The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”

Mark 8:1-26

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.” Mark 8:11-12

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 8:1-26.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of four) division (vv11-13):

• For the second division, the title is: "Unbelievers Will Demand a Sign but Reject One."
• "They ask for “a sign from heaven,” something that would demonstrate what He is doing, something they amazingly do not deny is truly of God. Their motive was “to test Him.” Their goal is again to discredit Him before the people, not to test Him with a view of authenticating His ministry. It is one thing to put the Lord to a test in faith. It is another thing to test Him in unbelief." 
• "For the second time in two chapters, our Lord “sighs” with deep emotion. This time His anguish was directed at minds that refused the evidence, hearts that remained hard, eyes that refused to see, and ears that refused to hear (cf. 8:17-18). In effect He said, 'You want a sign? Read the Scriptures! Listen to My words. See what I do!....If you cannot see God at work in Me, no evidence will convince you otherwise. Your demand is just an expression of unbelief. I will not play your evil and wicked game.'" 
• "These religious zealots were physically so close to our Lord, but they had never been further away where it really mattered: in their hearts. They have lost Him. Not long from now they will crucify Him. Unbelief is evil and tragic when it says no to the gospel and God’s Son."

It is tragic when we encounter unbelief as the ultimate consequences are eternal for the unbeliever.  At the same time, only God knows when such unbelief (or doubt) is temporary.  God could be working in an unbeliever's heart and have a plan to soften the heart and bring this person to faith.  Jude 22-23 shares how we are to show mercy to those who doubt. We should have discernment about doubt vs disbelief - see this post from DesiringGod.com for a good perspective.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that loves and is full of mercy....thank You Jesus for the mercies You have poured out on me when I doubt.  I am not deserving of such 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. 

...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5

...casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

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 focuses on anxiety, as John Piper shares that "unbelief...is the root of anxiety, which, in turn, is the root of so many other sins." Piper looks at a number of sins we are tempted to commit as a result of unbelief and anxiety, and he provides promises found in scripture as the antidote for such temptation:

• sickness and health issues (Psalm 34:19, Romans 5:3-5)
  
• getting old (Isaiah 46:4)
• death and dying (Romans 14:7-9)
  
• weak faith and apostasy (Philippians 1:6, Hebrews 7:25)

Of course, when we explore the promises of God, we can rest in how God is faithful:

For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. 2 Corinthians 1:20

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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 Your faithfulness and the rest it provides.  I am not deserving of such love and 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. 

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.

Romans 4

No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Romans 4:20-21

I continue to lean on DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today looks at how believers honor and glorify God by remaining humble, battling unbelief, and trusting in God's future grace for our lives. John Piper uses Paul's words from Romans 4 where Paul describes Abraham's faith in God's promises for Abraham's heir to be his own son and for his descendants to be many - to be a great nation (see also Genesis 15). God of course makes many promises - that He provides, that He is faithful, that prayer is effective and He hears our prayers, etc.  For me, my unbelief can often be tied to my worry and anxiety about my children on various topics. I seek to battle unbelief in the same way that Abraham did.  I am greatly encouraged today, not just by the example of Abraham, but also by this post from DesiringGod.com on anxiety and unbelief where many examples of scripture are provided to aid me in my battle.  

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are good...You provide, You never leave or forsake me, and Your promises can be trusted as You are faithful.  Thank You Jesus for these blessings - 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 heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin. Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God[.]

 Ephesians 6

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God[.] Ephesians 6:16-17

There is a slight delay (excuse) in my plan to resume my study of Isaiah, so today I once again listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion - which today encourages us to take hold of the promises of of God in our fight against unbelief and sin.  Piper makes a profound statement to help us appreciate how it is unbelief that leads to anxiety which then leads to many other sins.  He says: "[u]nbelief in the promises of God is the root of anxiety, which, in turn, is the root of so many other sins."  In my own life, I can say with certainty that as I drew closer to God through more disciplined scripture reading, prayer, etc. I felt - and can now look back on progress - how God was renewing my mind (Romans 12:2) and sanctifying me through a transformed heart and life.  I am new creation - and I can feel the fruits of the Spirit - my hope is that others can as well.  

To help us, Piper provides not just Ephesians 6:16-17, but also the following verses as additional examples of God's promises:

• Isaiah 46:4
• Romans 14:7-9
• Philippians 1:6 
• Hebrews 7:25 
  

Comment and discuss this post. 

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an incredible God - One whose promises ALWAYS come true - I can trust, have faith in, and lean on You, the Word, the Holy Spirit, etc. to never leave or forsake me and be with me as I battle anxiety, unbelief, sin, etc.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless me in these ways.  My sin is great 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 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 words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times....Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.

Romans 9

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times....Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar. Psalm 12:6, Proverbs 30:5-6

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I started chapter thirteen God's Word Has Not Failed, which covers Romans 9:1-29.  My focus today is Romans 9:24-29, which my commentary refers to under the heading Truth 4: God's Promises Include Many Gentiles and a Jewish Remnant.  Picking up where he left off in my reading yesterday, where Paul states in v23 that God had a plan to "make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy," stating that this plan included both Jews and Gentiles. Paul quotes Hosea (v25-26) and Isaiah (v27) to make his point. Jonah was also another Old Testament prophet sent to save a Gentile people - Nineveh.  So, Paul continues to make the case how although he is saddened by Jewish unbelievers (v9:2), God's promise for the Jews as a chosen people is fulfilled and God's Word does not fail. Once again, as previously posted, God does not promise to save every Jew - only a remnant (v27) and it was always part of God's plan to save from among every nation - Jews and Gentiles alike. Also, the key takeaway is that salvation is not due to birth, ethnicity, or to anything you do - it relies on grace alone. 

As my commentary reflects back on chapter 9 as a whole, it provides six exhortations:

1. share Paul's burdens for unbelievers
2. never doubt God's Word
3. embrace the mystery of God's sovereignty and human responsibility
4. allow the vision of God's sovereignty to increase your faith
5. bow down before God's majesty
6. never get over the wonder of God's saving mercy and grace
   

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are majestic indeed - and again I have seen and continue to see Your glory daily - in my life and in the life of others.  I also see it in creation, etc. You bless me each morning with new mercies and with so much more - I am not deserving of how You bless me.  I worry - that I worry at all is sinful and I worry 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 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 have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

Romans 9

And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23

This morning, I continued my study of Romans.  Using my commentary - Exalting Jesus in Romans (eBook) - I started chapter thirteen God's Word Has Not Failed, which covers Romans 9:1-29.  My focus today is Romans 9:1-5, which my commentary refers to under the heading Setting the State for the Argument: The Tragedy of Israel. Just as Paul shares the great encouragements from Romans 8 (see post yesterday and previous posts), he pivots to sadness as he explores how many of his fellow Jews failed to see Jesus as the promised Messiah.  Paul has "great sorrow and unceasing anguish" (v2) and even goes as far to say that he wishes to be "cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers" (v3). All of the riches associated with Christ "belong" to them, including "adoption" by God, the covenants given to Abraham and David, the law, the "worship", and the "promises" (v4). From them came the great patriarchs, not only Abraham and David, but Moses, Joshua, and Christ who descended from Judah and His genealogy is carefully documented by Matthew (v5).

My commentary points to how Romans chapter 9-11 reflect a pause in Paul's letter as he moves from hope and the great news of the gospel to the "relationship between Jew and Gentile", God's sovereignty vs human responsibility, and we are encouraged to see these chapters are integral and challenging and should be read as a unit.  The commentary indicates that the big question posed in Romans 9-11 is "[h]as God's word failed?" Paul wrestles with this question as he explores how God's promises to Israel failed to be fully fulfilled in the faith of the Jews as the Gospel became known to them through Jesus. 

My study this morning reflects the start of a multi-day journey to unpack Paul's struggle as he writes Romans 9-11.  

With respect to Romans 9:1-5, the commentary wants to understand the depths of Paul's anguish as v4-5 describe incredible "privileges" available to Israel. V1-5 "set the stage" for the remainder of the chapter as well as chapters 10-11.  For today, we can share in Paul's anguish because while the entirety of humanity has not descended from Israel, we can grieve over unbelief and the resulting condemnation that results.  For ourselves we should find the encouragement we need with fellow believers and BE the encouragement for unbelievers. John Piper's post references Hebrews 3:12-14 and 10:19-25 as key scriptural bases for believers to surround themselves with other believers for encouragement.  Again we are to also "snatch" unbelievers from the fire as well (James 5:19, Jude 23). 

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God and I am grateful for the many believers You have placed in my life to spur me on in my faith - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of this blessing and for the many other blessings You pour out for me.  My sin of worry and anger, as well as other sins, 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 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 the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Genesis  29-33

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” Genesis 32:28

Day 13-14 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) focuses on:

• Jacob's dealings with Laban - and the deception of both to each other
• Jacob's marriage to both Leah and Rachel and the many children born to Jacob (through both Leah and Rachel as well as through Zilpah, Leah's servant)
• Jacob's (with his wives, etc.) departure from Laban (including Rachel's theft of idols from her father) and their truce from dishonest dealings with each other (primarily driven by Laban)
• Jacob's journey back to Canaan, his reunion with Esau, and Jacob's encounter with man sent by God and Jacob's wrestling with this man  

A selfish entitlement mentality is a key theme that drives much of what transpires in these chapters, including Laban's initial deception of Jacob, Leah and Rachel's conflicts and jealousy over children born or not born unto them, and a general desire to "hold onto" what is felt to be rightfully "mine". 

Through all of this, one can grow weary and I would expect Jacob did and his anxiety peaked when he thought Esau would kill him when they reunited (Genesis 32:7).  Jacob went to God in prayer and soon after a man appeared from God and the two wrestled.  DesiringGod.com provides a good recap of this wrestling match and it includes a great encouragement for those who battle with unbelief.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who has helped me battle through unbelief - thank You Jesus for never leaving or forsaking me.  I am not deserving of such love. I sin...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa from 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 if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes.

Mark 9

But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. If you can? said Jesus. Everything is possible for one who believes. v22-23

Many of us have been in places where we wanted to believe but we had doubts.  This is an OK place to be - God wants us to bring everything to Him, including our doubts as He can help us with these too.  We must understand that even God brings us to faith.  It is OK to ask Him in prayer to help us with our unbelief and faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who has given me faith and grown my faith - and blee ssed me many times over - I am undeserving of such blessings.  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 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 servnde You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.