But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.”

 Numbers 33

But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell. And I will do to you as I thought to do to them.” Numbers 33:55-56

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 33 - we retrace the path Israel took as  God led the people out of Egypt on their journey towards the Promised Land, and God prepares the people to enter the Promised Land.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God commands Moses to write down Israel's path towards the Promised Land (v2) - these are the second through the fifth book of the Bible. We should remember and study this journey - Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Joshua.  Upon reaching the boundary of the Promised Land - at the Jordan River - God gave Moses and the people explicit instructions (vv50-56) to destroy both the inhabitants and the idols in the land.  He warns the people that if they don't "[those inhabitants and their idols] shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell."  Scripture has limited mention of "thorn" but in context it has both negative and positive associations.  Thorns typically "choke" out more desired growth (negative).  At the same time, Paul is given this same "thorn" in his flesh (2 Corinthians 12:7) "to keep [him] from becoming conceited" (positive).  God is warning the people that the inhabitants of the Promised Land will entice and lure the people into idolatry, sin and away from Him - just as it has occurred in Israel's history.  Idolatry and sin separates us from Him and "troubles" and hurts us.  We must do as God commands.  Otherwise, as v56 shares God will do to us "as [He] thought to do to [those whom God sought to drive out from the land]."  He will drive us out from fellowship and union with Him - not a good thing.       
• What do we learn from the text about people?: People very often are partially obedient - not fully obedient (just as God commanded).  Hence God warns the people to avoid partial obedience because He knows partial obedience means a lack of submission and surrender to God.  This leaves a gap in our relationship with Him and this will not end well - we should heed the warning from Matthew 7:21-23 and Revelation 3:15–16 regarding partial obedience and moderation. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul was given a thorn in his flesh to remind him that he was fully dependent on God - he should not believe that his life circumstances and experience were anything but God's hand.   
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid moderation (lukewarm) or partial obedience in your journey with God.  Claim the promise that God desires to bring you enter His rest but this requires complete dependence and surrender to Him.  Follow the example of Paul who saw that he had a thorn in his flesh and relied fully on Him.  Abide in Him and follow God completely.     

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of 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.

Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land.

 Numbers 13:1-20

Be of good courage and bring some of the fruit of the land. Numbers 13:20

I continue my study of Numbers, and in the text today - Numbers 13:1-20 - God gives Moses instructions to send men into Canaan, the land God promised Abraham and his descendants - they were to scout out the land and its inhabitants.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.

• What do we learn from the text about God?: God often tests us by giving us challenges that without a doubt require us to lean wholly on Him.  This is one of those challenges - yet the challenge has yet to unfold.  For now, God is asking spies to scout the land. Moses gives the spies, including Joshua (originally named Hoshea), specific instructions as laid out in vv17-20.  His final charge is to be courageous and to "bring some of the fruit of the land."  God wants us to follow His will for our lives and to be courageous.  God knows what is ahead - He does not need this scouting the report, He needs Israel (us) to be courageous.  
• What do we learn from the text about people?: Each of the men sent to spy were chiefs of their tribes (v2), so leaders are expected to demonstrate courage as an example for the rest of Israel. 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): Avoid seeing God's instructions as burdensome or worrisome - as God is with us just as He we was with Israel in the wilderness.  Claim the promise that we can never be separated from God's love even as He tests us with challenging tasks.  Follow the example of Joshua to be courageous.  Follow God's will regardless of the challenge. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You an awesome God that is faithful and always with us.  We can follow You as we will never be separated from Your love, etc.  Thank You Jesus that You save and bless in such ways.  I am not deserving, nor are any of us, for such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of 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. 

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

 Mark 9:14-29

 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

This morning I am taking a short side trip from my study of John to look at Mark 9:14-29 in support of my Friday morning men's Bible study group. Here the text looks at Jesus' healing of a boy with an unclean spirit (whom the disciples could not heal). Here are my observations of the text using the Sword Bible Study Method. 

• What do we learn from the text about God?: Jesus is once again sought by crowds as He has been teaching and performing miracles - including healing a deaf man, a blind man (chapter 7,8) and feeding the four thousand (chapter 8).  Here, Jesus is among a crowd after the Transfiguration (vv2-13) and a father seeks to heal his son whom the disciples were not able to heal (despite how Jesus sent them out in Mark 6:7-12 and gave them authority over the unclean spirits) - see vv17-18. Jesus rebuked the crowd generally (including the disciples and the father) for their lack of faith - v19.  Jesus then specifically rebukes the boy's father who was not fully convinced Jesus could heal his son - vv22-23.  Then, Jesus rebukes the unclean spirit and the boy is healed.  In response to the disciples who questioned Jesus why they could not heal the boy,  Jesus shares that "[t]his kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer" (v29).  It seems that Jesus wants His disciples to be clear that it is not their power that is doing these miracles but the Triune God who works through them.  Yes, Jesus did give the disciples authority over unclean spirits, but that does not make them God, and they remain 100% dependent on God - we are reminded of this and in why we need to pray.    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: This is humbling and v29 reminds us to pray and always act in utter dependence on Him.  Contrast the father of the boy with the disciples as the father "cries out "I believe, help my unbelief."  This is the kind of posture and prayer Jesus seeks from us - He gives us the power of the Holy Spirit but at the same time we must "pray ceaselessly" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 
• Is there anything from the text God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid, Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that heals and saves!  Thank You Jesus!  Yet I am undeserving - there are many times where my faith is weak - please help me with my unbelief.  And my sin is great...daily.  Please forgive me for my sin and help me turn from and repent of my sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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 he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

 Mark 12:41-44

And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” Mark 12:43-44

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 12:41-44.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of two) division (vv43-44):

• The title of the second division per the commentary is "Jesus Knows Why We Give." 
• The commentary for this second division, including a conclusion for this chapter of the commentary covering the entirety of the text vv41-44, extended into another day of my reading and study - hence another post on this text.  Additionally, because money is a very important topic for believers, I did not want to shortcut my study on it. 
• "Giving is an act of worship. In the Word of God, numerous truths are set forth to help us in our understanding of grace giving (what also can be called Christian stewardship)[.]"  These truths posited by the commentary include: "Grace Giving Is Guided by a Proper Perspective (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 3:21-23, 4:1-2, 9:17, Psalms 24:1, 51:10-12, Haggai 2:8, Philippians 4:13, 19, 1 Timothy 5:8, Colossians 3:23-24, Hebrews 11:4)."  This truth and the supporting text is further expanded by sharing that "all that I am belongs to God, all that is belongs to God, God has entrusted His possessions to me, God's possessions entrusted to me have a purpose, and God's assets build and glorify God's kingdom through me."

Core to all of this is how, in light of God's love for us, how He saves us despite our sin, is that we are utterly dependent on God for all things and He is total control.  We must remain humble and allow Him to work through us. More tomorrow on this as the commentary shares two additional truths on money as it wraps this chapter. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an incredible God who loves, provides, and saves.  Thank You Jesus as You do this and more....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 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 he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

Mark 9:14-29

And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” Mark 9:28-29

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 9:14-29.  Excerpts from the second (of three) division (vv28-29):

• For the third division, the title is: "We Never Advance Beyond Our Need for Prayer."
• The commentary provides the below table that contrasts the Transfiguration with the healing of the boy in the text and suggests how it might have been instructive for the disciples to see the two events through this lens.

 

•  "Introspection is a healthy spiritual discipline when it causes us to examine our weaknesses and confront our limitations. Presumptuous self-sufficiency may be viewed as a great strength by the world, but it is deadly to our spiritual lives." 
• "The disciples failed big time. It was public, brought ridicule, cast doubt on their Master and mission, and filled them with self-doubt. So when Jesus initiated reflection and debriefing, they asked, “Why couldn’t we drive the demon out?” Their question betrays a sense of confidence in their own strengths and abilities....Failure led them to question themselves.  This is a good thing."  
• "He is not saying some demon exorcisms require prayer but others do not. He is saying that whenever we take to the spiritual battlefield, if we go in our own strength, pride, and self-sufficiency, we have lost the battle before it begins. Faith bridges the gap between divine omnipotence and human weakness, and that faith is experienced and exercised through prayer. Could this be why prayer is one of the most difficult of the spiritual disciplines?"  
• "Tim Keller observes that the prayer of the father is characterized by honesty, helplessness, hopefulness, specificity, and passion (“Mark,” 112). These character traits of believing prayer can be summed up in one word: humility. It all depends on Jesus."  
• The commentary wraps but pointing us to John 20:29 and Ephesians 6:16. 

For me prayer is definitely a weaker spiritual discipline.  For a long time, well beyond when I was saved, perhaps until 10 years ago, scripture reading was also a weaker discipline and I prayed for a stronger desire for Him and of course God gave it to me.  And I can say without a doubt that 2 Corinthians 1:20 rings true as does all scripture!  God not only gave me a desire for Him He satisfied me above all others - Matthew 5:6.  I pray this morning - similar to the father of demonic spirit filled boy healed by Jesus - that God helps me with my prayer - help me Father! 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are SO good - You save and You provide.  You are SO faithful and You hear and answer all prayers.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of how You bless.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus.  Help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”

Mark 9:14-19

And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” Mark 9:23

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 9:14-29.  Excerpts from the second (of three) division (vv19-27):

• For the second division, the title is: "We Never Advance Beyond Our Need for Faith."
• "The author of Hebrews tells us, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him” (11:6). But how much belief—how much faith—do we need? A lot? Must it be perfect? No. Faith the size of a tiny little mustard seed will do just fine (Matthew 17:20). The key is not the depth of our faith but the direction of our faith. What is important is not the potency of our faith but the Person our faith is in. A little faith in a great Savior gets amazing results!"  
• "Though the man’s faith is weak and small, he is at least looking in the right direction and asking the right Person for help. Unlike the leper in Mark 1:40-45, the father raised not a “would” question but a “could” question. The leper knew Jesus could help, but would He? The father believed Jesus would help, but could He? Well, he is about to find out!"  
• "Jesus responds in surprise. If He can?! “Everything is possible to the one who believes.” Divine ability is not the problem; human unbelief is. There is a reliable bridge between human weakness on the one hand and divine sufficiency and power on the other. It is called faith, trust, and dependency. Psalm 34:8 says, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!'"  
• "Jesus here provides insight into the meaning of His own death and resurrection. Satanic powers bring death, but divine power brings resurrection life. This is what dependent faith can see!"

Encouraging words from the text and emphasized by the commentary: that our weakness and utter dependence on God for His provision and protection should drive us into His arms.  I am reminded of those in scripture - such as the woman bleeding for 12 years - simply wanted to touch Jesus' garment to access the His power. See this in the following gospels: Matthew 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34, and Luke 8:43-48.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that heals and saves.  I have seen the work of Your hand and I am grateful.  I am not deserving of such blessings as my salvation and how You pour out mercies for me daily.  Please forgive me and help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Will You please help me with my unbelief - it continues I know in corners of my life.  Please provide wisdom and energy to Lisa and myself.  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.   

 

So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”

Mark 9:14-19

So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.” And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.” Mark 9:18b-19

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 9:14-29.  Excerpts from the introduction for the entirety of the text and for the first (of three) division (vv14-19):

• The title for the entirety of the text is and the main idea: "Lessons Learned in the Fires of Failure," and "[w]e will fail, but God uses these failures to deepen our dependence on Him, our faith in Christ, and our discipline in prayer."
• "Failure is never fun and defeat is seldom something we take delight in. It can be painful, embarrassing, and humiliating. And our response can be life changing, altering our destiny. Failure can make us bitter, or it may make us better. We can take it as instructive and corrective and learn from it."
• "It is this last lesson the disciples need to learn and so many of us need to learn as well. But there is another truth we must hold on to as well: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). I can do nothing that really matters without Him, but this drives me continually to Him for help. I need to let my weakness drive me to His strength. I need to let my impotence drive me to His omnipotence. I need to let my limitations drive me to His unlimited resources. I need to let my humility drive me to His sufficiency."  
• For the first division, the title is: "We Never Advance Beyond Our Need for Jesus."
• "Mountaintop experiences are wonderful, and we need them from time to time for spiritual nourishment and the recharging of our spiritual batteries. However, God never intended for us to stay there. He wants us “down here” preaching the gospel to and ministering among the hurting and suffering. He wants us living with and serving real people devastated by the ravages of the fall and of sin. As His agents of redemptive love, we go in His name and with the promise of His presence. To forget this is to open ourselves up to all sorts of difficulty, challenges, and even failure, as nine of His disciples discovered with pain and humiliation."  
• "No doubt the scribes were mocking the disciples over their failure to heal the boy. Probably they used the lack of success as an opportunity to question Jesus’ authority."  
• "[T]heir failure reflected badly not only on them but also on Jesus!"
• "We never sin in a vacuum. We hurt ourselves, we hurt those we love, we hurt the gospel, and we hurt the reputation of Christ! When this happens, we do not need to look to ourselves but to Christ! Criticized by our detractors for our failures, we must point them to Christ, the One who does not fail—ever! We should encourage them to follow the example of the crowd in verse 15. They saw Him, they were amazed at Him, and they ran to Him. Our detractors may accurately point out our flaws and failures. Such, however, will never be found in Jesus. Oh how we need Him when enemies are nipping at our heels, ready to devour us if they can!"  
• "Many lessons are here. (1) We see that demons are real beings, not simply mythological creatures. Jesus clearly believes in the demonic. (2) Demons desire to inflict pain and death. (3) Demons are capable of inflicting physical suffering. This boy had symptoms resembling epilepsy (Matthew 17:15). (4) In our own strength we are helpless against the supernatural powers of the demonic. (5) Spiritual victories in the past (cf. Mark 6:7-13) are no guarantee we will be victorious today, especially when we operate with faith in ourselves rather than in Christ. (6) When all human efforts have been exhausted, we can turn to Jesus. Counter to our sinfulness and weakness, He is where we should turn from the start."
• "Whenever the disciples are separated from Jesus, they get in trouble and experience a crisis. What a valuable lesson: we never advance beyond our need for Jesus!"  

We are reminded that we must remain in Jesus to bear fruit - the lesson of John 15:1-17 is key. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing.  Daily study of God's Word, prayer, are key.  

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who provides for all of my needs, physical, emotional, and spiritual.  You never let me down.  You are SO good!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of my salvation nor how You bless 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.

He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.

Mark 6:7-13

He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. Mark 6:8-9

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 6:7-13. Excerpts from the commentary's for the second (of four) division (vv8-9): 

• The title for the first division is "Go Mean and Lean with Nothing Nonessential."
• "To be effective in God’s work, we must do what we do unencumbered, with no excess baggage that could impede our mission. Further, we must go in radical faith and dependence on our God." 
•  "The four items required of the Twelve are identical to what God told the Hebrews to take on their flight from Egypt (Exodus 12:11)." 
• The commentary details the parallels between the Old Testament exodus and how Jesus sends out The Twelve under the authority of the new and greater Moses (see also Hebrews 3:1-6).  
• Dependence on Jesus for all things is emphasized, particularly in the mission field.

For believers, God calls upon us constantly and fear and anxiety often accompany such calls - to step into the unknown.  God called Moses in Exodus 3 to rescue Israel from bondage.  This triggered much fear and anxiety in Moses, and God quelled this fear and anxiety, speaking to Moses and revealing His plan for this effort in Exodus 3:15-22, and sharing how Aaron will be his helper in this mission in Exodus 4:1-17.  God gives all believers a role in the Great Commission and we should lean on Him in prayer, etc. to equip us and to give us courage to step out into these roles. 

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of incredible grace and compassion - You saved me while still sinning and an enemy and hostile to You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving for how You save, equip, provide, and lead in the roles You design for me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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 they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

 Mark 1:21-28

And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” Mark 1:27

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 1:21-28, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Here's what we see in the text:

• At the start of His ministry, with his first four disciples - Simon, Andrew, James, and John - Jesus "immediately" went to the synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath and "was teaching."  The word immediately implies urgency similar to how Simon, Andrew, James, and John felt called to immediately follow Jesus.  Believers should act with urgency based on Jesus' call to serve.   
• Those in the synagogue were "astonished" at Jesus' teaching.  He taught with "authority" unlike anything they had seen - of course Jesus is the Incarnate Son sent by God, so this is no surprise!
• Even the unclean spirit recognized Jesus as the "Holy One of God."
• Jesus' rebuke of the unclean spirit is one of His first miracles 
• Witnesses were all amazed and they began to wonder who Jesus is.  Jesus' "fame" spread throughout the regions surrounding Galilee.     

The question in my mind is whether we as believers, if we are truly being the hands and feet of Jesus, are acting in such way for people to see Jesus in us - mercy, service, love, etc.  People should be attracted to us in a similar way to those in Capernaum who were all amazed at Jesus - we are NOT Jesus but we should be LIKE Jesus and becoming more like Him every day as this is sanctification in action.  If not, this is an opportunity for us as believers to examine whether we are truly abiding in Him and for us to desperately call out to God for us to help us abide in Him.

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are amazing and You are the One True God who saves, who transforms hearts and lives, and molds them into more of Your image. Thank You Father God for saving me and transforming my heart and life - 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 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 am gentle and lowly in heart[.]

Matthew 11:29

I am gentle and lowly in heart[.] Matthew 11:29b

I continue my study of The Character of Jesus.  For this morning, I focus on chapter 20: The Humility of Jesus where I highlighted in my Kindle version the following excerpts:

• "[Matthew 11:29] is unique in the Gospel.  There is nothing else at all like it....here for the first time [Jesus] calls attention to one of his characteristics....[and he uses this moment] to teach [his followers] humility."
•  "Possibly no other virtue in the catalogue of Christian virtues is so misunderstood as this one. No other one has been so often erroneously defined, no other grace has been so persistently counterfeited and caricatured. What do we mean by humility?...We know that Jesus was humble, we know also that he demands humility of us, we know that he took the ancient word and cleansed it and made it a lovely word, and yet when asked to define the meaning of it, how difficult it is to do."
• "Jesus gave his disciples three great lessons on the subject of humility" [from] Matthew 18:1-5, Matthew 20:25-28, and John 13:4-17.
• In Matthew 18:1-5, Jesus exhorts the disciples to become like little children.  "It is teachableness, docility, willingness to learn. A child is eager for knowledge, he is everlastingly asking questions, he is always bent on investigation, he pries into everything. He wants to go to the roots of everything....Not only is he free from self-sufficiency, but he is free from vanity. A little child is not vain of the belongings of its parents. It cares nothing for diamonds or silks, brown stone, or carriages. It plays with perfect contentment with a child in the street whose parents have [nothing]."
• "It was because the Pharisees did not have it that he criticized them and condemned them. They were not teachable, they knew everything. Nobody could tell them anything. They were vain, they blew trumpets and called attention to their decorations. They loved salutations. They were ambitious, they were always pushing themselves forward, taking the chief places at the feasts."
• "We get just a glimpse of him at the age of twelve, so hungry for knowledge that he will not go home, but lingers behind to ask the big teachers in the Temple just one more question. Always was he teachable. There is no trace of arrogance in him, no spirit of assumption. He is constantly talking to God, asking him questions, praying for new light. He cannot live without prayer. Prayer is the language of humility. Only the docile in heart ever pray. When we say that Jesus was a man of prayer, we say he was meek and lowly in heart."
• In Matthew 20:25-28, Jesus shares with His disciples that "humility is...a willingness to serve.  A humble man is a man who is ready to make himself useful....He did not underestimate his powers, or make himself small, or feel himself to be unworthy; he simply came down to where men were in order to do them good. That is Christian humility."
• In John 13:4-17 Jesus washes His disciples feet. "Knowing their dullness of understanding he goes on to explain the meaning of his action, telling them, just as he has been willing to do the work of a slave in order to serve them, so they also must be willing to serve one another. Here, again, we see what humility really is. It is laying aside one's dignity, it is making one's self of no reputation, it is a willingness to come down, it is a delight in rendering service...[I]t was because [Jesus] knew his divine origin and his divine destiny, and was conscious of his lofty position that he was willing to take the basin and the towel and do the work of a slave. This is the secret of humility everywhere and always."
• "It is because we do not know that we have come from God, and forget that we are going back to Him that we make such an ado about our dignity, and prize so highly our reputation, and are so lordly and so lofty minded, and take such delight in putting on airs. Only he who is sure of God possesses the secret of humility."
• "The humility which Jesus wants, and which he exemplified in his life, is a form of strength. Only the strong man can be really humble. It is willingness to lay aside one's rights, it is a refusal to use one's power, it is a readiness to come down and to make one's self of no reputation. Jesus was always giving up his rights, he was always refusing to use his power. Repeatedly he had the opportunity to wreak vengeance on his enemies, but he would not do it because he was so humble."
• "Notwithstanding his exalted position, Paul reminds his Philippian converts that Jesus "made himself of no reputation and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And therefore hath 'God highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord indeed.'"

Great words from Charles Jefferson indeed.  The author's words and the Holy Spirit this morning remind me of words from John 3:30 where John the Baptist shares that he must decrease and Jesus must increase.  It is humanity's nature to find worth, value, and significance from the world - of course this hinders an expression of humility defined in scripture.  Yet believers must recognize that our identity, worth, value and significance comes from Jesus - who sees us as worthy of salvation and justified (free from the charge of condemnation as a result of our sin).  Once we recognize our identity as a new creation in Christ, where we see our worth, value, and significance in Jesus, it becomes increasingly clear that we exist not to bring glory to ourselves but instead to glorify God.  It is from our strong conviction of who we are and to whom we belong where we become humble in God's eyes. 

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that sees me as worthy of salvation and I am justified in Your eyes.  And You continue to pour out mercies that are new every morning that never cease.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of 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. 

[D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

 [D]o not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

I continue pause my study of Zechariah and of the last four books of the OT (complete: Zephaniah, Haggai; to complete: Zechariah, Malachi) - using the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary volume for this book.  Today, my preparation to lead Sunday school at my church, where our class is doing a study on prayer based on the book by A Praying Life, moves along.  I pick up today in chapter 7 - Crying "Abba" Continuously, and 8 - Bending Your Heart To Your Father.  As chapter 8 winds to a close - it emphasizes how anxiety should drive us to prayer as it is "relentless."  As anxiety never rests we should be driven to relentlessly seek Christ in prayer - we are encouraged to read the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-7) as Jesus shares how "God give[s] justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night[.]" Hannah's (1 Samuel 1) weeping and praying also should encourage us to let anxiety power our prayers. 

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My Prayer: Father, I am utterly and completely dependent on You and can do nothing without You.  Help me be in constant awareness of this and how so full of grace You are for me and I seek that this love You have for me should of course animate me to love, worship, and praise You constantly but also love others because this is what pleases You and I seek to please You.  Thank You for the many blessings You pour out for me but I am undeserving.  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 makes me lie down in green pastures.

 Psalm 23 and Genesis 22:9-14

He makes me lie down in green pastures. Psalm 23:2a

I continue my pause of my study of Jude to use Tony Evan's The Power of God's Names sermon outline series - maintaining focusing on Message Four: Jehovah Rohi and Jehovah Jireh.  Today, I review the sermon illustrations - specifically looking at two illustrations:

• Our Shepherd is a Full-Service God: Tony Evans shares the analogy of everything these days is self-service and how we can do things on our own - for example we can use Web search engines, AI, or YouTube.  There is so much we can do on our own that we are easily tempted to forget how God provides for all of our needs and how apart from Him we can do nothing (Psalm 23:1, John 15:5).  We should go to God first for wisdom and direction through prayer and He will provide.  His response may not be what we initially sought, but God does provide and we should understand His thoughts and ways are not our own (Isaiah 55:8). 
  
• Our Shepherd Gives Us Rest: Evans challenges us to see how God may be creating or allowing circumstances in our lives that force to depend on Him.  Evans writes: "Have you ever thought maybe the reason God hasn’t changed your situation is He’s forcing you to lie down? He’s making you stay right where you are until you have learned total dependency on Him." See Psalm 23:2a. 

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of grace and compassion - providing for me, giving me rest, and blessing me in SO many incredible ways.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of Your heart, soul and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please 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.

...God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

 Psalm 23 and Genesis 22:9-14

...God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” Genesis 22:1

I continue my pause of my study of Jude to use Tony Evan's The Power of God's Names sermon outline series - maintaining focusing on Message Four: Jehovah Rohi and Jehovah Jireh.  Today, I continue to focus on those sermon notes that stand out to me - specifically looking at Sermon Point #1: To Understand Your Shepherd, Jehovah Rohi, You Must Realize That You Are Like A Sheep.  In describing sheep, the sermon notes share that "sheep...are dumb, defenseless, dirty, and dependent."  This last attribute is key - before we truly accept Jesus, we must all get to a place where we say we need Him...desperately.  As a litmus test, when God calls us, we must be prepared to answer Him right away.  As two examples, Abraham did not hesitate when God called him in Genesis 22:1 and 11.  There are of course many other Biblical examples where God called someone and they responded "here I am, ready to submit and serve You God," including Isaiah 6:8, where Isaiah cries out in response to God: “Here I am! Send me.”  We should respond because we want to submit and obey, again, because we should recognize that we are completely dependent on God, desperate for Him, and that because God is Our Shepherd, He cares for us and only wants good things for us (although how we define "good" is according to God's definition not our own).  On the other hand, there are many scriptural examples where God called someone and they failed to willingly submit to God.  Ananias and Sapphira come to mind - see this message from John Piper here. Other examples include Jonah and Judas (the apostle).  Take John Piper's recommendation and be more like Barnabas and not Ananias!  See also John 15:5 as another example where Jesus shares how "apart from me you can do nothing."

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are my great Shepherd and my great Provider!  Thank You Jesus for being this for me because I desperately need it - I know that apart from You I can do nothing.  I am undeserving for how You do this for me 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 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.

“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?

 Isaiah 45

“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’? Isaiah 45:9

Today, I pause once again my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, which today first ensures we know that God is sovereign over everything in the universe and all of its inhabitants (see also post yesterday) - John Piper wants us to see how once we acknowledge this - our natural response is to submit to Him and recognize that we are totally dependent on Him.  Piper uses Isaiah 45:9 and Psalm 100:3 as scriptural reference points for us on these matters.  He goes further by sharing that we are not just totally dependent on Him, but that He is for us! See Isaiah 33:21, 64:4 and Romans 8:31.  Piper concludes the devotion with an awe inspiring and encouraging word by sharing a rhetorical questions that "[c]an you think of anything (I mean anything) that is more comforting and assuring and delighting than that the Lord in his majesty is for you?"  I can't - of course not.  Who can have anything greater than God - nobody!

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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 - always working for me while I am totally dependent on You - the Creator and Sustainer of All.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such love and compassion and blessing.  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. 

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

Acts 17

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. Acts 17:24-25

This morning I continue a pause in my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional.  Today, in this devotional, John Piper provides believers with a warning that is likely to be counterintuitive - that we must beware of serving God. Piper first starts by sharing that "we do not glorify God by providing his needs, but by praying that he would provide ours — and trusting him to answer, and living in the joy of that all-providing care as we lay down our lives in love for other people." He then refers us to Psalm 50:12-15 where the text is clear - prayer expresses our utter dependence on God and as such it glorifies God. Piper then shares that we are then forced to acknowledge "the startling fact that we must beware of thinking he needs us. We must beware of serving God, and we must take special care to let him serve us, lest we rob him of his glory....Most of us think serving God is a totally positive thing. We have not considered that serving God may be an insult to him. But meditation on the very meaning of prayer makes this plain...[T]here is a way to serve God that would belittle him as needy of our service. Oh, how careful we must be not to preempt the mighty grace of God in Christ." 

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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 - providing for all of my needs - physical, emotional, and spiritual - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom, energy 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 vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5

This morning I continue a pause in my study of 1 Corinthians to use DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional.  Here John Piper highlights how Jesus seeks for believers to glorify Him.  Using the end of John 15:5 (and Romans 7:8), Piper starts by sharing how "without Christ, we are capable of no Christ-exalting good." That is how we should see ourselves - as helpless and utterly dependent on Him to bear Christ-glorifying good.  Of course, as believers, we should all seek to glorify Him - because that is why we exist. In the verse for today, Jesus guides us for how we are to glorify Him.  First, we must abide in Him, He then abides in us, and it is then we bear fruit.  Piper then points to vv7-8, where Jesus seeks for us to pray, and Piper shares that God is then glorified.  Piper writes: "[w]e pray!  We ask God to do for us through Christ what we can’t do for ourselves — bear fruit....Prayer is the open admission that without Christ we can do nothing. And prayer is the turning away from ourselves to God in the confidence that he will provide the help we need."

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My Prayer: Jesus, You are SO good as You provide all of my needs - thank You!  Of course I am undeserving...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.

Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant[.]

Psalm 86

Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant[.] Psalm 86:16

Because I did not wake early enough to give God my first fruits of undistracted time this morning - I am coming back during my day to commune with my God and to (1) seek my forgiveness, (2) gain strength and daily sustenance. Listening to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotional, I reflect on John Piper's words and on the words of the psalmist who in Piper's words "give us a beautiful model of daily dependence on future grace for every exigency."  Piper lays out several examples of the psalmists dependence on future grace:

• They cry out for grace when they need help: “Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” (Psalm 30:10).
• When they are weak: “Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant” (Psalm 86:16)
• When they need healing: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord” (Psalm 6:2).
• When they are afflicted by enemies: “Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me” (Psalm 9:13).
• When they are lonely: “Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted” (Psalm 25:16).
• When they are grieving: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye is wasted from grief” (Psalm 31:9).
• When they have sinned: “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” (Psalm 41:4).
• When they long for God’s name to be exalted among the nations: “God be gracious to us and bless us . . . that your way may be known on earth” (Psalm 67:1–2).

These are all circumstances I have faced.  I also need my "bread" daily - see Matthew 6:9-13.  I cannot exist without Christ as He provides for all of my needs, saves me and gives life now (abundantly) and for eternity.  

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My Prayer: Heavenly Father, You are a great God that pours out blessings to me daily and I desperately need them.  Thank You Jesus for how You provide for all of my needs and for how You save and sanctify.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and daily - including failing to give You my first fruits.  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 who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?...But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

Chapter 15: Pages 197-207, 1 Corinthians 4:7, and 15:10

For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?...But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 4:7, 15:10

This morning, I continued John Piper's book Providence (purchased from Amazon Kindle Store) and started Part 3 "The Nature and Extent of Providence", moving to Section 1 "Setting the Stage" - moving to chapter fifteen "Knowing the Providence of the God Who Is". 

Piper defines the extent of God's providence as "how extensive, or far-reaching, is God's governance or control of created reality?" He then defines the nature of God's providence as how "he influences whatever it is that he governs.  Is his control always exerted in the same way?"  Up front, as he starts this new section, Piper writes that "[w]e depend on [God] for our being and for our knowing-especially our knowing of him.  We are because he is.  We know because he reveals."

In the subsequent chapters of this section Piper digs deeper into the "how" of providence - but for now I rest on how providence unfolds and settle on how according to Piper, scripture alone provides the answers.

I am reminded of Paul's words to Timothy and those of David from Psalms 16:

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” Psalm 16:2

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I KNOW that I am utterly dependent on You for all things, including understanding of Your providence and how it works.  Thank You for the gift of faith and for helping me understand You better - with each passing day I am renewed and know more about You - I also know that You are making me more like You.  Thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of such rich blessings.  I worry and I have other sins.  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.