Small Acts of Kindness

Again he said, “What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”

Mark 4:30-32

God continues to remind me that it is the smallest things that I do in the course of an ordinary day that will have the greatest impact on this world for his kingdom. The idea is so simple and so easy to implement and yet type A personalities like me who are task oriented are easily boxed into the life sucking activities of email and projects and planning and writing books in an attempt to save the world all the while forgetting that it is the out of the box small acts of kindness that one does in the midst of all of the busyness of this world that will have the greatest impact on people. As a manager in the business world, when was the last time you set your computer and work tasks aside and took just 5 minutes to write a handwritten note of appreciation to one of your colleagues or subordinates? As a mom, when was the last time that you surprised one of your children or even your husband with a handwritten note of encouragement just to tell them how much you love and appreciate them? When was the last time that you made eye contact with a passer by in the middle of a hectic day and paused, if only for a moment, to give an encouraging smile that may be just what that person needed to lift them up in the midst of all that is happening in his/her life? Don’t ever forget that it is the little acts of kindness that take little time and effort to perform that matter the most and it is these small acts of obedience that will multiply and grow much like the smallest of seeds to produce the greatest impact on this fallen world that is in desperate need of God’s love that can be found in you as you live your life for Jesus today.

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The Power of the Gospel

He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain--first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Mark 4:26-29

There is something supernatural that happens when God’s Word and the amazing story of His redemption through a relationship with Jesus Christ is shared with another person. When a seed of the Gospel is planted, either through words, or even better through watching and experiencing the love of Christ through a heart that is surrendered and is being transformed into the heart of God; when this kind of seed takes root in a person’s heart, it will grow and God will use this growth to transform a person’s life back into authentic relationship with Him. You are the planter! God wants to use your life and your actions and your words today to plant the seed of His love into another heart that He so desperately wants to redeem with His love as He has redeemed you. Don’t miss the opportunity to be used by God in this way today – keep your eyes on Jesus, surrender your heart and your will in order that you can look at the world around you through the eyes of God’s Spirit who lives inside in order that His love may overflow with seeds that touch the hearts of many today!

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Give it Away

He said to them, "Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don't you put it on its stand? For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear." "Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you--and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him."

Mark 4:21-25

I remember a conversation with a few friends that happened years ago that I just happened to be listening in on. I can only remember one quote from this conversation as it really hit me the wrong way – kind of like when you hear fingernails on a chalkboard, the quote was – “religion is a personal matter and is not meant to be talked about or shared with others.” This statement could not be further from the truth. I don’t find anywhere in scripture where Jesus tells us to keep the details of our relationship with Him to ourselves and not to share, out of a loving heart when His Spirit directs, how He is changing and transforming our lives back to a relationship with our creator. No, in fact, this scripture this morning tells us just the opposite. Jesus so eloquently states here that if indeed we don’t apply the truth that He has given us to our lives in a way that it can be given away to others by His light being illuminated through the way that we live our lives then even the truth that He has blessed us with will be taken away. God is molding and shaping your heart for a purpose and that purpose is in fact so that others can see Jesus living inside of you and believe! With this in mind, take the truth that Jesus blessed you with today, apply it to your life in order that you can live out this awesome gift of love that God has given you in His Son Jesus Christ and let the whole world see and know that Jesus is alive in you today.

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God's Seed in You

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water's edge. He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: "Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times." Then Jesus said, "He who has ears to hear, let him hear." When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables. He told them, "The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, "'they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'" Then Jesus said to them, "Don't you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop--thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown."

Mark 4:1-20

What kind of soil would God find in your heart today as he sows the seed of his Word in you? One thing that I know for sure and that I can honestly tell you through my experience is that the Christian life is certainly not easy. The enemy will try to steal the Word that God has given you; you will be persecuted as a result of your Faith in Christ as you are a stranger in this fallen world if indeed you try to live your life for Jesus; you will be tempted to let money or your job or the desire for more stuff or more power or you name it take the place of God in your life in such a way that his love that lives inside will be ineffective for the Kingdom – all of this is for sure to happen but I would tell you this morning to not lose heart! God has given you the power to persevere and if you consistently keep your eyes on Jesus and focus on his Word and focus on how the Spirit is guiding and directing you each and every day and if you never give up but continue to ask God for his power and his love and to be #1 in your life then indeed he will and you will persevere in this life as a result of his unconditional love and Grace and he will produce through your heart fruit for the Kingdom that is eternal and this fruit is what your heart has been longing for all along. Seek God today with all of your heart and live your life in obedience to Him!

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Family of God

Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.” “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked. The he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!” Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark 3:31-35

Are you a part of the family of God? Jesus is describing the “family of God” here in this text as “whoever does God’s will”. I think that good old fashioned “obedience” as Jesus is describing here somehow gets lost in today’s emerging church that is so focused on grace and forgiveness. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am a 110% supporter of the unconditional love and grace of God that He extends to all believers no matter how we may fail in our attempts to live a godly life; however, I also believe that an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ will ultimately result in action out of our love for Him. You see, obedience happens naturally as an act of faith if indeed your were serious when you surrendered your heart and life to the King of Kings. This is one reason why baptism is such an important part of your journey of knowing and loving God as baptism is the first act of obedience that Jesus commands after trusting in Him. And then, to seek God’s will each and every day through prayer and the study of His Word and through connecting with His Holy Spirit as you react to the Spirit’s promptings on your heart in the smallest of activities throughout the day – that is how “doing God’s will” looks in a very real application. Are you a part of the family of God? Have you surrendered your heart and invited Him in? Are you moving in a direction toward knowing and loving Him more by seeking to obey the will of God in your life each and every day? God is waiting for you to get serious about your relationship with Him; He wants to give you an abundant life that is full of His awesome love and security and peace and the power that comes from His Holy Spirit – Seek him today with all of your heart, ask Him what His will is and to guide and direct you in the small things today and you will notice some big results as you seek to obey your father in heaven.

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Satan Defeated

And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." So Jesus called them and spoke to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house. I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit."

Mark 3:23-30

Jesus Christ came into this fallen world that in the past had been under the control of Satan (1 John 5:19) and He tied him up, left him helpless against the power of the Son of God to redeem and restore His children into an eternal relationship with our creator. Don’t you know that when confronted with the power of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of the heart of hearts of all who believe and have surrendered their hearts to Christ, that Satan has no more power over you! He has been defeated and you have all the power that you need to live an abundant life, filled with the awesome love of God and filled with His peace that passes all understanding, even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances. You see, we live in a world at war and Satan will try to deceive you into thinking that you are just as you were prior to your conversion and that this Christianity thing is a myth and has no power to transform your heart and life but this is all big fat lie! God has given you the power to choose to live your life for Him. He has given you all that you need to be victorious in living a holy life and the key is to draw near to His Spirit. The key is to stop trying to make sense of this world within your own limited mind and limited abilities and to just surrender and trust God’s guidance that comes from His word and from his Holy Spirit who lives inside and who wants to take your hand and lead you into a whole new world that is full of love and grace and never-ending communion with your forever friend and creator. Let Jesus take the wheel of your life today as Satan has been defeated and Jesus has come to lead you home!

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How to Handle Politics

Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Mark 3:1-6

I love how Jesus handled this situation with the corrupt and evil Pharisees who once again were using Jewish tradition in an effort to accuse Him of disobeying their law so that they could eventually find a cause to kill the Son of God who was trampling on their man made power and influence. You may notice a similarity in how these same actions and behaviors are played out today in the business world, in the political realm, in families and relationships all over the world. Pay close attention to the response, though, of Jesus as I find it interesting that indeed he was angry! That gives me great hope and encouragement in today’s world since there are times when I experience the same backstabbing behavior in the business world where people act with the wrong motives in order to protect their power and influence and it also make me very angry. We read that Jesus was also “deeply distressed” at the stubborn hearts of the Pharisees. We can learn from this too, as we need to also have a burden and broken heart for lost people who are all around us, who, may indeed have made us angry by their selfish motives and harmful behavior but who are in desperate need of healing and restoration by our Lord and Savior who has begun the healing process in us. So, heed the example of Jesus today and boldly make a stand for what is right; let the injustices of this world burn your heart with anger but, ultimately, let them stir your heart with compassion and love for those who have not yet found the miracle and abundance that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

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The Life Giving Law of Love

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" He answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need? In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." Then he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Mark 2:23-28

Don’t you know today that God’s moral law was created by God, not as a list of do’s and don’ts for you as a believer to struggle to uphold but on the contrary, as a way to give you life to the fullest. God’s law is there to protect you from this fallen world of sin that offers nothing but hopelessness, addiction and slavery to your own selfish wants and desires, and to offer you a genuine life of love, the one which you were originally created to live. God’s law was created in order that you could once again have communion with your creator and live a life that is full of his love and Glory. The early Jews had created all of these Jewish traditions that they put in place in an effort to stay within the boundaries of what they thought God’s plan was for their lives and in doing so had switched their focus from God to their own traditions, and so the traditions that they put in place had actually done just the opposite of what they had originally planned for them to do. What traditions or presuppositions do you have concerning your faith in God that may be distracting your focus just a bit from the one who wants to give you an abundant life? What are you not willing to give up for God in fear of losing the very thing that is actually keeping you from experiencing God’s best in your life? God wants to perform a miracle in and through your life today; God wants to give you everything that your heart has been longing for all along and he is just waiting for you to trust Him enough to let go of the very thing that is keeping you from genuine communion with him. Surrender to the life giving law of love today, take that step of faith and trust God to fill that emptiness inside by giving up the very things that you have been putting in God’s place. Ask Him for the strength and I promise that He will come and He will set your heart free!

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A New Way

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, "How is it that John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?" Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast. "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins."

Mark 2:18-22

Jesus rocked the world of all of the religious people in Galilee as he offered a new way to worship God that was free of burden and guilt and slavery to the old law that they were accustomed to following. You see, this new way of worship was rooted in Jesus himself, as He would eventually give His life in order that you and I could also experience this new life that is found in Him. What that means for you and I is that if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior then you have indeed been given a new heart and a new life in Christ that is much different from the old life you used to live. The Spirit of God now lives inside of you and you are no longer held in slavery to sin but you have the power of God living inside of you to overcome any temptation or any obstacle that the enemy would put in your way. The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” Don’t believe the enemy's lies with which he is constantly filling your mind, that say how you are not so different than you used to be and how you must continue on with the ways of the world and the behavior that you used to participate in as these thoughts are just that – lies! Draw near to God today and He will show you how to overcome and He will give you the strength and the wisdom to live out your new life in Him in order that the rest of the world would see Jesus living in you and believe!

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Reaching out the the Lost

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the "sinners" and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: "Why does he eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?" On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Mark 2:16-17

I absolutely love this example of Jesus about how we are to spend our time and to whom we should love and minister. As Christ followers, it is easy to want to hang out with people who are just like us and with whom we are comfortable and enjoy. But see, Jesus does not call us to be comfortable. No, Jesus calls us to radical obedience in which we sacrifice at times our own comfort or our own reputation and enjoyment in order that the lost and hurting people of this world who need to experience the love of God more than anyone else in their lives would have the opportunity to see Jesus in us and believe. How do you spend your time? What sacrifices have you made in order that you could break through the wall of prejudice in your life in order that the lost and lonely and hurting people who are all around you could see and know that God is real and that God is love and that His love is available to them? Don’t ever forget that you are here for a reason and that God wants to use you in a big way to share His love with a lost world. Step outside of your comfort zone today and let the light of Christ shine through your life in order to light up the darkness of this world in such a way that lost and hurting people would see and believe.

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Moments Notice

As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

Mark 2:14

Levi, whose name was changed later to Matthew, was a “publican” collecting tolls for Herod Antipas at a toll-gate on the great west road from Damascus to the Mediterranean. Now, “publicans” were not very well liked by the other Jews, in fact, they would put them in the same class as sinners, thus, it is apparent that Levi was not an outwardly religious man by any means. I love the simplicity of the call and response in this verse. Many of you, throughout the course of any given day in the middle of doing business have had a similar call from the Holy Spirit to make a stand for Christ; to encourage a colleague; to go against the grain of popular opinion in order to maintain your integrity; to reject a thought that does not pass the purity test of a godly man; to make a tough decision because you know in your heart of hearts that it is the right and godly thing to do – how did you respond? Many times, God’s Spirit will engage our hearts, right in the middle of an ordinary day where we are performing ordinary business and God will be looking for a not so ordinary response as a result of our love for Him. What will your response be today? Will you put off your service for our King in order to carry on your business, or will you set aside the temporary for the eternal and choose to live your life for Jesus? Remember Levi’s example today and how he acted on a moments notice and made a decision that would change his life for the rest of eternity. Stay alert, look at the world around you today with the eyes of your heart in order that you would not miss the Holy Spirit’s prompting and God’s best for your life.

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Amazed by Our Creator

“Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth for forgive sins…” He said to the paralytic, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

Mark 2:9-12

Yesterday, on the way to church, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with life, a little beaten and battered by the battle that we fight every day for the cause of Christ. I am not sure why I was feeling this way; however, during the worship service I was renewed! I left church with a feeling of new hope and new excitement for living my life for Christ. You see, I had prayed for direction and refreshment from God in particular yesterday morning as I felt as if I was on my last leg for some reason. As he always does, God came through. He gave me the wisdom and direction to keep running the race and not to give up. He explained to me through the words of Dr. Moses my tendency to want to throw in the towel when the pressure is on as a result of difficult agreements and experiences that were made as a young man growing up in a very dysfunctional family. After confessing this broken area of my heart to God and holding it up to His healing and loving touch in a quiet moment of communion with Him I felt completely renewed and re-energized to continue on in this race of knowing and loving Him and letting His love overflow from my heart to friends and colleagues and lost people all around who have a desperate need for the love of my creator and friend. God is still in the business of healing and forgiving today! I am so amazed by His love, His grace and His power to restore our hearts back to sweet communion with God which is the only thing that can set our hearts free. Surrender your heart to the healing touch of our Lord and Savior today.

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The Battlefield of the Mind

Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?

Mark 2:8

The battle for your heart starts in your mind! Jesus knows every thought that you think and His greatest commandment for us as His followers is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37) Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. You see your thought life is of the utmost importance in your journey of knowing and loving God because it is in your mind that sin will take root and eventually grow into a outward act of rebellion against God and His plan for your life. I love how one pastor describes the importance of guarding your thought life when he said: “Sow a thought; reap an act. Sow an act; reap a habit. Sow a habit; reap a character. Sow a character; reap a destiny.” The enemy will attack your thought life first at your most vulnerable area – he knows where you are weak and just what thoughts to throw your way to entice you into living your life to please yourself instead of surrendering in this area to the one who knows what’s best for you and who wants to give you a life full of joy and fulfillment, purpose and love. The enemy wants to steal your joy and he will start in your mind – guard your thoughts today and reject any unclean thoughts that the enemy throws at you. Paul gives us a model of how our thoughts should look as a follower of Jesus when he says: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) A high calling indeed but one that will reap rewards that are unimaginable, surrender your heart and mind to Jesus today!

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Come to Him

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Mark 2:5

Here’s the scene – four men carrying a man that had been paralyzed were trying to get into a house were Jesus was, in hopes that Jesus would heal this man of this terrible disease, however; much to their dismay the crowd was so large that they could not even get near the door of the house. They did not let this stop them as they had such strong faith that Jesus was the answer that they dug a hole in the roof and lowered the man down into the living room where Jesus was preaching to the crowd. The verse of Jesus’ next words spoken in the Gospel of Mark is his reply to this incredible act of faith by these 5 men. Listen – it takes an “act” of faith on your part in order to draw near to Christ. Jesus tells us to “draw near to me and I will draw near to you”. He also says, “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” You must take that step toward Jesus in order to realize His forgiveness and compassion and awesome peace and love in your life. You must have enough faith to break through the worldly distractions that are all around you in order that you could find the deep-seated joy and hope that your heart is longing for. I had a day full of distractions yesterday. I had a fender bender on the way to a business meeting in SC that caused me to have to reschedule a business dinner last evening that was set up with a potential client. When I got to the hotel, I realized that I had left my socks and underwear and allergy medicine at home and a number of other things happened that had the potential to distract my attention from drawing near to Christ and living out His love in my life. At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to gaze upon the ocean shore and breathe in the beauty of God’s creation and the great power and peace that one finds in the powerful ocean tide coming up on the sand. It was then that I realized that even amidst all the horrible distractions and setbacks of the day that God was still here and that He was just waiting for me to come to Him for peace, rest and strength in the midst of all of the roadblocks that the enemy had thrown my way in an effort to divert my attention from the only one who could love me, fulfill me and make me whole. Take a step of faith today and draw near to Jesus despite whatever circumstances that you may be facing and He will meet you right there, right where you are and our King will make you whole!

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Free Choice

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

Mark 1:43-45

Jesus spoke to the man He had just cured of leprosy, telling him to keep the miracle quiet and instead to just offer sacrifices to God and to show himself to the priest in order that He could prove through these sacrifices that the healing was real and was from God and that Jesus respected the law. Instead of obeying, this man chose to do the exact opposite of what Jesus had told Him to do and as a result, Jesus was forced to withdraw from Galilee because of His growing popularity and the opposition that He was facing from the Jewish leaders. It saddens my heart to read here of how Jesus was now required to “stay outside in lonely places”. The fact of the matter is that we live in a fallen world where sin abounds and where people who have been given the blessing of “free choice” have made decisions that are apart from God. These decisions to live for “self” rather than to live in accordance with God’s will always cause pain, hurt,emptiness and loneliness as nothing good will come in this life apart from the lordship of your creator. You may ask then why God would create us this way when He knew in advance the problems that would arise out of a heart that has the ability to choose. The answer is simple and quite profound. The answer is that without the ability to choose to love God then our relationship with God would not be genuine and our God is all about authentic love that binds us together with Him for eternity. Be encouraged today as you have a God who can relate to your loneliness and to the scars that you bear as a result of the fallen world here in which we live since He has faced the same pain and loneliness Himself as He came to earth in the flesh and walked in this broken world and eventually gave His life in order to pay the price for sin and to repair your broken relationship with Him. Choose to live your life for Jesus today as true love can only be found in a heart that surrenders to the lordship of Jesus Christ.

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Untouched by Human Hands

Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing”, he said. “Be Clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Mark 1:41-42

Jesus, willing to touch a man whom society had abandoned, so much so that if any man would even lay a hand on this man with leprosy then he would be considered defiled himself. You see, back in these days, leprosy was considered an unclean disease and if you were unlucky enough to be inflicted with it then you were basically an outcast to society. You could no longer worship in the Temple where the Israelites would go to meet God and you were not even allowed in the temple courts as the presence of God was there in some small way as well. So, not only were you a outcast from society but you were totally separated from any worship or interaction with God as a result of your disease. Totally alone, no hope for the future, no communion with God – left to live out the rest of your days as the lowest of the low with no companionship or dignity. I love the words of Jesus here as He is “filled with compassion” while He reaches out and touches this man who had not felt the touch of a human hand and had not had any communion with God for a very long time. There is a lesson to be learned here for all of us who call ourselves Christians and journey to live our lives representing this same Jesus to the broken and lonely world around us. In order to heal this man, Jesus had to reach out and touch Him. He had to touch what the rest of the world considered unclean and even dangerous and self defiling. When God looks down at our world today and sees prostitutes and drug addicts and homosexuals and the homeless and disease ridden hurting people that are all around us His heart breaks and He is filled with compassion and you are His hands and you are His feet that He would want to use you to reach out and touch these broken people with His healing touch of love. Are you willing to share the love of Christ which He has given to you so unconditionally and so undeservedly to the lost and hurting world that is all around you, many of whom are despised and left alone by others. I, for one, am willing – I pray that your response would be the same.

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Freedom; Comfort; Favor

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.”

Mark 1:38

To understand the 4th words spoken here by Jesus as recorded by John Mark, we need to have a look at prophetic words of the prophet Isaiah who is prophesying about Jesus in Isaiah 61:1-3: “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.” In the verses prior to this one in Mark, Jesus had spent some time at the home of Simon and Andrew where the whole town followed Him and waited outside the door for healing of diseases and freedom from demons which Jesus performed later on that evening. The next morning, Jesus went by Himself to a solitary place to pray. After spending some time with God, Jesus decided to leave and go to the nearby villages in order to minister to even more people as He was genuinely focused on the reason that He was here. Indeed, a relationship with Christ will provide freedom from sin and comfort from the Holy Spirit in any circumstance as well as favor from the Lord as you will be reunited with your creator from whom all favor and good things come. However, the practical application of today’s verse is to always stay focused on the reason that you are here as it is easy to get comfortable and to revert back to trusting in your own abilities after the Lord has blessed your life through ministering to other people through His Spirit who is living inside of your heart of hearts. It is easy to sit back and enjoy the new friends that God has given you and the comforts of His love and it is common to even let a little pride slip in as you see His Spirit working in and through your life. I would challenge you today to always be seeking God’s direction and wisdom for what He would want you to do next. We live in a world that is full of brokenhearted people who are begging for healing and freedom and favor that comes from a relationship with Jesus and you are the hands and feet of our Savior who wants to use you in a new way today in order that His splendor can be displayed in and through your life to someone new who desperately needs the healing touch of Jesus. Step out of your comfort zone today in order that more people would see and know our Lord and Savior who has set your heart free!

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Jesus Speaks to the Enemy

“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”

Mark 1:25

You're having a great day; you're walking in the Spirit; God is using you in the lives of others; you have peace and joy and hope for the future when suddenly, you are tempted to do something that you know will only separate you from God’s love and leave you feeling guilty and shameful – why? What happened? Please remember as you journey through this life with Christ that you are being opposed! You do have an enemy that will take every chance that he can to exploit the weak areas of your heart that have been damaged through time as a result of this fallen world. Jesus addresses the enemy here in the third time that he spoke as recorded by the Apostle John Mark. Jesus drives out an evil spirit who is taunting Him and His ministry. As we see here in this text and example, Jesus has the power to defeat the enemy and it is only as you keep your eyes on Him and let His Spirit fight the battle for you as you stay ever so close to Him in mind and action that you will be successful in avoiding the blows from the enemy whose ultimate goal is to make your life ineffective for the work of Christ. Sure, you will also have times of failure but never forget that God’s grace is big enough to cover any sin that you have committed and that His love will never let you go! Keep your eyes on Jesus today and do not let the enemy distract your focus from living your life for God.

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Call to Discipleship

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mark 1:17

The second words that were spoken by Jesus in the book of Mark, as we read in today’s verse, were a call to discipleship, spoken to Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew. Peter and Andrew were just normal fishermen trying to make an honest living by catching fish and yet there was something about Jesus that would cause them to leave behind everything for which they had worked all of their lives in order to follow Jesus. Well, you know the rest of the story, they became 2 of the first 12 apostles who would be the first great evangelists of all time and would win many people to Christ. Don’t you know that you are God’s disciple today if you have indeed accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? You are His hands and feet and the vehicle that He wants to use in order to show the rest of the world who don’t know Him yet that he is real and that he is alive and that he died a horrible death on a cross in order to reconcile them with the God of this world who created them for a love relationship with Him that has no boundaries and that will last for all eternity. Today, God is calling you to be a fisher of men. He wants you to follow Him so closely that His love would become such a huge part of who you are that it would overflow from your heart onto a world that is in desperate need of the unconditional, restoring and healing love of Jesus that will help them find what their heart has been longing for. Be a fisher of men today; ask God to use you in the lives of other people and just watch what He will do through a heart that longs to serve and live for Him!

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Repent and Believe

“The time has come”, he said. “The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good

news!”

Mark 1:15

Today is the start a new daily devotional study by having a look at the words of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels. We will start with the Gospel of Mark for no other reason than that is what caught my eye this morning. It is interesting to me that the very first words that are recorded by the author John Mark speak of repentance and belief. In today’s world of political correctness and social sensitivity, it is rare to even hear the word “repent” from the pulpit of a church. The word “repent” means to “turn”. To first believe that Jesus is the one and only answer to reconnect you with your creator and then to “turn” from living this life for yourself and by yourself and to start living your life with Christ and for Christ as His Holy Spirit lives through you to make this all possible. To repent is to give God control of the helm; to let His divine presence in your life be the filter through which all of your decisions and actions and thoughts are guided. To “believe” is to seek His forgiveness and accept His sacrifice and to repent is to allow His love to flow in and through your life in such a way that you can’t help but surrender to His lordship for your longing for communion with God and for His love and companionship will have finally been met and your desire to know Him more will grow exponentially as you journey in this life which will end in fullness and completeness in Christ and with God, forever. The first words of Jesus are a call to action. Repent and believe in Him today and your life will indeed never be the same.

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