Tag Archives: Hope

Our Last Day with Mark: Mark 16:9-20

Posted on by

0

Today we are finishing up our time with Mark.  You can go through and read all our reflections on Mark here on my blog, you can group them under the category Mark below and catch up.  Friday we’ll do a reading from our Daily Readings, and I’ll be thinking about what is next.

The Longer Ending of Mark

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
9 [[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples
12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.

Jesus Commissions the Disciples
14 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The Ascension of Jesus
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.]]

the-gospel-of-mark1We talked Monday about why Chapter 16 is made it like it is, with the notations of the different manuscripts.  Today, we see these last few verses in Mark are in four different sections, and only one of them really makes us go, huh?

The first section – 9-10, Jesus appears to Mary, just as it happens in other Gospels. The first person to see Jesus after the resurrection was Mary. She was dedicated to Him, she loved Him, and she came to help prepare His body for final burial.  And she was the first one to proclaim the resurrection.  She was the first of many throughout the ages to tell others that Jesus is alive.  She was the first to share that Good News.  But notice, they didn’t believe her.

Second, 12-13, what sounds very similar to the walk to Emmaus in Luke.  In Luke’s Gospel we see a fuller picture of what happened here, two followers were walking to the village of Emmaus when Jesus appeared to them, explained how all the scriptures point to Him, to His death, and resurrection, but they didn’t recognize Him.  It wasn’t until they arrived at the village, and they broke bread together that they realized it was Jesus.  So, they go and tell others, but notice, just like in the section before, they didn’t believe them.

Third, 14-18, Jesus appears to the Disciples.  Ok, here there are some things that make us go, wait, what?  We see a similar end to what we see in Matthew, with Jesus sending them out with the great commission. But we see something unique to Mark.  We see that they will have signs of great power, they will be able to drink poison, handle snakes, speak in tongues, other such things.  What are we to do this?

First, it is in the Bible.  One of my professors in seminary always told us that we can’t just ignore passages of scripture that confuse us or that we don’t like.  They are in the Bible.  This ending of Mark is what is found most common in the manuscripts that the Bible comes from (I unpack a lot this Monday), but know, it is the Bible.  So, I believe that those that follow Jesus, we can face amazing things, things that would kill others, and survive.  I believe we have power that the world does not possess.  Now notice, it didn’t say that we should necessarily go looking for trouble or for these things. But if they come, we will have more power than we think is even possible.

So, I’m not going to go out handling snakes. But, I do believe in miracles.  And I do believe that as Christians, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we may not understand all that God does through us, He can and does do amazing things through us.  We are filled with the very Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.  Trust.  Hope.  Beleive.

Don’t be like those initial disciples.  Have faith.

Fouth, 19-20, the ascension.  We see Jesus ascend to heaven, where He sits at God’s right hand, praying for us, encouraging us, interceding for us.  Remember, you always have someone on your side, someone pulling for you, someone that loves you, someone that cares for you, someone there for you.  Jesus.  He is at the right hand of the Father.  On your team.  Never forget that.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Sixty with Mark: Mark 15:33-41.

Posted on by

0

Today in Mark 15: 33-41 we look at the death of Jesus:

33 When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 34 At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 35 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” 36 And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” 37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

40 There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

matthias_grc3bcnewald_-_the_crucifixion_-_wga10710One of the things it’s easy to do, and frankly you want to do, is skip through this part and get to the good part.  Get to the resurrection.  We know it’s coming.  We know it’s almost there.  We know what happens.

I think because we know it, it’s easy for us to forget, they didn’t.  I mean, yeah, Jesus told them He would rise from the dead, He told them that He must die and be raised again, so they “knew” but they didn’t get it.

Can you imagine being them?  Can you imagine seeing Jesus breath His last before your very eyes, without really believing what is to come?

We see here so much.  We see the curtain torn within the Temple.  With that happening, no longer must you go to God through the priest, but now all of us, you, me, everyone, we have access to God. Through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, we all have access to the throne room of grace.

We see the fact that Roman centurion saw all that happened, and believed that Jesus was the Son of God.  No one does what Jesus did.  We all fight for our life, no one lays it down like Jesus did, to save the world.  If you ever want to know what love looks like, this right here.  If you ever doubt that you are loved, this right here.  If you ever feel as though no one cares, this right here.

One other thing, that to me, is truly beautiful about Christianity.  Look at who remained?  John’s Gospel tells us that he was there as well, but look.  It was the women.  They stayed.  When everyone else fled, they stayed.  And look what else the text tells us, they followed and provided for Jesus.

They were part of the team. They were valued.  They were important.  In that culture, that just wasn’t so.  That wasn’t the way that it worked.  But in Jesus’ kingdom, that’s the way that it works.  All are loved. All are valued.  All have a place.  Jesus died for all.  He died for the world.

And we see that today.

Yes, I know in a few days we’ll read about Easter.  But stay here for a while.  Remember what He did for us.  Remember what He endured for us. Remember.

And be thankful.

Friday we’ll look at Mark 15:42-47.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Day Fifty-Five with Mark: Mark 14:53-64

Posted on by

0

I’m back from the Holy Land and our devotionals will return on their normal schedule.  I hope you all had a Happy New Year as well.  One question for you, we are close to finishing Mark, what would you like to do next?  I am either going to return to the format that I have done for years, reflecting upon a passage from the Morning Office (or some other daily lectionary) or I may do another book of the Bible.  Any feedback?  Let me know what you think!

Today we are going to look at Mark 14:53-64:

53 They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. 54 Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. 55 Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. 56 For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. 57 Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” 59 But even on this point their testimony did not agree. 60 Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” 61 But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62 Jesus said, “I am; and
‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power,’
and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? 64 You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. 65 Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.

Giotto_-_Scrovegni_-_-32-_-_Christ_before_CaiaphasOne of the things that you always take away from going to the Holy Land is the reality of all that Jesus went through for our sake.  You see the places where He was abused, where He was mocked, where He was spit upon.

You see places, just like what is described here, where these things happened.

We like to skip ahead the good part.  The resurrection, the victory, all that is to come. But, in doing that, we cause the “good part” to lose part of its power.  When you see all that Jesus went through, the power of the empty grave is even more amazing!  He overcame ALL of this!  Don’t rush through the tough parts to get to the victory.

When confronted with the reality of Jesus’ suffering, it’s easy for us to look past it.  Maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked here, we tell ourselves.

But it was.  It was as tough as it seems here.  In fact, it would have been even worse than we could have imagined.  And that hurts.  That’s painful.  We don’t like to think about what Jesus went through for us, it’s too painful.

I think, for me, one of the reasons it can be difficult is when I see the lengths of faithfulness of our savior, I compare it to how easy I want everything to be.  I don’t want to struggle.  I don’t want these challenges.  I want it to all be calm waters.

But that’s not the way that life works.  The challenges, the tough times, that’s most when we see the power of Jesus.

Don’t rush through the tough parts of the Bible. And don’t rush through the tough parts of our lives.  In those valleys, in those trials, that most often when we see the power of God.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 14:66-72.

What questions do you have?  How does this strike you?  Shoot me an email, comment below, or connect with me through social media.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Can we really have Peace?

Posted on by

0

I’ve been thinking a lot about peace recently.  We are in the midst of Advent, a season of hope, of peace, of love, of joy.  It’s in this season when we proclaim the words of Isaiah 9:6-7:

6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 His authority shall grow continually,
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

peace11x14The Prince of Peace is born!  That’s what we say.  That’s what we believe.  Let me repeat that

That’s what we believe.  Seriously.  As Christians.  As the church, that’s what we believe. And in the world that we live in, that makes us look different.  Off.  Odd.

And you know what?  Good.  We are supposed to.  We aren’t supposed to be like the world.  We aren’t supposed to be like the culture.  We are supposed to be different.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:10 – we are fools for Christ.  We ARE supposed to look different.  Believe different.  Act different.  Have a different hope, joy, love, and peace.

As I tell folks, if you tell folks you are Christian, and they say, “really?”  That’s not a good sign.  We have to look/be different from the world.

Now, here’s the thing.  I’m not saying that there aren’t things to be afraid of.  I’m not saying that there aren’t things that can take our peace, take our joy, take our hope, take our love.

Of course, there are.  There are big, scary, worrisome things.  But hear me, please hear.

God is bigger.  He is stronger.  He is more might.  He is.

He is bigger than your fears.

He is.  And as Christians, we have to believe it.  We do.  It’s who we are.

And the world needs us to believe it.

Your peace will not come from an absence of conflict or absence of things that are you are afraid of.  Your peace will come from the trust and assurance of this truth:

No matter what you face, not matter what you are afraid of – God is bigger.

He is the prince of peace.  Yesterday.  Today.  Forever.  He is He is bigger.  He is our peace.

Trust.

The Answer is Jesus

Posted on by

0

What do you think of when you think of “witnessing?”  When you think about sharing your faith, what do you think?

Many (most) of us don’t like to think about it.  Our palms may start sweating.  Our heart may start beating faster.  We don’t want to do it.  Even if we really love Jesus.  Even if we know that folks need Him. Even if we want to tell others about Him, it still makes us nervous.

Yeah, I’m a preacher, and I understand!  So listen to what we are told today in 1 Peter 3: 14-16:

14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence.

jesus-christPeter gives us this word.  Always be ready to make a defense (other versions say give an answer) for your hope.

Why do you have hope in a bad situation?

Why do you forgive others when they don’t deserve it?

How do you find the strength to get off the mat when knocked down?

How can you love, serve, and give?

Why are you different?

The answer is Jesus.  Jesus is why.  He is why we have hope, peace, and show mercy.  He is why we can believe in the darkest hour. He is why our lives can be restored and bring restoration to others.

The answer is Jesus.

So, today, we witness.  But we don’t have to witness with our words.  Now hear me, I’m not saying we shouldn’t witness with our words.  If the Lord wants you to talk to someone or say something, do it!  What you say matters!  It really does.

But, our lives, they scream as loudly as words.  Today, may we live our that hope.  And may our hope be so alive, that folks want to know why we have it.

The answer is Jesus.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

The Mystery of Suffering

Posted on by

0

One of the mysteries of life is suffering.  No one likes suffering.  No one.  It’s awful.  It’s painful.  It hurts.  It’s lonely.  It’s just one of the awful things that we go through in life.

That we go through in life.

That we all go through in life.

All of us.  Me.  You.  All of us.  It’s part of the human condition. It’s part of the human experience.  It’s part of something that every last one of us walks through.  And it’s not just us.  It’s something out God, through Jesus Christ, went through.  Listen to what we read today in Mark 8:31-33:

31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

3632426859_70b61ae665_b2Jesus teaches the Disciples that He must undergo suffering.  He had to.  It was part of God’s plan. It was part of His purpose on the Earth.  To suffer.  To die. And to be raised.  To ascend. And to one day return.

But to get to the good stuff (Easter, Ascension, Return), He had to go through the bad stuff (betrayal, mockery, and the cross).

The divine mystery of suffering.  I don’t fully understand it.  I really don’t like it. And I wish that I could keep those I love from going through it.

But in this world there is trouble and pain and hurt. And instead of running away from our suffering, part of the divine mystery is that God, through Jesus, entered into it with us.  So, even when we suffer, remember this.

God walks with us through it.  He has tasted it our pain, our loss, our hurt.  He has hurt as we hurt and wept as we weep.  We do not suffer alone.

And in some way, perhaps ways that we don’t understand right now, and may never fully understand, God will bring something good out of it. What is it?  I don’t know. But I know out of the suffering of the cross, God brought the empty grave.  I know out of this pain that we go through, God will bring something good out of it.

The power of God is not that He stops bad things from happening. The power of God is that He can bring good out of anything.

In suffering, we hold on.  He gives us grace. And we trust.

Today, to all those that are suffering, we pray peace.  And mercy. And strength. And hope.  May you feel the arms of your saviour wrapped tight around you, whispering you are not alone.  And may you feel and see His church walking with you every step of the way.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

They are Listening

Posted on by

0

One of my coaches at Bogue Chitto said something in an FCA event that has stuck with me through these years.  Coach Micky Myers said – “your life may be the only Bible someone ever reads.”  I’ve always thought about that, how I live, how I act, how I react, those actions say so very much about who God is, how He loves, how we cares, how He wants to know all people.

As believers this morning, as those that follow God, people are watching us today, to see how we react to life and circumstance.  People are paying attention. The are listening.

I was thinking about that this morning as I read one of our texts today, Acts 16: 25-31.  Listen to what it says:

25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ 29The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ 31They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’

Paul_and_Silas_in_Jail_1337-225There are no unimportant words in the Bible. Everything there has a meaning or a purpose. So today as I read, what stood out to me was the end of verse 25 “and the prisoners were listening to them.”  Luke (the author of Acts) didn’t have to include the fact that the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas singing hymns.  It wasn’t really “important” to what was happening. That’s what we tell ourselves.

But, it’s in the Bible.  So do it does matter.  So what does it tell us today?

They were listening to Paul and Silas sing. They were in prison.  It was awful.  It was terrible.  It was not a good place to be.  And what did the other prisoners here in that moment?  Faith.  Hope.  Believe

They were listening to Paul and Silas.  They wanted to know if their faith was real, was it something that truly matter when times got to.  And I believe, they really wanted to believe.  They wanted that faith. They were listening to see if it was real.

The world is listening to us today. They are listening.  They are paying attention to what we do; to what we say; to what we live.

They want to know that we really, actually believe what we say that we believe.  They want to know that we mean it.  In a world that is changing and so temporal, they really want to know that we actually believe what we say that we believe.

They are listening. Today, what do they hear from us?

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

In the Morning

Posted on by

0

Sometimes we are in a storm that we feel will never get better.  Sometimes the waves seem too high, the troubles seem too deep, the worries seem too much.

Sometimes there is weeping. And we feel like the weeping will never end.  It will never get better. It will never stop.  It will never change.  But know this. It will.  The weeping will not last forever.  The troubles will not stay forever.  The pain will not stay forever.

Listen to what we are told today in Psalm 30: 4-5:

4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment;
his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.

urlWeeping may come in the night. But joy will come in the morning.  It will get better.  It will.

The darkness will not last forever.  When we are in the middle of it, we may think that it will never end.  We may think that it will never get better.  But it will.

You may be in pain now.  You may be in trouble now.  You may be in the middle of a storm now.  Your tears may not stop now.

We all know that feeling.  We’ve all been there.  It hurts.  And not much makes it feel better in that moment.  No matter what you may be going through, you may feel like it will never get better.

It will.  Listen to God’s Word this morning.  It will.  Weeping may linger for the night.

But Joy comes in the morning.

Today, if you are in the night of your tears, hold on.  Morning is coming.  It is.  Morning is coming.  And joys comes then.

Hold tight to God.  He will not let you go.  And His joy will come.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Don’t Worry Baby

Posted on by

0

I’m not a huge Beach Boys fan, but there are a couple of their songs that I really just love. For some reason, I really like their song “Don’t Worry Baby.”  I wasn’t really sure what it was about, in fact I had to Google the lyrics just now to find out.  Apparently it’s about a guy getting a car race and his girlfriend is telling him not worry about what happens because she loves him. Who knew?

The reason I liked that song is I just loved the chorus.  Just a reminder everything will be ok – don’t worry baby.

Man, that’s a good reminder.  In this song, his girlfriend tells him she loves him, and she shouldn’t worry.  Well, you and I today potentially face something more worrisome that. What about Greece? What about our economy?  What about the world? Everything.  Everything is spinning out of control.  Everything is awful. What do we do?

Don’t worry, baby.

Not because of the lyrics of this song, but because of what we read in Matthew 17: 1-7:

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 3 Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.”

realtor-21st-centuryThis is who is on our side.  Read that again.  Look at Jesus in all His glory.  He is not weak.  He is not frail.  He is not defeated.

He is King of Kings.  He is Lord of Lords.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning nad the End, the First and Last.

In other words, it’s ok.  Really, it is.  He’s got this.

He is glorious, He is powerful, and nothing happens that He is not aware of and not in the midst of.

I’m not saying that there are not things that are scary.  What I’m saying is this.  Jesus is bigger.  Never forget that.

So, don’t worry baby.  Jesus is bigger.  He’s got this.  You can trust in Him, no matter how afraid you may be.

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!

Lemonade

Posted on by

0

None of us like tough times. Really, I mean who wants to go through a time of trial or worry.  None of us do.  I don’t, you know, not a single one of us.  We all wish that we could avoid these times.  But you know what we see when we look at the Bible?

It’s not going to happen. We all are all going to go through tough times.  It’s just part of the deal being human.  Trials, storms, and tough times will come. Faith doesn’t prevent them from coming, but faith gives us strength when those things hit us.  Faith gives us a hope and a belief in the darkest times.

But here’s something else the Bible says.  Count these storms as a joy.  Listen to what it says today in James 1: 2-4:

2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

James says count these trials as joy.  Why? Because these tests produce endurance and endurance grows our faith.  Our faith matures and lacks nothing.  When we go through tough times, you know what we find?  All we need is Jesus.

And if we have Jesus, we all have all that we need.

When these trials come against us, they can (if we allow) draw us closer to God.  And went our trials draw us closer and closer and closer to God, they become for us, in a redemptive way, blessings.

Here’s the thing.  It’s up to us if these trials are blessings or curses.  How we handle them.  How we deal with them.  How we allow them to affect our faith.  That’s up to us.

6800363-lemonade-wallpaperThe old saying is when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  What faith can do it will allow us to see those lemons as lemonade. Through the eyes of faith, we can see that the lemons are actually lemonade. These trials are good things. They make us tougher. They make us stronger. They may us lean more and more on Jesus.

God will actually use these trials for our faith. We may not enjoy them at the time, we probably won’t.  But in time, we will look back and say – at that moment, then, that’s when my faith grew. That’s when I trusted. That’s when I clung tight to Jesus.  Then.

Today, let’s not have lemons. Let’s have lemonade. And let’s see exactly what it is that God will do with all our lives!

If you’d like to receive these thoughts by email, be sure to click here and join my email devotional group!