And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Mark 10:46-52

And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:52

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 10:46-52.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of three) division (vv49-51):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "Never Be Surprised at How the Most Undesirable Respond to Grace."
• The commentary first refers us to Job 42:5 where the text records starting in chapter 26 through 41 (1) Job's response (including his indignant response to God) to his friends whose counsel led Job down a wrong view of God, (2) Elihu's response/rebuke of Job and his friends, (3) Elihu extolling God's greatness and majesty, and (4) finally, God response to Job and his friends.  In Job 42:5 we are reminded that Job has a deeply personal encounter with God - just as Bartimaeus does in Mark.  
• "Jesus simply and quickly responds to the cry for grace and mercy from the blind beggar, 'Go your way...your faith has healed you.'  When Jesus refers to the man’s faith, Jesus is not saying that the man has earned anything....Bartimaeus did not have empty faith. No, Bartimaeus directed his faith to the only One who could heal, the only One who could save!" 
• It is noted and emphasized that Bartimaeus followed Jesus and it is implied he did so immediately upon his healing.  For anyone that has a deeply personal encounter with Jesus, this is the proper response!  He not only saw physically but spiritually his eyes were opened and most importantly his heart!
• "This is the last healing miracle in the Gospel of Mark. It began with His healing a blind man (8:22-26), and it closes with His healing a blind man (10:46-52). But then like Bartimaeus we were all blind until Jesus gave us sight. We were poor beggars until He saved us as our ransom. We brought to Him nothing but our weakness and need, and He graced us with His power and blessing. Praise God Jesus stopped and had time for Bartimaeus. Praise God Jesus had time for you and me!" 

If you don't know God or feel pain or hurt and need healing - I urge you to cry out to Jesus as Bartimaeus did to "Son of David [Jesus] have mercy on me!"  Confess your sins, have faith and He will hear your cry and save you! Romans 10:10. 

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My Prayer: Father God, thank You for hearing my cry to be saved and for saving me.  I am not deserving of such a gift - the greatest gift of all time. My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Mark 2:1-12

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Mark 2:10-12

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on a commentary-assisted review of Mark 2:5, 10-12, which is the text for the third (of three) division of vv1-12 per the commentary.  Excerpts from the commentary for the third division (We Should Glorify Jesus for What He Does) vv5, 10-12:

• Quoting Mark commentary from Lane, the commentary shares: '[t]he paralytic experienced the fulfillment of God’s promise that the lame would share in the joy of the coming salvation.' See also Isaiah 35:6.
• "Often we think we know what our greatest need is, but really we are only focusing on our circumstances. In reality the problem you are facing today is not your spouse, children, or parents. It is not your job, boss, or coworkers. It is not your lack of resources, shortage of time, or insufficient income. Just like this young man, your greatest need is for the Messiah Himself."
• "Jesus saw everything clearly—far more clearly than we do. He used this teachable moment to make the point concerning our greatest need in this life or the life to come!"
• "The response of the man and the crowd is appropriate. Even the Pharisees and teachers of the law, who “had come from every village of Galilee and Judea, and also from Jerusalem” (Luke 5:17), could not deny this man had been healed and his sins forgiven. Nor could they deny that it had all been done by this man named Jesus. They may not like it, but they could not deny it! Thus we see forgiveness of sins declared (2:5), questioned (2:6-9), validated (2:11), and recognized (2:12)."  

Core to this text is how in response to what Jesus did, "all [were] amazed and glorified God."  For believers, we all have a testimony regarding what God has done in our lives - He has certainly saved us, and He continues to do a work in us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart - sanctification.  Our response should be to "offer our bodies as a living sacrifice...which is your worship." (Romans 12:1).  God created us to glorify Him in all that we do (see also 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17).   

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of amazing grace - every day that never ceases.  You continue to do a work in me and of course You saved me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worthy nor 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.  Help me 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. 

What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”

Romans 3

 What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.” Romans 3:3-4

This morning, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on truth, an appropriate response to truth, and how truth serves believers. Piper starts by stating: "Not to care about truth is not to care about God. To love God passionately is to love truth passionately. Being God-centered in life means being truth-driven in ministry. What is not true is not of God." Piper then lays out four applications for truth:

1. We see how God is truth - Romans 3:3-4, John 14:6, John 15:26 
2. Not loving the truth is eternally ruinous - 2 Thessalonians 2:10
3. Christian living is based on knowledge of the truth - 1 Corinthians 6:15-16
   
4.  The body of Christ is built with truth in love - Colossians 1:28
   

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are Truth and I am grateful that You give Yourself to me, including the Holy Spirit and Your Word - thank You Jesus!  Thank You for the many blessings that You pour out for me.  I am not deserving of such blessings. I worry, am easily distracted, etc.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins 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.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1-11

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5:2

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I continued my study of chapter six The Blessings of Justification By Faith, which covers Romans 5:1-11.  My focus today is Romans 5:2. As a result of our justification by faith we have a blessing of grace. My commentary refers to this grace as having a "warm relationship to God" and favor with Him. We are also encouraged to see how we are to "stand" in this grace and to live out this grace-based relationship daily. Scripture uses the word "access" and my commentary highlights use of this word to discuss how believers are children of God, that we depend on Him, and we can go to Him for all our needs big and small.  My commentary writes: this grace "should prompt praise and communion with God.  We can go to our Father all the time with our worries, problems, concerns, and fears and present them to him, knowing that he not only hears us but also welcomes us."

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace for me - I know that You are always with me and that I can always go to You with anything and You welcome me with open arms. Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin 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 many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy.

Ezra 3

But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. v12

In Ezra 1, we see God moving the heart of Cyrus to allow the Israelites in Babylonian exile to return to Jerusalem.  As work began to rebuild the temple, those not old enough to remember the temple as built by Solomon shouted for joy while the older generation who did remember wept.

The MacArthur Bible Commentary further details the sorrow of those who did not see the rebuilt temple as "match[ing] the splendor of Solomon's temple nor did the presence of God reside within it".   Matthew Henry, I believe, correctly points out that for those filled with sorrow they should recall their own sin (particularly as priests and Levites) as part of the cause for their exile.  They should focus not on the size of the temple but on the amazing grace and mercy of God who was no less great in the rebuilt temple.

Yet, this is what we do. We look at what is seen - church buildings, programs, etc. as if church was a product for us to consume - I know I have done this myself.  Our focus should always be on God and our relationship with Him and how our present circumstances reflect His glory because that is why we exist. 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God, full of love and splendor and You need no building!  I am so grateful for all that You are, and all that You have done in my life!  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 do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash.

2 Kings 14

The Lord had seen how bitterly everyone in Israel, whether slave or free, was suffering; there was no one to help them. And since the Lord had not said he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven, he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam son of Jehoash. v26

God goes to great lengths to get our attention, demonstrating that we don't get what we deserve (wages of sin is death - Romans 6:23) and we do get what we don't deserve (grace is gift - Ephesians 2:8-9).  As part of this, we see God as someone who once again always keeps His promises, and this stops Him from destroying or allowing the destruction of Israel.

Our response to such grace should be one of repentance.  We should turn towards God. 

Yet according to the Macarthur Bible Commentary, Israel enjoyed prosperity not experienced since the days of Solomon but failed to turn towards God.  Instead, Jeroboam and Israel rested in material wealth.

This is our story - we too often place our faith in ourselves, others, and in earthly possessions and material wealth.  

Lord Jesus, please help me trust in You alone!

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, what an amazing God You are - You save me from the sting of sin and death and You provide eternity in heaven.  Thank You Jesus - You are the greatest gift of all time.  I am not worth such a gift.  I worry - FAR too much.  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 do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  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.