Giving Up

S ~ Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. Mark 10:29-30

O ~ If you give it up now, for Jesus and the gospel, you will receive so much more, along with persecution. It’s important to not miss that little part...along with persecution.

A ~ So often we look at Return On Investment - what do I get back if I invest. However, if we give up what we have for the sake of the gospel, we get so much more, but it is accompanied by persecution. It’s not that we are just giving up stuff, we are giving ourselves to the cause - and it involves a fight. 

P ~ Lord, sign me up! I’m in. I don’t need to own anything, but I am grateful for access to everything. I’ll give it all up to follow where you lead, and pay whatever price tag is hanging on it. I want my life to matter. “I will follow You dear Lord, wherever You may go”.

Wherever You Go

S ~ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live. Leviticus 23:3

O ~ God’s commands are firm, no matter where you live. This instruction to have a day of complete rest extends to every place on the planet. Wherever you end up living, or moving, or even if you are in transit, you are to have a complete day of rest.

A ~ This is easier for some than for others. For me, I have a day off - but for many, when they are not working, they have to catch up on managing their household - chores, groceries, errands, schooling, studying, etc.  However, I must trust that since this is so important to God, He must provide a way for everyone to keep this. God makes a way where there is no way.

P ~ Lord, thank You for rest. Please help me to not contribute to other’s continual work, but help me contribute to other’s having a day off.

Missed It.

S ~ Then they asked him, “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?” Jesus responded, “Elijah is indeed coming first to get everything ready. Yet why do the Scriptures say that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with utter contempt? But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the Scriptures predicted.” Mark 9:11-13

O ~ Elijah would come to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’. However, it was not Elijah the person, it was the ministry of Elijah - fulfilled by John the Baptist. What a surprise this would be for the teachers of the law - they rejected the one that was sent because they were expecting someone different. 

A ~ I can only imagine that if the actual person Elijah showed up, they would not have believed him either. He would have been accessed of being an imposter. I wonder how many scriptures we misunderstand, just as they did then. Truly, the ‘natural man’ can’t understand the things of the Spirit.

P ~ Lord, I don’t want to ‘get it wrong’ as I read Your Word. Please help me to understand.

Gain, no gain.

S ~ And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Mark 8:36

O ~ Gaining the world is temporary, for you shall lose it in death, and thus, you shall lose it all.

A ~ This is the verse I put in my yearbook as I graduated high school - what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?  

P ~ Lord, as I consider so many people retired in Phoenix and so many with wealth all around me at the baseball games, please help my heart to not be jealous of temporary things, and may I not set my sights on gaining this world.

Purification Possible

S ~ for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. Leviticus 17:11

O ~ In exchange for a life. There had to be an exchange, even in the Old Testament. Sin must be atoned for, and the only payment is death. It is how serious sin is. Death. But what could be given in exchange for my life? Blood must be shed to make purification possible.

A ~ Oh the blood of Jesus, it washes white as snow. In fact, it washes whiter than snow. There is zero contamination in the blood of Jesus. 0.000000000% contamination of sin. Pure and sinless, and shed for me. He exchanged His life, once for all. Never did there need to be again a sacrifice. He paid a debt He did not owe, and I owed a debt I could not pay. 

P ~ Jesus, thank You for this greatest exchange. I am simply... so thankful.

Crowded Out

S ~ Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. Mark 7:17

O ~ So many preacher people try and to anything to draw a crowd - here Jesus tried to get away from one.

A ~ He drew away from the crowd, but included the disciples. I don’t want to just be in the crowd, I want to be with Jesus - as a disciple who follows.

P ~ Lord, please help me not follow the crowd, even if they are following You. I want to be closer to You than just one of the crowd. I don’t want You to ever feel like you have to get away from me!

We Are In Trouble

S ~ He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves. About three o’clock in the morningJesus came toward them, walking on the water. He intended to go past them, but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. Mark 6:48-49

O ~ He saw that they were in serious trouble...and intended to past them.

A ~ What a strange thing to say. What a strange thing to do. Clearly the purpose of Him walking on the water was not a rescue mission. He neither needed to get to them, nor walk on the water to save them. He didn't need to be in close proximity to command the wind and the waves - He could have done that from shore. They were in trouble, but were going to be fine - and yet Jesus chose to walk on water. It must have been to increase their faith. The wind just stopping would have not impacted them.

P ~ Lord, thank You for allowing me to go through seriously troubled things, so that I may rely on You more, and trust You more, and see my faith in You grow.

Moving Shadows

S ~ We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it. Psalm 39:6

O ~ The end of busy rushing: nothing. Wealth: you can't take it with you.

A ~ I remember being in the hospital family waiting room, with my mom dying in ICU, and my dad saying 'We always knew life was temporary."  And so it is - moving shadows. This life is temporary, but not the life we have in Jesus. On my mom's grave marker it reads "Life Forevermore". Both are true - 'this life is temporary' and 'life forevermore'.  So, may I not rush around being busy with the things of this life, but may I make a difference in the lives of others, for eternity.

P ~ Lord, it is with joy, not sorrow, that I a turn from temporary things to what is eternal. Please help me to slow down, and let the important things be the important things.  Amen.

It's In The Seed

S ~ Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. Mark 4:26-27

O ~ This is how the Kingdom works - there is power within the seed. It is not about the sower, although he/she has a role, it is about the power within the seed.

A ~ There are many 'sowers' with large fields, and lots of people gathering for the sowing. Yet if the seed doesn't find good ground and grow, the people come back for another scattering of seed... week after week, after week. The whole point is lost. The point of the sowing is the the see will grow. 

P ~ Lord, please help me to not compare myself with other sowers (preachers), or my field with other fields (Cornerstone), but help me sow the seed (Word) in such a way that it finds good ground (hearts) and grows (from seed to fruit).

A Little Delight

S ~ The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:22

O ~ It is not just that He sees every detail - but that He delights in the smallest things that matter to us - nothing is too little for God.

A ~ Since  even the little things matter to God, I would want even the little things in my life to honour God. 

P ~ Lord, as I look to You to direct my steps, may every detail of my life - big and little - be pleasing to You.

My Family

S ~ When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said. Mark 3:21

O ~ His family thought Jesus was delusional. He never seemed to mind this, but surely this must have impacted Him. It is a hurtful thing when family does not believe you, or believe in you.

A ~ I am so proud of my kids. I am so proud of my Dree. Just like my parents believed in me, I want to demonstrate that same kind of faith in my family. I already believe in them - I just need to make sure I am demonstrating that. 

P ~ Lord, please help me to live and speak in such a way that my family knows I believe in them.

A Break for the Big Dog

S ~ Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath." Mark 2:27

O ~ Sabbath is a gift, to meet the needs of people, not the need of God. God released us from work and allowed us to worship, to rest, to enjoy, and apparently, to do good.

A ~ It was made to meet the needs of people, even when people didn't recognize they had such a need. We all have a need to rest and re-set. A need to have our souls restored. A need to carry no burden, to do no work, to rest and enjoy. It's not just a desire, it is a need.

P ~ Lord, please help me see my need, and to not ignore it. You have commanded Sabbath for my good. You have made it, and provided it - please help me to learn how to live in it, and it in me.

Sunrise. Sonríse

S ~ Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Mark 1:35

O ~  Jesus had a late night, but he chose to have an early morning the very next day. Another version will read.."Having risen a great while before dawn...".

A ~ TAWG.  Scott Joy would have in his calendar and appointment called TAWG - Time Alone With God. A scheduled appointment, before the demands of the day, known and unknown, would crowd out any opportunity to meet with the Lord. Find a place. Find a time. Probably have to get up. Probably have to go out. Probably have to be isolated.

P ~ Lord, I'm happy to read Your Word each day, and to SOAP about it, but may my prayer time with You increase.

The Whole Family

S ~ The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys. Exodus 40:38

O ~ The whole family - throughout their journeys - could see the presence of the Lord.

A ~ How I want my whole family to have a distinct awareness of the presence of the Lord - in their lives, in my life, in our church, in our home.

P ~ Lord, I welcome Your presence. I need Your presence. I need my family to know Your presence. Please, hover over our lives so that throughout our journeys, we may know You are near.

Untrue!!

S ~ So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today. Matthew 28:15

O ~ The guards knew the truth, and chose to lie. I wonder if they told the ones closest to them - or did they lie to their wives and kids and closest friends?

A ~ I don't want to keep critical information from people. Essential information. Truth. I want to be a person who is able to tell the good news to those who need to hear it. The resurrection is what makes the gospel work, and I want to tell the true story of what happened.

P ~ Lord, I pray you would give me opportunities to share the gospel, to tell the story to people who have only heard and believed a lie.

Abandoned is better than Forsaken

S ~ At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” Matthew 27:46

O ~ NLT uses the word abandoned, not forsaken. It's an easier word to understand in 2020.

A ~ I wonder how many other words I use are unnecessarily difficult. When sharing the bible to people who have little or no bible knowledge, it's helpful to use words that they can understand. Jesus said that if they don't understand the message, the birds come and take away the seed - not even giving it a chance to grow.

P ~ Lord, please help me to share Your Word with words that others can understand, but in a way that takes nothing away from the meaning of Your Word.

Jealous not Envious

S ~ You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you. Exodus 34:14

O ~ God loves us, and loves His relationship with us. He is not willing to share us with the devil or the world.

A ~ This is the only time that I can think of where jealous is used in a positive context. In fact, Envy is listed as one of the seven deadly sins. This jealously isn't envious - it's end goal is love - wanting the best for us, and in the best and healthiest of relationships. His jealously is protective, not punitive.

 P ~ Lord, I pray that You would help me be jealous of my relationship with You, not sharing our time with worthless things or worldly distractions.

Get Some Distance

S ~ It was Moses’ practice to take the Tent of Meeting and set it up some distance from the camp. Everyone who wanted to make a request of the Lord would go to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. Exodus 33:7

O ~ Outside the camp, Moses made it his practice to meet with God. It would have been an effort to set up the tent of meeting, and to set it up outside camp.

A ~ There is something significant about choosing to set aside a place 'outside of normal life'. It's not just fitting meeting with God in during the daily routine of life, but setting a time and place with some distance to normal routines. Devotions. Prayer Days. Quiet Places.

P ~ Lord, even in my devotions I don't want to fall into routine, but rather to really make it my practice so have some distance between normal life and meeting with You.  May You truly be included in all the 'normal life' stuff - but also may my life practice Your presence a good distance away from all that.

Innocent

S ~ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.  Psalm 32:5

O ~ Finally. Instead of trying to hide his guilt, he confessed it - and then it was removed.

A ~ It is often such a struggle to admit our sin - but when we finally do, we realize we should have done it long ago! Forgiven, and guilt is gone. Unlike the court system where confession leads to sentencing, because Jesus took my place, confession leads to forgiveness and freedom from guilt. Instead of hiding guilt, I discover the removal of guilt. ALL my guilt is gone.

P ~ Lord, thank You for being so forgiving and kind, for taking my place, and removing my all my guilt. I gladly confess my sin, and my need of You, and I gladly rejoice that You have taken all my guilt away.

On The Lookout

S ~ From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. Matthew 26:16

O ~ Judas was looking for the chance. Even though all the disciples would betray Jesus, only one was actively looking for that opportunity. The others were looking to avoid that decision.

A ~ I neither want to betray Christ, or look for an opportunity to do so. I want to look for opportunities to show myself faithful.

P ~ Lord, it's my heart to be faithful to You, and to stay far away from sinful opportunities. Please help me be on the lookout for ways to be faithful to You - in word, in action, in thought, in heart.

Across My Heart

S ~ In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chest-piece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord. Exodus 28:29

O ~ The High Priest going before God wasn't just about 'me and God'. Aaron was going on behalf of the people. He wasn't just serving the Lord, he was serving on behalf of people.

A ~ How I need to remember my role as pastor is to represent the people. It's not about me, it's about serving God, by serving His people. I need to continually remember.

P ~ Lord, as I come before You, may my heart and hands be pure, that I might bring the needs of the people to You, and that I might bring serve them on Your behalf. May the people always be over my heart.

A Problematic Parable

S ~ The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps,  but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. Matthew 25:3-4

O ~ The parable of the ten virgins - a parable that I have never been able to comprehend. Such a different illustration.  Five didn't bring enough, and five brought extra. Oil possibly symbolic of the Holy Spirit - but that doesn't seem quite right. Five didn't have enough of the Holy Spirit, while the others had extra? Nope. However, it is clear that five were wise enough to be prepared for a delayed groom, and were ready when he finally showed up.

A ~ I want to live in such a way that I don't simply try and fit God into my timeline, but am prepared to wait for Him. It's disappointing when He doesn't arrive (read: show up in ways I am expecting Him to), but I am prepared to wait with expectancy - knowing that when He finally shows up, the waiting is going to be forgotten.

P ~ Jesus, may my life be filled with expectancy and may I live prepared for Your return.

Don't Just Cry...

S ~ O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death. Psalm 30:2-3

O ~ He is the God Who answers when we cry for help - He is the Restorer of our health.

A ~ Simple application. Don't just cry - cry out to God. The point isn't to cry (sorrow, sadness), but to cry out (hope and help).

P ~ Heavenly Father, I do cry out to You, asking and praying that You would restore our health. Restore Oh God, the health of my family ~ with all my heart I pray.

A Change To Rest

S ~ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but on the seventh day you must stop working. This gives your ox and your donkey a chance to rest. It also allows your slaves and the foreigners living among you to be refreshed. Exodus 23:12

O ~ It's not all about you!  This Sabbath rest also allows others to be refreshed. If we don't respond to His invitation to rest, we rob others of the same.

A ~ Living as an example is important, but also refusing to be the cause others to working is important. It's not enough that I rest, I need to help others to enjoy some refreshing too.  Sundays are no longer 'the day of rest' for so many shift workers, essential services, or even just retail shops. I can't help society be refreshed, but I can help my family.

P ~ Lord, please help me from enjoying a rest that causes my family to do extra. May we be refreshed together.

Altar Building

S ~ Build for me an altar made of earth, and offer your sacrifices to me—your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats, and your cattle. Build my altar wherever I cause my name to be remembered, and I will come to you and bless you.  Exodus 20:24

O ~ Build an altar where His name is remembered, and God will come and bless you.

A ~ Scott Joy has pictures of rocks under his clear table cloth - stones of remembrance. I think journal entries have been a place of remembrance for me, but they are hidden altars. Unless I go back through my journals, I don’t revisit the altars. I need to have visible altars of remembrance where I call upon the name of the Lord. Perhaps a loose page, like a big bookmark, where I record and remember the faithfulness of God. Or a picture frame on my nightstand. Or a screensaver. Somewhere I regularly remember the faithfulness of the Lord.

P ~ Lord, I don’t want to forget all Your faithfulness because of how myopic my vision can become, focussed on the present. I want to remember. Please help me remember. 

Steady On

S ~ Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset. Exodus 17:12

O ~ His arms soon became tired. Sometimes it doesn't take very long to get tired. His hands held steady because of people who supported him. They let him sit, but they didn't replace him. They didn't hold up their own hands and say 'we've got this old man'; rather they found a way to support him - and God brought the victory through his steady hands.

A ~ I want to learn from this. I have far too often tried to take things from others - 'here, let me do this for you', all the while not recognizing that there is a better way. 

P ~ Lord, please help me to stand so others can sit, and be a steadying influence so they can continue in ministry - not be replaced.

God’s Gift To Us

S ~ They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day. Exodus 16:29

O ~ God is a gift giving God. Old Testament, New Testament - before, during and after. He is the Father Who is continually giving gifts to His kids. A day a week, free from work, to spend together with Him. “Let’s have a day off together!”

A ~ What an amazing gift a day off is - and yet - instead of spending it with the Lord, we can fill it with everything but abiding in His presence. It’s not that we have to spend the whole day in church, or praying and reading and fasting. It’s not a day of spiritual discipline, but rather of spiritual enjoyment, including Him in all that we are doing - living in an undistracted awareness of His presence. 

P ~ Lord, thank You for the gift of a day off. May I love You and enjoy You.

The chief duty of man is to love God and enjoy Him forever - Westminster Catechism

Unlimited Options

S ~ Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’” Exodus 14:12

O ~ This is one side of the coin - but often we have heard the other side - it's better to die free than to live as a slave.

S ~ Sometimes we are faced with only 2 options - live as a slave or die as a free person. I love that the Lord is able to give another option - live free. This was beyond their comprehension, but it was always the Lord's plan - set His people free. Instead of the Red Sea being a dead end, it became a pathway to freedom. Only God can do that.

P ~ Lord, please help me to go forward with my eyes on You - for when I only see two options, Your options are unlimited.