40 Days in the Word - Day 12: Mark 5:21-43

Verses 27-29
She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. For she thought to herself, "If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed." Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

My Thoughts: This is one of my favorite stories about Jesus. I remember hearing it in Sunday School as a child and have been thinking and studying about it ever since. There is so much packed into this story, especially when you look at the other accounts in Matthew 9 and Luke 8. I wrote an extensive set of blogs on this last year. Click here if you would like to read those entries. To me, the most amazing aspect of this story is the fact that all accounts emphasis this afflicted woman’s assurance that if she could just touch the robe of Jesus, she would be healed. What was it about His robe that was so significant to her and why was she so determined to touch the fringe of it? The fringe this woman sought to touch was no ordinary fringe. It is called the Zitzit and hung about 35-40 inches below the shoulders of Jesus on the bottom edge of His shawl. Why did she crawl through a crushing crowd to touch this fringe? Because she knew Jesus to be the promised Messiah. How? Because she knew, as did every Israelite, the messianic passage from Malachi 4:2, "And the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings." Guess what the Hebrew word for wings is in this passage? You guessed it, Zitzit! She declared to Jairus and now the whole world that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God! Her faith, which Jesus had declared to the crowd saved her, was in the person of Jesus and she was willing to risk her life in order to get close enough to touch him and be healed. How important is getting close to Jesus to me? Am I willing to lay everything aside: my pride, my family, my friends, my possessions, my life in order to touch Him and feel His healing power throughout my whole being?

Application: Every area of my life. These verses impact my heart, soul, mind, and body.

40 Days in the Word - Day 11: Mark 4:35-41

Verse 39:
When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Silence! Be still!" Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm.

My Thoughts: The wind and the waves submitted to the authority of Jesus’ commands. In other words, they respected Jesus. Why? They could of ignored Jesus’ commands and said to themselves, “Nah, not today Jesus.” However, they did not. They did not hesitate or crumble and complain. They simply and completely obeyed His commands. As I look at the life of Jesus and read about Him commanding the fish to fill Peter’s nets (John 21:6) or rebukes the fig tree (Matthew 21:19), or commands the withered and deformed hand to be restored (Mark 3:5), I am filled with wonder and awe. Yet, what about when He speaks to me? Do I instantly obey His commands or do I hesitate or even crumble or complain? Do I completely ignore Him and say, “Nah, not today Jesus”?

Application: Every area of my life. This verse impacts my heart, soul, mind, and body.

40 Days in the Word - Day 10: Mark 3:1-6

Verse 3:
Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone."

My Thoughts: In the previous chapter, Jesus clarifies that the Sabbath is for man’s benefit (Mark 2:27). In the beginning of chapter 3, Jesus emphasized this point by bringing a man with a deformed hand right to the front of His classroom and in front of everyone, Jesus heals him. The Pharisees watching are enraged and immediately leave in order to plot how they were going to kill Jesus. The Pharisees had sucked the life out of the true meaning of the Sabbath with all their rules and requirements. The Sabbath was always intended to be a time of rest not a time to worry about making sure you did not break any rules for fear of reprisal. Jesus demonstrated for everyone to see the Sabbath was a miraculous time of restoration and healing. For many in our modern culture, the Sabbath is a day when you can’t buy certain things. For others, it is just another day, even to work. For a few, it is a time to break from the norm and spend a special time away from it all and allow Jesus to restore and heal our broken and deformed lives.

Application: Life and Business. These passages impact my heart, soul, mind, and body.

40 Days in the Word - Day 9: Mark 2:1-12

Verses: 2-5
Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God's word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, "My child, your sins are forgiven."

My Thoughts: The news of Jesus healing people was spreading rapidly. So much so, large crowds gathered wherever he was. In these passages, we see four healthy men carry a paralyzed man up onto the roof of the house where Jesus was, because the house was packed with people. They then tore a hole in the roof in order to lower the paralyzed man down in front of Jesus. I wonder about these four men, whom Jesus saw such great faith in. Were they friends of the paralyzed man or had they seen the man outside and decided to help him? I can see them first trying to get him through the front door to no avail. Then one of them saying, “maybe there’s a way to get through on the roof. Another says, “Here you grab his feet and I’ll take his head, while you two take his sides.” Then watching them maneuver him up the stairs on the side of the building and onto the roof. As they get on the roof, another says, “There’s no access up here” and another saying, “We’ll just have to dig a hole!” I then imagine being inside and seeing dust and debris falling from the ceiling, light shining through, and then a man coming down through the hole. All eyes are then fixed on Jesus. What will He say and what will He do? What Jesus does say amazes me.

Jesus says, “My child....” He addresses this paralyzed, grown man as if this man was His own son! There is so much meaning here in these two words, which most reading don’t notice, but I can imagine most in this crowd did, including the religious teachers who immediately began to complain. This was a clear declaration by Jesus that He was God and in this culture, most if not all picked up on. As if to emphasize this statement, he does not heal the man, but says, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus, knowing the religious teachers thoughts, then becomes their teacher and declares Himself to be the Son of man in direct reference to the immaculate conception: “And God became flesh.” (John 1:14). It is at this point, Jesus turns the crowds attention back onto the paralyzed man and says, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!” The man immediately jumps up, walks through the parting crowd, and does just that! I can then see the four men who helped him, jumping up and down on the roof and shouting out praises to God!

God did come to us in the flesh and His name is Jesus. He then bore our sins to the cross and there died in our place. He rose from the dead and is alive today still forgiving our sins and healing us. What does it take to realize this? Faith just like those four men, including the paralyzed man. Faith in Jesus, the Son of God and the Son of man.

Application: Every area of my life. These passages impact my heart, soul, mind, and body.

40 Days in the Word - Day 8: Mark 1:40-45

Verse 41:
Moved with compassion,* Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing,"he said. "Be healed!"

My Thoughts: There was no treatment for leprosy in biblical times and it was forbidden for a person to touch a leper, who was considered unclean. It was also thought at the time that this disease could be transmitted by touch. In those times, individuals infected with this disease were total outcasts. This environmental disease takes hold in those who have a compromised immune system and affects surface nerves so that an individual would lose total feelings in their extremities which lead to injuries and secondary infections. It causes skin sores, putrid odor, and deformities. Because there was no cure at the time, this disease would progress rapidly and eventually lead to premature death.

In this passage, Jesus was moved with compassion, touched this leper, and healed him completely. As I reflect on this passage, I see myself as a leper whom God is completely healing. Before Jesus touched me with compassion, I was a wounded individual who had become immune to my sinful condition, which had become putrid. My heart and life were deformed from years of hurts, self inflicted wounds, and sin. I will never forget the day Jesus touched my life and spoke to me, “Be healed!”

Application: Every area of my life. These passages affect my heart, soul, and mind.

40 Days in the Word - Day 7: Philippians 4:14-20

Verse 19:
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

My Thoughts: I am a little perplexed by this passage. I read it and then look at my current struggles financially. And, not just me but many Christians have been without a job for months and are losing their homes in this current economy. Then I think about the condition Paul was in when he penned this statement. He was not only in prison, but in chains. Now I understand that he was under house arrest, but still, I live in much better circumstances. This forces me to reexamine my fortune and count my blessings. When I do this, I realize that God truly does meet all my needs. Maybe not all my wants, but He does meet my needs. Also, I know I could do a better job at budgeting my money and work a little smarter in order to improve my financial condition.

Application: Finances and Business. This verse impacts my mind and body.

40 Days in the Word - Day 6: Philippians 4:8-13

Verses 11-13:
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

My Thoughts: The phase, “for I have learned how to be content,” rings in the heart of every human being. Real, sustaining contentment is a blessing that is a quest of every heart. Most people use the word happiness in exchange for content. However, being happy is usually a condition or state that is dependent on external influences. For example, you might say, “You make me happy.” But, contentment is dependent on an internal influence. For Paul, this internal influence, which enabled him to be content in every situation, was Christ. Like Paul, I have found the only way for me to attain contentment or more appropriately said, a state of being at peace, is through Christ who lives in me. In yesterday’s reading were Paul’s action steps to being in God’s peace. Today’s reading gives us the result of having our hearts and minds guarded by the peace and presence of Christ: The quest of every human heart...contentment.

Application: Every aspect of my life. These verses impact my heart, mind, and soul.

40 Days in the Word - Day 5: Philippians 3:15-4-7

9/23/2012 - Philippians 3:15-4-7

Verses 6-7:
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

My Thoughts: These verses are two of the most powerful and liberating found in the New Testament. The cares of this world will choke out the word of life which was planted in you the moment you accepted Jesus as your Savior (Matthew 13:22). This powerful deposit of God into our lives (John 14:16) is experienced in the presence of the Holy Spirit, God’s peace, which is translated “Shalom” in the Hebrew. There are two key action steps related to us in these verses by Paul. Those steps are thankfulness and prayer. When the problems in our lives become the predominant thoughts in our hearts and minds, those problems will overshadow all the good God has done and is doing in our lives. By focusing our attention back on the blessings of God, we gain back an attitude of gratefulness, which puts everything into a proper perspective. Then we can lay our burdens onto Christ (Matthew 11:28) knowing that God hears our prayers, accomplishing His perfect and good will in our lives. At this point, we will experience the peace (shalom) of God, which was there from the moment of creation when all things were under the power and peace of the God’s Spirit. This is the presence, peace, and power of Jesus Christ. A power we can’t fully understand, only experience. Once we do, we will never look at life the same again and will never want to lose it.

Application: Every aspect of my life. These verses impact my heart and mind.

40 Days in the Word - Day 4: Philippians 2:19-3:14

12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,* but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

My Thoughts: These passages, once again, point to the fact that our salvation is an ongoing process that begins the moment we accept Jesus as our Savior. It was in perfection that Jesus went and died on the cross in our place. As a man with no sin, Jesus died for me, a man with sin, so that I would be forgiven and experience the power of the resurrection in my life. My past no longer determines my future (vs. 13). This passage reminds me of one of my favorite inspirational saying by the late Stephen Covey, “Live out your imagination, not your history.”

Application: Life. These verses impact my soul and my mind.

40 Days in the Word - Day 3: Philippians 2:1-18

Verses 13-15:
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.

My Thoughts: This passage relates back to the passage I highlighted yesterday: Philippians 1:27a. We are to conduct ourselves in such a way that we “shine” in this world that is full of spiritual darkness. It is interested to note that the Apostle Paul foresaw the backbiting and church in-fighting that would cause outsiders to shun away from the church.

The key to living a life worthy of Christ (vs. 6-11) is found in verse 13: “For God is working in you....” This realization of God constantly working in me to bring about the desire and power to live a worthy life and be an obvious citizen of heaven to those around me, is very encouraging.

Application: Life, Family, Relationships. This impacts my heart and soul.

40 Days in the Word - Day 2: Philippians 1:27a

Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ.

My Thoughts: I love this translation. It is the New Living Translation. It includes the full weight of the word “worthy” in the Greek, which is defined as living a life as a citizen of a certain country. When I have traveled outside the United States, it is obvious to the people of that country I am an American (sometimes painfully :-)). They know it by my accent, dress, and conduct. It always makes me realize that how I act and what I say reflects on the United States. As I read this passage, it reminded me that I am a citizen of heaven and caused me to stop and ask myself, “Do I live so that people around me know this?” Also, do I reflect good or bad on the reputation of the kingdom of heaven? When I have been in a foreign place, I will hear a perfect stranger say the word “American” as they look my way. When is the last time I heard someone say to me in a positive way, “You must be a Christian.”

Application: It impacts my Life (walking my talk) and my heart.

40 Days in God's Word: Philippians 1:1-11

Hey everybody:

I am starting a new study which corresponds with the 40 days in God's Word we are doing at The Austin Vineyard together in our small groups. Today is day 1.

Philippians 1:1-11

Verse 6: And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Verse 9: I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding
Verse 10: For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return.
 

My Thoughts: Verse six points out that our salvation is a process, a continuing work which will not be completed until the day of Christ’s return. What a powerful thought! Each day from the point that we start this Christian journey, God is working in us to perfect the good work He began the day we accepted Christ as our Savior. This means that in order for this good work to continue, I must submit to this process. The elements of this process is revealed in verse nine: To allow the love, which began when Jesus gave His life for our forgiveness, overflow more and more in us as we continue growing in our knowledge and understanding of this love. This is why studying the life of Christ, who is the example of how we are to love, is so important. Each day as we study His word and then apply it to our lives, we learn what really matters and start living out the pure and blameless lives Jesus produces within us and through us to others (verse 10).
 

Application: Relationship with God and with others. This impacts my heart (relationships), soul (my spiritual growth), and my mind (growing in the knowledge of God).