How much do you love me?

Exodus 34:6 "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love & faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin."

Deuteronomy 7:8-9 "But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh King of Egypt.  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him & keep his commands."  

Deuteronomy 33:12 "About Benjamin, he said: "Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders."

1 Chronicles 16:34 "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love endures forever."  

Psalm 31:21 "Praise be to the LORD, for he showed his wonderful love to me when I was in a besieged city."

Psalm 33:18 "But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love."

Psalm 36:5 "Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies."  

Psalm 36:7 "How priceless is your unfailing love!  Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings."  

Psalm 37:28 "For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones.  They will be protected forever..."

Deuteronomy 10:12 "And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul and to observe the LORD's commands & decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?"

Faith will bring the better

Mark 2:4-5 "And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.  And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

I love these verses.  Here we see the great faith of the paralytic's friends who put forth an extreme effort to bring their friend to Jesus.  Why?  B/C they believed he would heal him.  However, we again see proof of how God's thoughts & ways are often unlike our own (Isaiah 55:8-9).  The man is lowered into the room from the roof, quite a sight to see I'm sure, and Jesus moved by his faith tells him, "Your sins have been forgiven."  In our own ignorance we like the scribes in the room think ... "He's just going to say that he forgives his sins rather than healing him?" We see later of course that Jesus knows our thoughts (how amazing) and perceives our ignorance of his ways.  So he heals the man.  Why?  To show his authority to forgive the mans sins. 

But here's what gets me.  The truth is that Jesus forgiving the man of his sins would have been far better than him ever healing his physical impairment.  The man's faith led to Jesus' forgiveness of His sins... this is a far better blessing for great faith then the latter healing.  As Mike would say... "Can we FATHOM that?"

God blesses our great faith in him to do miracles in our lives.  However, sometimes he will not do as we think he will.  Again, we must be more about loving Jesus then getting things from him.  Jesus will always honor our faith and it's up to us to trust His ways/ His responses to our faith and to know that his blessings are far better.  Our faith will bring us what God has for us.... and that's far better than what we may think.  

It's All About Me

Mark 1:41-45 "Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter."

This amazes me.  A man is healed and Jesus tells him not to tell anyone.  This doesn't mesh with what "I think" would be the right move.  I mean Jesus could get major brownie points for heling this man.  People would see his power and know he's God!  But...alas...Jesus is much more wise than I am .... Jesus knows what is in a man.  Jesus wanted the man to be silent so that God the Father would receive the glory due Him, v. 44"...See that you say nothing to anyone, BUT go show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."  Jesus wanted God the Father to receive the glory and not himself.  He also, knowing the heart of man, knew the self-centeredness of man.   Verse 46 tells us "Jesus could no longer openly enter a town..." now again, that just doesn't make sense to me! if this man went and told others about Jesus healing him wouldn't this be good publicity for Jesus and the gospel campaign?  

The ESV study bible explains why it wasn't...

"The joy of the healed man overrides Jesus' injunction to silence and therefore Jesus could no longer enter a town, lest he be mobbed.  So Jesus cannot stay hidden. Mark often emphasizes how the crowds' excessive attention to Jesus' miracles is a frequent problem, causing the crowds to miss the true purpose of his ministry (i.e., to proclaim the good news of the kingdom."

We are often like the man healed of leprosy.  In our excitement we go and tell others of what God is doing in our lives (a great thing to do!) however, sometimes,  along the way our proclamation of God's work in our lives becomes more about us getting attention then God receiving glory. Ouch...

Jesus told the man not to tell anyone b/c he knows the heart of a man.  Our hearts want what Jesus can do for us more then him.  The large crowds were a hinderance to Christ because they were seeking him for His miracles rather then for He was ... the Messiah, Immanuel, the Christ, our Savior.

May our lives be less about what we can get from Jesus and more about Jesus. 

When I can't get no satisfaction

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the Rolling Stones is always my dad.  Back in the day he used to be the lead singer of his college band, "Whoopie," which used to cover stones songs.  The second thing that comes to mind when I think of the Rolling Stones is the song "I Can't Get No Satisfaction."

Now, I know there's more to this song then this one single line, however, this line holds a lot of truth for us all.  We may not be singing this Stones hit as the theme song of our days but we certainly live our lives as if we can't get no satisfaction.  I am convinced the reason we are left unsatisfied is because we are deceived about what it really means to be satisfied to begin with AND we are looking in all the wrong places.

Psalm 107:9 says, "For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."  

Jesus is the answer to our satisfaction. What? I can already hear so many saying this now and I'm not talking about those who don't "know Jesus personally" I am talking about the very children of God!  We, followers of Jesus, are some of the key contributers to the I can't get no satisfaction mentality!  We fall into "I'll have Jesus my way" Burger King like Christianity.  We live like we are running the race marked out for us through a drive-thru! "Excuse me... I know the bible says Jesus satisfies but can I please add a side of short-term conditional love, a size 0 pair of jeans and more money for my wardrobe?"

God says that he satisfies the longing soul.  The longing soul knows that it needs more than the things of this world to be fulfilled.  The longing soul is desperate.  The longing soul has tasted the bland manna and longed for the sweetness of honey and milk from the promised land.  The longing soul wants an unfailing love that won't disappoint.  The longing soul begins to see that it's not about putting forth effort to achieve satisfaction in the things of this world, it's about laying down our efforts to experience the One who does satisfy us in every way.  

The answer: "...He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things."

God doesn't just satisfy the soul....He satisfies the soul with what is good.  He satisfies the soul with what lasts...himself.  

Jehovah-Jireh - "The Lord Will Provide"

Hebrews 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice.  He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from the dead."  

The story of God testing Abraham's faith recored in Genesis 22:1 -19 is so powerful!  It is a clear picture of the provision of our God, the power of God, and then love of our God.  It also reveals our humanness compared to God's divine nature.  

Remember from one of my earlier posts what John MacArthur pointed out about our tests/trials:  We don't experience them b/c God is trying to "figure out" our faith. They come so we can see the condition of our faith (how weak...how strong) and so we can see what we really are clinging to the most!  

I think it's interesting that Isaac is repeatedly referred to as Abraham's "one and only son."  (Gen. 22:2, 12,16, Heb. 11:17).  It's interesting he is described this way b/c Abraham had another son, Ishmael.  Now Ishmael was not the Son who God had chosen to establish his covenant with, but still he was Abraham's son.  Hmmm... I am no theologian.... so don't quote me on this one... but could it be that Isaac is referred to as his "one and only son" to describe not his literal familial standing but perhaps his standing in the heart of his father.  Issac was not Abraham's only son but he was the son he treasured the most, the fulfillment of God's promise, a sign of God's provision & power to do the impossible.  In that sense, he was the one and only son who captured his father's deepest affections.  "It's through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned."  He was a treasured possession.   

That's interesting you might be thinking.  I know that's what I'm thinking!  But wait... from what we know about Abraham he believed God.  He believed God's promises.  When God said to sacrifice Isaac he believed that God would even raise him from the grave just to keep his promise to Isaac.  He recognized that God could do the impossible for his son was the proof of God's power!  So why would God test Abraham?  We already see that he believes the Lord will provide: 

Genesis 22:5 "He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there.  We will worship and then we will come back to you."  

Genesis 22:8 "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering,my son."  

Let's see what Genesis 22:12 says, "Do not lay a hand on the boy, "he said.  "Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."  God was testing Abraham to see his genuine fear of him.  His reverence for God.  His respect for God.  I believe the reason it was so important that we noticed that Isaac is called Abraham's "one & only son" is because it shows us the place he held in Abraham's heart.  Maybe at times Isaac even held 1st place in Abraham's heart. And God needed Abraham to see that He, Jehovah-Jireh, needed to be the one who received his deepest affections and attentions.  

Wow.  There's so much more to say about this passage... but I'll leave that for tomorrow.  For now let's all take time to pray about the "one & only" in our life.  Is our "one & only", where our affections and attentions are set, God or someone or something else?  Let's pray that God will give us the strength to sacrifice whatever it is that we may treasure more than God so that He may be glorified more in our lives and so our lives may be more blessed by finding our joy & security & fulfillment in the One who Provides all things for those who love Him!

Choosing what is better...

Luke 10:38-42 "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to come help me!"

"Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

Food for Thought: "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better..."

I can totally relate to Martha.  She has a house full of people, and not just any people, special people... Jesus and his disciples.  She is trying to prepare for their visit, striving to be the best hostess she can be and she's feeling the pressure of not being able to get it all done. (Reminds me of preparing for guests during the holidays).  In her frustration it clicks... "My sister can should be helping me! If she would stop being so lazy and come over here I wouldn't be so stressed out!"  Meanwhile, she storms out of the kitchen ( or where ever she was) to see Mary relaxing at the feet of Jesus as he speaks.  I can feel inside me Martha's blood pressure rising.  "I am going crazy trying to prepare for all these people to make them happy and Mary is just sitting on the floor!"  A mix of jealously and anger I'm sure.  And then she snaps (as we all do when trying to pretend we've got natural Martha Stewart like instincts), she goes right to Jesus to plead her case.  I can see the wheels in her head turning now... "fine Mary isn't going to help well wait until I tell Jesus about this one... I am doing all this for him and she is choosing to be lazy."  And THEN the unlikely response "Martha, Martha...you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

AND her jaw drops.  Talk about humbling huh?!  Haven't we all had days like that?  We just want sympathy, we're stressed and need help, we're frustrated and just as the pressure makes us want to explode b/c of all we're doing (to serve others and God no less!) we're humbled by God pointing out our wrong motives.  Martha wanted to receive attention for all she was doing but Mary received it because of the attention she gave Jesus. Martha wanted Jesus to scold Mary for her lack of help but instead he pointed out Martha's need to be humbled.  

I love Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me, O God, and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in your way everlasting." In Martha-like times I like to say this verse to myself.  It helps give me the right perspective.  When we're frustrated it's easy to blame someone else and difficult to see we need an attitude check.  

Let's make it our prayer today to surrender our Martha-like ways of worry and stress and at times jealousy.  And let's instead pray to be like Mary choosing what is better.  To put Christ first in everything we do.  To focus on him in times of frustration.  To choose what is indeed better.  

God's Possession

Ephesians 1: 3-8 "Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.  In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us all , in all wisdom and insight."

Consider: "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him..."

He CHOSE us.  I love that God CHOSE me.  He didn't just put up with me he chose me.  When I was in elementary school I wasn't very athletic.  Sure I played softball and soccer for rec sports for a short time (except that I never made it to 1st base and use to take a seat in the middle of the soccer field to pick dandilions while the other kids swarmed around the soccer ball like bees would a beehive).  I was just more of an artsy kid... I wanted to pick flowers and draw stick figures in my journal and dance and sing.  Well having a more "artsy" side in gym class in elementary school didn't really pay off.  Kickball was not my favorite game.  So there I would stand on the softball field the last of three waiting to make it on a team.  I wouldn't have admitted I was a worthy player.  I wasn't going to score a homerun and my team would be lucky if I made it to 1st base.  Eventually I would hear... "Ok I'll take Kristin."  And off I would go to join a team feeling discouraged, unwanted, insignificant. My teammates would have to "put up with me" as I would miss the ball and kick a foul.  They didn't have a choice I had to be picked.  

God doesn't play favorites. Isn't that cool?  He doesn't just deal with us either.  He didn't say (sigh) "Okay I'll pick Kristin fulfill my purposes and be in heaven with me since she's the best out of the last 3.  At least she'll enjoy my creation of daisies in the outfield when she gets bored."  NO... that's not what God said.  He said "I chose Kristin."    Before the foundation of the world God chose us to be adopted as his sons to be holy, forgiven, & redeemed.  In love he predestined us.  It's one thing to feel loved b/c God is loving and you know he created you.  It's another thing to feel loved b/c he chose you.  We choose people for a reason. In a human sense we choose to love people based on their personalities, what they look like, sometimes even the things they have.  I don't believe God chooses the way we do...that's why it's so beautiful to know He chose us.