Mahaney On Goals

Interesting snippet for CJ's series on roles and goals:

" I think most of us understand the priority Scripture places on serving the needs of others. I don’t think I need to convince you of its importance. 

But what about surprising others? What’s up with that?

Granted, surprising others is not always distinct from serving them. But while we often think of serving as limited to meeting obvious needs, there is more to it than that. Paul writes, “Outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10, ESV). The intentionality and the intensity of this statement are hard to miss. God commands a holy competition in showing honor to others.

So do our schedules reflect obedience to this command?

Convicting, isn’t it?  

As you can see, I find it helpful to think of these goals—serving and surprising—as separate categories. Roughly speaking, to serve is to effectively provide for legitimate needs. To surprise is to happily and generously honor and bless others!

Both categories should be the effect of the gospel in our hearts and the appropriate expression of love for others. And both categories honor God, and both categories should find their way into our schedules. "

Hosea

This is the story of Hosea from Gomer's perspective as "retold" by Andrew Peterson

Every time I lay in the bed beside you, Hosea, Hosea, I hear the sound of the streets of the city. My belly growls like a hungry wolf and I let it prowl till my belly’s full. Hosea, my heart is a stone. Please believe me when I say I’m sorry, Hosea, Hosea, you loveable, gullible man. I tell you that my love is true till it fades away like a morning dew. Hosea, leave me alone. Here I am in the Valley of Trouble. Just look at the bed that I’ve made: badlands as far as I can see. There’s no one here but me, Hosea.

I stumbled and fell in the road on the way home, Hosea, Hosea. I lay in the brick street like a stray dog. You came to me like a silver moon with the saddest smile I ever knew. Hosea carried me home again. Home again. You called me out to the Valley of Trouble just to look at the mess that I’ve made, a barren place where nothing can grow. One look and my stone heart crumbled--it was a valley as green as jade. I swear it was the color of hope. You turned a stone into a rose, Hosea.

I sang and I danced like I did as a young girl, Hosea, Hosea. I am a slave and a harlot no more. You washed me clean like a summer rain and you set me free with that ball and chain. Hosea, I threw away the key. I’ll never leave.

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Beautiful!

Seemingly Disconnected Thoughts

You are the God who sees me (Genesis 16:13)

You are the God who hears me (Genesis 21: 17)

"This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything." (1 John 3: 19 - 20)

Father, you do know everything. You KNOW me... you see me. You hear me. You know what is in my sinful heart and yet you do not pour condemnation on me - and infact, you tell my condeming heart to trade the condemnation for rest in Your presence. You are good! Amen!

Mark 5: 21-43

On Mark 5: 21-43

I have read this story, or rather these two intertwined stories, multiple times; but this morning I really read it and the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to not just read it and think that's nice but to truly learn from it. I was reminded of the importance of faith, that there is both a physical and spiritual aspect of faith, and that faith is ultimately what leads to our healing and cleansing. Now this isn't anything "new" or profound per se but regardless here's what was highlighted for me...

First, there is the importance of faith. The woman with the blood discharge first believed, and as a result of her belief that Jesus would heal her, reached out her hand to touch him. She said to herself "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well" not I might be made well.  Jesus commends her for this. He says, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Your faith has made you well! We see a parallel with Jarius and his daughter. Jesus and Jarius are en route to his home when some came to tell him not to trouble the teacher because his daughter was already died. Jesus responds right away with "Do not fear, only believe." Only believe! Belief is crucial in order for God's power to move. If we read a little bit further down we see that Jesus even went so far as to kick out those who were laughing at the thought that Jarius' daughter was only sleeping. "And when he had entered, he said to them, 'Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.' And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside...".  This needed to happen before Jesus did anything. He needed to remove all sources of unbelief.

 

I love looking at this story in Mark, even though it is repeated in several of the other gospels, because of the contrast one finds in Mark chapter 6. In chapter 6 we see that the next place he visits is his hometown Nazareth. He began to teach there but they took offense with him because they saw him as nothing more than one of them. Who gave him this wisdom? Where is he getting all this power from? It says in verses 5 and 6 that Jesus "could do no mighty work there...because of their unbelief." What a contrast from chapter 5 and the belief that the hemorrhaging woman and Jarius displayed!

 

Secondly, one needs to physically act on their faith. She "touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased" (Luke 8:44). I am using this verse in Luke to emphasize that she was healed instantaneously in the act of just barely touching Him - she touched the fringe. Her physical action came out of and is proof of her true expectation for healing. Once again we see a parallel in the story of Jarius' daughter. Jesus took her by the hand and said wake up. He spoke and touched her. The other thing of interest here is that in both cases being touched or touching either of these women would have made Jesus unclean in the eyes of the Law. But Jesus is the antithesis of the law. He makes them clean with his life giving power instead of them making him unclean. In a sense they both were physically and spiritually "healed". (Another point of interest here, healed in Greek means "saved" - which in a gospel sense does mean being spiritually healed, made clean, and restored). 

So how is this applicable for us? Well, right after reading this chapter in Mark, I read excerpts from "Conversation" by E.Stanley Jones (as found in Foster's "Devotional Classics"). In it Jones says:

"He [Jesus Christ] moves out of the pages of this Book [The Bible, namely the NT] and meets us with the impact of his person on our persons. That impact is cleansing. 'Now you are clean through the words which I have spoken unto you.' When you 'expose your all to his everything,' then you submit yourself to a daily cleansing of the mind, of motive, of emotions."

In other words one could say he "touches" us by his Word and in doing so his word cleanses us, heals us, saves us. Amen! In Mark 5 the living Word (Jesus) healed. Now, in the present time, we have the written Word (Scripture) that heals us. "The Bible vindicates itself because it is an excellent medicine. It has never failed to cure a single patient if only he took his prescription honestly. (Jones)". This could be reworded to say that the Bible has never failed to cure a patient who read it full of faith...Thank you Father for the gift of your Word both living and written. 

Mark 8:14 - 21

Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them,“Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

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Here are the disciples probably debating whose fault it was that they did not have any more bread rather than trying to understand the object lesson that Jesus had laid before them. How often do I focus on the physical situation  before me (which I know my Father is more than capable of taking care of the same way he took care of feeding the crowds) rather than open my ears to hear and my eyes to see the spiritual object lesson behind it.