obey and live

Proverbs 7, Mark 10, Galatians 2, Galatians 3

 

Proverbs 7:1-3

 1 Follow my advice, my son;
      always treasure my commands.
 2 Obey my commands and live!
      Guard my instructions as you guard your own eyes.
 3 Tie them on your fingers as a reminder.
      Write them deep within your heart.

 

Mark 10:26-27

26 The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked.

27 Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God."

 

Galatians 2:20

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Galatians 3:24-29

26 For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for Christ's death which provided The Way to eternal life, because without you it is impossible for me to manufacture my own salvation.  Help me obey your commands and live!  Help me live so that my old self is crucified and Christ lives in me.  I know this is only possible by Faith in Christ - trusting your love and grace.  Thank you for the promise of being a Child of God through faith in Jesus.  Thank you for baptising me into life with Christ.  I pray that my life will be an example of your joy and peace.  I pray in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Good Friday

Proverbs 6, Mark 9, 2 Corinthians 13, Galatians 1

Proverbs 6:23 - For these commands and this teaching are a lamp to light the way ahead of you. The correction of discipline is the way to life.

Why didn't Jesus, when driving out all evil spirits, command the evil spirit leave that person "and never enter him again" like He did in Mark 9:25? Was it just implied in all the other cases, or did this boy get an extra special blessing when Jesus drove the demon out of him?

Sometimes we give the Jews (particularly the Pharisees) a hard time about not realizing Jesus was the Messiah. However, in Mark 9:31, Jesus tells His disciple's plainly that He will be betrayed, killed, and raised on the third day. But in Mark 9:32 we see that even His own disciples didn't understand what He meant. Wow, it is scary how much we can know about Christ and even be around Jesus without really knowing Him and His Will. How then, are we able to understand Him? It is only by His gracious self-revelation coupled with His promise in Jeremiah 29:
12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
14 'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD

Paul's conclusion of 2 Corinthians has several strong statements:
3 I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when he deals with you; he is powerful among you. 4 Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God's power. 5 Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.

8 For we cannot oppose the truth, but must always stand for the truth. 9 ... We pray that you will become mature. ... 11 Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. ... 14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Paul's introduction to Galatians has a wonderful summary of the Gospel that is fitting for this Good Friday:
3 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. 4 Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live. 5 All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.

As I think about Christ's betrayal and crucifixion, I am reminded of Isaiah 53.

Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to die on the cross for my sins. Thank you, Jesus, for paying the debt that I could not pay - a debt that you did not owe. May I be overwhelmed by your incredible mercy and grace - the love that you have so benevolently demonstrated. May I live in response to this immeasurable gift you have given. May I live to glorify your Name, because all glory belongs to the One True God, forever and ever. Amen.

boasting

Proverbs 5, Mark 8, 2 Corinthians 11, 2 Corinthians 12

 

Jeremiah 9:23-24 ties in well with the theme of 2 Cor. 11-12:

 23 This is what the Lord says:
   "Don't let the wise boast in their wisdom,
      or the powerful boast in their power,
      or the rich boast in their riches.
 24 But those who wish to boast
      should boast in this alone:
   that they truly know me and understand that I am the L ord
      who demonstrates unfailing love
      and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth,
   and that I delight in these things.
      I, the Lord , have spoken!

 

Here are a couple of related verses:

2 Cor. 11:30 - If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

2 Cor. 12:5-10

 5 ... I will boast only about my weaknesses. 6 If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won't do it, because I don't want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message, 7 even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.   8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me glorify your name only!  You are the only one worthy of praise and honor.  Please help me see you more clearly so that I will be overwhelmed by how great you are and how small I am.  Help me see that you are the only thing worth boasting about.  Help me trust you when I am suffering for Christ; help me see that your grace is all I need.  I pray that you will get all the glory from my life.  I pray in the Name of Jesus.  Amen.

 

giving

Proverbs 4, Mark 7, 2 Corinthians 9, 2 Corinthians 10

 

Proverbs 4:18-27 is solid!

 

In Mark 7, Jesus teaches about inner purity.  Interestingly, He provides an illustration that giving "religiously" instead of taking care of your parents is wrong.

 

Curiously enough, 2 Cor. 9 also speaks about giving:

 

6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say,

   "They share freely and give generously to the poor.
      Their good deeds will be remembered forever."

 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.  11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the [people you give to] will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.  13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving the greatest gift of all - your Son Jesus Christ!  Please show me how you want me to give, and teach me to obey the Holy Spirit's leadership in my life.  I pray that I will glorify You in my giving, and that you will be pleased with my cheerful attitude.  I pray that I will always give in humble adoration of Christ's sacrificial death.  I pray in Jesus's Name.  Amen.

boldness to preach

Proverbs 3, Mark 6, 2 Corinthians 7, 2 Corinthians 8

 

Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of my dad's favorite passages:

 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
      do not depend on your own understanding.
 6 Seek his will in all you do,
      and he will show you which path to take.

 7 Don't be impressed with your own wisdom.
      Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.

 

Mark 6 was particularly interesting this morning.  Jesus was rejected at Nazareth because everyone there thought they knew exactly who He was, "and [Jesus] was amazed at their unbelief."  I think this demonstrates His humanity and deity.  From a divine perspective He knew that their hearts were unbelieving, but from a human perspective He was amazed that they wouldn't believe Him because of their preconceived notions ( i.e., selfish pride and indignation).

 

Perhaps the most challenging verse this morning was Mark 6:12:

12 So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God.

Jesus sent out the disciples, and they obeyed Him.  They simply told "everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God".  Christ has given us the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20, but do we obey like the disciples did?

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us the simplicity of obedience.  Help me humbly trust in You with all my heart.  Teach me to fear you and turn from evil.  Lord, give me boldness to preach the Gospel of Christ to everyone I meet.  Please give me boldness to share the simple, life-changing truths of repentance and Faith.  I pray in Jesus's Name.  Amen.

Christ

Proverbs 2, Mark 5, 2 Corinthians 5, 2 Corinthians 6

 

Mark 5 begins immediately after Jesus calms the storm with the disciples, and as soon as they pull up to shore they encounter a dangerous demon-possessed man, whom Jesus heals (of course).  I think if I was a Disciple, at that point there would be no doubt in my mind that Jesus really is the Messiah.  What can He not control?  He further proves His power with the healings recorded in Mark 5. 

 

As I read the story of Jesus raising Jairus's daughter from the dead, I noticed a contrasting feature between miraculous healings by Christ's versus miraculous healings involving the Disciples.  Whenever the Disciple's heal someone, they pray and/or command "in Jesus's Name," but Jesus simply commanded her to get up.  Hence, this is another proof that Jesus is deity - He Is God!

 

I think this is a great passage of scripture to meditate on during Passion week:

 

2 Corinthians 5:11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too.  ... 14 ... Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 

16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!  

18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ's ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, "Come back to God!" 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Christ to pay for my debt that I could not pay - a debt that He did not owe.  Teach me to understand my fearful responsibility to You, as you have taken away my old life and made me a new creation in Christ Jesus.  Help me be an ambassador for Christ - to share the Good News with everyone around me.  I pray in Jesus's Name. Amen.

farmers

Proverbs 1, Mark 4, 2 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 4

 

Proverbs 1:1-7 encourages me because God knows I need continuous help to learn to be like Him.

 

Mark 4 includes several of Jesus's parables:  (1) the story of the farmer scattering seed, (2) the illustration of the lamp, (3) the illustration of the growing seed, and (4) the illustration of the mustard seed.  Most of the time when I hear parables (1) and (3), the focus is on the seed and the soil, but today I was intrigued with the farmer.  As my wife and I are considering becoming missionaries, I am encouraged by the faithfulness of the farmer to spread the seed (the Gospel).  The farmer invests his life in planting, cultivating, and harvesting.  I want my life to count like that.

 

I was also encouraged by several verses in 2 Corinthians -

 

3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

 

4:5 You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.  7 We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.   8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 10 Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, please give me boldness to share the Gospel.  Help me be faithful to plant, cultivate, and harvest according to your Will.  Please help others see the Light of Life in me.  Please help me walk according to the Spirit's leadership and know that as I experience difficulties, it is so that you may be glorified.  I pray in Jesus's name. Amen.