Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:

Luke 23

Vs 3 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.”

Vs 8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him.

Vs 9 So he questioned him at some length, but he (Jesus) made no answer.

Vs 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him.

Vs 11 And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him.

Vs 27 And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. Vs 28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. …”

Vs 34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Vs 35 And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”

Vs 36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine ³⁷ and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 

Vs 39 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 

Vs 42 And he (the other criminal) said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Vs 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Observation:

Luke describes many interactions taking place with Jesus in this chapter. What stands out to me here is the striking difference in the tone of the many people addressing Jesus and then Jesus’ response to them, or non-response as it were.

So many of the individuals make direct demands on Jesus.

Perhaps they want Jesus … but only on their own terms. But Jesus will give them no such satisfaction.

Pilate wants an answer to his direct question.

Herod wants to see a sign done by Jesus.

The chief priests vehemently accuse Him.

The rulers want Him to prove Himself … “save Himself” … “if He is the Christ”.

The soldiers mock Him, also wanting Him to prove Himself … “If you are the King of the Jews … save Yourself!”

And one of the criminals wants Jesus not just to save Himself, but to save him, too … “save Yourself and us!”

Jesus gives no response to any of these folks.

Who does Jesus respond to? The mourning women, the repentant criminal, and His Heavenly Father.

To the mourning women, He says, “… do not weep for Me…”

To the repentant criminal, He says, “… today you will be with Me …”

And to His Father, He says, “Forgive them …”

Application:

Do I want Jesus on my own terms?

Do I want Jesus only if He can answer my direct questions? (Pilate)

Do I want Jesus only if He can show me a sign? (Herod)

Do I want Jesus only if He can prove Himself to me? (religious rulers and soldiers)

Do I want Jesus only if He can help me out of a tough spot I got myself into? (the criminal)

Jesus feels no compulsion to answer to my agenda.

Jesus can see my heart, what’s beneath the surface. Jesus can see my truest motivation.

I may even claim things that sound good like Herod … I “long desired to see Him”.

But is my longing ultimately selfish like Herod? He “was hoping to see a sign.”

What is the risk of coming to Jesus with such a posture? … Contempt!

Each of these people who did not get what they wanted from Jesus ultimately had contempt for Him.

What a wretched state to be in. Worse than annoyance, worse than anger, worse than even rage.

In contempt I see so many put false characteristics and impressions on Jesus and then write Him off when He doesn’t live out this false image.

In contempt I see people mock Jesus/God for not living up to their own expectations for Him.

So, what should be my posture in coming to Jesus? Lament and Repentance.

I should lament the condition of my own self, though.

Jesus told the women not to weep for Him, but themselves.

And I should repent, recognizing who Jesus truly is as the second criminal.

And how does Jesus respond when I repent? … “You will be with Me”.    

Prayer:

Thank you, God, for your word.

Help me see You clearly in front of me and not my own agenda.

Help me weep for myself and those around me.

Thank you for your forgiveness

In Jesus name

Amen

Scripture : 

A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest?  And He said to them:  “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them and those in authority over them are called “benefactors.”  But not so with you.  Rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leaders as one who serves.  For who is the greater: one who reclines at table or one who serves?  Is it not the one who reclines at table?

But I am among you as the one who serves…” Luke 22:24-27

Observation :

Leadership.  Servanthood.  You wouldn’t think something so simple would cause so much controversy.  It did for the Disciples.  It does for us. 

It isn’t a lesson that is just learned once; it is the lesson that keeps on having to be learned…

Application : 

“Me first!”  “I want to be at the head of the line!”  “I am the Boss!”  “Wait a minute: I am the leader here—I will decide.”

Any of that remotely familiar?  Is to me.  I wrestle with these kinds of thoughts daily—and over a number of situations: Some serious, some not so serious, and some just plain laughable.

The issue is that all of mankind loves to be first.  We like to be noticed first, asked first, and considered first.  Jesus says this is common place in society: “The Gentiles lord it over you and call themselves “Benefactors.”  Ever see the road sign: “This Construction ZONE that is going to take 3 years to complete has been made possible by your County Commissioner’s especially Mr. Number One Chairman.”  Remember the Disciples frequently had a civil discussion on who would be the greatest disciple?  Did not!  They ARGUED about who would be first.

Being a servant is what we are called to do and yet all of our insides can grate trying to do that.  “I want to be served!!  I’m tired serving.  When is it my turn?”

 When did we get so self-important?  There are numerous examples, stories, and confessions in the Scriptures lamenting the fall of the self-important. 

 “But what about false humility?”  Yep, certainly an issue.  Hiding unrighteous ambition in my heart gets me to Matt 7: “Lord, didn’t I do this and that in Your Name?”  Jesus replies, “Begone: I never knew you.”

 Having a servant’s heart in everything we do is having a firm idea on what the sin is in my heart to pay attention to and put to death (mortify).  This is a constant workout for me—I know that I want to be in first place.  So, in secret and without fanfare I look to serve.  I look to deny myself to serve my wife—often without success in a cultivated servant’s heart.  But—I confess, repent, and get back on the horse.

 So what do I do?  1) Determine in the power of the Holy Spirit and in cooperation with Him to cultivate a servant’s heart.  Key: Think of others as more important than yourself.  2)  Don’t think that we have “arrived”: Falling off the horse is a normal occupation of a Believer.  Readily confess sin; repent with determination; joyfully jump back on and keep going.

Prayer :

Lord God: I vaguely remember when I heard this scripture in teaching about being a servant.  Simply, Lord: Let it not be so with me.  I want to follow your example.  Whatever role you place me in, whatever job, wherever to live in You—I am determined to be a servant first and foremost until That Day.  In whatever accolade you gift me with, help me to remember to give You thanks first and that You provided the recognition.  Help my heart be a servant’s heart first all the days of my life.  AMEN

Scripture : 

⁴² saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” ⁴³ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.

Luke 22:42-43 

Observation :

Jesus is entering into the last moments of his life with his disciples and is nearing his arrest. He draws away from the disciples to pray and talk with his Father. It is powerful to see the humanity of Jesus come forth followed by obedience and then the answer of the Father all in two verses. 

Application : 

1. Jesus though fully God is fully man. He was in agony and he was fully aware of what laid before him. Pain especially physical is not something we run to willingly yet Jesus did for the sake of us all. That doesn’t stop him from asking the Father who he knows and is one with if there was another way. This isn’t a question of Jesus not being all knowing or Jesus not being divine as he questions the Father, this is Jesus having a conversation with his Father asking if it could be done differently. Yet, the response to Jesus is simply I trust you and submit to you Father. 

2. The Father answers his Son by strengthening him. So many times I ask God for things and different ways to do things and his answer is so many times the strength to get through it rather than going through it at all.

It is ok for us to ask God if there could be another way. We must be ok and willing to follow that up with, God YOUR WILL not mine….That is where I miss it. I always ask God if things can go different but don’t say I want your will rather than mine…I want my way God..I want your way God as long as it lines up with my expectation and my wants and desires and dreams. This is not the action of Jesus. I want YOUR WILL FATHER.

Prayer :

Father, help me to trust you and you alone. Help me to follow you and submit my LIFE to you. Help me oh God and King. Help me. 

Scripture:

Luke 21:3-4
And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Observation:

Jesus teaches an important lesson on giving. In God’s economy the amount of the gift does not equate to the value. Instead, the heart of the giver does.

Application:

Giving can easily become something to be prideful about. It is easily measurable and comes with its own 0’s, commas and decimals. However the measure we use to determine value is not the same to God. When it comes to offerings, the heart is what God is watching and weighing. The weight of the offering is not in the amount but rather the weight of the sacrifice the offering costs the giver.

A few things:

-Humble yourself. Giving a lot from a lot doesn’t mean as much as we think it does. Though it might impress others, it isn’t impressive to God.

-The woman’s gift from her poverty cost her everything. It expresses a level of trust that God is seeking in our offering. When we give without trust, it is a waste. Our trust is to be in The God we give to, not the temple, the church or anything else.

-Jesus notices our giving. This is something between us and God. We can’t allow the influence of others to taint what is to be a spiritual and intimate discipline. Others may notice, but the only eyes that matter are the eyes of the God we give to.

Prayer:

Father may I learn to give sacrificially, trusting in you, and remembering all along that you see my heart even more than the amount given.

Scripture:

Luke 20:17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?

Observation:

Jesus tells a parable intended on confronting the ruling Jews of their mistreatment of the “servants” (prophets) and their future blunder of murdering the “son” (Jesus). Then Jesus tells them that the inheritance would taken from them and given to others. He finishes by addressing an Old Testament passage that refers to the messiah. Jesus is the chief cornerstone that the builders had rejected.

Application:

People are greedy. People are selfish. People don’t want to be told what to do. People don’t want authority. People don’t like to be told they are wrong. This isn’t just a “people” problem in the Bible, its an us and me problem today. Jesus confronts the sin, disobedience and defiance of the ruling Jews. He confront mine today as well.

A few things…

-Everything I have, I am a steward of. The field, the blessings, the relationships, my family, the ministry is not mine. I have been called to care for the people and the stuff God has given me. It belongs to Him. I must not forget that.

-If I get this twisted God will confront me. I must be willing to be corrected when I am off. I am not the cornerstone. I am not holding everything together. That’s His role. When I try to do it myself I must be corrected.

-Regardless of my rejection of Jesus, His title, position and authority doesn’t change. Regardless of when others reject Jesus, His title, position and authority do not change. He is the chief cornerstone and always will be.

Prayer:

Father thank you for the reminder of my foolishness, your authority and your sovereignty.

Scripture:

Luke 18:1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Observation:

Before the parable of the persistent widow is shared in the gospel of Luke, he explains why Jesus told it in the first place. As believers we ought to pray always and not lose heart.

Application:

Within each of us there is a scale. The scale weighs the seriousness of our needs, the likelihood of us taking care of it ourselves, the pressure of the problem and urgency of the need to be addressed by God. We might not realize it but each of our prayers are weighed in our own lives on this invisible scale. The problem is God didn’t create the scale. We did. It’s measurements are based on our short-sighted, finite, and five-sense driven reality. We lose heart when we have weighed our need, the urgency is evident, yet when we pray God doesn’t respond with the same urgency or treat it with the same weight. This parable is told to remind believers that we should always pray and not grow discouraged if it isn’t answered in our timetable or in the way we thought it should/would be.

A few things:

-God wants us to pray. He wants us to come to Him. He is a loving Father. He isn’t like the judge. He cares about us and sees our needs for what they really are.

-God’s perspective is different. What I see as urgent and overwhelming doesn’t look that way to God. I must realize that when I pray I am talking to the creator and sustainer of the universe. Every issue, problem and need is within his jurisdiction. However, He sees my need from a perfect and eternal lens. Maybe the thing I am praying away is actually for my good. Maybe the thing I want so much would actually be my demise. His view is better.

-Don’t lose heart. It is so easy to assume that when the scales are different, that God simply doesn’t care. That I am all alone or that I have to bear the pressure or problem or need alone. Not so. Don’t lose heart. Keep praying. Even if my prayer isn’t answered the way I expected the constant fellowship with the Father is more than enough to help me see the situation correctly. The time with Him might change my view of the need. It might change the way I pray. The goal of my life is to know Christ. Praying for stuff that doesn’t pan out the way I wanted it to originally, still gets me to the goal. To know Him fully, even as I am fully known.

Prayer:

Father thank you for always being ready to listen, even when my prayers are short-sighted, misguided or wrong. Thank you for leading me and guiding me to understand my needs from your perspective. Thank you for loving me enough to meet my greatest need, even when it wasn’t on my prayer list. If you know how to meet my greatest need, I can trust you with all the rest.

Scripture: 

Luke 16:30-31

³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Observation:

Money is one of the ways we as humans fall into temptation and find ourselves lost in it. Jesus gives several examples of the persuasiveness of money and the ultimate end it could lead to. 

Application: 

As I read the specific verse I highlighted today I stopped and pondered for a moment. I thought about people that hear the Gospel and don’t believe for whatever reason. Usually, after the rejection of the Gospel there is a pause and then a plea bargain almost. IF God showed himself to me or did this or did that, I would then believe. I have heard this statement or set of ultimatums so many times. This passage is saying if they did not believe it then, then even if the evidence was CLEAR like one raised from the dead, they still wouldn’t believe.  This is crazy if you think about it for a second.  If we have convinced ourselves of a belief no matter what we see, no matter how miraculous, no matter how clear, we still will choose to not believe. Isn’t this sad and disturbing at the same time? What can I learn from this today? I must hear what has already been presented and trust and believe. What has been given is ENOUGH and if I am waiting for more then it will be too late. What we have, (The Gospel) is enough. It is enough for me today and it is enough for the person I share it with tomorrow. It is enough today, tomorrow, and forever more. THE GOSPEL IS ENOUGH. 

Prayer:

Father, may I know and believe that the Gospel is enough. That you have given me everything for life and Godliness and may I walk in the truth of your Word and what you have already given me for obedience in you. I love you Lord and thank you for your patience. 

Scripture: 

 “There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.”  And he divided his property between them.

Not many days later the younger gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country and there squandered his property in reckless living.  And when he spent everything a severe famine arose in that country and he began to be in need.  So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything.

But when he came to himself…..” (Luke 15:11b-17a)

Observation:

The story of the Prodigal has many facets.  Here is one that focuses on the boy and his circumstances.  I think there are parallels in my life being told about…

Application: 

I have children.  They are now grown and fending for themselves.  But there was a time where there were pressures to “not make them now or let them grow up too fast; they need to be [children or teenagers or college students—fill in the blank]; they don’t have to be serious right now…” or something of the same thought.  Basically we are telling ourselves there is a time to be a child, a teenager, a young adult, and finally a real adult.  Is that really true?  (An aside: Do we excuse others from being a serious disciple because there is time for that later?)

I read about the younger boy in this family.  “I am tired of all this, let me go have Fun!  Travel.  See the World!  Get some experience in things now before I am too old to appreciate it or afford it or tied down with other responsibilities.”

I remember these sayings—said them myself. 

What happened to the Prodigal?  Blew all the dough.  Lived high on the hog.  Lived immorally.  Experienced a whole bunch of illicit things.  Found that he could buy worthless and so-called friends.  Only lived for today, never planned for tomorrow, never remembered yesterday.

I can be just like that.  Oh, it is never so blatant as to slap me in the face.  It inches up on me, ever so slowly, so that when it bites me I had forgotten it was there because I got used to its presence.   That is the way Sin operates—it hardly ever sticks out and say “Let’s Sin today!!”  It oozes and creeps until it catches its prey—me.

But the scripture above says a remarkable thing: “When he came to himself…”  Other translations may say “When he came to his senses…”  I have to recognize that God uses calamity, affliction, hardship, and other things to prod us into coming to our senses.  Sometimes not and how wonderful that is to find the Savior without hardship involved.  That is not always the case with folks.  There are times where a good, stiff, holy two by four across the noggin does wonders.  The Prodigal experienced that.

 We know the rest of the story: the boy repented, asked forgiveness, and humbled himself before his father.  Dad forgave him, rejoiced over him and threw a party.  The older son sulked, whined, became bitter, and complained like there was no tomorrow before his father hopefully set him straight.

My takeaways?  1) As a parent, maybe think twice before handing over an inheritance, or even a big gift like a credit card with a high limit.  At least know and accept the possibilities of abuse by the child.  2) Afflictions are not bad although they can be painful.  Let God have His complete work.  Note: This takes faith, patience, and wisdom.  Going limp on a child isn’t the point here.  Godly parenting is involved work even if it is only watching silently.  3) Take the long view in hope.  Trust in God.  That trust may be in sweat and tears but trust.  God is Sovereign over all creation and we cannot sovereignly control squat.

Prayer:

Father, acknowledging and trusting in Your Sovereignty is hard.  I have been so trained to give in to my inclination of independence from You.  Especially when it concerns folks that I love and am responsible for.  Thank You for helping me tenaciously relax to the Long View and not be so concerned about the Right Now.  You are Eternal and Omniscient.  I can never be.  You know my tomorrows, I can only hope in Your Mercy for tomorrow.  Help me walk in Wisdom all my days.  AMEN

Scripture:

Luke 14:10-11 – “But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you.  For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Observation:

Jesus is dining at the home of a ruler of the Pharisees and told this parable as he watched how people tried to place themselves to sit in positions of honor.  Jesus tells the group to sit in a low place and the God will recognize you and give you honor.  In the Kingdom of God it is counter cultural so those who honor themselves will be humbled and those who are humble will be exalted.

Application:

Everyone wants to be honored and receive praise for our efforts no matter what we are doing at work, sport even can unhealthily slip into ministry.  The question then becomes, where we derive our praise.  For the Pharisees, they jockey for a spot to place themselves in a position of honor among men.  This is an example of pride and being self-righteous which God does not like.  Jesus tells us to be humble and He will call you to be exalted in the only place it ultimately matters in the kingdom of God.  The analogy of seating at a wedding feast is the humility that God seeks across all aspects of our lives.   

Prayer:

Father, Thank you for your love, grace and mercy you have given me.  Help me live a life of humility to serve/ honor you. Let your Spirit guide me to not be self- righteous and honor myself.

Scripture – “He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.”

Observation – Jesus is teaching on the kingdom of God. He uses two parables. One is a mustard seed and the other is like leaven in bread. Jesus is showing the people and the disciples that even small measures of faith can have great impact. A small mustard seed grows to become a tree towering high.

Application – Faith is powerful. Conviction and faith in God has massive impact on the world around me and even if all I can muster up is small faith in a moment God is faithful to grow fruit. Today, I don’t want to toil in my own strength but instead trust in the God who can take faith and make it seen.

Prayer – God thank You for how You produce fruit through us. Thank You for Your faithfulness to me.

Scripture:

Luke 11:29
When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

Observation:

As the crowds get bigger, Jesus’ message gets more confrontational. Also as the crowd increases, Jesus spends increased time referencing the coming work of the cross and resurrection.

Application:

Jesus breaks every rule that church growth experts give. Instead of shaping his ministry strategies around the palette of the community, he constructed his ministry around their greatest need. He didn’t attempt to water down the hard truths. He didn’t attempt to create a comfortable environment. He didn’t view large crowds as success. Instead he told the truth, as difficult as it was to hear. He confronted people on sin and their need for a savior. He judged success by the obedience of his followers and the life change that accompanied following Him and not by the amount of people in attendance at an event.

A few things:

-The Scorecard has to change. Success for me can’t be different than success for Jesus. Why? He is the master. If my scorecard is different than His, I can’t claim the movement I am part of is led by Him. The master, Jesus, dictates the scorecard.

-The greatest need of everyone I meet is the gospel. Whether lost or found, the gospel give life initially and sustains life for eternity. I can’t meet other needs and treat that as the end goal.

-Crowds don’t mean success. As a leader. a crowd feels good. It seems to justify the hard work. The filled seats seem to give credibility to the long hours, sleepless nights and difficult times. However, a big crowd never satisfied Jesus. His goal was never keeping the crowd. Rather, his goal was communicating the truth to the crowd, even if it meant many would leave. This is counterintuitive if the goal is a crowd. However if the goal is meeting the greatest needs by communicating and modeling the gospel, people leaving and being offended must be expected.

Prayer:

Father thank you for the reminder. Your word, your truth, the gospel must be preached. If the crowd is big, don’t let me get distracted. May I learn to be more satisfied with your presence and applause than the presence and applause of a large crowd.

Scripture: 

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you put on.”  LUKE 12:22 (Also reference Luke 10:41, Matthew 6:3-4, Phil 4-6 (my personal favorite).

Observation:  

Jesus is speaking to his disciples about the error of living their lives in worry and anxiety.  He tells us instead: “Seek his kingdom and those things which (you are already having anxiety about) will be added.”

Application: 

Boy, can I identify.  I sometimes (no honestly quite often) worry more than I should.  Every time I take time to pray and practice not worrying, it is uncanny how the Lord repays me with the blessings I have prayed and practiced for.  An example of this is the anxiety I have about my children.  Giving up my need for control issues and letting God take the helm and steer the ship seems to more than likely help the issues 

at hand.

Prayer: 

Thank you Jesus for your grace and mercy.  Lord please help me to keep your word in my heart and to remember that you are in complete and total control.  You Lord are Master of this big and bold universe and as such you can and will take care of my needs.  Thank you Jesus, amen.

Scripture:

 Vs 1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them …

Vs 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

Vs 20 (Jesus said to them) “Do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

…

Vs 21 In that same hour he (Jesus) rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth …”

…

Vs 25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶ He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” ²⁷ And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁸ And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

…

Vs 40 “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, ⁴² but one thing is necessary.^[e] Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Observation:

A lot going on here in Chapter 10.

Jesus interacts with the 72 “laborers” sent out.

And Jesus interacts with a teacher of the law.

And Jesus interacts with sisters Mary and Martha.

But what’s more briefly mentioned is Jesus’ interaction with the Holy Spirit and His Father.

Jesus’ instructions to each are seemingly very different, and could even be seen as contradictory on the surface.

To the 72 sent out Jesus essentially says, “Don’t get excited about what you can do (rule over demons), get excited by what you know (your name is written in heaven, the Book of Life”.)

To the lawyer Jesus essentially says, “Don’t get excited about what you know (the answer to a law question), get excited about what you do (do this and you will live, show mercy).”

To the sisters Jesus essentially says, “Don’t worry about so much, choose the good portion, My presence”.

And for Jesus personally, he will rejoice with the Holy Spirit that the Father’s will is accomplished. 

Application:

I can see myself in each of these interactions.

Sometimes I treat Christianity as if it’s a theology exam. Do I know all the right answers to the test?

I can even get rather proud of myself for what I know about God or His word.

I can even think more highly of myself (like the lawyer) because of what I know. I can look down on people because of their “ignorance” or “foolishness”. … Thank you, God for giving me wisdom!

But here Jesus is not satisfied with a right answer on the test. Jesus acknowledges the lawyer was right (“you have answered correctly”). 

Jesus doesn’t want me to “know” the answer, He wants me to “live” the answer (“Do this and you will live”).

So, then I can swing the pendulum and get really frustrated with myself because I don’t “do” enough. I need to “do more”!

What am I really doing anyway?! The world is falling apart! People all around me need help!

What happens then? I can start to feel proud of myself, again! Look of what I have done! This person is better because of what I have done. This community if better because of me! … Look at me!

This, again, can make me think less of others around me.

Jesus, again, has an answer for this … “Listen up, Bud, any power you have to do anything is only because I gave it to you! …. Don’t rejoice in yourself because of what you do, rejoice in God because He knows your name and you will live forever with Him!”

So, when I get too proud of “knowing” … go and “do”.

When I get too proud of “doing” … rest in what I “know”.

When I get too anxious about the tug of war going on within me … “chose the good portion that will not be taken away” … the presence of the Lord.

And what should I celebrate through it all?

Rejoice with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that the will of the Father is done!

Prayer:

Thank you God for your word.

Thank you for your patience when I am proud.

Help me remember what to know and when to do it.

Help me see your will unfold

In Jesus name

Amen

Scripture:  

Concerning the demoniac: “”Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.”  And he went away proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.”  (v9)

Concerning the woman in the crowd: “And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; Go in peace.” (v 48 )

Concerning the little girl who was dead: “And her spirit returned and she got up at once.  (and) He directed that something should be given her to eat.  (and) Her parents were amazed but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.” (v55-56)

Observation:  

I sometimes wonder about the Bible’s seemingly mixed messages.  There are times that I can read something  and think “Ok, what am I supposed to do?  What direction do I engage in?”  It’s really very simple: Our consistency is found in responding to the Spirit’s whisper alone…

Application:

 The three circumstances I quoted above I saw this morning.  Why did Jesus give three different directions concerning miracles?  What can I take away from that?

Confusing isn’t it?  When we look at the Word for direction and inspiration there are times where I scratch my head and go “Huh?  What do I do, then?”

It actually isn’t confusing at all.  It only becomes confusing if I try to lift a scriptural imperative/direction out of context.

The Scriptures are a whole-it is the Word of God, the written testimony of God Himself and His declaration of the Gospel.   If I don’t understand something, read some more-the Spirit of God  will illuminate things.  It may take a while (like years-be patient) but I have to keep at it.  Take the long view is a phrase that my wife hears from me often-and it is true.  One of the characteristics of God is being Eternal-therefore being patient and taking the “long view” may be as close as we can get in this mortal frame.  By the way: the “long view” framework is entirely found in the Gospel and all those specific aspects.

Can I take the following direction away from this Chapter?:

One: If I have a demon tossed out of me, feel free to declare the Goodness of God?  Or;

Two: If I have been healed of a private situation, be in peace and do what you will?  Or;

Three: If I have been or involved with a ‘raising from the dead’ circumstance, keep my mouth shut and let the facts say everything needed?

If you are laughing at this analysis, you are not alone: I am too.  Obviously it is not a cut and dried decision to make and if I think that it would be this easy, I am not paying attention.

As a disciple there are many things to develop in me.  Without going through a large and comprehensive list, here are two:  1) Read and study.  Spurgeon said this: “Give yourself unto reading.  The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted.  He who will not use the thoughts of other mean’s brains proves that he has no brains of his own…” 2) Try to develop a practice to talk and discuss the Scriptures and Doctrine with a few others brothers/sisters.   There is nothing like it…

Paul wrote Timothy:  “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them so that all may see your progress…” (1Tim 4:15)  What a command…

Prayer:  

Lord Jesus, help me continue with the fierce determination to immerse myself in Your Word as well as immerse myself in the process of being a disciple.  Please let me hear Your whisper louder in my ear.  Make my heart soft and please keep it from becoming hard through my neglect of paying attention.  AMEN.