February 7: Mark 13

Today's reading.

Fun. Prophecy.

Jesus's teaching here is known as the Olivet Discourse, and it is sparked by the disciples asking Jesus (13:3) when the temple would be destroyed as he said it would (13:2). Jesus answers their question, but does not merely speak of the temple's destruction; he speaks of a future time when he would return to "gather his elect from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven" (13:27).

The picture Jesus paints of the future of his people is not rosy. His disciples will experience hardships—famines, disease, false christs, war, betrayal. Then he speaks of "the abomination of desolation," literally, "the abomination that makes desolate." Remember the context. This abomination is referring to something that happened in conjunction with the destruction of the temple (13:1-3). The best candidate, in my opinion, is the General Titus's entrance into the temple during the Roman sacking of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Here is a dirty Gentile pagan defiling God's holy place, and after he does so, the temple is destroyed. Nothing but desolation remains in the wake of the Romans' abominating presence. Up to 13:23, Jesus is talking about what happened in 70 A.D. In 13:24-27, Jesus turns his attention to his second coming. And from 13:28 on, Jesus turns to application.

The "take-away" of Jesus's teaching here is not to go home and get out your end-times charts. Only the Father knows the day and hour (13:32). Jesus doesn't want us to read tea leaves, but to "stay awake" (13:37). Our Master will return at an hour we don't expect. Don't you want to be found doing his will, don't you want him to find you being an obedient servant when he does? Stay awake. Expect trial and commit yourself to the Lord who will right every wrong and bring justice once again to the earth. Live every moment of your day expecting that your Lord could return at any moment. And pray trusting and desiring that we will.

February 6: Psalm 16

Today's Reading.

Kathy said my posts have been getting longer and longer. I have tried to avoid it, but am having a difficult time paring down when there is always so much to be said. So, for the coming week, I am going to discipline myself, keep it as brief as possible, and if you have questions about the passage, ask me in the comments. I'll be more than happy to answer. :)

Ok. 300 words. Starting... now.

There is contentment written all over this psalm. The psalmist takes refuge in the Lord (16:1), has the Lord as his inheritance (16:5-6), is not shaken because the Lord is before him (16:8), has joy and confidence because he is in the care of the Lord (16:9-10). He can be content because of all these things. The Lord himself is his inheritance, and so it makes sense that he would be content in that; when you will have EVERYTHING, why be discontent that you have nothing?

The psalm climaxes in the last verse with the line "at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (16:11).  Our world promises pleasures galore to be had in any number of different places. But nothing and no one in the world promises "pleasures forevermore," merely pleasure here or there, for a moment, after which you'll have to go find more, elsewhere. This world's pleasures are fleeting, temporary, impermanent, passing away. Pleasures at the Lord's right hand are everlasting.

And we all know Who is seated at His right hand, right (Heb. 1:3)? Jesus is the source of pleasures forevermore.

Whatever pleasures you are tempted to find in the world today, remember the perfect, eternal pleasure we have in Christ. The forgiveness of sins, the presence of the Spirit, adoption by the Father, eternal life, all are ours in Christ. Don't look for what is temporarily pleasant. Jesus is the Ever-Pleasant One. Only he can satisfy. Seek him today and find contentment in him.

February 5: Mark 12

Today's reading.

In this chapter, it's Jesus vs. religion. I can't cover all the ground I'd like to, but the first 40 verses is Jesus taking on the religious leaders of his day. Maybe I'll post more about that later in the day. But this morning, I want to focus on the last several verses of this chapter. 

12:38-40 is a warning to the crowd to avoid being enslaved by exploitative and oppressive religious leaders who do not really practice what they call others to. They take and take, but really give nothing. They want prestige and comfort and the favor of God and men. But Jesus shows us who is truly great in his kingdom.

The supposedly great religious leaders aren't generous but are greedy for respect and social standing. Even the rich who give large sums of money do so out of the abundance of what they have. The widow who put just a penny in the offering is the sort of person the Lord is seeking for his kingdom. Quantitatively, she put in nothing; the temple won't be getting a new façade anytime soon with tithers like the poor widow. But her giving was an expression of love and faith to God that far exceeded any other giving that day.

She gave to the Lord what no one else did in this chapter. She committed herself, body and soul, in faith to God, trusting that he would provide though she had nothing left. And she offered as great an offering as anyone could, giving all her possessions to the Lord, actively loving him by obeying his commands. In fact, she gave far more than the commandment required; I don't know what 10% of a penny is, but the law never required anyone to give all they had to live on. She so loves her Father, so wants to express her gratitude for his grace and mercy toward her, that she offers as great a gift as she can muster. And our Lord himself honored her for it.

Are you stingy? I am. The fact is that we spend our resources on what we most love. I like books and gadgets, so I buy books and gadgets for me because I love myself. A lot. I love myself and that is proven in the way I use my time and money.

God is not stingy. God gave his most treasured possession—his only Son—for your sake and mine. He gave all he had because he so loved us. The widow could not yet even understand that God's love had come to her in Christ, because Christ had not yet died, but she STILL gave all she had in love and worship. Here I am, the recipient of such abundant grace, with the cross fully in view, and I still want to do what I want with my resources.

Are you generous? You are the recipient of God's cosmic generosity. Do you love him, do you love your Father enough to respond? "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21). It's clear that the widow's treasure was with her Lord. Where is yours?

Friday Prayer

Please take the time to reflect on what we've read this week and catch up on any reading you may have missed.

I hope the plan from the month of January was an encouraging way to begin the new year in the Word. I pray we will continue to consistently engage Scripture together through February and throughout the year.

I came across this prayer this week from the Orthodox tradition. I have edited it very lightly, but found its devotion and content to be rich (though it can be repetitive). I found the instructions helpful in focusing my mind and body on the Lord. Hope it helps you seek the Lord today.

Having awakened, arise from your bed without laziness and, having gathered your thoughts, say:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Afterwards, stand in silence for a few moments until all your senses are calmed. At that point, make three prostrations, saying:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Then, begin the Morning Prayers with these words:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

O Heavenly King, the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth Who art everywhere and fillest all things. Treasury of Blessings and Giver of Life: Come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.

Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Have mercy on us. (3 times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

O Most Holy Trinity! Have mercy on us! Lord, cleanse us from our sins! Master, pardon our transgressions! Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.

Lord, have mercy! (3 times)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Having arisen from sleep, we fall down before Thee, O Blessed One, and sing to Thee, O Mighty One, the angelic hymn: Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O God; have mercy on us.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

Having raised me from my bed and from sleep, O Lord, enlighten my mind and heart, and open my lips that I may praise Thee, O Holy Trinity: Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O God; have mercy on us.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Judge will come suddenly and the acts of every man will be revealed; but in the middle of the night we cry with fear: Holy! Holy! Holy! art Thou, O God; have mercy on us.

Lord, have mercy! (12 times)

Having risen from sleep, I thank Thee, the Holy Trinity. In the abundance of Thy kindness and long patience, Thou hast not been angry with me for my laziness and sinfulness, nor hast Thou destroyed me in my lawlessness. Instead, in Thy usual love for mankind, Thou hast raised me as I lay in despair, that I might rise early and glorify Thy Reign. Enlighten now the eyes of my mind and open my lips, that I might learn of Thy words, understand Thy commandments, accomplish Thy will, hymn Thee in heart-felt confession and praise Thine all-holy name, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Come, let us worship God, our King!

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and our God!

Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God!

February 3: Psalm 15

Today's Reading.

"O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?" It's a good question. People throughout the world and across the ages have asked it. Who can draw near to God? Who can approach his majesty?

But the psalmist isn't simply asking who can come near to God. Everyone thinks there is a series of works one can do to deserve access to God. That's not what he asks. He wants to know "who shall sojourn in your tent?" What he's really asking is "who can stay the night at your house? Lord, who gets to have a slumber party at your place?" The author isn't simply asking who is able to worship the Lord; he's asking who is counted worthy of sleeping under God's roof.

Who is it? Who has the right to camp out with the Almighty?

Only one Man has ever earned that right. And he is the One who "became flesh and dwelt [literally, pitched his tent!] among us!" (John 1:14).

Read all the stipulations in Psalm 15:2-5 again. Walk blamelessly. Speak truth. No slander. No evil toward neighbor. Despised by vile people. Honors those who fear the Lord. Who is generous toward the brothers and sisters. Who does not take bribes. Think of all the ways this Psalm points to Christ!

Jesus walked blamelessly, from the day he said he would fulfill all righteousness (Matt. 3:15), to the day he said "it was finished" (John 19:30). He spoke the truth, even though it cost him his life (John 5:17-18). He did no evil toward others, but healed the blind and the sick and the outcast and the sinner. He was despised by the Pharisees, but he was more generous than any of us could ever be. He took no bribes—not even from Satan (Matt. 4:9-10)—but gave up his place in the Father's house to live among us homeless humans who had no hope of regaining Eden without him.

It's because of all that Christ has done for us that we can have faith that one day we will hear God say, "the dwelling place [tent!] of God is with man. He will dwell [camp out!] with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God" (Rev. 21:3).

Jesus has won God's approval for you. Your future is secure. In Christ, you "will never be moved" (15:5). Knowing that this psalm is about Jesus is not just an exercise in theology, but a real practical help and assurance to us every day. You won't ever be moved! So, walk blamelessly. Christ has secured your spot in God's tent! So, speak the truth, don't slander others, do good—not evil—toward your neighbor. You may be despised by vile people; Jesus was. But Christ will honor you and your fear of the Lord if you find comfort and rest in his gospel work for you.

You can't earn a spot in God's camp on your own, but you already have one. So, today and every day, act like it.

February 2: Mark 11

Today's passage.

Kathy says this chapter is confusing. What does Jesus have against fig trees? I've been stumped by the fig tree story over and over again. Every time I read it, I have to go back and read especially carefully to help me get why Jesus is so environmentally unfriendly. 

He's just triumphantly entered Jerusalem the previous day. He stayed overnight outside the city, and on his way back in, he sees a fig tree. He was hungry, and went to see if he could get something to eat. But the fig tree had nothing but leaves to offer "for it was not the season for figs" (11:13). So, he curses the tree. Why?

When there is something in Scripture that we find confusing, it is important to look carefully at the context. As he tells the story, Mark leaves the fig tree and follows Jesus back into Jerusalem (11:15-19). And what do we find there? We find God's supposedly holy people turning His house into a den of robbers. We find a people whom God had called out to himself to bear the fruit of love for Him, but who have only a vested interest in His temple. They've turned the house of the Almighty into a tourist trap. 

Jesus sees a fig tree outside Jerusalem and finds nothing but leaves. He goes into Jerusalem and finds nothing but corruption and profiteering. He curses the fig tree and after a short time, it had withered to its roots (11:20-21). The implication is that the Lord Jesus—God come in the flesh—is playing the role of divine Judge, and he has found Israel wanting. And just as the fig tree was withered away to the roots, so Israel would lose its privileged place among the nations as the dwelling place of God.

There is a striking parallel between what is acted out in Jerusalem and what the prophet Jeremiah foretold: "When I would gather them, declares the LORD, there are no grapes on the vine,nor figs on the fig tree; even the leaves are withered, and what I gave them has passed away from them" (Jer. 8:13). 

Jesus was coming to call Israel to himself, but there were no figs on their tree. And just as the fig tree was withered to its roots, so the temple in Jerusalem would be burned to the ground by the Romans in a mere 40 years. The temple that Jesus had cleared in Mark 11 was obliterated in 70 AD by invading armies. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus (Mt. 28:18). And here he uses that authority to pronounce judgment on his people. 

We don't like the idea of judgment. Nowhere in our culture is judgment looked upon favorably. We don't even think much of our judicial system.

Jesus is a judge. He has the authority to judge all things, whether he chooses to tell us about it or not (11:33). Will we submit to the judgment he has pronounced on us? Do we believe we are sinners in desperate need of his mercy? Admitting our need and repenting is the constant call of the Christian. Will we refuse to bow to Christ? Or will we seek the mercy and grace of the Lord? If we do, he is faithful to forgive. 

February 1: Psalm 14

Today's reading. Happy February, everyone. One month down, eleven more to go!

The psalmist pulls no punches here. The verdict of the Lord with regard to the human race is pronounced without hesitation: "Guilty."

At first, it seems as though the verdict will extend only to "the fool" (14:1). He exists as if God does not. Though God sustains his every breath, he breathes curses at the Lord. But we cannot identify one group of people as "fools," for in the space of two lines, we are told that no one does good. The Lord looks down across the globe and finds that "there is none who does good, not even one" (14:3). On our own strength, we are every bit as much in the "fool" camp as everyone else on the planet.

Just the other night I was telling someone that so much of my sin can be traced back to the fact that I do not remember. I don't remember who I am (a child of God); I don't remember who my Father is; I don't remember what it cost Him to make me His. If I could only remember these facts every moment of every day, I would cease to sin in dozens of ways. So much of my sin comes from my tendency to fall into the default mode of my sinful nature which says "there is no God." 

If only I could remember. If only I could remember that the latter half of the psalmist's prayer has been answered. If only I could remember that the Lord is my refuge, that salvation has come for God's people out of Zion, that in Christ the Lord has restored his people's fortunes (14:6-7). If I could remember more today to rejoice and be glad in the Lord my salvation, perhaps I would be slightly less the fool that I am prone to be.

I agree with this Word that I am among the "none who does good." But in Christ—who alone is good (Mark 10:18)—I can hope in his salvation and in the power of the gospel to change my foolishness day by day.