Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:
[6] “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ [7] ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, [8] and the two will become one flesh.’1So they are no longer two, but one flesh. [9] Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Observation: 
As they often tried to do, the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus into answering in a way that would alienate Him.  Instead of answering the question directly, He totally deflects into focusing on what marriage IS, not how or when it should be torn apart:
Marriage is God’s design..
– God made us male and female
– God created marriage
– God said that in marriage, a man and wife should be united as if one flesh
– One flesh is such a strong bond that no earthly power should be able to separate

Application: 
This is explicit with no room for confusion – marriage is a God created covenant between a man and woman, with a bond is stronger than any earthly force; even stronger than the bond between a man/woman and his/her parents/kids.

Marriage is not always easy.  Men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loves the church and women are commanded to respect their husbands – see Eph 5:25-33.  Nowhere in the bible does it say you won’t have issues in marriage.  The reality we need to deal with in our flesh is that, this is not always easy and can be downright hard sometimes.

But, if those who get married treat it as the covenant God intends it to be, understanding that there will be issues to overcome and don’t expect it to be trouble free, turning to Him for guidance and not worldly advice about abandoning the relationship when things get tough, not only would they be living more in God’s will, this in turn would lead to far less divorce, further leading to more stability in the family structure of our society.

Prayer: 
Lord, thank You for creating marriage as You have, and for making it abundantly clear in Your Word what that really means.  I pray I respect that covenant with my wife and that I love her even when times are tough.

Scripture:
And when they came to the disciples [down from the mountain with Jesus as he was transfigured], they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them. And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greet him. And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”

Observation:
This chapter is extremely full. There is a ton happening:

1. Jesus opens with, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”

— But wait Jesus, everyone who you tell this to dies before you have returned, before your kingdom comes with power? You still haven’t returned and it has been 2,000 years. A lot of us have died. What did you mean here?

2. Next, Jesus turns into this burning white heavenly form of himself & God speaks audibly & people who are dead are standing on the mountain with Jesus, Peter, James & John. 

If I am Peter, James & John my head is exploding at this moment. “I was a fisherman like 5 minutes ago, now this?” They would have needed a second to process what is going on. Also, is this maybe the point of Jesus’ comment about the kingdom coming with power, is this a glimpse of the kingdom coming with power. Is this why Jesus says some will see it before they die?

3. After this amazing moment of seeing Jesus transfigured into this heavenly form & hearing God speak audibly, these disciples, who I am sure are totally reeling, they come down the mountain to what seems to be something close to a riot. A commotion of people frustrated with the disciples because they can’t do their job.

“What are you doing?! Cast out this demon. Can’t you see this kid needs it!” I could just imagine the panic and fear in the disciples. They are thinking, “We aren’t prepared for this.” I could see them wanting to throw the towel in. They are probably really afraid and overwhelmed. On top of already feeling insecure that Jesus didn’t choose them to go on the mountain with him. These disciples are really feeling it and the crowd can smell the fear and they pounce.

Application:

I really want to look at the forest, instead of the trees of this chapter. There isn’t one specific topic I want to touch on, there is so much. But there is a feeling or a reality I want to pull out from the whole chapter.

Ministry, living for Jesus, following Jesus & doing it well is really confusing at times, really overwhelming sometimes & you are going to want to throw in the towel.

Sometimes when you need a break, you aren’t going to get it, like the disciples who saw Jesus transfigured. They are overwhelmed I am sure, but they don’t get two seconds to process it. Jesus even tells them not to talk about it with others. So they aren’t even allowed to process it with others, but before they could even think about it they are walking into a riot of people yelling & screaming at their friends, the rest of the disciples. No time to process. On to the next huge moment. That is how following Jesus often goes. That is OK. Trust him. Don’t always look for a release valve, or a time of rest, sometimes they don’t come. Sometimes we just rest in Jesus in the midst of the craziness.

Lastly, as you are doing ministry you will feel completely and wholly the depth of your inadequacies. And sadly, people will point them out. They will tell you about them. They will want you to fix them. That is OK. It helps you grow. And it might even be really loving of them to rebuke you or to teach you or to disciple you. We need to grow & we need moments where we are asked, “Why can’t you cast this demon out? Isn’t this what you guys do? You need to do better.”

The disciples felt really inadequate at the moment… because they are! We all are. But when Jesus comes he helps us. He teaches us. He shows us. But he doesn’t save us from feeling inadequate. He doesn’t save us from feeling the breath, the hot, sweat rolling down our face while the riot of people yell at us. 

Prayer:

I pray that we would trust you, I would trust you, in the midst of ministry. I don’t want to be someone who always rolls his eyes when following you gets difficult. I don’t want to complain and look for an escape, to run from difficult situations or to assume that somehow walking with you saves me from those. I want to trust you. I want to see that you are who you say you are and that these same things happen to all of your disciples & followers. Give me, give us the grace to love you and to trust you each day of our lives, of our ministry, of our loving people enough.

Scripture:

Mark 8: 34 – 38 –   And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it but, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Observation:

After rebuking Peter about His death and resurrection, Jesus tells the disciples that to follow Him requires self-denial.  Those that submit everything to Jesus for the sake of the gospel will save their life. Conversely, those who try to hold on and save their life will actually lose it.

You can have everything in this world but not have salvation and eternal life in heaven. Jesus gives a stern warning that if you are ashamed of Him and the gospel message, He will be ashamed of you when He returns in His glory with the angels.

Application:

Only the love of the gospel has the power to change hearts and change lives.  God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to pay for our sins so we can repent and be reconciled to Him eternally.  As a follower of Christ, I have to realize my own inadequacy and impurity that is only made right and pure through the cross.  As such, I must submit all things small and large in all aspects of my life to come under Jesus. I heard it said this way:

I must be under that which is to be over me
To be over that which is to be under me

As I walk with Christ, I pray that I follow His will and not my own.  The love of the gospel is the most powerful thing in the world and Paul tells us in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your loving me so much that you sent Jesus to pay for my sin debt in full.  Let the power of the love of the gospel continue to change me daily. May I submit all things to you, live unashamed of the gospel and share your love and truth will all.  

Scripture:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 

Observation:

Honoring God is not enough. Believing in God is not enough. Worshipping God is not enough. Pointing others to God is not enough. Our hearts must also be near to him while we do these things.

Application:

We must be vigilant with our heart. It isn’t enough to go through the motions. It isn’t enough to believe or to say all the right things. I don’t want to end up like these people, these religious Pharisees who were “close” to God with their words but weren’t actually close to him with their hearts.

We must realize that God will not be mocked. We cannot pretend with God. We must fight to get our heart in under the control & love of God by constantly meditating on the things of God. We cannot take for granted that our heart is in the right place, we have to take stock of it, we have to put it under a microscope.

In the Psalms, David tells God, “Search me!” He wanted God to look at his heart and all it’s depths. We must do the same with our hearts as to not be deceived like these Pharisees were.

Prayer:

Lord, search me! Know me, let me know myself and my heart. Let me not be deceived. Let not my heart and my actions not be aligned.

Scripture:  “And on the Sabbath he (Jesus) began to teach in the synagogue and many who heard him were astonished, saying “Where did this man get these things?  What is the wisdom given to him?  How are such mighty works done by his hands?”

“And he (Jesus) marveled at their unbelief.  And he went about among the villages teaching.” 

“So they (the disciples) went out an proclaimed that people should repent.”  Excerpts from Mark 6:2, 6, and 12) 

Observation:  Mark 6 has something for everybody.  There is a little action, conspiracy, political intrigue, and conniving.  It also has hopefulness, a beacon of light in a corrupt world being developed.  What was the message that Jesus was teaching the disciples?  How was Jesus training these guys and in what?

Application:  Jesus was an irritant.

I have to think about that.  Jesus wasn’t welcomed everywhere he went.  Sure, crowds gathered to hear him speak and to get a healing or other miracle or two.  I wonder how many people went to the local Jesus Gathering to be entertained or somehow comforted without serious repentance on the mind—kind of like our Sundays.

Jesus wasn’t welcomed in a lot of places but boy did he bring astonishment, marvel, and wonder wherever he went!  His words were from a wisdom that was beyond the teachers of the day.  Jesus brought clarity to not only the obscure parts of scripture but even the better known parts of scripture.  He taught with authority.

So what did he teach the disciples?  Various passages in the scriptures indicate “the Kingdom of God.”  Perhaps it was more precisely he taught about God.  Why would this distinction be important?

The importance of this distinction is that “the Kingdom” is sort of impersonal, kind of like talking about America rather than an American.  From my POV as a Christian I don’t have a relationship with “the Kingdom.”  Instead I have a relationship with the number one inhabitant.  That being said, did Jesus teach the disciples about primarily a place or a Person? 

The Gospel doesn’t make sense without some sort of understanding about God (specifically the Trinity but I will leave that for another time).  That focused pursuit (for that is what it must be—a focused pursuit) takes time and deliberate effort.  It could be years—it is that for me—and is never complete.

What thumped in the disciple’s chest?  What tries to thump in mine?  It is the Gospel, the never should be taken for granted Gospel.  Who is the Gospel about?  The Triune God—nothing more, nothing less.

Prayer:  Father.  I grind this out today, stirring my mind with your word—knowing my heart is pretty distant.  That’s ok.  A little valley now and then keeps me sharp.  I confess my anger—it is dishonoring to You.  I ask for your help in not being a victim to my emotions—to grab my heart and speak words of life to it.  You see that I am struggling—I need a spiritual egg beater to stir this stony heart today.  AMEN.

Scripture:

No one had the strength to subdue him. V4

Scripture:

[2] Some 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. [3] Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.” [4] Then 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.

[5] He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”

Observation:

The Pharisees knew about Jesus and even believed WHAT He could do, but they didn’t really KNOW Him or believe IN Him.

Jesus showed righteous anger here – anger at the hardened hearts and that they could know about Him and believe He could perform miracles, but they refused to recognize Him for who He said He was.

Application:

I wonder.. even as much grace as Jesus gives us, are there times when He would be angry with us that we don’t trust Him, or.. we believe in Him and walk with Him but we think we have some problem too difficult for Him.  Really?  We know deep in our hearts there is no problem too difficult for Him.  It may be that He is just building our character and hope –
“[3] ..we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; [4] perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Rom 5:3-4, NIV)

Prayer:

Lord let us all remember at ALL times that You are here for us. Keep us in your Word and aligned to Your will.  Remind us that while something may be too difficult for us to handle on our own, nothing is too difficult for You and that You will give us strength to handle all situations as we work within Your will for us.  Our hope is in You.
Amen

Scripture:

Mark 2:15
And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.

Observation:

As Jesus’ ministry began to grow, so did the number of outsiders who followed Him. Tax collectors and sinners were also followers of Jesus. People who had been considered unclean and impure, ostracized by the religious leadership of the time, found a place of belonging with Jesus.

Application:

There is something to be said for those who found themselves most at home with Jesus. The sick, not the well. The sinner, not the righteous. How? Why?

Jesus taught with authority. Jesus didn’t water down the message of sin and repentance, or go out of his way to be politically correct. So how was it that people in sin, and labeled as sinners still wanted to be with Him? Love. Jesus’ message was not only that sin was damaging and dividing to a relationship with God but that God loved them enough to offer them forgiveness. Jesus exercised a power to forgive. This was unique from the scribes and Pharisees. They only pointed fingers. Jesus pointed people back to God. Sinners wanted to come home and Jesus offered them a way home.

Why? This in fact was and still is His mission. The ministry of Jesus does start with identifying the greatest issue and problem in our lives. This is uncomfortable and difficult. We have issues. We have sin. We have fallen short. However, He doesn’t leave us there. His message identifies the problem but also offers the only solution that works. Forgiveness through Him. He is the only one with authority to forgive.

A few things…

-If my version of Jesus attracts religious people and repels sinners, something is wrong with my version of Jesus.

-If my ministry points fingers instead of pointing to the Father, then I am pointing to the wrong thing.

-Jesus has authority to forgive sin. I must not squander the chance to experience forgiveness by ignoring the sin in my life and the life of others.

Prayer:

Father thank you for your word. Thank you for forgiveness. Thank you for using your authority to heal and rescue. May I find rest in you and not restrict other sinners from finding rest in following you as well.

Scripture:

Mark 1: 17-18 – And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”  And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Observation:

Jesus begins his ministry by saying the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.  Jesus then calls the first disciples by telling them to follow him.  He calls ordinary people, fisherman, to respond to his calling.   The disciples did not tell Jesus they had to finish with their days catch they responded by following him immediately.  Jesus told the disciples he would make them into people who call others to God. 

Application:

January 1, 2019 New Year and the kingdom of God is at hand.  I am called to repent, leave my prior lifestyle and believe in the gospel.   As a believer in Christ, I must follow Jesus as he has kingdom authority.  God calls us to walk with Christ to bring humans back into relation with him.  As I walk with/follow Jesus, my life will change to be a witness for the gospel.     

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your love, grace and mercy in sending Jesus to pay for my sins so I can repent, be reconciled and have a relationship with you.  Let me recognize the kingdom of God is at hand and follow Jesus.  Help the Spirit guide me to witness and disciple others.

Scripture:

Psalm 150:1-2
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Observation:

The Lord deserves praise anywhere and everywhere and from everyone and everything with breath in its lungs.

Application:

In a culture in which “worship wars” are a real thing, this scripture gives the clarity needed to stop the madness. A few things…

-Our preference to certain types of songs, instruments, styles, etc. is totally irrelevant. Worship is not a subject to be picky about. Instead it is a subject to be urgent about. Worship Him with whatever you have and do it now!

-Location is irrelevant. In a church building, in a school cafeteria, in a cathedral, under a tent, in my car. All of these places can become houses of worship. Instead of wasting so much time worrying about the buildings we worship in, our true attention should be on the temple we worship in; our bodies. If we are more interested in the chairs, set-up, and the sound than we are the purity of our hearts, we are way off!

-The Lord will always deserve our worship for two things: Who He is and what He has done. This is the second time in a week this has been clarified to me. He deserves worship for both reasons. Choosing one or the other will skew my worship. I must worship Him for both, regardless of what is happening in my life.

Prayer:

Father I am so grateful for your reminder this morning and for opening my eyes to the shallowness of my heart in regards to worship at times. You alone deserve my worship. May I worship with every breath I have and lead others to do the same.

Scripture: 

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.” (Ps 147:3-5)

Observation: 

Praise the Lord.  Sing to the Lord.  Praise Him some more—pretty standard stuff from the Psalms.  If I am not careful my eyes can glaze over and I will speed read right past some very interesting jewels and deposits of gold…I hate becoming jaded to the Scriptures, don’t you?

Application:    I am always trying to read the Reading Plan and writing a Journal post for myself.  Sometimes it is a struggle.

Above are three short verses in Psalm 147.  I almost missed them because my gaze just rapidly flew over the words.  But I saw something that struck me as a little out of place.

The three verses deal with reminding me He heals the broken hearted.  Then it reminds me He hangs the stars and gives them names.  Then it reminds me He is powerful and unlimited in understanding and wisdom. 

So God cares for me in the most tender and intimate of ways.

So God cares for the universe in the most precise and majestic of ways demonstrating His power.

God gives the smallest and careful touch to the most unimaginable exertion of power.  He can do both of these because of His might and understanding. 

I forget this too often.  I do not stir myself to think about Him like this.  Even as I am writing this I almost wrote: “I am not stirred…” like being stirred to worship God isn’t something I can control and/or influence.  Goodness: If I waited on some “external force” to get me revved up, I would probably never worship God.

Psalms gives me plenty of reasons and reminders of what I can worship God about.  I found three short sentences that carry some serious punch in meditation.

Finding jewels in the Scriptures is so cool.

Prayer:

Lord God.  Again and again You are astounding.  I read Your word and I find the most intricate statements to ponder upon; to engage my imagination and let it soar even reading the shortest of sentences.   It is the equivalent of reading Your whisper and how powerful is Your whisper!!  Keep me attentive—ears open, eyes seeing O God.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Psalm 144:3-4
 O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Observation:

The psalmist has a healthy view of himself and all of mankind. When pondering this, he wonders why God takes the time to consider the lives of men at all. Our lives are finite and brief.

Application:

This view needs to make its way back into the mainstream of our lives and faith in the church. Our culture has so tainted our faith that we have three main misconceptions that are damaging our effectiveness and health.

-Our view of ourselves is too high. It’s not that we aren’t valuable or of worth, it’s just that we forget why. We aren’t valuable or worthy because of our talents, behavior or resources that we bring to the table. We are valuable and worthy because of the time that God takes to consider us and the price He paid to redeem us. (Humble myself and know where my value comes from)

-Our timeline is skewed. We live our lives like we will live forever on earth. We are slow to speak life to people, lazy with our talents and selfish with our resources. Our time is limited. Our life is like a breath. Therefore we should wake up each day and live like we are dying, because, in fact, we are. And a whole lot quicker than we would like to think. (Live like I’m dying, because I am)

-The brevity of life creates selfishness. When we finally figure out that our life is short (mid-life and beyond) we start to get selfish with our time. Some of the grumpiest people in the world are people who live like the world owes them something because their time is running short. Instead of engaging in the mission of Jesus, aging believers become grumpy and demand everything in the world (and the church) to cater to them. When we come face to face with the brevity of our time on earth, this should spark a fire for missional living and sacrificial service motivated by love for those in need. It should spur us on to take big risks to see those who are lost to be found, those who are sick to be healed, those who are spiritually dead to be alive. (Live like others are dying apart from Jesus, because they are)

Prayer:

Father thank you for your clarity. Set my eyes on you and give me an urgency. An urgency to live faithfully and love sacrificially. What am I that you at mindful of me? Grateful you love me and paid my penalty. May I live in response to that truth today.

Scripture:

Psalm 141:4
4 Do not let my heart incline to any evil,
to busy myself with wicked deeds
in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

Observation:

The psalmist describes an incredibly personal and intimate relationship with God. He asks God to guide his heart and to steer him from relationships that might lead him astray.

Application:

It is easy to assume that God is far away and disconnected from our lives. I feel that way sometimes. In the heat of trouble or stress I will call out to Him as if He is far away, busy with bigger things. I want him to drop what He is doing, fix my issue and then get back to the other things so I can get on with my life. The psalmist prays and seeks God differently. A few things…

-I need to recognize that the Spirit is within me. He couldn’t be nearer. This reality should stir two direct applications. (1-Act right. God is in my midst. 2-Don’t freak out, He is right here to help.)

-Many of my prayers are extrinsic. Fix this issue, help that person, change that situation. However the psalmist prays, God Lead and guide my heart. He prays intrinsically. Lord I need you to fix me more than I need you to fix anything else. This is the best way to pray. God can change all my circumstances, but if my heart is the same, I will keep finding myself in the same messes. (Pray for my heart)

-The psalmist doesn’t want dishonest gain or impure pleasures. This is a sign of maturity. When I trust in my five senses I desire a feeling, making the origin of the feeling irrelevant. This is immature. The psalmist doesn’t want to experience satisfaction of his senses if the origin is dishonest or evil. He defines the stark difference between living life to please God or living life to please self. We can’t do both. (May I choose wisely today)

Prayer:

Father, thank you for this insight into what my relationship with you should look like. May I turn the knowledge into application. Spirit lead me, and may I please you Father.

Scripture:

Psalm 139:23-24
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

Observation:

The psalmist expresses the reality that God is aware of even the smallest details of his life. That God was aware of his life being woven together in the womb. That God is aware of every nook and cranny of creation. There is no where to flee from the presence of God. Not the sky or the seas and not the heavens or hell. With this in mind, the psalmist asks God to search the deepest parts of his heart to find if there is any thought or attitude that is not pleasing to the Father. If there is, he asks God to lead him another way. Just before this prayer we find him expressing hatred and rage against the enemies of God.

Application:

This song is a perfect depiction of the beautiful mess of humanity. In moments of this song it is clear that the writer has been touched deeply by the beauty and power of God. He has a deep understanding of the knowledge of God and has strong theology in regards to the omniscience and omnipresence of God. However in the middle of all this we see him express hate towards those who hate God. A desire to destroy those who are enemies of God. At first glance we can see this as deep loyalty, however, upon further inspection, it is clear there is a blind spot in the psalmist’s faith.

A few things…

-There is no where to run from the presence of God, nor a place we can escape His love. Whether we sense God is pleased or displeased with us, the fact remains that we can’t escape Him. He is ever present and ever loving. I must rest in this. Every area of my life should include the understanding that He is right there and that He loves me in spite of my failures. (Surrender all areas to God)

-God’s knowledge and plan for our lives should cause us to take serious the precious gift we have been given in life. God’s interest in us should cause us to have a high view of life and all people.
God is aware, present and caring for all people. This must change the way I value life. My life, the life of those I love and the lives of those I struggle to love. (Value all people)

-What is true for me is true for everyone. Therefore I can’t embrace an intimate and intense love from God for me and assume He doesn’t feel the same way about other people. His love for me isn’t based on my performance or the “religious” things I do. The Father doesn’t love me more because I read His word or journal. He doesn’t love me more because I am a pastor. He doesn’t love me more for the kingdom work I am a part of. He knew and loved me in my mother’s womb. He knew and loved me when I was lost. He knew and loved me in my deepest and darkest moments. Therefore, this Love is true for those who have yet to understand the gospel. This is true for the enemies of God. The people who kick against Him, His authority and His word. The closer I walk with God the more deeply I learn to love everyone, even those who don’t get it yet. The Lord did not have to search very deeply to find the psalmist anxious and disobedience thoughts. They were found in his hatred of those who hate God. We find in Jesus that the heart of the Father is love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Love my enemies and the enemies of God)

Prayer:

Father, may I increase in love for others as I grow in my love for you. May I see all people as valued and loved and may I trust in your presence and power in all areas and relationships in this life.