Category Archives: Christian

Forgiveness, a tall order (Mark 11:22-26) August 30, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Chronicles 15-19

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:22-26
Jesus: Trust in God. If you do, honestly, you can say to this mountain, “Mountain, uproot yourself and throw yourself into the sea.” If you don’t doubt, but trust that what you say will take place, then it will happen. So listen to what I’m saying: Whatever you pray for or ask from God, believe that you’ll receive it and you will. When you pray, if you remember anyone who has wronged you, forgive him so that God above can also forgive you. If you don’t forgive others, don’t expect God’s forgiveness.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Sometimes Jesus’ words are just hard, aren’t they? Sometimes I just want to overlook the things He says and pretend He really didn’t mean them. Like these last words. “…if you remember anyone who has wronged you, forgive him so that God above can also forgive you. If you don’t forgive others, don’t expect God’s forgiveness.” I would just as soon not hear those words. I would like Jesus to just forget to tell us that and tell us that God will just forgive us and forget the rest.

Unfortunately, He didn’t. He said it. He made it pretty clear. If you don’t forgive others, don’t expect forgiveness from God. He gave us a few illustrations to make it clear. The story of the king that forgave the servant who owed him 500 years wages and then the servant failed to forgive a fellow servant a few day’s wages. Remember what happened to him? He and his family were thrown into jail until he could pay it all back. That meant forever.

Jesus meant what He said. Forgiveness is why He came to earth. That’s why He put on human flesh and spent thirty years walking beside us suffering the same things we suffer. That’s why He worked and toiled and preached and taught. That’s why He took on the Pharisees and the scribes to help us understand what God really wants us to know about having a relationship with Him. That’s why Jesus took all the ridicule from the religious leaders. That’s why He endured the cross. It was all about forgiveness.

He came to teach us about both God’s forgiveness and to forgive each other. The power of forgiveness is incredible. It is a god-like power. It does something for the person that forgives that no other physical or psychological action can do for you. It changes you attitude toward other people.

Does forgiveness mean you act as if nothing ever happened? Sometimes, but not always. There are consequences for someones actions. Those consequences are borne by the person who commits sinful and wicked acts. It would be negligence to put an embezzler in charge of your treasury. But you can still forgive that embezzler for his crimes. He may need to make restitution and even go to jail as a consequence of his crimes. That’s not your fault, it’s his. But you can forgive.

So what’s the difference? Forgiveness doesn’t excuse bad behavior. It doesn’t condone wickedness. It doesn’t let people off the hook. But forgiveness stops the attitude that seeks revenge. It stops the attitude that wants harm to come to the person who wronged you. It stops that, “I’ll get even with her, if it’s the last thing I do, feeling.” You see, all of those characteristics breed bitterness and hatred. And those are not compatible with the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus never condoned bad behavior. But He forgave. He never condoned evil. But He forgave. He didn’t let people off the hook to continue to do as they pleased. But He forgave their past. Jesus never held a grudge. He never sought vengance. He never tried to get even. He never wanted to hurt anyone.

Instead, Jesus forgave. Even when He hung on the cross as an innocent sacrifice for all the sins of all the people who ever lived and would ever live, Jesus forgave.

When we forgive, the anguish of how to get back goes away. When we forgive, the plotting for justice disappears. When we forgive, the bitterness because of circumstances melts from our hearts. We can live in the warmth of God’s love and mercy and grace. We can know He forgives and so we can forgive, too.

And what if we don’t forgive? What if we hang on to that bitterness and seek for revenge or justice or quid pro quo for those who do us wrong? Jesus says we should not expect God to forgive us if we do not forgive others. Elsewhere He said God forgive us in the same measure, to the same degree that we forgive others.

That’s a pretty scary thought if you hold ill will against someone. I don’t want God to bring that up at the judgment one day. I’d like to know that my slate is clean and I’m forgiven. But Jesus tells me that the only way that happens if for me to also forgive. It’s a tall order, but not an impossible one when He help us.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

What’s happened to prayer? (Mark 11:17) August 29, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 9-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:17
Jesus (to those who were listening): Didn’t the prophets write, “My house will be called a house of prayer, for all the people”? But you have made it into a “haven for thieves.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We talked some about this when we talked about Matthew 21:13, but I think these words are worth mentioning again. It seems in many instances the institutions we attend every Sunday have become much more social club than places of worship. Because of my military travels, I’ve been to a lot of churches around the world. More than I can count. Big ones and little ones. Churches with some pretty elaborate facilities and spectacular features and some one room structures that were about to collapse. I’ve been to home churches and outdoor arbors. I’ve meet in tents and under the stars. I’ve been in just about any and every kind of structure you can think of over the last 60 years attending all kinds of church meetings.

Unfortunately, most denominations are suffering the same fate. And most churches within those denominations are suffering the same fate. Churches are becoming places where people gather to talk about what happened to them last week instead of worshiping God. We catch up on the latest politics and school news and work gossip instead of lifting our eyes toward heaven or praying for the lost souls around us.

I’m afraid Jesus could walk into almost any of our churches today and make the same pronouncement He made in the temple court that day and be just as accurate. Our churches are not places or prayers, but we are making them into dens of thieves.

So let’s concentrate on that last part first. Why would I think we are turning our churches into dens of thieves? Most churches don’t have money changers in them. We don’t sell goats and sheep at exorbitant prices for the morning sacrifice. So why would I think we turn our churches into dens of thieves?

I don’t think we do it purposefully any more than those in the court thought they were doing anything wrong purposefully. They were doing business in the courtyard. It had been going on for centuries. The merchants in the court were doing the pilgrims a favor by enabling them to travel without dragging their sacrifice along with them. Probably most of those merchants were honest people. They didn’t think of themselves as thieves. They wanted to make a small profit and this was their livelihood. There was nothing wrong with making a living, right?

So what’s the equivalent in our churches? We don’t have money changers or sheep sellers. But what do we do with all that money that comes into the offering plates? Don’t get me wrong, we should pay our pastors and staff. Paul talks about that in his letters to the various churches, and growing up as a preacher’s kid and serving as a minister, I know the work they do. They earn their salaries. Follow a few good pastors around and you’ll figure that out pretty quickly.

But usually the salaries of the staff are only a small part of the income of the average church. What happens to the rest? Does it stay in the church or does it help others? Do we use it to help ourselves or do we give it to the cause of God? Do we continue to build structures and make things look pretty or do we feed the hungry, visit the prisoners, help the sick and orphaned and widows? What do we do with the income of the church? Does your church tithe? Now that’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Does it give at least 10% of its income back to God by spending its money on others that have no connection to your church?

Are we creating dens of thieves without even thinking about it?

Let’s go back to that first part. How about that house of prayer business? How much time does your church spend in prayer? Most churches I’ve attended lately have a thirty to maybe sixty second opening prayer and a pastoral prayer that lasts about two or three minutes and a closing prayer that will last another thirty seconds to a minute. If the leaders are long winded, you might hear a whole five minutes of prayer in a two hour service. Wow! So much for being a house of prayer.

We live in a pretty sad world. So most of our churches stay locked most of the time because of the fear of burglary. My denomination used to have a Prayer and Fasting meeting every Wednesday night for missions. That prayer and fasting changed to a bible study many years ago because people just couldn’t pray that long and now not very many churches meet at all on Wednesday night. Schedules are just too busy with work, the kids sports practices, homework, pick any distraction you want, it doesn’t matter. Any distraction that keeps you from praying will work. Just don’t pray. That’s the important thing for Satan.

If you go back and look at the habits of the founding fathers of most of the fundamental denominations in existence today, you’ll find they spent several hours a day in prayer. Not bedtime or dinner time prayers, but hours before the day began. Hours during the day. Hours before they went to sleep. They spent a large percentage of their day in prayer. Yet they still found the time to preach, write books, visit their congregation, travel around the world in ships and on horseback. They labored every day in an environment that required hard labor to survive. And still they prayed.

So what’s our excuse? Too busy? With what? What’s more important than talking with the creator of the universe? 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t be a fig tree (Mark 11:14) August 28, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Timothy 1-2

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:14
Jesus: No one will ever eat fruit from your branches again.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

This is one of those stories you might remember, but if you’re like me, I always wondered a little why it was there. What is so important about this story that Mark would include it in His gospel and why would it come back to him as he recorded the events of Jesus life some thirty years later?

Jesus got up in the morning and started toward Jerusalem after spending the night in Bethany. Apparently, Mary and Martha were not the great hosts that morning they had been previously or Jesus and His disciples left earlier than they expected, because He didn’t eat anything before He left. He was hungry. So as He saw a fig tree in the distance, His salivary glands started acting up, His stomach started growling, and He started longing for some of those early figs from that tree.

When they got to the tree, though, there were no figs. Mark tells us an interesting fact about that tree, though. He says it was in full bloom and looked like it should have figs, but it wasn’t time for it to bear fruit yet. It bloomed too early. It had the right appearance from a distance, but when you got a close look at it, it just didn’t measure up to your expectations.

Jesus approaches the tree and sees no figs. Everything looks good, but no figs. He’s hungry. The tree was enticing. It made everyone even hungrier when they saw it. But no figs. Jesus does something recorded only one time in all the gospels. He uses His godly power to destroy. Jesus curses the tree and says it will never produce fruit again. We’ll see in just a few verses that in less than twenty-four hours, that tree will wither down to its roots. It will die a quick death that cannot be restored.

There is an important lesson in there for us as we watch Jesus’ actions with that tree. I think Jesus sent a clear message to His disciples and to us that day. I don’t think Jesus took action out of anger or spite. He could have easily touched the tree and figs would have grown as quickly as it withered. Remember Aaron’s rod when the other Israelite tribes questioned Moses and Aaron’s authority? In a single night, Aaron’s rod grew leaves, blossoms, and ripe almonds.

God can do miraculous things when He wants to. He did a miraculous thing with the fig tree. Just try to make a healthy tree in full bloom with its leaves spread out over the pathway wither to nothing in a single day. That is not an easy task. With all the pesticides, plant killers, poisons, acids, and all the concoctions we have today, I’m not so sure we can make a mature tree wither in twelve to sixteen hours. But Jesus did – by just talking to it.

So what’s the lesson?

The tree looked really good, but it didn’t have any fruit. It had all the markings of a healthy fig tree, but it didn’t do the job it was meant to do, produce figs. It had pretty leaves, a stout trunk, all the makings of exactly what you’d look for in a well producing tree. That’s why Jesus went to it in the first place. But when you got close to it, you saw it wasn’t what you thought it was. You saw through the sham of its appearance. You saw into the heart of the tree and the hypocrisy the tree represented in presenting itself as a producing fig tree but without fruit.

I think Jesus is telling us appearance doesn’t count. You can look good and sound good, but that’s not what He’s looking for in a life of faith. You can go to the right places and sing the right songs, but so what? You can pray long flowery prayers and even serve on church boards and teach Sunday School classes, but all those outward appearances don’t amount to anything in His book.

Jesus looks beneath the covers. He looks past the leaves and looks for the fruit. What am I talking about? Paul lists some of the fruit Jesus expects us to grow in Galatians chapter five. Remember those? Unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. He expects to see those attributes blossoming in our lives. He expects to see more than just outward tapestry and habit. He wants to see our character transform as He takes control of our lives.

When He does, when He is Lord of our lives, you can’t help but see the fruit bloom. He guides us into areas that make that fruit evident to others around us. He puts us into situations that stretch us and fertilizes those parts of our lives so that our circumstance let Him transform our thinking into His thinking. He changes our character and let us bear His fruit. And what happens if we don’t? Just a word, and the fig tree withered where it stood. I don’t want to hear those words from Jesus when He comes, do you? 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Crazy tasks become possible (Mark 11:2-3) August 27, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – John 10-12

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 11:2-3
Jesus: Go to that village over there. As soon as you get into the town, you’ll see a young colt tied that nobody has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it back to Me. If anybody stops you and asks what you’re doing, just say, “The Lord needs it, and He will send it back right after He’s done.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

What do you think would happen today if the disciples did the same thing they did as they approached Bethphage and Bethany? I suppose it would partly depend on where it happened. In some places they might find themselves staring down the barrel of a shotgun or rifle. They might find a guard dog chewing on their leg when they tried to untie the colt. They might discover police cars surrounding them and thrown into the back of a paddy wagon on their way to jail.

I’m not sure there are nearly as many trusting souls today as there were in Jesus day. Maybe there are, and I’m sure Jesus would pick out the right person for His disciples to visit to make the prophecies come true just as they are written, but can you imagine if you were one of those disciples? Let’s put the story into a modern setting.

You are following Jesus and listening to His words. He is on His way to the capital city to finish His task on earth. As you approach Washington, He says, “Go to Georgetown and you’ll see a red convertible parked on the street. Hop in and drive it away. If anyone asks what you’re doing, just tell them I need it and you’ll bring it back when I’m through with it. I want to ride that convertible into the city.”

So you walk into Georgetown and there among the brownstones you see a red Corvette convertible that happens to have the keys in it. Bingo. You jump into the drivers seat and start the engine. Then the owner steps out of the Starbucks on the corner. “Hey, what are you doing? That’s my car.”

“It’s okay. Jesus wants it. I’ll bring it back when He’s through with it.”

Feel good about those directions from Jesus? Are you ready to go pick up that car and drive it away? Are you excited about going into town and just taking off with someone’s property that you don’t know? Takes some faith to do what Jesus wants us to do sometimes. We don’t always stay in our comfort zone when we walk in the path Jesus tells us to go, but we will have some exciting times.

We don’t know the details of who Jesus talked to or how He arranged for the colt. Maybe the colt belonged to a friend. Maybe another of His disciples went ahead of the group and arranged for the colt to be tied in the village so that when Jesus and His entourage came it would be there. Maybe Jesus just knew it would be there and that the owners had heard of His exploits and would be willing to give up the animal for His use.

Scripture doesn’t tell us any more than a few simple facts that Jesus told His disciples to go to the village, find the colt, and bring it back. He gave them a simple message for the owner or any others who might question their actions and apparently things happened just as Jesus predicted. The next thing we know is that Jesus rode that colt into the city and that’s the extent of our knowledge of the event.

Sometimes it would be nice to know more of the details, but we can surmise that the disciples who went to carry out Jesus directions did so with the confidence that it would happen just like He said it would. Or maybe not. Maybe Jesus sent a couple of His disciples that still had some doubts about who He was and what He could do. Maybe He sent a couple of His disciples to see that He had abilities that could not be explained by ordinary means. That He really was the Son of God.

We don’t know how all of the events and actions surrounding this little colt transpired. We don’t know how much trouble these disciples had getting an unbroken colt back to Jesus. It’s not always easy to lead a colt that has never been ridden. They sometimes don’t want to be led anywhere. We don’t know if it decided to stay where it was or whether it followed meekly or whether they pulled and dragged and pleaded with the animal to get it from the owner’s house to the crowd where Jesus waited. We do know Jesus was about to ride an unridden colt into a city crowded with people. Now that is really brave. No one rides and unbroken colt into a crowd! Someone is about to get hurt.

What does all this mean for us? Jesus will sometimes give us some crazy sounding tasks to do for Him. They may sound ridiculous to us and almost impossible to carry out. But Jesus makes a way. I’m not sure those disciples knew they could make it happen when they went into the village, but Jesus did. And when He gives us a task to do, He make it possible for us to complete it. No matter how hard it may seem, He make the impossible possible. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

What do you want from Me? (Mark 10:51-52) August 26, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Hosea 8-14

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:51-52
Jesus: What do you want from Me?
Bartimaeus: Teacher, I want to see.
Jesus: Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Bartimaeus couldn’t see. He wanted more than anything to have his sight so he could see the beauty of the world around him. He wanted to enjoy sight, the sense we so often take for granted but those without it crave so much. Bartimaeus cried out to Jesus as He came through the streets of Jericho, Bartimaeus made a spectacle of himself, embarrassing the townspeople by his cries to the Master. They wanted to shut him up, but he cried out all the louder seeking for help from Jesus.

When everyone else tried to push Bartimaeus into the background, Jesus asked an important question. “What do you want from Me?” Have you ever thought about that question when you talk to Jesus? We don’t spend enough time thinking about His question to Bartimaeus and to us. We too often pray and just say words out of habit without thinking about what we are saying or what we want from Jesus.

It’s easy to just say a few words without thinking and go on about our daily business. We learn it as a kid saying grace at the dinner table or as a bedtime ritual. Unfortunately, many of us never grow out of that habit of rote prayer without thinking about what we say or mean when we speak to God. We just recite a few words and think everything is great. That’s a problem. It’s not that those prayers aren’t good. They are great examples of how to address God in praise and thanksgiving. They are marvelous examples of how to bring your thanks to Him and express your appreciation to Him for all He has done. But without stopping to let the words sink in, they are just words without meaning.

The same is true with every prayer. Even the prayer the Lord taught the disciples to prayer. But that model can be used as the basis for us to reach God and express our needs and desires to Him. It can be used to help us understand who He is and what He does for us each day. Jesus’ model prayer is a wonderful prayer, but how often do we stop and really let it sink into our heart before we express the words to God as a true heartfelt expression of our love for Him and a conversation with our creator and God.

So let’s go back to the question Jesus raised with Bartimaeus. “What do you want from Me?”

Bartimaeus gave Jesus what seems like a simple straight forward answer, “I want to see.” But is it so simple? Yes, Bartimaeus wanted his eyes to work and the light to pass through the lens to the retina and rods and cones on the back of his eye. He wanted his optic nerves to pass information to his brain and transform that information to an image he understood as a vision of the same world those with sight understood. He wanted physical sight. But I think Bartimaeus and Jesus understood his simple request as one with a deeper meaning than just seeing the physical world around them.

Bartimaeus earned his living as beggar. He barely squeaked by surviving on the pittance passersby put into his hands as they gave pity on this blind beggar. I think Bartimaeus wanted to see beyond the paltry existence of surviving day by day. Bartimaeus wanted to give up his life of relying on others and become a useful member of society. He wanted to see beyond what he had been and on to what he could become.

Bartimaeus lived on the streets of Jericho, knowing what was within arms length. He lived within his reach and knew nothing else. He could only imagine what lay beyond his limited reach. He heard stories of the great expanse beyond the small area he explored as he felt his way along from one place to another, but his world was limited to the length of his arms and measure of his stride. Bartimaeus wanted to see the possibilities beyond his limited world. He wanted to see the scope of God’s universe. He wanted to know the limitless expanse God created that extended well beyond the limits placed upon him by the absence of his sight.

Finally, I think more than anything else, Bartimaeus wanted to see Jesus Himself. Here stood the Son of the living God. Here was the one who could do what no other person could do. Here was One who some said could make new eyes out of dirt, make the lame walk, raise the dead to life, make the deaf hear and mute talk. Here was God incarnate. Bartimaeus wanted to see God.

So what about you? What do you want when you come to Jesus in prayer? Have you thought about it? Do you really know what you want when He asks, “What do you want of Me?” Has it occurred to you that He wants to grant your request? It is worth some time thinking about that question. What do you really want from God? When we ask in Jesus name, in alignment with His will, He says He will give it to us. But first we have to ask ourselves the question and then answer it, “What do you want from Me?”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

We are nothing, but enough (Mark 10:42-45) August 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 19

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:42-45
Jesus: You know that among the nations of the world the great ones lord it over the little people and act like tyrants. But that is not the way it will be among you. Whoever would be great among you must serve and minister. Whoever wants to be great among you must be slave of all. Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to be a servant—to offer His life as a ransom for others.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Serving in the military for thirty years makes you pretty proficient at understanding hierarchy, chain-of-command, authority, and so forth. A definitive rank structure holds the system in place in an organization that at times requires leaders to send subordinates into battle knowing that some may not return. No one likes war less than soldiers. They understand the stakes involved and although soldiers do as they are told, those that enjoy war are usually discharged because they obviously have something wrong with them. Soldiers detest war.

That hierarchy is necessary in keeping everything moving and working well in war. Someone must determine the objectives that must be taken if the war is to be won. Someone must determine what units and what soldiers must put their boots on the ground to take possession of these key pieces of terrain and deny the enemy their strategic value if the military is to decide the outcome of a conflict.

The various arms of the military work together to put munitions on targets and soften the enemy, perhaps even causing surrender of mass numbers of enemy before soldiers move forward, but ultimately, some soldier with little rank will stand on a piece of ground formerly held by enemy troops before victory can be declared. The generals determine what those targets will be. The generals approve those objectives and the lines and lanes on which soldiers will move to reduce the risk to friendly forces, but maximize the destruction of enemy strength.

The generals orchestrate the battle. Then the orders flow downhill. Colonels pass their part to their brigades and battalions. Lieutenant colonels give their directions to their company commanders to accomplish their part of the mission. Company commanders pass orders to their platoons to further refine their smaller piece of the mission. Platoons give their squads an even smaller part of the overall mission and the squads break the tasks down to team level. The team leader then assigns tasks to each team member. Each soldier has his or her job to do to make sure the generals’ plans are accomplished.

But something is wrong with those organization charts the way they are drawn for almost every military and civilian organization with any kind of hierarchy. You see, just as in the military illustration, although the general approves the plans and determines which objectives to win, it’s the privates who carry out the work. They should be at the top of the pyramid with the generals at the bottom. It’s really all those privates and corporals and sergeants who get the work done.

The same is true in every corporation. There is someone in charge and that person is important, they take a lot of risk and give direction to the company’s employees, but all those employees get the work done every day. Those are the people that make the products, sell the commodities, interface with the customers, make the revenue. Without those folks at the bottom of that hierarchy, the corporation would fold. Are those at the bottom of the chain of command easier to replace than those at the top? Maybe. But that doesn’t make them any less important. That doesn’t decrease their value to the overall accomplishment of the goals and objectives of the leadership.

As Christians in the work force, we need to remember Jesus’ words. Whoever would be great among you must be a servant of all. Remember that the further up the ladder of what the world calls success you might progress, the more important to serve those others might say are beneath you. They are not. They are the ones you hold up so the missions can be completed. They are the ones you lift with your encouragement, your enthusiasm, your resources, so their job can be done and your objectives achieved. You are their servant to make sure they have what they need to do the job you asked them to do.

From Jesus’ perspective, the ones the world thinks are great are not so great. He measures people from the perspective of God. No one measures up. So if you think you are climbing high and about to reach the pinacle of success, just think about where you are compared to God. He owns it all. How much gold has yet to be mined on this planet? How much more is out there in the rest of the universe? How do you measure God’s net value? How many diamonds does God own? What is the value of His real estate? Get the picture? When we compare ourselves to God, no matter how great we might think we are, we are nothing. Yet He loves us enough to come and live alongside us for a while, die for our sins, and give Himself to us to guide us in His truth every day.

We are nothing compared to God, but important enough to Him that He gave His very best for us. Just imagine!

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Can you face Jesus’ baptism? (Mark 10:36-40) August 24, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 99-101

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:36-40
Jesus: What is it that you want?
James and John: Master, grant that we might sit on either side of You, one at Your right hand and one at Your left, when You come into the glory of Your kingdom.
Jesus: You don’t know what it is you’re asking. Can you drink from the cup I have to drink from or be ritually washed in baptism with the baptism that awaits Me?
James and John: We can.
Jesus: You will indeed drink from the cup I drink from and be baptized with the baptism that awaits Me. But to sit at My right or at My left is an honor I cannot grant. That will be given to those for whom it has been prepared.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Those followers of Jesus would be immersed in the same baptism Jesus was about to receive. But what was it? They really didn’t know and if they did, I’m not sure they would volunteer for it. I’m not sure I know anyone that would volunteer for the suffering Jesus would endure in the next few days. The Romans were really good at torture and causing intense, prolonged pain before execution. The fact that Jesus and the two thieves on the crosses near Him died on the same day the Roman soldiers hung them on the cross was an oddity. Seldom did their executions last a single day.

The Romans wanted their subjects to understand they were in charge and could cause immense agony for those that dared challenge Caesar’s authority. I expect the thieves did something other than just steal something. I expect they stole from a Roman official. That’s probably why they found themselves charged and sentenced with such a severe form of execution. Bandits were everywhere in Jesus’ day. Thievery was common. These two must have done something that caused the Romans to want everyone’s attention.

So Jesus asks His two Apostles if they are ready to endure the worst. They don’t know what He’s asking yet. They readily answer yes. We often jump to the same answers when we first meet Jesus. We answer quickly when we listen to a charismatic preacher or an inspiring sermon. We wave the Christian banner and quickly declare we will do anything for the kingdom of God. Bring it on! We will face anything and everything for Jesus.

But do we realize what we’re saying? And then do we stand by that commitment when the chips are down? Those questions are becoming more important every day. All we need to do is listen to the news and see the wickedness in our world to know the hatred of Christians and God in general is on the rise. People in this nation, that not long ago called itself a Christian nation, no longer want to wear that title as a nation. We have decided that calling ourselves a Christian nation makes us intolerant of other religions so we must be wary of using that moniker to describe us.

Of course, there is no such taboo on raising the awareness of other faiths. Any of the other religions are welcome to declare their tenets of faith and denounce the cause of Christ without interference. But Jesus promised us that would happen. He promised the world would hate us because of Him. So if you wear His name, you will be hated. If you declare Him Lord of your life, you will consistently be pushed aside and the world will do its best to defeat you.

Jesus promised His followers we would suffer in this world. But He also promised He has already overcome the world. He made this place and all that is in it. He has dominion over everything here. One day, all of creation, all of us, every person created will bow before Him and acknowledge that He is God and worthy to be praised. But until then, if we follow Him, expect to be immerse in the same baptism of hatred, suffering, persecution, that Jesus faced.

When you expect to face the worst and He allows you to escape from some of the persecution and suffering His Apostles and our early church followers endured, we can stop and praise Him for His protection and comfort. But remember, the church thrives under persecution. It grows exponentially as people see how God’s children face the transition from this life to the next, all the while with a heart full of forgiveness for those that act without understanding the nature of the evil they commit at the bequest of Satan.

Do any of us want to face the kind of suffering Jesus faced? No. And none of us will face that kind of suffering. We may die for our faith. We may lose everything for Jesus. We may carry our own cross and walk beside Him in carrying His message to a lost world. But He carried all our sins on His shoulders. We will never suffer the way Jesus did. We can rejoice that He set us free from the worst Satan has to offer. Death didn’t hold Him and He’s promised a resurrection for us, too, if we will follow Him. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

I’m glad I live now (Mark 10:33-34) August 23, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Chronicles 10-14

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:33-34
Jesus (taking the twelve aside): Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and there the Son of Man is going to be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes. They shall seek His death and deliver Him to the outsiders to carry out that sentence. Then people will mock Him, spit upon Him, whip Him, and kill Him. But on the third day, He will rise again.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We look back to those last days of Jesus with 20/20 hindsight. We sometimes think we would like to have been with Him during that last week to sit at His feet and hear all these teachings come directly from His mouth. We think we would like to have witnessed His triumphal entry into the city, watched Him empty the temple of the money changers, eaten His last supper with Him. We think it would be neat to spend some of those last moments with Him to see the love He poured out on the people of Jerusalem as they ended Hi life and ushered Him toward His sacrifice for us.

But if you put yourself back in that time and think about the words the disciples heard for perhaps the first time, I’m not so sure we would want to be there. Jesus pulls His disciples apart from the crowds that continue to follow Him. He just recently became the intense target of the religious leaders of the day. These men held the power of life and death in their hands. No, they couldn’t carry out a sentence of execution, but they could make life impossible for those who failed to follow their decrees.

As a Jew in a Jewish community, if you were excommunicated from the group, you suddenly found yourself with no livelihood, no means of family support, no entrance into the temple or synagogue. You were cut off physically, emotionally, and spiritually from the community in which you grew up. Those were difficult times for the followers of Jesus.

Yet these men followed Him. They believed what they heard. They embraced His message of God’s love for them. But now Jesus pulls them aside and says He will be turned over to those who had been their teachers and leaders. But it wouldn’t stop there. These people plotted to kill Him. So this man who they followed for three years, who cared for them and taught them, now told them He would die. What kind of leader would do that? What kind of teacher would lead people along and talk about love and God’s goodness, peace, mercy, forgiveness, and then tell those who followed Him that He was about to be killed?

This wasn’t a very good pep talk. This wasn’t what Jesus’ followers wanted to hear. They were headed to Jerusalem for the final showdown with the religious leaders of the day. They wanted this Messiah to deliver them from the oppression they were under. How was He supposed to do that if He was dead? Jesus wasn’t supposed to be talking this way. He was supposed to be talking about victory, triumph, overthrow of the Romans, right?

Would you still follow Him? Would you still go with Him when the story changed from one of love and healing and forgiveness to one of capture and beating and execution? At the hands of those who were the leaders of your faith? Imagine the radical turn of events. Imagine just how difficult these words must have sounded to Jesus’ disciples as He spoke to them that day.

You know when Jesus spoke these words, I expect His last words didn’t even register with His disciples until Mark was recalling the conversation. I expect they were so numbed by His prediction of the abuse He would take from the religious leaders and His impending death, they probably didn’t even hear Him say He would rise again on the third day. I expect it was only later they remembered His words as they just couldn’t believe they were marching toward Jerusalem to His certain death and perhaps their own.

Was this really happening? Could they continue to follow Him? Were they dedicated enough to follow Him to the cross as He said they must do if they were truly His disciples? Did He have to talk so much about death and the cross and giving up your life for Him?

I’m glad we get to hear these words from this side of the cross. I’m glad we can look back over the centuries and remember the promise He made that on the third day He would rise again. I’m glad we can know the outcome of that awful, wonderful, terrible, glorious week. I don’t know for sure if I could have heard those words like the disciples did and followed Him to Jerusalem. But I’m glad they did. I’m glad Mark recorded His teachings for us. I’m glad they stayed true to Him so we can have the story today and know that Jesus was indeed the Messiah and what He said He would do happened. I’m glad He rose again and lives forever so we can live forever, too.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Sounds like a good deal (Mark 10:29-31) August 22, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Numbers 5-8

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:29-31
Jesus: That is true. And those who have left their houses, their lands, their parents, or their families for My sake, and for the sake of this good news will receive all of this 100 times greater than they have in this time—houses and farms and brothers, sisters, mothers, and children, along with persecutions—and in the world to come, they will receive eternal life. But many of those who are first in this world shall be last in the world to come, and the last, first.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

We love Jesus’ words to His disciples here, don’t we? If you give up things for Him, He’ll return them 100 times over. Sounds like great news for those “name it and claim it” believers, doesn’t it? Give up your house and get a hundred back. Give up an acre of land and get a ranch in return. Sounds like a good investment plan, right? We love to quote Jesus’ investment plan for getting rich. Give up everything and get it back 100 fold.

There is a problem with that kind of thinking, of course. When we serve just for the sake of getting something in return, we serve for the wrong reason and really serve no one but self. Unfortunately, that seems to be the motivator for so many today. We seem to let that “what’s in it for me” attitude sneak in and take over. We let self get in the way and take the parts of Jesus’ promises we like and forget the parts we don’t.

Speaking of parts we don’t like, we hurriedly skip over the part where He says we’ll get 100 times the persecution when we give up houses and lands and parents and families. We don’t want to hear about that part, so we skip over that pretty fast and take the good and leave the bad. But look around the world at what’s happening to Jesus’ followers. The news doesn’t talk much about it, but there have never been more Christian martyrs than today. There has never been more persecution than today. There has never been such an outpouring of hatred against Christians than what we see today.

Jesus was right when He said if we give up everything for Him we will get 100 times as much in return. We don’t like to hear that it will be both good and bad in this world, but it will be both. The question, is the sacrifice worth it? Is giving up houses and lands and parents and families for Jesus’s sake worth the price? Yes, we will face persecution. Yes, we may become martyrs for His name. Yes, the world will hate us because we follow Him. But is it worth it? That is the question each of us must ask ourselves and weigh the answer and make our choice.

Satan tries to tell us the outcome is not worth it. He tries to tell us the world is right and God’s word is wrong. Satan tries to use the glamour and glitter of the world to convince us that wealth and prosperity should be our goal. Take as much as you can. Don’t worry about who you hurt on the way. Make the right investments and you’ll be assured of long life and riches. But if you read God’s word, you know that is not true. Satan is a liar and the father of lies.

If you listen to God’s word, you know there is something after this seventy or eighty year lifespan during which we occupy this piece of dirt. You know the things we accumulate here are temporary but there is something beyond. God’s word talks about it. He tells us about a new heaven and a new earth that’s coming. If you listen to God’s word, you know the treasures stored here will disappeared, but treasures stored in heaven last forever.

Is the sacrifice worth it? Absolutely. Besides, God is God! He deserves our worship. He is God, He demands it. He is God. Nothing and no one else comes in a close second to Him as worthy of praise and glory and honor and majesty and power. Is it worth following Him? Absolutely. We owe Him everything we have and everything we are. He created us and allows us to enjoy everything we have. He enables us to breathe and exist within the span of years we have here and then on into eternity.

Jesus made a bold promise that many only want to remember only half. They want to remember only the good parts. They want to forget the promise of persecution, of the hatred the world will level against us, of misunderstanding and disapproval by the world if we choose to follow Him. But if we will listen to Him and follow Him, the rest of His promise is also true. In the world to come, we will have eternal life. Isn’t that worth it all? Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God specializes in the impossible (Mark 10:27) August 21, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 1 Timothy 4-6

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 10:27
Jesus (smiling and shaking His head): For human beings it is impossible, but not for God: God makes everything possible.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Jesus is nearing the end of His earthly ministry. He is heading toward Jerusalem where He will soon share His last meal with the disciples and be sacrificed for our sins. These last teachings He gives grow more difficult for those around Him to hear and understand. They sound more radical to the average listener of that day as He tries to make them understand the relationship the Father wants with His children. Jesus wants His disciples and those who will hear them later to realize that God wants to do incredible things in and through us if we will just trust Him to do so.

Jesus has already done incredible miracles in their presence. He has taught them many marvelous things. But as He shares with those around Him about the kingdom of heaven and tells them it is for children and it is better to enter it lame or blind if that is how you must get in, the people begin to fall away from Him. He no longer preaches the feel good sermons anymore. He preaches a pretty rugged life for those who will follow Him. Take up your cross and follow Me. Expect to lose your life for Me. Expect to be hated. Give up your wealth if it detracts you from worship.

His disciples look at Him with puzzles stares. They had looked up to these wealthy men Jesus talked about. These were the pillars of the community, or so they thought. These were the men who gave the most to the temple. These were the ones who were first to make pledges to special projects for new synagogues, new programs for the poor, new accoutrements for the worship services. These were the people who were always giving from their storehouses of gold to keep the religious business moving.

But Jesus said these people would only make it into the kingdom if God worked a miracle in their lives. But not just the lives of the wealthy, but everyone’s lives. Did you notice the questions and comments before this verse? If it’s hard for the rich to get into heaven with all the good things they do, then how are we ordinary, everyday, run of the mill folks supposed to get in. The truth is, we, too, need a miracle.

No one makes it into the kingdom without the miracle of God’s mercy and grace touching our lives. None of us meet the standard required to enter into His kingdom. None of us are good enough. Smart enough. Pretty enough. Rich enough. Poor enough. None of us have done enough. We haven’t prayed enough or sang enough praises to God. None of us come even close to getting into heaven by our own stength or power or on the merits from the lives we live. We are all sinners and fall very short of God’s glory.

Satan tries to tell us we can get there by any or all of those methods, but he’s a liar. None of those work. Jesus is the standard by which we are measured. The God/Man who lived alongside us as the perfect representation of both God and Man showed us how to live and please God in every way. None of us measure up. We fail on every front. We don’t measure up to His standards and cannot in our own power. Many have tried in as many ways as you can ever dream, but none meet the standard. It is impossible for us.

But listen to Jesus words again and understand the comfort they bring to our sinner’s heart. “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God; God makes everything possible.” Did you get that? God makes everything possible. There is nothing He cannot do. There are many things He will not do, but there is nothing He cannot do. If He had a business card, it would probably read, God, master of the impossible. I can do it all.

The question is, do you have faith enough to believe Him. Do you know that He can do what He says He will do? Sometimes, I must beg like the man with the demon possessed son, “Lord, I believe, but help me with my doubts.” God doesn’t always answer my prayers the way I think they should be answered. But I’m not God. I can’t see the big, god-sized picture. He can and I have learned to trust that in the end, His way is the right way even when I cannot see around the bend to know that He will use the outcome of some tragic incident for His glory and my good. I can’t always see it, but He can. And I can trust Him.

Nothing is impossible with God. And in the positive sense, anything is possible with God. What is it you want Him to do? What is His will and how can something you are praying about bring glory to Him? How can you become an instrument for Him in the time of testing you might be feeling at the moment so that others can see Jesus in you? Think it can’t happen? Anything is possible with God. Trust in Him. God specializes in the impossible. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.