Psalm 39:1-3 - May 1, 2010

Ps 39:1-3 For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

I said, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence." 2 But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased. 3 My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

Are your words burning with fire!? What truly set David apart was the power of his words. The psalms of David have set the world on fire for living a life of worship. But where did this fire come from? Words on fire come from a heart on fire! David’s burning heart was a reflection of his personal decisions. David was determined to watch both his words and his ways. One of the greatest secrets to having powerful speech is to only speak that which is worth saying. James teaches the church to be slow to speak, slow to anger and quick to listen. When we are not careless with our words and that which we speak is flowing out of a heart that is living purposefully before God there is a power that flows from within to the hearts of the hearers.

Jesus spoke in such a way that the people had never heard anything like it before. Mark 1:22 records the impact of Jesus words on his listeners, “they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority…” Later after the resurrection after he had visited his disciples as they walked along the road in Luke 24:32 they are remembered for saying, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” Their hearts were impacted by the living words that flowed out of Jesus.

So where does this inner fire come from? David gives us a glimpse into the combustion point of his life. His heart was compelled by the contrast between the glory of God that he knew in God’s presence and the broken condition of the world around him. In silence and stillness his anguish grew… that is the burden that lies behind true passion. If our hearts have not been burdened for change we will not speak with a passion that is real. His heart grew hot as he waited in stillness before the Lord. In the place of meditation before the Lord the fire within him grew. Oh, that the church will get before God until we are burning, that we will be silent long enough to catch the burden of God and the flame of His passion.

Jesus enlarges this understanding of empowered speech throughout his teachings. In John 6:63 Jesus explains the impact of the Holy Spirit on his words when he says, “It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Jesus went into the presence of God and developed his relationship with the Holy Spirit. He lived and spoke from a place of dependence on the Father’s direction. In Jn. 8:28 he says, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things,” and again in verse 38 He declares “I speak that which I have seen with my Father.” It is time for us to go deep. It is time for us to live dependent. It is time for us to live for the will of the Father and then our words will burn like the words of Christ, imprinting heaven upon the hearts of those who hear!

Psalm 69:8-9 - April 30, 2010

Ps 69:8-9 "I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother's sons; 9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me." NIV

Passion for Jesus is the great dividing line in this life. What are you passionate about? What makes your heart burn? It is passion that separates mediocrity from a life of excellence, a life of vision. The Psalmist is speaking with a prophetic spirit in this passage as he speaks of his own zeal but is announcing the fire that would burn within the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ. After driving the money changers out of the temple Jesus’ disciples remembered this verse as a prophetic statement about the passion that would drive the Messiah. This image of the fiery hearted savior burning with holy offense at the hypocrisy that was polluting the temple through the actions of the money changers surfaces another significant principle of rightly directed zeal. “The things that offend you are a reflection of what you are truly zealous about!” If the condition of the poor offends you, it is a token of your heart values. If the state of the church or the typical family is a burden to your spirit then that is where your zeal is centered. The common problem arises however when we discover that most people are not offended by such noble issues. True zeal is reflected by offense at the unjust or unholy conditions affecting the world around us that move our hearts to action, but many people carry little zeal for such issues. Their offense is primarily self centered not other centered and most often flows out of self-indulgent desires that others fail to provide for them; simply wanting and not getting! Paul lifts our eyes to a higher standard in Rom 12:11 as he challenges us to “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

The Lord was not understood by the members of his own household for a significant portion of His earthly ministry and much of this revolved around their perspectives in this very area. At one point his passion marked him so completely in the minds of his relatives that they considered the possibility that he had gone mad! At still another point of diverging from the common understanding of ministry found in John chapter seven his brothers are confused by his unwillingness to go and present himself publicly at the feast. Their concept of self-promotion was in direct conflict to the values system that lay behind Jesus’ zeal. His only ambition to be known was in context of the will of God. He was unwilling to “push” himself to the top of the pile using his great oratory skills and miraculous power. He was fully submitted to the will of the father in both destination and timing! His burning heart and surrendered agenda set Him apart in his own generation and for all generations to come.

How has your passion marked you in this life!? Are you living in a way that sets you apart from the crowd? We are called to be leaders in life! It is God’s desire to fill our hearts with a vision of Him that so compels us to live with a whole heart that we become an example to all of those who would be drawn to the fire that pours from our hearts. A life lived with passion causes people to have to make choices. The more completely we live for the high calling of God the more we become a sign post for the values and heart of God and others are faced with a direct revelation of the blemishes that mark both heart and mind in comparison to the purity of the Lord that is our standard and our goal!

Mark 6:47-52 - April 29, 2010

Mark 6:47-52 “When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, 50 because they all saw him and were terrified." NIV

Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 51 Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed, 52 for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.”

“You go on ahead… I’ll catch up!” This concept takes on a whole new meaning when Jesus comes walking on the water to them as they struggle at the oars of their boat! Jesus has sent the disciples on ahead so that He can have some time to pray. It is late at night which means He has been deep in an extended prayer time. In this place of prayer Jesus sees the struggle of His disciples. This had to be a spiritually inspired vision not natural sight due to the fact that it was so late at night and by this time the disciples would have been too far out on the lake to see their struggles in the dark of night.

Seeing their struggle Jesus is inspired to go to them. The miracle is that He does so using no boat! Jesus merely walks on the water and goes out to see His disciples. All of these happenings are very mystical and moving. The response of the disciples to seeing Jesus approach them walking on the water is distinct as at first they are not certain if this is a real person coming near or some kind of ghost or spirit. They are not just afraid… verse fifty says that they are terrified. Imagine how intense this experience must have been to leave a boat load of experienced, seasoned men terrified! A simple greeting is not enough in this instance. Jesus’ first words to His disciples are “take courage!” It is really me!

Imagine the swirl of energy and fear that must have filled that boat as the disciples go from terrified one moment to hearing the voice of Jesus the next. Then we know from the other gospels that Peter walks on water with Him for a few moments and then next Jesus climbs in the boat with them as if nothing of significance has happened and then suddenly the wind stops and the waters grow calm. These events don’t even need background music to create one of the most dramatic scenes in the bible!

All that has transpired in these few verses is thought provoking and yet the next one and a half verses contain the most fascinating statement in association with these events. Verse fifty-one ends with the phrase “they were completely amazed…” a seemingly understandable state of mind and yet verse fifty-two is almost chastising in its tone as the author of the gospel states “for they had not understood about the loaves.” The implication is that had they understood the miracle of the bread they would not have been amazed at this miracle of walking on water. Through this the author implies a clear connection between the two miracles. Multiplied bread – walking on the water – what is the connection! Dominion and authority! Jesus has demonstrated that He has all authority over the material realms. There is no limit to His rule! Water into wine… of course, bread and fish multiplied, no problem, speak to the waves and they stop, sure thing, walk on the water gladly! Jesus said in Matt 28:18 "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus has demonstrated throughout the course of their years with Him that His authority extends to the realms of sickness and death, creative miracles, dominion over nature and more. Their lack of full recognition of this is at times startling to Jesus as He questions why they still lack faith. What could be the reason for all this struggle to comprehend and believe? The answer is short and painful. Verse fifty-two states simply “because their hearts were hardened.” The problem is not a problem of information. It is a heart problem. Even after all that they have seen and done with the Lord their hearts are still hard. “Oh God change our hearts,” for we also have this condition. The church is desperately needing a people to arise who have hearts that believe, hearts that are tender to God and full of faith. Lord give us this kind of heart!

Mark 6:45-46 - April 28, 2010

Mark 6:45-46 “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. 46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.” NIV

The story that is related in this passage is fascinating in its sense of immediacy. There seems to be an emphasis on the fact that Jesus wasted little or no time in concluding this miraculous event that has just taken place. Jesus had been teaching the crowd for an extended period of time and as the day is getting late he performs a miracle of multiplication by creating enough food to feed the thousands gathered from five loaves of bread and two small fish. Verse 45 emphasizes the fact that very shortly after finishing this act of feeding the multitudes Jesus sends his disciples off in the boat as He prepares to send the crowds away.

These two verses are fascinating for the many questions that they raise. Why did Jesus do this quickly? Evidently Jesus wanted to encourage His disciples to get on their way across the water before it got too late in the evening since the trip across the water was a long one. It is also thought provoking to consider why Jesus left Himself in a position to have to deal with a crowd of many thousands by Himself? He has sent His team of workers and leaders off ahead in the boats and now must tell thousands of people “it’s time for you to leave!” Have you ever tried to get the people whom you have just had at your house for a good time to go home!? Even a small crowd is not so easy to dismiss from a social function. How much more a crowd of thousands who have been miraculously fed and seemingly have an unhindered access to Jesus now that His disciples have gone off in the boats?

The fact that this went smoothly is a testimony to the authority of Jesus. With no microphone, no crowd control help, Jesus simply dismisses the crowd and they leave. The same man who has the problem in some places of people pressing in so much that they could almost crush Him now just tells the people to leave and they obey. This tells us something about Jesus. When the crowds were gathered round Jesus to touch Him their proximity was because He wanted them near. In Lu. 4:29-30, when the crowds were against Jesus and wanted to throw Him off of the cliff, they could not. He simply walked right through the crowds. As they were mocking Him on the cross He told them that if He wanted to He could call for legions of angels to deliver Him. Jesus knew the authority that He possessed which made His willingness to accommodate people in their weakness even more amazing.

So what is it that moved Jesus to send away the disciples and dismiss the crowds? It was a longing to pray! Jesus wanted to be alone! This is a powerful image of the priority of Jesus. He had just performed one of the most amazing miracles in recorded history and He doesn’t get in the boat with His disciples to share high-fives as they celebrate the awesomeness of the moment. There was no “way to go Jesus!” taking place. Jesus just wanted to be alone! “Give me time with my Father!” Instead of celebrating the current victory Jesus is already presenting Himself to the Father for the next set of instructions. What a picture of focused obedience. May each one of us learn to live with a humble, focused heart!

Mark 6:38-44 - April 27, 2010

Mark 6:38-44 "How many loaves do you have?" he asked. "Go and see." When they found out, they said, "Five-and two fish." 39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish. 44 The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.” NIV

How many loaves do you have? This is the question that Jesus brings to each one of us. What do you have that Jesus can work with? When He turns to His disciples and tells them that they should feed the large crowd that has gathered He is pushing them beyond both their comfort level and their experience level. He is asking something of them that they have never seen before nor can really comprehend the means that Jesus is about to introduce for meeting the need. As Jesus challenges them with this task He encourages them to “go and see” what they have. In the same way He comes to each of us with callings and tasks that are greater than we could ever undertake on our own and then from that place He says, “go and see” what you have that I can work with.

When the disciples returned from researching what resources were available to them Jesus responds by given them direction, but the direction doesn’t seem to align with the available resources. There are thousands of people and only five loaves of bread and two fish. And yet Jesus encourages the disciples to begin to organize the people as if there were an abundant supply. This principle is a significant dynamic of faith. The word encourages us to prepare for what we expect, not for what we can see! Jesus expected a miracle and so He had His disciples prepare for it so that they would be ready to respond when the Lord poured it out.

Many times Jesus asks us to do the work of preparing the atmosphere without fully disclosing to us the details of how He will move. He looks to us to take what we have and prepare as if it were enough! Abraham prepared his son as an offering and then at the last moment God provided a ram. In 2 Ki. 3:16 he Israelites were told to dig the valley full of ditches when there was no sign of rain. They were told that they would not see wind or rain (the usual means of provision that they were used to), and yet the valley would soon be full of water. The very next morning the Lord sent a flash flood into the valley and the ditches retained sufficient water to meet the needs of the people and their animals. What if the Israelites would have delayed in unbelief? What if they decided to sleep on the prophetic word and if it felt like a good idea in the morning then they would do something. For them it would have been an opportunity for a miracle that passed them by. Their lack of preparation would have made it impossible to capitalize on the miracle that God had performed. He would have still moved but they would not have been able to capitalize upon what was provided for them.

In the story in Mark 6 the process that Jesus uses is a fascinating glimpse into one of the kingdom means of distribution. The disciples are instructed to organize the people into smaller groups, the Lord performs the miracle of multiplication and then the resources are entrusted into the hands of the apostles for distribution to the people. This process is thought provoking because it is replicated in the life of the early church. The Lord multiplies the provision once again but this time it is through the generous giving of the people of God. But in the same way, the people lay their resources at the feet of the apostles for them to choose the proper means of distribution to the people. This pattern seems to be the way of the kingdom of God. Find faithful men, entrust them with the resources that God has poured out and use them to distribute those resources to the ones who are in need.

Jesus takes the resources that are made available to him and blesses them with thanksgiving to the Lord. He then multiplies them and distributes them to the people through the apostolic leadership. This is the kingdom of God. Bless what you have, don’t curse what you don’t have. Thank the Lord for His provision with an expectation that He will meet every need. And then begin in faith as the Lord gives direction! There are two significant conclusions to this story. The first report of these events contains the sentence, “they all ate and were satisfied.” They did not just receive enough to survive; they ate until they were satisfied! Truly only Jesus can satisfy! The second conclusion to this story is that God did not simply provide enough for the moment. This miracle of God’s provision also released enough resources to care for the disciples for some time. Notice that! The Lord met the needs of the people but also released enough resources to carry the workers for a season. The telling of this story in John 6:12 concludes with one additional glimpse into the heart of Jesus as He provides abundantly for the people. Even though there is such a miraculous, abundant supply, Jesus does not take this for granted and become careless. He final instructions to his disciples as He commands them to gather all of the leftover pieces of food is this, “let nothing be wasted!” Even though there has been an abundant overflow Jesus still relates to this supply with carefulness and frugality! He is always a good steward even in times of abundance!

Psalm 9:7-10 - April 26, 2010

Ps 9:7-10 “The LORD reigns forever; he has established his throne for judgment. 8 He will judge the world in righteousness; he will govern the peoples with justice. 9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10 Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” NIV

As trust is the centerpiece of every healthy relationship, so the character of God is our foundation stone for a trusting relationship with him. God declares himself to be just, and full of wise judgment. Jesus declares in John 5:30 “I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” Because God is not a biased judge but centers his dealings with man firmly on the principles of justice not a self-serving motivation we can live in confidence before him. Not only does our God judge justly but he judges with mercy and comforts us in Ja. 2:13 with the knowledge that mercy triumphs over judgment. What a wonderful truth that our God holds up a righteous standard and then provides the means for meeting the requirements of his justice through the merciful blood of Christ.
The nature of human justice is consistently tempered by personal agendas and limitations but God presents himself to us consistently in a different spirit. When James and John were ready to call down fire on the town that had rejected Jesus in Luke 9:55-56 his response to them was, "You do not know what kind of spirit you are of; 56 for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." God’s primary desire is the redemption of man not the destruction of the wicked and therefore his motive in bringing judgment is not centered driven by a need for revenge or some other human motivation in judgment.
True government was intended to protect and provide for the people and God establishes the fact that in him and through his government we have a place of refuge that we can run to. Because the motives of his rule are entirely pure we can run to him as a stronghold and not fear the abuse of power that comes when the corrupt nature of man is entrusted with too much power. In fact the scriptures present the reality that those who seek God will never be forsaken.

Mark 6:35-37 - April 25, 2010

Mark 6:35-37 “By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. "This is a remote place," they said, "and it's already very late. 36 Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat." 37 But he answered, "You give them something to eat." They said to him, "That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?" NIV

This miraculous story is fascinating for its tensions. Large crowds of people are gathered in a remote place to hear Jesus teach and the hour is getting late. The disciples begin to worry about food for such a large group and encourage Jesus to send them off but Jesus has something else in mind! Jesus is about to communicate a tremendous leadership lesson for his disciples as well as demonstrate His mighty power to the multitudes.

The book of John 6:5 provides some detail to this wonderful story. Jesus sees the crowds and asks His disciple Philip where they will be able to buy enough food for all of these people. The question shocks Philip as he considers the cost of feeding such a large crowd and whether that would be a good use of funds. But Jesus has something else in mind. John tells us that His real goal in asking the question was to test Philip. He was preparing to demonstrate another aspect of His power and so first He chooses to set the stage with Philip by asking this question. John tells us that Jesus already had in mind what He was going to do.

So what are the lessons of this passage? The first one is simple “when Jesus asks you a question, look for a deeper answer than the obvious one!” Many times with the Lord the obvious lesson is not the primary one. In many cases He will also be at work to teach you something deeper or connect you to something that He is doing on a deeper level. The second lesson of this passage comes in the form of resource allocation. The answer that the disciples give in verse 37 questioning whether they should spend that much on one meal makes a statement that they had these resources available. If they were not present then the disciples would have said so. But their response is questioning the decision to spend not concern that there is not enough. This understanding changes the nature of this miracle. Jesus did not simply make a decision to create food during a time of lack. Jesus leaned on God when He could have leaned on man!!!!

There were obviously enough funds that they could have made the purchase. Jesus was able to see beyond what was humanly possible and conceive of something better. We need to learn this valuable lesson. Just because we are humanly able to accomplish something using conventional means doesn’t mean that we should! There are times with the Lord that He desires to demonstrate His power and mercy even though we could do it in our own strength. Perhaps the lack in some areas is because we have used natural resources to accomplish something without consulting God. Perhaps there have been times that because we were able to do something without Him, we failed to receive the provision that He had intended to provide for us if only we had asked in that situation. The lesson of the loaves is also one of recognizing which source to draw from on which occasions. Jesus knew the time for a miracle even though they could have met this need using their regular operating budget.

The third insight from this passage is that when the disciples asked Jesus to do something, His response was a command for them to do something! Many times we forget that most of God’s miracles happen in partnership with US! He seldom works outside of the realms of human partnership. This passage is in many ways a micro-picture of prayer. The disciples turn to Jesus in their own wisdom and ask for Him to do something. He turns to them with divine wisdom and commands them to meet the need without directing them as to how. This engages them in a process of thought, inquiring, research and God directed action that brings about a miracle. The interaction between Jesus and His disciples on the road to this mighty miracle is a revelation of process! Learn not only how to ask from God but how to walk out the answers that He unfolds progressively in your life and you will see much more of the supernatural kingdom of God!