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Luke 1

1/28/2015

Luke 1:74-75
This is what Zachariah was sharing after the birth of his son John. It is only a small part of his prophecy but it really made me think and be thankful. Chapter 1 verses 74-75 say, "We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live."

Two things really stuck out to me in these verses: First the statement "so we can serve..." We are here to serve the Lord and shine a light so people can see His greatness. If we just accept Jesus as Lord and then stop sharing and living to serve Him we would feel alone and incomplete. Jesus came to serve and show us the power in it so when we open our hearts and serve we see past ourselves and our hearts grow. When we take the focus of life off what we want and desire and put it on what Jesus has done for us we start to change and our lives impact the people around us.

Paul shares in Philippians chapter 4 verses 4-5, "Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice! let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do." This leads to the second part in Luke that stood out to me, which is, "In holiness and righteousness for as long as we live." We can be holy and righteous in our behavior when we have faith in Christ Jesus. Our faith will move us to be different and our focus should be on Him not ourselves. Paul gives us his example to follow because he is following Christ. In Philippians chapter 3 verses 17-20 we see this more clearly. "Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for Him to return as our Savior."

When we think of ourselves as holy and righteous we are focused on learning and what Jesus did for us when He came, died, and rose again. Our lives have meaning and we see how our serving the Lord is what we get to do. We have been rescued and we can think of our lives as complete because of Jesus and we can live confidently because of what He did not because of what we have to do. Amen

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Mark 10

1/21/2015

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Mark 10:13-16
"One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so He could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering Him. When Jesus saw what was happening, He was angry with His disciples. He said to them, 'let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

As I was reading this my heart kept seeing myself as a child. When we were kids we didn't think negative of ourselves, we didn't try and reason with everything said to us, we believed because we were told. This is the kind of faith we need to have in Jesus and how we should read Gods word, for change.

As children we were not plotting and we didn't have an agenda, we just lived. There's a point in time where we start thinking, wondering and doubting. The first two aren't bad but the doubt keeps us from having that child like faith that keeps us growing. If we can't get back to that and surrender our control for the Holy Spirit to lead we will struggle with the world. We can't let the responsibility of adulthood cloud our innocent childlike hearts. It's tough for us because as we grow, more responsibility is given to us. We should always keep a clear mind to what we are learning in Gods word. Jesus came to show us right living and surrender to the Father. He was full grown and still kept His childlike innocence saying, "not my will be done but yours." Jesus did only what the Father showed Him. Look at John chapter 5 verse 19 which says, "so Jesus explained, 'I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does."

As children this is how we were. Think back in life and try to see when that changed, then remember that we are new creations and can open our hearts to be that way again. I love what Jesus says in John chapter 10 verse 30, "I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will." We need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and then continue to study the word so we can do Gods will and not our own.

We can't let our fleshly desires continue to rule our hearts and minds. As we grow we become like the children by doing Gods will, which is "good and pleasing and perfect." When our will leads we get lost in the world, when we have faith and follow the Holy Spirit He guides us to the Fathers will and we are a light. I pray that in my life I keep asking Jesus to give me the strength to grow and be childlike in my walk so I can mature to be the man God has created me to be. Learning how to surrender is not a sign of weakness but of maturity. Amen

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Mark 9

1/15/2015

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Mark 9:23-24
This story is how we can easily get caught up with our unbelief because of the things happing to us at different times of our lives. We say we believe yet we aren't acting like it because we get worried about everything and we let fear cripple us from doing what God has planned for us. In this story the father wants his son, who has an evil spirit, to be healed and he asks Jesus at the end of verse 22, "...Have mercy on us and help us, if you can." Jesus goes on in verse 23 to say, "What do you mean, 'If I can?' Jesus asked. "Anything is possible if a person believes." The man replies in verse 24, "The father instantly cried out, 'I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!"

What unbelief do we have in our heart? Are we letting go and believing that He is with us and is all good? When we study God's word and we need to let it manifest in us by reading it over and over asking God to transforms us to be new creations. This happens by us filling or feeding the Holy Spirit who is in us and seeing our belief change to faith and our faith is what helps us grow so we don't get caught up with our unbelief or the world which tries so hard to make us stumble. This is why Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5-6 are so important for us to know. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will show you which path to take." We can believe something and it be no benefit to us because of our fear or doubt. But when we believe and seek His will in all we do we will find and we won't focus on our unbelief.

We can't let the world's circumstances make us lukewarm in our walk, God has no favorites and He's not trying to make some lives easier and make some harder, He is all good and while we are in this temporary place we need to focus on Him and believe we will be with Him someday. This is why His free gift is so incredible and so worth dying to our old selves. If what we have and what we get is what drives us we will always stumble because when things go bad we think God is mad. Our feelings shouldn't lead our heart, our belief in who He is should, and then we will not care about things, but praise that He died for us so we can go home. Amen

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Mark 5

1/7/2015

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Mark 5:6-8
"When Jesus was still some distance away, the man saw Him, ran to meet Him, and bowed down before Him. With a shriek, he screamed, 'why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me!' For Jesus had already said to the Spirit, 'Come out of that man, you evil spirit."

What is amazing about this is that the evil spirit in the man still made the man run to meet Jesus and bowed in honor. We have a choice to listen and believe (allowing God to transform u, or know and not let go of ourselves and have no change in our lives.) In Mark chapter 4 verse 24 Jesus says, "Pay close attention to what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given - and you will receive even more." When we pay close attention we are purposely trying to learn, we can remember what is said and we can show our understanding by our actions. The evil spirit knew who Jesus was but didn't care enough to "Listen Closely."

Look at Mark chapter 4 and see in verse 20 how important it is to hear and accept God's words. "And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God's word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!" We can say a prayer, we can go to church, we can know the Lord, but until we listen and accept our heart doesn't open to believe and change. In Romans chapter 12 verse 2 it says, "Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

It is not about what we think about Jesus, it's that we can know about Him. The more we seek the more we can understand and as we understand we become more like Him. If we try and hold onto our old selves we struggle letting our new selves grow. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10 verses 38-39, "If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it." (Also look at Mark chapter 8 verses 34-35) It is not about us having the strength to do things, it is about us realizing that we need Jesus and then letting the Holy Spirit in us lead us to what is right. We can't just have the knowledge to know Jesus like the evil spirit did, we must open up our hearts and love Jesus and have the faith to listen to what we hear from Him. Amen

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Matthew 25

1/1/2015

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Matthew 25:10-12
"But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with Him to the marriage feast, and the door was locked. Later, when the other five bridesmaids returned, they stood outside, calling, 'Lord! Lord! open the door for us! But He called back, 'Believe me, I don't know you!"

This Parable has always intrigued me and makes me want to continue to grow and seek Him. These 5 were not just invited to the wedding, they were bridesmaids. They were important enough to be asked to serve in the wedding and still they couldn't let go of themselves and be ready for the celebration. It's not about being a church goer or using the word "Christian" it's about a relationship with the Lord that shows our love and our belief. We can say we believe enough to serve and be used but it doesn't mean we have accepted God's free gift and are ready for His return. Just because we say something doesn't always mean we believe what we are saying, we must surrender and know the Lord personally.

When we do this our heart is transformed by God and we desire the things that keep us focused. The other 5 bridesmaids, it says in verse 4 "...were wise enough to take along extra oil." They didn't want to miss out on something, they were looking forward to it and their hearts were changed by their desire to be with the bridegroom. When we let go and we open our hearts we grow and when we grow we change into His image. This is why we have His word to read and meditate on daily. It is our extra oil for our lamps. When we open it and ask we will find and when we find our hearts will grow to understand.

I love what Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 16-19 which says, "I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will empower you with inner strength through His Spirit. Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." That is what the wise bridesmaids wanted and nothing was going to hold them back. We need to experience the love of Christ by reading His word, when we do that our hearts become open to love like He does and we will be made complete with God's power. I say open up, read, pray, and worship the Lord because God loved us so much He sent His Son for us. We can't be lazy or comfortable, we need to continue to grow and when we think we've grown enough, we push on to grow even more. Amen

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Luke 1

Mark 10

Mark 9

Mark 5

Matthew 25

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