Rob Parker's Blog

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.”

As we conclude the book of Hebrews today there is one final thought we want to pull from it.  Throughout the whole  book the focus of Hebrews is teaching about who exactly Jesus Christ is and what it means to walk by faith.  It is in the later chapters the author defines faith and then gives examples of how others had trusted and followed God.

We have read that application of faith is of the utmost importance.  So we conclude our reading of Hebrews by looking at ways in which we can live out our faith today.  We do this in reaching out and loving our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  As you go to community (small) group be deliberate in your conversations with one another.  Make an extra effort to listen to the persons you are speaking to.  Also, reach out to complete strangers.  Open the door for a person, help someone to their car, by the person in front of you a cup of coffee.  Who knows you may be ministering to an angel?  Lastly, think of someone you know who is down on their luck.  Give them a call, drop them an email or maybe do something special for them.

Our faith is not just based on our beliefs, it is reflected in how we live.  May we be people who are daily learning to walk as Jesus walked and love as Jesus loved.

It was a seen like no other.  For centuries the Jews had waited for the day of their King!  They were cheering and celebrating as THE ONE road on the colt.  Their hope was that oppression would be taken away and prosperity would be the new way of life.

Jesus had looked at this picture very different.  It was a time of celebrating knowing that victory had come.  He was able to take in the excitedment of the people.  He welcomed their enthuisasm, knowing their hope was for the Messiah to be present.

There was also the other side of what Jesus was feeling.  He knew that victory was present but he also knew he had to finish the course to bring about the complete victory.  This victory would cost him his very life.  This vicotry would be won through pain and yet he was willing to go through with it.

We are in a similar state as a Christian.  We know that death is defeated and our salvation is secure.  We understand that the stronghold of sin no longer has control over us.  What we also know is we must finish the course of this life.  We, like Jesus know that victory is in the present and we hold onto the future one as well.  There is pain ahead of us.  We are going to be tempted and tried.  We also know that as we hold on to the present victory we, like Jesus can celebrate in the moment because of the victory that we have.

For so many, Christianity is looked at as self rightous, narrow-minded and seperatist.  I find that very hard to believe when you read the words of Jesus.  Just look at Mark Chapter 10.  It is in this chapter that there are so many different situations and each situation Jesus handles the situation at hand in reference to the heart of that person.

It was the teachers of the Law that wanted to pin Jesus down and have him answer in a way to trap him.  The disciples and others wanted to keep the children and lame away from Jesus not to bother him but he welcomed them.  Matter a fact he was bothered by how the children were pushed aside.  What about the rich man, he wanted to be that person who did all the right things and Jesus confronted the treasure he valued most.  And what about the two who wanted to be great, Jesus said, greatness is symbolized by being a servant rather then a king.

There is a lesson about the Christian faith and how we deal with people.  First, Jesus dealt with the heart of the person.  He was more concerned with the deception that had taken hold rather then the perfect person.  God wants to deal with our hearts.  Secondly, Jesus dealt with each person differently.  He never swayed from who he was or what he stood for.  Rather he was sensitive to the person in front of him and dealt with the situation by dealing with the individual.

Today, we will all interact with many people.  Be like Jesus and look past the surface and ask God to help you speak to the heart of the person before you.

We are told in Mark 4 that when Jesus was with the crowds he only taught in parables.  Parables are brief, succinct stories that illustrate a moral or religious lesson.  After Jesus would share the parable he would then, in his group of disciples tell the meaning of them.

It is in Mark 4 Jesus gives a parable of a farmer scattering seed.  We read that the seed fell on different terrain: rocky, shallow, thorns and good soil.  For three of the terrains the seed would not take root.  For one the seed was able to thrive and grow to its full potential.

There is one sentence that has stood out in this teaching, “but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth and the desire for other things.”  This statment is very real to each of us because people want to know God.  People want to hear and embrace what God has for them.  We all desire to absorb the Good News.  The truth is we allow things of this world to steal the message and kingdom of God from us.

What soil is your heart?  We are being asked today to quiet our soul in order that the things around us do not steal the joy and the plan God has for us today.  One simple tip- turn off the radio or the cell phone in the car and use that time as an opportunity to quiet yourself and hear the voice of God speak to you.

The Book of Mark starts off in a high power fashion.  We first read about John the Baptist.  Then about Jesus being baptized and going on a forty day fast.  After the fast miracles begin to happen and people are in awe at the teaching of Jesus.  They said, “he taught with authority.”  As I read Mark I am constantly encouraged by the works of Jesus and his desire to bring restoration to peoples lives.

In the midst of this excitement there is a small section in this first chapter that makes me sit back and ponder, “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”  In the hype of all that was going on there was a main priority in the life of Jesus and that was seeking the Father’s will.  Everything Jesus did came through the guidance of God the Father.  This was the discipline of his everyday life.

How do we know this?  When the disciples found Jesus he told them they were to go to the next place.  The next place?! But what about the crowds?  To Jesus it wasn’t about the recognition it was about obedience to do the will of his Father.

As you go throughout this day choose tomorrow to rise early and begin to seek God’s guidance.  Learn to trust God as Jesus trusted Him on an everyday basis.  He already has plans for your life, so choose to walk in the perfect plan of God.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”