Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

Proverbs 20

Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing. v4

God wants us to be in action...it's not just about listening but doing.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25

The question becomes what do we do.
1. We love God with our all of our heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22)
2. We love others as ourselves (Matthew 22)
3. As a consequence of #1 and #2, we deny ourselves and our desires and live for God (that is why we exist) for others - to serve and not to be served.

My Prayer: Lord You are an awesome God that never ceases to love me and You bless me beyond what I deserve.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such an awesome God.  I am often lazy - 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 me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects of chemo.  Help me lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and have them accept You as their Lord and Savior as their choice.  Help me serve You and my family Jesus.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory[.]

John 17

 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory[.] John 17:24a

I pause my study of Proverbs and Isaiah to listen to DesiringGod.com's Solid Joys daily devotion, which today focuses on the goal of Christ's love.  John Piper urges us to see the the goal of Christ's love is not for believers to experience the joy of "being loved", which is not a bad thing of course.  Instead God wants us to, in Piper's words, to see that "the goal of love that makes [redemption, propitiation, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation] loving is that we be with him, and see his jaw-dropping glory, and be astounded. In those moments we forget ourselves as we see and savor all that God is for us in him." We must remember that we exist to glorify God!  To do this, we must deny ourselves and serve Christ as He commands us, sharing the gospel, serving and loving others, etc. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who is full of compassion and grace for me!  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of who You love and save me, and how You pour out so many rich blessings for me, including how You never leave or forsake me.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus. 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.

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor.

Proverbs 23

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. v23

Pride is defined as excessive self-esteem, or too much trust in self, a topic I posted about last week.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reinforces today's scripture:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

Key is that we exist to glorify Jesus and for Jesus to be glorified we must deny ourselves, allowing Jesus to become greater than ourselves.

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30

I must get out of the way.  

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that You are God and that You are my God.  You are also a great God and the one and only true God.  You bless me beyond what I deserve - thank You Jesus.  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I am harsh with my words and thoughts.  Please forgive me and help me overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me get out of the way and let Your light shine through me. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal and cure Lisa of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me point Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Help me serve You, my family, the church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message today and every day.

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

Mark 12:35-40

“Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” Mark 12:38-40

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 12:35-40, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy - vv35-37 - He is both the Son of God and the promised messiah from David's line.  See also 2 Samuel 7:9-17.   
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: People are sinful and broken and without God they seek glory for themselves - vv38-40.  They also fail to obey God's Word (see yesterday's post as an example) to love others and as a result the poor and widows suffer (see v40).  The scribes' hearts are hardened towards God and ultimately will be eternally condemned. 
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): We should not seek glory for ourselves but instead for God - we exist to bring Him glory. See 1 Corinthians 10:31.  This means we are assume a posture of humility, to pick up our cross daily, and to deny ourselves - loving God first then others. Of course Christ is our example.  

The text emphasizes humility.  Yes we are encouraged to understand God's Word.  But the scribes and Jewish elders used God's word to "puff" themselves up as described in 1 Corinthians 8:1-3.  Our understanding and knowledge of God's word should be used to renew our minds as described in Romans 12:2 such that His desires and will become our desires and will. 

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and saves!  Thank You Jesus for loving me first and saving me.  I am not deserving of my salvation. My sin is great and it continues...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 in Your 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. 

The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.

Luke 20

The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people. v19

Although many of Jesus' words and teachings were not evident to His disciples (see also post here), they WERE becoming more evident to the Jewish leaders whose selfishness and hardened hearts could not be overcome - Jesus had to be turned over to the authorities and crucified.  The law HAD to be fulfilled.  John Piper writes SO eloquently that God's love for His One and Only Son was the only remaining obstacle between God and our salvation - so Jesus HAD to die for us.

From this, I believe a challenge for us as believers exists to avoid the hardened hearts and selfishness that prevent us from being who God intends for us.  We must go to God daily, and serve Him and others.  We must deny ourselves and glorify Him (not ourselves) as this is why exist. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me more than I can ever imagine - thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of Your love - I worry way 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.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1 John 3

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16-18

I resume my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 3:11-18.  

Per the commentary for this text:

Main idea: Those who truly belong to God in Christ will live and love after the pattern of Jesus rather than the pattern of the world.

Excerpts from the introduction:

• "In 1:5–3:10 the message was “God is Light.” Now in 3:11–5:12 the message is “God is Love.” And because God is love, Christians are to love one another."
• Christians loving one another is to serve as an example for unbelievers in the world that we are God's children. 

Divisions:

1. Love One Another and Do Not Follow the Example of Cain (3:11-15): Love is not just repeated in this letter from John but of course throughout scripture, as the commentary points to John 13:34, 15:12, 15:17, Romans 12:10, 13:8, Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 4:1-2, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:9, Hebrews 10:24, and 1 Peter 4:8. "John, following Jesus, says we are to love consistently and comprehensively, continually and individually. Play no favorites. Show no biases. Practice no discriminations among your brothers and sisters. After all, we are family!" Cain is provided as a negative example of who Christians are to be as "Cain's actions revealed his true spiritual father, the Devil." See also John 8:44. At the heart of Cain's story is how he, in contrast to his brother Abel, brought a sacrifice to God that was "evil and unacceptable."  We are also urged to avoid responding to how the world hates us by demonstrating hate ourselves.  We are to love and respond accordingly. We should at the same time avoid loving out of any motive that it will earn us anything - we are to love our brothers as a natural response from the overwhelming love (including how God saves!) God has for us that is planted as a seed and Spirit within us.  The core focus of this letter is for us to love our brothers in sisters in Christ and we must be united in our love for another as an example to the world. Avoid hate. 
   
2. Serve One Another and Follow the Example of Jesus (3:16-18): "Real love, God’s love, is shown as well as spoken. It is tangible and not theoretical."  Our love and service to others may mean for some dying - following Christ's example.  While most will not suffer this fate, we are still called to sacrifice and deny ourselves in service of others in the church. "If we really understand the magnitude of what has been done for us and the implications for eternity, we won’t feel obligated to show gratitude; we won’t be merely willing to be thankful; we will joyfully present our lives to God as a living sacrifice in grateful worship." We must not turn a blind eye to our brothers and sisters in the church who need help. See also James 2:15-17 as James seeks for us to have both faith and action - but done out of our heart and motivated out of love for Christ and what He has done for us.  
   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, YOU are love and You died for me, loving me while I was still hostile to You - thank You Jesus for Your love and sacrifice to me - I am of course not deserving of how You save but You nonetheless saved me and continue to pour out Your love for me.  Thank You Jesus.  Yet I am undeserving because 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.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9-14

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zechariah 9:9

Day 275 of my chronological study of the Bible with The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®) (available by purchase through Amazon - author F. LaGard Smith) continues as I go back to Zechariah to focus on his last prophecies. My commentary* notes: "[t]he prophecies, in the form of two oracles, are once again highly figurative. They are undoubtedly messianic and give some of the clearest details about the life and death of the Messiah. For example, in contrast to the present kings and their chariots of war, this spiritual King will come gently in peace, riding on a donkey. He will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, and he will be pierced at the time of his death. Zechariah addresses a number of themes—past, present, and future—which lead to an apocalyptic view of the great battle between good and evil, the destruction of the wicked, and the salvation of the righteous."

*Smith, F. LaGard. The Daily Bible® - In Chronological Order (NIV®). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition. 

Zechariah's prophecies, estimated by my commentary* to be written no later than 460 B.C., foretold of Jesus, arriving with great humility (see also post yesterday).  We must not conform to the patterns of this world but instead be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Romans 12:2).  The patterns of this world do not emphasize or put faith in gentleness or humility but as believers we must deny ourselves and allow Jesus to be seen in us as we exist not to glorify ourselves but to glorify God. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are indeed worthy of glory and worthy of my worship and sacrifice - a living sacrifice. I seek to make much of Your name.  You have blessed me beyond what I deserve as I don't deserve anything.  My sin is great but You cleanse me. Thank You Jesus!  But I am not deserving.  I continue to worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.

2 Corinthians 3

Such confidence we have through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. v4-5

Arrogance is dangerous and it often leads people to deny God or knowingly commit sin with the belief that no consequence will be too great - dangerous indeed! Fear of God should drive us into His arms and towards obedience.  On the other hand, humility is rightly knowing that we all need a Savior and it is He who works in us in all things. Yes, we should have confidence - but it should rest in God alone.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who gives me life and all things - abundantly - thank You Jesus.  Is am not deserving of the many blessings You pour out for me.  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 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 they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan[.]

Micah 4

But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan[.] v12

I desire to know God....and to please Him.  That is why we exist.  

[The people] are the shoot I have planted,

the work of my hands,

for the display of my splendor.  Isiah 60: 21

Although we will not know all of the thoughts and plans for God, we should strive to know God's thoughts and plans for us.  God has a plan for each of us (Jeremiah 29:11).  

Paul writes in Romans that we can better understand God's will for our lives by "renewing" our mind;

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Renewing of the mind occurs when we deny ourselves and surrender our lives to Him, seeking Him daily.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

Blessed are those who listen to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway. Proverbs 8:34

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

 

Give us each day our daily bread. Luke 11:3

 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, full of love and compassion for me.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and compassion because I continue in my sin.  I worry...too much.  Please forgive me and help me overcome such sin and turn 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.  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.

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

Acts 20

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. v24

Jesus stresses that humility is key for us to gain the power of Christ.

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

We must admit that we need saving before we can even be saved. We must deny ourselves.


“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24
....

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Matthew 19:30

My Prayer:  Lord You are indeed great - You love me and bless me.  You protect me, heal me, teach me, and You provide - every day....all my needs.  I am not worth such love and blessing.  I worry...I am impatient, quick to anger, slow to listen, harsh with my thoughts, words, and actions...and my sin is so much more!  Thank You that You love me anyway but please forgive me.  Help me turn from such sin and towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Help me understand Your message for me to today...help me be obedient to this message and apply this message.

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.

Psalm 149

For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. v4

Humility is very important - we must not allow our plans, our desires, our selfishness, or our ambition to be what people see in us.  We must deny ourselves and allow Jesus to be seen in us - others must see in us the Light that is Jesus Christ.

Also key to this verse is that we race for crown that is not of this world - we should strive for glory and victory for Jesus.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Jesus, please help me be humble so that I can run the race You set before me and run it to win the crown that lasts forever. 

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God, full of love, compassion, patience, etc. for me, even though I am not deserving. Thank You Jesus for Your love and great mercy.  I often fail to love others as You do.   Please forgive me and help me overcome my lack of trust and faith.  Help me overcome my unbelief!  Help me turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Help me love others as You do.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give me strength.  Give Lisa strength.  Please heal and cure her of her cancer and the side effects from chemo.  Help me lead and serve Lisa, Zach, and Dustin...and serve You.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.

Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Psalm 50

⁷ “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
    I will testify against you, Israel:
    I am God, your God.
⁸ I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices
    or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
⁹ I have no need of a bull from your stall
    or of goats from your pens,
¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine,
    and the cattle on a thousand hills.
¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains,
    and the insects in the fields are mine.
¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you,
    for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴ “Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
    fulfill your vows to the Most High,
¹⁵ and call on me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

...

²³ Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me,
    and to the blameless I will show my salvation. ”

In the Old Testament the Jews offered animal sacrifice and God because the animals are already his, he indicates here that he needs no sacrifice.  However it is important to remember that the animal may be valuable to people as a food source or otherwise so the offering of an animal while in an absolute sense was not necessary to God, it WAS necessary to show how people deny themselves of something.  Additionally, the Jews could have also denied themselves of something (as an expression of our love for God) through a thanks offering which is said to be something that was not promised but given in addition as an expression of thanks for how God blessed people.

With Jesus we are of course to offer ourselves instead:

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are worthy of ALL praise and You are worthy of MY praise.  You are great and awesome beyond description and You have blessed me well beyond what I deserve.  I come to You now with a humble heart, knowing I am full of anger and this is a sin.  I thank You for all that You are and what You have done but I need You once more this day (and will continue to need You every day) to forgive me for my anger.  Please purify and refine me of this sin and make me Yours.  Help me take my cross and follow You.

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.

Portions of Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy

It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. Deuteronomy 17:19-20

Day 56 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 God's directives to build on Moses' leadership by providing guidance on the selection of a king, the establishment of courts and judges, and for fairness and justice. 

With regards to selection of a king, love of the Lord is first and foremost.  A king should be humble.  As I have posted recently on arrogance, I must remember that we exist to glorify the Lord and that we should live in such a way that others see God in us - this is only possible if we deny ourselves.

We must also not be seduced by the world in looking for a king (v14) - God's anointing of David should be a lesson for us.

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves me and who has placed many Godly men in my path who have led to me - and helped me grow closer to You.  I am deeply grateful for these men and for You placing these men in my life.  I am not deserving of such love and blessings.  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 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.

Let brotherly love continue.

Hebrews 13:1-6 

Let brotherly love continue. Hebrews 13:1

I move closer to the end of my study of Hebrews, as I start reading chapter 13 - the final chapter of this book.  In the text today - 13:1-6, we see a number of commands related to how we are to love others and treasure God above all.  Here are my observations using the Sword Bible Study Method.  

• What do we learn from the text about God?:  God loves everyone and seeks to save as many as possible, because all are fallen and are in need of Savior.  To this end, God wants believers to show hospitality to strangers (vv1-2), to love and serve those who are in prison and mistreated, and to honor the marriage bond by avoiding sexual immorality and adultery - vv3-4.  We must value and treasure God above all, and the text explicitly and specifically seeks for us to avoid the love of money and instead to "be content with what you have" (v5a). Vv5b-6 quotes Deuteronomy 31:8, Joshua 1:5 and Psalm 118:6 as promises to encourage us to be content as God gives us all that we need, is always with us, and is our refuge and rock.    
• What do we learn from the text about people?: We are prone to seek our own selfish desires vs loving and serving others.  The hurts and needs in the world around us are staggering - thus God wants us to love Him first then others (2nd most important commandment).  We must put aside and deny ourselves of our selfish desires and go to where the needs are and serve those in need - let brotherly love continue. 
• 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 the love of money (or anything else where you treasure that something above Him).  Claim the promises that God will never leave or forsake you and that the Lord is your helper.  Follow the example of those who love and serve others, including those who go into the prisons and serve those who are mistreated.  Love God, then love others.  

Comment and discuss this post

My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who will never leave or forsake me, and You are my helper.  Thank You Jesus! I am not deserving of how You love, save, and bless.  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.

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Matthew 23

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. v11-12

In Matthew 23, Jesus continues to warn His followers to avoid the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and teachers of the law.  Jesus did not come to be served but to serve (Mark 10:45).  We are called to deny ourselves, be more like Jesus and draw others to Him by allowing the others to see not us but the light of Jesus in us.

Be a light.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who as King did not come to be served but to serve - thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for me and for paying the price not just for my sin but for all of humanity!  Thank You - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not worth such love.  I am selfish and weak and lazy.  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.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness...But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

1 John 1:5-2:2

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness...But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 1:9, 2:1

This morning, I continue my study of 1,2,3 John using the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for these books.  My study today focuses on a commentary-assisted review of 1 John 1:5-2:2. 

Per the commentary main idea for the text: "Jesus is our atonement and our advocate who reconciles us to God and sends us out to share the gospel message with the world."

Excerpts from the introduction to the commentary:

• Sin is humanity's most fundamental problem
• John seeks to underscore this fundamental reality and to avoid challenging God as a liar by claiming we have no sin
• Believers must think correctly about sin
• "When you see sin for what it is you will immediately see your need—the world’s need—for Jesus as your advocate (2:1) and your “atoning sacrifice” (2:2 NIV). You will also avoid the error of calling God a liar."
  

Divisions:

1. The World Must Know What God Says about Himself (1:5): "Having met this Savior in repentance and faith, we have a divine assignment that involves the proclamation of a specific gospel with a universal scope (2:2). This message is for the whole world."  All believers must play a role in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20).  We are encouraged to both be a light so that others can see the True Light that is Jesus Christ.  The commentary points us back to scripture where there are numerous references to God as Light, including how the word light appears more than 275 times in scripture, including Psalm 27:1, 36:9, Isaiah 60:1, 3, 19-20, Micah 7:8, John 1:9, 8:12, 12:36, 46. For us to proclaim the Good News of Jesus, Christ we must understand the nature of Jesus and John seeks for us to understand how Jesus is the Light (Holy/Life) and how He is Truth.
2. The World Must Know What God Says about Sin (1:6-10): The world wants to define sin on its terms but John knows this is dangerous and instead encourages (warns) us to see sin as God sees it - as leading to eternal damnation. We are warned not to lie about our own sin. This includes lies to ourselves and to others. We are referred to Proverbs 28:13 and to confess our own sin...continually. "It should be noted that the apostle John does not deny our need to be seen as sinless. He simply notes that we cannot find it in ourselves. We need an advocate. We need an atonement. We need another."  We should be careful not to lie to ourselves and others because we will soon lie about God and this is dangerous indeed! 
   
3. The World Must Know What God Says about Jesus (2:1-2): "John has made it clear that in this life we cannot be sinless (but note again the future promise of 3:2!), but he does believe we can sin less because we are now in intimate fellowship with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ (1:3)." Jesus is our Advocate because He is our Atonement.  See also Revelation 5:9.
   

Comment and discuss this post.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are SO good...that You continually intercede and advocate for me on behalf of the Father to forgive my sins...and for so much more!  I am not deserving of how You bless!  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.

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

Matthew 7

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." v13-14

Jesus promises life and life to the full (abundant - KJV, etc.) for those who believe and follow Him (John 10:10).  Believers will demonstrate fruits of the Spirit as well (Galatians 5:22-23) - including
"love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".

However, there are no such promises of an easy life.  In John 16:33, Jesus tell us that we WILL have trouble. This is to be expected because when we submit our lives to Jesus, we DENY ourselves and put God and others first.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who has given me life to the full - thank You Jesus!  I am not worth such love and blessings.  I am quick to anger and slow to listen - 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 he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

Matthew 13

And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith. v58

Either at the end of their lives or at the End of Times, there will be those who lack faith and will be condemned.  It's hard to fathom this - a loving God who loves all of His children who does not save all of His children.  Yet this is not the case - God wants us to be in a willing relationship with Him where we submit to Him and depend on Him, where we deny ourselves and instead seek His desires above our own. 

God is the One who bring us to faith...or not.  This does not get us off the hook for His command to tell others about Him.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are a great God who loves us and who willingly goes to the cross to save us from the sting of sin and death.  Thank You Jesus - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not worth such a gift.  I daily miss the mark.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin 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.

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

John 1

“How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” v48

In v29-50, we see Jesus baptized by John (see also accounts in the other Gospels here), and Jesus' calling of the first disciples.  Although at this point in Jesus' ministry there are indications these men had a sense of who Jesus is (see v41, 45, 49), there are other indications later in John and in the other Gospels that demonstrate these men have an incomplete awareness and understanding of what it meant to follow Jesus.  My sense is that this is true today even for most new believers save those who might live in persecuted locations where it is dangerous to follow Jesus.  

Jesus says we must deny ourselves and give up everything as the cost of our faith.

Yet for those believers who have taken the time to allow Jesus into their heart and lives through daily study and prayer, we know there is a surpassing worth of Jesus vs the world.

Part of this surpassing worth of knowing Jesus are the Fruits of the Spirit, and of course eternal life.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an amazing God who loves me and who gives me life - to the full...in this life and in Heaven!  Thank You Jesus!  I am undeserving of such gifts.  I worry, and I stress, 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 spouse 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.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Matthew 9, Mark 2, and Luke 5

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6

I continue with my study of - Ten Men of the Bible: How God Used Imperfect People to Change the World - eBook by Max Lucado (for purchase). This morning, I continue with the story of "Matthew: Redefining God's Family*".

*Title of lesson seven from the Max Lucado study.

The commentary* of day three starts with Max Lucado highlighting how Matthew was not content to simply meet then follow Jesus; he immediately wanted to know more about Jesus so invited Him to spend more time with him at his house. Lucado also points us to the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 where we see another tax collector, shorter in stature so desperate to see and meet Jesus that he climbs a tree to see Him and gives half his belongings to the poor.  Jesus recognizes that Zachhaeus is willing to "lose his life" to have Jesus in his.

...[God] rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6

Lucado then turns to the story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19. This man sought "a quick fix" or a "checklist" from Jesus vs a relationship with Him.  He wanted validation that he was doing all the right things - he wanted to be justified.  We must recognize that there is nothing we can do to deserve salvation. None of us deserve it - instead the "wages of sin are death" (Romans 6:23). However, God freely provides salvation for those who truly seek it.  We must hunger and thirst for righteousness and be willing to deny ourselves and glorify God.

Comment and discuss this post here.

My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God who loves me and who freely gave me salvation - thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of such a gift and for the many blessings You pour out for me.  I continue to sin - worry, etc. Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.