Psalm 23:1-3 - May 29, 2010

Ps. 23:1-3 "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake" NIV

Psalm 23 is a portrait of a satisfied life! David is living in a place of great contentment that flows out of his personal relationship with the living God. “The Lord is my shepherd,” this is who God has become to David, the one who leads and guides and protects. Can you imagine being free from want? There is great power in this phrase. James reflects on the nature of want in James 4:1-2 “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight.” Unfulfilled selfish desires are the cause of most of the conflicts and dissatisfactions that damage and destroy not only our circle of relationships but even our own inner peace. David is presenting to all who will listen the hope of a life that is satisfied through surrender to the divine oversight of a loving God.

In his fathering relationship with Timothy Paul shares one of the great secrets of life, 1 Ti. 6:6 “… godliness with contentment is great gain.” The word of God consistently offers to us the source of true peace and contentment in life… intimacy with God. So much of the anxiety and stress that we face is in the pursuit of those things that don’t ultimately matter. David has learned the power of following the voice of his shepherd, the Lord. Jesus offers us insight into the nature of this relationship very simply by saying, John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” True satisfaction in life flows out of two simple principles: listening for his voice and following his lead.

What is truly powerful in David’s words is to notice that the focus of his satisfaction is not primarily on material things. All of his contentment flows out of following. He walks right into a satisfied life! Everything about the next phrase of this psalm speaks of living in a place of inner rest. “He makes me lie down in green pastures…” What a picture of abundance without obsession or greed. So many of us have an inclination towards hoarding; fear that what God has provided today he may not provide tomorrow and so when blessing comes we are compelled to drive ourselves to accumulate more and more. Prosperity is a good thing. It is a tool of the kingdom of God, but God’s desire is that even in the abundant times we are able to still enter into rest in the inner man and not live driven by the stress and pressure created by excessive business. David understood that the Lord’s leading always brought him ultimately to a place of rest. “He leads me beside quiet waters…” The shepherd of our lives will always seek to bring us to the place of quietness where we can receive living waters from his Spirit as we listen quietly for his voice.

“He restores my soul!” This is true satisfaction. This is true contentment. The good shepherd is ever seeking to restore the inner life of each one of his sheep. His desire is to restore health to your mind, will and emotions and He does this in the life of all of those who will listen and follow. He leads us into rest and quiets our hearts before the stillness of his presence and his voice. From this place he guides our lives in paths of peace. A truly satisfied life is the fruit of a heart that has found what Paul describes in Col 3:15 “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” Today make it your goal to listen and follow. As you do, the peace of Christ will guard you and rule in you. Apply these principles with thanksgiving and your life will never be the same.

Mark 8:17-21 - May 28, 2010

Mark 8:17- 21 “Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? And don't you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" "Twelve," they replied. 20 "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?" They answered, "Seven." 21 He said to them, "Do you still not understand?" NIV

One thing is certain about Jesus He did not have any difficulty being direct when He chose to! This passage is not really focused on bread it is focused on having a hard heart! Many people get caught up with considering the miracles of the bread and what they state about Jesus but the point of Jesus’ commentary is His amazement that the disciples could see so much and understand so little!

Jesus is instructing His disciples about the need to protect their hearts from the corrupting influence of the Pharisees’ way of thinking. He has related it to the influence of leaven and as a result His disciples are now focused on their own mistake in forgetting to bring along the leftovers. How like us this seems to be. At times it is very comforting to see that the disciples struggled with the same issues that many of us struggle with 2000 years later. As Jesus begins to teach them, their discussion quickly turns to the question of whether this instruction is being given because of their failure to bring the remaining bread from His list miracle. Instead of seeing the point, their eyes are focused on their failure even though Jesus has moved on and is trying to teach them a different lesson already. How often do we do the same thing, carrying the weight of our self-chastisement along with us even though the Lord has already moved on to the next subject; His efforts to instruct us being blocked by our own sense of prolonged guilt!?

Jesus’ reaction is fascinating, much like a perturbed teacher who is growing impatient with His student’s failure to understand the material even after such obvious instructions. “Why are you talking about having no bread?” Jesus is trying to change their focus to the real issues but by implication they are still trying to resolve who is going to be blamed for failing to bring the bread along! Jesus wants to teach, we want to find someone to blame!

“Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened?” Jesus is saying “wow guys, you are missing the point entirely!” He then goes on to remind them that He has already multiplied the bread twice so why would He be worried about having enough bread! In other words “let it go guys!” Jesus wastes no time however in identifying the real issues at hand. “Men you have a heart problem!” After all that they have seen they are still thinking wrongly about who God is and how He thinks. That is the grievous nature of this heart issue that Jesus is confronting. Their conclusions in the midst of this exchange are an indictment against God and His character!

These men have witnessed both the generosity and power of God now on multiple occasions and they are still reacting to Jesus’ comments as if somehow they might be in danger of running out of supplies. Haven’t they witnessed enough to know that God is both willing and able to manifest His promises? Jesus is demonstrating what Paul will write in Phil 4:19 a few decades later “my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” KJV Jesus is trying to get these men to guard their hearts and they are busy trying to guard the bread! Now do you see Jesus’ frustration?

God wants your heart. God is jealous for the purity of your inner man. He is longing for you to steward your heart as the foundation of all that you are. In Luke 12:22-26 Jesus emphasized a God confident life to His disciples. "…Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” God’s part is to provide. Our part is to offer Him a heart that is trained in righteousness. Let’s do our part and rest in God for everything else!

Psalm 12:6 - May 27, 2010

Ps 12:6 "And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace of clay, purified seven times." NIV

Oh, the glory of the word of the Lord! Flawless, powerful, pure, living and active, how awesome are the words of the Lord! The image of highly refined sliver is such a stunning portrait of the magnitude of the word of God. This image of silver purified seven times reflects the absolute purity of God’s word. The refining process represented here results in an agitation of the silver as the dross is purged from it. The conclusion of this refining process is evidenced by the molten silver coming to a place of “perfect stillness”. What an image of the Word of God. It is so pure that it has come to the place of perfect stability, perfect stillness, no imperfections and in the same way it imparts this stillness and stability to those who partake of it.

Oh, how wonderful the Word of God. Paul encourages his disciple Timothy to be, “nourished in the words of the faith,” ASV 1 Tim 4:5. As we practice these words of Paul by practicing Col 3:16 that instructs us to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” NIV The indwelling of a rich deposit of God’s Word will bring us to the place of stillness in the inner man that is like silver refined in the fire.

Heb 4:12 tells us that “the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and quick to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart” ASV. The Word of God is alive! This is the source of its transforming power, its impact upon the human heart. It is actively working to produce the image of Christ within the life of those who read it through the work of imparting faith into our soul and spirit. The above passage instructs us as to what our expectation should be concerning the Word of God. It is sharp, it is actively working to divide soul and spirit within us. This means that one of the primary works of the Word is to identify within the life of the believer those thoughts that come from the spirit and those impulses and impressions that are rooted in the soulish nature which is being crucified with Christ. Its purpose is to train us to discern the thoughts and intents of our own heart so that in all things we may choose that which reflects the image of the living God.

Psalm 37:30-31 - May 26, 2010

Ps 37:30-31 "The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip." NIV

What we believe finds its expression in our conversation. What we value is what we speak about. In Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” Each person has accumulated an abundance of ideas and beliefs in the very center of their being. The beliefs that flow out of how we have responded to our pain, the truths or lies that we have embraced as we have interpreted the events of our lives and things that we have chosen to place value on have all shaped every person to be who they are. Many people are simply a reflection of a series of passive responses to input. We have interpreted life the best we could based on the input we have received either right or wrong for understanding life and its events. The problem is that in many cases a significant portion of the information that we have used to find peace and interpret events has been based on lies. One man justifies the mistreatment he has received by saying to himself “I am unworthy of love.” Another man justifies his mistreatment of others by saying, “I was treated poorly by others therefore I am justified in treating others poorly.” This kind of thinking extends into all forms of wrong conclusions and ungodly beliefs. And out of these conclusions and beliefs our life is shaped and formed.

Prov 18:21 teaches us that “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” The general principle operates in this manner: what we believe we speak, what we speak, we become. Our confession shapes us and our testimony reflects how we have interpreted our life’s experience. Two men have the same experience and for one it is the path of learned wisdom, for another it is the focal point of pain and a negative outlook. What is the difference; the lens through which we have interpreted our experiences.

The scriptures were intended to be the tool that we use to interpret life’s events. Within its pages there is a treasure of wisdom and understanding for building our values system and our philosophy for how we will respond to and interpret life. The life of Christ and his many teachings were given from the Father not just to provide salvation but to provide for us a living representation of God’s values and as a visible example of how to respond to life’s events both good and bad. There is much revelation about life that is revealed to the heart when that man walks uprightly. When our hearts have been formed by building them upon the word of God wisdom and revelation about life have access to our hearts. However, if we have never received the word of God into our hearts as the primary building block for our view of life and its journey then in many cases we will form ungodly beliefs within ourselves that poison us and distort what we believe and how we respond to the people and events that take place around us.

David’s exhortation in Psalm 37:30-31 is that the righteous man will speak wisdom and conclusions that are just. His message to us is that it is the word of God that is the source of this wisdom and this just interpretation of life. God desires to shape us through the implanting of the Word of God. David’s promise to us through these verses is that the life that is built on the Word of God will be a life that does not slip, a life that is stable and sure footed. Too many of us are overcome by the events of life rather than living as those who “overcome evil with good” as the word of God encourages us that we can. When our lives are touched by the challenges that all men face the knowledge of the word of God gives us a powerful weapon to speak into our own hearts and the hearts of others to build us up and keep our spirits pure and free from the stain of ungodly beliefs. There are two ways to interpret every event that touches our lives. One interpretation, that which comes from the scriptures, leads us to life and peace and makes us wise for helping others. The other carries with it the seeds of death as our hearts are formed around a wrong understanding that in time will produce death and pain. It is our responsibility to search out the counsel of the scriptures and form a godly interpretation of every life situation. If we do this we will build for ourselves a life that can stand the trials of the day with peace and joy. When I know that God is working in me in the midst of every circumstance it becomes an anchor for my heart!

Mark 8:1-10 - May 24, 2010

Mark 8:1- 10 “During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, 2 "I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance." 4 His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" 5 "How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. 7 They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. 8 The people ate and were satisfied. Afterward the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 9 About four thousand men were present. And having sent them away, 10 he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha.”

Throughout the life of Jesus He was noted for performing many mighty miracles. He performed miracles of healing and deliverance, and miracles that transcended nature. In the case of physical healings and deliverance He repeatedly raised the dead, caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear and the lame to walk but. He also consistently displayed His authority over the demonic realms by setting people from oppressive spirits that were binding them. However, in the case of miracles over nature it was not His pattern to repeat any of His miraculous feats. Only once did He walk on water. He did not repeat turning water into wine. Nor did He display His transformed, glorified body to His disciples more than one time. There was only one coin in the mouth of a fish.

There were only two instances where Jesus performed miracles over nature more than one time. In Lu. 5 and Jn. 21 Jesus duplicated the miracle of providing a great catch of fish. And in Mk. 6 and Mk. 8 Jesus replicates the miracle of multiplying the bread. This pattern provokes me to ask the question, why these two subjects for a miracle? What can be learned from the Lord’s choice to repeat these miracles and not the others? As we ponder these miracles for a moment consider a key phrase in verse 2 “I have compassion on these people.” The first lesson of these two miracles is that they were miracles driven by the compassion of Jesus. In this passage He sees the hunger and weariness of the crowds that have been gathered for three days already to learn from Him. As a result His compassion moves Him to become their provider. In the case of the great catch of fish, though it is not outwardly stated, Jesus feels the pain of His disciples who have experienced the tragedy of the cross and the loss of their friend and leader. As He looks upon their pain His desire to comfort His servants is manifest in revealing Himself to them by repeating one of the earliest miracles He had performed in their presence as a sign to them that it was indeed Him risen from the dead. One simple message of this pattern is clear miracles flow out of moving the heart of Jesus!

A second lesson that can be learned from this passage is that the miracles that were the most commonly repeated in regard to the material realms were the practical miracles. Miracles such as walking on water, being transformed in front of Peter, James and John and turning water into wine were miracles that demonstrated His power and glory but served no real practical purpose. They were miracles that showed forth His glory. The miracles of provision were practical miracles; miracles that fed people and met needs.

An additional lesson that seems to be conveyed through this miracle is directly related to the nature of the miracle. Though this principle should not be clung to in such a way that limits God, it is worth noting that this miracle had greater resource to start with and a lesser degree of intensity. This time there were only 4000 men and yet they possessed seven loaves and two small fishes. In the previous miracle with the bread there were 5000 men, five loaves and two fish. In the previous case they had a small resource base and a larger need, yet Jesus provided for all. It is also worth noted that in the first miracle using the bread they picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. In the second miracle there were only seven baskets full of leftovers. Perhaps we should learn from this the truth that the greater the need, the greater the demand that is placed upon God’s Spirit and provision, the greater the outpouring of God’s abundant supply. God responds to need. God responds to the heart of faith that taps into His divine supply. I am sure that there is much more to learn from these passages but these simple truths are a great starting place for building up a heart of faith!

Mark 7:36-37 - May 23, 2010

Mark 7:36-37 “Jesus commanded them not to tell anyone. But the more he did so, the more they kept talking about it. 37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. "He has done everything well," they said. "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."

Does your life give people something to talk about? The life of Jesus was remarkable for its miracles, its wisdom, its character and its courage. He spoke the truth in love. He had compassion on the broken, the sinful and the hurting. He took time for the children and He silenced the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. These two verses that end Mark chapter seven paint a powerful picture of public perception of this season in the life and ministry of Jesus.

“He has done everything well.” These words leave a deep imprint on our understanding of Jesus and His ministry. The crowds that gathered to witness His miracles and learn from His wisdom developed a perspective about His life that was intensely positive and broadly expressed. Verse 37 encapsulates the overall crowd response to Jesus and His ministry by saying “people were overwhelmed with amazement.” Thousands of people were swayed by what they saw and heard whenever Jesus was around. And yet one of the most fascinating characteristics of Jesus’ ministry was that after some of His greatest miracles the scriptures report that He “commanded them not to tell anyone.” What a ministry philosophy? What a contradiction to today’s typical ministry mindset. In today’s western church culture most ministries that began to experience significant signs and wonders flowing would immediately post U Tube videos, send out mailings and promote, promote, promote. Not Jesus. In fact He did the opposite. He tried to restrain their zeal but this was not to be. The more He sought to limit the hype, the crowd buzz, the more the people talked. With every miracle the noise about Jesus during this season grew louder and louder.

People are compelled to talk about the things that are truly amazing and inspiring in this life. People are looking for something to give them hope. And this passage is a great image of the power of good news! People are hungry for something to believe in, someone to believe in. The great difference between Jesus and the typical ministry of today is that no matter what people said, there was always more substance to Jesus than any testimony could state. There was never a hype that was far beyond the truth of who He was. The substance was always greater than the story. Too many churches and ministries today approach their function from the opposite end of the spectrum.

Is the well deeper than the rope is long!? Is the supply greater than the demand? Jesus always had more substance than He was credited for. Yet too many ministries today focus on building an image that they can never really live up too or are barely qualified to support. Jesus demonstrated an understated glory that always exceeded people’s expectations if they were Godly expectations. Let the church of today be the same. May we put aside hype and marketing and build lives and ministries that are deeper and richer than the public will ever know. When Jesus was transformed in His glory it was for a select few who were then told “don’t tell anyone.” When He healed the mute He asked people to restrain themselves. Jesus demonstrated a shining reflection of Pr. 27:2 that states “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth.” May we learn this lesson and build lives, businesses and ministries that are richer in substance than the gloss of our reputation can reflect.