Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him.

Mark 5:21-43

Then came one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing him, he fell at his feet and implored him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.” And he went with him. Mark  5:22-24

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 5:21-43, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary - which offers three divisions for this text. Excerpts from the commentary's introduction for this chapter and for the first (of three) division (vv21-24): 

• The main idea for the text vv21-43 is "[w]e can come to Jesus with our requests, and He will honor even imperfect faith when the object of that faith is Him"
• The commentary's title for the first division is "Jesus Hears the Cries of the Distressed."
• "This text has what we call a “sandwich structure,” beginning with the story of Jairus (5:21-24), interrupted by the story of a suffering woman (5:24-34), and ending with Jairus again (5:35-43). The purpose is to make comparisons." 
• We are urged to see how "Jesus cares for those in trouble," and how Mark 4 and 5 present text for how Jesus has providence over creation, demons, disease, and even death. He has performed signs and wonders and is now drawing great crowds at this point in His ministry.  
• Jairus is presented as a ruler of the synagogue (v22) and the commentary emphasizes how this is a man of distinction and respect but he comes to Jesus with great humility as v22 continues describes him falling at Jesus's feet "implor[ing] him earnestly."  This is "in spite of [Jesus's] growing opposition of the religious establishment, he bucks the trend and comes to Jesus."    
• This humility is what Jesus seeks for us and the commentary reminds us that must not only have humility but also utter dependency and faith that we should come to Jesus with urgency that He is the one who holds our lives in His hands and we must rest on Him for all of our needs.  

While prayer is not explicit in the text today, I am drawn to how we must cast our cares and concerns on Him (1 Peter 5:7), and acknowledge how "apart from [Jesus], [we] can do nothing" (John 15:5).  Just as Jairus did, we must fall on our feet and go to God and for believers this is prayer. God hears and responds to our prayers!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer:  Father God You are an awesome God that is able to do it all - all knowing, all seeing, and all powerful.  I can do nothing without You.  In spite of my sin, You saved me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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.

Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live.

Mark 5:21-43

Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well and live. Mark 5:23

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 5:21-43, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God is all powerful, able to do what no mortal being can do - He raises Jairus's daughter from the dead and heals the bleeding woman (after she had spent all that she had with doctors and her condition not only did not improve but grew worse).  God is also one of great compassion, referring to those who come in faith as daughter (v34) and He takes Jairus's daughter by her hand (v41) - He wants us to be part of His family which is a family with bonds much stronger than with earthly families.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People are desperate for Him, yet they don't fully understand who is He is as He is still referred to as Teacher.  Of course He is Teacher but He is the One True God and it is only the demons that recognize Him at this point in scripture - they even laugh at Him (v40).  People both seek Jesus and they fear Him (v33) for His power - this is a reverent fear and it is appropriate because if we anger or disappoint Him, He holds our lives in His hands  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We can claim the promise that Jesus heals - this is guaranteed both spiritually and physically and while it may not be in this life, it will be in Heaven (see Revelation 21:4). Jesus came to seek and save the lost so we should as well - following His lead as well as those such as Paul who mission work and fruit is detailed in Acts and much of the New Testament. Our faith should follow those of Jairus and the bleeding woman who sought simply a touch. I am reminded of the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Matthew 13:31-32). 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is seeks for us to be part of His family - You care for us SO much that You sent Your One and Only Son Jesus to die for us.  Thank You Father!  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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.

[T]hey were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

Mark 1:27

[T]hey were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” Mark 1:27

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 4: The Strength of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "When you think of [Jesus] do you think of some one thin and gaunt, weak and pallid? Not so did he seem to the people of his day....When Jesus presents himself to be baptized, a remarkable thing happens. John had called men to repentance, he had faced the greatest men of his day without flinching, he had baptized the great and small, the high and low, the rich and poor, the learned and ignorant; but when this man from Nazareth appears, John falters and draws back and says: "I cannot baptize you. I have need to be baptized by you." Such was the impression which Jesus made upon the intrepid reformer from the desert." 
  
• "He teaches...as one having authority and not as the scribes. There is something in his voice that pierces and cuts and thrills, a tone that they have never heard before. It is the note of authority, the note of strength."
  
• "There is a sick man in the synagogue, and Jesus heals him, and again the people are surprised because God has given such power to a man."
• The impression of Jesus in his day is one of "authority, mastery, power, leadership; he is a man of strength."
• "He drew men to him....Wherever he went he was surrounded by a crowd...Every city through which he passes is turned upside down by his presence. Only a man of strength draws to him great masses of men."
• Repeatedly in the Gospels we see how people were amazed at or spoke of Jesus' authority and power. Luke 7:1-10 is one such example where the Roman centurion knew of Jesus’ authority and asked Jesus to heal his servant - and Jesus did. 
• Other men of power in Jesus' day respected Jesus' power - men such as Nicodemus and Pilate. "Pilate is afraid of him, he draws back from him, he wrings his hands in uncertainty, he washes his hands, he tries to get rid of this man. He feels that there is a power in him unlike any power he has ever come in contact with before."
• "But if you would have the finest proof of his power, you can find it in the intensity of the hatred and in the intensity of the love which he excited."
• "He kindled a devotion that is superior to anything that has ever been known in this world....He called forth a kind of reverence that has never been granted to any other man who has ever lived. He was so mighty that when men thought of him, they thought of God."
  

Another great example comes from Matthew 8:28-34 where Jesus' power was on full display and we see how the townspeople were confronted with a difficult choice to love Jesus or their wealth and they chose their wealth.  RE: this text, see this short John Piper podcast on DesiringGod.com.

Jesus reigns! See also Colossians 1:15-17.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who loves me and who is so full of grace for me.  You don’t need me and despite how I was an enemy of You, You still saved me! Thank You Jesus for how You save and how You give me the Holy Spirit to equip me and to counsel and guide me. I am not deserving of how You save, counsel and guide.  My sin is great and it is daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me grow in my faith and love You with all of my heart soul and mind-and love others as You love me.  Give Lisa and myself energy and wisdom.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, the church and others.  Help me understand, apply, and be obedient to Your message for me today and every day.

 

The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him[.]

Zechariah 12

The oracle of the word of the LORD concerning Israel: Thus declares the LORD, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him[.] Zechariah 12:1

I continue my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For today, my focus is an unassisted review of Zechariah 12:1, which the commentary outlines as the first of three divisions for the text 12:1-13:1 (12:1, 12:2-9, 12:10-13:1).  Here, God gives Zechariah a message to deliver about Israel's future.  But before Zechariah is to give this message in detail, God wants to ensure Israel is aware of who He is so that there is no mistake about that He reigns and is provident of all.  This has both negative and positive implications.  For those who reject God, they are literally playing with fire as their ultimate destination is eternity in Hell. For those who believe, we must understand that just because God is full of grace and He forgives, we must not go on sinning (see the end of Romans 5 and 6:1 in particular).  Instead we must have reverent fear of God and this fear should be seen as a preservative to keep us from sin. At the same time, Zechariah 12:1 should be see as an all powerful God able to do anything and if He intercedes (Romans 8:34) for us and fights for us (Exodus 14:14), He is all that we need.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who reigns, advocates, forgives, and fights for me. Thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of the grace You pour out for me and for my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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 You message for me today and every day.  

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?

 Zechariah 1:1-6

Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, Return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.’ But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the LORD. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? Zechariah 1:4-6a

I resume my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is a unassisted review of Zechariah 1:4-6a, which the commentary outlines as the second of three divisions for the text vv1-6 (1:1-3, 1:4-6a, 6b).  Here, the Lord seeks for us to remember - and in this case for negative reasons.  Don't do what God's people have repeatedly done.  Throughout redemptive history as portrayed in the Old Testament, God's people repeatedly turned away from God, sinned and were wicked in God's eyes.  God hates sin.  One of the many broad themes of the OT is the cycle of sin and God's wrath, and we see this very early on in Genesis 3 where among other means of punishment after the Fall, Adam and Eve are sent out from the garden of Eden.  Consistent with yesterday's message, God continues to emphasize here that He reigns, is all powerful and all knowing, hates sin, and seeks obedience.  He also loves His people and does not want to punish them but will if He needs to get our attention. Once again, fear should serve as a preservative to keep us close to God.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, once again, I am reminded of Your amazing grace in that while I was still hostile and an enemy to You, You saved me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving - not by a long shot.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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.   

Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts.

 Zechariah 1:1-6

Return to me, says the LORD of hosts, and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 1:3

I resume my study of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  For this morning, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 1:1-3, which the commentary outlines as the first of three divisions for the text vv1-6 (1:1-3, 1:4-6a, 6b).  The introduction to this chapter of the commentary shares "[t]he hope of the gospel is that lost people can be found and that distant and wandering believers can come back to the Lord....Jesus calls us to return when we wander far from Him."  The commentary then shares how believers are not immune to straying from God and it points out how believers still struggle with divorce, pornography, racism, lack of tithing, etc.  Zechariah and his family are described in v1 - Berechiah - his father, and Iddo - his grandfather.  These names in Hebrew are defined with Zechariah's name meaning "the Lord Remembers," Berechiah's as "the Lord blesses," and Iddo's as "in time" with the combination of these names describing how the Lord remembers and blesses as His set time.  God gave Zechariah a message to encourage His people who had returned from Babylonian captivity and exile to continue in their efforts to rebuild the temple - yet due to various factors work stopped.  Haggai delivered a similar message. The commentary describes God's people as being complacent and discouraged in their fellowship with God - and God became very angry.  Zechariah exhorts God's people to a "renewed closeness of the Lord," and the commentary outlines three divisions, each of which provide a motivation to return to the Lord.  The first division or motivation provided by the commentary is God’s Righteous Wrath Calls Us to Return to Him.  In v2 Zechariah share how angry God was the people's ancestors and their lack of faithfulness and resulting sin.  We are referred to Psalm 78:10-11 that describes God's people and their spiritual state prior to Babylonian captivity and exile. Zechariah implores God's people to see the God they are spurning - the Lord of hosts - He who reigns over all, creator of Heaven and Earth and all of its inhabitants.  We are reminded that yes God is love, compassion, mercy, etc. but he is just, we are commanded to love Him (most important commandment), and scripture is clear that the "wages of sin are death" (Romans 6:23).  As such, when we sin and especially when we spurn God we should be clear that God has every right to be angry.  He may be slow to anger (Nahum 1:3) but a righteous and just God does get angry with us when when we sin. The commentary shares: "[w]hen people deliberately take the path of sin and rebellion, when we determine to distance ourselves from Him, we experience God’s anger, His righteous wrath, just as the Jewish people did in their history. God is angry at sin in my life and in your life. And when we rebel against Him, we place ourselves into His anger zone."  We should be very careful straying from God and a reverent fear of God should drive us into His arms - John Piper refers to "fear as a preservative," helping us understand that God may love us but at the same time He is just and all powerful and can mete out His wrath and judgement just as easily as He can love. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord God You are an awesome God who loves and save - thank You Jesus for Your amazing grace.  I am not deserving of such incredible love.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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.

[T]he immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe...

Ephesians 1:19

[T]he immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe...Ephesians 1:19

Given I have caught up with and am now ahead with where John Piper is in recording his videos on 1 and 2 Timothy for DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book series, this morning I lean on the Solid Joys daily devotion, which today encourages all to recognize the omnipotence of God "all day, every day, in all the ordinary and extraordinary experiences of life?"  John Piper first describes this omnipotence as "eternal, unshakable refuge in the everlasting glory of God no matter what happens on this earth. And that confidence is the source and power of radical obedience to the call of God."  If we recognize this omnipotence as Piper describes, Piper then encourages us to see how this will make a "difference...in our personal lives and in our ministries[.] How humble and powerful we would become for the saving purposes of God!"  We are also encouraged to take refuge in this omnipotence and how this will produce "joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ." 

Indeed believe and experience this joy, freedom, and power! 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Jesus, You have produced miracle upon miracle in my life as Your grace and mercies are new every day and are ceaseless.  Thank You Jesus for my salvation and more...my cup overflows. I am not deserving of any of this.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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 continue to 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. 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 Matthew 28

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at three attributes of Christ- which John Piper refers to as "massive peaks in the mountain range of Christ's character: the peak of his power; the peak of his kindness; and the peak of his purposefulness."  Piper uses Jesus's remarks to the disciples from the Great Commission in Matthew 28.  Piper's broad point today is how as humans we are wired to "long to see and know is a Person whose power is unlimited, whose kindness is tender, and whose purpose is single and unflinching."  Of course, no earthly person will ever meet this description.  Only Christ is these things...and so much more!  He is the real deal!  Worship the Risen Christ!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and You are all powerful, kind beyond description, and single minded - worthy of worship!  Thank You for how You bless in SO many ways.  I am not deserving of how You love and bless me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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.     

...[W]hat is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church[.]

 Ephesians 1

...[W]hat is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church[.] Ephesians 1:19-22

Given I am complete with my study of Proverbs, I will return to my study of Isaiah, but for today, I pause to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - which today focuses on God's omnipotence and how this helps us in our daily battle with sin. The devotion's core message is that we live confidently in light of knowing God's omnipotence. Paul is actually praying for this (v16).  Piper writes: '[t]he omnipotence of God means refuge for the people of God. And when you really believe that your refuge is the omnipotence of God Almighty, there is a joy and a freedom and a power that spills over in a life of radical obedience to Jesus Christ." In this sermon, Piper further explores these verses and shares how these verses enable us to live confidently in our daily battles with sin. I yearn to - with the help of the Holy Spirit - as fully as possible, appreciate God's omnipotence, such that I can live confidently in my battle with sin, and be radically obedient. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Heavenly Father - Jesus - You are an awesome God and You provide believers with power through the Holy Spirit - for radical obedience, and to defeat sin - thank You Jesus for this gift and how You never leave or forsake us.  I am not deserving of such blessings, including my faith and salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  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.

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Matthew 8-9, 13, Luke 8-9, Mark 4-6

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17

Day 301 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I move further into the New Testament - focusing on Jesus' miracles as my commentary* notes: ..."the miracles are a means of confirming the message that the kingdom of God is now being established with power! God is establishing his rule through Christ, and proving it with the miraculous power which Jesus exercises over the forces of nature, over the spirit world, and over death and disease."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Acknowledging the power behind Jesus' miracles - that Jesus is who He claims to be  - is without doubt important.  It's not about what Jesus does, it is about who He is and the power He has...over everything...forever.  

Just as Jesus challenges some of His followers to examine why we follow Jesus, we must do the same...are we willing to put Jesus first in our lives.  DesiringGod.com has more thoughts on this challenge.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who rules over all - Creator and King of Kings - I am grateful that You love me and saved me...and I am fully aware that I am completely undeserving.  My sin is daily and it continues.  Worry, 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, apply, and be obedient to Your message today and every day.

We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.

Luke 17

We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. v10

John Piper this morning helps us better understand how Jesus increases our faith through the messages of Luke 17:7-10.  

Piper explains how Jesus, in the previous verse (v6), Jesus emphasizes "that the crucial issue in accomplishing great things to advance the kingdom of God is not the quantity of our faith, but the power of God....By referring to the tiny mustard seed after being asked about increased faith, he deflects attention away from the quantity of faith to the object of faith. God moves mulberry trees. And it does not depend decisively on the quantity of our faith, but on his power and wisdom and love. In knowing this we are helped not to worry about our faith and are inspired to trust God’s free initiative and power."

In the following verses, Piper explains how, in v7-10, we are never deserving of thanks from God but instead we will always be a "debtor" to Him.  He then explains how "[w]e never move beyond the need for grace.

Our faith should be increased by our understanding that we are dependent on both God's power and His grace.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God - I have seen Your power in my life and in the lives of others...and I see Your grace daily!  Thank You Jesus.  I am undeserving of what You have done in my life and for the grace You dispense daily.  I daily miss the mark with my words and actions.  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.

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.

Judges 16

Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes. v28

While we are led to believe that it was Samson's hair that gave him his strength, we must all understand that Samson's strength came only from the Lord - as it is true with all of us.  

We must also believe that we are provided with the same power that resurrected Jesus from the grave:

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21

Lord Jesus, please help understand use the great power available to me through You.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has exercised incredible power in my life - as I have seen Your hand.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth how You have poured out Your blessings on me.  I worry far too much and I am harsh with my words and actions.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  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.

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.”

Deuteronomy 1

Then I said to you, “Do not be terrified; do not be afraid of them. The Lord your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes, and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place.” v29-31

The Israelites were promised a special place (v20, 25) by the Lord yet the Israelites repeatedly grew anxious about their circumstances (lack of food and water, strength of the existing inhabitants of the promised land, etc.).  Out of this anxiety came sin.  This is how Satan works - he exploits our fears to drive a wedge between us and God.  We should not have fear in our lives - easy to say, hard to do.  But then again we have Jesus, in whom all things are possible, and with Him we have a God that will never leave or forsake us.

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14

I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4

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

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, You my Shepherd and my Savior.  Thank You for leading me and providing for me daily.  I am not worth such love.  Please forgive me for my sin that continues - I worry.  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 do.  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.  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.

“I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty.

Nahum 2-3

“I am against you,” declares the Lord Almighty. Nahum 3:5

The Lord is "slow to anger, and abounding in love", yet God's patience is not infinite.  At some point, the clock runs out for those who reject Jesus and the result is eternal damnation. This is the case with those destroyed during the flood, in Sodom and Gomorrah, here in Ninevah, and again during the end times.

Even those who fail to fully surrender their lives to Jesus (Ananias and Sepphira, the church in Laodicea) are subject to eternal damnation...don't be fooled.  God is clear, we are to repent and turn to God and to love Him with all of our heart, soul and mind, and to love others as ourselves (Exodus 20, Matthew 22). 

We must try and save others.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God and You are worthy of my reverent fear, love, attention, and obedience.  You have given everything to me and You gave Yourself away for me...thank You Jesus...this is overwhelming and I am not worth such love.  I continue to be stingy with my love. Please forgive me and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul and mind and love others as You do. 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.  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.

Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.

Jonah 1

Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased. v13

Nothing can stop God's plan from coming to fruition.  God is in control and when He sets a plan in motion - nothing can stop it.

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  Colossians 1:16-17

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21

See also this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed a great God who is before and in all things, You created all things and all things are for You.  I am part of Your creation created for Your glory and purposes.  You have done many miracles in my life - yet I often seek my own will and desires for my life and not Yours.  Thank You for the many blessings but please forgive me Jesus.  Help me overcome my sins and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects from chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name.

Amos 4

He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind, and who reveals his thoughts to mankind, who turns dawn to darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord God Almighty is his name. v13

We often need to remind ourselves that there is a God, He is in everything, He has created everything in Him and for Him, and He holds everything together (Colossians 1:16-17).  He is all powerful, and all knowing.  He does not need us yet He loves us so much that He sent His one and only Son to suffer and die for us (John 3:16).  Our God is a great God and He is Almighty!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I see and feel Your presence every day.  I am so thankful for the many blessings You pour out for me.  I am not worth such love and blessings.  I am weak, selfish, lazy, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You do.  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.  Help me serve You, my family, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.