relationships (Mark 8:27-38) A Love Like No Other

(Mark 8:27-38)

27 Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 They told Him, saying, “John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And He continued questioning them: “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And He warned them to tell no one about Him.

31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.”

34 And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? 37 For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Since everyone is born into sin - as slaves to sin - without God in one's life, one will spend eternity separated from God.  How can any slave buy or work their way out of slavery, when the owner owns one's soul?  Our soul is everything!  It is the essence of who we are, and it has been created with eternity in mind.

Thankfully, God created us with the purpose to have a personal love relationship with Him, and desires that all come to know Him.  So when mankind chose to embrace slavery to sin and reject God, in order to provide a way back to Him, He died for all sin, paying the ransom price for every soul.  It is then up to us to make the decision to accept the Lord into our lives.  All it "costs" us is our pride.  

Humility is to realize that we are sinners in need of a Savior.  To realize that Jesus is the Lord God, and that He needs to be first in our lives.  All that is required is that we humbly repent of our sins and accept the Lord's forgiveness and His salvation, which is to have a personal relationship with Him as our heavenly Father.  

Christianity is not about do's and don'ts.  Although, in our relationship with the Lord, like with any relationship, when we live to please Him, our relationship with Him will grow stronger.  Now, because of God's grace, once we are a child of God, we cannot lose our salvation, but this should not encourage us to take God for granted, and sin and live to please our own fleshly desires.  Even though we are saved, when we sin, God will allow us to face earthly consequences  

It is when we do and say things that go against God's will, that we are actually doing Satan's will.  If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what else?.  Out of His love for us, Jesus died so that we can be free of sin, so why would we want to run back to sin?  And if we say that we truly love God, why would we intentionally do things to displease Him?  While people tend to blame God when things don't go their way, they will do things, thinking that it will hurt God, but they are only creating problems for ourselves, while hurting themselves and others in the process.  

In understanding that the Lord is sovereign and wants the best for us, this should inspire and encourage us to desire the things that He desires.  And I have experienced the results!  When I have done things my way, and/or the world's way, it does not go well.  When I do things God's way, things always work out for good!!!  In our relationship with Him, the Lord is faithful and good!

relationships (Mark 8:14-26) Growing Closer in Stages

(Mark 8:14-38)

14 And the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and did not have more than one loaf in the boat with them. 15 And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they began to discuss with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet comprehend or understand? Do you still have your heart hardened? 18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, 19 when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “When I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said to Him, “Seven.” 21 And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

22 And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought a man who was blind to Jesus and begged Him to touch him. 23 Taking the man who was blind by the hand, He brought him out of the village; and after spitting in his eyes and laying His hands on him, He asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see people, for I see them like trees, walking around.” 25 Then again He laid His hands on his eyes; and he looked intently and was restored, and began to see everything clearly. 26 And He sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Jesus told the disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees (spiritual leaders and teachers) and the leaven of Herod (government). Those in leadership and power can manipulate people into believing almost anything, which can gain a vast momentum and following.  But the propaganda being taught and puffed up, doesn't have any substance of truth, and at the root of it - is evil.

This discussion was followed by the only two-stage physical healing in the Gospels. Jesus wanted to get the point across that sometimes we are spiritually healed in stages.  As our faith is a journey in a personal relationship with the Lord, it is along the way that we learn, understand and mature in our faith and connection with God. Just like the disciples, who had begun "to see", but not very clearly.

It is often the case that we begin our Christian walk with only thinking about the obvious, like how God is going to physically provide for us.  As we strive in obedience and witness miracles in our lives, we will begin to see how God provides spiritually, at such a deeper and more meaningful level.  Yet, it is so easy to regress by explaining away and forgetting about the miracles and experiences, and getting caught up in the physical.  

I'm certainly not saying that we should chase after "experiences" or miracles, but to remain entrenched in our faith, trust, obedience and relationship with the Lord!  So, as I'm getting older, I'm praying more and more that the Lord will continue to "heal" my heart, mind, soul, eyes and ears!  You know, as I remember to pray this!!!

relationships (Mark 8:11-38) Signs of Love

(Mark 8:11-13)

11 And the Pharisees came out and began to argue with Him, demanding from Him a sign from heaven, to test Him. 12 Sighing deeply in His spirit, He said, “Why does this generation demand a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation!” 13 And leaving them, He again embarked and went away to the other side.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Here was God in flesh Himself, performing miracles - as a "sign" -  to prove His authority here on earth.  AND a whole bunch of "signs" had already occurred and were occurring right in front of them, which were fulfilling prophecies of the (Old Testament) scriptures.  For instance:  Jesus just being here in flesh, born of a virgin, born in Bethlehem, having fled to Egypt and returning to Israel, living in Nazareth in the region of Galilee, knowing what people were thinking, and (while "uneducated") teaching the people with great knowledge and wisdom and in parables...  

Yet, the Pharisees weren't even asking Jesus to do some magic trick to wow them for their own entertainment, they were only seeking for an excuse to execute Him.  Just like Jesus "couldn't do much healing" in His own homeland because of people's unbelief, the Pharisee's unbelief prevented them from seeing the sign/s that were right in front of them.

While God will do amazing good and nice things for unbelievers to get their attention so that they might believe in Him, the Lord is very clear in that when we have faith, He will do mighty things for us, with us, in us, and through us.  Because He desires to have a close, personal love relationship with us, and our Christianity is ALL about having a close, personal love relationship with the Lord Jesus, it is only in this that we can truly experience and appreciate His presence and blessings!

Someone once tried arguing with me that this was proof that God didn't actually love everyone, and that somehow God was prejudiced - because He would only reward those who did things which He deemed "good enough", and did not allow everyone into heaven just as they are.  Well, Jesus died for all people, whether they accept Him or reject Him.  THAT is agape, sacrificial, unconditional love.  And true love does not force anyone to love back, and does not force anyone to obey.  Yet in grace, those who accept Him, He will never let us go.  And only the things we do in His agape love, guidance, strength - and - all to His glory - will be rewarded.  

There's nothing super special about any of us in that way, except that we have willing hearts.  It is all God's handiwork!  It is all about God!  It is all about having a relationship with God!  Because He loves us, and wants to do life with us!  And when someone goes to God just as they are and repents to receive the Lord's forgiveness, we ALSO receive His indwelling Holy Spirit who changes us from the inside out.  THAT IS - a huge sign - proof in our lives of just how much He cares!!!

relationships (Mark 8:1-10) Eating Together

(Mark 8:1-10)

1 In those days, when there was again a large crowd and they had nothing to eat, Jesus summoned His disciples and said to them, 2 “I feel compassion for the people because they have remained with Me for three days already and have nothing to eat. 3 And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.” 4 And His disciples replied to Him, “Where will anyone be able to find enough bread here in this desolate place to satisfy these people?” 5 And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6 And He directed the people to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve, and they served them to the people. 7 They also had a few small fish; and after He had blessed them, He told the disciples to serve these as well. 8 And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces. 9 About four thousand men were there; and He dismissed them. 10 And immediately He got into the boat with His disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Jesus' compassion was not misplaced.  He saw the hearts of these people who were sincerely seeking after Him.  After all, they had denied their physical hunger just to stay with Him for three days and hear Him speak, because they were spiritually hungry.  Typically, the message from these verses is how the Lord provides, because He desires that we go to Him with all our needs, problems and requests.  The Lord God wants to provide, solve, help, build and establish, and pour into us His wisdom, strength, righteousness and love.  It's a 24-7 kind of love relationship, because God wants to do life with us, for us, in us, and through us.

What is also jumping out at me today, is that Jesus invites us to eat with Him, both spiritually and physically.  So not only gathering with others to praise and worship the Lord, but dining together is such an intimate thing to do.  It's difficult to serve and eat at the same table with someone we hate or with someone who hates us.  While we are called to love and have a servant's-heart-attitude towards all people, it is glorious when believers gather together.  The closer we all are to the Lord, the closer we will be to one another.  And in that, we can eat together with grace, thankfulness, praise, celebration, and fellowship, in God's love;  and know that God is always in our midst!

relationships (Mark 7:24-37) The Greatest Honor

(Mark 7:24-37)

24 Now Jesus got up and went from there to the region of Tyre. And when He had entered a house, He wanted no one to know about it; and yet He could not escape notice. 25 But after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet. 26 Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician descent. And she repeatedly asked Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” 29 And He said to her, “Because of this answer, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” 30 And after going back to her home, she found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

31 Again He left the region of Tyre and came through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, within the region of Decapolis. 32 And they brought to Him one who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. 33 And Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers in his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; 34 and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” 35 And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. 36 And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. 37 And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even those who are deaf hear, and those who are unable to talk, speak.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Jesus does not see Gentiles as less-than, and He did not call the woman a dog.  Jesus only used this as an analogy, in order for the woman to demonstrate her faith in the supremacy of the true God, especially since pagans typically sought out magicians for healing.  These verses demonstrate that this woman not only understood the historical background of Israel and the Lord God, but she also understood that non-Jewish people are included.  She even had enough faith to know that God could heal her daughter with even the smallest fraction of His power!

While people also went to magicians for things like healing, Jesus was not trying to emulate them when He healed the deaf and mute man.  In fact, this is why Jesus took the man aside.  And while we know Jesus could heal someone without even touching them, here we see something very different.  Remember, the man was deaf, and it was just him and Jesus, so what Jesus did with His hands was most likely a type of sign language for the man to understand that He was going to heal him, and to encourage the man's faith in what He was about to do.

While magicians preferred to perform in front of large crowds, using physical antics and gestured in their tricks, they would also use unintelligible phrases.  So here, Jesus not only healed this man in private, with sign language that the man could understand, Jesus also spoke Aramaic, which would have been a common language in that region, because most likely, the man could lip-read a bit, as well.  This all just demonstrates how much Jesus wants to communicate with us, and for us to know and understand Him!  It's just up to us to listen!  

These verses are also not saying that Jesus doesn't want to be found, and it is not saying that we are to keep silent about Him.  Jesus is always there for those who seek Him - because - they truly want Him in their life.  And for us right now, Jesus certainly wants us to tell others about Him.  

This is our great commission in life... to ask and allow the Lord to guide us into opportunities, and give us the right words to speak in ways for others to hear the good news message clearly, so that they may also come to know the Lord in a personal relationship.  We have the great honor of being a child of God, the great honor of being able to hear Him speak to us, the great honor of Him wanting us to speak to Him, and the great honor of introducing the Lord Jesus to the world.

relationships (Mark 7:1-23) A Growing Internal Love

(Mark 7:1-23)

The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered to Him after they came from Jerusalem, 2 and saw that some of His disciples were eating their bread with unholy hands, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees and all the other Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands, thereby holding firmly to the tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they completely cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received as traditions to firmly hold, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and copper pots.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk in accordance with the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with unholy hands?” 6 But He said to them, “Rightly did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:

     ‘This people honors Me with their lips,
     But their heart is far away from Me.
7   And in vain do they worship Me,
     Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’

8   Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”

9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10 For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’; and, ‘The one who speaks evil of father or mother, is certainly to be put to death’; 11 but you say, ‘If a person says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is, given to God),’ 12 you no longer allow him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13 thereby invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the person which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which come out of the person are what defile the person.”

17 And when He later entered a house, away from the crowd, His disciples asked Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding as well? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the person from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thereby He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which comes out of the person, that is what defiles the person. 21 For from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, 22 deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within and defile the person.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

It is our human selfish, sinful nature that wants to judge and compare ourselves to others, both unbelievers and believers.  And to do that, we will put onto ourselves, and others, our personal standards and preferences.  But Jesus wants us to listen to Him, and understand what He wants for our lives (as He says in verse 14).  

The Lord God wants us to have a relationship with Him, and put this relationship ahead of all else, and listen to His commandments, instructions and teachings, BECAUSE the Lord God knows all things, created us, knows us better than we know ourselves, and He wants the best for us.  Why would we not want to live according to what He says?!

There are only TEN commandments.  TEN!!!  And these can be summed up into TWO:  maturing in our love relationship with God, which will then help us mature in our love relationships with other people.  So, in our relationship with the Lord God, in His forgiving our sins, He covers us with His righteousness.  And as we ask and allow, He will continue working for us, with us, in us, and through us.  

Therefore, lets consider how we can mature in our own, personal love relationship with Jesus.  And then, we can encourage others in their spiritual walk with the Lord.  It is not about doing things in our own thinking, strength and motives.  It is about "being"... being a child of God... being in the Lord's wisdom, strength and love.  It is all about the Lord's indwelling love, which will become more evident to others as we continue to grow closer to the Lord God, Himself.

relationships (Mark 6:45-56) Gaining Insight on Love

(Mark 6:45-56)

45 And immediately Jesus had His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He Himself dismissed the crowd. 46 And after saying goodbye to them, He left for the mountain to pray.

47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars—for the wind was against them—at about the fourth watch of the night, He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they thought that it was a ghost, and they cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

53 When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored at the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran about that entire country and began carrying here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to wherever they heard He was. 56 And wherever He entered villages, or cities, or a countryside, they were laying the sick in the marketplaces and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and all who touched it were being healed.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

In yesterday's devotion, I gave myself a "duh", but today the "duh" goes to the disciples.  Aaaannd... still a "duh" to myself as I look back on verse 52. Before I get all self-righteous, let's look at a few of the logs in my own eyes.  Just how many times have I sat in church, and found myself thinking about something else, maybe even worrying about something.  But most likely, if I would soften my heart in those moments, and open my eyes and ears to the message, I could very well gain insight and apply that to what I've been obsessing about!

Well, here we see the disciples who had just witnessed Jesus feeding thousands and thousands of people with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, and they are astonished that Jesus is able to walk on water?!  Now, remember in the book of Matthew, we read that Peter asked to join Jesus, but in loosing focus on the Lord, he began to sink.  But meanwhile, all the other disciples stayed on the boat.  They weren't even willing to try to meet Jesus out on the water.  And then, to witness many, many people being healed, just by toughing the fringe of Jesus' cloak!!!  It's difficult to fathom how someone seeing all of this firsthand, would struggle to gain insight and grow in their faith.

Now, in the bigger picture, a person who hardens their heart, is someone who is unwilling to see the Lord for who He is really is.  If we only consider Him a person, then we are sorely mistaken and underestimating Him by an incalculable amount!  Jesus is the Lord God who came to earth, to be fully man while being fully God.  And after His resurrection and ascension, He sent us His Holy Spirit.  After the Day of Pentecost, anyone becoming a true believer, receives His indwelling Spirit... 

The Spirit of the sovereign Lord God is within us.  So, He is right here with us, to guide us towards gaining insight, and "walking on water", and giving us His strength and equipping us with whatever it is needed to accomplish what He asks us to do.  With God, all things are possible.  We need to stop hardening our hearts in thinking things like, "Yeah, but God can't or won't do those types of things today" or, "He isn't going to bother much with little ol' me" or, "If I can't feel His presence, then I don't feel like bothering..." 

Here's the insight.  God cares!  He's with us to do great things for us, in us and through us - IF AND WHEN - we call upon Him and ask, because He will never force us to be obedient.  And then - IF AND WHEN - we are obedient, this is when we will feel and experience the Lord.  But if we keep one or both eyes shut, and prefer to live in denial about what God has already done in our lives, that's on us.  

God is not some genie with three wishes or some slot machine in the sky, He created us to have a relationship with Him.  Mankind rejected Him, bringing sin and death into the world, and with that separation from God.  So, He came to earth in flesh, only to be rejected again.  But in this, He took on the punishment and death that we all deserve, whether we reject Him or accept Him.  There's that prideful challenge people will ask others, "What would YOU do for love?"  Well, how about thanking and praising the Lord for everything He has done for love, is doing for love, and will still do for love!