Mark 4:34 He did not speak to them without a parable, but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.
I can only imagine what it must have been like for the disciples to have Jesus explain his parables to them – how often were they surprised? How often did they THINK it meant one thing when it actually meant something entirely different? How often did they recognize others in the initial telling of the parable, yet when Jesus explained it they actually saw themselves?
In my immaturity, I’ve often been quick to see the failures of others spelled out in the parables Jesus told. Earlier in Mark 4 is the familiar story of seed scattered by a farmer and what became of it:
“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” (Mark 4:3-8)
I’ve heard this story since I was a child in Sunday School. We were always taught, and I never doubted, that since we were the one’s sitting in church on Sunday morning, that we were the GOOD soil Christ was talking about. We were the ones growing in Jesus! It was those other people NOT at church that were eaten by the birds, wilted and choked out. But as I’ve gotten older and spent more time with God, as I’ve matured in my relationship with Him, I’ve realized something very disturbing: I’ve not been the fertile soil at all – rather, I’ve allowed thorns to choke out my commitment to Christ for far too long, and I’m not alone.
In Francis Chan’s book Crazy Love he cautions us:
Do not assume you are good soil.
I think most American churchgoers are the soil that chokes the seed because of all the thorns. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. When we want God and a bunch of other stuff, then that means we have thorns in our soil. A relationship with God simply cannot grow when money, sins, activities, favorite sports teams, addictions or commitments are piled on top of it (p 67).
It is one thing to read these words and say: “Yeah, Bill went to the football game instead of church last week! Boy, does he need to get his priorities straight” and another thing entirely to say “I chose to watch television for 3 hours last night rather than spend any of that time in quality quiet time with God.” It is difficult, unpleasant even, to allow God to show us what thorns in our lives crowd Him out – and even more difficult to cut those away.
Chamber says:
The only way we can be of use to God is to let Him take us through the crooks and crannies of our own characters. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We do not know envy when we see it, or laziness, or pride. Jesus reveals to us all that this body has been harbouring before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look in with courage?
It takes a great deal of courage to “look in” honestly and without our defenses in place. We want to justify our behavior, our attitudes and our choices. But Chamber reminds us that God truly knows us and our motivations. We can’t hide the truth from God, even if we try to hide it from ourselves. When we allow God to get us alone with those things, he will reveal the truth to us, just as Christ revealed the truths in His parables to His disciples. As our issues are exposed and resolved, it is then that God can truly do His work in us!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
January 6, 2010 WORSHIP
Genesis 12:8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.
Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.
Chambers opens today’s message with a simple call to worship. A call to give back to God some of the best of what he’s given us. Worship is more than singing a song or saying a prayer, though it is certainly those things. Worship is giving out of any gift that we are given. Our monetary tithes are an act of worship, the giving of our time is an act of worship, using our talents, whatever they may be, for His glory is an act of worship. Chambers goes on to say:
Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself, it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.
We have been given so much, and sometimes it is all too easy to keep those things for ourselves. But when I consider the overwhelming blessings I’ve received from the Father, I have to ask myself: Am I truly giving out of all I’ve been given? Considering the tremendous blessings I’ve received from God, how much of a blessing am I to those around me? To honestly answer this question is humbling indeed.
Chambers explains that Bethel is a symbol of communion with God, and Ai is a symbol of the world. That Abraham pitched his tent between the two is significant. There has to be a place where our communion with God meets our life in the world. They cannot be separate from each other.
The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.
How often have we become so consumed with our “public activity” that we neglect our private communion? We find ourselves rushed, busy, perhaps even overwhelmed, and rather than step back our public efforts, we allow our private time with the Lord to suffer. But how effective can our work for the Lord really be if we fail to spend adequate time in His presence? Without time on our knees before the Father, “his” work becomes OUR work, and what was once done for His glory can all too often be done in search of glory for ourselves.
As believers we need to worship God with the best of what He’s blessed us with. Making our private communion with our Lord a priority helps us keep perspective on what that act of worship looks like and puts us in the proper frame of mind to be a blessing to those around us.
Worship is giving God the best that He has given you.
Chambers opens today’s message with a simple call to worship. A call to give back to God some of the best of what he’s given us. Worship is more than singing a song or saying a prayer, though it is certainly those things. Worship is giving out of any gift that we are given. Our monetary tithes are an act of worship, the giving of our time is an act of worship, using our talents, whatever they may be, for His glory is an act of worship. Chambers goes on to say:
Take time to meditate before God and offer the blessing back to Him in a deliberate act of worship. If you hoard a thing for yourself, it will turn into spiritual dry rot, as the manna did when it was hoarded. God will never let you hold a spiritual thing for yourself, it has to be given back to Him that He may make it a blessing to others.
We have been given so much, and sometimes it is all too easy to keep those things for ourselves. But when I consider the overwhelming blessings I’ve received from the Father, I have to ask myself: Am I truly giving out of all I’ve been given? Considering the tremendous blessings I’ve received from God, how much of a blessing am I to those around me? To honestly answer this question is humbling indeed.
Chambers explains that Bethel is a symbol of communion with God, and Ai is a symbol of the world. That Abraham pitched his tent between the two is significant. There has to be a place where our communion with God meets our life in the world. They cannot be separate from each other.
The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with Him.
How often have we become so consumed with our “public activity” that we neglect our private communion? We find ourselves rushed, busy, perhaps even overwhelmed, and rather than step back our public efforts, we allow our private time with the Lord to suffer. But how effective can our work for the Lord really be if we fail to spend adequate time in His presence? Without time on our knees before the Father, “his” work becomes OUR work, and what was once done for His glory can all too often be done in search of glory for ourselves.
As believers we need to worship God with the best of what He’s blessed us with. Making our private communion with our Lord a priority helps us keep perspective on what that act of worship looks like and puts us in the proper frame of mind to be a blessing to those around us.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January 5, 2010 THE AFTERWORDS OF THE LIFE OF POWER
John 13:36 Simon Peter asked him, "Lord, where are you going?" Jesus replied, "Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later."
This is really in my mind a continuation of yesterday’s contemplation. Chambers takes the time to explain something I’d never considered before. When Peter first met Jesus, and Jesus called him to follow, Peter did so easily. Peter’s fascination with this man unlike any other he’d met before was sufficient to seek after Him, if for no other reason than simple human curiosity. But later, around the fire in the courtyard after Christ’s betrayal, he denied knowing him when he was asked if he was his follower – the strength of his human condition failed him miserably. Chambers explains:
“…he had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive and impartation from the risen Lord.”
If we do not recognize the insufficiency of our human condition, the Lord will remind us of it. Peter claimed to be willing to follow Christ to the cross, but when tested in the courtyard he denied knowing him at all. It was only when he came to the end of himself, when he knew he had to depend entirely upon the Lord that he was able to preach his gospel and ultimately died for his Lord.
We cannot be effective for Christ as long as we are determined to be self-sufficient. God needs all of us – he needs us to depend upon Him at all times. God gets the credit and the glory for everything done in his name. I’ve heard it said “we must always be willing to do God’s will, not our own will in His name.” We must be willing to cast aside our own plans, our own dreams, our own pre-conceived notions and lean wholly upon our Lord in order to allow Him to do His work through us. It is only when we allow ourselves to be mere vessels, pens in his hand, that we can be assured we are doing his work with pure motivation.
This is really in my mind a continuation of yesterday’s contemplation. Chambers takes the time to explain something I’d never considered before. When Peter first met Jesus, and Jesus called him to follow, Peter did so easily. Peter’s fascination with this man unlike any other he’d met before was sufficient to seek after Him, if for no other reason than simple human curiosity. But later, around the fire in the courtyard after Christ’s betrayal, he denied knowing him when he was asked if he was his follower – the strength of his human condition failed him miserably. Chambers explains:
“…he had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive and impartation from the risen Lord.”
If we do not recognize the insufficiency of our human condition, the Lord will remind us of it. Peter claimed to be willing to follow Christ to the cross, but when tested in the courtyard he denied knowing him at all. It was only when he came to the end of himself, when he knew he had to depend entirely upon the Lord that he was able to preach his gospel and ultimately died for his Lord.
We cannot be effective for Christ as long as we are determined to be self-sufficient. God needs all of us – he needs us to depend upon Him at all times. God gets the credit and the glory for everything done in his name. I’ve heard it said “we must always be willing to do God’s will, not our own will in His name.” We must be willing to cast aside our own plans, our own dreams, our own pre-conceived notions and lean wholly upon our Lord in order to allow Him to do His work through us. It is only when we allow ourselves to be mere vessels, pens in his hand, that we can be assured we are doing his work with pure motivation.
January 4, 2010 WHY CANNOT I FOLLOW THEE NOW?
John 13:37 Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.
Peter was ready. Or so he thought. He was a man driven by his emotions – a man who didn’t want to bother with the “ready…set…” part of the “go” equation. He “felt” strongly, and it was upon the basis of his feelings that he questioned Jesus “Why can’t I follow you now?” He knew he loved his Lord, and so strong were his feelings of love and devotion at that moment, he was confident that not even threat of death would sway him. But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. He knew that once the passion of the moment had cooled, Peter would succumb to his emotions once again, this time to fear, and it would result in the heartbreaking denial of the savior who’d only hours before inspired this promise of devotion till death. Jesus undoubtedly knew that the time would come when Peter would lay down his life for Him, but he knew that the time was not yet at hand. And as with anything, timing is everything.
There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt – don’t.
We often want to fill in those blank spaces. We don’t want to wait for the right timing, we just want to plow ahead and some of us become so overcome with the power of our emotions, we believe that they will sustain us. Whenever we depend upon our feelings, we will always be met by disappointment. Sometimes even disaster. When Peter claimed unwavering loyalty to Jesus, there was nothing deceitful in his words. He meant it, and believed it with every fiber of his being. But Peter was nothing if not naïve. He believed that the passion of the moment was enough to carry him through the trials ahead. Jesus knew better. Peter believed in the power of his “feelings” while Jesus recognized the power of Peter’s humanity, and how it would ultimately betray him. Chambers goes on to explain:
Peter did not wait on God; he forecast in his mind where the test would come, and the test came where he did not expect it.
This is the essence of the issue, isn’t it? I find that anticipated confrontations often fail to materialize while unexpected conflicts continually catch me completely unprepared. Sadly, I find that when “the tests come where I don’t expect them” I am almost always disappointed in myself and my reactions to them.
We can attempt to prepare ourselves for those trials we foresee, but when we allow God to work in us, He prepares us for whatever we encounter, anticipated or not. He does a work in us that transcends our emotions. We must learn to depend upon our Lord and not our hearts. We need to replace the confidence in ourselves, with confidence in the Holy Spirit who sustains us.
Peter was ready. Or so he thought. He was a man driven by his emotions – a man who didn’t want to bother with the “ready…set…” part of the “go” equation. He “felt” strongly, and it was upon the basis of his feelings that he questioned Jesus “Why can’t I follow you now?” He knew he loved his Lord, and so strong were his feelings of love and devotion at that moment, he was confident that not even threat of death would sway him. But Jesus knew Peter better than Peter knew himself. He knew that once the passion of the moment had cooled, Peter would succumb to his emotions once again, this time to fear, and it would result in the heartbreaking denial of the savior who’d only hours before inspired this promise of devotion till death. Jesus undoubtedly knew that the time would come when Peter would lay down his life for Him, but he knew that the time was not yet at hand. And as with anything, timing is everything.
There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means, or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt – don’t.
We often want to fill in those blank spaces. We don’t want to wait for the right timing, we just want to plow ahead and some of us become so overcome with the power of our emotions, we believe that they will sustain us. Whenever we depend upon our feelings, we will always be met by disappointment. Sometimes even disaster. When Peter claimed unwavering loyalty to Jesus, there was nothing deceitful in his words. He meant it, and believed it with every fiber of his being. But Peter was nothing if not naïve. He believed that the passion of the moment was enough to carry him through the trials ahead. Jesus knew better. Peter believed in the power of his “feelings” while Jesus recognized the power of Peter’s humanity, and how it would ultimately betray him. Chambers goes on to explain:
Peter did not wait on God; he forecast in his mind where the test would come, and the test came where he did not expect it.
This is the essence of the issue, isn’t it? I find that anticipated confrontations often fail to materialize while unexpected conflicts continually catch me completely unprepared. Sadly, I find that when “the tests come where I don’t expect them” I am almost always disappointed in myself and my reactions to them.
We can attempt to prepare ourselves for those trials we foresee, but when we allow God to work in us, He prepares us for whatever we encounter, anticipated or not. He does a work in us that transcends our emotions. We must learn to depend upon our Lord and not our hearts. We need to replace the confidence in ourselves, with confidence in the Holy Spirit who sustains us.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
January 1, 2010 LET US KEEP TO THE POINT
Philippians 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
The New Year brings about new commitments from every kind and creed. We all want to do something to improve ourselves, it seems, regardless of our spiritual persuasion, and the commencement of a new year provides that blank canvas upon which to paint our “New and Improved” selves. As we contemplate the coming months we envision ourselves thinner, healthier, kinder, better in some way than we were the year before. And the New Year allows us to sweep past failed resolutions away and begin afresh.
Having just celebrated the birth of our Savior, it seems only natural that one of my personal commitments this year is to truly live My Utmost for His Highest. For me, this means surrendering my will to his. Dedicating myself daily to my quest for holiness. Seeking FIRST the kingdom of God. And finally, through prayer, to have sufficient courage so that Christ will be exalted in my body, by life or death. To give such a commitment lip-service requires little. Many of us commit to being “better people” for the sake of our personal peace of mind. But God doesn’t need us to be better people; he needs us to be HIS people.
In Chambers devotional today, he explains:
When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only – My Utmost for His Highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.
When we consider what Christians in some countries go through for the sake of their faith (persecution, torture, even death) my reasons for my hesitancy seem embarrassingly insignificant. I don’t want to surrender to Christ because… why? Because I might be embarrassed? Because someone might think me a bit odd? Because someone might not like me? The reality is that my hesitancy has been linked to all of those things, but the truth is that God is bigger than all of that. How can I deny the call of a loving God who sent His only Son to die an excruciating death on the cross for ME, because of MY sin? I simply cannot. God’s love for me transcends all things and how can I deny Him any part of who I am? Faced with the reality of the cross and what was done for me there, I am left on my knees before Christ determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.
My favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision. The words seem particularly appropriate in light of today’s devotional. These verses are my daily prayers for 2010:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
The New Year brings about new commitments from every kind and creed. We all want to do something to improve ourselves, it seems, regardless of our spiritual persuasion, and the commencement of a new year provides that blank canvas upon which to paint our “New and Improved” selves. As we contemplate the coming months we envision ourselves thinner, healthier, kinder, better in some way than we were the year before. And the New Year allows us to sweep past failed resolutions away and begin afresh.
Having just celebrated the birth of our Savior, it seems only natural that one of my personal commitments this year is to truly live My Utmost for His Highest. For me, this means surrendering my will to his. Dedicating myself daily to my quest for holiness. Seeking FIRST the kingdom of God. And finally, through prayer, to have sufficient courage so that Christ will be exalted in my body, by life or death. To give such a commitment lip-service requires little. Many of us commit to being “better people” for the sake of our personal peace of mind. But God doesn’t need us to be better people; he needs us to be HIS people.
In Chambers devotional today, he explains:
When we consider what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He does not know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point; He does know. Shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only – My Utmost for His Highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.
When we consider what Christians in some countries go through for the sake of their faith (persecution, torture, even death) my reasons for my hesitancy seem embarrassingly insignificant. I don’t want to surrender to Christ because… why? Because I might be embarrassed? Because someone might think me a bit odd? Because someone might not like me? The reality is that my hesitancy has been linked to all of those things, but the truth is that God is bigger than all of that. How can I deny the call of a loving God who sent His only Son to die an excruciating death on the cross for ME, because of MY sin? I simply cannot. God’s love for me transcends all things and how can I deny Him any part of who I am? Faced with the reality of the cross and what was done for me there, I am left on my knees before Christ determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone.
My favorite hymn is Be Thou My Vision. The words seem particularly appropriate in light of today’s devotional. These verses are my daily prayers for 2010:
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.
Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art.
High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
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