Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10

 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:27

This evening, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on encouragement primarily for those in the frontier mission field, but also for those who might work locally among ministries and missions close to home. We are encouraged to be bold - Piper provides two incentives to be bold:

1. Every impossibility is a possibility with God - Mark 10:27
2. Whatever we lose in this world pales in comparison with what we gain now through Christ Jesus and for eternity - Mark 10:29-30 

Piper writes: "[w]hen we follow his missionary prescription, we discover that even the painful side effects work to improve our condition. Our spiritual health, our joy, improves a hundredfold. And when we die, we do not die. We gain eternal life."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are amazing and Your power is beyond our comprehension - You created the Heavens and the Earth and all that inhabits the universe.  You created me and give me and all others life - and believers life to the full.  You rose from the grave and give believers the same power now and eternal life.  Great incentives to work on Your behalf - indeed!  I am not deserving of the power You provide for me - nor any of the blessings.  I worry and I have other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. Psalm 25:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on the Afterword: If I Could Start All Over: Six Lessons for Your Twenties, pages 181-187. Here, with this final chapter, Piper offers words of wisdom for younger generations of Christians seeking God's purpose for their lives.  Piper wants many of these young people to seek frontier missions work as Paul did.  These six lessons include:

1. marry a radical, risk-taking, go anywhere-for-Jesus world-Christian spouse.
2. join a Bible-believing, Bible-preaching, Bible-structured, Bible-obedient church.
3. go to seminary - study the Bible primarily with less focus on practical church leading skills.
4. resolve to read your Bible every day for the rest of my life.
5. become a Christian Hedonist.
6. recognize that your are not your own, that you have been bought with a price, and that you belong, body and soul, to Jesus Christ for his use and his glory.

 God, please help me focus on Your desire for my life.

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You indeed are a great God worthy of my full devotion and attention.  You have revealed to me Your glory and You have blessed me.  Thank You Jesus.  I am not deserving of how You have blessed and saved me.  My sin of worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!

Psalm 96

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! Psalm 96:1-3

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter eleven Music and Missions for the Glory of God, pages 158-168. Here Piper wants us to join the author of Psalm 96 in "extolling and glorifying God as sovereign Creator, Savior, and Judge. For the Psalms ultimately take us to the ends of the earth, with a song on our lips, until the day our Savior returns and receives his kingship among all nations." Piper wants us also to see how Psalm 96 demonstrates the objective of missions by declaring God's glory to the nations, summoning them to join believers, and to warn the nations of judgement that awaits those who don't surrender their life to Jesus. Piper points to how Paul uses Romans 15:9-12 where Paul thoroughly references the Old Testament to show how all of scripture points us to the Great Commission and to be an encouragement for both senders and goers.  

Comment and discuss this post here. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is worthy of songs of praise - all the time!  Thank You for how You bless me and of course how You saved me - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift and for all the ways You bless me.  My sin of worry and other sins continue.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Matthew 10

Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:31

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter ten “I Am Sending You Out as Sheep in the Midst of Wolves”, pages 146-157.  Here, Piper's primary objective is to highlight the six costs and ten blessings of frontier mission work, using Matthew 10:16-31 as his reference point. 

Costs:

1. Being arrested (v10:16-18)
2. Family betrayal (v10:21)
3. Being hated by all (v10:22)
4. Being persecuted and driven out of town (v10:23)
5. Being killed (v10:28)

Blessings

1. Being sent by Christ (v10:16)
2. Being given words by the Spirit of God (v10:19-20)
3. Blessings of experiencing God's Fatherly care (v10:20)
4. Blessing of salvation at the end of it all (v10:22)
5. Blessing of knowing the Son of Man is coming in judgement and mercy (v10:23)
6. Blessing of belonging to Jesus' household (v10:25)

Piper knows that not all are hearing the call to join the frontier mission field, yet he provides these words as a means to help "us count the costs [of frontier mission work] so there is no romantic naivete about missions.  And he does it be filling us with a longing to know these blessings to the full."  

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has blessed me in immeasurable, indescribable ways - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You pour out blessings for me.  My sin of worry, etc. continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter seven The Aroma of Christ among the Nations, pages 110-120.  Here, Paul paints two pictures of mission work to help us better understand our fitness for performing what Piper calls "pioneer" or "frontier" missionaries - those going out to unreached people groups where the church has yet to be established. First, Piper starts with believers who have a great opportunity to serve right where they are in their local communities, but, like Paul in v12-13, move on to join the mission field.  Piper writes: "[a] door is wide open where you are. Much needs to be done—right where you are. But your spirit cannot rest. So it was with Paul. And amazingly, he left the open door of Troas behind and followed his restless spirit." Piper then wants us to see two pictures of mission work (1) where we are defeated and brought before a conquering King (Jesus) and led in "triumphal procession" - but as Christ is in us and we are to serve the great Victor (Jesus); (2) we then become a pleasing aroma to God and to the world. 

Piper then looks at five (5) tests to determine "fitness" for frontier or pioneer mission work:

1. do we treasure Christ enough so that we do not peddle his word (do we love Christ more than we love money?)
2. will we speak from sincerity (no pretense or hypocrisy)
3. will you speak as from God (not in your own power)
4. will you speak as before God (not judged by other people)
5. will you speak as in Christ (is our confidence and identity in Christ?)

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and You have placed so many inspiring missionaries in my life and I have an awesome glimpse of mission work and Your glory through them!  Thank You Jesus for the great work You are doing through them and for the strength, inspiration, and power I get from these people!  You are an awesome God and Your church provides strength for me.  I am not deserving of how You bless me through the church.  I am weak, often selfish, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.