthew 26:3-4  At that same time the leading priests and elders were meeting at the residence of Caiaphas, the high priest, plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill Him.

Matthew 26:47-50  And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people. The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: "You will know which one to arrest when I greet Him with a kiss." So Judas came straight to Jesus. "Greetings, Rabbi!" he exclaimed and gave Him the kiss. Jesus said, "My friend, go ahead and do what you have come for." Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested Him.

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God's people were in for a makeover of "Biblical" proportions. Jesus was changing all the rules and the religious leaders couldn't stand it, they didn't want anything to do with any of the changes that Jesus had in mind. All the hundreds of rules that the leaders lorded over the people were summed up into "love God and love your neighbor"

They decided that they had to get rid of Jesus before things got worse but that wasn't going to solve their problem, it would only make it worse, when Jesus returned from the dead then there was really a big change on how we are going to do church.

The people would no longer need to haul their animals to the church for the sacrifice, they would no longer be welcome in the fancy temple building and they would have to resort to house churches and those house churches would eventually accept uncircumcised Gentile believers.

What is going on!?! We never did it that way before!!! The church had to change its mode of operation two  thousand years ago and if the church is going to remain effective then it will have to continuously change to remain relevant.

Help us to not become so stuck on our traditions and customs that we refuse to do what ever it takes to win people and then grow them into disciples for you Lord. Help my church to relearn what is the most important thing and what can be let go of in order to be effective.

No Horses Required

God is in control.

Psalms 20:7 Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 "When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! 2 When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. 3 He will say to them, 'Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. 4 For the LORD your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and He will give you victory!'

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There is a strong temptation to turn to God every time that the going gets tough, where else are you going to turn, where else are you going to get so much strength to get you through. But there is an even stronger temptation to look around at all the blessings that we have, all the resources that God has bestowed on us and then we begin to lose our loyalty to God. Because we have so many resources we begin to take our eyes off of God.

We forget that we don't have control of the things that God has given to us, by God's power we received them from him and we are powerless to hold on to them if he wants to take them from us.

God is our strength and our provider, I need to keep that in mind no matter what the circumstances are.

Thank you Lord for your protection and strength, help me to keep the faith and rely on you.

Are You Ready?

We will never know which day he will return.

Matthew 24:36-44  "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows.

37 "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away.

That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40 "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 42 "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming.

43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

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It has been a while since a religious group made the news with their prediction that Jesus is going to return by a set time, I am sure that somebody else is going to take a stab at it but why, how could they possibly know?

Don't they know that the odds are stacked against them? Why do they want to take on Jesus, when he says that nobody can possibly figure out when he will return, he means that NOBODY will know when. Jesus told them that if they expected it to happen at a specific time then guess what, that certainly isn't the time.

I am sure that Noah told everybody that asked why he was building that big boat, he must have been asked a thousand times, and as they walked away laughing not one of them was concerned with God's coming judgment. It is more probable that they were placing their bets on when the rain would start.

I am ready for his return and I hope that you are also ready.

God's Awesome Instructions

Do you view God's word as being awesome?

Psalms 19:7-14 The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

8 The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living.

9 Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. 10 They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. 11 They are a warning to Your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.

12 How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.

13 Keep Your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

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How awesome that God gave us an instruction manual for life, he didn’t leave us out in the cold to figure it out on our own. He could of left us alone wondering around miserably without any direction.

Do you view god's word as a precious treasure? God’s instructions to us are perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, true, fair, desirable, sweet, a warning, rewarding. God’s instructions revive the soul, make the simple man wise, bring joy to the heart, give insight for living, last forever,

Even with all this awesome instruction for life and with all its benefits we still have sins lurking in our hearts, hidden agendas and motives that we are not even aware of, Lord I pray that you will get rid of that stuff as well.

I pray that my love and passion for the things of God will continue to grow so that every other appetite will be smaller. I pray that every thought and meditation will be focused on you and living in accordance to your instructions so that I will be pleasing to you and useful for kingdom work.

The Lord’s Delight

Do you delight the Lord?

Psalm 18:19 He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.

Psalms 37:23 The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.

Proverbs 11:20 The LORD detests people with crooked hearts, but He delights in those with integrity.

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Wow! Look at that guy!

What an awesome thought that the Lord could look at me and be delighted! Most of us probably think that he is looking at us and frowning, it doesn't have to be that way, David said that God delighted in him.

If I live with integrity and have a Godly character then he can look at me and instead of thinking about punishment he can take delight in me.

I need to be apply what I learn in the word everyday to my life so that God wont see me as an embarassing member of his family.

I pray Lord that you will be able to look at me with delight.

What Do You Think?

Who is Jesus?

Matthew 22:41-46  Then, surrounded by the Pharisees, Jesus asked them a question:

42 "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is He?" They replied, "He is the son of David."

43 Jesus responded, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah 'my Lord'? For David said, 44 'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at My right hand until I humble Your enemies beneath Your feet.' 45 Since David called the Messiah 'my Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?" 46 No one could answer Him. And after that, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

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Here we go again, the religious leaders decide to take Jesus on again, all of the religious parties teamed up for a confrontation with Jesus. All of these groups put together their best thinkers and attempt to go against Jesus in order to trap him in a legal question, they all consulted with each other on how to answer him, they had every advantage and yet Jesus still defeats them.

They came at him wanting to trap him on legal matters such as paying taxes and marriage, they are so full of legalism that they cannot see the Messiah, so full of works that they cannot see grace.

It is amazing that they saw the lineage of Jesus from David as recorded in Matthew chapter one, nobody ever disputed that he was David's descendant, they stated that Jesus was a descendant but they still couldn't call Jesus Lord and concede that he is the Messiah that David prophesied about.

There was no way to answer the question other than admitting that the Messiah was divine as well as human; that he had an existence at the time of David and yet he is a descendant of David, the very descendant that was prophesied to be the Messiah, our Savior.

I must answer the question for myself: "What do you think about the Messiah?"

Thank you Lord for the over whelming evidence that proves who you are, you have revealed your son to us and made it so obvious that he is our Savior.

Hard Times

Every trial is an opportunity to see God at work.

Exodus 14:1-4  Then the Lord gave these instructions to Moses:

2 “Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon.

3 Then Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ 4 And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you.

I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” So the Israelites camped there as they were told.

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Things have been pretty rough for the nation of Israel, there has been hard times for them for a long time, now they must be saying to each other "here we go again."

It is difficult most of the time to see any good coming out of our trials, but the Lord has been telling Moses that all of the miracles that they had witnessed back in Egypt was so that everybody would see the glory of the Lord.

Every trial is an opportunity to see God at work. If everything was always peachy then we would never see the Lord at work, we may even tend to forget who he is, just like the nation of Israel did everytime they were prosperous.

I must remember that God's glory is magnified in the trials, I can see him at work in every difficult situation and I can use that opportunity to give him the praise that he deserves.

Thank you Lord for helping us through the hard times, I pray that I will see you at work through every circumstance and give you the glory.