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March 15, 2009 at 1:07 am · Filed under discipleship, fasting, prayer, Scripture and tagged: homiletical thoughts, Jesus Christ, Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark's Gospel, prayer, Prayer Thoughts, Scripture, Son of God, study notes
Lenten Study Notes
Mark 1-2
I have studied through Mark in depth five or six times and taught it in various situations at least four or five times. It is my favorite Gospel of the four perhaps because of it’s quick pace, literary value, and brutal honesty. The Gospel itself is marked (no pun) by the constant use of a small Greek phrase ‘kai euthus’, which means something like ‘and then’ or ‘immediately’ or ‘at once.’ The NIV, as do most translations, I noticed translates it differently so as to give the Gospel ‘flavor’ (although it appears that the NASB is fairly consistent in its use of ‘immediately’). This creates a sense of urgency in the Gospel as if Mark were always in a hurry to get us from one point to the next, never content to leave us lingering too long at one scene. In the overall picture, we know where Mark is in a hurry to get us and by the time we get to the crucifixion the pace has slowed (in my judgment) considerably. He wants us to drink deeply at this point.
I don’t know why Mark was in a hurry to get us through the story (as a whole). I do know that Mark starts his story of Jesus in Nazareth in Galilee (1:9) and that when the story ends, after the Resurrection, he instructs his people to go back to that very place (16:7) which I take as Mark’s way of saying something to the reader like: Go back and start the story all over again. Read it again! It becomes quite circular to the point that one might never stop reading the Gospel story Mark tells which by his estimation I gather would be just fine. We are to be engaged in the Gospel story and engaging it constantly, continuously, never stopping for a breath. I’m fairly certain that is Mark’s objective even if he doesn’t say so in so many words.
Mark tells us nothing of Jesus’ birth or childhood. He begins abruptly by announcing the appearance of John the Baptizer with a quote from Isaiah (and Malachi). There’s also another aspect of this Gospel that is intriguing and it is the first verse: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” Now it could be that your Bible as put a footnote saying that ‘Son of God’ here is in ‘many’ manuscripts but not ‘all’ and thus ‘Son of God’ is either eliminated altogether, footnoted, or written in such a way as to suggest that the translators are uncertain as to whether to include it or not. I’m rather particular at this point, and I hope not too contradictory. At the end of Mark’s Gospel we encounter a similar problem: Do we take the short ending and stop at verse 8 or do we take the long ending and stop at verse 20? Well, here’s the thing. I like ‘Son of God’ included in 1:1 and I like ending the Gospel at 16:8 thus eliminating verses 9-20. It’s not the end of the world if you believe differently. Let me show you why by talking just about 1:1 and leaving 16:8 for another discusssion.
If ‘Son of God’ is included in 1:1 then we, the readers, know something about Jesus that those inside the story do not know. Namely, that this story we are reading is about Jesus Messiah, the Son of God. Inside the story, the characters never quite get this. Jesus won’t let demons talk about it (rightfully so!) and the disciples are often dense (so Peter). Jesus tells people to keep quiet about it and more than once does his best to escape detection. Thus has been born in Mark the so-called ‘Messianic Secret.’ So those of us reading the story, we are whispering things like ‘duh! It’s the Son of God. How can you miss that?’ when he calms a storm (4) or drives out a herd of demons (5) or feeds five-thousand (6) for example. But what we see, those inside the story miss or they are told to keep quiet or tell no one. Until…until chapter 15 where the most unlikely of all characters makes a startling announcement at a rather strange moment in the story.
Chapter 15 is the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus and isn’t it interesting that the last human to speak in Mark’s Gospel (aside from the Jesus after his resurrection) is a Roman Centurion who was guarding the crucifixion. And do you know what he says? That’s right: “Surely, this man was the Son of God!” So it is not ironic at all then: Jesus doesn’t tell him to be quiet either, does he? This is the one time when it is alright for the ‘secret’ to be out; that is, at the crucifixion. Jesus’ full Sonship is to be seen by us in the cross where he died.
I think this is most significant especially if the Gospel ends at verse 8 of chapter 16 where we read this: “They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.” Now we, the readers, are saying this: “It’s the Son of God! Say something! Say something!” And we wonder: If they said nothing, who will? Someone has to say something. Well, that’s all very preliminary to be sure, but there might be some homiletical thoughts in all that madness somewhere.
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Notes on Mark 1-2 (includes questions)
At this point, I will offer a brief comment or two on a couple of the pericopes in chapters 1 and 2 and follow up this section with some prayer thoughts.
1:1-8: Here I like The Message translation (vs 7-8): “As he preached he said, ‘The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism-a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit-will change you from the inside out.’” Jesus would change what it meant to be clean, what it meant to be pure, what it meant to be washed and baptized. He would give these things new meaning. John says essentially, ‘I can only get you wet. The one coming after me will totally undo your life.’
1:9-13: Jesus is baptized here and immediately (‘kai euthus’) he is driven out into the desert where he is tried by the Satan. I wonder if we prepare people for baptism in this way, that is, by warning them ahead of time that once the Spirit gets a hold of them there’s no telling where he might drive them? Oh, and about the baptism of Jesus and the ‘voice from heaven’ and the ‘Spirit hovering like a dove,’ and the ‘Son in the water’…do you remember any other place in the Bible where the Spirit ‘hovered’ over the water and God spoke? (Genesis 1:1-2?) So what does this say about Jesus and the inauguration of the New heavens and new earth, new creation, new covenant? Also, see that word concerning the ‘heaven being torn open’? You know where else the Greek word for ‘torn open’ (‘schizo’) appears? That’s right: The crucifixion chapter: 15:38: “The curtain of the temple was ‘torn’ (‘schizo’) in two from top to bottom.” How might the baptism of Jesus be related to his crucifixion?
1:14-15: William Willimon notes, concerning Jesus’ sermon in Luke 4, his first sermon, something that fits well here too, “So one might have thought, but no-with Jesus, the attack begins in the very first sermon. Jesus, in his preaching, is a troublemaker who brings, not peace, but a sword.” (Conversations with Barth on Preaching, 197).
1:21-39: Anyone else find it ironic, or not, that the first place Jesus does a miracle in Mark’s Gospel is in the synagogue? In John, he turns water to wine at a wedding. In Mark, he drives a demon out of a synagogue. Jesus came to bind the strongman and rob his house so I don’t suppose it is odd at all that he begins by binding the strongman who sat in the midst of the worshipers. Perhaps we too need Jesus to do some house-cleaning. And judgment, wrote Peter elsewhere, begins with the household of God. As these verses continue, we see that Jesus continued to drive out demons from the midst of the people and the synagogues (1:39). It kind of makes one wonder if these demons in the midst of these places of worship were not disrupting the worship and stirring up the people so as to prevent them from hearing the Word of God spoken among them? Could we too be so blind and self-absorbed that we don’t even know there are demons among us? Or could we be so indifferent to their presence that we tolerate them among us? Or could it be that we are so weak and powerless that we believe we cannot do anything about their presence among us? Whatever the case, Jesus came among the people and began by driving out th demons from their midst. This says a lot to me about his work.
1:40-45: I love the statement, “I am willing.”
2:1-12: Again, short and sweet. I love this remark by the author of the book, “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” (2:5) He saw their faith. Hmm. Did his friends happen to recognize a connection between his physical condition and his spiritual condition? Is that why Jesus first forgave his sins? Do you think this might be true also in the life of someone we know? Do we know anyone who is physically undone and the only thing that might fix them is to bring them to Jesus so that he can forgive them their sins? Is there a connection between physical sickness and spiritual sickness?
2:13-28: If Jesus only came to ‘call the sinners’ and not the ‘righteous’ then it seems to me that before we can hear or answer his call we have to recognize that we are ‘sinners.’ So long as we are convinced we are ‘righteous’ then we can be fairly well convinced that he did not come to call us. ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ is an odd question. I wonder if these people weren’t just a wee bit jealous that he wasn’t eating with them? Maybe a better question would be, “Why are the tax collectors and sinners eating with him?” They go on to criticize his ‘fasting’ habits. Evidently, he is not fasting enough for their taste. And he is also criticized for not taking the Sabbath seriously enough to actually observe it. What we see here is something that perhaps we have lost a bit of in our quest to be the biggest church on the block: Jesus truly was concerned with people. So he eats with people who invite him to dinner and it makes no difference who they are. He refuses to ruin people by forcing them to observe old habits when a new time was upon them. And he refuses to elevate a ‘day’ above a person. “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.” So they criticize him for eating with the wrong people, for not giving up food enough, and for eating on the wrong days. What sort of people have we become when we have sunk down to the point of criticizing when and if and how people eat? Jesus is pointing out that these people are missing the greater picture: People give rules value not the other way around. The observance of a practice must never become so strict that it prevents people from practicing it with joy. Note too, that chapter 2 begins and ends on the Sabbath as Jesus helps them understand exactly what the Sabbath is supposed to be: Liberating, freeing, full of rejoicing, and rejuvenation.
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Some Prayer Thoughts from Mark 1-2
We can pray for those who are baptized because they will invariably be driven into places by the Spirit that we cannot control. They will face all sorts of trials and struggles and tests. We can and should pray for their protection and strength. Many will give up, but it must not be because we have given up on them.
We can pray for Jesus to fill our nets as we go about fishing. We can pray that those who are called to follow will follow and leave behind whatever baggage that has weighed them down. Many still carry around nets. Jesus calls us to a life without a net.
We can pray that Jesus drive the demons out of our churches. They are there. They lurk. Open our eyes Lord, that we may no longer be indifferent to their presence.
We can pray that he will raise up a generation of pray-ers. (1:35). Isn’t it striking that Jesus, the Son of God who possesses power enough to drive out demons, survive a wilderness of trials, and preaches the Kingdom still must pray? We too must be people of prayer. Pray he raise up a generation of pray-ers.
Dare we pray that God would stretch out his hand and heal lepers, raise the dead, cause the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak, the paralyzed to walk, and the demons to be gone? Is God’s hand too short to do this in our generation?
We can pray for more people to sit and eat meals with tax collectors and sinners. We can pray that more of us would be so attractive to others that tax collectors and sinners would invite us over to their house to eat and enjoy dinner. When was the last time a ‘sinner’ invited you over to their house to eat food? Would you go? Make this a simple prayer this week: “Lord, let some sinner I know invite me over for dinner.” Do you know any ‘sinners’? That might be a place to start too.
The bridegroom is not with us. Have you fasted recently? Maybe now is the time to fast?
When was the last time you took a break? A Sabbath? If Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, a mere day of the week, then is there anything he is not Lord of? So examine yourself in the Lord: Is there any part of yourself that you have not submitted to His Lorship?
Finally, pray for Gospel preachers. Mark says that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the beginning of the Gospel. Then Jesus comes on the scene and starts preaching ‘The time has come. The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the Gospel!’ Lord prepare us to repent. Lord prepare us for the Kingdom come near. Lord prepare us to hear the Gospel. Lord prepare us to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom come near. May your will be done. May your Kingdom come. Let the Gospel be on our lips.
I hope these, admittedly, preliminary thoughts are helpful to you in your prayer life and your study of Mark’s Gospel. We learn a great deal about Jesus in these two fast-paced, whirlwind chapters. There’s much more to learn as Mark’s Gospel progresses.
March 11, 2009 at 11:10 pm · Filed under devotional, prayer, Scripture and tagged: Christ's return, end times, homiletical thoughts, Jesus Christ, Matthew 24, Matthew 25, Prayer Thoughts, praying Scripture, preaching, Scripture, second coming
A Few Thoughts on Matthew 24-25
There’s been a lot of noise lately by people who are terribly concerned about the state of the world. Perhaps rightfully so. It does so seem that much about the world is out of whack. A couple of articles demonstrate this point. Please read them entirely as I am only quoting portions. One preacher said it this way:
AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE – EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.
For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City. It will engulf the whole megaplex, including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut. Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires-such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.
There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting-including Times Square, New York City. What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath. [Dave Wilkerson his emphasis]
Another well respected blogger said it this way:
Oneida, Ky. – We are on the verge – within 10 years – of a major collapse of evangelical Christianity. This breakdown will follow the deterioration of the mainline Protestant world and it will fundamentally alter the religious and cultural environment in the West.
Within two generations, evangelicalism will be a house deserted of half its occupants. (Between 25 and 35 percent of Americans today are Evangelicals.) In the “Protestant” 20th century, Evangelicals flourished. But they will soon be living in a very secular and religiously antagonistic 21st century.
This collapse will herald the arrival of an anti-Christian chapter of the post-Christian West. Intolerance of Christianity will rise to levels many of us have not believed possible in our lifetimes, and public policy will become hostile toward evangelical Christianity, seeing it as the opponent of the common good.
Millions of Evangelicals will quit. Thousands of ministries will end. Christian media will be reduced, if not eliminated. Many Christian schools will go into rapid decline. I’m convinced the grace and mission of God will reach to the ends of the earth. But the end of evangelicalism as we know it is close. [Michael Spencer]
I’m not terribly concerned about the nature of either prediction. Either could happen. Either might not happen. Both could happen. Both could be happening right now. It doesn’t really matter if these things happen or when they happen. What matters is the manner in which we, Christian people, respond to them either way. Every so often things like this happen and people make predictions
These two stories, along with a couple of others I read this week, got me to thinking about Matthew 24-25. I just happened to be reading these two chapters as part of my Lenten discipline. I’ll quote just a bit from Matthew 24 (while encouraging you to read both chapters in their entirety):
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,[a]‘ and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24-25
The disciples had specifically asked: What will be the signs of the end of the age? I assume it is fair to suggest that they were referring, first and foremost, to the age in which they lived. Thus Jesus’ words would make a lot more sense to them then they would say to us. But this does not mean that these words have no meaning to us or value to us or message to us. Part of what makes Scripture scripture is that it has meaning and is revelatory to every generation that reads it and accepts it as God’s Word to humanity. That’s not all that makes it Scripture, but that is part. So these words must mean something to us too: “Heaven and earth will pass away but my words will never pass away” (24:35) said Jesus. At minimum this must mean something like, “Things will never change and my prophecy about man will always be true regardless of which generation hears it.”
We will always, always, always, be people of war, violence, hatred, and deceit. Jesus’ words will never fail in this regard. His assessment of us and our ways will always be right.
On the other hand, we will also, always, be people who are looking for hope, that glimmer of light, or ray of sunshine. Hence Jesus’ warning that we should be on our guard against all the false prophets and messiah’s who will make their appearance as soon as things start getting rough on earth. We must beware because there will come along people who will have ‘all the answers,’ who will provide that glimmer of hope.
I’d like to take a broad sweep at these two chapters and note briefly four pieces of ‘advice’ that Jesus has for every generation of believers who happens to exist during particularly difficult times on earth. Again, these are broad sweeps and not in any way meant to be comprehensive exegetical masterpieces.
First, covering 24:1-29: Don’t be deceived. This leads me to thing that people will be deceived or at least susceptible to being deceived. He uses words like ‘watch out’, ‘do not be deceived’, ‘do not believe it’, and others. His warning is stern: Don’t fall for it. Believe it or not, there are people who actually might be trying to deceive the elect during such difficult times as these. But it is not just deceit by false prophets and false messiahs that causes us problems. Look, we are liable to deceive one another too. “At that time many will turn from the faith and will betray and hate each other and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold” (24:10-12). Love? Our love of God? Yes. And our love for one another. That’s what happens when deceit worms its way in and we start growing paranoid about the wickedness in the world and the wars and the famines and the earthquakes. We start to lack faith and we give up loving God and loving one another. We have to guard against the deceit of thinking that we can get by without one another. We have to guard against the deceit of thinking that wickedness will abate if only we despise one another. We have to guard against the deceit of thinking we will be safe or safer just because we turn on one another. Seems to me Paul warned the Corinthian church about this same thing in 1 Corinthians 1. We have to guard against being deceived in a hundred different ways. Why? “For as lightning that comes from th east is visible in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (24:27). In other words, we guard against being deceived because he is coming back.
Second, covering 24:30-25:13: Pay close attention to yourself, not to the signs that you see around you. If you read carefully through this section of verses, you will note a refrain. It’s not always in the exact same language, but the gist of it is this: “At that time, the Son of Man will appear in the sky.” Then Jesus keeps on harping on this over and over again: “But about that day or hour no one knows…” He keeps stressing this ‘unknown’ factor in his return. He also keeps stressing that those who are waiting for his return had better be paying attention ‘…because you do not know the day your Lord will return.’ And this is how he ends this section in 25:13: “Therefore, keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour.” Over and over. The parable of the ten maids is about this very point. We have enough to worrry about trying to keep ourselves prepared and ready without having to worry about others’ preparedness. The wise servant pays attention. He works diligently because he knows his master will return and he doesn’t want to be caught unawares. The point? We are to be paying attention to ourselves because He will be returning. That is, we are to be looking forward to his return and thus making preparations for that return.
Third, covering 25:14-30: Use whatever opportunities you have been entrusted with to bring honor to the Master who entrusted them. Why? Because, as with the previous two points, he is coming back and will hold us accountable for what we have been entrusted with. We cannot escape this conclusion. The foolish servant who hid his treasure under his tent, in the dirt, did the wrong thing. It appears, at least on a surface reading, that the Master would rather us use what he has given us and fail than to sit on it and preserve it. The person who takes no risks, who ventures nothing, does so why? In order only to preserve himself. This is the person who refuses to live by faith. Jesus here is saying this: Be more concerned with the Master than you are with yourself. The one who merely hides the treasure is a person who loves himself more than his Master. But Jesus is saying that if the times are as perilous as they might appear, this is no time to be sitting on a bag of gold. Use it! Risk it! Put it to work! We shouldn’t be so terrified that the Master will scold us if we lose what he has given us in our efforts to bring glory to His name. It seems, at least on the surface, that there is no patience for those who value their own life more than they value the Master’s honor. You see, the servant’s failure was a direct and clear indication to every one else what he thought of his Master. His opinion was not high. In Kingdom economy, we might say that risk matters far more than preservation. Far too few are willing to sell out all their life for Christ: He who loses his life for my sake will find it; he who saves it will lost it. Worse, this servant blames the Master for his failure. It will be no ones fault but our own when we are rejected for possessing the treasure and not giving it away to the Master’s glory. The servant’s own words were used to condemn him! Scary. So, we must make wise use of what he has entrusted to us because he will return and ask for an accounting.
Fourth, covering 25:31-46: Understand that the manner in which we treat God’s servants is the manner in which we treat God himself. “Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for the one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mind, you did for me” (25:40). This might be hard to grasp, or to accept, but that is what Jesus is saying: If you treat God’s servants poorly, it is unlikely you will treat the Lord any differently. In fact, that is how you are treating the Lord even though you don’t know it: “When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?” If we have rejected those who minister Christ to us in Word and deed, then we have rejected Christ himself: “Truly, I tell you whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (25:45). What is more powerful than even this, however, is this: “All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” And this separation is based in large part on the manner in which we received those brothers and sisters of Christ. There is an obligation, on our part, and on the part of the world in general, to recognize Christ coming to us. And why? Because he is coming back to call us to account for the way we received Him. The manner in which we received him the first time, in the form of his servants, is the manner in which he will receive us when he returns.
Concluding Thoughts There are a lot of emerging and converging themes in these two chapters. Admittedly, I haven’t taken much time to dissect details or even explore the historical context. The historical context matters, but frankly, I think it is far more important to translate this into our own day. So, a couple of concluding thoughts.
Look for His Return. It is impossible to read these chapters and conclude that there will not be some dramatic return of the Son of Man. Call it the Second Coming, call it the Kingdom Come, call it the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. This thought comes up over and over again, but there’s also a hook. Many think we won’t notice his return or that it will be secret. Not at all. Jesus says: You will not mistake any one else’s return for His. That is, when Jesus returns, we will know it. We will see. It won’t be mistaken for a parlor trick or dog and pony show. He will come back, and it will not be pleasant: “At that time the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.” No, there will be no mistaking his return and we are right to pay attention and look for it and watch for it.
Live by Faith. It is too easy, far too easy, to get worried and distracted by all the bad news we see every day in the news. This requires little thought, though. How else are the elect called to live but by faith? We will be tempted to take the easy way out and run after false messiahs and listen to false prophets. It will be far too easy to think that others have the answer to what ails the world. But Jesus is quite clear: Don’t look for the answers in false hopes. Look for me. I am all you need. I am your answer. Put your hope and faith in the only real Messiah there is. And to do this, you must live by faith.
Stay Busy. Those who live in expectant hope are not called to a life of laziness and irresponsibility. No. We are called to action. We are called to duty. We are called to be busy doing what he sets before us each minute of each day. Again, here, we see the life of faith lived out in the power of the Faith. He gives treasures and gifts and says use them. Use them to feed the poor. Use them to visit the sick. Use them to bring hope to others. Use them to the Master’s glory. You don’t have a right to sit around being lazy. We are not to be like they were in Noah’s day merely reveling and partying and dancing and whooping it up all day. No. Those in the parable were ‘in the field’ and ‘at the mill.’ In other words, they were working, getting on with life’s business. Thus it is must be.
Consequences for Failure. For some this means being deceived. For some it means growing in hatred and opposition to brothers in faith. For some it means love that grows cold. For some it means a place with the hypocrites, and weeping, and gnashing of teeth. For some it means he doesn’t know them; the door is shut. For some it means being thrown out into the darkness. For some it means eternal punishment. I suppose there are many ways to interpret these things Jesus said. Maybe they are all different ways of describing the same thing. Maybe they are degrees of punishment. I don’t know and I’m not sure it matters. What could be worse than ‘I don’t know you’ coming from God’s mouth to our ear? What could be worse than, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, in the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”? Whatever that means, I don’t want to hear it, not even an echo. I don’t want to hear anyone hear it. At least, we might say there are consequences for our failure to heed these warnings. (Also note who it is each case who delivers the consequences for failure. It is the Master, the Lord, the King, the Bridegroom. It is He we have failed. It is He who is Judge.)
Jesus Cares. Why does he tell us all this stuff? Why does he warn us that the only way we can live is by faith? Why does he warn us of false prophets? Why tell us about false prophets? Why tell us not to get worked up about war, famine, and conflict? Why does he tell us he will be back? Why tell us that we too, like every other generation, can expect life to be tough? Why tell us of rewards and consequences? Why warn against love that grows cold? Could it be that he knew it would be a long time? Could it be that he knew we would grow weary? Could it be that he expects us to encourage one another with these words? Could it be that he cares? And could it be that his goal is to save us from disaster?
We are weak and frail and so easily duped. But we have been warned. We have been told that we are far to prone to failure in the life of faith. Could it be that he is trying to calm us down by telling us in advance what to expect? We cannot change it, he will not stop it. And yet…and yet…we will not only survive, we will be blessed. “But whoever stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (24:13-14). Oh, yes. We can expect an end. But we can also expect to live in hope that Christ has not abandoned us to hopelessness.
These chapters make no sense apart from a resurrection point of view.
Prayer Thoughts What can we pray about after reading these passages? There are a few thoughts we can consider.
Christ Minds. We are warned by Peter to be sober. Pray for clear minds and thoughts. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus warned the author of Hebrews. Pray that our minds will be clear so that we will not be deceived.
Christ Preachers. Pray for those who preach. Pray that their words will be Christ honoring and Gospel filled. Pray the Word of Christ which will not fail will be on their lips.
Christ’s Return. I should certainly think we would want to pray for his soon return. We pray that he will hasten the day and cut short the days of suffering. Also that we have eyes to see and ears to hear. We won’t miss it, but we don’t want to grow weary while we wait.
Christ Wisdom. He has given us gifts and treasures and he expects us to use them. They are still his treasures, but he has given them to us to use for his glory and his reward. Pray for wisdom to know when such opportunities are before us. Pray for wisdom to discern appropriate courses of action.
Christ Perseverance. Again, it will be easy to fail and fall behind. It will be easy to be sidetracked. We need the perseverance of Christ if we are to be standing at the end. Pray for the courage to press on even in the midst of all sorts of world turmoil. Press on toward the mark to which he has called us in Christ.
Christ Strength. He has called us to work and serve. The temptation will be to do things in our own strength and in our own wisdom and in our own power. We pray for his strength to empower us to work and serve and love. We are weak, He is strong. We pray it will be His strength that is exerted through our obedience. Persecution will come when ‘all nations hate us because of Him.’ We need his strength to stand. Pray for his strength, His resurrection power (Ephesians 2), to empower and embolden us.
There’s probably a lot more in these two chapters. This is what struck me tonight as I shared in fellowship with my congregation. I hope this blesses you and encourages your prayer life and your service in Christ’s Kingdom.
God Bless in His grace and Peace.
Maranatha!
February 25, 2009 at 10:58 pm · Filed under prayer, Scripture and tagged: Lent, Matthew 1, Matthew 2, prayer, Prayer Thoughts, Scripture, study notes
I’m involved in a FB study group for Lent. We are reading two chapters per day through the Gospels with the intent of reading all four Gospels by Easter. Here’s the study notes I posted for today. jerry
Lenten Study Group Notes
Matthew 1-2
February 25, 2009
The thing that struck me most as I read through Matthew 1 is the number of different ways that Matthew identifies Jesus. In chapter 2 of Matthew we see how the birth of Jesus upset the entire order of things in the world. In this brief study, I’d like to note these for you and perhaps offer a comment or two, and close with some prayer thoughts that we can derive from this different names. These are somewhat random thoughts. I’ll post new thoughts when I can or feel moved to. I encourage you to do the same so we can all share from God’s leading. Be blessed in your reading and study. jerry
1:1-17…The genealogy might seem like a meaningless contribution to the gospel story, but in fact it is an integral part of it. This genealogy begins by telling us it is about Jesus, the Messiah (v 1). It ends by noting that this is the genealogy of the Messiah (v 17). Mixed in the genealogy are the major signposts of the gospel story: Abraham, David, and Exile. By beginning and ending with Messiah, who is Jesus, we are to understand that Messiah is both the root and the stump. He is the beginning and the end of the genealogy. The word Messiah has to do with anointing as in ‘anointing a king’ (see Psalm 2). This genealogy is the family tree of the true King of Israel.
1:18-25…In these verses we see a few other identifying names of Jesus. He is Jesus the Messiah (v 18). He is Jesus who will ‘save his people from their sins’ (v 21). He is Immanuel who is ‘God with us’ (v 23). He is Jesus (v 25). The author is heaping up name after name for his readers so that there can be no doubt about who is Messiah, who will save his people from their sins, who is God with us. His name is Jesus. There is nothing ‘normal’ about the circumstances surrounding this birth. His conception was by the Holy Spirit (v 18). His birth was protected by angelic proclamation (v 20). His birth was the fulfillment of Scripture (v 22).
2:1-18…Bethlehem is the ‘town of David.’ So it seems to me that even being born there was to invite the scrutiny of those in power. When the Magi ask their question, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?’ they invite further scrutiny. The readers sees this working itself out in the person of Herod. Perhaps the word ‘disturbed’ here is a bit weak in the NIV. What I see happening here is that the political kingship of Herod is being undone. Notice how he is being threatened, shaken to the core, by the mere mention of the birth of this child. Would this child upset the order of things? (Luke’s first couple chapters highlight this subversiveness with even more intensity.) I don’t find it odd, however, that the Magi go to Herod and Matthew doesn’t tell us that they in any way recognize his political power. That is, he doesn’t tell us that they give him gifts or that they worship him. Yet Matthew does tell us that this is exactly what these Magi do when they come into the presence of Jesus. Is it any wonder then that Herod is so angry? Jesus was taking all his glory and subverting the order of things, undoing the power structures of the day, crushing the power-brokers. I also note how it is that God is not uninvolved in the world. He interacts with the people, he breaks into the affairs of people, he subverts kings, he outwits the powerful (and they can do nothing about it at all), he protects some (but not all), and God does things in the lives of people that cause people to get really angry (to say the least). The rule of the kings of earth can bring nothing but weeping and great mourning.
2:19-23…But like all kings, Herod died. For all his rage, and anger, and venting of fury, Herod still died. Nevertheless, perhaps we are meant to understand that the spirit of Herod continued to thrive in the person of his son Archeleus.
Thoughts
1. How does the genealogy reinforce our confidence in God’s faithfulness? (Pay particular attention to the morally weak men and women whose names are included in the genealogy. It should bring us comfort and hope that if God can and did and would use them, that perhaps we should not be too quick to overlook the flawed and weak in our own time—since it seems that even God doesn’t.)
2. What can we learn about what God means to do in the world through Jesus simply by looking at the different ways Jesus is identified in chapter 1? (How does he ‘save from sins’? What is ‘God with us’ (see Matthew 28)? What is ‘Messiah’? What is ‘out of Egypt I called my son’? What is ‘he will be called a Nazarene’? etc.)
3. Note the various ways that Matthew tells us the birth of Jesus subverted the power structures of the world. Do you suppose that his birth still in any way subverts power structures in our world? (We don’t take too much note nowadays about how the birth of Jesus is subversive. For us, Christmas is much more passive and fluffy.)
4. Matthew begins his Gospel (chapters 1-2) by defining for his readers the nature of the Jesus Reign. Pay close attention to the Royal overtones in these chapters. Make note of them. Mark them out. Define them. Do you think Christians have too weak a conception of the Royal rule of Jesus Messiah? How can this be corrected?
Prayer
Perhaps we need to pray more about this rule of Jesus. How can we pray that the rule of Christ break in even in our world now? How can we pray that he undo the power-brokers of our world? We should. The birth of Jesus also brought pain to some because those in power didn’t understand the birth of Messiah. Those in power feel threatened. Pray that the Lord will show us how we can bring comfort to those who hurt. Pray the reign and rule of Christ be hastened (‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done’). Pray there will be obedient servants who will follow God’s leading (as did Mary and Joseph). Pray for those who search the Scriptures now (note the emphasis of Matthew on the fulfillment of Scripture).
February 13, 2009 at 10:52 pm · Filed under devotional, prayer, Scripture and tagged: Christ Jesus, Colossians, Colossians 1:10, Jesus, prayer
This is a re-post from Life Under the Blue Sky, a blog you should visit often. It is part of a longer series of blog posts that will cover the entire letter to the Colossian church. This post deals with prayer and I thought it would work well at the Prayer Journal. I hope to begin updating the prayer journal again with prayer thoughts for your journey. Thanks for stopping by.-jerry
Day 9, Colossians 1:10: A Life that Pleases God!
“And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.”
“Christian living is that which, through the knowledge of God, is constantly bearing fruit and increasing in good deeds. Here, the emphasis is on the essential link between right beliefs and righteous conduct. In the end, false teaching is known by its fruits, or rather lack of them, for observation does not discover a clear link between claims to possess gnosis and actual goodness: whereas an awareness of God’s gracious acts towards us should lead to many gracious acts from us towards others.”—RC Lucas, Colossians, 39
Prayers have a point. We are not merely whispering into the wind and hoping that our prayers land somewhere or near someone. Nor, for that matter, was the apostle content to pray prayers that were the mindless ramblings and incoherent mutterings of someone who has no knowledge of the true God. Everything Paul did was to an end; prayer was no different.
I take the two phrases, ‘live a life worthy of the Lord’ and ‘please him in every way’ to be parallel ways of saying the same thing. I might also say this: How does one please the Lord? How does one live a life worthy of the Lord? Then he goes on: Bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God. Let me take each one at a time.
First, live a life worthy of the Lord. I don’t think this is terribly complicated, but I think we make it terribly complicated. We seem to forget, for some reason, that we are not being asked to do something we have not been empowered to do. In other words: We can live a life worthy of the Lord! We are expected to continue living, but now the manner in which we are living is different. It used to not matter if we lived a life that was worthy of the Lord; we used to have no power to do so. But now things are different: Now we should because we can. We don’t quit living once we find ourselves in Christ. There’s a lot living to be done and those in Christ must do so in a way that is worthy of the Lord. I’ll leave it at that. ‘Worthy’ is a loaded word. Doing something now that was once simply beyond our imagination, capability or desire still strikes fear in many. Nevertheless, as we shall see, the longer we walk with the Lord, the more we know Him, the more we will understand what ‘worthy’ means.
Second, we are to please him in every way. Pleasing. Not only are we living, but we are to be pleasing him also. Here is what Jesus said concerning this: “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me” (John 5:30). Jesus’ ambition, his goal, was to please the Father who sent Him. I think what this means is that Jesus would never do any such thing that might notplease the Father. This means he was perfectly fair, just, and reasonable. It meant that it pleased the Father for Jesus to die; Jesus died. It meant that Jesus did not seek to go about satisfying his own ambition or desire, but only that of God. It means that Jesus was the first to ‘take up his cross and deny himself.’ Well, I won’t argue with you if you say that it is not always easy to ‘please God in every way.’ On the contrary, we wage war against the flesh because there are pockets of resistance. We still, even after we find ourselves in Christ, want to please ourselves. So he expects us, too, to reflect God’s character too in all that we do. It means the often difficult and terrible work of self-denial. It means that disturbing work of not pleasing the self. It means the complicated work of learning when it is appropriate to do so.
Third, we are to be bearing fruit. The New and Old Testaments are filled with this idea that a good tree will bear good fruit and a bad tree bad fruit. It is also consistent that fruit will be born in some way, and that by our fruit we will be identifiable. The Fruit we bear is a strong indication of our identity and to whom we belong. Jesus expressed it this way in Matthew 7:
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
I wonder if Paul is making this statement, ‘bearing fruit in every good work’ because it is possible that some Christians might just get lazy and forget that we are called to living, that once we have been raised up from the grave, we are not to find ourselves slumbering therein any longer. If false prophets then are recognized by their fruit, how much more will the Christian be recognized by hers?
Finally, and here is where everything comes together, Paul writes that we are to be growing in the knowledge of God. This growing seems to be the catalyst by which all of our living, pleasing and bearing get their start and get their energy to continue on day after day. Growing in the knowledge of God. Here’s what else Paul wrote about this:
33Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments,
and his paths beyond tracing out!
34″Who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?”
35″Who has ever given to God,
that God should repay him?”
36For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
What better way to live our lives? Living, pleasing, bearing and growing. It sounds like quite a remarkable manifesto for living the Resurrection life, doesn’t it? As we grow in our knowledge of God, won’t our living a life worthy of him become much less complicated? As we grow in our knowledge of God, won’t our pleasing him in every way become far more important? As we grow in our knowledge of Him, won’t our bearing of fruit become far more productive? Yet also, as we do these things—living, pleasing, and bearing—won’t these things lead us to a greater understanding of God?
And these are the things that Paul never stops praying about for the Colossian Christians. It sort of puts a new perspective on the nature of prayer and on what our priorities ought to be during prayer. These things give meaning to our prayer that is far greater than the mere stringing together of words that some prayers are. Here’s what he prayed:
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Does this, in any way, resemble our prayers? Is this, in any way, the content of our own conversations with the Lord? Perhaps if we find ourselves struggling with living a worthy live, pleasing the Lord, bearing fruit, and growing in knowledge of God—perhaps, it has something to do with the content of our prayers, the intent of our prayers, and the purpose of our prayers. Perhaps the apostle ought to be our guide in these matters.
Soli Deo Gloria!
October 28, 2008 at 4:02 pm · Filed under prayer, Scripture and tagged: 1 Chronicles 4:9-10, 2 Samuel 24:10, David, Eugene Peterson, Jabez, Jesus, Learning to pray, Luke 22:42, Luke 23:34, Luke 23:46, Matthew 27:46, prayer, prayer language, praying the Scripture, Psalm 22, Tell it Slant
Friends,
Developing the Language of Prayer, pt 2
In this ongoing, periodic, series of posts on prayer, I am learning how to develop the language of prayer by praying the Scriptures. In this post, I would like to look at some of the simpler prayers that are being offered in the Scripture. These prayers are often only two or three lines. Sometimes one sentence. Sometimes they are quotations of Scripture. In all cases, they express a very human side of prayer. This means, the fear, the needs, the ambition, the sorrow, the pain. It means, whatever experience the person was having, that became their prayer. Furthermore, their prayers became, for us, Scripture.
Eugene Peterson writes, in his newest book Tell It Slant that prayer is one of the most fundamental aspects of our humanity and that when we lose that aspect of our lives, we are actually depriving God of something: “Prayer may well be the single aspect of our language most in danger of losing touch with the sheer grittiness of our humanity.” He goes on to write, “A realization and embrace of our basic neediness, our poverty, is a necessary precondition for the employment of the imperatives in the prayer and parable [in Luke 11:1-13]…We do not become less needy, less dependent when we pray; we become more needy, more dependent-which is to say, more human. When we pray we dive ever more deeply into the very human condition from which sin alienates us and Christ saves us” (54, 55).
We cannot, then, escape prayer. We will and must pray. It defines us. We are, in effect, beggars who are constantly in need of someone’s help. But Peterson’s point is not that prayers somehow always satisfy the needs we have or get us the help we need. It’s not that our prayers are or (ever) should be designed to get us wealthy or otherwise less dependent. No our prayers teach us to become more dependent. The more we pray, the more we realize we are needy, the more we realize we lack.
What I’d like to do in this post is show you some of the shorter prayers in Scripture that are often overlooked or simply skimmed over by the reader. We must not forget, however, that these are prayers that were prayed. What is amazing about them is that they are prayed in the midst of everyday life and living. It’s almost like the people who prayed them are just walking down the road, thinking about this or that or the other, and they offer up a short, what we might call, one-liner. Often, God honors their prayers and answers them well. I’ll post a few of these and then perhaps make a comment or two about them and their context.
Prayer 1
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
“Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”
Probably no prayer has been more abused or misunderstood than the so-called prayer of Jabez. I don’t believe for a minute that this prayer is meant to be a thesis for those preachers who hawk a certain prosperity-gospel which is no gospel at all. What we can say, however, is that this is a man who was not going to make a name for himself. He asked the Lord God to remove the reproach of his family. He was asking the Lord to guard him against what he inherited from his family, what is signified by his name: pain. Many in our world try to make names for themselves; Jabez asked the Lord to make his name.
Prayer 2
2 Samuel 24:10
“David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men and he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a foolish thing.”
David had made a major error in judgment by ordering a census of the fighting men of Israel and he was rebuked by the Lord. What is amazing about David is that he sinned a lot-and every time he did he repented before the Lord. I was thinking last night about how tough David was and about his mighty men, and The Three. These were not men you wanted to fight in a bar on Saturday night. But there’s that other side of David-the side that weeps before the Lord because of sin, or cries out to God in repentance, or begs the Lord like a simple child. David here shows us that the mightiest among us, the greatest of kings, are held responsible before the Lord when it comes to sin. There is a remarkable aspect to this prayer: David’s humility. It is a feature that the Kings of Israel and Judah would sufficiently lack. David teaches us here about the connection between prayer and repentance.
Prayer 3
Luke 23:34
“Father, Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Jesus actually prays several prayers from the cross and I will mention those as well. But this one-oh my!-this one takes the cake. Nails are being shoved through his skin and bones and muscles. His flesh is being ripped and torn. Blood is pouring out him. His back is flayed. Blood is streaming down his face from the crown of thorns. There, the King, and he has the audacity to pray, “Father, forgive them!” I have to be honest when I say this is one of the most difficult prayers in Scripture to understand and one of the most difficult prayers in our mouths to pray. But it demonstrates for us that it can be prayed. Dare I go so far as to suggest that it must be prayed? Here in the midst of something as horrible as death, Jesus prays for forgiveness for others-while those very ones he prays for are the very ones doing the killing. If this prayer doesn’t cause you great consternation then I don’t suppose anything will
Prayer 4
Luke 23:46
“Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.”
This is an 8 word prayer. 8 words! Often we think that in order for our prayers to be effective or meaningful they have to be full of words, stuffed full with language, and sounds, and syllables, and mighty paragraphs, well crafted sentences. Jesus sums up our neediness in 8 words while he hang there dying. 8 words to demonstrate to the world, to all who would hear, that his trust was place in only one place: His Father. He entrusted himself to no one else but His Father. Only His Father was worthy of his Spirit. Only His Father was capable of keeping His Spirit safe. 8 words. I wonder if, in times of great difficulty, we have the courage to pray these same 8 words. Jesus prayed them while dying, can we pray them while living?
Prayer 5
Matthew 27:46
“Eli, Eli, Lema Sabachtani?” (or, “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?”
Sometimes this is called the ‘cry of dereliction.’ Actually, it is a quote from the Psalm-#22. The problem I have with this is that too many people try to simply rationalize away this cry. There are times in life when we truly are alone-set free to roam the wilderness. There are scary times when God feels miles and miles away. But what else are we supposed to cry out? This is from the same David who once prayed, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me.” What sort of highs and lows are there that we have to contend with in life? And why shouldn’t we pray exactly the way we feel? I love that Jesus had the Scripture on his mind and his heart and his lips while he prayed: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?” When Jesus prayed this Psalm on the cross, he legitimized using it for prayer and he legitimized David’s ‘feeling’ of abandonment. Sometimes we are dreadfully alone and we must tell the Father how that is.
Prayer 6
Luke 22:42
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.”
I wonder what is harder to pray: Father forgive them? Or Father, your will be done? Yet this was Jesus’ prayer. I suspect, and I have no proof, but I suspect that Jesus learned this prayer from his mother Mary. Remember in Luke 1 Mary prayed, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38). That is no easy prayer to pray, but there it is. These prayers we pray must be grounded in this fundamental idea that we do not first belong to ourselves, but that we first belong to the Lord Jesus. Can we do his will? No. Are we afraid to do His will? Yes. Will doing his will always mean that life is pleasant and accomplished? No. But what is the bottom line to doing God’s will instead of our own because it is certainly not so that we ourselves will look good or feel good or win friends and influence people. It think it is some far grander than that: “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your Name!” And that, my friends, is the essence and purpose of submitting ourselves to the will of God. Your will be done.
There are six short prayers then. These prayers help us develop the language of prayer by turning our thoughts back to God. The Lord teaches us to pray through difficulties, through abandonment, through sin, through trust issues, through issues of submission to the Lord’s will. It’s not necessarily that it is that simple or that prayer can be neatly packaged or that words can be so tidy. Rather these are examples of the sort of language that might be used or, better, of what language is capable of. These prayers come from different people in different situations and circumstances. We do well to remember that prayer is not confined to the church building or to the closet. Pray is offered in a garden, on the cross, in a field, or along the road. Wherever we are, then, we are free to pray. Whatever we feel, we are free to offer as prayer. Whenever it is, we must pray. Not a minute goes by nor a circumstance arises that our hearts should not be tuned to prayer.
I hope this helps you develop your prayer language.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Developing the Language of Prayer, pt 1
October 16, 2008 at 2:30 pm · Filed under devotional, discipleship, prayer, Scripture and tagged: 1 Peter 5:7, angst, anxiety, Christianity, church, discipleship, Jesus, prayer, Scripture
Friends,
I feel like it has been forever since I had a meaningful post here. I need to write this morning, but in a non-connected sort of way. I have some rumblings I’d like to share with you from the past week or so.
First, I learned something interesting about ‘church’ this week. Tuesday night I went to visit a young couple who have been worshiping with our congregation. I was feeling rather pleased with myself when the husband said, “I really enjoy your preaching. It really gets deep and feeds me spiritually.” He’s a Catholic and he and his wife have been worshiping at what might be called a ‘PD’ Church and they are in their 20’s. Wow. Then Wednesday morning I went to FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) at the local Middle School where I work. We were doing sort of a survey of the kids and one of the questions was, “So when you think of church, what word comes to mind?” My 7th grade PK spoke up, “Boring.”
I guess that just goes to show that no matter what sort of congregation one has or worships with not everyone will be pleased.
Second, I watched the latest installment of Rambo this week, Rambo. It was an interesting movie. It featured some Christian missionaries who hearts were bigger than their brains and, of course, a lot–I mean a lot–of bullets. Stallone raised some important questions about war, violence, justice, peace, and, I think, Christianity. The film was unbelievably violent. I didn’t know that the human body could be shredded in so many ways (I thought once I had seen “Saw” I had seen it all.) Stallone took it to a ‘whole nover level.’ The film wasn’t the best Rambo I have ever seen: the dialogue was full of cliche, too fast, too predictable. Furthermore, I tend to disagree with the idea that nothing changes–even though I have argued otherwise here and elsewhere in the past. But the violence and horror and blood: Oh, it was glorious!
I guess it just goes to show that no matter what the plot or how bad the dialogue I will tune in to a film where the bad guys get eaten up by .50 caliber machine gun bullets, in a variety of ways, and the hero lives (Oh, and where a once pacifist Christian grows a set and bashes in the head of a child of Babylon).
Third, it has been a long week. Last night, I had a huge ‘family discussion’ with my youngest son, who is in 5th grade, because he just refuses to do his homework. Then his teacher, a 20 something just out of college who knows all about raising recalcitrant and stubborn children and what is the best way to educate them, sends me email informing me of how my son is ’still not turning in his homework’ as if to say, “You freaking moron, why won’t you make your son do his homework. I have been over this with you a hundred times now. Are you dense.” I want to respond to her e-mail, but I let my wife instead. My son simply does not see the point of doing ridiculous math problems where he has to, and I quote, ‘interpret the remainder.’ What does that mean? I can’t blame him; I hate math too. He says, in an all too eerie imitation of his father, “I can add, subtract, multiply, and divide. Why do I need to do story problems?” Oooooohhh. I get it. I really do.
I guess it just goes to show that no matter ‘important’ the work to be done, there will always be someone who refuses to see its value or significance.
Fourth, I can’t pray this week. I don’t know why. I have prayed a little. I have been reading my bible. But I just cannot seem to find the energy to pray. My dad lost his job again. My brother had to be evacuated from his house in CA due to fires. My mother, I am convinced, hates me. I fought with my sons yesterday and hurt my oldest son’s feelings. I go to bed early and can’t get up. My wife and I were getting along and then I snapped at her again this morning. One of the ladies wants me to, get this, hang curtains at the church building this afternoon. What? Is that why I’m around here? Is that what my degree prepared me for? To hang curtains? You’ve got to be kidding me. I can’t pray this week. I’m stuck in a funk. Plus, on top of that, I just finished reading Joshua. And for the first time in my life, the book of Joshua frightened and confused me.
I guess it just goes to show that no matter how much is going right in a person’s life there will always be enough wrong to sap the strength, the joy, and the communion. Rich Mullins said it best, “It’s hard, yes it’s hard. You know it’s hard to be like Jesus.”
Fifth, I’ve been lurking this week; reading; watching; listening. The world of the blog is a complex place. One day I think, “I’m done with blogging.” The next day, I get 200 hits on my blog and change my mind. What amazes me is the depths that people are willing to go to in order to be right. (It was my oldest son who confronted me with this hard truth last night. I won’t tell him, but he was right.) I have trouble living with myself just because I am, so I don’t know how some bloggers live with themselves when their sole purpose in life and writing is to destroy everything that is not of themselves. I have to admit that sometimes I wish I had never started blogging. It’s a terribly depressing place at times. I think I’ll start praying for a worldwide crash of the blogosphere. Nah. I’m too vain for that. Someone said to me the other day, “The problem is that some bloggers are more in love with theology than they are with Jesus.” Gawd, I hope that is never me. I love theology, but not at the expense of The person.
I guess it just goes to show that everything that is a blessing is also a curse. If we find some joy while we are here, perhaps there will be distress from some place else. Thankfully, Jesus can be found.
Sixth, and finally, the world is uh, messed up. I am frustrated because there is so much hate, so much greed, so much violence, so much fear, so much disaster, so much death. Really, this place is too much. I hate it here most of the time and yet I lack the necessary courage to constantly pray ‘maranatha!’ Really, this place needs some serious help because I’m just pessimistic enough to believe that it is not going to get better before it gets worse and with presidential elections looming, taxes likely to go up, the ever-present concern of when the next terrorist strike will come, the growing concern about how all the financial stuff will affect my salary (since it depends upon donations to the church)–well, that and more, my concern about the Steelers winning every Sunday and my disappointment with Jeff Gordon’s terrible, terrible year in NASCAR. Well, the world is messed up and I have just been thinking about whether or not I am doing enough one one hand, and on the other lamenting that I can only do so much, that I feel so helpless.
I guess it just goes to show that the world is in much bigger need of someone much bigger than I to solve the problems that this world is faced with just now. (I also seriously doubt that either presidential candidate is going lessen my anxiety.)
It’s only Thursday. I have band practice and a board meeting tonight. I have a wedding rehearsal tomorrow. I have prayer meeting and a wedding on Saturday. Somewhere in the midst of all this I have to write two sermons. I don’t know if I can write sermons this week. Maybe I’ll just watch some more baseball and hope that the Red Sox get clobbered again. One can dream, can’t he? Happily, on Sunday, I can worship with my friends. In the meantime, I’m glad to know you and happy you stopped by for a visit today. Perhaps some of my angst can touch you and point you to Jesus. I’m sticking with Jesus today. I hope you are too.
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
I think I’m getting back into prayer shape. I hope you will join with me.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Reprinted courtesy of CRN.info
Technorati Tags: prayer, angst, church, Scripture, Christianity, discipleship, Jesus, 1 Peter 5:7
October 7, 2008 at 6:19 am · Filed under prayer, Scripture and tagged: David's prayer, deliverance, prayer, Prayer Thoughts, Psalm 40, Scripture, waiting on God
Friends, here is part two of my three part prayer journal entries on Psalm 40. This part takes more of a section by section approach to the Psalm. I note the verse I begin with in each section. I end with the verse before the next marked section. Don’t expect answers to questions. Often times when I pray Scripture, and journal it, I leave open thoughts in order that answers might come from the prayers themselves. That is, learning to wait upon the Lord. I have also included the Psalm for easy reference. This is not an exhaustive exegetical approach. This is praying Scripture in all of its honesty, ambiguity, and personal-ness. That is, I try to make the Psalm mine without feeling the obligation to understand everything that the Psalmist is saying or feeling. After all, that is what prayer is. jerry
Prayer Thoughts October 7, 2008 Psalm 40, pt 2
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
1 I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
3 He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Blessed is the man
who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
5 Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.
6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require.
7 Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is within my heart.”
9 I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly;
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O LORD.
10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly.
11 Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
12 For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
and my heart fails within me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to save me;
O LORD, come quickly to help me.
14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
“The LORD be exalted!”
17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.
On the day that I made these notes (September 11) I was unfocused on ACTS and more focused on the text itself. I made a few random notes about the verses in preparation for prayer. I include a verse number beside the particular thought I had.
Verse 1. He waited for the Lord and the ‘Lord turned to me.’ Does this mean that the Lord had turned away from him for a time?!? It’s a terrifying thought, to me anyhow, that perhaps there are times when God has turned his back to us—that is, not listened to our prayers. I suppose at times when prayers go unanswered we think this is the time when he has done so. But the Lord did a lot of things here in the Psalm: He turned, he lifted, he set, he gave, he put…All these things the Lord did so that the people might ‘see’ and ‘fear’, not David, but the Lord himself; the Lord. He also wants faith. In other words, God made himself known in order that he might be known by faith. Those who do so, David says, are blessed. These are the ones who look to the Lord who made himself known and not to those whose lives are defined by their arrogance and idolatry which are, to be sure, power grabs.
Verse 5. But those who see the wonders of God are not only blessed by the self-revealing God, they are changed too (8). David continues to say that this God he has come to know will be talked about, and declared; but too, read what David says: “Here I am—I will desire to do your will. We get or become so ambitious when we know God. We want to serve him and worship him. We want to do the things that please him. Some how seeing God, hearing God, and knowing God changes everything. And David is speaking of all these things. Seeing (v 3); hearing (v 6); knowing (v 1ff). The point is that this encounter with the God who acts and saves does not leave us unscathed. It is a sad thing to see people who know God and have seen him work and do and yet they remain unchanged, unchallenged, unfermented. “You are always on their lips but far from their hearts.” (Jeremiah 12:2b) I don’t want to remain untouched by this God.
Verse 9. Another important aspect is that the one who gets to know God—through God’s self-revelation—also refuses to keep such information to himself. This has to be proclaimed—but the right ideas have to be conveyed too. None can compare with God—none; but his deeds and wonders are almost too much to talk about because they are so many (v 5). Yet David finds it impossible here to consider keeping God and righteousness, and faithfulness and mercy and love to himself (v 9-10). These things must be proclaimed in the great assembly (interestingly, ‘great assembly’ bookends these verses 9-10; who is David speaking to in these verses?) He speaks. And what else should or can a king or anyone with such knowledge do? Can we keep silent when God has done so much? Will our mouths remain sealed when God has given such a great deliverance? There is much David will declare about this God who has revealed himself, who has turned toward David and heard his cry.
- He will sing a new song of his deliverance by God (v 3)
- He will speak of God’s wondrous deeds—if he can! (v 5) (although at times he seems more inclined to listen than than talk, v 6)
- He proclaims God’s saving acts (v 9)
- He speaks of God’s saving acts and righteousness and faithfulness (v 10)
- Eventually those David witnesses to will also speak—saying, ‘The Lord is Great!’ (v 16) I guess part of the goals is to have more and more people joining in the chorus; to have their words converted from ‘aha, aha’ to ‘The Lord is Great!’ in the great assembly.
Verse 11. Those who know the Lord will cry out to him. They will recognize in Him a Deliverer, a Protector, a Forgiver. In other words, David realizes that his prison is far more than physical. His prison is much deeper and much more complex than mere physical enemies who may be a sign of great trouble David has with sin. He says he cannot see (v 12); what can he not see? The Lord’s deliverance? The Lord himself? David, in other words, even after hearing and seeing God, still sins. He is not yet perfected. He must still recognize the sincere gap, the huge distance, between who God is and who David is. David learns much about himself when he learns about God and thus will respond appropriately to God: Deliver! I think we can look at the sin that wrecks our life as an enemy too. It surrounds us, engulfs us, consumes us. All we can pray for is deliverance. David here was being battered on all sides: from within and from without. Enemies around his house, sin within his heart. But David knows who delivers from all sorts of enemies and he turns to Him time and time again.
Verse 14. Those who seek God who has revealed himself are marked people. This seems abundantly obvious. They cannot go unnoticed by those who do not seek God. With declaration comes a certain amount of animosity from the wicked: They want to destroy. David is rightly concerned, but he is not full of fear because he trusts God. Some seek David to destroy him, but they will only meet with the Lord in one way or another. He doesn’t say if they will meet ruin or confession or not. He doesn’t say if he will be delivered from their reprobate actions or not. He trusts that God is is Deliverer, but as far as it goes, in the Psalm, we have no idea if David is rescued or not. He leaves us on an open chord—calling out for the God he has patiently waited for to not delay.
When I was finished reading and collecting these thoughts, I noted some concluding observations.
I think the question is this: Can we or will we wait upon the Lord? What if he delays? What if he never shows up at all? Do we put our trust in him or not? Do we make the Lord our trust? Do we still declare? Sing? Speak? Do his will? Wait (patiently)? Do we still trust him? Do we have confidence in his faithfullness? His greatness? His love? His mercy? His righteousness? Can we still declare with and in the assembly that God is great, even when he makes us wait? Will we trust him even when it seems that he has turned his back to us and not answered our prayers?
Soli Deo Gloria!
October 1, 2008 at 5:44 am · Filed under prayer, Scripture and tagged: Acts, Adoration, Confession, David, Prayer Thoughts, Psalm 40, Supplication, Thanksgiving
Prayer Thoughts September 30.2008
A Couple of weeks ago, our prayer team spent the week digesting Psalm 40. It is a beautiful Psalm and the week we spent with it proved especially timely due to some deaths that took place in and around our congregation. I grew to love this Psalm and appreciate it even more than before. It is a beautifully written and wonderful piece of poetry. Here are some of the thoughts I had following the ACTS pattern. Over the next couple of days, I will share three days’ worth of prayer thoughts from this Psalm. You will see the thoughts deepen over the three days as the Psalm was opened up to me.
A Adoration “God is the Rock.” You see, David here was in a place of vulnerability—this was a place where his enemies could take advantage of his weak position and destroy him. But David worships God because God heard David’s cry. I suspect his cry was, “Lord make my position secure, make my position one I can fight from.” The real discussion then is this: What sort of position did the Lord set him in that was secure? I wonder if that secure position was the Lord himself? After all, David did not say, “People will see me and run.” He said, “People will see the Lord and fear him and trust him.” Was the position this? David worships even in such a terrible position as this (v 3) with a new song. Well, who worships when the chips are down? Who sings a new song in an old position? Who rejoices when trapped in a slimy pit of mud? But that is what David did! (I also thought of Job and Jonah.) He sang a new song and gives all the glory to God. As a result, it appears that others too put their trust in the Lord. Prayer thoughts: How should we pray when we are faced with difficult situations? How can we trust God to establish our position? How can worship be a witness to others?
C Confession David always seemed to have a lot to confess to the Lord, but in these verses he also had a lot to confess to the public, to the congregation as well. His confessions run deep and are honest announcements of who he is, to whom he belongs, about the depth of his confidence in the Lord God. He confesses that the Lord is wonder-full and that there is no one like him. It is the Lord who blesses and makes whole those who are not. David says the Lord has done too much for him to even begin confessing it all. This is all positive confession. David confesses that he desires to do the will of God—in fact, that it was written of him that he would do just that. He proclaims the salvation of the Lord before the great assembly. He refuses to seal his lips—that is, it iis impossible for him to remain silent about what God has done: His faithfulness, his righteousness, his love, his mercy—all this he proclaims before the great assembly. Finally, he confesses his sin before the Lord and he recognizes that not all is well when it comes to David—his sin was all around. Even though lifted out, David still very much need rescuing. Prayer Thoughts: The confessions here are very much positive and in keeping with the theme of worship. How can confession of the Lord’s attributes form the foundation of our confession in prayer?
T Thanksgiving David has a myriad of things for which to thank God. It is amazing that any occasion or experience is a reason to praise—and, seemingly, never a reason to forget to give thanks. Maybe it’s here, “But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. May those who long for your saving help always say, “The Lord is Great!”” They say great because they are thankful—not just because he is great. They say great because his greatness is not at all impotent, but it is powerful and mighty to save those who long for a power that is able to rescue them. And they didn’t worship the greatness—instead they worship the one who is Great, the One who is the source of greatness. There is a reason for proclaiming that the Lord is great: His saving power. How much thankfulness resides in our heart? Do we recognize God as the reason to give thanks? What I find amazing is that David, regardless of his predicament, always found a reason to give thanks. His heart was inclined towards thanksgiving. Verses 14-16 describe someone who is beset on every side by enemies and yet David is still someone who can give thanks. Prayer Thoughts: Can we do the same? Maybe we should write out a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving. David may not specifically use the word ‘thanks’ in this Psalm, but the Psalm itself is an offering of thanksgiving as he remembered what the Lord had done for him.
S Supplication David’s petitions throughout this Psalm are rather clear. A) That all who sought his life be put to shame and confusion. B) That all who desire his ruin be put to disgrace. C) That those who mocked him would be ashamed of themselves. D) That all who seek God would be glad and rejoice. That they find in Him the source of happiness. E) That those who seek salvation acknowledge the Lord. F) That the Lord think of David. G) That God not delay in rescuing him from his trouble. David prays that those who seek his life would have their words of derision (‘Aha, Aha’) turned into words of worship (‘The Lord is Great!’). Here is a man who petitions the Lord for help, for mercy, for all out deliverance. This is the sort of help that comes only from the Lord. He is a man of faith. Prayer Thoughts: How often do we put our hope and trust in anything but the Lord. David, regardless of the trouble, put his hope in the Lord. He asked the Lord for anything (‘do not delay’) and had the confidence to ‘wait patiently on the Lord’).
These are all very preliminary thoughts from the second day I prayed this Psalm. As I noted above, the thoughts will be deeper and more diverse in the next two installments. Thanks for stopping by and sharing in these prayers.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Prayer Thoughts, Scripture, Psalm 40, David, ACTS, Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication
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September 15, 2008 at 4:29 pm · Filed under devotional, prayer, Scripture, worship and tagged: 2 Samuel 7, Adoration, Confession, Isaiah 7, Joshua 7, Matthew 7, prayer, Supplication, Thanksgiving
Prayer Thoughts for September 8, 2008
Friends,
This will be my third installment of ‘prayer thoughts’. I’m glad to share them with you and encourage you, if you wish, to leave a thought and share your own. Replies are easily accomplished here at WordPress. This week’s prayer Scriptures came from 1 Samuel, Joshua, Isaiah, and Matthew–all chapter 7s. Pray well, friends.
Invocation: Lord, God, Thous has given me another day, a day to live in Thy service and for the good of my fellow-men. I am indeed a poor tool in Thy hand and deserving to be cast aside. Forgive me all my sins for Jesus’ sake, and by Thy Spirit grant me the fitness to work for Thee this day. I beseech Thee to make me mindful, dear Lord, that I am but a stranger and a pilgrim in this world. Let me not devote my efforts today to purposes that are unworthy; let me not merely gather treasures for this world; let me not serve Mammon. This life is but a vain show; let me not search for an abiding city here. But, Lord, fasten my heart and hope on the life that is in Thee and let my striving and my desires be directed to the treasures of Thy love. As long as I am in the land of my pilgrimage, hold Thou my hand; keep me from every false path. If I should stumble in sinful weakness, grant me repentance and faith. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. (From Lutheran Book of Prayer, prayer for Wednesday Morning, page 31, Concordia Publishing House, 4th ed. 1941)
Adoration
2 Samuel 7:1-29 The hardest thing about this passage is that God told David ‘no.’ David wants to build a ‘house’ for God—that is, a temple. First Nathan tells David to go ahead; then Nathan has to go back and tell David ‘no.’ I imagine this was difficult for the prophet. It’s almost like Nathan didn’t really feel like dealing with this issue so he just presumed upon the Lord and told David to do whatever he wanted. God rebuked Nathan in a dream and he had to go back to David the next day. But the thing that is most difficult is that God told David ‘no.’ The answer to David’s prayer was ‘no.’ The movement of David’s heart was stilled when the Lord told David, through the prophet, that someone else would have the honor of building His house. Instead, in a great ironic twist, the Lord tells David, “The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you” (v 11). Kind of makes one wonder what is more important, doesn’t it? Is it more important for us to build a house for God or for God to build a house for us? (See Psalm 127; 1 Peter 2). I also found interesting the comment in verse 18: “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said.” I wondered: “where did David go in to?” What about his posture? Does this in any way relate to what the Hebrew writer wrote, “ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” The short and long of this is that David was told ‘no’ by God, and yet David’s response was one of worship. The question for our prayers is thus: How do we respond when God tells us ‘no’? (I will explore this a little more deeply when I write about last week’s prayer thoughts from Psalm 40.)
Confession
Joshua 7:1-26 This is another troubling story because it just doesn’t seem to fit well with our modern sensibilities: why was Achan’s entire family destroyed when it was, apparently, only Achan who sinned? Worse, perhaps, is that author begins this way, ‘But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things’ (things under the ban, 7:1). The Lord’s anger burned against the people who, with the very tiny exception of Achan, had no idea why they were being punished, why God was angry, or even that God was angry. First, however, is that Joshua confessed, and the Lord rebukes Joshua essentially saying, “This is not a time for confession or repentance; that time has passed. Get up!” It was time to root out the sin from Israel. I find it amazing that Achan hid the things under his tent—as if he were trying to lay a new foundation for his family built on the banned wealth of the heathen. Not only that, but Achan was trying to keep all this a secret, hidden. I wonder if things would have gone differently for Achan if Achan had confessed. I can’t believe that Achan didn’t feel the heat after Joshua announced that Israel would present themselves the next day. He had to tell the people, “Go, consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies unless you remove them.” I think Achan had a chance—and he did not take the opportunity to do what was right. Even the next day he had every opportunity: Tribe by tribe, clan by clan, family by family, man by man. He made all those people go through this project and, I suspect, confessed only because he was caught at the end. I think he showed disdain for the Lord’s Word by refusing to come forward sooner. His sin was not just coveting, but also idolatry and disdain for the Lord. Confession is a significant aspect of our prayer life both positively and negatively. The short and long of this is is simply this: We may hide our sin for a while, but it will eventually be revealed.
Thanksgiving
Isaiah 7:1-17 Key to these verses is verse 9: “If you will not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” But this was not the way of Ahaz. Ahaz demonstrates that he did not want the Lord’s deliverance. He did not want the protection of God, so he rejected the Lord; he disobeyed. The Lord told him to ask for a sign and Ahaz steadfastly refused and, thus, announced his own rebellion against the Lord. The fearless king was a shaking man. The Lord promised deliverance, but Ahaz did not believe the word of the Lord nor did he take YHWH at His word. What is worse than rejecting the word of the Lord? How many times have any of us prayed for the Lord to give us a sign of his will, his intentions, his desires only to be rejected? Here is Ahaz—with the power to ask for anything he wants and he rejects the opportunity to see the Lord’s deliverance. So that is how Ahaz thanked God. I wonder: How do we thank God when he promises deliverance? Did Ahaz not hear: The Lord had promised a Deliverer! A Deliverer! And Ahaz could only reject the Lord’s offer and the Lord’s word and the Lord’s command. But in typical the Lord type fashion this Deliverer will be nothing like what anyone of them expected: A child, the Deliverer would be. The Lord will deliver Israel with a child?! It’s rather absurd—but this boy will be a sign of the Lord’s Deliverance: “God is with us.” We can be thankful that ultimately it is Jesus of Nazareth who is Immanuel. Ahaz may have seen a temporary deliverance, but the prophecy here fully anticipates a fuller, more complete deliverance. The New Testament declares that it is in Jesus that this is true. So we walk by faith even though things may seem a bit upside down and backward and less than encouraging. We can be thankful that God has asked us to walk in faith instead of in strength. In strength we would surely fail; in faith we surely fail, but in faith we stand because there is no other way to stand. We are thankful for God’s deliverer.
Supplication
Matthew 7:1-29 So we are not to judge or at least we are to be generous in the way we judge. That is, careful; gracious. It has been pointed out elsewhere that even the generous must decide who the ‘pigs’ are when we are sowing pearls. Discerning, yes; overly judgmental and haughty, no. We must, before we discern, judge ourselves. We must be harder on ourselves than we are on others. In a sense we must be our own worst critic. I ere on the side of caution here, or at least I try. Perhaps Paul’s dictum would suit all of us well: “It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of people’s hearts. At that time each will receive their praise from God” (1 Cor 4:4b-5). Yet, still we pray that God strengthen us and enable us to discern the ones before whom we should and should not cast our pearls. Verse 12 says: “In everything do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” Well, what would we have others to do us? Would we have them judge us, reject us, turn us away? Or would we have others love us? Interestingly enough Jesus says that this ‘golden rule’ sums up the Law and the Prophets and yet later he also says that to Love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all your soul and with all your mind…and to love our neighbor as ourselves, these also sum up the Law and the Prophets: “All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commands” (22:37-40) So we pray: Lord help us to be ones who fulfill the Law and Prophets in perfect Love: Love for you, love for others. There must be a connection between these two verses (7:12 & 22:40) that is deeper than mere coincidence. How shall we fulfill these thing? How shall we love? Lord help us love! But Jesus goes on, too, and says that we should be mindful of the road we are traveling. It is a narrow road we travel, one that we could easily fall off of if we are not careful to mind our own steps. He says we should be mindful of those who are false prophets: By their fruit you will recognize them. He doesn’t say that we should go around pointing them out to others; he says by their fruit we ourselves will be warned and we should take precautions. We should pay attention, yes, but it seems that we are to be mindful of our own walk and our own salvation lest we get sidetracked. So we pray: Lord help us to be discerning about who we follow. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear because indeed, as Jesus said, there will be many who are not true. Finally, we end right back where we started: House building. The Lord told David, “I will build your house.” Now here Jesus warns us about the foundation of the house we will build, “Don’t be stupid. Don’t build on a bad foundation. If you build on my word, you will have a house built by the Lord. If you don’t, your house cannot possibly stand.” So we pray: Lord may we be attentive to your Word. Lord, we pray that you build our house according to your plans and your blueprints. Incline our hearts to your Word. We bless you, our Father.
Benediction: Lord we bless you and thank you for you Word which builds our house, narrows our walk, promises us a Deliverer, searches us and reveals our secrets, teaches us how to worship. Lord, teach us to love like you.
Semper Deo Gloria!
Technorati Tags: Confession, prayer, Matthew 7, Isaiah 7, Joshua 7, 2 Samuel 7, Supplication, Thanksgiving
