Called

Mark 16:14-16 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen. And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

A calling is not something we talk about much these days. We put it up there with commitment and covenant. Nice to think about, but difficult to do.

Being called is difficult when you don’t possess the faith to believe. The followers of Jesus had seen and experienced the teachings and miracles and even heard testimony to the resurrection. Apparently, that was not enough. It wasn’t until Jesus came and appeared to them that they got it. In the appearance, Jesus rebuked the things that separated them from being called--things like unbelief and hardness of heart. We could use words like fear and doubt. In reality, it is anything that would keep them or us from going and proclaiming.

Being called is a unique experience. It is the deep awareness of passion for the activity to which we have been called. Being called is something that is life-changing and life- giving; being called is frightening and terrible. Yet, when you are called you cannot escape it. You might be able to ignore it or even subdue it, but you are still called. In fact, I believe that everyone is called. God calls all of us in one way or the other. The choice we face is to follow our calling or to run from our calling. Both happen all the time.

So what happens when Jesus shows up in your calling as He did with the disciples in this passage? The last line of Mark gives us perspective. Mark 16: 20 declares, ”And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.”

Calling is all about living out the Gospel in the way that God has called us to pick up our cross and follow.

You are called! Amen

Reading for Today: Mark 15- 16 & Luke 1

The Power of Money

Mark 12: 41 And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box.

I don’t often talk about money. I don’t have much, yet that which I have is important to me. It provides for my ministry, it provides for food and shelter, it provides for my family and friends, and it gives me opportunity to give back to God.

I have learned a lesson late in life that I wish I had learned earlier in my journey. That is the privilege of giving back to God a tithe of all He has given to me. They practice a strange ritual at the church I have been attending when I am in the states. Before they receive the offering someone might get up on stage and say, “OK friends, it’s time to receive the offering.” The place explodes in joyous applause. I have noticed in the bulletin each week that they always reach their need.

There is something about joyous giving that changes why we give. I have tried to practice giving in the past. Sometimes I succeeded; sometimes I fell short. I have discovered lately that every time I give out of this joyful attitude it is not a chore but a blessing. For the past year and a half, I have not received a paycheck. It was a choice I made to follow God into mission work in Nicaragua. Yet in this time, every need has been meet, every wish has been fulfilled and every want has been provided.

Part of this has been the lesson of learning to do without. Though difficult, it has proved to be rewarding as we examine the important things in life. Part of this has been the blessing from faithfulness in relationship with my wife and family. Tithing is also about the things we have, not only about money. But most noticeably has been my willingness to be joyful in giving--giving a biblical tithe back to God in thankfulness for everything.

Money can be a powerful force in your life. It has the power to overcome you, to make you its slave to what it can provide in worldly stuff OR money can become the source of great joy when you control it and give it back to God in joyful obedience.

Jesus was sitting down watching people put money into the offering box…

Faith Grabbers

Mark 11: 22 -23 And Jesus answered them, "Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.

I love scripture passages like these--filled with power and opportunity. God has a way of presenting things that call us to action. This passage in Mark chapter 11 is one of those passages. The beauty of this passage, however, is found in the phrase “Have faith in God.” I think that all too often we take that line for granted, yet it is the very ingredient that provides power for that which follows.

Speaking in and of itself does not produce action. I can say all kinds of things and even say to mountains, “Jump into the sea.” I know from experience that doesn’t work. What does work, however, is having faith in God! The core teaching of this passage is not what we say but what we believe. In fact Jesus reinforces this two times in the text. He says, “do not doubt, but believe.” Belief is what grabs our faith.

James chapter 2 is a complete discourse on this subject. (Read it sometime) The gist of that chapter pertains to what happens when we bring faith and action into practice. Sounds easy, but many times the application is difficult. I find in my life that sometimes it is easy to have faith. On the other hand, when faced with action, I crumble under the weight. I am not willing to risk exposure to my lack of real faith.

So what does this say for me? There are two things I need to remember in life about faith. First, faith is God’s gift to me for the living out my life in relationship with Him. (Eph 2:8-9) God is the beginning point of faith. It is not something I have had all along but is birthed in me when I turn to Him for salvation. Second, faith is the effect of this relationship. The more I am with God the more faith builds in me.

The power of this passage is that having faith in God will produce the things God calls me to do. Therefore, grab faith, my friends.

Food for the Journey

Mark 8: 8-10 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. And there were about four thousand people. And he sent them away. And immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

I guess I knew that there were these two different stories of Jesus feeding people in the Gospel of Mark. However, today as I was reading these passages from Mark 6 and 8, the stories really caught my attention as to the common dynamics of each and the impacted lives which were touched in what Jesus did with so little food for so many people.

In each story, there were great hunger and need. In each account, there were bread and fish. In each story, the disciples were unable to meet the need on their own. In each description, thousands were fed. In each story, Jesus performed a miracle, and there was an abundance left over.

I have found that to be the way of my own journey most of the time. When I am in great need and unable to meet that need with my own resource, Jesus is willing to meet me at my point of need. However, certain things are always apparent at these times. The first is the awareness of total dependence upon Jesus. At times like this, either Jesus meets the need, or we perish. Now that is dependence.

A second awareness is the all-sufficient power of Jesus to meet the need. We must believe that Jesus can do it. Our human nature is much like that of the disciples who, even after the first feeding in chapter 6, still had doubts about how to feed the thousands in chapter 8. What did they learn? Hopefully, that Jesus is able and willing to meet our needs if we allow Him.

The last thing is this. Jesus always blesses in abundance. I believe this happens in the context of our receiving His blessings; He is at the same time allowing us to be a blessing to others. As we are blessed, we have opportunity to demonstrate our understanding of the stewardship of blessing in our sharing with others what we have been blessed with.

This, my friends, provides us a chance to share our Jesus story with others.

Jan 11th,. 2010

Truth Unveiled

Mark 4:10-11And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.”

A simple truth is presented in today’s readings from the Gospel of Mark. It is this: not everyone gets it. The problem is not that people don’t have opportunity or exposure; the problem is that a lot of people just don’t understand. They don’t get it. The teachings from Jesus on love, forgiveness, grace, hope, eternity, and faith are unimaginable to many which is a sad reality and a fearful truth.

My question: Why don’t people get it? I have for many years believed that Scripture interprets itself. That means that the truth of one part is revealed in the collective truth of the whole. When we look at this passage in light of the whole of scripture, a wonderful insight emerges.

In chapter 4 of Mark, the parables are about God’s mighty works of grace in the lives of people. Consider the parable of the sowing of seed. Good soil vs. bad soil. Some people get it because their lives have been prepared to receive; others lose it because they have hardened their hearts to receive or something else seemingly more important gets in the way.

The reality is that truth is difficult at times to understand. It is difficult to understand why a friend suffers or a child dies. It is difficult to understand why some prosper and others struggle and remain poor. Life’s not fair, but truth is. We may not like it, but truth is always fair.

So what’s the point of this message? God in His wisdom reveals truth to those who seek Him. This is true of all who are seekers, but to those who have rejected him, who have hardened their hearts, this life-changing and life-sustaining truth remains veiled until that day when all things become clear.

Rejoice, my friends, because to you truth has come. Amen.

Faithfulness

Matthew 24:45-46 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”

It’s not about success; it’s about faithfulness. If you have been in ministry for any length of time, you will know from practice the value of these words. Success is fleeting; faithfulness is a choice. Success is something that happens when all the right stuff comes together in order. It’s like being in the right place at the right time or having the right tools to finish the job. Faithfulness is choosing to act and live in such a way that the conclusion is to become more like Jesus.

Let me explain. Faithfulness is living life not based upon outcome or performance criteria. It is choosing to live each and every day in relationship, living life in context with the scriptures and expressing gratitude for everything that has been given to us through faith in Christ Jesus. Faithfulness is the success that pleases God.

There are two things in this passage that lead us down the path toward more faithfulness. The first is wisdom. Notice from the passage: “Who then is the faithful and wise servant?” Wisdom about life is a shared reality. We learn from past failures and mistakes and from the lives of others who have gone before us. If we fail to learn from our past, we have wasted an opportunity to learn. The more we learn the better we are at becoming faithful. We also learn in relationship, with God, and with others in community. Faithfulness is learned as we live.

Point two. Faithfulness is also practiced each and every day. Yes, even when I don’t feel like being faithful. It is the blueprint of my life. I choose to live faithfully in spite of outward experience or inward doubt that would cause me to think that things are not going as planned. It is too easy to get caught up in the success model of our world and think, that’s reality. While in fact, reality is actually the practice of everyday believing, everyday praying, everyday getting out of bed knowing that God, not I, is in control. God is the only one who is successful. He proved that in creation, and in this, He now calls us to be faithful.

So today, get up, get going, and be faithful! Amen.

Readings for today: Matthew chapters 22 – 24.

Jan. 7th. 2010

Comparisons

Matthew 20:11-16 “ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last."

I must admit that sometimes my life is lived in comparison to what others have achieved or accomplished. I have lived in the shadow of greater, more gifted, better looking, more capable and more talented pastors than myself. It's a difficult journey to discover that God does not judge us in comparison to others; He creates us to be unique unto Himself.

I have discovered that I am the one who does the comparison stuff. We all do. It goes like this. Why does that person get all the best stuff? Why does she have the best clothes or complexion or best husband? Who put them in charge? Perhaps you have seen in yourself some of the same tendencies to compare your life in light of the success or failures of others. The problem with this type of thinking is that it usually ends up in discontent and discouragement. I have very seldom rejoiced in what little I have in light of how much others have. In fact, the other is usually the case. I rejoice that I have more than others. Shame on me!

The beauty of this passage of scripture is that God does not judge on how much or little we produce but upon our willingness and faithfulness to do the work He is calling us to. His reward is the same according to what He has promised to do for us. That’s the rub. We often think that because we are not blessed in the same way, or with more than others, there must be something wrong with us. Philippians 4:12-13 says it well.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

The hardest thing to do in life and especially in ministry is live in the beauty of what we have been created to do. Not in comparison but in companionship with those who are also called to bring about the Kingdom of God to the world God loves. Who cares who gets the glory! It all belongs to God.

So, my friends, get busy doing what God has called you to do. Amen.

Readings for today: Matthew chapters 19-21.