Tag: bible

Growth Vs. Fruit (Mark 4:1-9 Devotion)

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And again He began to teach by the sea. And a great multitude was gathered to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat [in it] on the sea; and the whole multitude was on the land facing the sea. 2 Then He taught them many things by parables, and said to them in His teaching: 3 “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 “And it happened, as he sowed, [that] some [seed] fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 “Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 “But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 “And some [seed] fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 “But other [seed] fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 9 And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

– Mark 4:1-9 (NKJV)

When you plant a tomato plant, what are you looking for come time for harvest? Tomatoes! When you plant a pepper plant? Peppers! When you plant any sort of garden plant, the purpose is to produce a harvest! Gardeners don’t grow plants for growth sake, but they grow plants to yield a harvest. There are all sorts of things that can stop a plant from reaching maturity and producing fruit. In today’s passage we see some problems with a harvest begin with the type of soil where a seed is planted.

A problem in the soil is a problem for a plant being able to produce fruit. It is sufficient for today to remember that the goal of planting is not growing alone, but is for harvesting! A wise farmer prepares the soil for a good harvest.

Growth alone is not a good indication of a harvest. There are three types of soil in the parable where seeds sprout and grow in some sense, but only one soil produces the harvest! In our lives we can experience what we might call growth and that can be exciting, but we must be intent on seeing it cultivated into fruit. We might be able to grow in all sorts of ways, numerically (if we’re talking about a church), educationally (we might know more about the bible today than we did yesterday), passionately (if we’re talking about our enthusiasm for all things related to Jesus), but these things don’t always transform into real and lasting heart change exhibited in loving God and loving others.

If our lives are the soils mentioned in this parable (and we trust that they are as we read ahead in Mark) then we need to cultivate our life in such a way that when we receive the word of God, it produces fruit in our lives. We can’t be content with a measure of growth that produces anything but fruit.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the power that your word has to transform our lives. We want to be fruitful Christians. We are excited by every step of growth that we see in our own lives, but help us not to be content with growth alone, but to see fruit. If there are things that need to change in our lives, please change them so that we can be more fruitful for you! Please guide us in your will. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Whoever Does The Will of God (Mark 3:31-35 Devotion)

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Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him. 32 And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You.” 33 But He answered them, saying, “Who is My mother, or My brothers?” 34 And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 35 “For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.”

– Mark 3:31-35 (NKJV)

There are two groups of people seeking Jesus. The first group is his actual mother and brothers who are outside the house who are calling for him. They probably want to tell/ advise him on what to do. The second group is the crowd at his feet that has been listening to him. Jesus looks at the crowd and says they are his mother and brothers. The distinction that he makes between the two groups is simple… “Whoever does the will of God.”

Jesus doesn’t show any favoritism for his family here. Whatever they want, if it is not the will of God, they can wait. He will not be manipulated. When their will and God’s will collide, it’s God’s will that matters. This is an important thing to grasp.

Throughout church history people have often pulled in their pagan prechristian beliefs into their practice either knowingly or unknowingly. Before the gospel made such an impact in Ephesus, many of the people practiced “magic.” Magic in that day consisted of getting beings or entities to do your bidding for you and you would often have to manipulate them into action. So you might call on an entity that had favor with whatever entity you wanted to act for you so you would use the name of one to get the other to do what you wanted. Unfortunately through a part of history and in some places today people try and “manipulate” Jesus to bend to their will and they will pray to someone like Mary (not that you can or should pray to dead people, you shouldn’t.) and ask her to ask Jesus to do something. The logic is pretty convincing for some people… Jesus has to do what his mom says, right? Wrong. These verses are helpful to know that Jesus in his humanity can’t and won’t be manipulated by his relatives, the saints or anyone. We should all seek God’s will, not the other way around.

This is what we’ve been praying every day, “Guide us in your will.” That’s a Christian prayer! We’re asking God to show us what He wants us to do! Certainly we’ve shared in prayer about what we want, need and feel, but at the end of it all we’re really asking, “Lord show us your will.”

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. What a grace it is to know that we cannot manipulate you to our will. We often do not even know the full situation. We can trust you and your promises because they come from you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Most Demonic Thing You Can Do Is Reject Jesus (Mark 3:20-30 Devotion)

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Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 But when His own people heard [about this], they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and, “By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons.” 23 So He called them to [Himself] and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 “And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 “And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end. 27 “No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. And then he will plunder his house. 28 “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; 29 “but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation”– 30 because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

– Mark 3:20-30 (NKJV)

What is the unpardonable sin? Rejecting Jesus and declaring God in the flesh to be “possessed by a demon.” That’s the reading of verse 30. Jesus said what he said, because they attributed the work of God to the Devil. If you are looking for the Messiah to come and save the world and when he shows up you asses what he is doing and call him a demon… It’s clear you have opted out of any salvation he was offering. You can’t find forgiveness when you won’t humble yourself enough to even confess that you need it.

It’s not a little sin to call the work of God evil. There will be people who come into the kingdom of God with a storied history of all sorts of wicked sins that are forgiven by God (see 1 Cor. 6:9-11). But some of the people who miss the kingdom will have lived otherwise very moral lives. It’s not our good deeds that get us into the kingdom of God, it’s the king. It’s not our bad deeds that ultimately keep us out. It’s rejecting the king (see John 3:18). You can find forgiveness for every sin you have ever committed, but if you reject Jesus, there is no forgiveness for that.

The picture I think we see here is that these men were focused on the idols they had set up in their hearts. Their hearts had gotten so hard and they had given themselves over so much to the enemy that when Jesus was in their midst they didn’t recognize him or even worse they did, but rejected him! We should pray that our hearts are always sensitive to the Lord.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are shocked at what these men did. We find it concerning that people can be so seemingly “righteous” and be so wicked at the same time. Guard our hearts from pride, give us grace to repent of our sins, let us walk in all humility and patience. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

He Called Ordinary Men to Do Extraordinary Things (Mark 3:13-19 Devotion)

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And He went up on the mountain and called to [Him] those He Himself wanted. And they came to Him. 14 Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, 15 and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons: 16 Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; 17 James the [son] of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; 18 Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the [son] of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; 19 and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.

-Mark 3:13-19 (NKJV)

We have already met a few of the fellows who are called out on this list. We know that they are ordinary men. They are diverse. Their backgrounds are fishing, collecting taxes, and who knows what else. Yet, here these twelve are set aside to walk and talk with Jesus and to learn from him personally. He will invest in them and then send them out to heal the sick and to preach! They will do what he has been doing! They will go forth with this kingdom message! I think one of the applications of this passage is that God uses ordinary people like you and me.

I think we should notice that some who were gathered there weren’t called up to be part of the twelve. What a tough day this must have been for them. I wonder how many hopefuls weren’t selected. We know that there are many more who followed Jesus as “disciples” but aren’t part of the twelve. We know of at least two guys who were with them all the time even through the point of the resurrection (Acts 1:21-23), but they weren’t chosen at this time. We might be tempted to look at what the Lord is doing in someone else’s life and imagine that we deserve the same opportunities. But such things are not for us to decide. We must each individually seek God’s will. At the end of the day he knows what we can handle and he allows and places people in the right place at the right time.

Finally, There may have been some who suspected that Judas was a scoundrel from the beginning, and in some sense their suspicions would have been right, but it wasn’t for them to decide if he got to be a disciple. It was Jesus decision to make and he made it. For the disciples who worked with Judas day in and day out, I’m sure they saw things in him in hindsight that they didn’t see at the moment. But we should not suppose that he didn’t belong at that moment to the twelve. God often uses hard or wrong personalities to shape us in good and pleasant ways. One of the things the twelve noticed is how Jesus dealt with the traitor.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Lord it is you who calls us to follow you and to deeper discipleship. It is you who equips those you call. It is your will we should seek in our lives. In ways big our small our desire is to simply be used for you in your kingdom for your purpose and your glory. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Your Kingdom Come (Mark 3:7-12 Devotion)

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[Mar 3:7-12 NKJV] 7 But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea 8 and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. 9 So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. 10 For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. 11 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.

– Mark 3:7-12 (NKJV)

I love the picture that I chose for the graphic for this series. It’s a picture of the Grand Tetons that we snapped as we were driving through that part of Wyoming. It was an overcast day and the mountains were in the shadows of the clouds. Yet, the picture shows slivers of light piercing through and shinning on the mountains below. It was a hint of the glorious sunlight that was shinning above the clouds. It was a hit that the shadows wouldn’t stay on the mountain and there was a “brighter” day ahead.

What we see today in today’s passage is the kingdom of God breaking through the curse that has come on creation. Jesus is undoing the things that have gone wrong. He is healing the broken and casting out demons. People are gathering close to him because they sense and see in him something that has been missing from the world for a long time.

Today, when we see these rays of the kingdom shine down on us it should cause our hearts to long for a full manifestation of Jesus kingdom. We should long for when there will be no more sickness, death, or sorrow. We should long for the day when every evil entity will be completely banished. We should long for a day when God will again fully dwell with people and no one will ever be far from the presence of God again. What we saw in this moment was that the world was not made to live in the shadow of the curse forever, but would one day be banished.

This should provoke our hearts to praise and good deeds. As we pray for the “Kingdom to come,” we should be living as those who are suited to live there. We should ask the Lord to examine our lives and make us fit for the kingdom that is coming.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for the rule and the reign of Christ over our lives and we long for the day when this earth will no longer be under that curse of sin, but be fully set free. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Sabbath is for Healing, Not Hurting (Mark 2:23-3:6 Devotion)

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Now it happened that He went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and as they went His disciples began to pluck the heads of grain. 24 And the Pharisees said to Him, “Look, why do they do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” 25 But He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and hungry, he and those with him: 26 “how he went into the house of God [in the days] of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the showbread, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests, and also gave some to those who were with him?” 27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. 28 “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” 1 And He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a withered hand. 2 So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. 3 And He said to the man who had the withered hand, “Step forward.” 4 Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent. 5 And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched [it] out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.

– Mark 2:23-3:6 (NKJV)

The Pharisees were telling Jesus that his disciples weren’t keeping the Sabbath. They had taken a serious command that was given to Israel for the flourishing of the people. Indeed, when the Sabbath day command was obeyed in Israel’s history the people did flourish. But I don’t think the Pharisees had the disciples flourishing at heart here. I think they just wanted to exert control and at this moment, it meant using this law to dress down Jesus and his disciples. They were more concerned with power than they were with the people. They were more set on being right than truly righteous. They aren’t concerned for the disciples hearts but Jesus is truly grieved by their hearts.

What they must not have known is that Jesus was fulfilling the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a day set aside to worship God. Rest in this context is worship because it means we are trusting God to provide even when we aren’t working….It is a confession that all of our work rests on God’s work.

Jesus reminds the Pharisees that Man wasn’t created by God for the Sabbath day, but that God had created the Sabbath for man. Jesus sees a man who was limited in his ability to keep the rest of the sabbath command (work is endorsed for six days). He then asks the man to do something he can’t do on his own… he must depend on God to heal him.

In this passage the Pharisees were looking to condemn the disciples and by implication, shame Jesus. But Jesus was looking to restore a man on that Sabbath day. (After all that is what the sabbath day was ultimately about). This should cause us to reflect on our own hearts. Are we hard hearted pharisees who look to condemn others or do we seek God and his purpose of restoring the broken?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you that you care about our hearts. We want to honor you in the way we live. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

No Patches Here (Mark 2:18-22 Devotion)

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The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasting. Then they came and said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John and of the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast. 20 “But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days. 21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. 22 “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

– Mark 2:18-22 (NKJV)

One of the unique challenges of pastoring is dealing with so many people who are facing different challenges and joys in life. The other day in the matter of a few minutes I went from sharing a gospel message with a group of teenagers to praying with someone facing a serious surgery. On my prayer list is a family joyfully expecting a baby and a friend who is possibly entering into hospice care. One Saturday last year, I wrapped up speaking at a graveside service for a dear friend and drove straight across town to do a vow renewal service for a sweet couple. These are all real folks facing real things and I’ve had to learn how to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. It is okay for people to have different seasons in their life.

In today’s passage, John’s disciples wonder why Jesus’ disciples don’t fast like they do. Perhaps they think there is some sort of spiritual benefit that Jesus’ disciples are missing out on, or more likely, they see themselves as superior for the extra discipline they have demonstrated. Jesus uses this illustration of seasons of life to explain… They knew according to their social customs that even if you are in the midst of a fast, but you are at a wedding, you break the fast for sake of being a good guest (that was actually a rule on one of their own books). To not celebrate the joy of the bride and groom because you are “fasting” wasn’t being ultra spiritual, it was being ultra rude. Anyone can deny themselves food. The mere act of self denial alone doesn’t make you closer to God, it’s the attitude of the heart that matters. Fasting for fasting sake doesn’t get you any closer to God.

There would be plenty of time for the disciples to fast later. The moment they were living in called for celebration. Jesus was with them, it was a time to celebrate.

We should be careful of judging someone else’s spirituality based on their current disposition. We all go through seasons of growth and we shouldn’t expect people to be just like us. The old restrictions and fasts wouldn’t make sense for the season the disciples were in, it would be like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. (You can do it, but you’re going to cause a lot of friction and shave some edges off in the process). We don’t need to needlessly create friction or tears in the fabric of our relationships by judging others by outward measures. The heart is what matters. There would be plenty of time for the the disciples to fast after Jesus had ascended, but for now it was rude not to celebrate what He was doing by healing people etc.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the various seasons we go through in life. Thank you for placing people in our path that can help us rejoice and lament in the proper times of life. Help us to be there for others and place no expectation on them other than that their hearts are genuinely turned towards you. Please guide us in your will and direction. In Jesus Name, Amen.

He Can Forgive Sins! (Mark 2:1-12 Devotion)

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And again He entered Capernaum after [some] days, and it was heard that He was in the house. 2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive [them], not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. 3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four [men]. 4 And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” 6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this [Man] speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? 9 “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘[Your] sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”–He said to the paralytic, 11 “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 12 Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw [anything] like this!”

– Mark 2:1-12 (NKJV)

Mark two begins with the account of the how Jesus heals a paralytic man. The man’s friends show amazing faith by tearing up the roof and dropping the man in above Jesus. (Let’s just agree that this was a pretty radical and bold move on the part of his friends. They must have really loved him.) So then, Jesus sees the great faith these guys demonstrate and he tells the man that his sins are forgiven. And it stuns the crowd! They were expecting a healing! This man’s handicap is what seems to be his most glaring need. Yet Jesus doesn’t just see the outside, he sees this man’s heart and what this man (and all of us) really need. Some of the people who are there are doubtful that Jesus can even forgive sin. Jesus sees their doubt and authenticates his statement by healing the man.

This man’s greatest need was for the forgiveness of his sins. I wonder if his friends knew this? I wonder if they would have been as aggressive to get him to Jesus if Jesus would have forgiven his sins, but left him a paralytic? I wonder if we sometimes look at our neighbors, coworkers, and friends and don’t really see that their greatest need is to trust in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins? The good news is that Jesus forgives the sins of those who repent and turn to him. Who are you telling today?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you that you saw this man’s greatest need. Thank you that you gave him more than he wanted and searched deeply within his heart to provide that which he needed most. Forgive us of our sins and help us see the real needs of other around us. We want to follow you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Who are you following? (Mark 1:39-45 Devotion)

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And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and casting out demons. 40 Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out [His] hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. 43 And He strictly warned him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go your way, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing those things which Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45 However, he went out and began to proclaim [it] freely, and to spread the matter, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter the city, but was outside in deserted places; and they came to Him from every direction.

– Mark 1:39-45 (NKJV)

Jesus heals a man and urges him not to tell others, but rather go fulfill the customs and obligations of the day. The man ends up telling people and Jesus becomes famous. Jesus wasn’t looking for fame, Jesus was looking to honor the father. I’m sure to this one who was so miraculously healed it seemed contrary not to tell the whole town, he went with his gut instead. Sometimes if we aren’t careful we will follow our gut rather than obeying the Lord. How about you? Are you trusting the Lord? Are you trusting what God says about relationships? Money? Work? Etc…

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Your way is better than our way. Help us to be obedient to you in moments where everything makes sense and in moments where we just don’t understand. Please guide us in your will and direct our steps today. May we listen and be obedient to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Early Morning Prayer (Mark 1:29-38 Devotion)

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Now as soon as they had come out of the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 But Simon’s wife’s mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once. 31 So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. 32 At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who were sick and those who were demon-possessed. 33 And the whole city was gathered together at the door. 34 Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not allow the demons to speak, because they knew Him. 35 Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. 36 And Simon and those [who were] with Him searched for Him. 37 When they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38 But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”

– Mark 1:29-38 (NKJV)

I have a planner that I look at each day. In my planner I have written some goals. Things that I think I need to pursue in my life right now. I begin part of my day by looking at my planner and reminding myself of my goals. As small as this step is, it is really helpful in keeping my focus where it needs to be. For example when I remind myself that one of my goals is to eat healthy and lose a certain amount of weight by a certain day, it helps me to discipline myself and stay away from sweets. By focusing early in my day on my goal, it effects my direction for the rest of the day.

Way more important than any goal we’d set for ourselves is to seek and understand God’s will for our lives. We do this through prayer! We can pray about the people and situations that are in our lives and seek God’s purpose and will. The more people we see, places we go, and things we have to do, the more important it is that we seek God’s will in those areas.

Jesus was very busy at this point in his ministry, but he knew that busyness doesn’t always mean success. Just like all growth in a plant doesn’t lead to fruitfulness, sometimes it takes away from fruitfulness and so some plants need to be pruned. Jesus sought God the Father early in the morning, on a busy day so that he’d know where to go and what to do next. He wasn’t caught up in the tyranny of the urgent, he was passionate about pursuing the father’s will.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. As our schedules get filled with more and more activities, it’s important that we submit our busy lives to your will. We ask for your direction and purpose today. We want to follow you. Please guide us in your will and direction for us. In Jesus Name, Amen.