And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Mark 4:35-41

And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Mark 4:39

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 4:35-41, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary - which offers six divisions for this text. Excerpts from the commentary's fourth (of six) division (v39): 

• The commentary's title for this division is "Jesus Has Authority over Nature Because He Is God."  
• "God and only God is thrice “omni.” He is omniscient: He knows all things (actual and potential). He is omnipresent: He always exists everywhere. He is omnipotent: He is all-powerful."
• "Jesus’ gracious humility is on display as He does not chasten the disciples for their less-than-charitable summons. In a simple, non-magical statement He rebukes the wind and says to the sea, 'Silence! Be still!'"
• The commentary highlights in the the original Greek, Jesus uses the same word from Mark 1 to rebuke the demons as He does here to rebuke the wind.
• We must understand that only God has such authority - Jesus must be God! 

For readers of scripture today, we can only read about Jesus's death and resurrection, and about the miracles from His ministry.  We must take it as faith the scripture is Truth and inerrant. While we cannot experience the miracles as Jesus's disciples did, we have all seen God's hand in our own lives.  I saw my own mom profess faith and be baptized at 81 years old - she died 3 years later.  My mom was Jewish her whole life and lived 2000 miles away from me - Jesus was at work for sure as He is in all salvations because only He softens hearts and brings people to faith - Ephesians 2:8-9. There is so much more I can say about God's hand in my life and miraculous things He has done in my life.  God is SO good!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves, saves, never leaves or forsakes, etc. Thank You Jesus, but I am not deserving of how You save and how You never stop working for me interceding on my behalf. 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.  

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. Ecclesiastes 3:17

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 3:16-17, which is the first division of the commentary chapter titled Politics and Justice Are Meaningless without Jesus (covering Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3, and 5:8-9).  The commentary first posits that in our fallen world, all paths to promote justice, whether it be through the government and the political process, or through social change/justice that might leverage non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or non-profits/charities, ultimately fall short of perfect (most far short) justice because we are all sinful and imperfect. Humanity's collective sin and imperfect motives and actions mar our efforts.  V17 offers encouragement for those seeking perfect justice as God alone is judge and He will judge everyone according to their deeds - every knee will bow and tongue will confess Jesus as Lord and Savior (see also Philippians 2:9-11). The commentary shares: "God has a carefully timed plan, but we cannot know when it will be executed. Even Jesus, when He laid aside His glory in the incarnation, admitted that the Son of Man did not know the time and hour (Matthew 24:36). Of course, He knows now in His exalted and glorified state! But even though he does not know the timing, Solomon trusts that God will set things right and that injustice will finally be reversed. The wicked will not ultimately get away with it (Greidanus, Preaching Christ, 99)." Seek God as a means to gain peace knowing that God has a plan (and it's perfect) for justice in this world, on judgement day, and in the world to come (Heaven).  

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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 - giving me peace knowing that Your justice is perfect.  Thank You Jesus for this peace and for how it is a peace that surpasses all understanding as it is a blessing well beyond justice. I am not deserving for this peace or any other blessing or gift that comes from above - including 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.

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. Ecclesiastes 3:17

I continue my study today of Ecclesiastes using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for this book.  Today, my focus is an unassisted review of Ecclesiastes 3:16-17, which is the first division of the commentary chapter titled Politics and Justice Are Meaningless without Jesus (covering Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:3, and 5:8-9). In v16, Solomon shares a frustration over how pervasive wickedness is in the world around us - believers and non-believers alike share a desire for justice but often you cannot see justice....this is the root cause for the frustration many will feel.  Yet believers should know that God alone is the Judge and everyone (either upon death or upon Jesus' second coming) will be held accountable for their deeds, and if not saved, will be subject to eternal damnation.  Indeed, that we live in a fallen world rife with sin and wickedness should drive us into the arms of Jesus who helps us see how ever knee will ultimately bow (see John Piper post here).  Believers gain peace knowing that God's justice is perfect - bow to Jesus now and feel the peace that surpasses all understanding!

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion with me, and You give me peace knowing that Your justice is perfect because You are perfect.  Thank You Jesus for this peace and for the many blessings You pour out for me...every day.  I am not deserving of these blessings, nor 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, mind and strength 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.

[H]e is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

Daniel 6

[H]e is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions. Daniel 6:26-27

I continue my pause of my study of Hebrews to study Daniel in conjunction with a disciple/small group study with my church's men's wake up call. This morning my focus is Daniel 6:19-28 as I lean on a commentary for its observations of this text. The commentary highlights two divisions/applications for v16-24:

• Trust that God Is Able to Deliver You (6:16-24): Here, the commentary emphasizes how Daniel, like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednago from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), God protects Daniel from harm in the lion's den and scripture highlights how "Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God" (v23b). see also my post yesterday; the commentary also points to Daniel as a "prefiguring of the resurrection of the Lord" as "Daniel was brought out of a den that had been sealed by the official rings of those in power, so was the Lord Jesus Christ raised from a tomb which had been sealed by those officials with their rings of power."  Similarly, the commentary shares how Darius rushes to the lion's den to see if God has delivered Daniel, both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary rush to Jesus's tomb only to find that He has risen.
  
• Recognize God Will Use You to Make His Name Famous among the Nations (6:25-28): After witnessing Daniel's deliverance from the lion's den, Darius responds in praise to God (v25-27) in what the commentary shares is reminiscent of Psalm 2. The commentary also shares how Darius' declaration "accomplishes at least two important purposes: "First, it recognizes the greatness, even the superiority, of Israel’s God over all would-be rivals. And second, it cancels out the irrevocable edict of 6:6-9." The commentary for this chapter wraps by sharing how we should see Jesus in all of scripture, including how Daniel points us to Jesus.  The commentary provides Tim Keller's talk on how Jesus is true and better relative to the Biblical heroes of the Old Testament.
  

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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 - protecting me from the sting of sin and death - thank You for providing my salvation.  I am not deserving as 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.

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear.

Matthew 26

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. Isaiah 45:23

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 afternoon, I continue with the story of "Matthew: Redefining God's Family*".

*Title of lesson seven from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day five starts with Max Lucado highlighting how it was not just Judas who betrayed Jesus on the night Jesus was arrested but all the disciples, including Matthew, and even all believers. Lucado wants us to recognize that all of us at one point or another in our lives have betrayed Jesus.  We are all guilty.  Yet Jesus restored the believers and He restores us.  He rose again, provides us with the Holy Spirit and promises never to leave or forsake us.  What an incredible promise - all this for a broken and sinful group of people who often fall down in trust of God. We should recognize God's grace in light of how we betray Jesus.  He loves us, in spite of our sin.  God loves us in ways that no other can.  We also need to recognize WHO IS IT THAT LOVES US - the God of the Universe.  The Lord of Lords...this should cause all to fall to their knees in worship. 

By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. Isaiah 45:23

It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” Romans 14:23

 

...that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth[.] Philippians 2:10

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and You are the God of the Universe who knows everything about me, including my sin and betrayal of You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love.  My sin continues, including 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.

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 5

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. v39-40

After Jesus heals a man at the pool (John 5:1-15), the Jewish leaders challenge Jesus and seek to kill Him (v16-18).  Jesus confronts the Jewish leaders and a key aspect of His challenge to them is their hardened hearts and their refusal to believe that Jesus is the Messiah spoken about in the Old Testament.  

Jesus is more than a man or a prophet - He is the Father, Son, Holy Spirit - God, King of Kings, Lord of all Creation, etc. 

Every knee must bow.

My Prayer: Jesus, You ARE the God of Gods - the highest of highest and my God and personal savior - thank You Jesus for adopting me into Your family!  I am grateful.  Yet I am undeserving.  I worry.  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.

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. v14

As the Lord responds to Habakkuk's plea for justice - see post yesterday - God promises punishment for the wicked.  In v9-19, God promises woe for those who disobey God and seek gain and glory for themselves above God.  We are to love God first and foremost and then others as God loves us.

Ten Commandments
Greatest Commandment(s)
"Love one another" as Jesus loves you

One way or another every knee will bow and every tongue will acknowledge the Lord of Lords - Jesus Christ.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has helped me grow in my faith - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth 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.

Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face—in their misery they will earnestly seek me.

Hosea 5

Then I will return to my lair until they have borne their guilt and seek my face—in their misery they will earnestly seek me. v15

Too often, we seek God during times of trouble only.  Yet we should seek God during all times - daily.  It is during the good times when we take the time to develop a relationship with Jesus that God will do a work within us to prepare us for when times are bad.  Yet God is a mystery, and we don't how He works or what He has in store for us.  We can better understand God's will for our lives only when we strive to know Him better and His message for us - He can transform our hearts and minds to be more like Him and in that process we can be better aligned with His will.

However, there will always be those - just like during the days of Israel (Ephraim) and Judah as written in Hosea - who will ignore God's invitation to draw near to Him.  God will either allow or cause something to happen to get people's attention - this is assured either in this life, at our Judgement Day, or when Jesus returns - and you don't want to wait for either of the two latter moments to pass before You submit to Him as Your Lord and Savior.

Every knee will bow.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who bore a painful death - just so I could have live free from the sting of sin and death.  And You went willingly to the cross!  Thank You Jesus for the greatest gift of all time!  I am not worth such a gift.  I worry.  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 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.

You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 23

You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. v49

God uses a parable of two adulterous sisters who prostitute themselves to communicate the wickedness of Israel.  In this chapter, we see how God reinforces the primacy of His reign.  Verse 36 further demonstrates that one way or another ALL MUST and WILL know God reigns and that all are held accountable.  See also my post of a few days ago.

Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution. v36

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God full of love and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love.  I worry.  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 for 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.

You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.

Ezekiel 20

You will know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name’s sake and not according to your evil ways and your corrupt practices, you people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. v44

We will all know the Jesus is Lord of All at one point or another.  Israel's wickedness is so pervasive that, although a righteous and repentant remnant is saved from which Jesus will rise, God's wrath is poured out on them on many occasions.  God does this to punish Israel but also to ensure that all will know His Name. On many occasions, in His compassion and mercy, He holds back the full the wrath of the Lord.

We will either bow at the end of times, our day of judgement, or when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

God loves us so much and is so full of patience, mercy and compassion that He wants us to come to Him during our lives here on earth so that we will not perish - He gives us many, many second chances.  God is great.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God full of love and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus. I am not worth such love.  I worry.  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 for 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.