FEBRUARY 22, 2018

Before you were born,
And were still too tiny for
The human eye to see,
You won the race for life
From among 250 million competitors.
And yet,
How fast you have forgotten
Your strength,
When your very existence
Is proof of your greatness.
You were born a winner,
A warrior,
One who defied the odds
By surviving the most gruesome
Battle of them all.
And now that you are a giant,
Why do you even doubt victory
Against smaller numbers,
And wider margins?
The only walls that exist,
Are those you have placed in your mind.
And whatever obstacles you conceive,
Exist only because you have forgotten
What you have already
Achieved.

― Suzy Kassem

NUMBERS 7

89When Moses entered the tent of meeting to speak with the Lord, he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the atonement cover on the ark of the covenant law. In this way the Lord spoke to him.(7:89)

MARK 4:21-41

30Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

JOURNAL 

Years ago while in Gatlinburg, our family was walking around on the strip when my brother-in-law handed me a pretzel stick with a minuscule drop of red substance on the tip. He told me to try it...within 5 seconds my eyes were watering and I was roaming the streets like a madman searching for anything that would calm the fire that had erupted in my mouth. After planting a soft serve ice cream cone squarely on my tongue...the heat finally began to subside. It was a funny moment but it also made a strong impression that something  that small and seemingly insignificant could completely incapacitate me. 

When reading the Bible...and really reading it...not the skim job that I have at ties done, there are things that stick out that can be confusing. Why does Jesus use all of these examples to describe the "kingdom of God"? To me...it's because he wants to put it in terms that are personable and applicable. So with that being said what's the point of this parable involving the mustard seed?

I think it is because that's how God works, he most often works in the small, discarded and overlooked. He works in the rejected, cast out, dismissed. Yet when he begins working the small and insignificant don't stay that way. The outcome may not be immediate, or it actually may but ultimately God's power and grace transform. When God works he turns the small into something miraculous and life-giving. Just like the hot sauce...what seemed insignificant can have great power. 

The same power that created the universe, the stars, sun, planets, oceans animals and all of humanity is the same power that lives within those that are his children, his followers. The smallest drops of faith can turn lives that seem insignificant into mountains of courage, hope, joy and love. 

11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

JEREMIAH 29:11

FEBRUARY 21, 2018

“Timidity is the silent acceptance of bondage” 
― Constance Friday

NUMBERS 5-6

22The Lord said to Moses, 23“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

24“ ‘ “The Lord bless you

and keep you;

25the Lord make his face shine on you

and be gracious to you;

26the Lord turn his face toward you

and give you peace.” ’

27“So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”(6:22-27)

MARK 4:1-20

13Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14The farmer sows the word. 15Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”

JOURNAL 

To hear the word, to understand it and to put it into practice is our mission in this life. Regardless of the outcome. Regardless of what might happen to us. We are to be obedient even when worries and wealth and poverty and alternative desires bombard our lives. This is the importance of self-discipline that Paul speaks to Timothy about. He lists 3 things that we get with the spirit and one thing that it is not. "For God does not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline" 2 Timothy 1:7

First and foremost the spirit is not timid...what does that really mean? Well after a google search of the definition...showing a lack of courage or confidence; easily frightened.

here are some similar words...apprehensive, fearful, easily frightened, afraid, faint-hearted, timorous, nervous, scared, frightened, cowardly, pusillanimous, spineless; 

shy, diffident, self-effacing, 

wimpish, wimpy, yellow, chicken, mousy, gutless, sissy, lily-livered, candy-assed, weak-kneed

So God does not give us a "candy-assed" spirit...I love that! So what we do get is a spirit that is powerful, loving and self-disciplined. So the self-disciplined part is the one that trips me up the most...it is the part I don't want to acknowledge. However 15 minutes on the web and in the news and the effects of this lack of self-discipline are everywhere. 

But most importantly...15 minutes of honesty with myself is enough to see how this plagues my life in so many ways. This timidity and lack of self-discipline leads to all kinds of disobedience, passivity and sin. It leads me to be manipulated and controlled by my environment. It leads me to discard the spirit, the word of God and my relationship with God for a quick hit of immediate gratification. Most of the time it's not sinister...it's subtle but it leads me to be passive and self-absorbed.  

Just like the seed in the field I must be good soil...receptive, free of weeds and distractions. God has promised that his spirit gives me all that I could ever need. 

24“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. 

MATTHEW 6:24

FEBRUARY 20, 2018

“It is impossible to escape the impression that people commonly use false standards of measurement — that they seek power, success and wealth for themselves and admire them in others, and that they underestimate what is of true value in life.” 
― Sigmund Freud, Civilization and Its Discontents

NUMBERS 3-4

46So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. 47All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the tent of meeting 48numbered 8,580. 49At the Lord’s command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.

Thus they were counted, as the Lord commanded Moses.(4:46-49)

MARK 3:22-35

23So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? 24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.27In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. 28Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, 29but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

30He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.”

JOURNAL 

Jesus' answer to the accusations of him having an evil spirit are brilliant. Yet they also present a true dilemma and question for me in my own life. What are my allegiances and motives and do those play against each other in a way that works against me? Jesus says that you can really only have one God...

Jesus is always able to keep focus, keep perspective and keep pushing towards the cross...towards punishment, torture and death. How? It's because he had one ultimate focus...obedience to God. He was completely sold out and committed to his mission. It didn't matter how difficult or what people thought or what he had to give up. He kept pushing, kept moving, never wavering. 

This therefore is the spirit we get as believers...this is the power we receive...to keep focused on our God given mission, regardless of the obstacles. While we see this in Jesus, what is incredible is to read accounts of those who were filled with the same spirit. The account in acts of Stephen has always moved me. Stephen is accused, threatened and on the verge of public execution and instead of backing down, cowering in fear he comes alive and delivers an unbelievable sermon on God's sovereignty.  He is then stoned to death with none other than Paul standing by watching and approving. I have no doubt that Stephens faith and boldness moved Paul and set the stage for his conversion.

It's just another reminder that every moment matters...even those that defeat us...our response and faithfulness may pave the way for another....

12So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”15All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

ACTS 6:12-15

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

“The proud person always wants to do the right thing, the great thing. But because he wants to do it in his own strength, he is fighting not with man, but with God.” 
― Søren Kierkegaard

NUMBERS 1-2

34So the Israelites did everything the Lord commanded Moses; that is the way they encamped under their standards, and that is the way they set out, each of them with their clan and family. (2:34)

MARK 3:1-21

1Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

4Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

JOURNAL 

The Pharisees are so consumed with doing "right" and being "right" that they cannot understand who Jesus is and therefore they don't realize that their obsession and knowledge is leading them to kill the very Messiah that they are praying and hoping to receive. How ironic...and yet this is so true of life.

So often the answers and solutions are right in front of me yet I don't see them.  Because so often how things "should" play out are seldom how they actually come about. I've seen this time and time again in my life. Usually it's when I make assumptions and don't really trust God that I later look back and see the ways I missed the mark. To truly trust God is to be WILLING to throw away all preconceived notions. It is to stand with an open mind and an open heart ready and willing to go where he leads. 

It doesn't mean that my ability to think, make judgements, discernments etc is wrong...it just means I have to be open to the reality that things change and that I very well could be wrong. This is hard because often to do so goes against ingrained thoughts and emotions. I have to be willing to step outside of those...let go of my own judgements of life and myself and be open to the reality of a new day, a new moment...ripe with possibilities. 

1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

MATTHEW 7:1-5

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

“As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” 
― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

LEVITICUS 26-27

14“ ‘But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, 15and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, 16then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. 17I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you. (26:14-17)

MARK 2

13Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. 14As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

15While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

17On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

JOURNAL 

Jesus came to redeem us from ourselves...he came to redeem us from a life where we reject God. Everyone needs his grace...everyone needs forgiveness. We are all poor, and in need of a savior...it doesn't matter what our bank statement says, or the titles we amass, or the records we break...we are all in desperate need of his salvation, his love, his grace. To not understand this is to be trapped in our own pride.

To truly be great means that we become humble servants, fully aware of our own failures and our weakness. It means that I am to recognize that i am a fallible human being whose life is merely a wisp...here today...gone tomorrow. While that feels a bit morbid and depressing it really is just reality. The more I embrace this...the more I cling to God. The more I realize that I need God to make sense of this life, I need God to help keep me moving forward, loving others and making the most of each and every day. 

Every day, every moment is a gift from God. No matter where it's spent or what it involves...it is a gift, that is to be cherished, celebrated and lived fully with intention and purpose. 

13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

JAMES 4:13-17