Jody’s Devotionals

Confronting Evil II: The Example of Jesus

1And he went to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. 2Right when he got out of the boat, he was met by a man with an unclean spirit who came out from among the tombs. 3The man lived in the tombs, and neither chains nor anything else could bind him, 4because he had been bound with shackles and chains, and he broke the chains and shattered the shackles, and nobody could control him. 5Night and day he would be among the tombs and in the hills screaming and cutting himself with rocks. 6And when he saw Jesus from a long ways away, he ran and bowed to him, 7and shouted, “What is there between us, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me!” 8For Jesus was saying to him, “Unclean spirit! Come out of the man!” 9And he asked it (the spirit), “What is your name?”
And it said, “My name is legion, for we are many!” 10Then it begged him many times not to send him out of the region.    Mark 5:1-10 (HN)

Previously I discussed how Jesus truly believed his own proclamation.  He believe that God’s kingdom was present and active and that healing would take place. Because of that faith and faithfulness, he had enormous success in confronting evil.

Now let’s look at the differences in how Jesus behaved in confronting evil and the way we do it in the church and in our lives today.  Perhaps we can see why our success is not quite as stellar!

1.  Jesus was himself a challenge to evil.  Notice that the man tormented by the demons does not avoid Jesus, but rather approaches him.  Evil cannot tolerate the presence of good, and will come after you.  If you are never criticized, if you are never challenged, if you’re behavior never challenges others, perhaps you aren’t “putting on Jesus.”  Ask yourself this:  Would the devil care if my church shut down?

2.  Jesus went where the man was.  For all we know, his trip across the sea was made for this one man.  In the modern church, we’d expect the man to come to us.

3.  Notice that Jesus didn’t run or avoid the encounter.  There was every reason to do so, but he faced up to the danger.  In our churches, I suspect we would be very quick to call the police in a case like this.

4.  Jesus knew the source of the problem.  He isn’t disgusted at the man.  He doesn’t rebuke the person.  He rebukes the demon.  His concern is always for the person.  What reaction would there be in your church if this man showed up at the door?

5.  The demons immediately respected the authority of Jesus.  They recognized who he was and the spiritual power he wielded.  Do we have this authority today in our churches?  Do we really believe the gospel message?

Confronting Evil I: Believing the Gospel Message

1And he went to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. 2Right when he got out of the boat, he was met by a man with an unclean spirit who came out from among the tombs. 3The man lived in the tombs, and neither chains nor anything else could bind him, 4because he had been bound with shackles and chains, and he broke the chains and shattered the shackles, and nobody could control him. 5Night and day he would be among the tombs and in the hills screaming and cutting himself with rocks. 6And when he saw Jesus from a long ways away, he ran and bowed to him, 7and shouted, “What is there between us, Jesus, son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me!” 8For Jesus was saying to him, “Unclean spirit! Come out of the man!” 9And he asked it (the spirit), “What is your name?”
And it said, “My name is legion, for we are many!” 10Then it begged him many times not to send him out of the region.     Mark 5:1-10 (HN)

There are many lessons that can be drawn from this particular occasion, and I’m only looking at the first half of the story today.  Don’t worry—the demon loses! What struck me about this story as I read it this morning is the incredible difference between the way Jesus confronted evil and the way we do, especially in the church.

Why are afraid of evil?  We are afraid that the wrong type of young people will have a bad influence on “our” young people, so we avoid having them in the church.  We are afraid that people who have been addicted or oppressed by sin will revert to their old ways, so we avoid making use of them in ministry.

The bottom line, I think, is that we don’t really believe the gospel message.  We don’t believe that if we present Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit, that lives will be changed.  We trust much more in laws, police forces, and in keeping our distance.

But Jesus really believed the message that he proclaimed.  He knew that evil was going to have to flee.  He knew that healing was possible, so he wasn’t afraid to go out and confront evil.

If we start to believe the gospel message, that Jesus provides healing and restoration, that addicts can be set free, angry people can find forgiveness and reconciliation, that lives can be changed, then it will start to happen.  We won’t have to have a complex program (though a plan would be nice).  We just need to be there.

Can you be the presence of Jesus in your workplace or any where else God sends you today?

Focused Christianity

18Others are like the seed that fell among the thorns. They are the ones who hear the word 19and the worries of this life and the deception of riches, and the desire for other stuff comes in and chokes the word so it becomes fruitless.       Mark 4:18-19 (HN)

In Mark 4:16-17, we discussed temporary Christians. What many people get from those verses is that they must receive everything enthusiastically and then keep up their enthusiasm and never let it waver. Such Christians usually become temporary, but in a different way—they burn out from trying to do too much. In our churches we often not only let them do that; we encourage it. “Please say yes to whatever you’re asked to do,” says the pastor. But the real question is whether God is asking you to do something, not whether the pastor or the nominating committee is asking you to do it.

Here we have the key to becoming more permanent Christians. Get rid of the “stuff that comes in and chokes the word so it becomes fruitless.” That doesn’t mean just get rid of the bad stuff from your life. It means bringing your life into focus to do what God wants you to do.

That’s been my own struggle over the years. I let my life get so full of “stuff”–good stuff, generally, I think—but not the stuff that God wants me to be involved with. I have been trimming things down. Jody has also trimmed some stuff off of her schedule. That’s one reason I write some of the devotions. One of the things God has told me to keep is time spent writing. I’m to increase my time in devotions. I find that writing my thoughts helps me concentrate and get more out of my devotional time. Those two efforts at trimming then came together. I write my notes in a form that Jody can use for devotions, and she always has a pool of devotional thoughts to work consider using.

I say that because people have a very hard time giving up the good things that they are doing in order to have time for the best things. As I force myself to focus my life, however, I remember that one of the least effective church congregations I ever observed was also one of the busiest. Just like Jody and myself with these devotions, it’s easy to assume that if we let something go, the kingdom of God will start falling apart. But when you’re following God’s direction in getting rid of the “stuff”, he has a better plan around the corner.

You can only be a good hearer of God’s word if you have space in your heart for what God wants to plant there.

Temporary Christianity

16Now other are like the seed that fell in rocky ground. Whenever they hear the word, they receive it immediately and joyfully, 17but they don’t have root in themselves, but they are temporary {have short attention spans!}. If trials or persecution come up because of the word, they get tripped up right away.     Mark 4:16-17 (HN)

I noticed in the margin of my Greek New Testament this morning as I was reading this passage that at some time in the last few years I’d written this question:  Do you want to be a temporary Christian?  I think it’s a very good question to revisit.

I’m not talking about someone who quits being a Christian; that would certainly be temporary.  But I think there are many “temporary” Christians who are still church members, but whose spiritual disciplines, enthusiasms, ministries, and even church memberships are tremendously temporary.  These Christians are not folks who reject the word.  In fact, they accept pretty much whatever  word is presented.  They may even be totally enthusiastic about contradictory speakers or writers.  When a new mission program is proposed, they are on fire to spread the gospel to the world.  When someone else points out how the local community is suffering, they are all for putting the local community first.

But worse than that, they have a spiritual experience that endures for the length of a revival, or a retreat weekend, or a period of time when things are going very well at church.  When the revival is over, the retreat ended, or the church slides into more difficult times, they are off to find the next spiritual high.

Now I have nothing against world missions, local evangelism, revivals, retreats, and I love good times at church when you see growth at every service, and new ministry is popping up all over.  But what Jesus is looking for is people who take in all of that and let it take root so that it becomes a permanent part of their spiritual lives.

Jesus is looking for Christians whose love and choices are not temporary.

Fruit-Producing Christianity

3Listen! A farmer went out to plant seeds. 4And as he was spreading the seed, some fell beside the path, and the birds came and ate it. 5Other seed fell in rocky ground, where it didn’t have much dirt, and it sprouted leaves quickly, because the dirt wasn’t deep. 6But when the sun rose, it was scorched, and because it didn’t have good enough roots, it was scorched. 7Other seed fell amongst the thorns, and the thorns grew and choked it, and it didn’t bear any fruit. 8And other seed fell in good ground, and it bore fruit, growing up and increasing, and it bore some 30 fold, some 60 fold and some 100 fold. 9And he said, let anyone who has ears hear!       Mark 4:3-9 (TFBV)

Before looking at the interpretation of this parable that Jesus gave, I’d like us to spend some time thinking about it as the disciples had to—on their own.  I think that Jesus used parables intentionally, and one intention he had was to make us think.  The parable can carry more freight even than he told the disciples.

Allow me to assume, for the moment, that the seed can include the prompting of the Holy Spirit in your heart. What in your heart prevents you from hearing the Holy Spirit and acting?

First, we have the seed that fell by the path.  What is the problem with the path?  It is stepped on and stomped on constantly.  There’s no room there for anything other than the path.  We can be “path” sorts of listeners to the Holy Spirit—unless the seed is strong enough to break through the trodden ground, it’s going to die.  We’ll continue to think we’re OK, because we’re on a trodden path, but we’ll miss what the Holy Spirit has for us.

Second, there’s rocky ground.  God’s grace, whether to save us or to empower us, is freely offered, but if we don’t allow it the space to grow, it will choke.  Ironically, this can be the situation for two opposed groups of people—those who think they will get everything they need directly from the Bible without the aid of the Holy Spirit, and those who think the Holy Spirit will direct them, so they have no need for study.  Either approach is a “shallow dirt” approach that won’t hold up when things heat up.

Third, there’s the thistle-filled heart.  This heart doesn’t like 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Test everything, keep what is good, stay away from every form of evil.”  Often the thistle-filled heart seems lively, if a bit disorganized.  The person may seem very receptive.  But by receiving everything, this person cuts himself off from receiving the best thing.  This is comparable to the person whose mind is so open that their brains fall out.  In this case your spirit can be so open that the Holy Spirit falls out—or can’t get in.

Finally, there’s the “good ground” heart.  This heart listens all the time.  There’s no beaten path that limits what the Holy Spirit can do.  The rocks are removed and the soil cultivated, because this heart is looking for fruit-bearing plants that have deep roots and will last.  The thistles, whether things that are evil, or even things that are not precisely what God wants, are excluded.  There’s maximum room for fruit-bearing!

The result is a spiritual life that bears fruit.

On the Road with Jesus

It happened soon afterward, that he went to a city called Nain. Many of his disciples, along with a great multitude, went with him. Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, one who was dead was carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. Many people of the city were with her. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Don’t cry.” He came near and touched the coffin, and the bearers stood still. He said, “Young man, I tell you, arise!” He who was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother.

Fear took hold of all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited his people!” This report went out concerning him in the whole of Judea, and in all the surrounding region. Luke 7:11-17 (WEB)

What a wonderful, joyous story this is!  I see my Savior’s heart, moved with compassion for a woman whose son has died and she is alone in the world.  In her culture and time, she could literally starve to death without a male family member to protect and ‘cover’ her.  Jesus saw her tears; saw her need and responded.

“Young man, I tell you, get up!”  Jesus did not give a request.  God gave a command!  He gave a preview of what and how He will command when He comes from the grave on Easter morning!  And His command is obeyed! The man sat us.  But he did not just sit up – he spoke!  The man was not just breathing.  He was alive! Jesus is not just the conqueror of death!  He is the give of life! Jesus gave back to the mother that which she lost!  He always does.  Jesus did not choose to give me back my son when he died.  I confess to all of you that I never stopped asking Him to do that – even as I sat beside his bed and knew he had stopped breathing.  “Lord, please, I know you can do this.  Please return my son to me.”   There was silence.   It was a few days later as we celebrated James’ life that I received the message that I have heard several times in the last five years, “He’s worshiping with me now.  You still have work to do for me there.  We have eternity to be together.  Keep working.”

“They were all filled with fear and praised God.”  It is easier to praise God when He chooses to do the extra-ordinary.  The ‘WOW’ factor brings forth a ‘WOW’ response!  But – see – God does something ‘WOW’ every time He does something!  My son died but because of God I did not die – not physically and not my spirit.   Only because of the compassion of Jesus do I continue on and walk out each day.  Only because of the healing compassion of Jesus am I able to get out of bed and feel His joy and express His encouragement and know He still – and always has – loves ME!  Praise God!

“This news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding country.”  Spreading the news is what I have been commissioned to do!  “Go … and make disciples …and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you … I am with you always…”  God is with me.  God was with the widow and her son.  God is with you today whatever road you are walking. The road may be smooth with beautiful flowers. It may be bumpy with major boulders and pot holes. If I make Jesus my pilot (not the co-pilot!), then I am secure and assured on whatever road I am on. May I keep my spiritual eyes open to opportunities to encourage other travelers along the way.

Jesus Defines ‘Great’

The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’ I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.” John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on him. I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”      John 1:29-34 (WEB)

“I didn’t know him…”  BUT that didn’t matter because John was sent to do a job.  The job did not include becoming famous or rich.  Mark tells us in his gospel how monk-like John’s life was by the Jordan River.  It was the mission and the revelation that John had been given by God’s Spirit that he was passionate and focused.  John’s eyes were on a Kingdom that was NOT of Rome.

“I didn’t recognize him…” EXCEPT that John had heard God’s voice and God’s prophetic truth.  Does it seem strange to you like it does to me that if God was going to give John ‘a Word’ – why wasn’t it: “Hey, John!  Your cousin Jesus is the Messiah!”  Instead, God said it would be an unnamed person that would be baptized by John and that he, John, would see a dove rest upon Him and THEN he would know that this One was the Messiah!!!  Convoluted, isn’t it?  Does God’s words sometimes seem that way?  Does it seem like I must be told something by God and then WAIT on the message to become clear?  Yes, it does.  God is all about timing and testing.

[John said,] “He who comes from above is above all. He who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. What he has seen and heard, of that he testifies; and no one receives his witness. He who has received his witness has set his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for God gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys the Son won’t see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:31-36 (WEB)

John continued his ministry and set the example for us all.  Any ministry that GOD has given to us is all about GOD, not us.  In all things, every word, every book, every teaching, — in ALL THINGS that God may give me as opportunities – it is about HIM, not me.  I am to keep pointing everyone that comes across my path toward.  They are HIS disciples, not mine.

The disciples of John told him about all these things. John, calling to himself two of his disciples, sent them to Jesus, saying, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for another?” When the men had come to him, they said, “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, saying, ‘Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?’”

In that hour he cured many of diseases and plagues and evil spirits; and to many who were blind he gave sight. Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John the things which you have seen and heard: that the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”

“For I tell you, among those who are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptizer, yet he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he.”            Luke 7:18-23, 28 (WEB)

John is in prison.  Maybe he had another revelation from God and he knew he was not going to leave prison alive.  Maybe.  It seems it was a time when John needed encouragement.  After years of preaching and living a solitary life, John reached out to the One he KNEW and asked, “Are you REALLY THE ONE?”  Jesus did not answer with a simple “Yes” or “No”.  He gave John some proof by what John’s disciples had witnessed for themselves … miracles.

Have I testified to a miracle lately?  Jesus said that John was ‘great’.  Jesus also said there was more greatness to come!  Hmmm.

Life and Death

54But when they heard these things they became infuriated and ground their teeth against him. 55But being full of the Holy Spirit, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. 56And he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at God’s right hand!” 57But they cried out with a loud voice and blocked their ears and swarmed at him together. 58And they threw him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses put their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59And they stoned Stephen as he called out and said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60Then he fell to his knees and cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, Don’t hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.           Acts 7:54-60 (HN)

Stephen gives us an outline of the right way to die. Now many of you may be thinking that you don’t particularly want to know how to die, and you don’t plan to get there very soon. But all of us will get there sooner or later, and it’s a good idea to know how to do it. But even more importantly, the way you’re going to die will have something to do with the way you live.

One of the things Jesus came to rescue us from was the fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-18). Why don’t we have to fear death? For precisely the same reason that we don’t have to fear life. God is with us all the way!

So what does Steven show us about dying:

1.    He died being God’s witness. The thing that made these folks angry was the testimony that Stephen was giving.
2.    He died filled with the Holy Spirit. He was able to know what God wanted him to know and see what God wanted him to see, because the Holy Spirit filled him.
3.    He died with his eyes heavenward, on Jesus. Think about it! He’s surrounded by people who want to kill him and he doesn’t look at them, or seek ways to get away. He’s looking at Jesus!
4.    He died forgiving those who hurt him. Like Jesus, it wasn’t people who asked forgiveness, it was people who were in the process of hurting him that he forgave.
5.    He died on his knees in prayer.
6.    He died trusting his life to God.

Now go back through the list, and replace each “he died” with “he lived.” Do you see what’s going on?

The way we live is the way we will die. If God is with us, we have nothing to fear in either case.

For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure has come. 4:7 I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. 4:8 From now on, there is stored up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day; and not to me only, but also to all those who have loved his appearing.      2 Timothy 4:6-8 (WEB)

REAL Gold Medal Promises

“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. Where I go, you know, and you know the way.”                        John 14:1-4 (WEB, my emphasis)

And so ended, last night, another Winter Olympics. Many came with their hopes and their dreams and felt they were carrying the hopes and dreams of their families and their countries. I believe that that not all of those hope and dreams were attached to medals. They proved personal goals and set an example to the child ‘back home’ that they, too, can do it! Only the Olympians and their families know the sacrifices that have been made over the years. Friends who have walked away because the Olympic-hopeful spent more time in the gym, the slope, or the rink than they did with them. The trip to the Olympics came with a price.

This week has also been about endings for some friends. One ‘long ago’ friend ended her fight with cancer and is now in her promised mansion with Jesus. Another friend has ended a relationship. Both are about endings but they are also about beginnings. This scripture is a wonderful word vehicle to help us make that journey from ‘ending thinking’ to ‘beginning thinking’. It is a journey for those who are weak and put their whole trust in Jesus. When I find myself on a way of suffering, I know that Jesus has already walked the Via Dolorosa. And He is there, in that moment, to bring me through the pain and the questions to the new beginning that He has planned.

The place that Jesus has planned for me is not just my final place. Jesus has a place for me today. He has prepared it and led me to this time and place. Maybe it is in this truth that Paul found his contentment. (Philippians 4:11) When I realize and know that I have followed Jesus and have ended in this place then I know that it is in His plan and even if I do not understand the why of the location, I am here with Jesus and so I can know it will be OK. We will talk and I will heal and grow in wisdom and understanding!

I hope you take the time to listen to this song and watch the video with it on youtube.com Mary Did You Know? It brought the testimony message to my heart. I don’t always know what may come. I do not always understand the ‘why’ of what does come. But I have learned to trust Jesus and I do have a crowd of witnesses and so I believe His promises and know their worth is more than gold – or silver – or bronze.

Who Are You Going to Call?

1In you, YHWH, I have taken refuge.
Never let me be put to shame!
2Bring me to safety me because you are righteous,
Listen attentively to me! Hurry up and deliver me!
Be a great rock to protect me, A fortress to bring me salvation!
3For you are my rock and my fortress, For your reputation’s sake, guide and help me.
4Get me out of the snare they have set for me, For you are the one who helps me.
5I trust my spirit in your hand.
Redeem me, YHWH, for you are a trustworthy God.         Psalm 31:1-5 (HN)

– Henry Neufeld

When something goes wrong in your life, what is your first call?

I have to admit that as I’ve read this passage over the last few days this question has bothered me. Let me confess something. No matter how many times I teach it, no matter how many times I determine to live it, very frequently God is not my first call in trouble.

*    When my care breaks down, I check the bank balances and call a mechanic.
*    When money is short, I look at business receivables and possible sources of money
*    When something is missing, I search for it frantically
*    When there’s a health issue, I check with the numerous medical folks in my family, or I call a doctor

In none of those situations is my first call to God. Now none of the things I mentioned are bad things to do. I suspect that even if I call on God I’m going to have to work with bank accounts, mechanics, doctors, and so forth. That’s not going to change that much. God will help, but he’s likely to point out to me that he called the mechanic or the doctor to be at that place—in other words, he already has helped!

What would change is me. You see, if I call on God first and put the result in his hands, I can handle the rest much more simply. I could quit worrying. I heard a little rhyme when I was in the Air Force. I don’t know the origin of it. It goes something like this: “When in danger, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!”

We often miss the simple things. While we wait for God to intervene in a spectacular way, and complain that he didn’t intervene in the way he wanted us to, we can miss the fact that he provided a very straightforward means of helping us. Worry is a time and energy waster. It doesn’t accomplish anything, and it prevents us from accomplishing things we would normally be able to do easily.

Jesus didn’t just give good spiritual advice when he told us not to worry (Matthew 6:25). We see this as some kind of esoteric command that we have to strive to fulfill. We worry about not worrying! But actually it’s an excellent piece of practical advice.

Whatever the problem is, worrying won’t fix it. A good first step to avoiding the path of worry is to call on God first. You may still have to look for your checkbook, pay your mechanic, or heed your doctor’s advice, but your blood pressure will probably be lower, your mind clearer, and your spirit dwelling in the right place.