“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:1-23

 “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

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 7:1-23.  Excerpts from the third (of  three) division (vv14-23):

• The title for the third division is: "Legalists Are Confused Concerning the Source of Defilement, Resulting in a Lack of True Understanding."
• "The most deadly contamination is not what I touch. The most deadly contamination is what is in my heart." 
• "When His disciples ask the meaning of this parable, Jesus once again (cf. 6:52; 8:17-18) chides them for their lack of understanding. This is one of the most critically important spiritual lessons in the whole Word of God. Jesus explains that corruption is not external but internal. Impurity is not a matter of the stomach but of the heart. Defilement is not what goes in but what comes out." 
• "The basic problem of fallen humanity is not what we do but who we are! Real filth, impurity, and defilement are inside and unseen, but eventually they will show themselves, as verses 21-23 make clear." 
• "Inevitably, sin’s root will produce sin’s fruit. And it is an ugly, destructive crop to behold. Jesus provides a selective list of sin’s fruit." 
• "There are basically only two approaches to religion, each of which can be summed up in a single word: do or done. The world says the problem is out there, and the solution is to answer the question, What can I do? The Bible says the problem is inside of us, and the answer is what Christ has done! You see, in legalism we think better of ourselves than Jesus does. But in salvation we think the same of ourselves as Jesus does: we are hopeless, helpless sinners in desperate need of a Savior." 
• We are referred to 1 Samuel 16:7 where Samuel is seeking God's anointed king to replace Saul who has lost favor in God's eyes.  In David, God seeks and finds a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

I have seen first hand how God has entered my heart and changed me from the inside out - into more of His own image.  What an incredible blessing it is to be saved and one of God's elect.  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time.  God also gave me a desire to know and pursue Him.  Thank You Jesus!  An answer to prayer indeed!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, thank You for my salvation, thank You for giving me a desire to know and pursue You, and thank You for the blessing of growing in my heart and transforming me into more of Your image.  I am not deserving of any of this!  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  I also know there is more work to do and that You are not done with this transforming work.  Please keep going and use me - fully.  Help me grow in my faith.  Please give Lisa and myself wisdom and energy.  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. 

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.

Mark 7:1-23

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person. Mark 7:21-23

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 7:1-23, 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 cares about our heart condition not about what we do that we think pleases God - our motives and our heart condition towards God matter most.  The Pharisees were more concerned about washing of hands and external cleansing - but this did not matter to God as much as love of Him and others.  It is our heart that requires cleansing and only Jesus can forgive us and cleanse us from the stain of sin.       
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The Pharisees were more worried about being right about tradition than they were about pleasing God.  God does not seek empty rituals that are devoid of any love of God.  The Pharisees are not alone in what they do as we often do the same thing.  
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): People often chase things to do thinking they are pleasing God - instead we should understand that we cannot earn God's love or His favor.  Nobody can do this - we should all understand that we all sin, we all need a Savior, Jesus is that Savior and that God saves not because of anything we do but because He is full of grace and compassion.  This should drive us into the arms of Jesus for us to know, love and surrender to Him such that the Holy Spirit does a work in us to make us more like Him....and this will be Him doing the work!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome that saves - not because of anything we do but because You are full of grace and compassion towards us.  Thank You Jesus for this grace and compassion!  I am not deserving of such grace and compassion 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 Your message for me today and every day. 

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”

Mark 2:18-22

No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.” Mark 2:21-22

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 2:21-22, which is the text for the second (of two) divisions per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary:

• "The pertinent question isn’t why Jesus’ disciples didn’t fast, but why the Pharisees didn’t feast and celebrate the presence of the Messiah! Here Jesus informs us that He came to make things new and not perpetuate the old. With the coming of the Messiah, Judaism must give way to Christianity—and rightly so, for in Jesus the Hebrew faith finds its fulfillment and completion."
• "In the first parable, attempting to unite the gospel of Jesus and the old religion of Judaism—exemplified by the Pharisees’ ritualistic fasting—is as foolish as trying to patch an old, worn-out garment with a new, unshrunk piece of cloth....With the coming of Jesus, everything is new. The old was not bad, but it is no longer usable. It has been replaced by something better. To continue to try to prop it up and give it a new face is useless. It is futile." 
• "When the real thing has arrived, we do not continue to worship the shadow (Hebrews 10:1)."
•  "[Jesus] is not an attachment, addition, or appendage to the status quo. He cannot be integrated into or contained by preexisting structures—even Judaism, the Torah, and the synagogue. The question is not whether the Pharisees will add Jesus’ teachings to their list of traditions and rituals—like sewing a new patch on an old garment—but whether they will forsake the shadow of the old covenant and embrace the reality of the new covenant."
• "Nor is it a question whether disciples will incorporate Jesus in their old way of life—like refilling an old container—but whether they will become entirely new receptacles for the expanding fermentation of Jesus and the gospel in their lives."
• "Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, types, and demands of the Law of Moses. The Law was ended at Calvary when the perfect sacrifice was once [for all] offered for the sins of the world (Hebrews 8–10). When you trust Jesus Christ, you become part of a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), and there are always new experiences of grace and glory."   

Upon salvation, as believers become a new creation, we must consider how old habits and ways must die - there may even be people in our lives where distance may be needed as we seek to design life pleasing to God.  We should be willing to examine all aspects of our lives to assess whether an old habit or way of doing things is truly God pleasing.  Daily reading and study of God's Word is core to how we do this as scripture reveals sin to us.  Gospel centered relationships and fellowship with other believers also are key as "iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17.  As I posted yesterday, humility is key as well because "He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God worthy of my worship and devotion - You saved me and You continue to do a work in me, and are full of mercies that never cease and are new every morning.  Thank You Jesus.  Yet I am not worthy as my sin continues - my old ways.  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 John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast.

Mark 2:18-22

Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. Mark 2:18-19

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 2:18-22, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary.  Observations using the Sword Bible Study Method:

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God does not want empty heartless ceremonial worship practices - He seeks us, for us to love and worship Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind and then to love others.  See Matthew 22:34-40. With Jesus, we have a new covenant based on His blood - Hebrews 9:15-28.  As such, the ceremonial law of the Old Testament no longer apply - Jesus keeps the moral law but the keeping of the law is a natural response of a heart condition that seeks to please Him. God thinks of believers as new creations - vv21-22 - therefore as long as we abide in Him, He will abide in us and bear fruit (see John 15:1-9) as He day by day makes us into more of His image. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People have habits and grow comfortable with these habits, and often we feel as if it is very difficult to break these habits.  When we are challenged in our faith, as were the Pharisees, we should be humble and ask God to mold us into His image.  The example to follow here is Jesus who focused on humility, our heart condition and glorifying the Father vs external behaviors and earning our favor with God.  
• 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 should avoid hypocrisy - a chief sin Jesus pointed out with the scribes and Jewish leaders of Jesus' day.  We should not believe that we can earn our favor with God through our own action - the focus should be on God getting the glory - we decrease, and God increases.      

In the text today, Jesus shared how the days will come when He is taken away from us (v20).  Jesus was taken away from His followers through His death on the cross, yet He leaves us with the Holy Spirit who lives on in our hearts and lives (Galatians 2:20).  Our daily reading and study of God's Word enables us to remain in Him and Him to remain in us.       

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 - and You pour out Your mercies without end every morning.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You save and bless me daily with Your mercies.  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.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 8: The Originality of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• Jesus is accused by many to speak with a "patchwork of quotations" and as a "repeater of wisdom taught by men before his day."
• "The fact is that God has never left himself without a witness. The Son of God has always been in the world. He is the light that lights every man who is born. From the beginning he has been giving men right ideas and right feelings and helping them to reach right conclusions and decisions. We ought, therefore, to expect nothing in Jesus' teaching absolutely unthought of before his incarnation. We ought to expect to find just what we do find, that everything he taught had been anticipated, and that all his cardinal ideas had existed in germ in the writings of holy men who at diverse times had been moved by the Holy Spirit. Jesus instead of suggesting ideas never before heard of, and expounding truths of which no man had ever conceived, picked up the ancient writings, declaring that they contain the word of the Almighty and that he had come to interpret their meaning and to fulfill what the poets and prophets had dreamed. He did not come to destroy the old ideas or the old truths. He came to fulfill." 
  
• "It is at this point, then, that we are to look for the originality of Jesus. We shall not find it in his phrases or even in his conceptions, but rather in his emphasis and his manner of reading life and the world." 
  
• "Men were reading the Scriptures, but they did not know which words to emphasize. Jesus understood. The result was that the Scripture became new....[T]he leaders of the Jewish church had forgotten the point of emphasis. Jesus knew. By emphasizing mercy instead of sacrifice he made religion new. Men had forgotten how to read the world. There were institutions and there were human beings, and the wisest men of Israel had forgotten which is most important, — an institution or a man. Jesus threw the emphasis on the individual soul and by so doing opened a new epoch in the history of the world." 
  
• "[Jesus] lifted himself into a unique position and claimed for himself privileges and rights which he denied to all others. He claimed to be the light of the world, the bread of life, the water of life, the only good shepherd, the way, the truth, the life, the only mediator between God and man, the only one who knows deity completely and who can save the world from its sins. Here we strike something which is unique and in every sense original."
  
• "John, who knew him best, heard him saying, "Behold I make all things new." He could say this because he was new himself."
  
•  "It may be that for some of you life has grown irksome and the world drab and commonplace....The days are threadbare and everything has lost its bloom. What will you do? This is the wise thing to do: Go to Jesus and give yourself afresh to him. Sink your life deeper into his life and catch his ways of seeing things and serving God.  Take his standpoint, assume his attitude, catch his emphasis, drink in the accent of his voice, and undoubtedly he will do for you what he did for Saul of Tarsus, and what he has done and is doing still for many, — he will make all things new.
  
• "[Jesus] unifies human life and simplifies it and elevates it and transforms it and transfigures it, all because he is the Master and the Savior of the heart. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away: behold all things are become new."

Like Paul, each believer has his or her own testimony about how God and the Holy Spirit worked in his/her life to transform and change the heart - to make it more like Him.  Chuck Colson is one such believer who was radically changed by the Gospel.  IAmSecond.com chronicles many more such stories of heart and life change. Ezekiel 36:26 prophesied this when he delivered words from God: "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."  This is new birth or the doctrine of regeneration.  John Piper speaks of this in a message posted here on DesiringGod.com.  Believe in Jesus and watch Jesus make all things new again!

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who has given me a heart of flesh and made all things new again in my life - thank You!  I am not deserving of how You gave me faith, saved me, and transformed my heart and life.  My sin is great and it continues...arrogance, harshness, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from such 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.

And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.”

Zechariah 7:8-10

And the word of the LORD came to Zechariah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart.” Zechariah 7:8-10

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 today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 7:8-10, which the commentary outlines as the third of five divisions for the text 7:1-8:23 (7:1-3/8:18-23, 7:4-7, 7:8-10, 7:11-14, 8:1-17). The commentary provides the following title for this division: Transformed from Pursuing Religion to Pursuing Righteousness.  Earlier in Zechariah 7, God challenges His people for performing empty rituals rather than having a heart for Him.  This love of Him should direct us to please Him and it pleases Him to be a light to others so that others are drawn to Him.  We do this by loving and serving others.  Of course this includes avoiding "evil against another in our heart."  This is particularly piercing because "in our heart" means that most all of us are guilty of this sin - see also Matthew 5:28 where we Jesus shares that we are not to "look" at others lustfully.  We must focus on our heart condition and examine our lives from the inside out - vs a focus on external behaviors and empty rituals that mean nothing to God - see also Matthew 23:25-26. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who gives me the Holy Spirit that lives inside me - transforming me from the inside out - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor blessings such as 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.

Therefore love truth and peace. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

Zechariah 7:1-3 and 8:18-23

Therefore love truth and peace. "Thus says the LORD of hosts: Peoples shall yet come, even the inhabitants of many cities. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, 'Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.' Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD. Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'" Zechariah 8:19b-23

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 a commentary-assisted review of Zechariah 7:1-3 and 8:18-23, which the commentary outlines as the first of five divisions for the text 7:1-8:23 (7:1-3/8:18-23, 7:4-7, 7:8-10, 7:11-14, 8:1-17).  Here the commentary emphasizes how, building on my post yesterday, a heart transformation is required to more fully experience God.  The commentary describes this first division as "framing" the entirety of the text and how God transforms fasting - which God's people did to commemorate events and periods in Jerusalem's history when the temple was destroyed - into feasting, which is described in the latter verses of chapter 8.  The commentary further describes how God did not require such fasting - only during Yom Kippur (see Leviticus 23:16-32) was fasting commanded. It shares that "[God] can take the most difficult circumstances, the most broken times of your life, and turn them into times of feasting and fruitfulness through His power....experiencing God’s living presence requires deep transformation in our lives."  We must fully surrender our lives to God and seek Him daily through scripture reading, study, prayer, corporate worship, service, and other spiritual disciplines. We must seek God with a "hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6) to transform our hearts (Romans 12:2) into more of His image and so that we can best be able to understand His will for our lives.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for working in my heart and mind to transform me into more of Your image - I know there is more work to do but I am grateful for what You have done - particularly that You have saved me and given me more of a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  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 Your 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 God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Ecclesiastes 12:12-14

I continue my study today of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Ecclesiastes 12:12-14, which covers the fourth division of the commentary chapter titled Politics and Justice Are Meaningless without Jesus - the fourth division specifically is referred to in the commentary as Ecclesiastes Cries Out for a Better King, a Resurrection, and a Final Judgment.  Here, the commentary offers several key takeaways:

• "Our longing for righteous political leaders who set things right is a longing for King Jesus. In His kingdom there is no oppression. There is no inequality. We see this now in seed form in the church—the outpost of the kingdom. Rich and poor, slave and free, sit down together at the table."
• We can defer death with a healthy lifestyle but we cannot escape it and judgement awaits us all - the only option we have is believe in the One who died on the cross - bearing all sin for all of humanity, taking the punishment we all deserve, and giving us the free gift of His grace.  All we need to do is confess and repent our sin, believe, have faith, and surrender our lives to Jesus Christ! He alone will ultimately end oppression and injustice.
  
• "Building a nation on God’s laws will not change America any more than it changed ancient Israel because laws do not change the human heart. Only Jesus can do that."
  

 An earthly life is full of many pursuits (that are meaningless and futile), but for those who believe and trust in God we must remember that our "whole duty" is to "fear God and keep His commandments."

Jesus is the King of Kings - and He saves! Repent, confess, believe, and trust in Him!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercies daily that never cease - You guide, care, protect, heal, etc. Thank You Jesus for saving me!  I am not deserving of such love and 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 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 may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20-21

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion. The highlighted text today shares that Christ's death on the cross and His resurrection, "by the blood of the eternal covenant" not only secures believers' salvation, but also equips us by working in us.  John Piper provides not just Hebrews 13:20-21 but other text, including Jeremiah 31:33 to describe how this works: "Therefore, the blood of this covenant not only secures God’s equipping us to do his will, but also secures God working in us to make that equipping successful.  The will of God is not just written on stone or paper as a means of grace. It is worked in us. And the effect is: We feel and think and act in ways more pleasing to God."  Piper then provides Philippians 2:12-13 to describe the role believers have in using the "equipment He gives."  He concludes by stating: "If we are able to please God — if we do his good pleasure — it is because the blood-bought grace of God has moved from mere equipping to omnipotent transforming."

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus for how You equip me - I am not deserving of such blessing, grace and compassion - my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me turn from such sin and turn 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 has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

Hebrews 8

Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. Hebrews 8:6

I maintain a pause of my study of 1 Corinthians as I continue using DesiringGod.com's Advent devotions where I pick up on Day 14.  Here, John Piper unpacks what occurs in the hearts and lives of believers through the better covenant that is described in Hebrews 8:6 and related text.  Piper first starts by explaining that Christ is a mediator of a new and better covenant because the blood of Christ (His crucifixion and resurrection - see also Luke 20:20, Hebrews 13:20) "finally and decisively purchased and secured the fulfillment of God’s promises for us." Piper continues by sharing that this means that "God, according to the new covenant promises, brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ.  And it means that God works this transformation in us through faith — faith in all that God is for us in Christ.  The new covenant is purchased by the blood of Christ, effected by the Spirit of Christ, and appropriated by faith in Christ." Piper then refers us to Hebrews 13:20-21 where the text, in Piper's words describe "[t]he best place to see Christ working as the Mediator of the new covenant."  Expanding on Hebrews 13:20-21, Piper then concludes the devotion by sharing that "[t]he words “working in us that which is pleasing in his sight” describe what happens when God writes the law on our hearts in accord with the new covenant. And the words “through Jesus Christ” describe Jesus as the Mediator of this glorious work of sovereign grace. So, the meaning of Christmas is not only that God replaces shadows with Reality, but also that he takes the Reality and makes it real to his people. He writes it on our hearts. He does not lay his Christmas gift of salvation and transformation under the tree, so to speak, for you to pick up in your own strength. He picks it up and puts it in your heart and in your mind and gives you the seal of assurance that you are a child of God."  For believers, Christ working in our hearts and lives is dramatic as we and others see the fruit of our faith through heart and life transformation as God molds us into His image.  It is not of course always a fun process but nonetheless God gives us joy and a peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:7). 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me.  You continues to mediate and interceded for me to the Father.  Thank You Jesus!  Thank You for working in my heart and life.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from such 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. 

[P]ut on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4

[P]ut on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24

This morning I pause both my study of 1 Corinthians and my study that accompanies participation in a men's discipleship group (d-group) at my church.  Instead, I lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how change is possible. I suspect this devotion will hit a nerve for many people as it certainly did for me - it hit a nerve because I KNOW what God has done to transform my life and change me.  At the same time, I continue to struggle with change in certain areas - I pray constantly that God would make me a prayer warrior, that I would pray for more people more of the time and to pray with passion, vigor and specificity.  Yet I don't feel as if this prayer is getting answered.  Still, I press on and endure as - in Jesus - I have a blessed hope (Titus 2:13) and a peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7)...among the many, many rich blessings He pours out for us.  This keeps me running back to Him. In this devotion today, John Piper encourages me to press on with efforts to change and to continue praying to become a prayer warrior.  At one point I struggled with Bible study...and in response to prayer, God fanned a flame in me that gave me a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6). God is faithful!  Piper shares how change is possible BECAUSE "[t]he Bible assumes that God is the decisive factor in making us what we should be....This is wonderfully freeing. It frees us from the terrible fatalism that says change is impossible for me. It frees me from mechanistic views that make my background my destiny." To support his claims, Piper provides several scriptures:

• Matthew 23:9: "God adopted us as his children. We have a new Father and a new family. This breaks the fatalistic forces of our “family-of-origin.” “Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven."
  
• Ephesians 5:1: "God loves us as his children. We are “loved children.” The command to imitate the love of God does not hang in the air, it comes with power: “Be imitators of God, as loved children.” “Love!” is the command and being loved by God is the power."
• Ephesians 4:32: "God has forgiven us in Christ. Be tenderhearted and forgiving just as God in Christ forgave you. What God did in Christ is powerful. It makes change possible. The command to be tenderhearted has more to do with what God did for you than what your mother or your father did to you. This kind of command means you can change."
  
• Ephesians 5:2: "Christ loved you and gave himself up for you. “Walk in love, as Christ loved [you].” The command comes with life-changing truth. “Christ loved you.” At the moment when there is a chance to love, and some voice says, “You are not a loving person,” you can say, “Christ’s love for me makes me a new kind of person. His command to love is just as surely possible for me as his promise of love is true for me.”"

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are faithful and with You all things are possible, including change. You gave me a new heart, and made me a new creation.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the love You pour out for 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.

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word[.]

 Ephesians 5

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word[.] Ephesians 5:25-26

For my daily study, I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today looks at how God's unconditional love is not the "sweetest experience of [God's] love" according to John Piper.  First, the elephant in the room for many regarding the highlighted text is that Piper is not focusing on marriage and how husbands are commanded to love their wives.  Instead, Piper first describes how God does have unconditional love for us and this is the basis for our election, justification and salvation as we are not deserving of such love and blessing but God provides for these things unconditionally.  Piper then proceeds to describe how the sanctification process is where God loves us conditionally based on the extent to which that sanctification process matures and we progressively become more like Him, reflect His glory and please Him.  Piper shares: the "sweetest experience [of God's love] is conditional on our transformation into the kind of people whose emotions and choices and actions please God....When [God] unconditionally chooses us, and sends Christ to die for us, and regenerates us, he puts in motion an unstoppable process of transformation that makes us glorious. He gives us a splendor to match his favorite kind: his own." Piper moves from Ephesians 5:25-26 to verse 27 where Paul writes how Christ "present[s] the church to himself in splendor."  Piper concludes the devotion by writing: "[i]t is unspeakably wonderful that God would unconditionally set his favor on us while we are still unbelieving sinners. The ultimate reason this is wonderful is that this unconditional love brings us into the everlasting enjoyment of his glorious presence. But the apex of that enjoyment is that we not only see his glory, but also reflect it." In closing we are referred to 2 Thessalonians 1:12.  We should all seek to please God by progressively reflecting His glory.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves us and who not only loves us unconditionally, but also never leaves or forsakes us and continues to be with us working in our hearts and lives such that we are transformed into more of Your likeness that we can enjoy You more and You can be please more with us!  Incredible - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...please forgive me and help me turn from such sin and overcome it and turn 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.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

1 Corinthians 15

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 1 Corinthians 15:3-9

I continue my study looking at the life of Paul using John Piper's 30 Reasons Why I Love the Apostle Paul.  Today, I move to chapter one - From Angry Killer to Apostle of Christ.  The emphasis in this chapter is the remarkable - and of course, divine - transformation of Paul.  The chapter starts by ensuring we know about Paul as a Jew.  He was born a Pharisee (the strictest sect of Judaism - see Acts 26:5), and studied Jewish law and traditions under Gamaliel (one of the most esteemed teachers among all Jews - see Acts 22:3, 5:34).  Paul was also known for his "radical commitment to the strictest traditions" (see Galatians 1:14, Philippians 3:5-6) - his pedigree was unmatched among his peers and considered advanced. Yet, as he sought to bring followers to Jesus to trial (and ultimately death) (see Acts 9:1-2), Paul encountered the living Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:3-5). Christ gave Paul a mission to preach the Good News to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:15-16). Paul was transformed in an instant and expressed the same zeal he had persecuting Jews to preach to the Gentiles (see Galatians 1:13, 23-24) - it was of course noticeable. Paul's life became a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and his testimony was of course compelling. At the end of the chapter, John Piper refers us to 1 Timothy 1:16 where Paul describes his mission:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost [sinner], Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 

God wants ALL believers to show how others how His perfect patience lives in us as an example to others....so that they may believe.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good and Your Word is perfect in all ways that I may be sanctified by it and made more like You.  Thank You Jesus for the blessing of Your Word.  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.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death[.]

Colossians 1

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death[.] Colossians 1:21-22a

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how believers, apart from God's grace, are hostile to God - in their minds. In this devotion, John Piper starts with the good news - which is for believers.  Believers know that PRIOR to our salvation, we WERE hostile to God - this is stated not just in Colossians 1 but elsewhere in scripture, including Romans 5:8, 10. Through Christ's death and resurrection on the cross, those who confess Him as Lord and Savior have salvation, hope, power, etc. Yet for those who do not confess sin, repent and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, eternal damnation awaits.  Piper looks at the pre-election condition of being "alienated and hostile [to God] in mind" and shares that for those who are not elected by Christ, "hostility is really there toward the true God, but people do not allow themselves to think about the true God. They imagine God to be the way they would like him to be, which seldom includes any possibility that they might be in really serious trouble with him. But concerning the God who really exists — a God who is sovereign over all things, including sickness and calamity — we were all hostile to him, Paul says. Deep down, we hated his absolute power and authority.  That any of us is saved is owing to the wonderful truth that the death of Christ obtained the grace by which God conquered our hearts and caused us to love the One we once hated."  Believers should understand this truth and be overwhelmed in awe and love for God who turned towards us, and loved us first (1 John 4:19).  At the same time, we should continue to show mercy to those who have not turned towards God and seek to snatch them from the fire (Jude 1:22-23).  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me a heart of flesh so that I could love You.  You are worthy of my love and my life as a living sacrifice - You are so good!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor how You 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 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, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Hebrews 9

 ...Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how a genuine longing for a return of Christ serves as a marker for authentic faith.  In contrast, John Piper shares how a love of this world (material possessions, earthly pleasures, etc.) while believing in an escape plan from hell serves as a marker for phony faith. Piper provides litmus tests of authentic faith by referring us to 1 Corinthians 1:7 and Philippians 3:20 - do we await the return of Christ as these churches did?  Of course, another litmus test offered by scripture is "fruit of the Spirit" as described in Galatians 5:22. Others should see a truly transformed heart and life as evidenced by such fruit.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of compassion and grace for me - thank You for saving me and for the sanctifying work You have done and continue to do in my life - I know there is more to do but I am grateful for what You have already done.  I am prayerful that I submit to You and allow You to continue to work in my heart and life.  I am undeserving of how You love me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me, help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn 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 we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2

But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth. 2 Thessalonians 2:13

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at questions many believers have, which is how can I be assured that once God chooses me as one of His elect that I will also endure and persevere such that I can have final salvation.  Piper frames the question this way: "[t]he Bible speaks of our election — God’s choosing us — in Christ before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4) before we had done anything good or evil (Romans 9:11). Therefore, our election is unconditional in the strictest sense. Neither our faith nor our obedience is the basis of it. It is free and utterly undeserved. On the other hand, dozens of passages in the Bible speak of our final salvation (as opposed to our election in eternity past) as conditional upon a changed heart and life." Piper answers this question, using 2 Peter 1:10, Deuteronomy 30:6, and Ezekiel 36:27, by sharing that election is the start of God working in my heart and life, and it is not the end as God.  God will cause and bring about obedience to Him and continue the sanctifying work over the course of your earthly journey with Christ. Piper wraps the devotion by writing: "[e]lection is God’s eternal commitment to do this for his people. So, election guarantees that those whom God justifies by faith he will most assuredly glorify (Romans 8:30). This means that he will unfailingly work in us all the conditions laid down for glorification." Important question and encouraging indeed!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus for never leaving or forsaking me and for the ongoing work of sanctification in my heart and life.  I am not deserving of such blessings and love and grace.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin by turning to 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.

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

Hebrews 4

Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:11-13

I continue my study of Hebrews, assisted by the commentary Christ Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in Hebrews. My focus this morning is Hebrews 4:1-13, as I move on to what the commentary describes as the third division "Entering with the Word," which looks at Hebrews 4:11-13.  Here, the commentary calls out how the text in v11 reinforces the exhortation to "strive to enter [God's] rest."  Key to this effort is how we encourage one another daily (see Hebrews 3:12); the commentary shares how corporate worship enables this encouragement: "[t]his is one of the things we do every Sunday in corporate worship when we sit under the preaching of the Word of God. This is what we do when we sing together. This is what we do when we pray together. This is what we do when we fellowship together. We gather in corporate worship to encourage one another to be fully satisfied in Christ and in him alone, lest we fail to enter his rest."  The commentary then pivots to how the text in v12-13 highlights the Word of God and the key role it plays to helps us avoid "falling away." It shares that "[s]ince God is the author of Scripture, it is not a dead book. As God lives, Scripture lives....Thus, Scripture, because it is God’s Word, is alive and life giving. The Bible is not a bunch of dead, lifeless words. It is the living Word of God.  It accomplishes everything God wills. As the Lord says through the prophet Isaiah, 'so my word that comes from my mouth will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do' (Isaiah 55:11)....The description of the Bible as a sword that can pierce and divide the soul demonstrates the invasive quality of the Word....it is Scripture that reads us. Scripture untangles the human heart and unearths sin like no other book can. No other book can discern the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. Only God’s Word can do that....In conjunction with the Holy Spirit, the Word of God cuts through the sin and darkness of the human heart to restore spiritual health and vitality for Christ. Without the Word, we are as good as dead. God’s Word, however, eradicates the disease of the human heart and breathes life where there is death....Without the Word, we are as good as dead. God’s Word, however, eradicates the disease of the human heart and breathes life where there is death....Scripture strips us bare before our own eyes and before the eyes of God because it exposes God’s ineffable character. As Calvin famously stated, “It is certain that man never achieves a clear knowledge of himself unless he has first looked on God’s face, and then descends from contemplating him to scrutinize himself” (Institutes, I.I.2). God gives us the gift of Scripture so that we will not follow the example of Israel’s disobedience." Worship and commune with your brothers and sisters in Christ, and read/study God's Word! 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who provides the church, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and Your Word, so that I am armed to not fall away...thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving 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 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 it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises....Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

Hebrews 8, 13

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises....Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Hebrews 8:6, 13:2-21

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, where John Piper seeks for believers to prepare our hearts for Christmas.  Today's Solid Joys daily devotion marks day 14 of Advent, and today John Piper describes how Jesus is not just the Great High Priest whose death and sacrifice on the cross supersedes and replaces the role of the Old Testament priests and sacrifices made by these priests (see post couple of days here and here), but He is also the Great High Priests who "makes [this final reality] real for His people."  Piper states that by Christ serving as a better mediator of a better covenant (secured by His blood), "[i]t means that God, according to the new covenant promises, brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ. And it means that God works this transformation in us through faith — faith in all that God is for us in Christ. The new covenant is purchased by the blood of Christ, effected by the Spirit of Christ, and appropriated by faith in Christ.  It means that God, according to the new covenant promises, brings about our inner transformation by the Spirit of Christ.  And it means that God works this transformation in us through faith — faith in all that God is for us in Christ."  God makes it real for us by working in us.  Piper wraps up the devotion sharing how we connect this to Christmas: "...the meaning of Christmas is not only that God replaces shadows with Reality, but also that he takes the Reality and makes it real to his people. He writes it on our hearts. He does not lay his Christmas gift of salvation and transformation under the tree, so to speak, for you to pick up in your own strength. He picks it up and puts it in your heart and in your mind and gives you the seal of assurance that you are a child of God."  Jesus is the greatest gift of all time!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God indeed - thank You for coming to save me and for providing the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift as my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  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 today and every day.

[P]ut on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Ephesians 4

[P]ut on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:24

This morning, my focus is DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which proclaims - via its title, that "Change is Possible."  Using Ephesians 4:24 as the basis, and the entirety of scripture ultimately, for the devotion, the devotion boldly claims that "[d]eep, fundamental change" is possible. I know from personal experience that this is a true statement and I would argue that change is not just possible, but a guarantee because this is the very nature of sanctification, the process where God molds us into more of His image as we get to know Him more intimately through Bible study, prayer, fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ and other spiritual disciplines. Today's devotion goes on to state that: "[i]t is possible to become tenderhearted when once you were callous and insensitive. It is possible to stop being dominated by bitterness and anger. It is possible to become a loving person, no matter what your background has been. The Bible assumes that God is the decisive factor in making us what we should be." This is of course a huge encouragement for anyone seeking growth and change and who might be frustrated by sin and destructive habits, inclinations or patterns of life, etc. I encourage everyone to read the Bible with "a hunger and thirst for righteousness" as the Bible says this will produce blessings and satisfaction (Matthew 5:6).  See also resources from Renovare.org - which focus on spiritual transformation.  Among the many spiritual disciplines in which we can engage, scripture memorization is seen as key - see this post from Renovare on the power of scripture memorization on driving change. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome who has produced both blessings and satisfaction in my life - Your Word is Truth! Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings and satisfaction.  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.

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Hebrews 12

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Hebrews 12:3

This morning, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on how anyone - believer and non-believer alike - can more aggressively, and more actively pursue change in our lives - of course this is through belief in Jesus and a through a hunger and thirst for righteousness (Matthew 5:6) that drives us into His arms through daily study and prayer in His Word where we are hearts and minds are transformed (Romans 12:2).  Piper provides the following scriptures for us lean on as we explore this topic:

• Romans 8:5-6
• Colossians 3:2

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of love, grace and power for me - power to change and become more like Yourself...to be sanctified.  Thank You Jesus for these blessings.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  I sin...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, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.