Rob Parker's Blog

Weekend Reading- Psalm 6 & Proverbs 6

robp — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:03:08 +0000

Saturday: Psalm 6

1 O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your rage.
2 Have compassion on me, LORD, for I am weak.
Heal me, LORD, for my bones are in agony.
3 I am sick at heart.
How long, O LORD, until you restore me?

4 Return, O LORD, and rescue me.
Save me because of your unfailing love.
5 For the dead do not remember you.
Who can praise you from the grave?*

6 I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
7 My vision is blurred by grief;
my eyes are worn out because of all my enemies.

8 Go away, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.
9 The LORD has heard my plea;
the LORD will answer my prayer.
10 May all my enemies be disgraced and terrified.
May they suddenly turn back in shame.

Sunday: Proverbs 6

LESSONS FOR DAILY LIFE
1 My child,* if you have put up security for a friend’s debt
or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger—
2 if you have trapped yourself by your agreement
and are caught by what you said—
3 follow my advice and save yourself,
for you have placed yourself at your friend’s mercy.
Now swallow your pride;
go and beg to have your name erased.
4 Don’t put it off; do it now!
Don’t rest until you do.
5 Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter,
like a bird fleeing from a net.

6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
9 But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

12 What are worthless and wicked people like?
They are constant liars,
13 signaling their deceit with a wink of the eye,
a nudge of the foot, or the wiggle of fingers.
14 Their perverted hearts plot evil,
and they constantly stir up trouble.
15 But they will be destroyed suddenly,
broken in an instant beyond all hope of healing.

16 There are six things the LORD hates—
no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil,
feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies,
a person who sows discord in a family.

20 My son, obey your father’s commands,
and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
21 Keep their words always in your heart.
Tie them around your neck.
22 When you walk, their counsel will lead you.
When you sleep, they will protect you.
When you wake up, they will advise you.
23 For their command is a lamp
and their instruction a light;
their corrective discipline
is the way to life.
24 It will keep you from the immoral woman,
from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman.
25 Don’t lust for her beauty.
Don’t let her coy glances seduce you.
26 For a prostitute will bring you to poverty,*
but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.
27 Can a man scoop a flame into his lap
and not have his clothes catch on fire?
28 Can he walk on hot coals
and not blister his feet?
29 So it is with the man who sleeps with another man’s wife.
He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

30 Excuses might be found for a thief
who steals because he is starving.
31 But if he is caught, he must pay back seven times what he stole,
even if he has to sell everything in his house.
32 But the man who commits adultery is an utter fool,
for he destroys himself.
33 He will be wounded and disgraced.
His shame will never be erased.
34 For the woman’s jealous husband will be furious,
and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.
35 He will accept no compensation,
nor be satisfied with a payoff of any size.

March 12- The Least Likely- Mark 16

robp — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:36:55 +0000

What I find so interesting about the resurrection account is the person who Jesus first appeared to. For many they would think the persons that would be entitled to see the risen Lord would be the High Priest or John the disciple. Maybe it should of been Mary the mother of Jesus, but it was not. Can you believe the first person Jesus appeared to was Mary Magadelene, a woman who had lived in adultery, She was a woman who should have been stoned by the religious leaders and condemned. To Jesus she was the very reason for his life, death and resurrection.

We have made Christianity unapproachable, something for the perfect. The problem is no one is perfect but all of us our in a deep need for a savior. I find it extremely liberating that Christ had made the point to come for the broken and the “least of these.” He not only came to give them life but to be in relationship with them and to allow them to be identified with himself. Why? Because it is in a persons brokenness they are able to recognize their deep need for salvation.

March 11- Risk!!- Mark 15:42-47

robp — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:43:15 +0000

Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.)

Risk, it is something we do when we value something. We risk when we love, we risk when we have invested into something, we risk when we are chasing after dreams. This was the same reason Joseph of Arimathea had taken a risk when he went to Pilate.

What could have happened to this man Joseph? For one thing he could have been flogged himself. This could have been by the Roman officers or even the Jewish leaders. Another thing that could have happened was to be excommunicated by the Jewish community. The idea of giving Jesus a proper burial was to agree that Jesus was the King of the Jews.

When was the last time you have risked your faith? How easy has it been to slide into the back of conversations or allowed injustice to take place in front of you. Today we want to learn from Joseph of Arimathea and stand up for what you believe by risking how others may view you.

March 10, 2010: What Will You Do With Him? Mark 15:1-15

robp — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:47:00 +0000

Jesus’ trial before Pilate is one of the most suspenseful accounts in the Gospels. First you have this political leader who has no real understanding why he has this, what seems to be, innocent man on trial. The picture that is being played out reveals the insecurity of Pilate allowing the religious leaders to get their way out of fear of losing political supporters.

We are also given a picture of an innocent man unwilling to plead his case. It is in this scene that Jesus’ silence brings more problems to him than good. Jesus could have simply silenced the crowd yet chose to silence himself to look at the goal before him.

Pilate had asked a profound question which would bring about the verdict to this case, “What should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?” It was the crowd’s response that set in motion the brutality Jesus would endure.

This question that Pilate asked is the same question every reader of this passage is asked, “What will you do with the King of the Jews?” The first choice we have is to ignore, keep silent, and be unwilling to look at the deity of Christ. The other is to be someone in the crowd who is willing to stand up and embrace Jesus for who he is, the King of the Jews and the King of all Glory.

March 9: Not Mine But Yours-Mark 14:1-42

robp — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:22:18 +0000

One of the best lessons we learn from Jesus is a life that was unselfish. Everything Jesus had done was stemmed by doing the will of His Father. He never once had his own agenda or plans. Rather he came to be a servant and to reflect servant leadership to those around him.

We see this best in the first half of this chapter. I know that many see the washing of the diciples feet as one of the greatest examples of leadership but what about the Gethsemane account? Here you have Jesus knowing he was going to die, knowing he was going to be betrayed and denied and still chose to do the will of His Father. Was there hesitation and struggle? The bottom line was Jesus desired to be obedient to God.

For each of us living in our western world we operate quite contrary to Jesus’ model. We function in expecting God to line up His will with our will rather then the other way around. The problem occurs when we realize that is not how God works.

Today, meditate on the Gethsemane account. Ask God to give you both the desire and ability to say as Jesus said, “Not my will but yours!”

March 8- Keep Watch!

robp — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 11:10:20 +0000

For the past two months we have been going through Scripture on a daily basis. We have gone through John, Daniel, some of the Psalms and Proverbs and now we are almost through Mark. There is a common theme in both the books o f the Old Testament and the New Testament. That theme is, there is something next!

What do I mean by something next? We red in John Jesus had pointed to the afterlife. He had pointed to the end when all death and destruction would be gone away with. He wrote that there would be a better, perfect place. We read the same thing in Daniel and now in Mark that there is an eternal place, an eternal plan for those who follow the way of Yahwah, of Christ.

As we have read about the perfect eternal dwelling there is an urgency in the writers voice. Mark tells us to “Keep Watch, to Watch Out,” because noone knows when this will take place. He writes of Jesus teaching of a parable in reference to this. For some this maybe terrifying, thinking about the afterlife. That was not the intention, rather Jesus’ teachings and Daniel’s teachings were to encourage us, to prepare us for that which is better then now.

How do you react to the words of Jesus? Does fear creep in or excitement? Today, be alert to what is going on around you. God is preparing an eternal dwelling where there is no pain or sorrow, no fighting and only love and unity. May we be ready and say in confidence, “Come Lord Jesus, come!”

Weekend Reading- Psalm 5 & Proverbs 5

robp — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:41:35 +0000

Saturday Psalm 5

1 O LORD, hear me as I pray;
pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.

4 O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness;
you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked.
5 Therefore, the proud may not stand in your presence,
for you hate all who do evil.
6 You will destroy those who tell lies.
The LORD detests murderers and deceivers.

7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O LORD,
or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow.

9 My enemies cannot speak a truthful word.
Their deepest desire is to destroy others.
Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.
Their tongues are filled with flattery.*
10 O God, declare them guilty.
Let them be caught in their own traps.
Drive them away because of their many sins,
for they have rebelled against you.

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O LORD;
you surround them with your shield of love.

Proverbs 5

1 My son, pay attention to my wisdom;
listen carefully to my wise counsel.
2 Then you will show discernment,
and your lips will express what you’ve learned.
3 For the lips of an immoral woman are as sweet as honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil.
4 But in the end she is as bitter as poison,
as dangerous as a double-edged sword.
5 Her feet go down to death;
her steps lead straight to the grave.*
6 For she cares nothing about the path to life.
She staggers down a crooked trail and doesn’t realize it.

7 So now, my sons, listen to me.
Never stray from what I am about to say:
8 Stay away from her!
Don’t go near the door of her house!
9 If you do, you will lose your honor
and will lose to merciless people all you have achieved.
10 Strangers will consume your wealth,
and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor.
11 In the end you will groan in anguish
when disease consumes your body.
12 You will say, “How I hated discipline!
If only I had not ignored all the warnings!
13 Oh, why didn’t I listen to my teachers?
Why didn’t I pay attention to my instructors?
14 I have come to the brink of utter ruin,
and now I must face public disgrace.”

15 Drink water from your own well—
share your love only with your wife.*
16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets,
having sex with just anyone?*
17 You should reserve it for yourselves.
Never share it with strangers.

18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you.
Rejoice in the wife of your youth.
19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.
Let her breasts satisfy you always.
May you always be captivated by her love.
20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?

21 For the LORD sees clearly what a man does,
examining every path he takes.
22 An evil man is held captive by his own sins;
they are ropes that catch and hold him.
23 He will die for lack of self-control;
he will be lost because of his great foolishness.

March 5: Impartial- Mark 12:14

robp — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:41:21 +0000

“Teacher,” they said, “we know how honest you are. You are impartial and don’t play favorites.”

How often do we see favoritism and partiality played out around us every single day. This seems to be such a childish behavior, something that happens on the playground but no. Who did our kids learn it from? They learned it by watching the “adults” around them.

As a Chrisitian, a follower of Jesus, we are given the example that we do not play favorites. Jesus was impartial to the people around him. We probably could even take it a step further and say he went out of his way to do more for the less fortunate then those who had any form of power or positiion.

This weekend be aware of how you respond to the people around you. Ask yourself who do you tend to be drawn to more, those who can do something for you or those you can do something for?

March 4: Victory Is Ours!- Mark 11:1-11

robp — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:42:16 +0000

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.

March 3: How To Handle People- Mark 10

robp — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:49:06 +0000

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.