Do you like to meet new people?
This week’s devotions are based on Week 5 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Meet New People! (WATCH HERE)
Do you like to meet new people? Perhaps you have the personality that thrives on meeting and engaging with new people. Your DNA is wired around conversation and your intrigue is about the story that each person carries. Maybe you are the opposite. Perhaps you are wiped out when you are “forced” into an environment where you don’t know anyone or very few. You maybe are one who is content with 3-5 people you know well and have little interest in taking the time to get to know others.
Life in general involves people. In fact, one of the first directives God gave to Adam and Eve was to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” Make more people! God’s infinite design was about people. He made the world for people and wanted people to enjoy his creation in a perfect relationship with him.
Sure God cares about his creation…but he cares about you and me, people even more.
So, when people fell into sin and evil permeated the world, he could not stand by and provide no solution for the sin of the people he deeply loved.
So…he sent Jesus into the world to do the work to save people.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Thus, the work of bringing the Gospel to the world involves people. This may sound like an obvious statement (and sometimes it is good to state the obvious), but it is not as simple as it sounds.
People can be messy. I remember an article years ago in our church body’s monthly periodical called, “God’s church is a messy church.” It depicted the church as a bloody ER room of the hospital where people come with emotional and spiritual hurts, wounds that are deep, and lives racked by sin directly or indirectly. To be in the business of bringing the Gospel has a risk factor greater than the doctor who has to try to piece together the wounded in the ER. It is not easy. And after 26 years of public ministry and growing up in a parsonage…I will verify the mess by personal experience.
Yet Jesus was willing to step into the mess because people mattered and people needed him. In the Gospel of Mark 1:29-39 lists such an example of Jesus stepping into a place where people with all kinds of needs and hurts surrounded him. Just read through this and note all the people that were coming to and needing Jesus’ attention…how would you respond to it all? How did Jesus respond?
29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. 30 Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. 31 So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.
32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. 33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.
35 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. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”
38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.
Apply: How do you respond to people around you who have a need? Does it energize or drain you?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for stepping into the mess of this world to bring your love and grace to all people who you love dearly. AMEN.
Amazing!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have New Possibilities! (WATCH HERE)
Mark 1:27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” 28 News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.
Jesus made an impression that day in the synagogue of Capernaum. The people there heard things they hadn’t heard before and saw things they hadn’t seen before. It’s not a surprise that news spread through the whole region.
How many times have you caught yourself saying to a friend, “Did you hear that…” when you heard something new or unexpected. Perhaps closely connected are the times when you start a conversation with the phrase, “Did you see that…”
When we hear or see something new, we are inclined to see if someone else has heard that or seen that as well.
What was so unique for the people in Capernaum is for the first time they were exposed to a Rabbi who needed no higher authority and proved his authority by casting out the demons. If nothing else Jesus was the new curiosity…at best the one others wanted to follow.
Perhaps over the years the familiarity with Jesus’ teaching and the awareness of his miracles have dulled the excitement around hearing this amazing teaching for the first time or seeing his power through the miracles for the first time. I can imagine the buzz in a town when the first gas-powered car pulled into town, or the first airplane flew overhead. The most recent “new” for me was seeing the first Tesla Cyber Truck pull into the Georgetown High School parking lot. I told my wife, but that was about it.
We don’t want to forget or fail to realize the unique authority of Jesus’ teaching and the amazing power of his work.
Why do we want to recapture the amazement everytime we engage with Jesus?
First, because his teaching is the very Word of God that changes our hearts and lives every day. The promises he gives are there to give renewed encouragement and comfort when we need them. His guidance are to move us in a direction in life that honors him and experiences the greatest blessings. His words of forgiveness are there to comfort our guilty conscience and give calm to our troubled souls. His words are there with the authority of no other as they speak truth into our hearts and lives.
Second, we are connected to the God of all power who is able and willing to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. His power is at work in us to be able to say “No!” to sin and say “Yes!” to God’s Spirit. His strength works miracles of healing and protection that doctors can’t explain. His power moves events in life to work all things for our good. His power has no greater authority so we can be confident his power is stronger than any earthly ruler and more mighty than even Satan himself.
Third, we will always have something amazing to share with the community around us. When God’s word of truth and grace is alive and fresh in our hearts, we begin to hear ourselves engage in conversation with, “Have you heard what Jesus said (did)…” and share words of hope, peace, joy, comfort, promise, encouragement, etc. It’s what happens when we are exposed to the words and works of Jesus…amazement wells up and words come out!
Apply: Take time this week to read a portion of Scripture. Ask yourself, “What if I were there the first time this was said or done? How would I feel? Respond?” Perhaps God will give you an opportunity in your day to respond as the people in Capernaum did…with amazement and no other option but to share what they heard and saw with others!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for sharing the truth of your word and the power of your work. Both create amazement in our hearts and open up possibilities in our lives. AMEN.
New Month…New Possibilities!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have New Possibilities! (WATCH HERE)
If you are like me this morning I am thinking, “Where did January go? I can’t believe it is February already.”
Each new month is perhaps both the reminder that God continues to allow time to continue and also a time to recalibrate and have a fresh start.
Rhythms in our life create seasons of start and finish, work and rest. In fact, God set up his world with these seasons to provide both order to our lives and times to rest and reset.
So, take today to reset with the Lord. The month ahead of you, February, has many opportunities to be reminded of the fresh start the Lord gives you. Here are a few that come to mind for me:
- February is a month to trim our fruit trees and get them ready for spring.
John 15:1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.
Pruning is still an odd activity for me. It seems like the more branches, the more fruit. However, the less one prunes, the less fruitful a tree becomes. Why? Because energy the tree needs for fruit production goes into sustaining all the branches. Too many branches block the sunlight the fruit needs to mature and leads them to not form properly. The tree actually has greater potential when it is pruned properly.
What in your life is February an opportunity to prune? Are there activities that are filling your schedule but wearing out your soul? Is there clutter in your home that causes anxiety and stress and is time to clean out? Maybe February is a month for the Lord to prune things in your life to make you more productive and open new possibilities for him.
2. February is a month to celebrate the love of your life.
Already the stores are filled with pink and red boxes of chocolate, cards, stuffed animals and trinkets for you to buy to celebrate your Valentine. While I still think it’s a “Hallmark Holiday” for marketing purposes, it nonetheless is an important opportunity to show your love to the person/people God has given to you. Love is not just a human emotion, it is an expression of sacrifice and service that another gives for the blessing of the recipient. In expressing your Valentine love this year, it’s a reminder that a special someone is one God has put in your life and through whom God has given you new possibilities of growth, learning, and ways to love.
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
3. February is a month for repentance and restoration.
Ash Wednesday is February 14. The day we mark Valentine’s Day is the day we mark the beginning of our Lenten journey to be reminded of a) our deep need for a Savior and b) the great love our Savior has shown by taking our sins on himself and paying their price on the cross. Repentance is a whole-hearted turning from our sin to the forgiveness and power to live our Savior gives. This journey in the season of Lent is a great reminder of the fresh start we have because of the forgiveness Jesus gives.
1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Enjoy the new month and the fresh start it gives. May the Lord open your heart and mind to the new possibilities he is putting in front of you!
Apply: What opportunities for a fresh start does February bring for you?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for using the days, months and seasons of my life to remind me of your constant love, your enduring promises, and your wonderful grace. Lead me in this month of February to grow in my walk with you, to see the possibilities you present and confidently engage in them. AMEN.
New Possibilities Come with New Experiences!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have New Possibilities! (WATCH HERE)
Every inventor imagines something that others determined was impossible. Every champion believes that the next record broken will be the one they break.
As individuals our life experiences determine in our mind what is possible or impossible. Personal growth experts identify that when we have a “closed mind” or “fixed mindset” we limit our possibilities because we have forgone conclusions about what is possible or not possible for me. Some realities in life we can’t change. I will never fit into a size small shirt or 30” waist. But other possibilities in life are often limited by our own mind.
So how does one’s closed mind become an open mind?
Often it’s with new experiences. It’s seeing something done that we didn’t believe could happen.
Perhaps a good example of this is running a 4 minute mile. Thought impossible until 1954 when Roger Bannister broke the barrier by .6 of a second at 3:59.4. Now over 1700 athletes have broken this barrier and a sub-four minute mile is the standard of the track and field world.
Not only is this true in the profession, athletic, and personal world, it is also a reality in the spiritual world. We often don’t think something is possible until we see it being done.
Back to the synagogue in Capernaum, Jesus gave the people there an experience that they hadn’t seen before. One of the attenders was possessed by an evil spirit. Here’s what happened:
Mark 1:23 Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, 24 “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26 The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.
27 The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.”
Jesus illustrated in that setting that there was one who had power over Satan and his demons. The demon knew who he was and what he was sent to do. The people around in Jesus’ day appeared to have no idea there was one more powerful than the evil spirit. Jesus showed them different.
Jesus had come to destroy the power of the devil. It would come at the cross and finally culminate when he returns in glory. But when we see the power of Jesus’ word call the demon out and order him to be silent, we realize that one who is connected to Jesus and uses his Word has power over evil and the influence of Satan in their lives. The people were amazed at what they saw…perhaps (and we don’t know this for certain) their amazement continued when they realized that they no longer had to say “yes” to sin, or as the disciples realized later that they too, with the power of Jesus name and the truth of his Word, they too sent the demons running.
We are not the Son of God, but the experience Jesus gives us in the synagogue of Capernaum is a vivid reminder that we in no way have to cower to Satan and give in to him. As Martin Luther penned in his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”:
- And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us;
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure,
One little word shall fell him.
Don’t limit the possibilities of the power of God’s Word. Use it to overcome Satan and temptation in your life!
Apply: What sin has been a pet, or ongoing struggle for you? What word of truth can you throw at Satan when it comes that will send him running and overcome the temptation by honoring the Lord?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for showing your power over Satan and his demons. Let us not limit the power you have given us over sin and Satan, but rather wield it often and confidently to also send Satan reeling! AMEN.
New Possibilities come with new learning!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of the Series “Fresh Start” – I Have New Possibilities! (WATCH HERE)
New possibilities come with new learning!
Mark 1:21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22 The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law.
On this particular Sabbath, those that attended the Synagogue were in for a treat. They had a guest rabbi named Jesus as the preacher that day. Expecting a similar message to the regular and other traveling rabbis, they were amazed and surprised when what came out of Jesus’ mouth was a teaching that was different…very different than that of the teachers of the law.
His teaching had authority.
Most commentators suggest that what stood out to the listeners that day was that Jesus did not have to reference or quote other rabbis and their interpretations or applications of the Scriptures. He appealed to no higher teacher for any insight. He himself was part of inspiring those texts and he himself was the fulfillment of many of those texts and he himself had the authority to expound on those texts.
What I can imagine the listeners experienced that day was NEW teaching. It wasn’t the same reading of a portion of Scripture with exposition on past rabbis or simply reading a portion of the law and telling the listeners how to better keep it. I would guess the teaching had new insights into the purpose behind the law of God, how the Messiah would come and fulfill that law, and how God through his Son would destroy the work of Satan and bring forgiveness, life and peace to all.
Now of course, we have no excerpts from this sermon in Capernaum. We do have one from his visit to the synagogue in Nazareth where he said:
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
With new teaching came new learning. With new learning came new possibilities. As Jesus carried out his public ministry, little by little he was revealing that he was the Messiah, the long promised, and long waited for redemption for Israel. I can imagine people saying, “Is it possible? Is it possible this is the Messiah?”
Little by little some came to believe by the power of the Spirit, that yes, Jesus was the Messiah and the one promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was the one who would suffer and die for their sins as Isaiah prophesied. He was the prophet who would speak the very Words of God that Moses spoke about. He was the Shepherd who would truly care for his people and rule over the house of Israel as King David had foretold.
And with Jesus working his teaching of truth into the hearts of people, new possibilities arose that never came up with the teachers of the law. There in the synagogue of Capernaum was not just more rules to follow, but one who “came from the Father full of grace and truth.” Perhaps for the first time, people who heard Jesus teach had a heart that could live with hope, certainty and peace.
Apply: What changes when the reality of Jesus as your Savior permeates your heart and life? What changes when you know you are loved and forgiven as to your attitude and joy in following the commands of God.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for continuing to open the truths of Scripture to me to see clearly who Jesus is and what he has done for me. AMEN.