March 9: Not Mine But Yours-Mark 14:1-42
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 3: How To Handle People- Mark 10
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.
March 2: GET RID OF IT!!! Mark 9:38-49
Get rid of it! I have heard this one too many times as a child. It always had to do with something that got me in trouble. Why is it when we are young trouble seems to find us and stick with us. The problem is if you don’t get rid of it, it will get you.
In this passage there is a lot of strong language Jesus uses. We often don’t like to take such a passage seriously. We try to down play what he is saying and the consequences he is referring to. We do this because there are things that we like that we are unwillingly to get rid of. It is like the kid who clinches onto a toy that is not theirs and will not let it go.
Let me ask you, what do you need to get rid of? What are the things in your life that cause you to sin: greed, dissension, lust, anger, pride, the love of wealth or the need to control? Here is what Jesus is saying, if anything pulls you away from God, GET RID OF IT!
Just remember, when we give over something to God, He always replaces it with something better.
March 1st: Don’t You Trust Me?- Mark 8:1-26
I believe the two biggest issues we all deal with are fear and trust. Both these go hand and hand because when we have fear we are unable to trust. This also goes with when we trust, fear is no longer present.
The disciples had been with Jesus sometime now. They had seen all the miracles and had a part to play in some of them. They had found themselves again with a crowd of people who were hungry and Jesus was wanting to feed. You would think by now they would realize when people were hungry all you need to do is give Jesus some bread and a couple fish and there you have it, a meal.
Once again, the human nature steps in and the disciples begin to freak out. ”How will we feed them? What will we do?” Jesus must have been frustrated and reminds them of the past miracles. Why is it that they believed Jesus was a one hit wonder rather then their consistent provider?
Jesus had revealed himself in this passage to be Jehovah Jirah, their Provider. Jesus wants to be our constant Jehovah Jirah, our Provider. Do not let fear keep you from trusting God in being your provider in the everyday of life.
Weekend Reading- Psalms 4 & Proverbs 4
| Psalm 4
FOR THE CHOIR DIRECTOR: A PSALM OF DAVID, TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRINGED INSTRUMENTS. 2 How long will you people ruin my reputation? 4 Don’t sin by letting anger control you. 6 Many people say, “Who will show us better times?”
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February 26- Traditional or Biblical- Mark 7:1-23
Traditional or Biblical? How true this passage rings clear for the Western Church today. Jesus was dealing with the man-made traditions of his culture. He had confronted the leaders with their self righteous acts because this had begun to reign supreme.
We see this all the time in the church today. Think about it, how many Churches believe in the super natural power of God? How many Churches believe in the effect of the demonic? How many Churches teach freedom in Christ but cause people to live under the weighty obligations they put on people?
We were told by Jesus just a few things we are comanded to do, “Love God and our Neighbor.” We were also told to pray, fast and take care of the oppressed. Maybe the real question we need to ask ourself today is why do we like tradition more then seeing what the Bible says? The answer maybe simple, being Biblical means we need to deal with the condition of our heart and being traditional allows us to control our righteousness.