Friday, July 15, 2016
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Sometimes we read the Bible too much...
Gotcha, didn't I? I thought you would bite. "How can you read the Bible too much?" Well, there are actually several ways, but I'm going to focus on one particular way, because it came to my attention today:
Today I read a short passage in the New Testament because I was short on time. I had to leave. I actually had MORE time than I used, so I re-read the passage, and then thought about it for a few minutes, and I re-discovered what I have learned many times: sometimes it's good to read your Bible only until you get something fresh for your spiritual life. Here's what I read today:
(Mark 3) 31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." 33 Answering them, He *said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?" 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." (quotation from NASB 1995).
Jesus is literally engulfed by the crowds. He is so incredibly busy that He doesn't have a moment to Himself, and yet He can't stop. He's under tremendous pressure. His Mom and brothers try to get Him to slow down, but His response is basically, "I can't! People want to believe, they want to come to Me, and I have to seek them out now, as they seek God's will!"
People do go through times like this, times of no rest, of great pressure, yet sometimes these times are God-ordained to benefit the people whom we serve. God is willing to take risks with us, and during these times we need to recognize that we MUST not quit. It's HIS time for us to reach out, and we must not stop.
I will note, however, that this is not a way to plan 40 years of ministry. Jesus recognized that He had limited time, and He was determined to make the most of it. The people came. He preached, healed, did good works, and as Peter says later, "He healed all who were oppressed by the Devil."
Much of Jesus' power resided in His ability to recognize what God was doing right then. He said in another place, "The Son does what He sees the Father doing." In other words, Jesus and the Father were partners in His work--the Father supplied the direction and the ability, and Jesus exercised them.
(I'm not diminishing Jesus' deity with this statement, but Jesus limited Himself, as we are told, so that He did not exercise His divine attributes independently. He relied on the Father, as would another man.)
Got a tough schedule? Just make sure you're in the center of God's will in what you do. Then work through it as He directs.
I pray God blesses you today as never before.
Today I read a short passage in the New Testament because I was short on time. I had to leave. I actually had MORE time than I used, so I re-read the passage, and then thought about it for a few minutes, and I re-discovered what I have learned many times: sometimes it's good to read your Bible only until you get something fresh for your spiritual life. Here's what I read today:
(Mark 3) 31 Then His mother and His brothers *arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they *said to Him, "Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You." 33 Answering them, He *said, "Who are My mother and My brothers?" 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He *said, "Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 "For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother." (quotation from NASB 1995).
Jesus is literally engulfed by the crowds. He is so incredibly busy that He doesn't have a moment to Himself, and yet He can't stop. He's under tremendous pressure. His Mom and brothers try to get Him to slow down, but His response is basically, "I can't! People want to believe, they want to come to Me, and I have to seek them out now, as they seek God's will!"
People do go through times like this, times of no rest, of great pressure, yet sometimes these times are God-ordained to benefit the people whom we serve. God is willing to take risks with us, and during these times we need to recognize that we MUST not quit. It's HIS time for us to reach out, and we must not stop.
I will note, however, that this is not a way to plan 40 years of ministry. Jesus recognized that He had limited time, and He was determined to make the most of it. The people came. He preached, healed, did good works, and as Peter says later, "He healed all who were oppressed by the Devil."
Much of Jesus' power resided in His ability to recognize what God was doing right then. He said in another place, "The Son does what He sees the Father doing." In other words, Jesus and the Father were partners in His work--the Father supplied the direction and the ability, and Jesus exercised them.
(I'm not diminishing Jesus' deity with this statement, but Jesus limited Himself, as we are told, so that He did not exercise His divine attributes independently. He relied on the Father, as would another man.)
Got a tough schedule? Just make sure you're in the center of God's will in what you do. Then work through it as He directs.
I pray God blesses you today as never before.
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