For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:27-38

For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Mark 8:38

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 8:27-38, 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?: This passage focuses on Jesus teaching the disciples about His identity.  Jesus continues to reveal who He is about Himself and He wants His disciples to be clear about who He is - this is important because all believers should be clear about who Jesus is.  Jesus is God.  He is Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit - the Triumvirate God.  Although in this passage of scripture explicitly, Jesus reveals through Peter that He is The Christ which in an of itself must be unpacked.  We also understand that Jesus must die on the cross (v31) - Jesus becomes the perfect, spotless lamb of God that takes upon Himself the sin of the world and the resulting punishment - death - as a substitution and atonement for all of humanity's sins throughout redemptive history.  This must happen and as with anything relating to God's plan - it cannot be stopped. Jesus seeks for His disciples and followers to be humble and to follow His example of humility...to be more like Jesus.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People may not like what God is doing - for example Peter does not like that Jesus shares that He must die at the hands of the Jewish elders.  Despite how Peter does not like Jesus' plan to die on the cross, it's not something he should take upon himself to intervene.  We should be as clear minded as possible about our circumstances to discern what God is doing and pray for wisdom about what God wants us to do in our circumstances.  We should not be rash about what we think we should do from an earthly perspective.  We should also not be ashamed about God or our faith - see v38.  We must boldly claim the Gospel.  The world may not want to hear the Gospel but we are commanded to share it.     
• 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 must avoid taking things into our own hands but instead see what God is doing in our circumstances and seek Him in prayer for wisdom and direction.  We should set our minds on the things of God - scripture and prayer - renewing our mind (Romans 12:2). We should be humble (vv34-35).  We should claim God's promise that if we deny ourself, follow Jesus and have faith - we will be saved (v35). We should not be ashamed of our faith nor about sharing the Gospel.  

V38 in particular is convicting - implying that we must be unabashed in our faith and in our efforts to live and proclaim that Christ is King, and that all must repent and belief to be saved.  

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that saves and whose Good News is perfect and worthy of sharing throughout all corners of the world.  Your Word has allowed me to see You, and to deepen my understanding and love of who You are.  It has molded me into more of Your image - I know there is more to go but I am grateful for my salvation and the work You are doing in me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  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. 

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?"

Mark 2:1-12

Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?" Mark 2:5-8

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 2:5-11, which is the text for the second (of three) division of vv1-12 per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary for the second division (We Should See Jesus for Who He Truly Is) vv5-11:

• "[The scribes] recognized that the proclamation of forgiveness was not a passing comment but a declaration of deity: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” This was a serious charge with serious consequences. They understood Jesus’ words to be dishonoring and disrespectful to God. Blasphemy was a grave offense, punishable by death from stoning (Lev 24:15-16). Jesus’ words are indeed blasphemous—unless He is in fact God! The whole scenario leaves everyone questioning, 'Who is this One claiming to forgive sins?'"
• "In Jewish thinking even the Messiah could not forgive sins! God and God alone has that authority and right. Those first-century Jews knew exactly what was going on: if He can forgive sins, then Jesus is God."
• "[In using the reference to Himself as the Son of Man,] sometimes Jesus shows Himself to be the Son of Man who is serving (2:10; 2:28). At other times Jesus is the Son of Man who is suffering (8:31; 9:9,12; 10:33,45; 14:21,41). Finally, Jesus is the Son of Man who is coming in glory (8:38; 13:26; 14:62). The title occurs more often after Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ and Jesus begins to teach clearly about His own death (8:29)....Jesus uses the title to refer to Himself with both connotations. As God incarnate, He is a human being who identifies with sinful humanity as He serves and suffers on our behalf. As God, He is the coming Lord of glory." 
• "Jesus avoided the term “Christ” (Messiah) because He was a much different kind of Messiah from what the Jewish nation anticipated in the first century. He first came to suffer, and then He would come in glory. Claiming the title “Son of Man” allowed Him to refer to the total scope of His Messianic mission without all the political overtones."
• "Only in this present text is the forgiveness of sins linked to the divine title “Son of Man.” By implication Jesus does this again in 10:45 when He weds the Son of Man of Daniel 7 to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, thereby redefining who the Messiah is and what He came to do. He is God, a divine heavenly figure who will receive an everlasting kingdom." 

Believers of today have of course the benefit of hindsight to understand the attributes of Jesus as a Savior that serves, suffers, and coming in glory.  It is important that our lives and our witness - both in words and deed reflect an accurate understanding of Jesus.  We must see Jesus as serving because Jesus wants us to love and serve others as He loves and serves others.  We must also see Jesus as suffering and able to sympathize with our suffering.  As Jesus did, our own suffering should be viewed as God-planned and ordained for a purpose - that God be glorified in our weakness (see post from DesiringGod.com here) as we are utterly dependent on Him.  Also, we can approach Jesus in confidence in prayer because He is able to sympathize with our suffering and equip us to endure (see Hebrews 4:15-16).  If we are unable to love, serve others, and suffer like Jesus did then this is a reflection of our own understanding of who Jesus is and we should be leaning into Jesus to help us see Jesus for who He is so that we can be molded into more of His image. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer:  Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and mercy for me that is ceaseless and new every morning.  You also give me Your Word to draw close to You and understand more of who You are.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of these blessings.  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 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.

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Timothy 1:17

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17

I continue with my study of 1 and 2 Timothy using DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video series - picking up with 1 Timothy 1:17, with the video entitled Why Paul Soars into Doxology. 

Excerpts from the video: 

• John Piper proposes that Paul writes such a doxology because he values eternal life (particularly as he has just expressed this value in vv12-16)
• The first four attributes of the doxology are relevant for eternity: sovereign over all time and all eternity, immortal (not subject to decay), invisible (not material), only God (no competitors to defeat Him or bring Him to an end); all these attributes serve Paul's doxology (or short hymn to praise God)
  
• In praise, we ascribe honor (dignity, integrity, greatness, virtue, worth) and glory (greatness, majesty, beauty, worth, radiance of honor)
• Praising will not cease...ever...this is how Paul feels about his salvation and how we should as well. 

We should treasure eternal life and the eternal God underneath this life. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for my eternal life and salvation - of course I am not deserving.  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.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5

I continue my preparation for leading Sunday school 15SEP, where our focus will be 1 John 1:5-10 and DesiringGod.com's Look at the Book video series for 1 John.  To provide another angle on my preparation, today I lean on the commentary to 1, 2, 3 John from The Christ-Centered Exposition Series, specifically, as it describes this text with the following divisions:

1. The World Must Know What God Says about Himself (v5): 1 John 1:1-4 describe Jesus Christ as "from the beginning" (v1), "the Word of life" (v1), "the eternal life" (v2), the Father's Son (v3), the source of fellowship (v3), and the source of joy (v4). "This is God’s witness concerning His Son and our Savior. This is what He thinks about Jesus Christ. Having met this Savior in repentance and faith, we have a divine assignment that involves the proclamation of a specific gospel with a universal scope (2:2). This message is for the whole world....[This] is an abiding and permanent mandate to get it to the nations, to all 16,500 people groups in the world, with 6,900 still unreached (JoshuaProject.net, as of Feb. 10, 2014)....That “God is light” is an embedded aspect of faithful gospel proclamation. It highlights the contrast between who God is and who we are without Him. The word “light” occurs in some form over 275 times in the Bible (95 times in the New Testament). It is a popular theme throughout the Scriptures....An essential component of faithful gospel proclamation is an understanding of the nature and character of God.  This is a theme that John will raise several times. For example, he teaches us that God is light (1:5), God is love (4:8,16), and God is true (5:20)....[T]he image of light...sometimes it points to God’s holiness, moral purity, and goodness. Other times the focus is on truth and revelation. It is certainly possible John wished to communicate all these ideas here....In the light of God is the fullness of the life of God, and there is no lack of life in Him at all. This is a non-negotiable tenet in faithful theology and faithful gospel proclamation. This is a message we must be passionate to share with the world."    
   
2. The World Must Know What God Says about Sin (vv6-10): "If we say we have fellowship with God—that God is our intimate friend, known in light and life—yet we walk in darkness—in death and all that accompanies spiritual death and darkness (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3)—we lie and do not practice or live out the truth. The verb “walk” is in the present tense and speaks of a continuous and consistent pattern of life. In essence, we say to others, “I know God,” but our beliefs and behavior contradict our words. By denying that Jesus is God in the flesh and downplaying the seriousness of sin, we lie to others about who we are....Those who live in death and darkness do not just lie to others, saying one thing while believing and living another. Eventually they lie to themselves, becoming self-deceived....It should be noted that the apostle John does not deny our need to be seen as sinless. He simply notes that we cannot find it in ourselves. We need an advocate. We need an atonement. We need another....John says...[if you] lie to others (1:6) and lie to yourself (1:8), and soon you will lie about God. In fact you will actually call God a liar....Someone else’s word says we have no sin problem. But God says we are sinners and need a Savior."

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good!  You give me the breath of life, amazing grace and mercies every day that never cease and You give me my salvation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving.  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.

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Exodus 3

God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Exodus 3:15

As I continue to be in between studies, having wrapped up my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at attributes of God based on how He is referred to as Yahweh.  Piper highlights the exchange between God and Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 to help us better understand who God is.  He then lists 10 attributes of God based on His name Yahweh or "I am":

1. He never had a beginning.
2. God will never end.
3. God is absolute reality. There is no reality before him. There is no reality outside of him unless he wills it and makes it. He is all that was eternally. No space, no universe, no emptiness. Only God.
4. God is utterly independent. 
5. Everything that is not God depends totally on God. 
6. All the universe is by comparison to God as nothing.
7. God is constant.  
8. God is the absolute standard of truth and goodness and beauty.
9. God does whatever he pleases and it is always right and always beautiful and always in accord with truth.
10. God is the most important and most valuable reality and person in the universe.
    

One attribute not discussed in today's devotion is how God is all knowing - omniscient.  This is important for believers because God's knows all about our sin yet He still loves and saves us...He poured out his grace and love for us by going to the cross for us...amazing grace!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who knows everything about me, including my sin, yet loves me enough to die for me.  Amazing....grace.  Thank You Jesus! Of course I am not deserving of such grace...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. 

Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Hebrews 3

Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. Hebrews 3:6

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is initial observations of Hebrews 3:1-6. My bible refers to these verses with the heading "Jesus Greater Than Moses", as these verses contrast Moses to Jesus.  As a starting point, I went to Deuteronomy 34 where, upon Moses' death, scripture offers the following as an epitaph: 

And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. Deuteronomy 34:10-12

Hebrews' likely audience was Jewish believers, and this commentary indicates that this audience was "intimately familiar with the Old Testament, particularly The Pentateuch" (first five books of the Bible, including Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) - where Moses of course plays a key role. So, while today's believers may wonder why they need to compare Moses to Jesus, an understanding of this book's original audience provides important context.  

For this morning, I zero in on v6 (and how v1-5 build up to this verse) where scripture indicates how Christ is faithful over God's house, which this verse defines as the church, if we remain confident and hopeful in Him.  Let us strive to maintain our confidence and hope in Him!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who is full of grace for me, and You are faithful - I know You will never leave or forsake me.  Thank You Jesus for Your faithfulness.  I am not deserving of such faithfulness.  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.

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench[.]

Isaiah 42-44

He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench[.] Isaiah 42:2-3

I continue my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, I move on to Lesson 16, Day 3a, where the focus remains on Isaiah 42, largely on v1-9 where we examine the subject of these verses, and of course it is Jesus.  My study encourages me to see how Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy, pointing to Matthew 12:15-21, where Jesus says as much pointing back to Isaiah 42:1-3. As I read this morning these verses, I struggled to fully understand the intent of how Jesus does not "cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench[.]"  I leaned on John Piper to deepen my understanding and here is Piper (in the broader context of a message on the Pleasures of God) on these verses as he describes (using Jonathan Edwards words): the "excellencies" of Jesus (emphasis added): 

"[T]his servant, in whom the Father so fully delights, is so gentle that if he finds your wick, the wick of your little candle of faith, just smoldering — it’s not even making any light; it’s just smoke — he extinguish you but gently blow on your to light the flame again. That’s tenderness. There’s a grass that grows in Georgia that could be six feet tall. You could break it at the bottom and make a spear. If you hit one of them in the middle, you know it’s just going to flop over. If Jesus finds you that way, he’s not going to but you down. He props you up. A bruised reed, he will not break.

On the one hand, we have a majesty that is breathtaking. He made the world. He upholds the world. On the other hand, you have the most intimate, tender, kind, gentle, patient, loving, sweet, warm, breathe-on-your-wick friend, and the Father delights in that. It really makes God happy when he sees that.

One of the most moving sermons I have ever read on the excellencies of Christ is by Jonathan Edwards. Edwards argues that for us and for God, what makes Christ so delightful, so satisfying is not just his majesty and not just his meekness. It’s the conjunction of many diverse excellencies. It’s that way with people isn’t it? If you meet a masculine man and he’s all man, he’s not a very impressive fellow. He must have some feminine traits. If you meet a woman and she’s all feminine, she’s not impressive either. She needs some masculine traits."

What a perfect and amazing God we have!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who never leaves or forsakes me - You are a great encouragement - supernatural encouragement!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the encouragement and hope You provide.  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.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Genesis 25, 27, 30, and 32

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Jacob: Wrestling with the Past*".

*Title of lesson three from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day three starts with Max Lucado emphasizing that "God blesses us in spite of our lives and not because of our lives." God knows all about Jacob's past yet He still blesses him and gives Jacob a new name - a new name that is more symbolic of who Jacob is in God's eyes. Lucado then wants us to see how Jacob focused on knowing God's name (Genesis 32:29) and that with each encounter (or wrestling match) with God, Jacob's name for God evolved as he better understood God's character.  Ultimately, as Jacob gets older he sees God as his "shepherd" and "the Angel who has delivered [him] from all harm" (Genesis 48:15-16). 

For me, this morning, my takeaway is that we are encouraged to "wrestle" with Him - check out this awesome post at DesiringGod.com. 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and whom I have seen and significantly encountered many times in my life and I am grateful for each and every encounter as my love for You as grown - I know You exist and You have blessed me in so many ways I cannot even list all of them here.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  I worry and I have many 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. 

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.

Hebrews 7

Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. v26-27

In describing Christ as a high priest, the author of Hebrews gives a great summary of some of the key attributes of our Lord and Savior.  More than anything, I am struck by how Jesus "truly meets our need".  Truly is defined as "with exactness of construction or operation" - in essence our need is met perfectly and only by God (see John Piper post here).  Note how the author uses the word need in the singular - implying that salvation is our greatest need above all (see also a Biblical worldview of Maslow's hierarchy of needs discussed here).  

While believers can acknowledge that we all sin and need a Savior (and that Jesus is that Savior) it is nonetheless important to examine our priorities and to remind ourselves of the primacy of our relationship with Jesus.

Jesus meets our need.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a a great God who meets my need - You do this solely and perfectly - thank You Jesus! I need You daily.  Yet I am undeserving of how You feed and sustain me.  I sin...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 God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

Acts 17

“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ v24-28

There is much to unpack here as Paul helps the Athenians understand the One True God (vs all of their idols).

First we must understand that God has no limits in any way - not physically or via any limits to His capabilities.  He also does not need us but created us so that we may seek Him and glorify Him and bring others to Him...so that we may be saved (see also John 3).  God is not far from us and we are His offspring.  God loves us and He cares for us.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God and I know You love and care for me - thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving of Your love.  I have briefly drifted from You and I need Your forgiveness for many things. Please forgive me and help me overcome 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.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. v1-5

According to BibleOverview.com, "John is the fourth and last Gospel (an account of Jesus’ life and ministry) in the new Testament. John focuses on the deity of Christ more so than the other four: we see Jesus as the Word of God, the Son of God, and God Himself. Jesus is a great miracle worker, an omniscient teacher, a compassionate provider, and a faithful friend".

BibleOverview.com also indicates that, unlike the other (synoptic) gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), "John does not aim to chronicle the whole life of Christ—in fact, John doesn’t think the world could contain such a document (John 21:25). Instead, John presents a few signs and teachings that should compel us to believe in Jesus".

Verses 1-5 are a great place for us to start regarding who Jesus is.  I am excited to dive into my study of John.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are!  You are Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit!  You live in my heart, and Your live in Your Word and my study of Your Word allows me to hear from You and learn about and from You - thank You Jesus for all of this!  I am undeserving of such a God.  I worry and I am full of stress.  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 as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me....Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

Micah 7

But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me....Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance?
You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. v7,18

God demonstrates all of his attributes all of the time.  We cannot see God as angry without seeing Him as full of mercy and compassion (v18-19).  He is also faithful (v20).

Yes God is angry at Israel and Judah but He is also full of mercy and compassion, and He is faithful.  These among His many attributes which He displays all the time.  God is big...too big for us to even imagine who He is.  And this is a God who loves me, hears me, and who pardons sin and forgives transgression.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose anger is justified and who does not stay angry but instead is full of mercy and compassion, forgiveness, etc.  Thank You God for all that You are and do.  I am not worthy of such love.  I daily miss the mark.  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, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.

Psalm 119

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. v97

I posted about scripture memorization last week, and today's verses reinforce the importance of this spiritual discipline.  "Meditating" or reflecting on God's Word all day long blesses us in many ways as stated the verses that follow:

Your commands are always with me
    and make me wiser than my enemies.

 I have more insight than all my teachers,
    for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
    for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
    so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
    for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!I gain understanding from your precepts;
    therefore I hate every wrong path. 

Your word is a lamp for my feet,

    a light on my path. v98-105

When we read and study God's Word, we better understand God, His power and love, His character, and His attributes.  The more I understand God, the more likely I will be able to understand His will for my life (Romans 12:2).  What a great God we have!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I love You - the more I know about You the more my love for You grows. I know I need You in my life - badly.  I can do no good thing without You.  I would be lost without You.  Thank You for being a lamp unto my feet.  You bless me well beyond what I deserve - my words of thanks are insufficient for what You do for me.  I need Your forgiveness and protection.  Forgive me for being distracted by the things of this world - by my worry.  Help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin, and serve You.  Help me understand be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.