Scripture:
When those bitter days have come upon you far in the future, you will finally turn to the Lord your God and listen to what He tells you. For the Lord your God is merciful--He will not abandon you or destroy you or forget the solemn covenant He made with your ancestors. Deuteronomy 4:30-31
Observation:
Amazing to see the unfailing love of the Lord for His people in action. In a prophetic way, Moses reveals what is going to happen to the people of God, their success, their betrayal, their disobedience, and ultimately, their redemption. In spite of their rebellion, God will not abandon them or destroy them. God has fulfilled throughout history Moses’ words. His mercy cannot be confused with lenience. God’s mercy is for the purpose of our repentance, not for our indulgence. We cannot take God’s mercy for granted. We must respond in obedience to God’s ways not because we have to, but because we want to.
Application:
Sadly said, many of us have to experience bitter days in order to soften our hearts and listen to what God says. We learn obedience through our sufferings, and we become more willing to follow the Lord after we have experience pain away from His presence. The key is for us not to go back to a place of disobedience when things get better again. We need to learn how to be obedient not only when we suffer, but also when we enjoy God’s blessings. We cannot make the same mistakes Israel did. They are written so we know what happens to our vulnerable hearts. We can build our lives in wisdom and avoid great suffering. We cannot take God’s mercy for granted and continue in the same habits of sin and disobedience. We must be motivated by God’s love and by His mercy to walk in consistent repentance and obedience before Him.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, what a wonderful and merciful God you are. Your mercy makes all my blessings available and my redemption possible. Please don’t let me take your mercy for granted. I don’t want to walk into new bitter places in order to learn more obedience. I want to learn the lessons from the past, to trust in your word, and to set my life according to your ways. I don’t want to go through the same suffering again in order to relearn the lessons. Please let me be always mindful of your mercy, not to indulge my sinful habits, but to walk away from them in the power of your redemption. Amen.
Friday, March 7, 2008
CALCULATED & PATIENT. By Pastor Fernando
Scripture:
So Jesus came to Jerusalem and came into the temple. He look around carefully at everything, and then He left because it was late in the afternoon. Mark 11:11
Observation:
Jesus arrives to Jerusalem in the midst of the praises of the people. They wave branches at Him and give Him the royal welcome. As He comes to the city, he comes into the temple. While there, He simply observes carefully at everything. He observes the moneychangers, the merchants of animals, the people worshipping, and the priests fulfilling their duty. He does not say or do anything that day because it was too late already. He patiently waits for the next morning. He has time to think exactly what He is going to do. He rehearses in his heart and He knows as soon as He arrives to the temple what he is going to do.
Application:
Many times I’ve seen the passage where Jesus clears the temple as the Lord reacting impulsively. But He observed carefully at everything and had time to think and calculate what He was about to do. How many times I react according to my impulses and say or do things that would regret later? I do that all the time! I need to learn from Jesus on this regard. I need to take time to observe carefully around me and then calculate very well what I need to do. when I look into my life, what do I see? In which ways I’m compromising my devotion to Christ? What am I doing about it? Do I neglect correction? Do I withhold discipline? Or do I make the necessary adjustments, as radical as they need to be, to put things in order?
The same principle we must apply when we respond to the call to be stewards of the Lord’s house. We need to take time to observe carefully at everything and then think and calculate carefully how to bring order, how to re-calibrate people’s hearts, how to go back to heart, how to prune, how to increase, how to excel, and how to make our church a place where God’s presence is welcomed and entertained.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me the importance of being patient and to calculate well when we need to bring order in our lives and ministry. Please remind me of the importance to have the right sense of timing. The right thing can become the wrong thing if done in the wrong time. Please teach me how to be patient and how to bring order the right way. Let me put aside my emotions and impulses. Let me be more calculated and patient, just like you. Amen.
So Jesus came to Jerusalem and came into the temple. He look around carefully at everything, and then He left because it was late in the afternoon. Mark 11:11
Observation:
Jesus arrives to Jerusalem in the midst of the praises of the people. They wave branches at Him and give Him the royal welcome. As He comes to the city, he comes into the temple. While there, He simply observes carefully at everything. He observes the moneychangers, the merchants of animals, the people worshipping, and the priests fulfilling their duty. He does not say or do anything that day because it was too late already. He patiently waits for the next morning. He has time to think exactly what He is going to do. He rehearses in his heart and He knows as soon as He arrives to the temple what he is going to do.
Application:
Many times I’ve seen the passage where Jesus clears the temple as the Lord reacting impulsively. But He observed carefully at everything and had time to think and calculate what He was about to do. How many times I react according to my impulses and say or do things that would regret later? I do that all the time! I need to learn from Jesus on this regard. I need to take time to observe carefully around me and then calculate very well what I need to do. when I look into my life, what do I see? In which ways I’m compromising my devotion to Christ? What am I doing about it? Do I neglect correction? Do I withhold discipline? Or do I make the necessary adjustments, as radical as they need to be, to put things in order?
The same principle we must apply when we respond to the call to be stewards of the Lord’s house. We need to take time to observe carefully at everything and then think and calculate carefully how to bring order, how to re-calibrate people’s hearts, how to go back to heart, how to prune, how to increase, how to excel, and how to make our church a place where God’s presence is welcomed and entertained.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me the importance of being patient and to calculate well when we need to bring order in our lives and ministry. Please remind me of the importance to have the right sense of timing. The right thing can become the wrong thing if done in the wrong time. Please teach me how to be patient and how to bring order the right way. Let me put aside my emotions and impulses. Let me be more calculated and patient, just like you. Amen.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
PHONY TREE. By Renee Takahashi.
Scripture:
On the day following, when they had come away from Bethany, He was hungry.
And seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to see if he could find any fruit on it. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come.
Mark 11:12-13
Observation:
This fig tree must have been a welcomed sight for Jesus who was hungry. It must have had a pretty impressive appearance because Jesus saw it even from a distance. Jesus approached it only to find that it was all show no go. There wasn’t a single fig on it. A phony.
Application:
I know my own anticipation approaching the season of one of my favorite fruit trees, the mango. As I drive around, my eyes immediately check out the mango trees as it progresses through the season. I take a mental snapshot of the tree and its flowers and anticipate how much fruit it would have. What a disappointment it would be if that tree didn’t bear a single fruit. What about me? Am I a phony tree? Am I walking the talk? Am I bearing fruit or just the appearance of having fruit? How many times has a hungry person come to me only to find that I was nothing but leaves? How many times has a hungry person come and not be fed the sweet fruit of the good news?
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
Like our message this past Sunday… I will steward the little I know well and apply it in every area of my life.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for your words of encouragement and of conviction. Help me to be a tree that bears your fruit. To be a tree that stewards your goodness and love. A tree that embraces and shares your truth. A tree that doesn’t disappoint the hungry. Father, prune me as you deem necessary. I love you.
On the day following, when they had come away from Bethany, He was hungry.
And seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves, He went to see if he could find any fruit on it. But when He came up to it, He found nothing but leaves, for the fig season had not yet come.
Mark 11:12-13
Observation:
This fig tree must have been a welcomed sight for Jesus who was hungry. It must have had a pretty impressive appearance because Jesus saw it even from a distance. Jesus approached it only to find that it was all show no go. There wasn’t a single fig on it. A phony.
Application:
I know my own anticipation approaching the season of one of my favorite fruit trees, the mango. As I drive around, my eyes immediately check out the mango trees as it progresses through the season. I take a mental snapshot of the tree and its flowers and anticipate how much fruit it would have. What a disappointment it would be if that tree didn’t bear a single fruit. What about me? Am I a phony tree? Am I walking the talk? Am I bearing fruit or just the appearance of having fruit? How many times has a hungry person come to me only to find that I was nothing but leaves? How many times has a hungry person come and not be fed the sweet fruit of the good news?
How will I be different today because of what I have just read?
Like our message this past Sunday… I will steward the little I know well and apply it in every area of my life.
Prayer:
Lord God, thank you for your words of encouragement and of conviction. Help me to be a tree that bears your fruit. To be a tree that stewards your goodness and love. A tree that embraces and shares your truth. A tree that doesn’t disappoint the hungry. Father, prune me as you deem necessary. I love you.
Monday, March 3, 2008
THE CHOICE: MONEY OR JESUS? By Ken Primeau
Scripture
And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to Him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” “You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those we are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10: 17-25
Observation
This story in Mark is jam packed with meaning. A rich guy comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. This Jewish man was well versed in the Old Testament scripture. He knew the 10 commandments and what God required of him. Of the 10 commandments, three are about our relationship with God (no idols, no using His name in vain, keep the Sabbath) while the other seven deal with our relationships with other people. Jesus says to the rich man, “You know the commandments” and then he lists off 6 of the 7 people-oriented commandments, intentionally leaving out one, as if to elaborately highlight it for the man. This Jewish man most likely was aware of the one that was left out. The commandment not mentioned is “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.” This man was sinful in that he coveted the possessions of others. His treasure was located in his wealth. He probably compared himself to others and always tried to one up them by having more.
Jesus then then teaches his disciples that it is hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. What does He mean by this? Jesus is essentially saying, it is harder for God to rule a rich person’s life than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. It’s hard, because the rich person submits more to their money than they will to God’s reign.
Application
Most of us read this story and place ourselves as characters alongside the disciples. We are simply learning from Jesus as he points out the faults of the rich man. Something inside of me whispers, “You are that rich man”. We in America are truly rich by the world’s standards. We might not feel rich, because our neighbor has more. There are always people who will have more than us, but if we look at the big picture, most of us are in the top 10 percentile worldwide (probably even higher). We are rich and have so much to spare.
Jesus prods us with the same question, “are you more loyal to your money and your desire to possess more, or are you loyal to my kingdom rule? Would you be willing to give up everything and just follow me?”
As I read these words, it makes me realize how much I love my money. I’m not rich compared with lots of other people around me, but I am rich because I have much more than I need. It’s not easy for me to give away my money or possessions. But Jesus calls me to abandon everything and follow him. I can’t trust in money, I only trust in Him.
Prayer
“Lord, help me to separate my heart from my money. I want to be willing to do and use money however you ask me to. Help me to become more generous and less covetous. IJNA.”
And as He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and began asking Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to Him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.” “You know the commandments, ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.” And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” And looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” But at these words his face fell, and he went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those we are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!”
And the disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
Mark 10: 17-25
Observation
This story in Mark is jam packed with meaning. A rich guy comes to Jesus and asks how he can inherit eternal life. This Jewish man was well versed in the Old Testament scripture. He knew the 10 commandments and what God required of him. Of the 10 commandments, three are about our relationship with God (no idols, no using His name in vain, keep the Sabbath) while the other seven deal with our relationships with other people. Jesus says to the rich man, “You know the commandments” and then he lists off 6 of the 7 people-oriented commandments, intentionally leaving out one, as if to elaborately highlight it for the man. This Jewish man most likely was aware of the one that was left out. The commandment not mentioned is “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house.” This man was sinful in that he coveted the possessions of others. His treasure was located in his wealth. He probably compared himself to others and always tried to one up them by having more.
Jesus then then teaches his disciples that it is hard for rich people to enter the kingdom of God. What does He mean by this? Jesus is essentially saying, it is harder for God to rule a rich person’s life than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. It’s hard, because the rich person submits more to their money than they will to God’s reign.
Application
Most of us read this story and place ourselves as characters alongside the disciples. We are simply learning from Jesus as he points out the faults of the rich man. Something inside of me whispers, “You are that rich man”. We in America are truly rich by the world’s standards. We might not feel rich, because our neighbor has more. There are always people who will have more than us, but if we look at the big picture, most of us are in the top 10 percentile worldwide (probably even higher). We are rich and have so much to spare.
Jesus prods us with the same question, “are you more loyal to your money and your desire to possess more, or are you loyal to my kingdom rule? Would you be willing to give up everything and just follow me?”
As I read these words, it makes me realize how much I love my money. I’m not rich compared with lots of other people around me, but I am rich because I have much more than I need. It’s not easy for me to give away my money or possessions. But Jesus calls me to abandon everything and follow him. I can’t trust in money, I only trust in Him.
Prayer
“Lord, help me to separate my heart from my money. I want to be willing to do and use money however you ask me to. Help me to become more generous and less covetous. IJNA.”
SALTED WITH FIRE. By Pastor Fernando
Scripture:
“For everyone will be purified with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it looses its flavor, how do make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50
Observation:
Jesus here is speaking about dealing with sin. In the verses before he urges the importance of doing whatever it takes to avoid sinful practices. He speaks of self-purification by the means of repentance and of sacrifice. If our hand or our eye is causing us to sin, then we must cut them off. In this passage, Jesus clarifies how this takes place--by fire. He refers to the saltiness of our lives as an effective means to bring flavor to this world. We cannot be effective in our mission if our lives loose the Gospel’s flavor, which is determined by our transformation and freedom from sinful practices. We loose our saltiness when we continue slaved to sinful habits. The only way for us to fight against our sinful nature is to be salted by fire, to experience sacrifice, to loose our lives, to suffer loss, and to believe that in our sacrifice we will find victory beyond our wishes.
Application:
One of the most frustrating things a s a follower of Christ is to find myself over again in the same places of sinful habits. The compulsions and selfishness of our nature have a way to come out, each time with its doses of guilt, disappointment, and pain. We fight them with all our might and for a season we find victories in many battles, but sooner or later, there is one battle lost. The enemy loves to see God’s children defeated. These are the moments where our saltiness is taken away. But this is a result of a diligent work of the enemy to tempt us patiently, to steal our flavor little by little, until we are left alone as victims of our own compulsions.
The solution for this problem is fire. We need to live in the presence of the consuming fire of God. In His presence, we find the purity and the flavor that our lives must always be characterized by. When the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our lives, the claws of sin and the compulsions of our nature loose grip in our hearts. The more we are in the fire of God’s presence, the saltier our lives will become. We don’t have to wait until sin makes its fruit in our lives to experience the purification power of God’s fire. We can walk into a life of purity and constant victory as we keep our lives in the presence of our consuming fire.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my consuming fire! Please forgive me for the many opportunities I stay away from the power of your fire and that result in the fruit of sin in my life. Let me stay closer to you so your fire burns all the impurities of my heart. Please restore the saltiness I’ve lost in the past and make my life more pure and holy. Let me have such a passion for integrity and holiness that I’m willing to loose anything and endure whatever it takes in order to be purified with your fire. Thank for your immense patience with me and for allowing me to continue practicing righteousness as your consuming fire burns all the things that will not bring honor to your name. Amen.
“For everyone will be purified with fire. Salt is good for seasoning. But if it looses its flavor, how do make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50
Observation:
Jesus here is speaking about dealing with sin. In the verses before he urges the importance of doing whatever it takes to avoid sinful practices. He speaks of self-purification by the means of repentance and of sacrifice. If our hand or our eye is causing us to sin, then we must cut them off. In this passage, Jesus clarifies how this takes place--by fire. He refers to the saltiness of our lives as an effective means to bring flavor to this world. We cannot be effective in our mission if our lives loose the Gospel’s flavor, which is determined by our transformation and freedom from sinful practices. We loose our saltiness when we continue slaved to sinful habits. The only way for us to fight against our sinful nature is to be salted by fire, to experience sacrifice, to loose our lives, to suffer loss, and to believe that in our sacrifice we will find victory beyond our wishes.
Application:
One of the most frustrating things a s a follower of Christ is to find myself over again in the same places of sinful habits. The compulsions and selfishness of our nature have a way to come out, each time with its doses of guilt, disappointment, and pain. We fight them with all our might and for a season we find victories in many battles, but sooner or later, there is one battle lost. The enemy loves to see God’s children defeated. These are the moments where our saltiness is taken away. But this is a result of a diligent work of the enemy to tempt us patiently, to steal our flavor little by little, until we are left alone as victims of our own compulsions.
The solution for this problem is fire. We need to live in the presence of the consuming fire of God. In His presence, we find the purity and the flavor that our lives must always be characterized by. When the fire of the Holy Spirit burns in our lives, the claws of sin and the compulsions of our nature loose grip in our hearts. The more we are in the fire of God’s presence, the saltier our lives will become. We don’t have to wait until sin makes its fruit in our lives to experience the purification power of God’s fire. We can walk into a life of purity and constant victory as we keep our lives in the presence of our consuming fire.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my consuming fire! Please forgive me for the many opportunities I stay away from the power of your fire and that result in the fruit of sin in my life. Let me stay closer to you so your fire burns all the impurities of my heart. Please restore the saltiness I’ve lost in the past and make my life more pure and holy. Let me have such a passion for integrity and holiness that I’m willing to loose anything and endure whatever it takes in order to be purified with your fire. Thank for your immense patience with me and for allowing me to continue practicing righteousness as your consuming fire burns all the things that will not bring honor to your name. Amen.
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