THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:42-50 “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out.” (Mark 9:47) Jesus’ words seem extreme – pluck it out, cut it off – but that is the point. Sin, like cancer, requires severe treatment – amputation, chemo or radiation. Jesus describes the hellish consequences of untreated sin… it burns….
Bridges, not barriers!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:38-41 “Whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mark 9:40) As we follow Jesus, we have more allies than we realize. A person does not have to be “one of us” to be an ally. There are many ‘denominations’ of Christians, yet we are one in Christ. And even non-Christians can…
Trusting God to help me!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 54 “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.” (Psalm 54:4) The background to this Psalm is 1 Samuel 26. David is on the run, and his own neighbours are telling Saul where he is. At one point, David has a chance to kill Saul, but he refuses. He…
Tested by temptation!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Chronicles 20-22 “Satan incited David to take a census of Israel.” (1 Chronicles 21:1) By taking the census, David was putting more confidence in his troops than in God. But who incited David to take the census, God or Satan? “The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them,…
The kingdom is established!
THE STORY OF JESUS: 1 Chronicles 17-19 “His throne will be established forever.” (1 Chronicles 17:13) When God sees all humans, He sees His much-loved, wayward children. God sees their sin, their shame, their misery and the their folly… and He loves them. God’s plan is to restore His children, but He has to work WITH them. Because God…
Who does Jesus celebrate?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:33-37 “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Among chickens, there is a pecking order… among humans too. We want to establish ourselves in a good place, to rise up in the ranks. There is something normal and healthy in this… God…
Honest, humble faith
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:30-32 “They did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him.” (Mark 9:32) It would have been intimidating to talk with Jesus. He was so wise, so good, so perceptive… and yet sometimes so confusing. What Jesus says about God’s messiah goes against what the Jews believed. Peter had…
When Satan’s lies are too strong!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:25-29 “This kind can come out only by prayer.” (Mark 9:29) When I think of spirits, I think of the negative voices in my head. Some are weak, some are strong, some are impossible to resist. Everyday these deceiving voices try to disrupt, distract or discourage us. Usually I am able to…
Depends what you believe!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 9:14-24 “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23) Is this ACTUALLY true, can believing make the impossible possible? It depends in part on who or what we believe in. If I believe in something weak, I cannot expect strong results. If I believe in something evil, I cannot expect good…
Christian Atheists or Atheist Christians?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 53 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 53:1) David is overwhelmed by how many people deny and defy God. Personally I do agree that it is foolish to deny and/or defy God. But I do not think that every atheist or agnostic is a morally depraved person….