Tag: church

Endurance! (Mark 13:9-13 Devotion)

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“But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 “And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 “But when they arrest [you] and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father [his] child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

– Mark 13:9-13 (NKJV)

In High School we got a new basketball coach. He told us on the first day of practice that we would do drills, drills, and more drills. He said we would run a lot, if we were out of shape, we might throw up, but to keep going. His philosophy was to drill us so hard that we’d still feel “fresh” when the other team was tired. I was a little chubby and lost one pound per practice and kept it off. (Seriously I kept up with it. We had 21 practices and I lost 21 pounds that season)!

I guess if the coach hadn’t told us what he was doing and why, we might have rebelled when we ran 25 suicides (a basketball drill) per practice. But since we knew what he was doing and where we were going with it, we’d go throw up and get back on the line. As the end of the season I was probably in the best shape of my life and a much better basketball player than when I started the season.

This world will fall apart before Jesus returns and he is preparing the disciples for what they must endure. Things will get worse before they get better. They will go through all sorts of persecution. The silver lining is that in the midst of the persecution they will have an opportunity to be a witness for Christ.

Jesus sets their hearts at ease by telling them what is coming, so that when persecution comes their way, they won’t be caught off guard. They will be ready in the day of trouble. They don’t need to worry about what to say then either, the Holy Spirit will give them words.* This is a different message than those who tell us how to live our “Best life now.”

*(It should be noted that this passage is about witnessing under persecution, not about teaching Sunday school or preaching. You won’t need notes to tell about how good Jesus is, but you will need boldness, courage, and the ability to speak clearly and with conviction when you are persecuted and the Holy Spirit will supply all the believer needs in such moments. )

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your grace in our lives. We pray that we would be those who would endure whatever hardships come our way. We trust you for courage and boldness to be a witness for you when we face persecution. We thank you for your love! Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Are We Living in the End Times? (Mark 13:3-8 Devotion)

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Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what [will be] the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” 5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am [He],’ and will deceive many. 7 “But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for [such things] must happen, but the end [is] not yet. 8 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These [are] the beginnings of sorrows.

– Mark 13:3-8 (NKJV)

With the escalating tensions and war happening in Israel and Ukraine, many people are asking, “are living in the end times?” The answer before the conflict is the same it is now… we are closer than we have ever been before. Yet, it’s not just because there is a war being raged in Israel and other places. Jesus spoke in Israel across the valley from the temple and said that when you “hear of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet” (v. 7). So it isn’t the war or rumor of wars that has us concerned that the end times are on us, because we know that there will be conflict until Jesus returns and brings ultimate peace.

Jesus notes that these things are like birth pains. This earth will groan under the weight of sin until Christ comes and sets it free. When we see conflict in the world it should cause us to look with hope for the return of Christ. The wars, disasters, and rise of false teachers should all serve to cause us to realize that we can’t remain in the world the way it is. This world isn’t our final home. We are waiting for something better.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We recognize that we won’t live on this earth, the way that it is, forever. We look for and long for your return. We know that sin will continue to cause havoc and division in the world until Christ returns. Prepare our hearts even now for that day. Give us peace. Let us be ready. Let us not love our lives so much here in this age that we forget the blessings that still lie ahead of us. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow (Mark 13:1-2 Devotion)

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Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, “Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings [are here]!” 2 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not [one] stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

– Mark 13:1-2 (NKJV)

The first time I went to the beach we built sandcastles. Then I noticed that as the tide came in, it washed the sandcastle away. It was there one moment and then when we came back from playing in the water we noticed that most of it had washed away.

On that same trip I noticed all the condos, the fancy boats, the types of vehicles, and the number of beautiful restaurants. I was impressed with all the wealth that I saw on display around me. I couldn’t help but wonder where everyone got their money.

Then I experience my first hurricane on the gulf coast. Several weeks after the storm had passed, my friends and I went to the beach and we saw that the place was devastated. They were still doing reconstruction on buildings that had been damaged. Sand was pushed into all sorts of places it wasn’t supposed to be and some of those boats were torn to pieces or pushed inland.

One of the disciples can’t help but marvel at the decadence that surrounds the temple. He is amazed. Jesus doesn’t let his amazement linger long as he speaks to his disciple and tells him that all these stones will be torn down. All the disciple could see was what was there now, he had no way to see the future. But Jesus knew what was coming. His perspective was eternal.

If we aren’t careful we will spend our lives invested in the here and now and we will miss what is coming. We need to look with a long term, eternal perspective. So much of the work of our hands will be erased by future generations, but the work that Christ does in our lives will last.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Help us set our eyes on the eternal today. Don’t let us waste our lives on just admiring the here and now, but let our hearts be focused on your kingdom and glory. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Depending On God (Mark 12:41-44 Devotion)

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Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many [who were] rich put in much. 42 Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. 43 So He called His disciples to [Himself] and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; 44 “for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

– Mark 12:41-44 (NKJV)

There is a story that goes around about a chicken and a pig. One day they are walking along and they see a sad little boy who doesn’t have a breakfast and the chicken speaks up and says, “We can do something about that. Let’s get this boy some bacon and eggs!” The pig looks at the chicken and says, “do you know what you are saying? For you, that’s a small sacrifice, for me that’s a total commitment!”

When Jesus observes folks giving in the temple he notices that some of the wealthy men give a large amount of money, but it is out of an abundance or excess. They do so with recognition and in today’s world you might get a building named after you if you throw around a lot of money like they were. Then the widow, who doesn’t have much gives what amounts to a just a little bit…

Jesus sees the heart of those who gave. He notes that the wealthy men gave out of abundance. There lifestyle won’t change for all the money they have given. They will still have nice things at home and all the luxury that their wealth can afford because even though they have given a large sum of money, they are still wealthy…. The widow woman however gave out of her poverty. She gave her last little bit to the Lord trusting him to provide. Those small coins that she gave could have been used to buy food or another small necessity that she will miss out on now that she has given.

The widow who gave less money actually gave more than those who put in large donations. The difference wasn’t in the dollar amount but in the dependence amount. The woman was depending on God to provide for her. The rich men would still have their riches to count on. The widow gave sacrificially.

It is important to notice that God sees our hearts. We should all give generously and without compulsion but when give there will be times where we may give out of abundance and there will be times where like this widow, we give sacrificially. There have been times where I have skipped meals and taken the money out of my budget dedicated to meals in order to help someone in need or give money to missions. Every time I have been doubly blessed. I am blessed in the fasting and prayer that accompanies and empty stomach and I’ve been blessed to give to help an individual or a cause.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for how you provide for us. We are thankful for the opportunities we have to give to show our dependence on you and our care for others through benevolence and ministry. We count ourselves blessed when we can give sacrificially. Let us not judge others by what we see and the math that makes sense on a spreadsheet, but help us love one another all the more for the math that takes into account the heart behind each attitude and action. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Bad Medicine (Mark 12:38-40 Devotion)

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Then He said to them in His teaching, “Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, [love] greetings in the marketplaces, 39 “the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 “who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”

– Mark 12:38-40 (NKJV)

There once was a doctor who saw a patient for a cold. He prescribed a medicine that helped with the cold but the medicine caused the patient to vomit, so the patient came back. The doctor knew that the vomiting was because of the medicine he gave, but prescribed another medicine for the vomiting. The medicine for vomiting caused the patient to have headaches, and so the patient came back again. The doctor then proceeded to give the patient another medicine for headaches… all of these medicines cost a lot and of course the doctor made more money every time the patient came back. Soon the doctor felt important because he was treating all of his patients like this and so all of his patients kept coming back to him for help over and over again. He’d give them new medicine that would give them new side effects that would cause them to need even more medicine. Instead of helping his patients, he was using them, and they were getting sicker and sicker.

This is kind of what the scribes were doing. They were very familiar with the scripture and so people would come to them expecting to hear what the bible said. The scribes were skillful at using portions of scripture that suited their fancy and ignoring other portions and thus induced people to do things against their best interest. Instead of loving and looking out for the people and pointing them to God, they were creating a tangled mess that exploited others including poor widows (who were among the most vulnerable in that society). They very people they should have been looking out for, they were hurting. All the while claiming credit for being fine, upstanding, really righteous people.

We should all be on guard and discerning of people who would use religious pretense to hurt us rather than help us. We should also examine our own hearts to be sure that we aren’t the type of people who take scripture out of context to make it say what we want it to say for our own selfish purposes. Such a people will not go unpunished.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for the power that it has to transform our lives. Give us grace to study your word and know what it teaches. We ask that we would live moral and quite lives for your kingdom and your glory. Let us not be exploited or exploit others for selfish gain, but let us love one another and seek help for those who are in need and danger of being taken advantage of. Please give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Messiah is Greater Than David (Mark 12:35-37 Devotion)

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Then Jesus answered and said, while He taught in the temple, “How [is it] that the scribes say that the Christ is the Son of David? 36 “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: ‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ‘ 37 “Therefore David himself calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He [then] his Son?” And the common people heard Him gladly.

– Mark 12:35-37 (NKJV)

When I was in seminary I showed up early for a workshop and was eating in the cafeteria. I got into a great conversation with a man who was also there for the workshop. I was blown away when I showed up at the workshop and found out that he was actually one of the speakers on a panel! He was there for the workshop, but he wasn’t there to study like I was. He was there to teach!

The scribes in Jesus’ day had deduced that the Messiah would be a descendent of David. Which was true and there are many times in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to by the messianic title, “Son of David.” Even the blind man earlier in Mark called Jesus by the title, “Son of David” (Mark 10:47). Jesus is not disputing that the Messiah is descended from David. What Jesus wants folks to see is that He, the Messiah, is more than descended from David.

Jesus points to the scripture in Psalm 110. The Messiah is greater than David because David calls Him “My Lord.” David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit shows honor and deference to the Messiah.

Jesus was pointing out something that was already written in the Old Testament. He is helping people understand what is already plainly there in the text. That is called exposition. He is helping make God’s word clear to the audience. He isn’t pitting his teaching against the Scribes as much as he is saying, “here is a place where they have half the truth, but there has to be more to it than that because of what David says in Psalm 110.”

Ultimately the truth Jesus was pointing out was about him. He was the son of David, but he was more than the son of David. He is the Son of God! Jesus isn’t leaving us room to call him just a great man. We must recognize that he is more than just a great guy or a teacher, but that he is God!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thankyou for the gift of your word that helps us know about you. Please give us insight and understanding into every part of your word, even small things like pronouns help us understand great things like the divinity of Jesus. We ask for guidance to know your word in it’s context and application to our daily lives. Please give us discernment as we seek to live out you word. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Asking the Right Question (Mark 12:28-34 Devotion)

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Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” 29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments [is]: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This [is] the first commandment. 31 “And the second, like [it, is] this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well [said], Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 “And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” But after that no one dared question Him.

– Mark 12:28-34 (NKJV)

I was leading a college trip and another college group was traveling with us to our destination. While we were driving up there were got on our little walkie talkies and we played bible trivia. The other college pastor and I went head to head. Someone from his group would pull out a card and ask me a question and I’d answer. If I got it right, someone from our group would ask him a question. We might have made it through the whole deck without missing a question between us. Someone later commented that they had gotten their “bible study” in for the trip… I quickly pointed out that Bible study was more than trivia. It’s not the facts you know, but what you do with the facts that matter when it comes to bible study.

In this section we see the questions and answer session with Jesus is coming to a close. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes, everyone had tried to make Jesus stumble in his words, but he held his own. Finally this man recognized that Jesus is very knowledgeable in the scripture and asks him about the greatest commandment. Jesus answer inspires this man and he notes that loving God and our neighbors is more important than ritual and the blood of sacrifices. Jesus notes this man isn’t far from the kingdom.

You see in all these questions about what the scriptures teach or Jesus’ understanding of this principle or that… What everyone but Jesus seemed to be missing is what they reveal about God. They knew the right answers but they didn’t know why those answers were right.

I used to be part of my high school quiz bowl team. We’d travel to other schools and compete in knowledge based competitions. We studied all sorts of random trivia. I could tell you who authored what Novel, in what year, and other randoms details about the book like “Catch 22,” “Animal Farm,” etc.. I had never read these books or even an article by or about the authors, it was just trivia that was reduced to flashcards. Then one day I picked up one of the books that had been trivia fodder for quiz bowl and I was blown away by it.

This scribe had known about God from the scriptures, but he was closer to knowing God than he might have imagined when he spoke with Jesus! We might study scripture every day and miss the plain truth in front of us. This isn’t a book about trivial things and details. Knowing the names of the twelve apostles isn’t nearly as important as knowing what this book says about God!

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your word. Let us hide it in our hearts and let it transform us from the inside out. Help us to understand it. Help us to know you and your will better through having read it, memorized it, and spoken it to others. Let your word have it’s full and desired effect in our lives. Let us respond to what we read and hear in a right way as a response to you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

The Mistake of Not Knowing the Power of God (Mark 12:18-27 Devotion)

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Then [some] Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: 19 “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves [his] wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. 20 “Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. 21 “And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. 22 “So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. 23 “Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.” 24 Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? 25 “For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 26 “But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the [burning] bush [passage], how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I [am] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’ ? 27 “He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.“

– Mark 12:18-27 (NKJV)

This time a different group of religious leaders come to test Jesus with a question. They are asking him a hypothetical question. This one has no basis in reality but is a made up situation. The one’s asking the question are mocking the idea of resurrection because it’s something the simply don’t believe.

So they ask about a woman who was married several times in her life and who she will be married to in the resurrection? To them, this is a “gotcha” question. But they are deeply mistaken. They wanted to select pieces of scripture to believe and left others to be disregarded. They were all about the Law (the first five books of the Old Testament that were written by Moses) but not the prophets (pretty much the rest of the Old Testament). So their question was rooted in the principles of the Law… “Who will she be married too in the resurrection?”

So Jesus answers them from the portion of scripture they believed (Exodus, the second book of the bible). He makes them aware that even though they only hold to a small portion of the Old Testament scriptures, they don’t understand those scriptures very well or the power of God! He has no problem pointing out that they are “mistaken.” And he basically gives them chapter and verse of how bad their understanding is (chapter and verse markings come later). Jesus answers the question, but points out that these men are ignorant of what they are asking.

These men thought they had a grasp on God’s word and a grasp on how to trap Jesus with their words, but they soon realized that they didn’t know God’s word as well as they thought and they didn’t know Jesus at all. This was a grace for them to see their mistaken interpretation of God’s word and all the other conclusions they had jumped too. I wonder if any that day received the mild rebuke from Jesus and went back to examine their beliefs.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Help us receive your word with humility and meekness. I pray that we would examine our own hearts in light of who you have revealed yourself to be. Let us not bring our own conclusions to your word, but help us to see what you reveal about yourself in your word. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Pride and Politics (Mark 11:27-33 Devotion)

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Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?” 29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 “The baptism of John–was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” 31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 “But if we say, ‘From men’ “–they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

– Mark 11:27-43 (NKJV)

There have been several times I’ve seen someone driving down the road in an extremely reckless manner and I’ve thought, “If I were a police officer I could pull you over and give you a ticket for what you are doing. You are driving recklessly!” The fact was that I couldn’t pull them over. Even if put lights on my car and somehow managed to compel someone speeding past me to pull over, I can’t issue them a ticket. I simply don’t have the authority. If I do put lights on my vehicle, dress up in a uniform, and pull people over I’d be guilty of a bigger issue, I’d be impersonating an officer. To act like I have authority when I don’t, is a big crime as well.

The religious leaders are trying to get Jesus to say one of two things. Either he doesn’t have the authority to turn over tables in the temple like he just did… or make him claim authority (that they can later challenge)… What is left unsaid in this dispute is that Jesus was in the right and they were in the wrong.

The religious leaders wanted to shift public opinion from being against them to being against Jesus. They don’t want to be seen as terrible people for profiting from, allowing, and encouraging the desecration of this portion of the temple, so they attempt to shift the charge to “this man has no authority here.” So Jesus handles these leaders exposing their fears. He poses a question back to them that causes them to sweat under fear of the pubic scrutiny.

They probably didn’t see it this way, but this was a grace. Jesus was allowing these men to see what was really ruling their heart… Pride and a thirst for political power. They didn’t really care about the worship of God. For them it had become a commercial enterprise long ago.

You know if we aren’t careful we can become like these religious leaders who were looking to challenge Jesus’ authority rather than addressing the things they had done wrong. Do we allow the bible to penetrate our hearts and lives or do we maintain secret sins and imagine that life is ok if we aren’t ever “called out” or “caught?” If someone else notices or not, our sins are still sins. When they are exposed we should deal with them before the Lord.

I wondered as I was reading this passage this morning, what might have happened had Jesus cleansed the temple and these leaders immediately recognized and repented of their sins? What if they had just owned their greed and dealt with it then? Perhaps Jesus’ question about John’s baptism was more than a riddle, but an appeal for real repentance like John had called for (Matthew 3:7-12).

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your grace. We are grateful for the voices of accountability in our life the expose our hearts and help us see our need of repentance. Help us not to shy away from a loving stern rebuke, but welcome the voice of loving correction in our lives. Let us not be so worried about others that we lose sight of honoring you. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Have Faith and Forgive (Mark 11:20-26 Devotion)

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Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering, said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive [them], and you will have [them]. 25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

– Mark 11:20-26 (NKJV)

The disciples had marveled at how quickly Jesus spoke and the results showed up on the tree. Jesus took the time at this moment to teach the disciples about faith. He used a common phrase among the people of the day about “Moving mountains.” Perhaps it was a common phrase because Herod had taken down one small mountain bucket by bucket to build up a man made mountain and palace known as Herodium. The implication was that if one man can have such a vision and drive to carry out by human labor what seemed impossible, how much more should we have faith in God who will certainly carry out his will.

Then Jesus moves the disciples to the topic or prayer, reminding them that their dependence isn’t in their ability to speak it and believe it, but in the God whom they speak too. So when we pray according to God’s will they receive what they ask (there really is no other genuine way to pray). The real test then comes at the end of this section when Jesus reminds the disciples that forgiveness is one of those seemingly impossible things that God can work in your heart to do.

So when you pray and you have unforgiveness in your heart, one of the first things you need to do is ask the Lord to give you forgiveness for those who have wronged you. That payer with faith will be answered.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Search our hearts. If there is any unforgiveness in us we ask that you bring it to the surface and give us the grace to forgive those who have hurt us. If we have needlessly caused offense, we ask that you would call whatever arguments or situations to mind and those offended so we might seek to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters. We ask for your grace to work in our hearts and lives. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.