Category: Mark

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Rest & Renewal

This morning I overslept – that’s a strange statement for someone to make who is retired and has no appointments for the day but it’s true all the same.

I enjoy getting up in the quiet of the morning, having time to read, pray and then write. That generally means I wake up around 3 or 330 and start my day. This morning it was almost 430 before I got out of bed. Whoa.

As I was praying, I felt I really should be sharing on resting. There are so many things that pull on us every day that we fail to really rest. Then I opened my computer and went to BibleGateway to look up a few verses that came to mind. This was the verse on their home page:

“But those who trust in the Lord will become strong again. They will be like eagles that grow new feathers. They will run and not get weak. They will walk and not get tired.” Isaiah 40:31 ERV

The two verses preceding this one read like this:

“He helps tired people be strong. He gives power to those without it. 30 Young men get tired and need to rest.  Even young boys stumble and fall.” Isaiah 40:29-30 ERV

He helps tired people be strong. What an encouragement!

In another version, verse 31 says: “They that wait on the Lord will renew their strength”. Waiting on God will renew our strength. It will give us rest. Waiting on or trusting the Lord brings release from worry which brings rest. When we wait, we pause – we pause to get the Father’s plan and His direction.

Jesus was a prime example of this. He would minister all day and night and then he would send the disciples away or He would go to a place to pray – He would wait on the Father. After leaving these places of waiting, Jesus would go about ministering, rested and renewed.

“Jesus healed many of those who had different kinds of sicknesses. He also forced many demons out of people. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was. 35 The next morning Jesus woke up very early. He left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. 36 Later, Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. 37 They found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus answered, “We should go to another place. We can go to other towns around here, and I can tell God’s message to those people too. That is why I came.” Mark 1:34-38 ERV

Are you feeling tired today – worn out, exhausted? Take time to WAIT on the Lord. He will renew your strength!!

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Cleaning Toilets

Yesterday I had a friend email me after reading the blog about my refrigerator. She said she would be praying everything got taken care of today. That meant a lot and then she reminded me of a story from many years ago.

I was part of our church’s ministry team and had recently started a morning Bible Study for our women. Those teachings were very similar to the ones I share with you each morning. This particular morning, I was sharing that if we keep our hearts and our spiritual ears open the Lord will minister to us any time or any place.

Earlier in that week, while I had been doing my regular housecleaning, the Holy Spirit prompted me to keep my attitude pure in all that I did. See if you can relate. We had a large ranch-style home, three children (12, 10, 6mos), a dog, horses, and I worked full time. I was grumbling as I was cleaning toilets.

The verse that came to mind, I believe, was this:

“And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 AMPC

After Bible Study was over that morning one of the ladies, a new Christian and a new bride, came up to talk with me. She said she had never thought of me having to do all the things that wives and mothers do. Her next words made me chuckle, she said she just thought I sat home all day, reading my Bible and praying. She didn’t think that I would have to do the normal stuff.

That’s when I realized how important it is to share the way the Lord works in our everyday lives.

Jesus never came to separate Himself from us, He came to join us. He came to bring His power and provision to the mundane. He came to add his “super” to our “natural”.

“Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.” Mark 10:45 ERV

Christ came to serve others, to serve us. Yes, He got tired. Who else could fall asleep during a storm at sea? But His heart was always centered on serving. He knew that whatever He did should bring honor and glory to the Father.

Cleaning toilets, rocking a baby, wiping up spilled cereal, folding laundry, washing dirty faces, kissing little faces good night. Mowing the yard, spraying weeds, washing the car, board meetings, shoveling snow, changing the oil in the car.

Waiting for a new refrigerator.

Whatever we do in word or deed, do it all with an attitude of giving thanks to God!

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Imperfect & Usable

After reading yesterday morning’s blog were you consciously aware of the many opportunities you had to be humble?

I was.

One of the things I find most humbling is God’s desire and ability to use us in our imperfection.

He used Adam in spite of his disobedience. Abraham was a man used mightily by God but he had times that he lied to protect his own life instead of trusting God to defend him. David served the Lord faithfully for many years and then committed adultery and murder. Samson was used by God to destroy the Philistines but had anger issues.

Peter denied the Lord and Paul persecuted the Christian believers. Each of these men had issues with humility, however, they repented and were forgiven.

How many times have thoughts from our past side-lined us from doing what we felt God wanted us to do?

Thoughts of failure, fear, unworthiness and shame.

“Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were Pharisees, and they saw Jesus eating with sinners and tax collectors. So they asked his disciples, ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’

17 Jesus heard them and answered, ‘Healthy people don’t need a doctor, but sick people do. I didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. I came to invite sinners.'” Mark 2:16-17 CEV

Jesus didn’t come to the religious elite; He came to those who knew they needed a Savior. He came to people like you and me.

Tomorrow is Palm Sunday. It’s a day that commemorates Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The people who had heard Jesus teach, been healed by his touch and seen the miracles that he performed were lining the streets, awaiting His arrival.

“The disciples led the donkey to Jesus. They put some of their clothes on its back, and Jesus got on. 8 Many people spread clothes on the road, while others spread branches they had cut from the fields. 9  In front of Jesus and behind him, people went along shouting,

“Hooray!
God bless the one who comes
    in the name of the Lord!
10 God bless the coming kingdom
    of our ancestor David.
Hooray for God
    in heaven above!” Mark 11:7-10 CEV

Now it’s our turn to praise Him!

We have been made new, by His grace. Our imperfections don’t disqualify us. In fact, it is those very things that make us recipients of His grace.

“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. 9 You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. 10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV

Fully aware of our imperfections, Father, we say thank you for your grace. Thank you for making us new and giving us a life filled with good things. Amen!

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Loving Service

These two words were on my heart when I woke up this morning, loving service. What a wonderful combination.

I think each of us can relate a story of being served by a grumpy or unenthusiastic waiter or waitress in a restaurant. Their attitude was curt, sharp-tongued and even down-right rude. Even though the food may have been good we probably walked away not desiring to return anytime soon.

Now compare that with a kind and attentive server. One who anticipated your needs and greeted you with a smile and pleasant demeanor. They made your mealtime more enjoyable because they genuinely cared.

Our attitude makes a difference. We choose joy or grumbling, peace or turmoil.

Our daily chores – washing dishes, doing laundry, fixing meals, buying groceries, cleaning house – can be acts of love or drudgery. We can be grateful for opportunity to provide for those we love, or we may be tempted to feel taken for granted and unappreciated. I strongly advise against the second.

“ Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. 45 Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.” Mark 10:44-45 ERV

Jesus is our perfect example. He could have expected to be waited on hand and foot, after all he was God’s son. But He laid all that aside and came to lovingly serve those He encountered. Each act of kindness pointed to the compassion of His Father.

Embrace each task with an attitude of loving service.

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Begin Small

Have you ever felt small, insignificant or left out?

Yesterday our youngest daughter and her family came for lunch. We bar-b-qued hamburgers, I had made potato salad and we had homemade ice cream for dessert. It was a fun day.

Kaci and Stephen have blessed us with our three youngest grandchildren. On Sunday, we had taken the older two for an “adventure” to the ostrich ranch but the youngest had to stay home. When her brother and sister walked out the door without her, she cried. It broke my heart!

Yesterday we were getting ready to take a walk up to the mailboxes and she was going to need to stay home again. We felt the walk would have been too much for her little legs. But as we started to leave, she cried again at the thought of being left behind. We stopped and took her with us.

I carried her a bit; her mom carried her some and we let her walk on her own. It made for a longer walk timewise but it also created an atmosphere of acceptance and learning. We included her and that was what was important.

I am impressed by the significance of small gestures, small beginnings.

We sometimes make judgements of what is or isn’t important, what has value. Here the disciples judged the boy’s lunch as small or insignificant but what Jesus saw was the significance of a heart willing to share.

“But they said, “We have only five small loaves of bread and two fish.” 18 Jesus asked his disciples to bring the food to him, 19 and he told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and handed it to his disciples, and they gave it to the people.” Matthew 14:17-19 CEV

A small lunch fed thousands. A small act of kindness changed Zacchaeus’ life. A small basket in the Nile River cradled Moses. A small seed of faith can move mountains. A small babe brought salvation to the world.

“Finally, Jesus said: What is God’s kingdom like? What story can I use to explain it? 31 It is like what happens when a mustard seed is planted in the ground. It is the smallest seed in all the world. 32 But once it is planted, it grows larger than any garden plant. It even puts out branches that are big enough for birds to nest in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32 CEV

We all can play a “small” part in God’s kingdom. The Father isn’t bothered by small. He takes what we offer and uses it for His glory. Never despise small beginnings!

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Looking For…

What did you search for and find yesterday? Did you have something particular – maybe an old photograph or a recipe? Were you looking for a tool in the shed or a bolt and nut that dropped on the ground? Did your search take you to the computer and a new website that you were completely unfamiliar with?

You see, I was looking for all those things. Things I needed or knew I had and when I searched long enough I found them.

This morning, while waiting on my coffee, a question came to mind. “Were you looking for Jesus”? With that question in my heart, I immediately thought of some people who did: the shepherds, the wisemen, Zacchaeus, the woman who had been bleeding twelve years, Jairus who had a sick daughter, the military leader with a sick soldier and the women who went to the tomb.

They all went looking for Jesus and they found Him!

Each of these searchers found Who they were looking for and their lives were changed.

“Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will search for me, and when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me. 14 I will let you find me.” This message is from the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:12-14 ERV

I didn’t always look for Jesus in each day. Oh, I had given Him my heart when I was a child and had Jesus as my Savior but I had the impression that in the day-to-day stuff I was on my own.

Now, there’s not a day goes by that I don’t see the power of God working in my little world. Some days the things I see and experience border on the miraculous and other times it’s the simple ways.

The verses above are our promise that if we search for Him, we WILL find Him.

“In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. 26 She had gone to many doctors, and they had not done anything except cause her a lot of pain. She had paid them all the money she had. But instead of getting better, she only got worse.

27 The woman had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him in the crowd and barely touched his clothes. 28 She had said to herself, ‘If I can just touch his clothes, I will get well.’” Mark 25:28 CEV

This woman searched for Jesus in her desperation, and she was not disappointed when she found Him. We won’t be either.

Looking for Jesus is the first step. Once we find Him, we need to follow Him.

“The Lord is my shepherd. I will always have everything I need. 2 He gives me green pastures to lie in. He leads me by calm pools of water. 3 He restores my strength. He leads me on right paths to show that he is good.” Psalm 23:1-3 ERV

I don’t know what you are looking for today, but may I suggest you start with Jesus? He will lead you to all that is good!

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Nap Time

As I was searching for an image to use on this morning’s blog, I came across a picture of a napping child and the caption read “When is a child too old for a nap?”. My answer, never!

Yesterday day was busy. Not the crazy, hectic, week-before-Christmas busy but busy. Getting everything ready to travel safely and then setting up again once we were back to our permanent site.

Dave does the hard work; my jobs are little and detailed. After we were settled, I made lunch and we sat down to relax. About an hour and a half later, I woke up. Dave smiled and asked, “did you have a good nap”? Oh yes, wonderful.

If we listen, our bodies will tell us what we need and when we need it. We get thirsty and so we get a drink. We get hungry and we eat. (The trick to weight loss is to eat only when we are hungry). We rest when we are tired.

“O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” Psalm 63:1 NLT

Our bodies have these internal signals that are God-given and we need to listen to them so we don’t damage our health. If we push past these warnings it can be detrimental. Oh yes, I know this project MUST get done – the kids NEED to be at this activity. Just a couple more hours and I can rest. But if we keep that pace harm ourselves with physical and mental burnout.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

I was reminded of a time when Jesus took a nap. He was in a boat, in a storm, with his disciples and he laid down and went to sleep. He wasn’t up fretting or helping them row. He was resting. We need to learn from Jesus.

“Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!” 39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Mark 4:38-39 ERV

Sounds like good advice when we are in life’s storms. We can fret and worry and it will change nothing. But when we come to Jesus with those problems, He will speak to our storms and give us rest.

Trusting Him gives us a spiritual nap!

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What Time Is It?

It’s seed time. I can guarantee you that Midwest farmers are already thinking about getting their seed in the ground. I’m not exactly sure when they bought the seed that they will be planting this year but the next harvest is always on their minds.

It’s their livelihood. It’s what they do.

They need moisture in the ground but too much moisture and the seed will rot. Too dry and it won’t germinate on time. There is a calculated science behind that box of Corn Flakes you enjoy or the corn syrup you use in baking. Corn is one of the most widely used crops in the world today.

It’s important the farmers get it right. When the seeding first come up they don’t look very impressive but give them a little time and they produce a bountiful crop.

“As long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and hot, summer and autumn, day and night will not cease.” Genesis 8:22 CEB

A couple days ago I wrote about how we are born again by incorruptible seed, which is the word of God. May I say it like this – in eternity past God chose His words, those very words, which would bring salvation to all of us. And down through time He has planted His word in the hearts of people, where that seed has grown and produced a harvest.

“Jesus told them: If you don’t understand this story, you won’t understand any others. 14 What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom…Again Jesus said: God’s kingdom is like what happens when a farmer scatters seed in a field. 27 The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn’t understand how. 28 It is the ground that makes the seeds sprout and grow into plants that produce grain. 29 Then when harvest season comes and the grain is ripe, the farmer cuts it with a sickle.” Mark 4:13, 14, 26-29 CEV

God’s word is life-giving, life-changing seed. Planted in our hearts it will produce a harvest of His character; from the seed of God’s word comes a harvest of fullness.

I’ve heard a story about some corn kernels that were found in one of the Pharoah’s tombs. The seed was preserved like the mummy it accompanied. When those seeds were planted, thousands of years later, much to everyone’s surprise they grew.

Those seeds of long ago, Bible stories your grandpa and grandma told you, stories you heard in Vacation Bible School as a kid – those seeds may have been lying dormant for years but they are incorruptible. There is life in that seed which was planted so long ago in your heart.

It’s time to water the seed and see God’s harvest!

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New Growth

One of the first Science experiments I remember as a kid was taking dry pinto beans, wrapping them in a moist paper towel, placing that in a dish and setting it on the kitchen cupboard.

Each day I added a little water to the paper towel and in a few days the seed began to split and the tip of a tiny root began to appear. After a few more days the root got longer and the seed pod split even more.

I was growing beans!

As the root got longer, a shoot started growing from the other end. It didn’t take long for leaves to begin to form and the plant was taking shape. I was a successful farmer. The seed was doing exactly what God designed it to do. It was producing – seems I read those words in the first chapter of Genesis. From the beginning, this is what seeds did.

“The earth produced plant life: plants yielding seeds, each according to its kind, and trees bearing fruit with seeds inside it, each according to its kind. God saw how good it was.” Genesis 1;12 CEB

As I was thinking about this experiment, I was reminded of the verses I wrote about the other day, you know, the ones about understanding and growing in the fullness of God. Some will say, like I used to, “I know that I will have that fullness once I get to heaven. We all will.” But the Scripture tells us that we are to grow into that fullness here, while we’re still on earth.

I was trying to figure out how the two teachings tied together when I remembered these verses from the Bible.

“As you set yourselves apart by your obedience to the truth so that you might have genuine affection for your fellow believers, love each other deeply and earnestly. 23 Do this because you have been given new birth—not from the type of seed that decays but from seed that doesn’t. This seed is God’s life-giving and enduring word.” I Peter 1:22-23 CEB

Our new life in Christ is a result of the seed of God’s word. Planted in our hearts, God’s word produces eternal life from a seed that will not decay. The pinto bean shriveled and died as the bean sprout got larger but the seed of God’s word won’t decay or die, it continues to feed our new life so that we can grow into the fullness of God.

Amazing!

“Then Jesus said, “This is what God’s kingdom is like. It’s as though someone scatters seed on the ground, 27 then sleeps and wakes night and day. The seed sprouts and grows, but the farmer doesn’t know how. 28 The earth produces crops all by itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full head of grain. 29 Whenever the crop is ready, the farmer goes out to cut the grain because it’s harvesttime.” Mark 4:26-29 CEB

God’s character, His love, grow in our lives like that seed of grain grows in the ground. It grows to full maturity. Just look at what the seed that God plants produces.

“ But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against things like this.” Galatians 5:22-23 CEB

Maybe we all need to start some bean seeds on the kitchen counter just to remind ourselves that God’s word is producing new fruit in our lives!

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Good Seeds Good Soil

In years past this is the time I start thinking about what I will be planting in my garden. This year there will be no garden. There’s no place to put one in at the RV park.

Although I won’t be planting a physical garden with tomatoes, onions, peppers, cilantro and the like, I am expecting another kind of harvest.

The primary step to ensure a successful garden is the preparation of the soil. One place we lived had horrible soil. It was rocky and the base was a sticky clay. I had to break up the ground, remove the stones and then add multiple bags of good soil into my garden bed. It was hard to get a good harvest.

“Plow your fields, scatter seeds of justice, and harvest faithfulness. Worship me, the Lord,
and I will send my saving power down like rain.” Hosea 10: 12 CEV

The hard ground of our hearts needs to be broken up too; the stones of bitterness, selfishness, jealousy and anger need to be removed. Good, fertile soil needs to be brought in.

“Jesus told them: If you don’t understand this story, you won’t understand any others. 14 What the farmer is spreading is really the message about the kingdom. 15 The seeds that fell along the road are the people who hear the message. But Satan soon comes and snatches it away from them. 16 The seeds that fell on rocky ground are the people who gladly hear the message and accept it right away. 17 But they don’t have any roots, and they don’t last very long. As soon as life gets hard or the message gets them in trouble, they give up.

18 The seeds that fell among the thornbushes are also people who hear the message. 19 But they start worrying about the needs of this life. They are fooled by the desire to get rich and to have all kinds of other things. So the message gets choked out, and they never produce anything. 20 The seeds that fell on good ground are the people who hear and welcome the message. They produce thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was planted.” Mark 14:13-20 CEV

There are four kinds of ground in this story that Jesus is telling – the hard soil of the road, the rocky ground, the ground with weeds and the good ground. The same seed is being spread on all the ground, it’s the message of God’s kingdom.

Hard-heartedness, lack of being rooted, anxiety and worry kept the seed from growing in each of the first three soils. The good ground is those who hear God’s message and take it to heart. These are tender hearted and the seed takes root and produces a good harvest.

I’m taking inventory – preparing my heart. Have I allowed the ground to get hard? Are there stones that need to be removed, perhaps it’s time to weed out the thorns of distraction and worry?

I want the seed of God’s word to be in a constant state of production. “Lord, I desire to have a heart of good soil that creates an environment for the good seed of Your word to grow”.

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