When the Going Gets Tough...

"On hearing it, many of his disciples said, 'This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?'...From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
'You do not want to leave too, do you?' Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." John 6:60, 66-69

How far are you willing to go with Jesus? Only until it becomes too hard? Or are you willing to go all the way?

The "disciples" who turned back on the occasion recorded in the text were not the last to start and not finish the journey of discipleship with Jesus. Those who turn back often begin with the wrong aim. They only want what Christ can do for them. Once the benefit gained is outweighed by the cost of discipleship they leave the trail.

Peter on the other hand represents the faithful who stick with Christ when obedience is hard as well as when blessings are abundant. Peter persevered because he had become convinced of who Jesus is and that the only life worth having comes through following Him.

If we are going to be in company with Peter then we must move from one who has set out on the journey with personal benefit in mind to one who has become so convinced of Jesus that we could not do anything other than follow Him. Are you there yet?

Father, I want to go all the way with Jesus through this life. Deepen my conviction of who He is and strengthen me for "hard" obedience.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Jabez's Prayer and Ours

"Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, 'I gave birth to him in pain.' Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request." 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

Several years back, Jabez's prayer was all the rage. Many people were praying it daily hoping it would produce the same results for them that it did for Jabez. But to simply repeat someone's prayer as a kind of magical omen is not true prayer. We can learn from and be inspired by Jabez's experience but we should not attempt to duplicate it.

What we should learn is that God hears and answers the prayer of "honorable" men and women who seek him in faith. Our situation and need is probably different than Jabez's but our God is the same God who hears and answers the prayers of those who seek Him in faith. Our God is a God who delights to bless His people and enlarge their boundaries within the boundaries of His own will. I'm quite sure God has much more to give us than we have yet to receive and places to lead us that we have yet to go. Let's seek Him in faith for the fullness of His will in our lives!

Father, help me to learn to pray with faith from an honorable heart as Jabez did so that I too might experience more of Your will in my life.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Unexpected Opportunities

Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. - John 4:6

Jesus was tired. He had a moment to himself because the disciples had gone to get food. This was his moment to relax, to disengage, to not be "on." As a stranger approached it would been completely acceptable for Jesus to sit silently. In fact her ethnicity made it taboo for Jesus to ask her for a drink. So why did he talk to her? Why not avoid the potentially awkward encounter?

Jesus did not allow his exhaustion, selfish desires, or social norms hijack the opportunity he had to tell of His Father's love. Like Jesus we need to fight the feelings of entitlement that would cause us to miss an opportunity to share Jesus with somebody. We need to put to rest our concerns about what other people might think and be ready for the opportunities God gives us to share Him with others.

Father, I know I miss opportunities to tell others about Jesus. Please help me to be more attentive to the people you introduce into my life. Lead me to live in a constant state of awareness so that when the time comes to share I will be ready.

By His grace,

Matt

More of Jesus

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

These are the words of John the Baptist. His assignment from God was to prepare people to welcome Jesus. Once Jesus was on the scene, John's role was to fade away and give center stage to Jesus.

Don't we all share John the Baptist's assignment? Every Christian has the opportunity and calling to prepare the way for Jesus into the lives of people. There are people around us to whom we can serve as John the Baptist. We may not have the same fire and peculiarities as John but we can be a voice that points people to Jesus. Our aim is to always be that Jesus will take center stage and at that point that we we'll gladly move to the side.

Father, help me to see the people around me today whose lives you desire to enter. Use me as a "John the Baptist" to them.

I'm praying for you.
Mark

Operation You

Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ). - John 1:40-41

These verses our the basis for our church's Operation Andrew outreach strategy. Immediately after he began following Jesus, Andrew found his brother and told him about the Messiah. This is God's design for evangelism. Once we have encountered Christ for ourselves it generates a desire within us to share him with those we know and love.

Another good example of this occurs in Mark 5 after Jesus heals the demon-possessed man where it says, "So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis (a 10-city region) how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed."

But we sure like to complicate sharing Jesus don't we? Maybe we should try taking a more simple approach. Think about what happens when you read a good book or watch a good movie or discover a new restaurant - you let other people know about. You share the good news of your discovery. That's what Andrew did. That's what the demon-possessed man did, and that's all you need to do.

Father, help me to change the way I look at evangelism. Help me to operate free of pressure, guilt, fear and insecurity. Lead me to naturally tell others about the wonderful things you've done for me. Give me courage and confidence. I love you Father and I want others to know and love you too.

By His grace,

Matt

GROW

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the honor both now and on that eternal day." 1 Peter 3:18 NET

Peter's last word is "grow." Spiritual growth should be the constant quest of every Christian. Paul believed this when he wrote, "Not that I have already attained this--that is, I have not already been perfected--but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). Are you pursuing growth?

Our growth as Peter lays it out is to be "in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Grace is the generous, undeserved love of God toward us through which He freely blesses us. We have been saved by grace. But we are not finished with grace once we are saved. We continue to need grace to grow to spiritual maturity. We cannot become like Christ merely through our personal striving. We must have grace to reach such heights and so daily we look toward God's throne of grace seeking the grace we need to grow (see Hebrews 4:16). In addition to grace, we need knowledge to grow. This knowledge of Jesus is gained through prayerful reading, study, and meditation over the Scripture wherein He is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. We must not only look daily up to God's throne for grace but we must look daily down to the copy of God's Word in our hand for knowledge of Jesus. Are you looking up to God and down to Scripture seeking to grow each day?

Father, may I never be content with the ground I've already gained in my Christian growth. Fill me with the continual desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Adding to Faith

"For if you possesses these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:8

"Ineffective and unproductive." What an epitaph to have written over one's spiritual life! May it not be mine or yours.

To keep from being ineffective and unproductive we need to possess and grow in the qualities listed in verses 5 through 7: "Add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love."

Are you adding? Are you building on the foundation of faith that God has given you (see v.2)? Those who do not rest content with faith alone but build on their faith a vibrant, Christ-like life will never be found to be ineffective and unproductive. Let's build!

Father, may the words ineffective and unproductive never be Your assessment of my life. Help me to build on the faith You have given me a life that is effective and productive to Your glory.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

NOTE: After we finish reading 2 Peter on Thursday, we will begin the Gospel of John. Remember that we skipped over John earlier in the year to save one of the Gospels for the end of the year.

DEEPLY

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8

Two thoughts about this important little verse:

(1) The proactive work of love for each other becomes a firewall against sin. Without this love, we are like people who don’t follow Christ, and any number of wrongs could result in that scenario. With the love of Christ, we are protected from these sins.

(2) We are all sinners, and Christ’s love expressed to each other helps us see each other through God’s eyes. If, in the past, two individuals had sinned against each other, this love would cover any animosity that might have existed. Love buries sin. Deep love keeps us from even finding the hole where the sin is buried.

Father, thank You for Your love. Help me to love others deeply so that sin can be avoided and dealt with.

Grace to you
Jim

Christ's Sufferings

"Because Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God, by being put to death in the flesh but by being made alive in the spirit." 1 Peter 3:18 NET

Let me continue in the vein of Matt's reflections yesterday. We as Christians need to be brought back to the cross repeatedly to reflect on, celebrate, and rely on the grace of God given to us in Christ. It was no small or simple thing our Savior did for us. He "suffered...to bring you to God." It was a large price He paid to redeem us from sin and reconcile us to God. Let this realization of Christ's sufferings create thanksgiving and faithfulness in our hearts toward Him.

Father, I thank you for the suffering Christ endured for my sake. "Amazing love how can it me that you my King would die for me?" Grant me strength "to live for Him who died for me" and even to suffer today if such is the cost of absolute faithfulness to my Lord.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

Put to Death

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24

As Christians we frequently take time to remember, celebrate and proclaim Christ's crucifixion. When we reflect on what his death and resurrection mean for us, we focus the forgiveness of our past sins. What we forget is that we have not only been forgiven of our past sins, but we've also been set free from the power of sin. Peter says this was done so that we might, "live for righteousness."

Father, help me to remember that Christ's death did more than clean up my mistakes, but that his death put to death my sin nature. Lead me to live for righteousness. Show me the things that I do, think, say that aren't righteous. Convict me over those sins and fill me with the power of your Spirit so that I can live victoriously.

By His grace,
Matt

The Forces of Nature

. . . your desires that battle within you? - James 4:1

Does it ever feel like there is a war going on inside your mind? As Christians our will and our desires are often at odds. We have the Holy Spirit but we can't escape our flesh. Our deepest longing is to honor God, but we also want to look out for our own interests, spoil ourselves with nice things, say mean things to the people we don't like, lie when it's more convenient than telling the truth, etc. The list could go on forever. Being a Christian doesn't exempt us from the desire to do these things.

The apostle Paul was very familiar with this inner struggle. In Romans 7 he speaks of not being able to do the things he wants to do, and instead doing the very things he hates.

So what hope is there for us? Are we to go on living tormented lives?

Paul answers that question for us in verse 24-25 when he says, "Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? ²⁵ Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

In Galatians 5 Paul shines more light on this conflict of natures. He characterizes the sinful nature and he describes the fruit of the Spirit. Then in verse 25 he provides us with the key to victory, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Father, I want to stand strong against my sinful nature, and I want to honor you with my life. Help me to "keep in step with the Spirit."

By His grace,
Matt

Living by the Book

"Then Jehoiada brought out Joash, the king's son, and placed the crown on his head. He presented Joash with a copy of God's laws and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and all the people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!" 2 Kings 11:12 NLT

There were two essential pieces of "equipment" given to Joash to help him serve as king. The first was the crown symbolizing his authority. The second was a Bible ("copy of God's laws") to guide him in his personal life and leadership. Every king of Judah received these two things but most of them abused the crown and ignored the book. However, with the help of Jehoiada, the godly priest, Joash followed God's laws and was one of the few really good kings in Judah's history.

Since we are not kings we don't need a crown but we too have been given the Bible to guide us in our life and service. There is no greater treasure than the Bible. If we pay careful attention to God's Words and practice them in our daily life we too will be faithful and successful in God's sight. Don't take your Bible for granted. Open it, read it, and live according to the words of life contained in it.

Father, help me to treasure Your Word and to follow it as Joash did so that I too may live a life that honors You and blesses the people in whose lives you have given me influence.

I'm praying for you.
Pastor Mark

FAVORITES

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. James 2:8

Someone needs to tell James that it’s hardly fair to throw the great commandment into a discourse on showing favoritism. It’s one thing to talk about how wrong it is to favor a rich person over someone who is poor, but when the discussion escalates to the level of loving my neighbor as if he or she were me, things get uncomfortable, at best.

The problem with favoritism isn’t with the other (rich or poor—or otherwise) person. It’s clear that we play favorites in many situations, and the favoritism is usually the same—we favor ourselves. The natural inclination is to favor myself—to cater to my wants and needs—and perhaps, if it’s convenient, bring my neighbor along for the ride.

The truth is, it’s really impossible to love others as much as we love ourselves. That kind of love was demonstrated on the cross by Christ, and His love is evident in our lives only as we live in obedience to Him.

Father, I want to do right and love others without favoritism. I know there’s a long way to go, but I ask You to continue to change me so that I can show Your love to others. Thank you for showing Your love to me.

Grace to you
Jim