Tag Archives: Prayer

Peace that Passes all Understanding

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Today from our readings, we see on of those passages that we all know, that we have probably quoted from or heard sermons about.  It’s one of those passages that all of us have at least a vague understanding of.  It comes from Philippians 4:6-8:

6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

reconciliationIn this passage, Paul talks to us about that peace that passes all understanding.  That peace that guards our hearts and guards our minds.

By the way, I love that concept.  A peace that guards.  A peace that keeps the worry and the evil away.  I don’t know about you, but I need that type of peace in my life.  I need a peace that protects and helps me.

Paul says that peace will pass all understanding. That peace will be so amazing, so great, that our minds will not be able to understand.  There is a peace that is so amazing, folks will look at us and say, how can they have peace?  How, with all that is happening, can they have peace?

How?  Because that peace is not natural.  It is supernatural.  It is a gift from God.

But today, look at how we get that peace.  We get that peace in this way.  Through everything, with pray and supplication, with thanksgiving, we give our requests to God.

And then that peace comes.  That peace comes from turning it over to God.  It comes from trusting in God.  It comes from truly letting go, giving it to God, placing it in His hands.

This peace that passes understanding is not an act of will.  It is a gift from God.  It comes only through surrender to God.  Laying our life, our fears, our worries, our mistakes, our everything, laying them before Him.

And receiving His grace in return.

Today, we can have that peace.  But first we have to give “it” to God.  Whatever “it” is.  Now, we may go back and pick “it” back up. But when we do, each time, return it to the altar.  Give it God. And receive His peace.

He loves you.  Really.  He does.  You can trust.  And in that act of trusting, you will receive His peace.

That peace that passes all understanding.

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Day Forty-Four with Mark: Mark 11:20-33

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Today in Mark, we are going to look at Mark 11:20-33:

The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

20 In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21 Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Jesus’ Authority Is Questioned
27 Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him 28 and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me.” 31 They argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

I love the juxtaposition of these two passages together here in the end of Mark 11.  We see two groups of people coming to Jesus.  First, we have His Disciples who were with Jesus and were seeking to learn, to grow, to be faithful.

Yes, the didn’t have all the answers, but they wanted to grow, they wanted to learn, they wanted to follow Jesus.  Even if they didn’t fully understand what that meant or how to do it, they wanted to follow.

So, what happens here?  They see the result of the fig tree being cursed and they are shocked. And Jesus says this, if you believe, this is nothing.  You’ll be able to tell the mountain, go jump in the sea.  And it will.  If you believe, it will answers.

Real quick on this notion of belief and prayer, if we believe, God will answer our prayers.  We don’t always pray as boldly as we should. But here’s the key thing on how God answer this.  Our prayers are ultimately not about what we want, but about what God wants.  In prayer, God bends our will towards His.

So, the closer we walk to God, the more our hearts will be his heart, the more we will desire what He desires, the more we will be molded into Him.

And the more we desire His desires, the more He will grant us those desires. Because when we truly desire Him, He will truly give Himself to us.

Keep seeking God.  Keep praying.  He hears.  He does.  He answers.  He does.  Don’t give up seeking Him. God will show Himself to you.  He will.

Don’t doubt.  Believe.

The disciples are seeking Jesus. And they will find.

hb_lamed-adultery.JPGNow, the other group, they aren’t seeking Him.  They are trying to trip Him and trick Him.  They don’t truly want to know Jesus.  They want to test Him.  Their questions are truly about knowing Jesus; they are about causing trouble.

And because they aren’t really seeking Him, they don’t find what they are looking for.

So, in all things, it starts with this.  Are we seeking Him?  Do we desire to know Him?  If so, pray.  Pray boldly.  Pray with confidence.  Pray with hope.  He will hear.  He will answer.

We can trust.

Wednesday we’ll look at Mark 12:1-12.

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

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Day Thirty-Five with Mark: Mark 9:14-29

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Today we take a look at Mark 9:14-29, where Jesus heals a young boy:

The Healing of a Boy with a Spirit
14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?” 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” 19 He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” 23 Jesus said to him, “If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” 25 When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!” 26 After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 28 When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” 29 He said to them, “This kind can come out only through prayer.”

Today we see Jesus heal another child that is possessed by an evil spirit, something we see quite a lot of, especially in Mark.  There are a couple of words of reminder about evil or demonic spirits I want to give when we read texts like this. First, remember, scripture is clear, they are out there, they do exist. But, let us not become overly consumed or worried about them. That is not helpful.  CS Lewis said this in his book The Screwtape Letters:

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

exorcism_0So yes, there is evil out there, but no, it is not stronger than Jesus.

Two things that I think are of great interest in this text are the notion of faith and prayer.  Notice Jesus’ seeming frustration with the lack of faith displayed by everyone involved in this.  No one is able to heal the boy, it seems as though it is at an end.  The father says to Jesus, if you can heal, and Jesus says all things are possible for those that believe.

Then the father has one of my favorite statements in all of scripture.  Lord I believe, help my unbelief.  How often have we all felt like that?  How often have we said I know you can do it Lord, but help me believe.

Belief and faith are not an on/off switch.  When we flip it, doesn’t always stay there. We can believe, but still struggle with doubt and fear and worry. We can have great faith, but still have areas of our life that struggle to trust in.  We can be this father.  Lord I believe, but help my unbelief.

Today, may your faith be stronger than your doubts.  Hold fast to faith.  Hold on.  Jesus can do it. Believe.  Trust.  Hope.  Don’t doubt, only belief.  Give your doubts, your worries, your fears, give them to Jesus.  He can hold them, He can help them.

Trust.

And the second thing that stands out to me is the conversation the disciples have with Jesus following.  They want to know why they couldn’t heal the boy, and Jesus says some things can only be done with great prayer.  Prayer is always the first things that we should do as Christians.  Not the last.

Prayer must always be our frist resort, not our last.  Prayer must be the frist thing that we turn to, not the last.  We have to start all things, all things with prayer.  Jesus says the only way that you can bring forth healing in this situation is through prayer.

Do we pray first?  We have to.  We must.  It’s the only way that we’ll have the power to be faithful.

Prayer.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 9:30-37.

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 Twenty-Five with Mark: Mark 6:45-52

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Near the end chapter 6 of Mark, we see stories that we all know so well, the feeding of the 5000, and now in verses 45-52, we see Jesus walking on water. Listen to what the Word tells us:

Jesus Walks on the Water
45 Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After saying farewell to them, he went up on the mountain to pray.

47 When evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 When he saw that they were straining at the oars against an adverse wind, he came towards them early in the morning, walking on the sea. He intended to pass them by. 49 But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost and cried out; 50 for they all saw him and were terrified. But immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, 52 for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

We see Jesus send the disciples back across the late to close to where they were staying.  But notice what Jesus does when He sends them off.  The text says that He goes up to the mountain to pray.  I think that’s one thing that we always have to take away from Jesus’ life when we look at it. The important of prayer for His life.  Jesus always, always, always spends time in prayer.

And to me, that’s such a huge thing, because think about this.  Jesus Christ is the very son of God.  He is the second person of the Trinity.  He is part of the Godhead.  He is literally one with God.  Literally.

And yet He takes time to pray to His Father.  He takes time to seek His Father’s face in prayer.  Jesus Christ knows the importance, the value, the purpose of prayer.  And He’s God Himself.

So, if Jesus understands the importance of prayer, shouldn’t we?  If Jesus took time to pray, shouldn’t we?  If this matter to Jesus, shouldn’t it matter to us?  Each time in scripture when I see Jesus understand the importance of prayer, I am reminded about just how important prayer is.  And I have to ask myself, do I pray as I ought?

Prayer mattered to Jesus.  It has to matter to us as well.

Amédée_Varint_-_Christ_marchant_sur_la_merAfter this time of prayer, we see Jesus walking upon the waters to the disciples.  And notice what they feel when they see Him walking out to them?  Fear.  They are afraid.  Because the know that no man can do this.  This is not human, they think that He’s a ghost.  They are terrified.

When they (or we) see Jesus fully in His power, it is a terrifying thing.  He is awe inspiring.  He is other.  He is God.  And that’s one of those things that our mind cannot hold together.  The incarnation.  Jesus is fully God and fully human.  He is Lord and friend.  He is our guide and He is our savior.  And He never leaves us.

Do not fear.  Do not be afraid.  No matter how big the problems you are face, Jesus is bigger.  Trust.

Do not fear.

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 6:35-56.

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

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Day Seven with Mark: Mark 2:18-28

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Today we are looking at Mark 2: 18-28, two sections that have a very similar theme, a theme we are going to see emerge in the coming days’ readings. They are entitled “The Question about Fasting” and “Pronouncement about the Sabbath.”

The Question about Fasting
18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting; and people came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. 21 “No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old cloak; otherwise, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost, and so are the skins; but one puts new wine into fresh wineskins.”

Pronouncement about the Sabbath
23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?” 25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? 26 He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.” 27 Then he said to them, “The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.”

Spiritual_Discipline-1024x640We see two questions here that deal with the law.  One with fasting, one with the Sabbath.  Both of these things are spiritual disciplines.  Spiritual disciplines are very important.  They help us grow.  They help us become more faithful.  They are commands of Jesus Christ.  He tells to fast, and He tells us that we are supposed to keep the moral law of the Old Testament.

So, yes, these things are important.  But these things do not take the place of loving and following Jesus.  When Jesus called Levi yesterday, and Peter, Andrew, James, and John, He didn’t call them to fast or pray, but to follow Him.  Now stay with me here.  Here’s the thing.  If we love and follow Jesus, we will fast.  We will pray.  We will the disciplines.  Not because we have to.  But because in doing these things, we are being drawn closer to God.

Religion is not bad.  I know it’s cool to do that, to put down religion.  Religion is not bad.  It’s a good thing. I’m religious about things I love.  Like, for instance, Jesus Christ.  Religion doesn’t save.  Jesus saves.  But in following Jesus, we follow Him religiously.

So, in this passage, He doesn’t say don’t fast.  He says now is not the time to fast.  He doesn’t say don’t keep the Sabbath; He says that the Sabbath was made for man.  Fasting and keeping the Sabbath are very important. But they don’t save you.  Jesus saves.

Here’s the thing, though.  They are for our benefit.  Our good.  Our faith.  Our life.

But we do them not do make God love us.  We do it because God loves us.  Hear that again.  We don’t keep these disciplines to make God love us.  We keep them because He loves us, and we love Him and we want to know Him better.

With religion, we never need to put the cart before the horse.  I love Jesus.  And I love religion.  And I am thankful for both.  But I want to keep them in the proper order.

Today, may you be faithful.  May you be religious.  And may your religious lifestyle help you to love Jesus and love your neighbor more and more and more.

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

Tomorrow we’ll look at Mark 3:1-6.

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Prayer

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prayerPrayer is an experience.  It’s a conversation.  It’s a heartfelt movement of the spirit when God is drawing us closer to Himself.  Some prayers are prayers that expressions of the heart that flow from our mouths.  Other prayers are prayers that have been passed from generation to generation, that have been played by our parents and grandparents.  Some of these prayers are even prayers that have been passed down to us by Jesus Himself.  Other prayers are simply said in silence, with no words expressed.

No matter the prayer, no matter the place, no matter the movement, these prayers are precious.

And sometimes it feels like our prayers are bouncing off the floor of heaven, not ascending to God.  We’ve all been there.  And I think Jesus Himself even knows what that feels like.  Listen to what happened today in Mark 14:33-36:

33 He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. 34 And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” 35 And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.”

Jesus, before He goes to the cross, goes to the Garden to pray.  And He knows what is coming.  He knows it’s going to be hard, and He knows it’s going to be necessary.  And He goes to pray.

And He says, take this from me.  But not what I want.  What you want.

And I think in this prayer, we learn a HUGE prayer concept.  Prayer is not just us telling God what we want Him to do, or who we want Him to bless.  Prayer is taking that attitude of Jesus.

Not my will, but yours.

Not my stuff, but yours.

Not my life, but yours.

That’s the key to a truly powerful prayer life.  It’s not just about us giving our requests to God.  But it is about us, receiving our directions from God.

In our prayer life, may we give to God our hurts, our loss, our fear, our worry, our doubts. But may we also take that attitude of Jesus.

Your will, God.  Your plan, God.  Your life, God.

May that be our attitude and our prayer today!

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Cause and Effect

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In our lives, we all desire to have peace.  We all want to know that assurance that God is with us, that He loves us, and that everything will be ok.  And here’s the good part.  In scripture, we are promised that will happen.  In scripture, over and over again, we are promised peace.

We are promised what the Bible calls the peace that passes all understanding.  We are promised a peace that is so good, so powerful, so comforting that we cannot even understand it.

Wow!  What a promise!  What a hope!  Something to look for, something to hope in!  That peace that passes understanding.  Look at what it says in Philippians 4:6-7:

6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

cause-and-effect-essaysThat peace that passes understanding will guard our hearts.  That’s what we desire.  But look what the text tells us about when that peace comes.  First don’t worry.  But then, with prayer and supplication, make your requests known to God.  And the peace that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind.

You will have your heart and mind guarded by God’s peace.  You will.

But first, you have to give those requests to God.  You have to take your worries, your fears, your doubts, all these things, take them to God.  Give them to Him.  And then that peace will guard your hearts and minds.

Yes, He gives us peace.  But that peace comes only through our prayer life.  It’s a cause and effect type of thing.  We pray, we receive peace.  We give our concerns to Him, we receive peace.  We lay them before Him, we receive peace.

Today, God really does offer you this gift of peace.  It’s yours.  He wants to guard your heart and your mind.

But first you’ve got to give it to Him.  He can’t help you, unless you give it to Him.  When we do that, though, that peace comes.

Today, may we all know that peace that passes understanding.  And may we find that peace when we find His face in prayer.  And may we find our hearts, and our minds, guarded by Him.

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The Calm Before the Storm

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This week we’ve been walking through what Jesus did each day of Holy Week.  From the triumphal entry of Palm Sunday, Cleansing the Temple on Monday, and then teaching on Tuesday, it’s been a dramatic week.  And so with that, we’d think that Wednesday would be much along the same lines, right?

But, strangely, it’s not.

What happens today?  Silence.

calmb4stormIt’s the calm before the storm.  Some Biblical scholars think that Jesus spent the day with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.  It is also thought that today is the day that Judas agrees to betray Jesus.  So, things are happening. Life continues.  But, there is silence.

There is calm.

Because the storm is coming.

The next few days, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter, these days are the most important days in the history of the world.  That’s not hyperbole. That’s not just a preacher talking.  That’s truth. What happened the rest of Holy Week changes forever this world, this life, and eternity.  It all changes, starting tomorrow.

But today, silence.  Calm.  The storm is coming.

So, what do we do today, then?  We rest.  We pray.  We reflect.  In a world that is so busy.  So busy with work and play and kids and school and family and responsibility and everything spinning, always spinning, today, we stop.

And reflect.  We remember what He has taught us.  Love.  Pray.  Seek out the lost.  Serve the needy.  Repent.  Follow.  Be salt and light.

And look ahead to what He has done for our sake.

Sometimes, being busy is easy.  We don’t have to think.  Today, take some time to still yourself.  To remember.  To look ahead.  To walk with our God.  And realize, starting tomorrow, everything changes.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

When They Frustrate Us

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frustrated-faceAre you ever tempted to look at someone and say – you know better! Why are you doing that? Why do you keep making the same mistakes? Come on, man, you know better than to do that!

I’m sure each of us has felt that way. We may have felt that way with our kids before. Maybe someone in our family. Or with a friend. A co-worker. Someone.

We can get so frustrated. We want to give up on them, don’t we?

What do we do then? What do we do when we want to give up someone?

Listen to what Paul tells us today in Romans 15: 1-3:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.

Paul says this – when you want to give up one someone, remember. We don’t live for ourselves. We live to serve and help others. We don’t live for us.

It’s so easy to get frustrated with others. With their weakness. With their mistakes. With their stuff. They can really irritate us. But remember what Paul said. We don’t live for us.

We live for Jesus. And we live for others. We live to point them to Jesus. And that’s one of the keys. As Paul says, Jesus didn’t live to please Himself, He lived for His prose. To point us to His Father.

And you know, you know Jesus must get frustrated with us sometimes, huh? At our weakness. Our faults. Our mistakes. Our stuff.

And how does He respond? He loves. So should we.

He loved us in our weakness and mistakes.

We are to love to love them, in their weakness and mistakes. Because love points to Jesus. And only Jesus can help. Only Jesus can change.

Be patient. You can only do that through Jesus and His spirit. Love them. Point them to Jesus.

And let Him change them. That’s not your job. That’s His job. Let Him do His work. Your job is just to point to Him, in all things.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!

Dealing With Difficult People

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difficult_peopleMany years ago before I entered the ministry I worked with someone that was quite difficult. I just didn’t understand them; they didn’t always do the job properly, not a a lot of work ethic, they just drove me crazy.

But yet, they were a believer. They loved Jesus. They really did have a great faith. And yet they were so difficult to work work with.

What could I do? What was I do to? I’ll tell you what I did to make it better. I wrote this passage out and stuck in on my computer Philippians 2: 2-4:

complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

My job was to, as best I could, humble myself and serve them. That’s crazy. I didn’t need to serve them. They needed to do their job better. That’s what I told myself.

But here was the reality. I didn’t hire them; I couldn’t fire them. And all I could do was do the best that I could to work with them.

And the only way that I could get my job done to the best of my ability was change my attitude. And they only way I could change my attitude was to look at Jesus.

Who served. Who was humble. Who cared. Even through He didn’t have to. He chose to. Because He loved.

And when love someone we serve them.

But sometimes, when serve someone, we grow to love them. Sometimes we have to serve someone before we actually grow into that. Serving others changes us.

Now, I’d like to say that it all worked out and he changed his attitude and became a better worker. He didn’t. He was eventually let go. But I’ll tell you what. Working through that made me a better Christian.

And for that, I’m thankful.

Don’t forget, you can click here to download Asbury’s mobile app and read these devotionals, as well as listen to my sermons on your smart phones, and you thought our app, you can now watch our worship services from Asbury too!