Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

 John 4:31-37

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. John 4:34

I continue my study of John, and today, I unpack John 4:31-37 using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: God wants us to see how our most important provision (above food, water, etc.) is the Word and to do the will of God.   God's will for us is to the share the gospel message to the world (Great Commission) and disciple others to bear fruit for the glory of God.  We all have a role in the Great Commission - some will sow, some will reap. 
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: The disciples focused on earthly concerns and we can expect that of those who do not know God.  Even those who know God grow too comfortable with the world (including myself from time to time).  
• 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 growing too comfortable with the world but instead understand and focus on doing everything for the glory of God as we exist for the glory of God. Claim the promise that Jesus provides our daily bread and provision.  Follow Jesus' example to do the will of God.  Obey God's call to play a role in the Great Commission to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:20).    

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that loves, saves, and provides for all of my needs - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You love, save and provide.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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.

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.”

John 1:43-51

Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” John 1:48-50

I continue my study of John, and today, I take another pass at unpacking John 1:43-51 using the Sword Bible Study Method, and I summarize my thoughts from both yesterday and today on the text by providing an outline/divisions and main point for the text.  

Main point: Jesus is Father/Son/Holy Spirit who saves, and we must share the Good News with others. 

1. Jesus' acts with intent to seek and save the lost - vv43, 47-50, 51
2. Believers should have a right and true understanding of who Jesus is - vv45, 49 
3. Believers should act with intent to share the gospel with others - v46 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus found Philip and called Philip to follow Him; Jesus acts with intent and singular purpose to seek and save the lost, as He is not aimless and did not just "find" Philip; He was directed to go to Galilee to find Philip specifically as He was calling The Twelve (Luke 19:10, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27) - v43; same story with Nathanael.
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Philip shares the gospel - even before He has a more complete understanding of what the gospel is - with Nathanael; he invites Nathanael to "come and see" this Jesus and experience Him as Philip did; God gave him the words to use to describe who he met (the Promised Messiah) and prompted him to invite Nathanael to see for himself - v45-46.    
• 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 be clear who Jesus is, and we should study scripture and know God to equip ourselves to share the gospel with others.   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who saves and gives life now to the full and for eternity in Heaven.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor any of the blessings He pours out for me daily.  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. 

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Mark 2:13-17

He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. Mark 2:13-14

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 2:13-14, which is the first division (Jesus Calls the Seemingly Unlikely to Follow Him) of the text 2:13-17 per commentary.  Excerpts from the introduction and first division per commentary:

• "This section of Mark, what some have called “the scandal of grace” (MacArthur, “Scandal”), has the potential to bring great conviction to the hearts of many of us. Why? First, many if not most of us do not spend much time with sinners." 
• "In this text we see Jesus, the friend of sinners, as He reaches out to the seemingly unlikely, the socially undesirable, and the spiritually unhealthy. Look carefully at all the characters in the story and ask, 'With whom do I most identify? Am I loving and serving sinners as Jesus did?'"
• "[T]o reach the lost, you have to be with the lost, and you must share the gospel."
• "Tax collectors were notorious in that day and were hated by the Jewish people as traitors and abusers of their own people. They were a mafia-like organization in the first century. They served Rome, the Gentile occupying power of Israel. They were like dishonest IRS agents who overcharged the people for their own profit. The Jewish writings known as the Mishnah and Talmud set them beside thieves and murderers. They were expelled and banned from the synagogue. The touch of a tax collector rendered a house unclean. Jews could lie to a tax collector with impunity. With money as his god, Levi was a social pariah who was spiritually bankrupt, having sold his soul to sin and self. His was a soul in need of a touch from Jesus."
• "Why would Levi leave everything and follow Jesus? Even more, why would Jesus invite such an outcast to do so? Levi saw something in Jesus that he wanted to join, and Jesus saw in Levi what he could become. Jesus saw a sinner in need of salvation, not a lowlife deserving condemnation. Jesus saw not the wicked life of a tax collector and extortionist but the changed life of a disciple, an evangelist, an apostle, and a Gospel writer. That’s the scandal of grace! Jesus sees in us what no one else can see and turns us into what we were intended to be—mature image bearers who reflect His glory."    

Believers are called to share the Good News with all people, regardless of wealth, social standing, ability, etc. As scripture shares and the commentary emphasizes - we must go to the places where people are lost; this includes not just our neighborhoods but where there is struggle, hardship, pain, loss, etc. This is a convicting message for me as I too often fail to leave the comfort of my own home.  Father God I beg You to help me become more like You in all ways, including going into the world to be a light for those who desperately need it!

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of amazing grace for me as I was an enemy and hostile to You but You loved me first and saved me.  Thank You Jesus - but I am undeserving of such grace, mercy and salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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 when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:13-17

And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17

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 2:13-17, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary.  Observations from the text using the Sword Method:

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus taught the Word - it was important that when he was with people that they understood who He was, why He came (His purpose), and to deliver the gospel message - this was a priority. Jesus understood that spending time with others as key to disciple building so he shared a meal with Levi (Matthew).  Jesus came to seek and save the lost - sinners per v17 (see also Luke 19:10).     
• What do we learn from the passage about people: Many have hardened hearts and believe they are not sinners and/or not in need of salvation - we can deliver the gospel message but then pray that hearts are softened to the gospel.  All sin and are in need of salvation. For the scribes their arrogance and pride got in the way of them seeing that God wants everyone to be saved - every tribe and nation regardless of social status, ability, etc.   
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey?: God wants us to show hospitality to others and build relationships with others so that we can understand their story, pray for them and of course share the gospel - this is the Great Commission.  All are spiritually dead (sick per v17).  We must understand the Gospel and scripture - this is why He teaches it to us and often through parables so that we understand not just the teaching but the application as the parable itself reveals our own spiritual condition.  We must avoid pride and arrogance lest it get in the way of being a light to others.  

God wants all believers to be part of the Great Commission to take the gospel to all nations - of course including to our own neighborhoods.  Building relationships with others is key to both sharing the gospel and developing relationships with others to disciple to them.  As part of our church's efforts to launch a new campus, I recently learned of the Bless Every Home smart phone app as a tool to identify my neighbors, pray for them, share meals with them, and most importantly share the gospel.  I pray that God would work in my heart to put me in motion to bless my neighborhood. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion for me - giving me mercies that never cease and are new every morning.  You give me Your Word, the Holy Spirit, great teachers and resources to help me understand You and Your Word, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.”

Isaiah 14-18

But now the Lord has spoken, saying, “In three years, like the years of a hired worker, the glory of Moab will be brought into contempt, in spite of all his great multitude, and those who remain will be very few and feeble.” Isaiah 16:14

I continue with my deep dive of Isaiah, based on the Precept Upon Precept study series. Today, on Lesson 7, Day 2 the focus is on Isaiah 15-16, where we see an oracle concerning Moab. Moab is destroyed and suffers, yet a remnant survives (Isaiah 16:2-4).  This is yet another example of how God created Israel as His chosen people to be a light among the nations, yet Israel repeatedly disappointed God.  From the very beginning God sought to save people from all nations, and Moab is one such example.  Ruth was a Moabite and we know from Jesus' genealogy (Matthew 1), that Boaz and Ruth's son Obed was the father of Jesse and Jesse was the father of king David and from there Jesus was born. God's call for Jonah to go to Nineveh is yet another example - Nineveh was of course not part of Israel but God sought for Nineveh to recognize Him as the one true God and to repent from their sin - they of course did based on Jonah's visit (see Jonah 3).  I don't know the full extent of how a remnant of Moab (Ruth came before Isaiah) or how any of those that repented in Nineveh became part of God's plan but God does want to save all nations and He redeems sinful and broken people that repent.  This redemption plays out in our own lives as believers - sin and everything - are redeemed and used as part of God's plan. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God whose plan is perfect and who is able to save and redeem all - including sinful, broken people such as myself.  You have elected me, justified me, saved me, and You sanctify me - thank You Jesus for all the blessings You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sins of laziness, worry, etc. continue - please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.   Please heal Lisa of her cancer and 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 he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Then he presented Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet.

Leviticus 8

And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron's right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Then he presented Aaron's sons, and Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet. Leviticus 8:23-24

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter eight - Are You Ready to Serve - covering Leviticus 8:1-8:36, looking specifically at the theme - Demonstrate Dedication to Serve.  Here, the commentary focuses on the ordination offering as described in v8:22-29. Specifically, we are referred to v23-24 where Moses puts blood on the ear and toe of Aaron, and he does the same for Aaron's sons. The commentary then uses the colloquialism "from head-to-toe," to show how all of Aaron and his sons were fully dedicated to serve.  We are then referred to the hymn Take My Life, and Let it Be, and also to the Hebrew word translation of ordination as "to fill the hand."  This "filling of the hand" implies how not only God equips us with the tools (spiritual gifts) needed to serve, but also to show us that God gave us hands to serve the church and others (see 1 Corinthians 12, and Galatians 5:13).  We are urged to see that work must be done and believers are not to be idle.  We must not only not be idle, but we must be - just as Jesus was in His ministry as described in the gospel books - dedicated to serve.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me and others with spiritual gifts so that we can serve You and others.  I have been blessed by the spiritual gifts of others - Your design is perfect and awesome! Thank You for the dedication of others to serve. Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am not deserving of how You bless me - my sin of worry, harsh words, etc. continues.  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 friens 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 shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron's forehead[.]

Leviticus 8

“You shall make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet, ‘Holy to the Lord.’ And you shall fasten it on the turban by a cord of blue. It shall be on the front of the turban. It shall be on Aaron's forehead[.] Exodus 28:36-38

This morning, I continued my study of Leviticus using the Christ-Centered Exposition series commentary for this book - continuing with chapter eight - Are You Ready to Serve - covering Leviticus 8:1-8:36, looking specifically at the theme - Commit to a Position of Service. The commentary focuses on the description of the priestly garments Aaron and his sons wore in support of their role.  We are pointed to not just Leviticus 8:5-9, but also Exodus 28:36-38, where more detail is provided. Everything about the details is important and plays a role, including the colors of the garments, which the commentary points out match the colors of the tabernacle to remind us that the priest "goes with" the tabernacle; the twelve gemstones (see Exodus 28:21) that symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel; and the bells around the hem of the garment allow the Israelite congregation to hear the priests as they move about their duties in the tabernacle. The commentary not only emphasizes how Aaron and his sons are dedicated to serve, but it also encourages all believers to serve the Kingdom of God - to use our God-given abilities to glorify Him.  We are referred to 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul discusses how "every member of the body is necessary and important...[and] [e]ach has a role to play in the church." 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me through my service in the church!  Thank You Jesus!  You have blessed me and equipped me to serve - thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of how You bless me because my sin continues - unintentional sin, arrogance, quick to talk, slow to listen, 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.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in^[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter twelve Missions Exists Because Worship Doesn’t, pages 170-179.  Here, Piper outlines ten (10) Biblical convictions that drive missions: 

1. The fame of God's name: "God is passionately committed to the fame of his name, and that he be worshiped by all the peoples of the world—and this is not egomania; it is love.  Missions, global outreach, is about joining God in his passion to love the nations by offering himself to them for
   the overflowing joy of their praise." Psalm 96:3, Isaiah 12:4, Romans 15:9, Romans 9:17
2. A goal and a fuel for missions: "worship is the goal and the fuel of missions; missions exists because worship doesn’t. Psalm 22:27
3. Faith comes from hearing. Acts 4:12, Romans 10:17, 1 John 5:12, Matthew 28:19
4. Worshipers from every people. Revelation 5:9-10
5. Frontier missionaries: "there is a critical need for Paul-type missionaries whose calling and passion is to take the gospel to peoples where there is no access to the gospel at all." Romans 15:20
6. Worthy of God: "We must send global partners in a manner worthy of God." 3 John 6
7. Wartime mindset: "It is fitting for us to have a wartime mindset in the use of our resources as long as peoples are without the gospel and we have resources to send it." 2 Corinthians 8:2
8. Wartime walkie talkie: "Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom....One of the reasons our prayer malfunctions is that we try to treat it like a domestic intercom for calling the
   butler when we want another pillow in the den. But prayer is mainly for those on the front lines of the war effort, so they can call in to headquarters to send help. John 15:16
9. Suffering is the plan: "Suffering is not only the price for being in missions; it is God’s plan for getting the job done. This is not just the price many must pay. This is God’s strategy for victory. Matthew 10:25, Matthew 24:9, Matthew 10:16, Revelation 12:11
   
10. The mission will succeed. Matthew 28:19, Matthew 16:18, Matthew 24:14
    

Piper recognizes that not all will become goers, so he urges all of us who might not to be a sender and to encourage, pray and support those in the mission field.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who has blessed me with those who have shared the gospel with me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the salvation You provided me.  I have great sin and it continues.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:8-10

This morning, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter five The Unsearchable Riches of Christ for All Peoples, pages 84-92. Here, Piper unpacks the greatest goals of missions by looking "backward through three successively smaller means to reach this goal." He works backwards because he wants to end with us - individual believers - and an examination of our role in the Great Commission. So, working backwards from the greatest goal of missions using successively smaller means, here we go:

1. the display of God's manifold wisdom (v3:10)
2. the gathering of God's global church (v3:8-9)
3. the preaching of Christ's unsearchable riches (v3:8-9)
4. the service of God's ordinary missionaries (v3:8)
   

In this chapter, I am highlighting key excerpts:

• "There are twists and turns in history that bring about God’s design in ways that no one ever dreamed. There are no wasted strokes on this canvas as God paints his wisdom in the history of missions." (page 90)
  
• "[I]t is going to take eternity for God to exhaust on you the unsearchable riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. It will take ages upon ages upon ages for the riches of Christ to be searched out." (page 91/Ephesians 2:7)
• "So here is one of the greatest incentives of all to give ourselves to missions. God intends to use ordinary, messy, small paint brushes on the canvas of the history of missions because every minute stroke of his brush matters. Every bright stroke of triumph and every dark stroke of
  suffering matters. He is an infinitely wise painter. He knows what he is doing with your life. Not one stroke will be wasted. You can trust him with your life. Yield to the wise hand that would paint with your life." (page 92)

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who is full of grace and mercy for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such grace and mercy - I know, because of my sin - that I deserve death.  Yet You came to seek and save me - thank You Jesus! Please forgive me for my sin of harsh words, gossip, worry, etc. 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.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:14-16

This afternoon, I continued with John Piper's book Holy Ambition.  My focus today is on chapter three  The Voice of the Sovereign Shepherd - pages 54-67. Here, Piper primarily uses John to state that there are other sheep (implying unreached people of the earth) that are "are not of this fold" (John 10:16). He briefly describes the doctrine of election, and how God has already chosen a select from the unreached people of the earth to be His, to hear his voice (John 10:3-4), and He knows them and they will follow Him (John 10:27). Piper encourages us to see how God does all of this but NOT without us as believers some of whom He calls to enter the mission field.  Piper closes the chapter to write: "[d]on't waste your life.  Open your mouth, and become and voice of the sovereign Shepherd.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I am grateful that there are those who have opened their mouth and served as a voice of the sovereign Shepherd - that I would be saved.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a blessing.  My sin is great and it continues...including 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.

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while.

Romans 15

I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. Romans 15:24

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued with chapter nineteen Great Commission Christians, which covers Romans 15:14-15:33.  My focus today is v15:19-24, which my commentary refers to under the heading "Support the Work of Church Planting." Building on my post yesterday, where I described Paul's holy ambition, today I describe how Paul receives encouragement and support from the church in Rome. I have made major moves several times in my life and I know how challenging it can be when you go to a new place - and this is the life of a missionary in Paul's case.  For those supporting those who plant churches in far away (and close) places, there are many things you can do - you can provide financially, you can provide hospitality, you can provide encouragement, prayer, etc. - this is what is described by Paul here in these verses. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of love, grace and compassion for me - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of Your love and grace as my sin is great and it continues - I know You hate sin but please forgive me Jesus!  Help me turn from my sin towards You and 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.