Posts
timewithgod.blog-city.com — February 2010
Mark 4 -- Splitting That Fourth Group
The familiar parable about planting seed can suffer loss of significant meaning due to that very familiarity, I think. The progression from roadside to rocky soil to weed-choked soil to fertile soil makes it all too easy to see where it&#
The familiar parable about planting seed can suffer loss of significant meaning due to that very familiarity, I think. The progression from roadside to rocky soil to weed-choked soil to fertile soil makes it all too easy to see where it's going and naturally conclude that the last example represents the best. Yet there is something important that I noted in that last type of spiritual soil: the seed in the good ground sometimes made 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 90 times more. That very last example was 300% greater than the "worst" good soil!
My commentary asks: "What determines the degree of productivity? The life that is most productive is the one that obeys the Word promptly, unquestioningly, and joyfully."
So I began to imagine in my own life just what this might look like. If I receive a word from God and I'm not particularly overjoyed with what I hear, but I do it anyway "because it's what I'm supposed to do", then I'm choosing to reduce the blessings that can result. Or perhaps the word is definitely something I agree with, and I'm thrilled to have heard from God, yet I resist the change He's wanting me to make, than am I really trusting Him? That trust issue particularly comes up when I do not react to His word unquestioningly. "God, I hear You. I know You've spoken to me. But God ....."
A Christian who feels he's heard from God, yet hesitates, vacillates, and fears what may come does not appear to be in OBEDIENCE at all. Instead, that sounds more like the soil by the roadside!
Father, help me to remember that 95% obedience equals 100% disobedience, whether in timing, in trust, or in joy. Remind me of the incredible blessings I could be giving up, not just for myself, but for untold others, when I fail to respond in accordance with Your will, but instead in my own.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
My commentary asks: "What determines the degree of productivity? The life that is most productive is the one that obeys the Word promptly, unquestioningly, and joyfully."
So I began to imagine in my own life just what this might look like. If I receive a word from God and I'm not particularly overjoyed with what I hear, but I do it anyway "because it's what I'm supposed to do", then I'm choosing to reduce the blessings that can result. Or perhaps the word is definitely something I agree with, and I'm thrilled to have heard from God, yet I resist the change He's wanting me to make, than am I really trusting Him? That trust issue particularly comes up when I do not react to His word unquestioningly. "God, I hear You. I know You've spoken to me. But God ....."
A Christian who feels he's heard from God, yet hesitates, vacillates, and fears what may come does not appear to be in OBEDIENCE at all. Instead, that sounds more like the soil by the roadside!
Father, help me to remember that 95% obedience equals 100% disobedience, whether in timing, in trust, or in joy. Remind me of the incredible blessings I could be giving up, not just for myself, but for untold others, when I fail to respond in accordance with Your will, but instead in my own.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 5 -- A Lot of FEAR Here
There was a lot of something hanging over this chapter: Fear. The locals feared the demon-possessed man who lived in the caves. That same man (or the demons inside him) feared the approach of Jesus. He/They feared being sent o
There was a lot of something hanging over this chapter: Fear. The locals feared the demon-possessed man who lived in the caves. That same man (or the demons inside him) feared the approach of Jesus. He/They feared being sent out of the area. Even the herd of 200 pigs feared their sudden demon-possession and rushed into the lake.
The locals, upon seeing the man now healed of his demon-possession "were FRIGHTENED". WHY would they be afraid after the man they'd so feared had become normal again?
The second story brought us Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, who feared because his daughter was dying, and the woman who'd been bleeding for 12 years. What was she fearing? Jesus was calling to her after she was healed.
I suppose that everyone knows how it feels to fear things in this world - the uncertainty in life. But why fear one who's been healed by the Great Physician? And why fear that He calls us to come and bear witness to what He's accomplished in our lives?
I've recently been perplexed by what I sense is fear in some about where God may be leading. I've watched as godly people seem to raise their shields and try to quickly come up with rational reasons not to change the way things are for what God may be leading them to.
Father, fear is not of You. It's a tactic of Satan's to attempt to prevent us from enjoying Your very best for us. You taught me that as I fought the uncertainty of both adoption processes. But I knew one thing - I'd heard from You, and nothing else mattered. Your course was more sure and true than anything on this earth. Please help others to experience that certain KNOWING that comes from surrendering to Your will. You didn't bring us this far to leave us.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
The locals, upon seeing the man now healed of his demon-possession "were FRIGHTENED". WHY would they be afraid after the man they'd so feared had become normal again?
The second story brought us Jairus, a leader in the synagogue, who feared because his daughter was dying, and the woman who'd been bleeding for 12 years. What was she fearing? Jesus was calling to her after she was healed.
I suppose that everyone knows how it feels to fear things in this world - the uncertainty in life. But why fear one who's been healed by the Great Physician? And why fear that He calls us to come and bear witness to what He's accomplished in our lives?
I've recently been perplexed by what I sense is fear in some about where God may be leading. I've watched as godly people seem to raise their shields and try to quickly come up with rational reasons not to change the way things are for what God may be leading them to.
Father, fear is not of You. It's a tactic of Satan's to attempt to prevent us from enjoying Your very best for us. You taught me that as I fought the uncertainty of both adoption processes. But I knew one thing - I'd heard from You, and nothing else mattered. Your course was more sure and true than anything on this earth. Please help others to experience that certain KNOWING that comes from surrendering to Your will. You didn't bring us this far to leave us.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 6 -- The Cause Of Heart-Hardening
Jesus was back in His hometown where things were most familiar. You'd think it would be a spiritual centerpiece, but that wasn't the case. Verse 3 says, "The people were upset with Jesus." According to my commentar
Jesus was back in His hometown where things were most familiar. You'd think it would be a spiritual centerpiece, but that wasn't the case. Verse 3 says, "The people were upset with Jesus." According to my commentary, "The people, astonished, could not deny the wisdom of His teaching or the wonder of His miracles. But there was A DEEP UNWILLINGNESS TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AS THE SON OF GOD." Verse 5 tells that Jesus was unable to do many miracles because of their unbelief. My commentary again: "What a commentary on the pride and unbelief of the human heart! Unbelief largely hindered the work of the Savior in Nazareth.... Such unbelief as this has immense consequences for evil. It closes the channels of grace and mercy, so that only a trickle gets through to human lives in need."
Later that day, the disciples had wearied of the large crowd and suggested that they be sent away. "The same crowd that drew out the compassion of the Savior annoyed the disciples. Are people an intrusion to us, or the objects of our love?" my commentary asked. In the same way, we can become so focused on our own desires that we could care less what the hurting masses need.
It's hard to believe one comment in verse 52: "The disciples did not understand about the miracle of the five loaves, because their minds were CLOSED" (or "their heart was HARDENED.") My commentary added, "Lack of faith PRODUCED hardness of heart and dullness of spiritual perception." These weren't the masses being talked about here. These were Jesus' DISCIPLES! THEY should have been the MOST prepared to understand, yet they had hardened hearts. It can be the same in our churches today. I'm sure that, seeing this, Jesus was both disappointed and heartbroken.
Father, help us in our church not to become hardened of heart due to lack of faith. Let us not doubt that You are totally capable of getting us to the place You want us to be, and help us to remember that true followers would never want to be anywhere else.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Later that day, the disciples had wearied of the large crowd and suggested that they be sent away. "The same crowd that drew out the compassion of the Savior annoyed the disciples. Are people an intrusion to us, or the objects of our love?" my commentary asked. In the same way, we can become so focused on our own desires that we could care less what the hurting masses need.
It's hard to believe one comment in verse 52: "The disciples did not understand about the miracle of the five loaves, because their minds were CLOSED" (or "their heart was HARDENED.") My commentary added, "Lack of faith PRODUCED hardness of heart and dullness of spiritual perception." These weren't the masses being talked about here. These were Jesus' DISCIPLES! THEY should have been the MOST prepared to understand, yet they had hardened hearts. It can be the same in our churches today. I'm sure that, seeing this, Jesus was both disappointed and heartbroken.
Father, help us in our church not to become hardened of heart due to lack of faith. Let us not doubt that You are totally capable of getting us to the place You want us to be, and help us to remember that true followers would never want to be anywhere else.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 7-8 Are WE The 'They' He's Talking About?
Jesus versus those in charge of their church. What is this ... Round 3? What's their very important beef this time? "Why do Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?" I'm sure Jesus
Jesus versus those in charge of their church. What is this ... Round 3? What's their very important beef this time?
"Why do Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?"
I'm sure Jesus must have been about to burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of this new investigation. But only for just a moment, because He saw what their day-in and day-out adherence to their own unwritten laws was doing to God's people. Nothing would ever be good enough for those leaders, and they never encouraged the people.
Jesus didn't mince words as He called them hypocritical: "These people show honor to Me with words, but their hearts are FAR from Me. Their worship of Me is WORTHLESS. The things they teach are nothing but human rules. You have stopped following the commands of God."
I'll bet that felt like a brick wall collapsing on them - or at least it should have, if only they'd believed and acknowledged that He is the Son of God. Jesus then gathered all the people around Him and said, "Everyone should listen to Me and understand what I am saying." They'd built their lives on majoring on the minors, and in doing so, they'd totally MISSED God right in front of them.
Later, Jesus' disciples admitted that they still didn't get it. I think they were finding it hard to doubt their leaders, since that's all they'd ever known. Jesus basically answered that the heart of the problem was never external to a person. Instead, they needed to see what was going on in their own minds instead.
Twice in the remaining part of these chapters, I read, "Jesus sighed." And after reading what came before, I've now gotten a better idea why He sighed. He said, "Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? (Are you closed-minded?) You have eyes, but you don't REALLY see. You have ears, but you don't REALLY LISTEN.... Don't you understand yet??"
Jesus said that He'd be rejected by the church leaders. I see now that He didn't simply mean the Pharisees of that time. And when one of His most loyal followers told Him to stop talking about His dying, Jesus told him that he was talking like Satan - for he was opposing God's will just as Satan would. Peter thought he was doing right.
Perhaps the biggest thing He said that rings so very true right now is this: "If people want to follow Me, they must GIVE UP the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow Me." Maybe He didn't mean "dying" so much as He meant "what we build our lives around".
Father, what You said to me earlier this week is ringing in my ears again: "When God is working, Satan opposes." We must examine everything we believe we understand and hold it up to what Jesus said here. When Jesus said, "Their worship of Me is worthless," quoting You speaking through Isaiah, we have to ask ourselves if we are the ones He is speaking to. Help us to examine our thoughts and beliefs in Your light. Give us Your answer, please, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
"Why do Your followers eat their food with hands that are not clean?"
I'm sure Jesus must have been about to burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of this new investigation. But only for just a moment, because He saw what their day-in and day-out adherence to their own unwritten laws was doing to God's people. Nothing would ever be good enough for those leaders, and they never encouraged the people.
Jesus didn't mince words as He called them hypocritical: "These people show honor to Me with words, but their hearts are FAR from Me. Their worship of Me is WORTHLESS. The things they teach are nothing but human rules. You have stopped following the commands of God."
I'll bet that felt like a brick wall collapsing on them - or at least it should have, if only they'd believed and acknowledged that He is the Son of God. Jesus then gathered all the people around Him and said, "Everyone should listen to Me and understand what I am saying." They'd built their lives on majoring on the minors, and in doing so, they'd totally MISSED God right in front of them.
Later, Jesus' disciples admitted that they still didn't get it. I think they were finding it hard to doubt their leaders, since that's all they'd ever known. Jesus basically answered that the heart of the problem was never external to a person. Instead, they needed to see what was going on in their own minds instead.
Twice in the remaining part of these chapters, I read, "Jesus sighed." And after reading what came before, I've now gotten a better idea why He sighed. He said, "Do you still not see or understand? Are your minds closed? (Are you closed-minded?) You have eyes, but you don't REALLY see. You have ears, but you don't REALLY LISTEN.... Don't you understand yet??"
Jesus said that He'd be rejected by the church leaders. I see now that He didn't simply mean the Pharisees of that time. And when one of His most loyal followers told Him to stop talking about His dying, Jesus told him that he was talking like Satan - for he was opposing God's will just as Satan would. Peter thought he was doing right.
Perhaps the biggest thing He said that rings so very true right now is this: "If people want to follow Me, they must GIVE UP the things they want. They must be willing even to give up their lives to follow Me." Maybe He didn't mean "dying" so much as He meant "what we build our lives around".
Father, what You said to me earlier this week is ringing in my ears again: "When God is working, Satan opposes." We must examine everything we believe we understand and hold it up to what Jesus said here. When Jesus said, "Their worship of Me is worthless," quoting You speaking through Isaiah, we have to ask ourselves if we are the ones He is speaking to. Help us to examine our thoughts and beliefs in Your light. Give us Your answer, please, Father.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 9 Like The Disciples? Shame On Us
"The father of the epileptic boy was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both," today's sidebar said about verses 14-29. "If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us," he prayed. &qu
"The father of the epileptic boy was desperate and tired, and his prayer reflects both," today's sidebar said about verses 14-29. "If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us," he prayed. "The Greek is even more emphatic than the English. The tense implies doubt. It's as if the man were saying, "This one's probably out of Your league, but if you can ..." it said.
My commentary: "Jesus told him that it was not a question of His ability to heal, but of the father's ability to believe ... the father expressed the paradox of faith and unbelief experienced by God's people in all ages. ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! ‘ ... We hate this inward, unreasonable contradiction, yet seem to fight it in vain."
Later, Jesus plainly told His disciples that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. "But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were AFRAID to ASK Him." My commentary added: "We are often afraid to ask too, and thus lose a blessing."
What else were the disciples up to? Jesus asked them what they were arguing about (He knew). Their answer? They would not answer. Dead silence before the Son of God even though He'd asked a question which they knew the answer to! Why? They'd been arguing about which one of them was the greatest. They knew that petty bickering trying to have their own way and not God's way had been wrong.
Just a little later, John the beloved actually came tattling, "Teacher, we saw someone using Your name to force demons out of a person [indicates that it worked]. We told him to STOP because he does not belong to our group." In other words, not being a member of their group disqualified everything that person was doing in Jesus' name! Someone had been healed in the name of Jesus and they didn't like it! They sound just like the Pharisees themselves!
It is so tempting to assume that we have it right and others don't, and we must remember what Jesus said in reply here: "Don't stop him ... whoever is not against us is with us."
My commentary revealed the thread I kept following here, wondering where it was headed: "This chapter seems to be full of failures. Peter spoke clumsily on the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples failed to cast out the mute demon. They argued over who was the greatest. In vv. 38-40, we find them demonstrating a sectarian spirit."
These were to become the pillars of the church built upon our faith in Christ, yet listening to them here shows just how off-base even those assumed to be closest to Jesus can become. That can easily happen when our focus is removed from Christ and God's will, and instead is set on what we want to happen.
Father, keep us from that dreadful mistake. Show us what You want. Tell us when we act too much like Your disciples here.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
My commentary: "Jesus told him that it was not a question of His ability to heal, but of the father's ability to believe ... the father expressed the paradox of faith and unbelief experienced by God's people in all ages. ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief! ‘ ... We hate this inward, unreasonable contradiction, yet seem to fight it in vain."
Later, Jesus plainly told His disciples that He would be killed and rise again on the third day. "But the followers did not understand what Jesus meant, and they were AFRAID to ASK Him." My commentary added: "We are often afraid to ask too, and thus lose a blessing."
What else were the disciples up to? Jesus asked them what they were arguing about (He knew). Their answer? They would not answer. Dead silence before the Son of God even though He'd asked a question which they knew the answer to! Why? They'd been arguing about which one of them was the greatest. They knew that petty bickering trying to have their own way and not God's way had been wrong.
Just a little later, John the beloved actually came tattling, "Teacher, we saw someone using Your name to force demons out of a person [indicates that it worked]. We told him to STOP because he does not belong to our group." In other words, not being a member of their group disqualified everything that person was doing in Jesus' name! Someone had been healed in the name of Jesus and they didn't like it! They sound just like the Pharisees themselves!
It is so tempting to assume that we have it right and others don't, and we must remember what Jesus said in reply here: "Don't stop him ... whoever is not against us is with us."
My commentary revealed the thread I kept following here, wondering where it was headed: "This chapter seems to be full of failures. Peter spoke clumsily on the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples failed to cast out the mute demon. They argued over who was the greatest. In vv. 38-40, we find them demonstrating a sectarian spirit."
These were to become the pillars of the church built upon our faith in Christ, yet listening to them here shows just how off-base even those assumed to be closest to Jesus can become. That can easily happen when our focus is removed from Christ and God's will, and instead is set on what we want to happen.
Father, keep us from that dreadful mistake. Show us what You want. Tell us when we act too much like Your disciples here.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 10 -- More "Don't Be Like The Disciples" Stuff?
God seemed to be pointing out uncharacteristic behavior by those called disciples again. In verses 13-16, parents were bringing their children to Jesus, which should be the most natural thing we could do. What did the disciples do?
God seemed to be pointing out uncharacteristic behavior by those called disciples again. In verses 13-16, parents were bringing their children to Jesus, which should be the most natural thing we could do. What did the disciples do? They tried to stop them! Followers of Christ working to prevent someone from drawing near to Him! And Jesus' reaction? He was greatly displeased. Then He took the children in His arms and blessed them. I wonder how those disciples felt...
The rich young man came to Jesus, inquiring about eternal life. He called Jesus a good teacher, but He would not acknowledge Him as God. He also claimed to have fully kept the commandments that dealt with our relationships with others. It's very interesting that: 1) he wasn't asked about the commandments that deal with our relationship with God; and 2) that he could not see that because he'd been blessed and hadn't shared the wealth God had given him, he answered incorrectly about the first part.
I particularly noticed that it said Jesus loved him by what He asked next: Give your possessions to the poor. Jesus wasn't trying to get him to make some grand gesture - He simply knew that the man's love of his riches would keep him from experiencing eternal life, and He loved him enough to tell Him about it!
Father, help us not to proceed on the basis of false assumptions about You. Don't let us prevent anyone from coming to You. In love, show us where we fall short - where we're blinded by wrong beliefs or motives that seem right to us. Love us enough not to leave us that way.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
The rich young man came to Jesus, inquiring about eternal life. He called Jesus a good teacher, but He would not acknowledge Him as God. He also claimed to have fully kept the commandments that dealt with our relationships with others. It's very interesting that: 1) he wasn't asked about the commandments that deal with our relationship with God; and 2) that he could not see that because he'd been blessed and hadn't shared the wealth God had given him, he answered incorrectly about the first part.
I particularly noticed that it said Jesus loved him by what He asked next: Give your possessions to the poor. Jesus wasn't trying to get him to make some grand gesture - He simply knew that the man's love of his riches would keep him from experiencing eternal life, and He loved him enough to tell Him about it!
Father, help us not to proceed on the basis of false assumptions about You. Don't let us prevent anyone from coming to You. In love, show us where we fall short - where we're blinded by wrong beliefs or motives that seem right to us. Love us enough not to leave us that way.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 11 -- Not What It Was Built For
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and went to the Temple courtyard, where He again cleared the place of the moneychangers and merchants who were profiteering from sacred ceremonies. He quoted two verses - Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. &nbs
Jesus entered Jerusalem triumphantly and went to the Temple courtyard, where He again cleared the place of the moneychangers and merchants who were profiteering from sacred ceremonies. He quoted two verses - Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.
The second one cuts to the chase. I turned back to the book of Jeremiah to pick up the general sense of what was being said: "But look, you are trusting lies ... If you do that, do you think you can come before Me and stand in this place where I have chosen to be worshiped? Do you think you can say, ‘We are safe!' when you do all these hateful things? This place where I have chosen to be worshiped is nothing more to you than a hideout for robbers. I have been watching you, says the Lord."
He wasn't talking about robbers who took physical items. They were robbing others of true worship.
That represented the present reality. Jesus' quote from Isaiah 56:7 represented His DESIRE for us: "I will bring these people to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. The offerings and sacrifices they place on my altar will please me, because My Temple will be called a house of prayer for people from all nations."
So what was the difference between the two? The hearts and attitudes of the people. Consumed with themselves, they'd made God's chosen place to be worshiped into nothing more than everyday life. Removed from self and dedicated to God, the people would draw closer to God. There'd be joy again, not legalism, and true worship would break out.
Father, that's what You want from us. Your word says so. We are to approach You in worship with all pretense removed. We must not focus on form or function or dare to believe that we are going to produce worship for You. Worship comes from a soul emptied of self - a soul that recognizes that the One who is worthy of worship is so infinitely above all that we know, and He is bending down from Heaven to grace us with His presence. Only through His grace do we even have His permission to call His name. Our worship should therefore reflect that - never a sense of "Look what wonderful thing we are doing for You, God," but instead, "Oh, Sovereign Creator of the Universe, my soul cries out in thanks that You allow me to experience You in this way. I worship You. There is none like You!"
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
The second one cuts to the chase. I turned back to the book of Jeremiah to pick up the general sense of what was being said: "But look, you are trusting lies ... If you do that, do you think you can come before Me and stand in this place where I have chosen to be worshiped? Do you think you can say, ‘We are safe!' when you do all these hateful things? This place where I have chosen to be worshiped is nothing more to you than a hideout for robbers. I have been watching you, says the Lord."
He wasn't talking about robbers who took physical items. They were robbing others of true worship.
That represented the present reality. Jesus' quote from Isaiah 56:7 represented His DESIRE for us: "I will bring these people to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. The offerings and sacrifices they place on my altar will please me, because My Temple will be called a house of prayer for people from all nations."
So what was the difference between the two? The hearts and attitudes of the people. Consumed with themselves, they'd made God's chosen place to be worshiped into nothing more than everyday life. Removed from self and dedicated to God, the people would draw closer to God. There'd be joy again, not legalism, and true worship would break out.
Father, that's what You want from us. Your word says so. We are to approach You in worship with all pretense removed. We must not focus on form or function or dare to believe that we are going to produce worship for You. Worship comes from a soul emptied of self - a soul that recognizes that the One who is worthy of worship is so infinitely above all that we know, and He is bending down from Heaven to grace us with His presence. Only through His grace do we even have His permission to call His name. Our worship should therefore reflect that - never a sense of "Look what wonderful thing we are doing for You, God," but instead, "Oh, Sovereign Creator of the Universe, my soul cries out in thanks that You allow me to experience You in this way. I worship You. There is none like You!"
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 12 -- More About Re-Examining Every Perception And Belief We Have
I'm astounded at how God seems to continue this thread from chapter to chapter! Jesus told the parable of the man (God) who prepared a vineyard and leased it out, but the tenants (religious leaders) never paid the rent and they beat or kill
I'm astounded at how God seems to continue this thread from chapter to chapter! Jesus told the parable of the man (God) who prepared a vineyard and leased it out, but the tenants (religious leaders) never paid the rent and they beat or killed anyone sent to collect (prophets). The man decides to send his son (Jesus). Listen to what the tenants said, "This son will inherit the vineyard. If we KILL him, it will be OURS." They (the religious leaders) knew the story was about them, it says. They recognized that Jesus knew that they selfishly wanted the kingdom for themselves, not for GOD.
One of the teachers of the law was sincere, and he came to Jesus to ask which of the commands is the most important. Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." As I read this, God incredibly and plainly impressed on me that He was not saying "Love your church will all this, but Your GOD. It is all too easy to believe that whatever we do for our church MUST be God's will, and therefore for HIM. But anytime we elevate our church to that level, we will risk making it an idol, and God won't have it. In fact, the church doesn't even run a close second. Jesus continued, "The second command is this: Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF."
My commentary said, "We are to love God more than ourselves, and our neighbors as ourselves. Thus, the life that really counts in concerned first with God, then with others. Even decision we make at church MUST adhere to this principal. It's never all about us.
"The scribe asking the question agreed wholeheartedly, stating that love to God and to one's neighbors WERE FAR MORE IMPORTANT than RITUALS. He realized that people could go through religious ceremonies and put on a public display of piety without inward, personal holiness," my commentary said.
The sentence that probably rocked the religious leaders' world, and which should rock the world of those in positions of leadership in churches today was found in verse 27. Jesus said to the Sadducees, "You are therefore GREATLY MISTAKEN."
Father, I firmly believe that Your intent is to challenge our conventional thinking as we read and absorb these verses. We individually need to look at every belief we hold to see if it indeed matches up with the truth from Your Son. Are we loving You more than ourselves with each of these beliefs? Are we loving our neighbors with each of these beliefs? Or have we allowed ourselves to become greatly mistaken in our beliefs in whatever position of leadership we might hold today? Please help us to have the clarity of the scribe in those latter verses.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
One of the teachers of the law was sincere, and he came to Jesus to ask which of the commands is the most important. Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God will all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." As I read this, God incredibly and plainly impressed on me that He was not saying "Love your church will all this, but Your GOD. It is all too easy to believe that whatever we do for our church MUST be God's will, and therefore for HIM. But anytime we elevate our church to that level, we will risk making it an idol, and God won't have it. In fact, the church doesn't even run a close second. Jesus continued, "The second command is this: Love your neighbor AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF."
My commentary said, "We are to love God more than ourselves, and our neighbors as ourselves. Thus, the life that really counts in concerned first with God, then with others. Even decision we make at church MUST adhere to this principal. It's never all about us.
"The scribe asking the question agreed wholeheartedly, stating that love to God and to one's neighbors WERE FAR MORE IMPORTANT than RITUALS. He realized that people could go through religious ceremonies and put on a public display of piety without inward, personal holiness," my commentary said.
The sentence that probably rocked the religious leaders' world, and which should rock the world of those in positions of leadership in churches today was found in verse 27. Jesus said to the Sadducees, "You are therefore GREATLY MISTAKEN."
Father, I firmly believe that Your intent is to challenge our conventional thinking as we read and absorb these verses. We individually need to look at every belief we hold to see if it indeed matches up with the truth from Your Son. Are we loving You more than ourselves with each of these beliefs? Are we loving our neighbors with each of these beliefs? Or have we allowed ourselves to become greatly mistaken in our beliefs in whatever position of leadership we might hold today? Please help us to have the clarity of the scribe in those latter verses.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 13 -- Warnings
The bulk of this chapter is about the end times, and Jesus plainly says that no one will know when it will happen until the time is very near. Jesus is talking with just a few of His disciples, and it didn't happen while they were alive, so
The bulk of this chapter is about the end times, and Jesus plainly says that no one will know when it will happen until the time is very near. Jesus is talking with just a few of His disciples, and it didn't happen while they were alive, so what was their gain out of this conversation? My commentary noted watchwords which it said "apply to believers in every dispensation":
1) Take heed that no one deceives you;
2) Do not be troubled;
3) Endure;
4) Pray;
5) And watch.
In light of everything God's been saying in the last two weeks - about how disciples weren't always acting like disciples and how religious leaders kept trying to hijack "their" church, I believe these watchwords must somehow go along with it all.
I've seen that we need to know our church, and we have tools to allow us to do just that. Without such knowing, how can we take heed to be sure that our perceptions reflect reality?
We can "not be troubled" by taking heed and by having the certain knowledge that Jesus is Lord. If we will seek His will with this knowledge in hand, we will not be proceeding out of deception.
Endure indicates not giving up. Satan will try to bring all sorts of attacks aimed at preventing truth from being known. His primary goal is to stifle the will of God. Yet here we are told to endure. In doing so, as my commentary says, we will "evidence reality. Endurance characterizes those doing God's will."
Prayer is commanded, both for knowledge and for strength. It is through prayer that we come to a fuller understanding of God's will.
Watch signifies diligence at the task. In this chapter, the verses warn us three times, "Be careful!" and four times "Always be READY!" -- careful and ready to point out deception and to relay truth, to recognize Satan's attempts to derail God's will by attacks on His people. When God's will is about to be accomplished is when Satan must pull out all the stops in a last-ditch-effort to stop the process. This has to be recognized for what it is, and spiritual discernment is a necessity.
Father, please help us to take heed and to spot any deception, knowing that Satan is ultimately behind it. Do not let us be troubled by the expected then. Let us have Your calm assurance. Don't let us give up, either, until You say the battle is won. Remind us to stay connected to You in prayer, and through that, give us the discernment to see and know Your will. Where You are at work, Satan opposes, and he doesn't like to lose. We can't simply sit by and ignore him, for we do so at our peril. You said he is a raging lion, looking to devour.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
1) Take heed that no one deceives you;
2) Do not be troubled;
3) Endure;
4) Pray;
5) And watch.
In light of everything God's been saying in the last two weeks - about how disciples weren't always acting like disciples and how religious leaders kept trying to hijack "their" church, I believe these watchwords must somehow go along with it all.
I've seen that we need to know our church, and we have tools to allow us to do just that. Without such knowing, how can we take heed to be sure that our perceptions reflect reality?
We can "not be troubled" by taking heed and by having the certain knowledge that Jesus is Lord. If we will seek His will with this knowledge in hand, we will not be proceeding out of deception.
Endure indicates not giving up. Satan will try to bring all sorts of attacks aimed at preventing truth from being known. His primary goal is to stifle the will of God. Yet here we are told to endure. In doing so, as my commentary says, we will "evidence reality. Endurance characterizes those doing God's will."
Prayer is commanded, both for knowledge and for strength. It is through prayer that we come to a fuller understanding of God's will.
Watch signifies diligence at the task. In this chapter, the verses warn us three times, "Be careful!" and four times "Always be READY!" -- careful and ready to point out deception and to relay truth, to recognize Satan's attempts to derail God's will by attacks on His people. When God's will is about to be accomplished is when Satan must pull out all the stops in a last-ditch-effort to stop the process. This has to be recognized for what it is, and spiritual discernment is a necessity.
Father, please help us to take heed and to spot any deception, knowing that Satan is ultimately behind it. Do not let us be troubled by the expected then. Let us have Your calm assurance. Don't let us give up, either, until You say the battle is won. Remind us to stay connected to You in prayer, and through that, give us the discernment to see and know Your will. Where You are at work, Satan opposes, and he doesn't like to lose. We can't simply sit by and ignore him, for we do so at our peril. You said he is a raging lion, looking to devour.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
Mark 14 -- What The Disciples Were Doing
Jesus and His disciples were reclining in the upper room, eating the Passover meal, when He told them that one of them would betray Him. What happened next really caught my eye. "Each one began to say to Jesus, ‘I am not the on
Jesus and His disciples were reclining in the upper room, eating the Passover meal, when He told them that one of them would betray Him. What happened next really caught my eye. "Each one began to say to Jesus, ‘I am not the one, am I?' "
My commentary said, "They all recognized the evil propensities of their own natures. With a healthy distrust of self, each asked if he were the culprit." Of course, only one of them knew for certain that he was.
God really had me thinking this morning about what it would have been like to be any of those other eleven disciples at that moment. They loved Jesus, and they'd followed Him, spent time with Him, and learned from Him. I imagine that none of them harbored any ill will toward Him and that none of them had ever entertained a notion of betraying Him. Yet they QUESTIONED THEMSELVES! They wondered, "Am I the one? How might I possibly be betraying my Lord, AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT??"
I'm sure they couldn't fathom it, but they searched themselves anyway. Do we stop to do that? I thought of this in light of the last 2 weeks I've spent in Mark looking at what the disciples were doing.
Father, regularly cause me to ask if I'm the one, for my sin put Your Son on that cross, and that sin so infects us all that it can cause us to fail to see the plank in our own eye. Help me to examine what I consider my reality to insure that I'm not part of the problem. Let me see myself with Your eyes.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
My commentary said, "They all recognized the evil propensities of their own natures. With a healthy distrust of self, each asked if he were the culprit." Of course, only one of them knew for certain that he was.
God really had me thinking this morning about what it would have been like to be any of those other eleven disciples at that moment. They loved Jesus, and they'd followed Him, spent time with Him, and learned from Him. I imagine that none of them harbored any ill will toward Him and that none of them had ever entertained a notion of betraying Him. Yet they QUESTIONED THEMSELVES! They wondered, "Am I the one? How might I possibly be betraying my Lord, AND NOT EVEN KNOW IT??"
I'm sure they couldn't fathom it, but they searched themselves anyway. Do we stop to do that? I thought of this in light of the last 2 weeks I've spent in Mark looking at what the disciples were doing.
Father, regularly cause me to ask if I'm the one, for my sin put Your Son on that cross, and that sin so infects us all that it can cause us to fail to see the plank in our own eye. Help me to examine what I consider my reality to insure that I'm not part of the problem. Let me see myself with Your eyes.
Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford
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