MARCH 13, 2025

  “The best way out is always through.” 

― Robert Frost

DEUTERONOMY 20-22

1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. 2When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. 3He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. 4For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”(20:1-4)

MARK 14:26-50

27“You will all fall away,” Jesus told them, “for it is written:

“ ‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.’^d

28But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

29Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”

30“Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice^e you yourself will disown me three times.”

31But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.

JOURNAL 

Peter refused to believe that there could ever be a situation where he would deny Christ...yet in a few short verses later...he runs away and then denies him 3 times.  Peter completely blows it. Yet Christ knew that this was coming, he knew the daunting circumstances that all of them would encounter over the next few days. I think this was part of Jesus' angst. Yet instead of running, instead of finding a way out...Jesus faced it head on. Peter on the other hand idealized the end result of following Jesus...yet when it came down to it...his declarations were futile...he didn't have the courage to follow through with his promises.

Adversity is waiting...every morning that we are gifted with another day we are also gifted with inevitable adversity. In one way or another we are going to face struggle...whether that be with a situation, another human, an illness, and if nothing else...ourselves. Struggle and adversity are as much a part of life as the sun rising and setting. 

Yet I will confess, there is always this hope that maybe today I won't encounter it...maybe today it won't exist, maybe today I'll just cruise through unscathed. Yet what I learn from scripture and have unwillingly learned in my life is that wishing for the absence of adversity is futile. For adversity is a key component in defining life itself. That defining is also what creates the playing field of everything that makes life purposeful and meaningful. 

When I really think about it...gravity is adversity, hunger is adversity, thirst is adversity, the weather, the elements, bills, job, school, relationships, family...all of it contains an element of problems and adversity. 

So I guess really there are two choices...face it or run from it. To face it and embrace it is to ultimately solve it. To run from it and avoid it is to be defeated by it.  Jesus faced the adversity all the way through death and in doing so defeated it. In doing so he provided redemption to Peter and the keys to life for all of us. 

 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

GALATIANS 6:9

MARCH 12, 2025

 “The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.” 

― G.K. Chesterton

DEUTERONOMY 17-19

16The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” 17He must not take many wives, or his heart will be led astray. He must not accumulate large amounts of silver and gold.

18When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. 19It 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 20and 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.(17:16-20)

MARK 14:1-25

1Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2“But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”

3While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages^a and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

6“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you,^b and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

JOURNAL 

So Kings were not to think of themselves above their subjects.  "...revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees 20and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites..." Specifically this language in the old testament lays out the heart that God wants us to have in roles of leadership. Leadership is not a gift to indulge but rather a position to serve. 

This story from Mark has always moved me. I think it's because it shows how Jesus looks to the heart and overlooks the practical in favor of it. Jesus doesn't see the waste, he sees the devotion, he doesn't see buildings and titles he sees spiritual eternity. I think that it is easy to really get caught up in religiosity. I think it's easy to get into a certain mindset that's all about looking the part rather than actually living it. But when I really read the Bible and dissect the characters and the heart of Jesus, I see that following him is not a conservative mindset. 

It is actually filled with people going against the grain, doing the unconventional and rocking the boat. I think this is exactly why Jesus commends the prostitute for her action. It is a passionate display of devotion from her heart. This is the mindset of the kingdom...bold, unconventional, passionate and all heart. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

MARCH 11, 2025

 “I don't think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains.” 

― Anne Frank, The Diary of a Young Girl

DEUTERONOMY 14-16

1At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your fellow Israelite owes you. 4However, there need be no poor people among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.(15:1-6)

MARK 13:14-37

32“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert^e ! You do not know when that time will come. 34It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”

JOURNAL 

To truly live aware and present is much harder than it seems. I think it is because as a human, I tend to want to give context to everything. My memory serves as a way to give me perspective as to why I am here, what I am doing and ultimately who I am. Otherwise when I woke up this morning I would have no idea how I got here, who I am etc. 

The brain is truly a remarkable gift. Not only are we able to remember everything from our past but we are also able to imagine, create, plan and visualize a future that does not yet exist. While this ability is absolutely amazing it is not the only amazing gift. Emotions...those chemical reactions in our system...give us feelings that guide us and help us to make sense of those memories and those visualizations and dreams. 

When they are all working well...then we humans can do some amazing things...however when they aren't we can go off the rails in pretty dramatic fashion. The real problems begin to fester when we don't see the amazing uniqueness and opportunity of today. Because that is the only real opportunity we have to live this life, to affect the future etc. But it all starts and works in the here and now. 

Being aware of what all is going on around me, the needs, the joys, the blessings, the hurts...it is critical in living this life well to fully be present and to see all that God has authored and all that he has allowed and therefore all that he will do through us humans. 

41As Jesus was sitting opposite the treasury, He watched the crowd putting money into it. And many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then one poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amounted to a small fraction of a denarius.l

43Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more than all the others into the treasury. 44For they all contributed out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.”

MARK 12:41-44

MARCH 10, 2025

  “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us.” 

― Timothy J. Keller, The Meaning of Marriage

DEUTERONOMY 11-13

1Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always.(11:1)

MARK 13:1-13

1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2“Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

JOURNAL 

It is not buildings that matter...it is the hearts and souls of people. To really embrace the words of God and the Bible means that "things" no longer take precedence...things include money, possessions, power, positions, titles, jobs, etc. The minds, hearts and souls of people, their commitment to God and their fellow man is all that matters. 

Yet so many things and circumstances too often take precedence over my love of God and others. I get caught up in the superficial. I get caught up in how I think things should play out and work out, instead of trusting God and focusing on today and only today. Forgive me father for trying to get ahead of you. Help me to see the good in every moment and seek to give you my best in that moment. That's the only way to have true peace and joy. 

34Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’^c 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^d 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

MATTHEW 22:34-40

MARCH 9, 2025

 

“Make doing your best a habit, and you’ll never know not doing your best. If you build roads, then build them Roman—make them last two thousand years. Dig ditches as if you were taking them to the state fair to win another blue ribbon for best ditches . . .”

― Carew Papritz

DEUTERONOMY 8-10

1Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.(8:1-5)

MARK 12:28-44

28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^e 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^f 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^g There is no commandment greater than these.”

32“Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.

JOURNAL 

I love this verse in Deuteronomy! "That as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." God is for us, he desires that we become our best, but in order to do so we must go through struggles, times of heartache and times when we wonder "what's the point of it all?" God does this to bring us to him, to teach us to trust him and to realize that we are not all powerful, that this world is not just about us and our desires. To then juxtapose this with Jesus words on the greatest commandment...the message could not be more clear. 

God desires that we surrender to him and love each other. It's not complicated but yet it is...it's complicated because it means going against some habits and ways of living that are pretty well ingrained in my subconscious. Those habits are often at odds with seeking God first and equally in truly loving others. It is painful to really confront some of my thoughts and motives and realize how selfish they often are. Which is why seeking God and loving him first is so critical. This discipline takes my comfort, laziness, and selfishness off the table. It demands that I empty myself of my own agenda and replace it with God's. This daily surrender is ultimately an impossible task to master. Confronting this constant failure means that I am continually faced with my own flaws and sin. It's unnatural and can be pretty depressing. Yet what God offers in return is his spirit of love, power and self-control. Not my flawed mind and spirit but rather his...which was fleshed out in the life of Jesus. 

This is why God asks for everything and not just a portion of my mind and heart. It is a daily, moment by moment experience and in the end it promises to change me into a conduit of God's own love and power. 

41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

MARK 12:41-44