A Very Uninnocuous Verse

Innocuous: 3. not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid: an innocuous novel.

Perhaps I’m the only strange person who, when reading the gospels, thinks “where’s the chapters and verses that tell of Jesus and the disciples doing really mundane daily activities? Where’s the accounts of Peter sweeping the floors or Matthew grocery shopping?” Certainly there were moments of humdrum and typical day to day activities that they left out for sake of pointing out the truly important matters.

But then in the 11th chapter of Mark’s gospel we find this rather gloriously unimaginative moment in the life of Jesus! Upon first read I released a victorious “AHAH!”

Sadly, after reading it over and in the greater context of the surrounding scriptures I found this wasn’t innocuous at all, instead it was incredibly uninnocuous.

So Jesus came to Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After looking around carefully at everything, he left because it was late in the afternoon. Then he returned to Bethany with the twelve disciples. Mark 11:11 NLT

You may be wondering, “why in the world does this matter?” but I challenge you to consider what was happening when Jesus went into the temple that day. Jesus went into the temple and He found the money changers doing their thing, the animal cartel doing their business, and He found the corruption which broke His Father’s heart.

He found exactly what we remember from the scene in scripture where Jesus went into the temple turning over tables, chasing people out with a whip, but here – on this day – Jesus looks around and “he left”.

Certainly, the emotions were hot that day, we must believe that His righteous indignation was incensed but instead of seizing the opportunity and the moment, He waited.

We know, from John 2:15, that Jesus made a whip; He took the time and the energy to carefully handcraft a whip. (If you’re interested in what goes into making a rope whip, check out this Youtube instructional video)

 

We can imagine Him carefully listening to the Father while He prayed, receiving instructions. Then, in Mark 11:12-16 we read how Jesus went back the next day and drove them out with that VERY whip He had spent time working to create.

John’s gospel isn’t 100% clear on when the whip was made, it could be interpreted that “making a whip” or “made a whip” was something that happened in the past (it is imperfect third person); I like to think that after visiting the temple on the previous day, He went back to Bethany and started work on the whip, as this process isn’t a quick or simple task that can be completed in a rage.

Which brings me to the main point of this very uninnocuous verse; Jesus didn’t act rashly in Mark 11:11 when He encountered the money changers, nor was He acting in a rage in Mark 11:15. That isn’t to say that He wasn’t angry, nor does it suggest that He didn’t turn over tables or bring a whip! Rather, He was behaving as the righteous judge cleansing the temple and in acting in the fullness of His faculties, totally in control of His emotions and actions, fully engaged in the Father’s work, and hearing from God.

I believe that this may be the big “take-away”; we should avoid at all costs reacting (if Jesus didn’t react and He’s our Master – perhaps we should take that as an example for us to follow) but instead only respond to what God speaks to us about how we should respond.

Are there some areas of your life which you have allowed yourself to react to situations thus considering yourself more privileged than Jesus? How are you doing with making God’s instruction your priority?

Imagine the church filled with people who refuse to react and insist on only responding to God’s instruction, unmoved by situations and circumstances!

Are You Ready?

If I told you that I scheduled my first home invasion through Jim Bob’s Home Invasion…you would tell me that I’ve lost my mind! Literally no one schedules their own home invasion! The truth is that no one knows when it’s going to happen! Jesus addresses this in Luke 12:39-40

³⁹ “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

The point is that we are to be ready because just like a home invasion, you don’t know when He is coming!

 

There’s no need to panic – as far as I can tell there are really three critical things every believer needs to be doing… (without oversimplification)

Ultimately we are given three directives; love God, love people and draw people to Jesus. Certainly there are other disciplines which grow our relationship with God like daily Bible reading, worship, and prayer but when you boil it all down if you love really God you’re going to do those things anyway. If you love people, you’re going to have to address the sinful attitudes and habits in your life to better love them, and if you love people you are going to be drawing them into a relationship with Jesus.

So, if you are doing the above three things… more than likely you’re ready! If you’re not, now’s the time! Since we don’t know when Jesus will return, there’s no time to waste – begin today by loving God, loving people, and drawing them into a loving relationship with God.

How do we love God? Think of how you express love to people – spend time with Him (prayer, reading, and worship), spend time with His people (go to church), learn to hear His voice, invest into His church (give tithes and offerings)

How do we love people? This is basic. Put other people before you, serve and don’t command or demand, spend time and build relationships, ask questions, meet needs as you’re able, don’t think yourself better than them, and most of all pray for them.

How do we draw people to Jesus? Pretty much doing the above makes you the most attractive thing in the world to thirsty souls. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, so love God and love people. The bottom line is somewhere in your relationship, you will need to tell them about how Jesus has changed your life. You don’t have to have a doctoral degree to manage this – just tell them what happened in YOUR life. Tell them how it happened, what you prayed, and how you have lived since. Boom. Done.

There are probably a hundred different approaches like the “Roman’s Road”,  the “ABC’s”, etc. but if you are honestly listening to God He will give you what needs to be said.

Get out there – love God, love people, and draw them to Christ! Be ready for Him!

Pastor Kevin

Are You and Jesus On the Same Mission?

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Bible, Christian, Church, devotion, Faith, God, Jesus, NLT, one minute devotional

When you wake up, what do your goals for the day look like?

Many of us have goals we work hard to complete so we can mark them off our list each day; career minded people have different goals than a stay at home mom, a student has different goals each day than a retiree.

Some people aren’t just interested in fishing their goals for the day; they’re on a mission!

The Blues Brothers coined the phrase “We’re on a mission from God!” which has widely been accepted as a phrase people use when they are filled with incredible determination to see something accomplished, regardless of what it may take.

Are you on a mission in your life? What is driving you? What is the singularly most important goal in your life?

I only ask because when Jesus came to earth he came, as did the Blues Brothers, on a mission from God. In fact, he expresses in chapter six of the Gospel of John that while he was on earth he had no intention fulfilling his own desires or wishes, only the will of the Father.

For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. John 6:38 NLT

Logic demands that we consider Jesus’ words, “a servant ism’t greater than his Master” (John 15:20) therefore if our Master determined in His heart to follow the will of His Father, shouldn’t we determine to follow in His steps and make His mission our mission?

Our mission and Jesus’ mission should look identical!

If Jesus was emphatic about us being a people who loved others….

I’m just suggesting that hate shouldn’t even have a seat in our mental dining table. If Jesus blatantly told us to make disciples of everyone  we meet, I’m thinking that we should be much more prepared to love people, build a relationship with them and lead them to Jesus.

What might a goal list look like that makes Jesus’ mission OUR mission? Oddly normal, just your motivation for your actions will have changed.

• Go to the work (get there early so I can build relationships)
• Grab dinner at a fast food (Go inside so I can have a chance to chat with someone)
• call Bob  (develop that friendship – maybe lead him to Jesus)
• Finish “Gotham” (so I can have something fun to break the ice with Larry who loves Gotham)

Our seemingly mundane and terribly normal activities are suddenly transformed into spectacular spiritual service when it is motivated out of love for Jesus and love for the people for whom He died; when His mission becomes our mission life explodes with purpose we’ve never experienced!

Are you on a mission from God?

 

Real Joy Comes From Jesus

This is the third week of Advent; we are turning our attention to JOY this week!

Often times we confuse happiness and joy; before assumptions start flying… I’m not against happiness – it’s pretty important too! That said, I’ve found there’s an incredible difference between the two.

Here’s some examples which will help to draw the distinction between the two:

• someone who is “unhappy” in their marriage can still find “joy” in their children or grandchildren.
• someone who is “unhappy” in their profession can find “joy” in a hobby
• someone who is “unhappy” with their physical or mental condition can find “joy” in a friendship.

Unfortunately, each of these “joys” are very temporary – children grow up (and out), interests in hobbies wane, and friendships tend to fade over time as well. The joy we cultivate and experience is horrifically temporary.

But there is a REAL and lasting joy for anyone who believes and follows Jesus. On John’s gospel, the fifteenth chapter we find this beautiful gem,

 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 ESV

This verse tells us that Jesus’ joy has been placed in us! The exciting part of that is that Jesus’ joy isn’t temporary, it is eternal! Who is going to steal His joy? Who will rob Jesus of His joy? No one!

As we begin to focus on the joy He’s placed in us (not our temporal joy), we find that our joy is full or complete; no more working tirelessly to cultivate joy only to have it taken from us or wear off over time – Jesus in you gives you joy, REAL and complete joy.

Tap into that joy this week by worshipping, reading, and prayer, turning your attention away from circumstances and onto what He’s already placed in you. You don’t have to muster up this joy – it’s already there!

Joy to the world!

 

How Attractive Are You?

In Luke 15, the very first verse starts off with a bang!

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.

The real question is, “Why?”. Why did they come to hear Him? Jesus’ message was a simple message of repentance, which I’m not sure if you know this or not, is not an attractive message with most people who are struggling in sin, or dead in their sins.

So why did they “often” come to hear Him?

As notorious as the sinners were for sinning, Jesus was a notoriously loving person. In fact, He is love. They were attracted to Him because He loved them more than their sins. He treated them better than the establishment of religion would ever dare to treat them.

He loved them unconditionally.

What would it look like for you to be attractive to sinners? Some automatically assume that to be attractive means to appeal to their senses or desires. Instead what if we appealed to the one common need every of human? Love.

What if we loved them as Christ loved them? In fact, they are the reason for the gospel! Just as you were once!

I challenge you to consider the way which you come across to agnostics, atheists, all unbelievers, those who believe differently than you. 

I challenge you to approach them with “no-strings-attached” love.

 

Red Bull and Drama Queens

 

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Fact #1: if you tank up on energy drinks all day, you will have difficulty sleeping well.

 

 

Fact #2: if you surround yourself with those who enjoy creating drama, your life will be filled with anxiety and stress.

These facts aren’t difficult to believe or understand because we understand this simple premise; that which we seed into our lives creates or produces fruit (even if it’s a bad fruit.) Honestly, we don’t want bad sleep or anxiety-ridden lives but we often do those things which creates this nonsense for us.

Although, you could take a Facebook sabbatical or even delete your account, you could live like a hermit…

 

It’s a different kind of hermit but he’s cute!

… you could even sleep as well as ol’ Rip Van Winkle and STILL not have any peace!

 

The Bible tells us in Job 3:26,

I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.                                  Job 3:26 NLT

The reality is that unless we spend time with the One who creates or produces peace in us we will not know peace. Remember the simple premise? That which we seed into our lives creates or produces fruit. What are you seeding into your life?

Resolving the conflicts in our soul isn’t as easy as just getting rid of the stressors (although it’s a good start) it’s also about replacing those things, or filling the void with those things which are healthy and helpful. Peace isn’t simply the absence of stress or the ability to rest, it’s a gift from the God who is known as Jehovah Shalom (The Lord IS our Peace). Peace is the fruit of time spent with the maker or Creator of Peace.

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THE CHALLENGE:

If you’ve been struggling like our friend Job, if you feel like there is no peace, no quietness, or rest, may I reccomend spending time, cultivating, seeding time with the One who creates peace in us?

Take some time today and rest in His presence, worship Him and find that peace and quiet, the rest and freedom was waiting for you all along.

 

Where Is Your Treasure?

Pirates, at least the fictional sort, have always been super cool. I’m not even sure I fully understand why they have been fascinating to us but there’s no denying, especially after the endless sequels of the Caribbean variety.

Just imagine, buried treasure on some remote island awaiting your return; it would be all that one could possibly spend their time thinking about.  Those pirates certainly had rehearsed over and over in their minds where the treasure was; it had to be the most important thing in their life! Perhaps they often worried whether someone had found their treasure!

Which leads to today’s verse from Luke 12:34

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also“

Wherever we set our most prized possession is where we will find our hearts. Our hearts are drawn to what we prioritize, we can’t help it! There is ZERO separation between our thought life and our hearts. If you think that money is the priority of your life, your actions will demonstrate that money is the most important thing in life. Your heart is found in your treasure chest. If you think or believe that your family is the most important thing in your life, your actions will give your heart away, they will mark X on the treasure map of your life.

What’s buried on your treasure map?

The Bible has a treasure map and its directions are simple, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you”. Inside that treasure chest is close relationship with God.

I wonder, is your relationship with God in that treasure chest? Is loving people in that old box buried in the sand?

What is your treasure?

 

Measuring with Spoons

It’s ridiculous to measure the length of an object by using a spoon, especially if you have a measuring tape at your disposal; however, I believe that we often do this with our lives.

 15 Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.” Luke 12:15 NLT

If you evaluated your time, where would you guess the majority of your time is spent? For most Americans, it’s spent either working so that we can accumulate more things or procuring the items for which we are working.

In all honesty, there’s nothing wrong with purchasing things or working so that we can purchase things; there is a problem when we only find our worth or feel like we establish our status in and through the things which we have purchased.

It’s like trying to measure the length of an object with a spoon – that’s is simply NOT how you measure length! Neither do we measure our lives by what we own.

So if we don’t measure using what we own, how do we measure our life? What is success?

The Bible makes it clear, repeatedly through scripture, that the highest goal of every believer is to “…love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Luke 10:27 NLT.

So the question for today; how well are you loving God and loving others? When you have your answer to that question, you have found the correct way to measure your life without using any spoons. 🙂

What Are You Wearing?!

Right now, think about what you’re wearing.

Certainly, you put at least a minimal amount of thought into the coordination of colors, weight of the fabric (based on the temperature outside, or the activities you might be participating in), and maybe even your mood.

As I was reading today, I came across this vere and it provoked some thinking I’d like to share with you;

12 Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.            Colossians 3:12 NLT

What are you wearing?

If you’ve been transformed by God’s grace and Jesus’ blood, He has some amazing things for you to wear! So, what have you been wearing?

It’s so sad to see children of God wearing clothes that this world has made for them, bitterness, anxiety, depression, and hatred when God has SO MUCH BETTER for them! These items He has for us to wear have the power to transform every situation around us. every person near us, and keep our hearts in beating to the rythmn of the Kingdom.

Tomorrow when you’re going through the process of getting dressed consider what you’re wearing and ask if it’s what God has set out for you.

Heal and Point

In Luke 10 we read how Jesus commissioned 70 followers to go ahead of Him; He supplied them with instructions about hospitality and decorum in regards to how to deal with those who would house them and provide food for them, as well as what to do when they were rejected. In verse 9 we find the reason for the mission.

Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’                            Luke 10:9 NLT

Truly, this wasn’t a new practice for those who had followed Jesus; practically everytime Jesus encountered someone He would address their physical need first then deal with the spiritual need.

As we continue reading the New Testament, we see the disciples and apostles followed this pattern as well – heal them then point to God.

In Luke 10, this is the model Jesus gave them to follow. Which gave me pause as I read this scripture today.

Is this the model I follow? Is there a model which I follow, or do I simply do my best to not be a mean person and hope for the best? Could it be that we’ve missed a very simple method of leading people to God? Heal and point.

When I was a pre-teen (before that term even existed lol) and while I was a teenager we would force Christian tracks on people and go door to door; oddly, I never questioned our techniques against scripture. I never though to ask, “Could someone show me where to find what we’re doing in the Bible?”, instead I assumed that this was the proven “new” method for reaching people.

Since then, my wife and I have found that relational evangelism (building a relationship with someone and sharing Jesus as you go) works so much better than those experiences I had in my early years.

However, as I’m typing this I’m imagining what kind of results I could expect to see if I allowed Holy Spirit to guide me, if I would be a conduit for God’s healing, and then point them to the Kingdom of God. Scripturally speaking, I can only assume that I would see an overwhelming increase in people following God, which is ultimately the goal of every believer, in theory.

I’m certain that some could argue that Jesus didn’t speak directly to us and tell us to do the same thing as these followers in Luke 10 but I do find something that describes what followers of Jesus should look like in the book of Mark;

“These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new tongues. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”                                                 Mark 16:17-18 NLT

Did you see it? Right at the end of all those other amazing things which believers should be seen doing are these words, “They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” Pretty interesting, right?

I think this could be classified under the category of “Expectations Jesus Has of His Followers”.

In conclusion, if we are to use the model given in our text for today we should constantly be on the lookout for those who are in need of healing and resting in God’s ability to use us to heal them so that they may know Him.