A Catalyst for Change!
An unusual day, Father, with the snow last evening, we canceled services today but thank You for a true day of rest. We didn’t really go anywhere and all I really did was to move a little snow and enjoyed the day with Karen. Thank You for Your blessings this day. Amen.
Mark 1:14-15 (<<click to read the passage)
Over the last several months I have really come to appreciate the Amplified Bible. This past fall I quoted Wikipedia as stating, “It is designed to ‘amplify’ the text by using additional wording…to bring out all shades of meaning present in the original texts.” Those “shades of meaning” speak to me.
In today’s passage, Jesus says,
“The [appointed period of] time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins, live your life in a way that proves repentance; seek God’s purpose for your life] and believe [with a deep, abiding trust] in the good news [regarding salvation].”
Isn’t that a great filling out of the word repent? And that first word – change – is the catalyst! And it is not just an initial change it is an ongoing lifestyle!
A couple of years ago I wrote a post entitled A Pond of Faith? (<<click to read the post) In it, I spoke of our faith being a pond or a reservoir. For too long I allowed my faith to stagnate. Was I a Christian? Yes, but I must admit a poor one. By no means have I reached anything close to perfection but Jesus’ infilling of me has encouraged change, change in my inner self – my old way of thinking. Each day I truly strive to live my life in such a way that proves that repentance – that change. And I endeavor and am determined to aggressively seek God’s purpose for my life. There is great satisfaction in doing so!
Have you repented? Lord Jesus, I pray so!
Create in us an insatiable, burning desire to be all You want us to be! Amen.
Jan 13th, 2019, Sun, 7:36 pm
Don’t Yield!
What a wonderful hike, Father! I enjoyed my time out in Your creation – it was beautiful and I so enjoyed Your company!
Mark 1:12-13 (<<click to read the passage)
Temptation – it’s awful, isn’t it? Right now I am sitting in my office at home and I am trying very hard not to think of the Peanut M&Ms in the candy dish in the living room, the chips and crackers in the pantry, the cheese, and yogurt in the refrigerator but…they are there! And in a regimented, controlled situation none of them are so bad that we need to get rid of them.
I need to lose more weight. I need to keep my blood sugar under control and if I am diligent I might be able to eradicate my diabetes all together!
Those are good goals to have but saying “no” is sure not easy! My morning hike helped but it’s no excuse to binge. I will be having a reasonable salad with Karen for lunch but that doesn’t give me permission to chuck down more carbohydrates this afternoon.
God created this world and declared it good. Where we get into trouble is when we take things out of the context in which He intended them to be kept. Or we can overindulge, going outside the realm of moderation, and we pay the price physically and mentally!
Because Jesus is fully God and fully man, he experienced temptation just as well do. But instead of yielding, he remained strong and overcame it. My study Bible* states:
Because Jesus faced temptations and overcame them, he can assist us in two important ways: (1) as an example of how to face temptation without sinning, and (2) as a helper who knows just what we need because he went through the same experience.
It’s totally impossible to not eventually give in when we go it alone but, Lord, thank You for always being at our side and guiding and directing us to do what is right and holy. Help us to lean on You so we don’t yield! Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Jan 10th, 2019, Thurs, 10:28 am
Here’s Your Sign
Thank You, Father, for making sure I saw the video of the young lady who acted on Your prompting. May I ever be mindful of You in every conversation and situation in which I find myself. Amen.
Mark 1:9-11 (<<click to read the passage)
Ever hear the “Here’s your sign!” routine by a comedian a few years back? Here’s an example: A couple of months ago I went fishing with a buddy of mine, we pulled his boat into the dock, I lifted up this big ol’ stringer of bass and this idiot on the dock goes, “Hey, y’all catch all them fish?” “Nope. Talked ’em into giving up. Here’s your sign.”
All four Gospels give a multitude of examples of religious leaders asking for a “sign” from Jesus that would prove to them that He was who He was – God’s son. At the very beginning of His ministry when Jesus was baptized, “a voice from heaven said, ‘You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.’” Honestly, was any other sign needed?
No matter what they saw with their eyes, nothing would change until they saw with their hearts. And before we start saddling up on our high-horse of condemnation, we are quite often no better than they.
So many of us demand proof before we will consider moving any direction spiritually and quite often even then we stall and hem-haw around with no intention of moving forward.
What wonderful things God makes available to us! But how much do we miss out on because we refuse to open our hearts to the possibilities?
Lord, help us to not just ask for “signs” but to step forward in faith, following You – believing in You. As You did for the Father, may You bring us “great joy”, as well. Amen.
Jan 9th, 2019, Wed, 9:35 am
Be a Boat Rocker!
It is blustery but a beautiful day overall, Father. We are in the “dead” of winter, just a little green in the grass, but I know there is life. Just this morning I saw a deer, a falcon, a hawk, a squirrel and at least one cat – and that was just from the driver’s seat of my bus! Thank You for the diversity of Your creation. May we cherish and protect it. Amen.
Mark 1:4-8 (<<click to read the passage)
One of the biggest struggles in our Christian journey is being contented with the status quo. Some have been saved out of the “deep miry clay”, as it were, but even they in a matter of time become “settled”. Don’t rock the boat! I’m good, why change things up? My ticket’s been punched and I’m on my way to heaven, so why bother?
John the Baptist was a boat rocker! He was most definitely a man of transition. Notes in the Amplified Bible state that he was “considered the last of the Old Testament prophets”. There had been no prophetic word from God since Malachi, a span of almost 400 years! A prophet of God was highly anticipated – even by common folk – and John the Baptist fleshed out that role well.
He was a prophet and like the prophets of old, he wasn’t soft and gentle. He was rough and tumble, caring not what anyone else said but totally devoted to what God was saying. Matthew’s Gospel records him laying into the Pharisees and Sadducees calling them “snakes” accusing them of trying to “flee God’s wrath”. (Matthew 3:7)
In today’s passage, he took something familiar – baptism – and switched it up, giving it new meaning. Converts to Judaism were baptized but John preached “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [that is, requiring a change of one’s old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness].” (Mark 1:4 AMP)
It was a huge switch up from the norm but what an impact it made!
Lord Jesus, so often we are happy where we find ourselves…but maybe our boats need to be rocked! We have become complacent. It takes work to be vitally connected with You. It takes communication – nothing complex – just consistent heartfelt interaction with You. Listening. Following. Obeying. Yielding. May we all be willing to make a huge switch up from the norm if that’s what we need to do. Amen!
Jan 8th, 2019, Tues, 11:17 am
Clear the Road
Thank You for our chat this morning, Father, as I warmed up my bus. It is of great comfort to know with the utmost of certainty that You are with me always and forever.
Mark 1:1-3 (<<click to read the passage)
“Clear the road for him!” v3c
Several years ago we had a severe ice storm (We actually lost power for a week!) and we have family that lives back a lane through a heavily wooded area. When that storm came through it covered the many saplings along their drive with a thick layer of ice – so much so that they bent with the weight and made their drive impassible! Our family was called into action and we all headed down with our chainsaws to help. They cleared from their home out and we cleared from the road in! My father-in-law mentions that every time we go out to their place – it was quite the experience for us all!
In these opening verses of his Gospel, of course, Mark is quoting a passage from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Rightly so, he is applying the text to Jesus’ precursor, John the Baptist and his efforts at preparing “the way for the Lord’s coming”.
John the Baptist had an extremely important role to play but don’t you think we have a responsibility of being Jesus’ “road crew” today, as well? How much debris blocks people from understanding who Jesus is? My study Bible makes it pretty clear,
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus. People who do not know Jesus need to be prepared to meet him. We can “prepare the way“ by explaining their need for forgiveness, demonstrating Christ’s teaching by our conduct, and telling them how Christ can give their lives meaning. We can “clear the road for him” by correcting misconceptions that might be hindering people from approaching Christ. Someone you know may be open to a relationship with Christ. What can you do to prepare the way for this person?
Lord Jesus, may I diligently clear the road for You in all my words and actions! Amen.
January 7th, 2019, Mon, 11:22 am