Day 19: Blessed is He who Comes in the Name of the Lord

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

This last sentence of today’s reading caught me unaware. It was not that I did not know it was coming; it was because of its wonderful reminder of an action that I need to have in my life everyday. In this passage just before this sentence is the statement from Jesus, which says, “You will not see me until you say, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Now, I don’t believe that we can just say things and they happen, what I believe is that through a sustained disciplined life we practice the things that will produce in us the evidence of who Christ is in us. Let me un-pack that.

Three things are needed in this life to fully see and understand Jesus.

1. Speaking. This is coming to a place in my life where I acknowledge that Jesus is Lord and Savior. I place my trust in that which I cannot prove and even cause to happen believing that Jesus has done for me that which needs to happen in order for my salvation. I will not see Jesus until I say, “blessed is He.”
2. Practice. The Christian life is a sustainable life, dependent upon continual practice of spiritual disciplines. I make a statement of what I believe by the way I do things. When my actions are the result of disciplines, my practice proclaims who Jesus is in me.
3. Looking. I think one of the problems I have in seeing Jesus is that many times I am not even looking for Him. I am looking for my own way or the way that is easy. Jesus in this passage is calling us to come back to Him. This lament found here is that Jesus desires to gather us together, into His arms, but we would not. Why? Because we were not even looking.

Day 18: He who has Ears

“He who has ears to hear let him hear.”

This phrase jumped out at me today as I read the passages in Luke. I thought about all the times I could not hear--the times I was surrounded by noise and distractions. I thought of the times I am surrounded by voices inside and outside my mind all-jockeying for attention. I thought about the voices in the media and the communities where I live and how they call out to me with images and empty promises of wealth and prosperity and the multitude of things I can have if only I do this or that. In fact, even as I write these words the radio is blaring and a dog is barking outside. I can hear my neighbors talking, and the sounds of traffic from the highway across the way drift to my ears.

What does this phrase mean in today's world? "He who has ears to hear let him hear."

Perhaps another way of saying this: How do we discern between the voices we hear? How do we know which voice to follow, and how do we make the right choice when sometimes all the voices seem to be calling at once?

I think this parable in itself holds the key; it is the parable of the seeds by the way.

The truth is not in the many voices that we hear but in the soil that receives it. True, there is bad seed out there, but the good seed is the one that produces the harvest. (Ever planted bad seeds and received anything in return?) Knowing the difference between the many voices depends upon our ability to have good soil in our lives. The way we get good soil is to have our lives filled with the power and presence of God through the Holy Spirit.

If my life is soil, it means that seeds can be planted and grow. What type of soil, as defined through this parable, am I?

The ability to have good soil is possible. It happens as I give my life into the hands of God through surrender to Jesus Christ as my Lord. Then filled with the power of His Spirit, I can live life full--filled with the voice of Christ.

Day 17: I Will

“I Will!” Have you ever heard that spoken to you? It happens often, you know. Every time you pray believing, Jesus answers, "I will." Every time you ask for forgiveness, Jesus answers, "I will." Every time you ask Jesus to lead you, He answers, "I will."

The power of Jesus' words for us when we ask, have an amazing ability to reach into every area of our lives with the transforming power of His love to change us, heal us, and empower us to be all He desires us to be.

However, as I say this, I realize that not all my prayers get answered, at times I don’t feel forgiven, and many times I can’t see where Jesus is leading. Because of this, I wonder if any of this is real and does Jesus, in fact, have the power to answer in any way the questions I have in my heart and mind? "I will," Jesus says. I will…in that simple statement is the power of faith to believe.

Two things jump out at me in this point. The first is this. What I believe about Jesus does not change who and what He is. For me to say, I can’t see or feel or understand does in no way diminish the power of Jesus. What it shows is my lack of understanding of the power which Jesus has and the glory which is His. The second point is this. Jesus desires to prove His power in my life. Perhaps when I don’t see it or don’t feel it, it is not His lack of ability but my lack of belief.

“I will,” Jesus says.

Lord, Help me to believe!

Day 16: Trials - a way to Life

Trials are a part of life. I don’t like them, and I wish that I did not have to go through them. But go through them is what I do. I know I can’t escape them; trials are everywhere. They are to be endured and overcome. That was true in Jesus’ life as well.

The Apostle Luke, in Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke, paints the picture of the ultimate in trials and temptations--the easy way out, escape to destruction if you ask me. Glory and fame has its cost as well as placing your allegiance in the right place. There were the trials Jesus faced and in each situation He was able to defend Himself with the weapons He has provided us.

It’s interesting to look at my own life and see how often I tried to overcome on my own. To work out my own way. Each time I tried under my own power, I ended up defeated and in a worst place that when I started. The trial won and I gave in. What did I learn in those times? Not much:  quitting is easy, placing blame on another is not going to get it done, and placing my trust in the wrong thing ends in disaster.

What I learn from going through the trial and facing the temptation, is that God has been there all along. The thing I feared the most very seldom happens and what I experience on the other side of the trial is liberation and freedom. This principle you cannot learn unless you go through the trial and arrive on the other side.

Jesus goes before us in trials and temptations and also in liberation and freedom. He shows the way and calls us to follow.

Day 15: Interacting with Jesus

I just returned from a seminar this past weekend that dealt with the idea of, "How does Jesus interact with people?" I came away with some new learning that all of Jesus’ life is a textbook for my own life. I can learn from Him how to interact, how to care, how to love. In fact, I think that in every area of my life I can discover something in the life of Jesus that will help me on my own journey.

I am struck today by the largeness of the life of Jesus, which is to say that every part of who He is, is relevant for today.

In fact, what part of Jesus life does not give us insight into living our own life? I know that some will say, "Jesus is a historical figure," or "Jesus might have something to say to religious people." There are many other things people can say, much of that would be truth. Yet, I find a deeper reality in this life lived before us. I find a person who wants to be my closest friend--someone who will accept me for what I am and then through His own love for me reaches out to help me and to guide me into real life.

Reading through these passages at the end of the book of Mark, you cannot but be reminded that in every area of life Jesus has something to teach us and even to show us if only we would open our eyes to who He really is.

So my question to you today: NOT, how does Jesus interact with people, but, how is Jesus interacting with YOU?