S- Mark 9:14-29 is a story of Jesus healing a boy with an evil spirit. the verse i want to highlight is Mark 9:23 "If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes."
O- For me i get really excited when i read scripture with Jesus doing big things. In my head he becomes this super hero, cape and all, fighting off bad guys, pulling off unbelievable acts and always rescuing the person in harms way. This story has everything in it to make it a good one, a bad guy, an innocent guy, a hero and a great ending.
In this story a dad brings to Jesus his son who has been possessed by a demon. This man goes on to tell Jesus that he has already brought his son to the disciples for help and they could not help him, so now he is begging Jesus to heal his son. This is where Jesus has almost had enough of disbelief, look at vs.19 how Jesus references the crowd "O unbelieving generation". Jesus now has the boy at his feet in convolutions and foaming at the mouth and the dad says in vs.22 "if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus responds with vs.23 "if you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." The dad knows he said the wrong thing. He says " i do believe; help me overcome my unbelief." Jesus heals the boy and commands the evil spirit out of the boy. This story ends with the disciples asking Jesus, Why could we not drive that demon out? Jesus says in vs. 29 "this kind can only come out by prayer."
A- There is power in prayer and the name of Jesus. In the story above the disciples must had forgotten briefly that through prayer everything is possible for those who believe.
So for all of us who read this passage lets apply this to an area of our life where we have not fully given it over to the Lord and pray earnestly with confident faith believing that everything is possible for those who believe.
P- Jesus i pray right now for Nikki and the baby growing inside of her that you will protect both of them from harm psychically and spiritually. Jesus keep Nikki's heartbeat down and allow her body to get the rest that it needs. Help me to be the husband i need to be right now to help out more and be available to give her a break when she needs it. Thank you Jesus for all that you have done for me and thank you for all that you will do. I pray this in the powerful name of Jesus believing that a healing on Nikki's body can be done.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Confident Humility
S: Mark 5:34 He said to her, "Daughter, Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."
O: Jesus was walking to the synagogue rulers house when a women touched his cloak. Immediately Jesus felt that he lost some power. This is interesting from the fact that he was surrounded by people. When Jesus spotted the women he told her that she had been healed. What strikes me about this woman is the tremendous amount of humility that she has. It is almost as if she is saying that she didn't want to disturb Jesus. She had a great combination of confidence and humility. These are two concepts that I usually don't put together. I make them into competing ideas, but some how in God's economy they work together
A: When I come to God I can have a great amount of confidence that I will be accepted and loved, but I need to balance that with a true humility. During the times I suffer I can know that God is with me and he has my best interest in mind. When I pray for relief and freedom from my suffering I can come to God humbly, but confidently.
P: God, I need your help to understand how these two concepts can work together. Through my sinfulness I can make these two things compete with each other. When you get a hold of them you make them into something beautiful. Continue to mold me in your image and likeness. Give me that confident humility that can only come from you.
O: Jesus was walking to the synagogue rulers house when a women touched his cloak. Immediately Jesus felt that he lost some power. This is interesting from the fact that he was surrounded by people. When Jesus spotted the women he told her that she had been healed. What strikes me about this woman is the tremendous amount of humility that she has. It is almost as if she is saying that she didn't want to disturb Jesus. She had a great combination of confidence and humility. These are two concepts that I usually don't put together. I make them into competing ideas, but some how in God's economy they work together
A: When I come to God I can have a great amount of confidence that I will be accepted and loved, but I need to balance that with a true humility. During the times I suffer I can know that God is with me and he has my best interest in mind. When I pray for relief and freedom from my suffering I can come to God humbly, but confidently.
P: God, I need your help to understand how these two concepts can work together. Through my sinfulness I can make these two things compete with each other. When you get a hold of them you make them into something beautiful. Continue to mold me in your image and likeness. Give me that confident humility that can only come from you.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
February 19, Mark 1:16-20
Scripture: Mark 1:16-20 "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 'Come, follow me,' Jesus said, 'and i will make you fishers of men.' At once they left their nets and followed him. when he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him."
Observation: We see Jesus begin the process of selecting the guys who will become his disciples. It seems as if Jesus is just walking along and asks the first people he saw. What was it about Simon and Andrew that prompted an invitation from Jesus? What was it about James and John? Was it their work ethic? Did they already know Jesus and have a friendship with him? This scripture doesn't tell us why he chose them, but it does show us their response to Jesus' invitation. All four men immediately left what they were doing and followed him. They didn't ask questions. They didn't consult their family. They didn't say, "I need to pray about it." These aren't bad things to do, but I sometimes use these as an excuse to buy more time. These men were so eager to follow Jesus that they literally dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus.
Application: As much as I try to convince myself that I am willing to do whatever God asks of me, I know that i quickly become hesitant when these promptings arise. I need time to process things. I need to talk to someone else and bounce it off of them. Again, this isn't always foolish, but how often do I use it as an excuse. What would my life be like if I would respond like these first disciples? Would I reduce some of the stress I put on myself from worrying about decisions? Would my faith increase the more I put it to use (I think I know the answer to that!)? I desire to increase my faith and my eagerness to do what God has asked of me.
Prayer: God, I long to deepen my faith and rely on my faith rather than on my thoughts and my feelings. Help me to put my faith into practice. Thank you for never giving up on me and for your persistence in nudging me to grow in my relationship with you. Thank you for loving me and accepting me as one of your children.
Observation: We see Jesus begin the process of selecting the guys who will become his disciples. It seems as if Jesus is just walking along and asks the first people he saw. What was it about Simon and Andrew that prompted an invitation from Jesus? What was it about James and John? Was it their work ethic? Did they already know Jesus and have a friendship with him? This scripture doesn't tell us why he chose them, but it does show us their response to Jesus' invitation. All four men immediately left what they were doing and followed him. They didn't ask questions. They didn't consult their family. They didn't say, "I need to pray about it." These aren't bad things to do, but I sometimes use these as an excuse to buy more time. These men were so eager to follow Jesus that they literally dropped what they were doing and followed Jesus.
Application: As much as I try to convince myself that I am willing to do whatever God asks of me, I know that i quickly become hesitant when these promptings arise. I need time to process things. I need to talk to someone else and bounce it off of them. Again, this isn't always foolish, but how often do I use it as an excuse. What would my life be like if I would respond like these first disciples? Would I reduce some of the stress I put on myself from worrying about decisions? Would my faith increase the more I put it to use (I think I know the answer to that!)? I desire to increase my faith and my eagerness to do what God has asked of me.
Prayer: God, I long to deepen my faith and rely on my faith rather than on my thoughts and my feelings. Help me to put my faith into practice. Thank you for never giving up on me and for your persistence in nudging me to grow in my relationship with you. Thank you for loving me and accepting me as one of your children.
Monday, February 11, 2008
February 12, 2008 Matthew 26:26-50
Scripture: Matthew 26:43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time saying the same thing.
Observation: There were times when Jesus leaned on his disciples for support, especially His three closest disciples Peter, James and John. Maybe He chose them because they understood Him better than the rest of the disciples. In this passage even they are not available to Him. He had specifically chosen them to go with Him in His darkest hour and had asked them to keep watch with Him, to pray for Him as He struggled with the reeality of the upcoming crucifixion. They got tired and fell asleep even when He had warned them to stay awake and be vigilant.
Application: As much as I count on my friends to support me, love me and pray for me there will be times when the only one I can count on is the Father. Others are human, the Father is the only one who will not fall asleep on me or abandon me. The night before my open heart surgery my beloved wife left me in the hospital to go home. We had talked about her staying there in the room but she would not have gotten any sleep with all of the interuptions. After she left it was just God and me. No one else was available. As I went into the night I was afraid and it occured to me that I needed to know God better. He had to be enough for me. Often I had depended on others to meet my needs more than Him. Afterall they could talk to me, hold me, listen to me, give me advice. Now it was God alone and I sensed that that was the way He wanted it to be. In essence He was asking me "am I enough for you?" He said "I want you to desire me more than anything, more than anybody." He wanted me to make Him the number one priority above all else. I had to take a look at my relationship with Him and decide if we were close enough, if I trusted Him enough so that if I just had Him, and no one else was around, that that would be enough. Perhaps this is what Jesus experieced to a greater extent when His disciples were all too human and left Him to fend for Himself.
Prayer: God I want to love You so much, trust You so much, know You so well and prioritize You so thoroughly that I am more than content should it be just You and me. Thank you for not falling asleep on me, ignoring me or losing interest in me. I am greatful that every thought, fear, confusion and question is known to You before I even say it. You know me and love me and love it when I depend on You. Ultimately my relationship with You is the only one I get to keep. May I be satisfied in You.
Observation: There were times when Jesus leaned on his disciples for support, especially His three closest disciples Peter, James and John. Maybe He chose them because they understood Him better than the rest of the disciples. In this passage even they are not available to Him. He had specifically chosen them to go with Him in His darkest hour and had asked them to keep watch with Him, to pray for Him as He struggled with the reeality of the upcoming crucifixion. They got tired and fell asleep even when He had warned them to stay awake and be vigilant.
Application: As much as I count on my friends to support me, love me and pray for me there will be times when the only one I can count on is the Father. Others are human, the Father is the only one who will not fall asleep on me or abandon me. The night before my open heart surgery my beloved wife left me in the hospital to go home. We had talked about her staying there in the room but she would not have gotten any sleep with all of the interuptions. After she left it was just God and me. No one else was available. As I went into the night I was afraid and it occured to me that I needed to know God better. He had to be enough for me. Often I had depended on others to meet my needs more than Him. Afterall they could talk to me, hold me, listen to me, give me advice. Now it was God alone and I sensed that that was the way He wanted it to be. In essence He was asking me "am I enough for you?" He said "I want you to desire me more than anything, more than anybody." He wanted me to make Him the number one priority above all else. I had to take a look at my relationship with Him and decide if we were close enough, if I trusted Him enough so that if I just had Him, and no one else was around, that that would be enough. Perhaps this is what Jesus experieced to a greater extent when His disciples were all too human and left Him to fend for Himself.
Prayer: God I want to love You so much, trust You so much, know You so well and prioritize You so thoroughly that I am more than content should it be just You and me. Thank you for not falling asleep on me, ignoring me or losing interest in me. I am greatful that every thought, fear, confusion and question is known to You before I even say it. You know me and love me and love it when I depend on You. Ultimately my relationship with You is the only one I get to keep. May I be satisfied in You.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
February 5, Matthew 23:1-22
Scripture: Matthew 23: 11-12..."And don't let anyone call you 'Master,' for there is only one master, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."
Observation: This passage is a part of Jesus ripping into the Pharisees after his series of exchanges with them and other jewish leaders in chapter 22. He's basically explaining to his disciples that even though the Pharisees set themselves up as moral/spiritual guides for the people, the Pharisees are mainly interested in their image rather than being truely righteous. He warns his disciples to not be like them. In verses 11 and 12, he summarizes the heart of the problem that he will go on to develop in the rest of the chapter: The Pharisees have put themselves in the place of God. They are eager to be called "master" ("kathegetes" in greek meaning guide/master/teacher), make up rules that override the heart of God's law, and even prevent sincere seekers of God from finding Him. Jesus says, by contrast, the real leader in God's kingdom, a leader worthy of following, is one who is a servant.
Interestingly, Jesus was getting ready to humble himself and die for these people he came to serve. Unlike the Pharisees whose leadership oppressed, discouraged, and alienated people, Jesus frees, uplifts, and embraces people.
Application: As a "leader" in the church, to my children, and among my friends, I am convicted to be more humble and to be a servant who seeks to uplift and encourage.
Prayer: Father, thank you for teaching me through Jesus' example and warning. Help me to serve you and yours and to seek your righteousness rather than trying to impress people with mine. You are the only messiah. Help me serve them by pointing them to you.
Observation: This passage is a part of Jesus ripping into the Pharisees after his series of exchanges with them and other jewish leaders in chapter 22. He's basically explaining to his disciples that even though the Pharisees set themselves up as moral/spiritual guides for the people, the Pharisees are mainly interested in their image rather than being truely righteous. He warns his disciples to not be like them. In verses 11 and 12, he summarizes the heart of the problem that he will go on to develop in the rest of the chapter: The Pharisees have put themselves in the place of God. They are eager to be called "master" ("kathegetes" in greek meaning guide/master/teacher), make up rules that override the heart of God's law, and even prevent sincere seekers of God from finding Him. Jesus says, by contrast, the real leader in God's kingdom, a leader worthy of following, is one who is a servant.
Interestingly, Jesus was getting ready to humble himself and die for these people he came to serve. Unlike the Pharisees whose leadership oppressed, discouraged, and alienated people, Jesus frees, uplifts, and embraces people.
Application: As a "leader" in the church, to my children, and among my friends, I am convicted to be more humble and to be a servant who seeks to uplift and encourage.
Prayer: Father, thank you for teaching me through Jesus' example and warning. Help me to serve you and yours and to seek your righteousness rather than trying to impress people with mine. You are the only messiah. Help me serve them by pointing them to you.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Matthew 19 Journal Entry
Matt 19 Blog entry
S:25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
O: It seems that these two verses capture the gist of what Matthew is emphasizing for most of chapter 19 - the kind of people that can receive Jesus’s gift of salvation and follow His lead in their lives. In v13-15, as well as previous passages, he uses the image of children in their humility and faith.
Then from verse 16-26, Jesus tells a wealthy guy that to be saved he needed to sell everything he had and give to the poor. Does that mean we all have to do this? This would conflict with grace and receiving salvation as a gift in childlike faith.
But Jesus was able to see something in this guy’s heart, even though he seemed confident that he’d kept all the commandments. When Jesus brought up the guy’s money, it became apparent that he was devoted to money more than to following Jesus because he walked away from Jesus sad. This revealed that the guy had not really followed all the commandments. The first commandment says “have no other gods before me (the LORD)” and that wasn’t true for this guy.
A: Regardless of our intellect, talent, resources or accomplishments, we all have to return to that vulnerable place as a child where we have to ask for help and admit we can’t fix ourselves spiritually. We need to accept the gift that Jesus offers.
And like the wealthy guy, we all have “false gods” that threaten our devotion to Christ and what’s best for us. God has wired us to live a certain way in synch with him, and He knows that we will never find wholeness in our lives when something or someone else becomes our highest value and focus.
P: Lord, help me to the recognize the things in my life that keep me from being fully devoted to You and your ways. Help me lay down my pride and admit I can’t fix all this by myself. My soul needs a taste of your goodness to lay down the junk and trust that Your ways, no matter how good the other things look, are the path to wholeness and life.
S:25 The disciples were astounded. “Then who in the world can be saved?” they asked.26 Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.”
O: It seems that these two verses capture the gist of what Matthew is emphasizing for most of chapter 19 - the kind of people that can receive Jesus’s gift of salvation and follow His lead in their lives. In v13-15, as well as previous passages, he uses the image of children in their humility and faith.
Then from verse 16-26, Jesus tells a wealthy guy that to be saved he needed to sell everything he had and give to the poor. Does that mean we all have to do this? This would conflict with grace and receiving salvation as a gift in childlike faith.
But Jesus was able to see something in this guy’s heart, even though he seemed confident that he’d kept all the commandments. When Jesus brought up the guy’s money, it became apparent that he was devoted to money more than to following Jesus because he walked away from Jesus sad. This revealed that the guy had not really followed all the commandments. The first commandment says “have no other gods before me (the LORD)” and that wasn’t true for this guy.
A: Regardless of our intellect, talent, resources or accomplishments, we all have to return to that vulnerable place as a child where we have to ask for help and admit we can’t fix ourselves spiritually. We need to accept the gift that Jesus offers.
And like the wealthy guy, we all have “false gods” that threaten our devotion to Christ and what’s best for us. God has wired us to live a certain way in synch with him, and He knows that we will never find wholeness in our lives when something or someone else becomes our highest value and focus.
P: Lord, help me to the recognize the things in my life that keep me from being fully devoted to You and your ways. Help me lay down my pride and admit I can’t fix all this by myself. My soul needs a taste of your goodness to lay down the junk and trust that Your ways, no matter how good the other things look, are the path to wholeness and life.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:13-14
Blog Journal Entry
January 21, 2008
Hi Fellow Journalers,
The staff at East Lake wants to do all we can to support you in your journaling. Every week one of us will put a personal recent entry on the blog. This will give you an example of journaling and allow you to respond with questions or comments. The staff person who posts will respond to your inquiries on the blog for that week.
Grace and Peace,
Kevin
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:1-21
S = When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed the sick.
-Matt 14:13-14
O = Imagine how Jesus would have felt hearing that his cousin John had been murdered by the king. Not only would this have been a personal loss for Jesus, but undoubtedly he would have realized how dangerous his ministry was as well. He decides he needs to get alone with his Heavenly Father to be comforted, to get new perspective and to get strength. As his boat lands (in other words, he didn’t get that private time), he is inundated by a massive crowd. He would have had every right to send the crowd away, but his love and compassion compels him to serve them. Jesus had a great intention to get alone with Father, but he was open to the interruption God had for him.
A = The first thing I love about this passage is that Jesus wants to get alone with God when his world caves in – I don’t tend to always do that. Many times it is almost as a last resort that I finally turn to God. The second thing I love is that even with this great intention, Jesus had this gracious and loving attitude toward an interruption that he probably wished he didn’t have. Can I grow a heart with so much wisdom and compassion that I would accept the divine interruptions God brings my way?
P = Lord, you know how much I need to be alone with you. Every time I step out of my routine to connect with you it is worth it. Give me the desire and discipline to run to you when something overwhelms me. I also pray, dear Jesus, that I would develop your kind of love and discernment to know when an interruption is from you and to pursue it with joy and peace.
January 21, 2008
Hi Fellow Journalers,
The staff at East Lake wants to do all we can to support you in your journaling. Every week one of us will put a personal recent entry on the blog. This will give you an example of journaling and allow you to respond with questions or comments. The staff person who posts will respond to your inquiries on the blog for that week.
Grace and Peace,
Kevin
Divine Interruptions - Matthew 14:1-21
S = When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed the sick.
-Matt 14:13-14
O = Imagine how Jesus would have felt hearing that his cousin John had been murdered by the king. Not only would this have been a personal loss for Jesus, but undoubtedly he would have realized how dangerous his ministry was as well. He decides he needs to get alone with his Heavenly Father to be comforted, to get new perspective and to get strength. As his boat lands (in other words, he didn’t get that private time), he is inundated by a massive crowd. He would have had every right to send the crowd away, but his love and compassion compels him to serve them. Jesus had a great intention to get alone with Father, but he was open to the interruption God had for him.
A = The first thing I love about this passage is that Jesus wants to get alone with God when his world caves in – I don’t tend to always do that. Many times it is almost as a last resort that I finally turn to God. The second thing I love is that even with this great intention, Jesus had this gracious and loving attitude toward an interruption that he probably wished he didn’t have. Can I grow a heart with so much wisdom and compassion that I would accept the divine interruptions God brings my way?
P = Lord, you know how much I need to be alone with you. Every time I step out of my routine to connect with you it is worth it. Give me the desire and discipline to run to you when something overwhelms me. I also pray, dear Jesus, that I would develop your kind of love and discernment to know when an interruption is from you and to pursue it with joy and peace.
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