Posted by Charlie on Oct 31, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 22; Mark 7, 8
Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”
Mark 8:14-21
Observation
Jesus has now fed the multitude twice, with the disciples being the agents of passing out the manna. Yet when they forget to bring bread in the boat they default back to a scarcity mentality. Jesus, understandably, is incredulous.
Application
It’s easy to look at the disciples and shake my head, but do I not do the same thing? It is so easy to shrink God down to my little tiny box, and not understand who he really is in my life, just as the disciples did with Jesus.
Prayer
Father, today please expand my understanding of who you are, and grant that I might grow in my faith for your life, provision, and the expansion of your kingdom in and through me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: faith
Posted by Charlie on Oct 30, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 21; Mark 5, 6
And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Mark 6:43-44
Observation
How big is a basket? Today we have everything from giant firewood baskets to tiny decorative mini-baskets, and everything in between, but how big was a basket in the account of the feeding of the five thousand? The word used in the passage refers to either wicker food baskets (think grocery store baskets), or the large baskets Roman soldiers used to carry their supplies, which means that in any case the baskets were larger than a loaf of bread. It doesn’t take a degree in math to figure out that if you start with five loaves and two small fish and end up with twelve baskets of leftovers that there was more left when the feeding of the five thousand finished than there was when it began.
Chapters 5 and 6 are awe-inspiring to say the least. Chapter 5 demonstrates Jesus’ power and authority over demons, disease, and even death, and then chapter 6 goes on to demonstrate his mastery over creation itself.
Application
Perhaps the most telling sentence in the entirety of these two chapters is that in his home town he was not able to do any mighty work because of their unbelief. Jesus is not limited by anything in my life except by the quality and level of my faith. The disciples were slow to catch on, and that was okay because they were willing to trust Jesus with everything. I don’t have to perfectly understand everything, but I need to be willing to see Jesus for who he is in reality.* He’s the same yesterday, today, and forever, which means that he can take my five loaves and two fish, feed a multitude, and still leave me with more than when I started.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I look to you today as Creator, Deliverer, Healer, and Lord over death and hell. Please help me stay near you in all I think and do, and grant that your kingdom would expand because you are with me. Amen!
*Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, does not go away.
Tags: faith
Posted by Charlie on Oct 29, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 20; Mark 3, 4
And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”
Mark 4:30-32
Observation
I think in our post-modern America it is easy for us to fall prey to the feeling that the church is doomed to shrinking influence and marginalization. According to Jesus, however, the influence of the true kingdom of God has just the opposite effect. Instead of moving from a history of influence to marginalization, the true kingdom is like a mustard seed that gets planted and then grows in its reach and influence until it is rooted and sturdy.
Application
The real question, then, is what is necessary for the true seeds of God’s kingdom to take root? Often today’s Evangelical church falls into the trap of attempting to establish God’s reign in the world through kingdom-of-the-world kinds of methods, but that was never the way Jesus or the Apostles operated. Instead, the power of the gospel touched individual lives to the core, and the change that resulted left person after person forever changed. Out of that powerful influence of the transforming power of Christ the world was turned upside down.
The key is to live in a way that invites God’s presence and power on a daily basis. The gospel and the kingdom it represents have never changed, and still pack the power of a mustard seed for the transformation of the world.
Prayer
Father, please forgive my tendency to marginalize your place in my life day by day. I pray that you would grant me an undivided heart to follow you and the grace to abide in your presence at all times. Then I pray that my life would be the means of sowing much kingdom seed in the lives of the people I encounter. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: gospel, influence, kingdom, seed
Posted by Charlie on Oct 28, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 19; Mark 1, 2
He went out again beside the sea, and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.
Mark 2:13-14
Observation
Mark presents a rapid fire, staccato account of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and I’m taken all over again by how scandalous it is. Matthew, as a Jewish collector of Roman taxes, was persona non grata to the respectable among his countrymen, but Jesus saw something in him that others did not. To make matters worse, Jesus then went to Matthew’s home and ate and drank with his friends, who, by Mark’s account, were also less than respectable, and it was all done if full view of the Pharisees, the respectable religious people of his day.
Application
Jesus had eyes to see the heart, and he was willing to reach out to people the religious folks around him looked down on. In the end, those ragtag sinners and publicans turned the world upside down and made it possible for me to be in right relationship with God.
Who might I pass over today because I wasn’t willing to look past the outer appearance into the heart?
Prayer
Father, please help me see people the way you see them. Like Jesus, please give me the ability to be an influence for your kingdom in the place you have planted me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: heart, scandal
Posted by Charlie on Oct 27, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 18; Psalm 114; Acts 27, 28
“Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Acts 28:28
Observation
Upon his arrival in Rome, Paul called for the local Jewish leaders and spent a full day expounding from the Law of Moses and the prophets regarding faith in Jesus Christ. After some believed and some did not, Paul quoted Isaiah 6 saying that this people’s ears and eyes have grown dull, and then he makes the statement quoted above, “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”
Application
First, I am forever grateful that God sent the message of salvation to the gentiles, because had he not, I would be a lost soul. But beyond that, Paul asserts that the gospel has been “sent” to the gentiles. The word in Greek is apostello, which speaks of something that is commissioned—specifically intended for someone. Paul is declaring that the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been specifically appointed by God to be received by the entire world, and that has never changed. Not all will receive it, but the message has power and needs to be proclaimed clearly and respectfully.
Prayer
Father, please help me to see where you are at work today, and grant me the boldness to be an effective witness to the gospel. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: gentiles, gospel
Posted by Charlie on Oct 20, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 6, 7, 8; Acts 12
“Why do you not pardon my transgression
and take away my iniquity?
For now I shall lie in the earth;
you will seek me, but I shall not be.”
Job 7:21
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also.
Acts 12:1-3
Observation
Today Job and Acts both illustrate the age-old question of why God allows good and evil to coexist in his creation. Job is obviously the biblical primer on suffering, but the arrests of James and Peter bring a new covenant perspective to the fact that the church age doesn’t bring resolution to the problem of good people suffering the effects of evil.
The question I’ve always grappled with in this passage is why God allowed James to be slain with the sword, but sent an angel to miraculously deliver Peter from the hand of Herod. True, there was an earnest prayer meeting on Peter’s behalf, but I can’t imagine this dedicated group of believers not doing the same for James. I don’t accept the silence of the passage on the matter to be evidence of prayerlessness.
Application
There are certain aspects of living as a Christian that simply require the faith to live with the mystery. The earth has been a spiritual war zone since the fall, and until God wraps up this age, it will continue to be a spiritual war zone. There are no guarantees of immunity from the effects of evil in the world, as Acts clearly proclaims. The key is to keep my eyes on Jesus, and to stay in tight relationship with him, pressing through whatever crowds around to make sure I touch the hem of his robe daily.
Prayer
Jesus, please grant that I might touch you today. I know that I am secure in you regardless of what happens in this world. Please be with me today, amen.
Tags: evil, spiritual warfare, trials
Posted by Charlie on Oct 19, 2009 in
Devotions Job 5; Psalms 108; Acts 10, 11
Now the apostles and the brothers[a] who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, “You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them.”
Acts 11:1-3
Observation
God is constantly at work in the establishment of his kingdom purposes on the earth. From eternity past his design was to bless all nations through the descendants of Abraham. Even though this truth was loudly proclaimed throughout the Hebrew scriptures, it wasn’t on anyone’s radar screen for the first ten or so years of the fledgling church.
When Peter responded to God’s leading and preached to the gentiles, God backed up his call with signs and wonders. Still, it took some patient persuasion to convince the leaders of the church in Jerusalem that what happened was not only okay, but was God’s best intention.
Application
If Peter had not responded obediently to God’s leading, I wouldn’t be here today as a believer, and the church would have been a sect lost in obscurity.
What is God doing in Portland right now? Who has he called that will not be with me in eternity if I do not respond in obedience like Peter?
Prayer
Dear God, please open my eyes to see the harvest and grant your hand to be with me as I reach out to those who need you. Please give grace to those who, like the circumcision party in Jerusalem, won’t be on board with the fact that you’re moving in areas that may end up outside our comfort zone. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: mission
Posted by Charlie on Oct 18, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 3, 4; Acts 8, 9
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
Acts 8:4-8
Observation
Acts 5 reveals that many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. In Acts 8 Philip the Evangelist, who was not an apostle but an ordained deacon, goes to Samaria, and many signs and wonders accompany his visit as well.
Application
I know beyond a doubt there are parts of the world where signs and wonders are still normative. I think part of the key to seeing God move in tangible and dramatic ways as his people proclaim his kingship in the world is to be a people of his presence. I can start each day by doing the things I know that by definition involve his being present, such as praying in my spiritual language. I can also set aside short times of reflection and focus during the day so that I am staying on track with who God is and what he is saying. Then I think I’ll stand a better chance of reflecting the apostle’s prayer in Acts 5: “…to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
Prayer
Father, please guide me in your ways today and grant that I might live as a man of your presence. Go before me today and let me be with you in all I do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: presence, Signs & Wonders
Posted by Charlie on Oct 17, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Job 1, 2; Acts 6, 7
Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law….
Acts 6:11-13
Observation
There is a stream of American theology that seems to think that if I say the right things and push the right spiritual buttons I will have a life of blessing. Apparently no one informed the early church about this. Stephen is just one example of the bold proclamation of the gospel stirring up a deadly hornet’s nest. Paul, James, and nearly all the other apostles are ample evidence that living for Jesus doesn’t always fly well in the eyes of the world.
Application
The question, then, is, how is that reality going to impact my willingness to live boldly for God? Righteousness sometimes results in trials, whether I consider the life of Job or the life of Stephen. Yet those trials, even when fatal, lay the groundwork for God’s kingdom to expand, and I have to take it on faith that the investment will yield eternal benefits for myself and those I impact.
Prayer
Father, please help me to live boldly for you, regardless of the cost. Please empower my life by your Spirit, and grant that your kingdom be established where I am day by day (your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven).
Tags: righteousness, suffering
Posted by Charlie on Oct 13, 2009 in
Devotions Scripture: Acts 1, 2
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Acts 1:14
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:1-2
Observation
One notable feature of the birth of the church is the unity of the believers. With one accord they devoted themselves to prayer, and they were all together on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit made his entrance.
Application
Devotion requires intentionality. This past week I’ve been out of town, and, while I’ve been good about keeping up with my reading, my journaling has fallen off. When I actually do the journaling I get more out of the reading. Imagine that. I guess the required devotion is why they call it, well, devotions.
Unity requires intentionality as well. We’re in the initial stages of our small group, getting to know each other as we set of on the journey of intentional discipleship. Christian community will take time to develop, but it becomes the place where God’s grace manifests. It’s worth the effort.
Prayer
Father, I need to get back on trace with my discipline of journaling. Please help me to be intentional about the things that matter to you today. And please be in the midst of our groups at Eastside. Pour out your Spirit upon us again, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Tags: devotion, unity
