March 4, 2010 Reading - Lk 10:1-24

This is a cool story. Jesus sends out 72 disciples two-by-two into the regions where He was about to go so they could share the message of the kingdom of God. He sends them out with nothing! No food, no extra clothes, no weapons to protect themselves from wild animals or people. And when they return they are amazed that their mission actually worked! They were amazed at the power they had through Jesus' name.

We too are often surprised that He can use us. We are amazed when someone comes to Christ through our time with them. But that is what we are here to do, we are here to go out among the lost and share with them. It is through being obedient to this great command of Jesus that we recognize His power and we grow in faith and passion for Him. May we not think we are doing something bold and crazy by sharing our faith, but recognize we are simply being obedient.

March 3, 2010 Reading - Mark 10:17-31

As we read the story of the rich young man, we might be tempted to think of other people who put money or material possessions before God, but as Americans, we must recognize that we are in the top 2% or so of the richest people in the world. We are the rich young man in the story. Perhaps this is why Christianity is blossoming in countries we might not have imagined, Africa, China, the Soviet Union, but is waning in the US. We have it too good. We often don't recognize our need for God or are too busy with our stuff (TV, the internet, ipods, cell phones, etc.) to focus on Him.

Perhaps as we approach Easter it would be a good idea for us to give something up and use the time we would have spent on that thing to focus on God? (a Lent-type sacrifice)

What would you be willing to give up?

Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Reading - Matt. 18:21 - 19:15

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Unfortunately we can relate. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we are often boastful about the grace of God (when it comes to us!) but stingy with it when it comes to others. It can be difficult to deal with other people sometimes, but it becomes easier if we are mindful of our own sin and weaknesses. Verse 35 just resounds in my mind and brings a bit of fear to my heart, "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from the heart." What a powerful statement. And today the last few words caught my attention even more...from the heart. Sometimes we think we can fool God by saying that we forgive someone and acting nice to them although we still harbor spiteful feelings in our hearts, but we are only fooling ourselves.

Divorce

It's interesting that it's typically the religious folks that tried to test Jesus. This time it's the Pharisees and they're asking Jesus if it's ok for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason. Jesus reminds them of the giving of marriage by God to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden saying that they were no longer two but one and "what God has joined together, let man not separate." Have you ever payed attention to the fact that it says what GOD has joined together? Have you ever thought of your spouse in those terms? That just might have the power to change a lot of marriages.

The Pharisees go on with their testing asking why then, if this is the case, did Moses allow for divorce. Jesus answers them saying it was because of their hardness of heart. But Jesus teaches them that anyone who divorces for a reason other than marital unfaithfulness has committed adultery. Amazingly, His disciples reply that if this is how it is then it's better not to get married!

Why is divorce so serious to God? Because it's a shadow of His relationship with us. Our relationship with God is one that should portray unconditional love, forgiveness, grace, kindness, charity, and it should never end. If marriage was created to display the type of love God has for us, then obviously that example has been messed up incredibly in our world today. 50 % of all marriages (including those of Christians) end in divorce. Perhaps this is part of the reason nonbelievers question God's goodness?

Marriage is a gift from God and is not to be entered into lightly. May we reclaim this gift and treat it with the utmost respect, and may God allow it to once again (at least in the Christian community) display His great love for us.

March 1, 2010 Reading - Matt. 17:24 - 18:20

In today's reading, my attention was primarily drawn to the first part of chapter 18 where Jesus calls a small child to Him and explains to the disciples that they must become like little children to enter the kingdom of Heaven. Maybe it's because I currently have four small children? But this is an interesting teaching - there are several attributes of small children, what was Jesus talking about? My opinion is that He was alluding to their unconditional love of others and their blind trust. Children are completely vulnerable and dependent on others for their welfare. If they want something to eat, or get hurt, or need to use the restroom, they need help. They are very aware of their need for help and they trust "bigger people" to help them.

God has had to teach me way too many times that 1) I am dependent on Him and 2) I can trust Him. As we grow older we feel more self-sufficient and in the midst of let-downs and hurts, we become less trusting of others (including God). But if we want to live the life God has for us, we must recognize our great need for Him in the midst of each day and we must trust Him and follow His lead - this is success Jesus' way.