Week of 9/19/21 - Pages 257 - 277

This week's reading covers 9+ chapters of the book of Mark packed full of events in Jesus' ministry.  This morning however, as I read again these chapters, I was struck by "how very little I really understand of the spiritual realm." In chapters 4 & 5 we see Jesus completely astonish his closest disciples by speaking a word and calming a storm, we see a man so controlled by evil spirits that he regularly broke chains and shackles with his bare hands, we see demon's terrified about being banished to a desolate place, but then the weird twist that they go into pigs that are then drowned.  Was that better for them than being banished to a desolate place?  Then in Chapter 9, after the disciples had already been sent out with authority and success casting out evil spirits, run across a particular kind of evil spirit that can only be cast out a different way. There is so much I don't understand about the spiritual realm and how it works.

 What Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:12 comes to mind, "But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things?" And in Mark 4:40, Jesus in training his closest followers after they thought they were about to die by a raging storm, he asked them "Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

 Mentally I try to put myself in both situations, as Nicodemus and as the disciples, and I find it hard to think that I would have acted much differently. So, the natural reaction for me then is to hear Jesus' words as if he is speaking them directly to me. I wonder at times how much of my faith and growth in the spiritual is stunted by fear, and I wonder how my ignorance of the spiritual makes me less effective for the Lord's work here during my time on earth.

 One thing Jesus says toward the very end of our reading this week is helpful, Mark 10:15: "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it." While on one hand it is again something that is a bit spiritually mysterious, this brings me comfort for some reason.  A child does not have it all figured out and he/she is not expected to.  In the purest sense they have complete trust and faith in their parents; they love big and without fear; and on their best days they excitedly explore this life they have been given having fun and trying to be obedient to their parents. 

 I'm not sure why this gives me some comfort, but it does. Of course, we are not children, and the Scriptures both warn us and teach us how to suit up every day for the challenges of this life and the spiritual warfare that perhaps is difficult for us to understand at times, but as we stand firm, Jesus' words about our innocent faith & life as we see in Mark 10:15 still bring me comfort. 

May the Lord grant you peace today, no matter what spiritual or physical battles you face, and may you get a chance to be like a child today. Love big without fear, enjoy playing with a friend or even make a new one, maybe have an ice cream cone, and when the really hard or scary stuff comes your way, hold on to your Abba's hand and let him handle it.

Week of 9/12/21 - Pages 243 - 255

I recently had the privilege of spending time with a 74 year-old man who was facing the end of his life. He spent much of our time together reflecting back on his life—both the pain and suffering he had experienced as well as the pain and suffering he had caused. His mom died when he was just a toddler and his dad abandoned him to start a new family. His grandparents raised him and made many sacrifices to give him a good life even leaving their home to bring him to America. As an adult, he struggled to forgive his father, but he also struggled to forgive himself for the many mistakes he made along the way. He tried to make amends in his later years for the harm he caused, but there were some who weren’t quite ready to let things go. Now as he faced the end of his life, the thoughts that consumed his heart and mind had to do with where he stood with God. Did God forgive him for his many sins? Was God angry with him or disappointed? Would he spend eternity with God in heaven? These conversations allowed me with the help of the Holy Spirit to share with him the good news of the gospel. I read to him Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” and Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” In his final days, I believe that these truths brought him peace, hope and the assurance that He would be with Jesus in eternity. As I read through this week’s passage from Titus, I couldn’t help thinking of this man who so greatly impacted my life. Like the apostle Paul, he could testify that he had been foolish, disobedient and that his life had been full of evil. But even greater than what he had done was what God had done for him and that made all the difference in the end. If you are struggling to understand who God is, how He views you and how He deals with the sin in your life, my friend who is now face-to-face with Jesus would share with you these words from the apostle Paul:

“When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he made us right in his sight and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.”  

Week of 9/5/21 - Pages 233 - 241

Timothy has a tough job.  “Stay there in Ephesus and stop those whose teaching is contrary to the truth.  Don’t let them waste their time in endless discussion of myths and spiritual pedigrees.  These things only lead to meaningless speculations, which don’t help people live a life of faith in God.”  Sounds like fun.  Sounds like today.

Timothy is young, maybe even timid and sickly, but Paul has a great deal of confidence in his protégé and tells him to say in Ephesus and deal with these difficult problems.  Timothy is his true son in the faith.  He has a spiritual gift which he received through prophecy and the laying on of hands by the Elders.  He is called by God to do this work.  So Paul writes Timothy a letter which is part instruction manual for leading and organizing a church, part personal encouragement for Timothy to be the right kind of leader, and part wisdom literature that Paul is passing down to his friend and the church in Ephesus.  Paul writes:  “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it:  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I am the worst of them all.”

I am struck that the very first thing Paul urges Timothy to do in this letter is to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf.  On one hand, that seems simple and obvious.  Christians are supposed to be prayer warriors.  However, I know from my personal experience that this often isn’t the case.  I’m more likely to rely on my personal strengths, experience and convictions to try and solve problems.  Or maybe I’ll just “bury my head in the sand” and hope the problem goes away.  Or if I’m honest with myself, maybe I just don’t want to pray about something or someone I should.  Sometimes I feel like God is in control, and he will do whatever he will do with or without my prayers.  Paul, however, urges Timothy to pray first and become a mediator like Christ because this is good and pleases God.

Prayer requires faith and trust that God will act.  It requires humility on our part to recognize that we are often powerless to solve problems on our own.  Maybe the most important aspect of prayer is that it changes us and how we think about the world.  It really is hard to be bitter toward someone if you are praying for them regularly.  And when we are changed in this way, to become more like Christ our mediator, then the power of God can work through us to help others.  I’m sure this is why Paul urged Timothy to pray first.

We live in a time of great division in the Christian church and in our country.  Red state blue state.  Conservative or liberal.  Mask or no mask.  Vax or anti-vax.  The list can go on and on.  How would things look differently if we actually prayed for those who think differently than we do every day?  If we interceded for each other, instead of trying to correct each other?

I’m going to take Paul’s challenge personally – first, pray for all people.  Ask God to help them.  Intercede for them, and give thanks for them.  This is good and pleases God.  I think this will change me and my attitude toward others and the issues of our time.  Will you join me in taking this challenge?

Week of 8/29/21 - Pages 225 - 232

Paul's letter to the Philippians , gives me pause for thought. How can a man who is imprisoned for spreading the gospel, deny his own frustration and anger at his capture and continue his mission to spread the word behind bars? It would be conceivable for him to be writing letters of anger and resentment to the world who feels threatened by his profession of faith. Yet his belief in God and his strong faith allow him to keep going forward with the crusade he had started. More important is his passion for reaching his beloved people in Philippi so he can continue to lead them towards their eternal reward.
So, I think! I ponder. How on fire am I for Christ? Do I spread the good news when given the chance and opportunity? I do not plan on spending time in prison, but am I imprisoned none the less by my laziness and discomfort for evangelism? May the Lord bless us with the same blessings he gave to Paul so we too can fulfill the Lord's work.

Week of 8/22/21 - Pages 215 - 224

As I read Ephesians in the Immerse reading plan, the term “drinking from a fire hose” came to mind.

Paul could have zeroed in on one of the points he addressed in his letter to the Ephesians and expanded on that one point alone for the content of his letter.

Margit and I were very fortunate in 2017 to be able to visit Ephesus and stand in the colosseum where Paul addressed 25,000 skeptical Ephesians to bring the good news to them.  Very humbling.

The tenets Paul preached there and identified in this letter to them are, of course, as valid today as they were then.

I believe you could read through Ephesians daily and understand all that Christ (and Paul as his emissary) was trying to teach us.  But, if I limited my reading to only this, I would miss the instruction, understanding and appreciation of all else that the Bible has to offer.

Now, just have to be honest if I am living or trying to live according to all that I am reading.  Some days, good, and some days, not so good.  That’s why I am still a work in progress.

Week of 8/15/21 - Pages 203 - 214

In reading about Paul's letter to the Colosssians, I was immediately struck by the similarity of Pastor Lee's recent messages on Transforming the Way We Think. 

Paul warned these believers from the city of Colosse not to let all the "mixed practices and beliefs from various religious traditions and where new spiritual practices and beliefs were constantly developing".

This is the same message that Pastor Lee has been sharing.  Reminding us to not let anyone capture us with empty philosophies and beliefs that come from human thinking by trying to  shift or change ones thinking.  I must admit that I have fallen into the thinking that the Bible has much to offer us with the wisdom to live a godly life, but how could some of these messages from 2000 years ago still be applicable today when they seem outdated or not as relevant as they did long ago?

This happens to me  when I read something that seems to conflict with my personal beliefs and I find myself questioning how to reconcile things in the Bible that I struggle with when I embrace the idea of letting love guide my life, especially when it's in conflict with scripture?   We are told to let the peace of heart which comes from Christ to always be present in our hearts and lives for this is the responsibility and our privilege as members of his body.  I am conflicted with certain things written and the love I have for Jesus Christ and trying to remedy the two is hard! 

Pastor Lee is imploring us to know and understand the gospel as The Authority of Scripture so as not to be led astray by subtle forms of societal preferences and to be on guard for any deviation that would diminish the centrality of Christ as Lord and Savior. 

Lee's message is no different from Paul's letter 2000 years later, because as Paul sat in prison writing his letter, his goal to the Colossal Christians was to spur them into continued growth in Christ. He just wanted to encourage them to see Jesus as the center of all reality so they don't give in to pressures from other religious or amended deviations of his word.  I feel that same encouragement from Pastor Lee as he tries to Transform the Way We Think.

Week of 8/8/21 - Pages 177 - 202

As a child I was raised in a home of non-believers. Both of my parents were atheists, so I wasn’t

raised with Christian values.

My early exposure to Christianity were family celebrations of Christmas and Easter, but they

revolved around food and presents - no understanding of their real significance.

My later exposure was through the movies - The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur, King of Kings.

That’s when I started forming my ideas about a higher power, right vs wrong, heaven and hell,

the Holy Spirit.

I started thinking about race and religion - how it related to me. I reasoned that Christianity was

for Jews and Anglo-Saxons. I should stay in my own lane and stick to “Asian” religions -

Buddhism, Confucianism. Looking back, I chose none of them.

A bit later, I again felt drawn to Christianity. In Romans, Paul taught the good news about Christ,

through the power of God, everyone who believes, first Jews, then Gentiles will be saved. This

was a message that was all inclusive for all of God’s people, no matter which race or nationality.

As long as you accept Christ as Lord and Savior, you’ll be saved through God’s grace.

Week of 8/1/21 - Pages 165 - 175

This book shows the contrast of our identity under the law which condemns, compared to our identity as a child of God, only through our faith in Christ Jesus.  It also comes with a warning, not to follow those “who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ.”  (p 167) 

What does the truth look like, according to the book of Galatians, to believe and follow the “Good News?” First, our identity changes; Jesus paid the price of our sin for us when he died on the cross and we are “children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.  There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (p 171).  When our identity changes, we see ourselves differently, and changes to our heart will cause changes in our actions and behaviors.  We are FREE!  This freedom in Christ translates into love for other people, for those around us.  

When we are free from the bondage of sin and death, we let the Holy Spirit guide our lives.  “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  There is no law against these things!”  (p 174).  When we believe the GOOD NEWS of Jesus Christ, we are essentially transformed into a new creation!  His Holy Spirit brings about changes in our lives that only He can achieve in us.  Praise be to God!  

Week of 7/25/21 - Pages 149 - 164

What struck me in my reading of 2 Corinthians is Paul’s narrative about generosity. Generosity has been on my mind and in my reflections for several weeks after hearing some teaching from someone who had analyzed all of Proverbs and said that the four most common themes were 1) Humility, 2) Positivity, 3) Generosity, and 4) Integrity. The teacher beckoned each listener to think about the priority and prevalence these attributes have in our life.

So when I saw generosity pop up twice in 2 Corinthians (once in chapter 8 when describing the behavior of the Macedonian churches, and again in 9 when talking about sowing generously) my interest was piqued. I want to be generous in my life but it is very easy to allow a scarcity view to stand in the way of an abundance mentality.

2 Corinthians chapter 8 is the source of the well known verse that “each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. But chapter 8 also backs up that giving mentality by offering several reasons why we should be generous:

1. “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generosly”.

2. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work”.

3. “You will be made rich in every way, so that you can be generous on every occasion…”.

4. And then Paul make his final point, after listing all of the blessing to those who benefit from our generosity, he says that in the prayers of those beneficiaries “…their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you”.

God is good! Although I certainly don’t want the rewards Paul lists for generosity to be my motivation to give, it just speaks volumes about our God. He can’t help himself, He just gives and gives to show his appreciation for our obedience. He is so generous!

Week of 7/18/21 - Pages 125 - 148

Paul’s pastoral letter to the Corinthians covers a wide gamut of sinful behavior, theological confusion, and just being in Christian community that is other honoring instead of self-centered.  These sound like familiar problems inside the church today. 

In this reading I’m struck by three things.  Throughout history the power of a nation’s/region’s culture to influence the churches beliefs and therefore effect how they carry themselves in the world / Christian community, the centrality of Jesus Christ in every way of our existence, and what Paul reminds Corinthians and us in today’s world.   Major in LOVE that is focused on ‘others’  then he goes onto describe what that LOVE looks like.

Paul’s calling out to the Corinthians to not separate how you treat and what you do with your phyiscal body and its impact on your spiritual life is powerful. In his discourse he reminds us we were created as integrated whole.  Body & Spirit are one in Christ.  Moreover God has taken up residence within our phyiscal body.  He ‘Tabernacles’ there.  Something I need to be more aware of. Paul is echoing in his own way, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Jesus’s comments on the greatest commandments.  We come to God fully, body & spirit.

I have come to really understand and embrace the truth of ‘who I follow’ section in Chapter 3:5-9.  I find this process still active today.  God uses all of us to further his Kingdom on Earth.

5 After all, who is Apollos? Who is Paul? We are only God’s servants through whom you believed the Good News. Each of us did the work the Lord gave us. 6 I planted the seed in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What’s important is that God makes the seed grow. 8 The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. 9 For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.

Paul spends a good portion of his letter speaking to the centrality of Jesus Christ in every part of his and our spiritual journeys.  There are many verses that get into this.  One which is especially strong for me now is Jesus’s overcoming physical death in the last chapter, 15.

54 Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:

“Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

56 For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Paul’s challenge to Corinthians and us the most convicting for me were these words and sentences that I have put in bold.  From Corinthians 13, widely known as the Love Chapter.

 “4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

I have read that passage so many times, heard it expressed in weddings, in song, and described in many sermons taught in its full context.  Knowledge of heavenly behavior, and godly character is one thing.  Embodying those characteristics on a daily bases now that is something!   Lord help me in these areas.  

What are your areas of weakness when it comes loving as God loves?