With My Own Eyes

Happy 12th birthday to my daughter Anna!

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Leviticus 1:1-3:17; Mark 1:29-2:12; Psalm 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18.

Mark 1:35 (NIV)
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Any time that you spend with God is good, whether it is in the morning, afternoon, evening, or late at night.  But there is something different about giving to God the firstfruits of the day.  There is something about seeking Him first before the day gets busy and the heart grows distracted.  Like many of you, I continue to wrestle with giving to God the place in my morning He deserves.  It is so much easier to either sleep or instantly get busy.  But the days I give Him first place are always different, always better.  My focus on Him is heightened throughout the day.  May God enable me to make the most of the morning as Jesus did.

We have finished our first New Testament book together.  Great job!  Onward to the book of Mark.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 39:1-40:38; Mark 1:1-28; Psalm 35:1-16;
Proverbs 9:11-12.

Mark 1:15 (NIV)
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Any Gospel message that does not include repentance (they are quite prevalent today) is not the Gospel.

Mark 1:25 (NIV)
“Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!”

Mark’s first recorded ministry act by Jesus is a demonic deliverance.  This was a key element to the ministry of Jesus.  Is it a key element to the ministry of the church today?  I fear that much of our ministry is like cutting down weeds without removing the root.  The weeds just come back again, more plentifully.  How would Jesus have us to remove the roots of sin and demonization from the lives of people?

Romans 12:3-8 – “Exercising The Body”

You can find archived sermons at www.fbcojai.org.

One of the Apostle Paul’s favorite ways to describe the church is by comparing it to a human body.  Bodies need exercise, or they become unhealthy.  The church is to exercise three things: (1) Spiritual Gifts; (2) Humility; (3) Faith.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 37:1-38:31; Matthew 28:1-20; Psalm 34:11-22; Proverbs 9:9-10.

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This passage defines the mission of the church:  make disciples.  It isn’t enough to attract attenders (even if there are thousands of them) or even make converts. The mandate is to make disciples:  fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  Making disciples is laborious.  It is a long process with no shortcuts.  There is no substitute for time and personal investment.  Are you a disciple?  Is your church making disciples?   How are you involved in the process of making disciples?

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 35:10-36:38; Matthew 27:32-66; Psalm 34:1-10; Proverbs 9:7-8.

Psalm 34:5 (NIV)
Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.

Isn’t this exactly what we talked about yesterday?!  Very cool.

Matthew 27:52-53 (NIV)
The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. [53] They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

Uhhhh.  Wow.  Did you know this?  There are some stories to be told here.

Exodus 36:5-7 (NIV)
and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.”
[6] Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, [7] because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

That is awesome.  When God’s people join together and give generously, great things happen.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 34:1-35:9; Matthew 27:15-31; Psalm 33:12-22; Proverbs 9:1-6.

I was most struck today by the Exodus passage and how Moses’ face was radiant after being in the presence of God.  May my face radiate God’s glory.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:32-36.

Matthew 27:14 (NIV)
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge–to the great amazement of the governor.

I am an overly sensitive and defensive person.  I hate to be criticized.  I desperately want to be right and to be viewed as right.  I am way to quick to tell my side of the story and why I am right and you are wrong.   I am sure that this is driven by insecurity.  Not so with Jesus.  He was so confident and sure of who He was and what the Father was doing that there was no need to defend Himself.  He kept His mouth closed and trusted His Father.  May I do the same.

Josh and Anna participated in the Heart and Sole 5K hosted by the American Heart Association at our church.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 30:11-31:18; Matthew 26:47-68; Psalm 32:1-11; Proverbs 8:27-31.

Psalm 32:3-5 (NIV)
When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
[4] For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.
Selah
[5] Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord”–
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.
Selah

Sin brings guilt that causes us to want to hide from God and others (remember Adam and Eve and their fig leaves?).  This guilt is a cancer that eats away at us from the inside out.  The cure is confession of sin to God and to trusted brothers and sisters in Christ.  James 5:16 (NIV)  Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  One of the exciting ways I see our church growing is in humility that leads to confession of sin.  As a result, people are being set free and experiencing intimacy with God and each other.

Here is today’s Bible reading:  Exodus 29:1-30:10; Matthew 26:14-46; Psalm 31:19-24; Proverbs 8:14-26.

Matthew 26:40-41 (NIV)
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. [41] “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”

If there was ever a well-intentioned, sleeping disciple it is me.  My head is about to burst with knowledge about prayer, yet I find it so hard to pray.  Too often I would rather read a book about prayer than actually pray.  Why?  Because prayer is warfare and warfare is violent, hard work.  Left to ourselves, we will take the path of ease and least resistance which does not include prayer.  But fortunately, we are not left to ourselves.  Jesus not only modeled warfare prayer for us in the Garden of Gethsemane, but He empowers us to follow in His footsteps today.  Jesus, make me the prayer warrior you intend me to be.