Day 29- So Righteous I'm Sick

In Mark 2:16-17 it says: "When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” I found these verses so interesting because Jesus said He's not calling the righteous, but sinners. I wonder why that is? Could it be because people that are "righteous" are so wrapped up in themselves and think they operate out of their own power? And that maybe "sinners" realize they need something more and just don't know what it is? So why call a righteous person when they think they're being called because of the works that they are doing, when that's not the case at all. They are being called because of God's love for them and wanting them to draw closer to Him. I am not sure, I haven't go this far in my studies as far as expositionally but reading it over and seeing that makes me think so much. I don't want to be so righteous that people look at me and think that I'm doing something out of my own means. I want them to realize that I'm just a sinner saved by grace and that without Him I'm nothing. I don't EVER want the focus to be on me but always pointed back to Jesus. These verses also speak to me in the sense of witnessing. Why do we always focus on the people who have good jobs, or can pay the most tithe and blow off the homeless person who is begging for food? It bothers me that we brush over these people and think of them as less than the guy with the eel skin wallet who has 100s in there. The homeless person who stinks, is hungry, and has no teeth is just as loved by God as the other. They are on an equal playing field when it comes to Him, but I seem to treat them differently. Why is that? If God lives in and through me then I'm making Him out to be a liar by saying the homeless person isn't as important and that we should keep our heads down and walk right by them. I need to be ridded of that mindset of somebody being better or more important than someone else. We are all equal in God's eyes and I need to be that equality in the world. Because if I'm not then I'm saying that God isn't either if I'm declaring to be a Christian. I'm tired of being So Righteous I'm Sick! Let me be a "sinner" so You can call me to what You want!

Day 28- The "At Once" Point

I was reading Mark 1:17-18 and it says: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him." Mark is thought to be a book that is the perspective of Peter, and that possibly Mark was just the scribe. I can see this the more I read it because I think Peter probably had what we like to call ADD. He was always the first one to act and speak. There are so many times in the book of Mark that the words Immediately or At Once are used that Peter was probably writing this to ADD children ha ha ha. But this instance is pretty awesome, Jesus is telling Simon and Andrew to follow Him and they just drop what they were doing and do it. How often do we do that? How often do we "At Once" for Jesus? How often do we question what His logic is behind it all or wonder why in the world He wants us to do something? I know in my own life I question so much it isn't even funny and I need to get to the "At Once" point that I don't think about if God has had His morning cup of coffee yet or if He's had a long night and isn't thinking straight. I just act because He is acting through me and there aren't any questions or even reasons of why I'm doing something, I'm just a man possessed by the Spirit of Christ acting like I can't act. Doing things that don't make sense to me but are in His divine plan!! What would it take for us to reach the "At Once" point where we throw our worries or concerns into the wind and just, well, "At Once". Let that be so in my life, I toss my cares up to You and will let You be the "At Once" point every moment!

Day 27- Faith Like A Child

You know in Mark 10:15 where it says: "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."? As I began to think on this I was trying to think how a child thinks. This may come easier to some of us considering that we are big kids, however I tried to think of it how Jesus meant. What this truly says to me is that unless we are naive enough to trust God completely we are not able to enter the kingdom of heaven. Have you ever heard that term Naively Trusting? I heard it about 3 years ago and it was almost foreign to me because when somebody says something I'm so quick to analyze it and question the motives of it and why they're saying it. I never want to trust something at face value, even if it is somebody I trust. I mean it takes a lot for somebody to earn my trust. Let's think about it how often would you trust a complete stranger to watch your wallet while you go and get change? Not often, unless we have all our money in the bank and we're insured or we don't have any $ in our wallet. We are not a trusting people by nature, we are a carnal natured people and are in it for ourselves. What if we got out of that mindset with God and moved into the trusting state He wants us to be in? What if we became naively trusting with others around us to show them that God wants us to be that way? We are to reflect Christ, no wait, we are to let Him be Himself to our world through us. So how better to show God's love to somebody than to be naively trusting towards them. Now I'm not saying to let a stranger hold your wallet while you go and get change, however I'm saying what would it take for you to get to that point? At what point can we reach that? The answer is simple and always right...Jesus! Only if He lives inside and shines and trusts through us can that happen. What a Jesus to let me have Faith Like a Child!

Day 26- Til Death Do Us Part And Beyond

I was reading in Mark today and I read how John the Baptist was beheaded. This got me to thinking how much He loved God and was committed to Him. He loved God so much so that death was nothing to him, and getting beheaded wasn't a stumbling block at all. He was going to radiate Jesus to everyone in his world, even if it meant that it would be the end of him. Which it was! I want that passion in my life, so that people can know the love of Jesus so much so by just being next to me or around me or have them speak my name. I don't want the focus to be on me but on Him, so when you think of me I want it to be an immediate equal sign to Him. If somebody mentions my name let them think of a Jesus Freak who won't shut up about Him. Do you ever get to the point where you know somebody who won't shut up about Jesus? Like that's all they talk about and of course they say it when you're mad or in a bad mood, or just don't want to hear it? I want to be that person, I don't want to be a fair weather fan when it comes to Jesus, I want to be an in the rain, snow, and hail kind of fan. Where I just radiate the person of Christ to my world by my very being there because I'm an open vessel. I don't ever want to shut up about Jesus and I want to relate everything back to Him and let Him be the focal point of my relationships, experiences, and attitudes. I want to wrap my life around the Scriptures and let that be the substance that comes out if you squeeze me like a sponge! I want to ooze Jesus when I sweat, speak, drool, whatever happens! I want the people in my life and who I encounter to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I love Jesus so much I would lay my life down so somebody would know the person of Christ. I don't want that to be a limit on the way He does ministry through me. I want nothing to be a stumbling block to me least of all death. I want to love Him Til Death Do Us Part and Beyond because I will then be in the arms of my Savior! Death where is thy sting? How true that is!

Day 25- Sprinting To Him

I began to think about this song I heard today "Marvelous Light", at least I think that's the name of it. It says "Into Marvelous Light I'm running, out of darkness, out of shame." I really like this song because it defines so much for me. For instance, I am so in love with the person of Jesus that I am sprinting towards Him in so many ways, and the only way to stop me would be to kill me on the spot. However I began to think about that too and that wouldn't do anything but make me closer to Him, so really the only way for me to stop getting closer to Him is for me to stop running towards Him. So either I'm sprinting or stopped, I think that this defines Christianity pretty well, either we're sprinting or we're stopped in our relationship with God. If we're sprinting towards Him then we are putting Him first and almost having a tunnel vision for Him. But if we're stopped then we are completely dead and out of breath, and our tunnel vision for Him becomes this wide view. We begin to think about things other than Him in our life and take a different path or start thinking about ourselves and how much our lungs hurt instead of looking towards the prize at hand. However I don't want this to be like when we die we get to heaven and it's all over I mean that there is a constant prize that we are striving towards always even into eternity. If we view heaven as an end then we are almost viewing it as something that I get out of the deal, when we don't deserve anything at all. I want to have Jesus Tunnel Vision so much so that when people look at me they have to know that I'm focused so much on Him nothing can get in my way except myself. I'm sprinting towards You Lord and I won't stop even if I run the shoes off my feet! May you be the goal I'm running towards and the finish line that I want to achieve. I want to know you more and I'll let my lungs burn to do it!

Day 24- Spiritual Life

I was listening to this Pastor the other day and he was saying that we often refer to our "church life". Meaning anything that is associated with church or church things is our spiritual life. However he pointed out that everything is our spiritual life, LIFE IS SPIRITUAL and we are to live it as such. If we take God out of things that we do then we are limiting Him. I began to think of this as far as my life goes, how many areas of my life do I allow God in? How many I should allow Him in (which of course is all of them)? Why don't I allow Him to have His fingers mixing up all areas of my life? Instead of having a spiritual life that I put limits on God, living a spiritual life. I feel like the word have means to own something, but to live means for something bigger than you to control it. Maybe that's just my weird definition of what those two mean but it feels like that. I no longer want to have any dark corners that God doesn't know about and control, I want Him to be involved in my life and to live His life through me. Then and only then will I LIVE A SPIRITUAL LIFE!! So from now on "How is your spiritual life?", expect me to answer that my life is awesome! I want nothing outside of a Spiritual Life, may God be in the center of my eating, drinking, clothes, marriage, finances, friendships, work, driving, talk and any other areas that are invisible to me but He knows about. Let Him reveal those dark corners I didn't know I had and take them from me. Lord let my life be a Spiritual Life in You!

Day 23- Desire

I have been reading the book by A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of God. Wow what a great book, I'm only part way into the 3rd chapter and it is phenomenal! There seems to be a pattern of a quote at the end of every chapter. They aren't quotes that warm the soul, they are quotes that step on the toes of all who don't abide by them, and to those who do make them uncomfortable enough to stretch to the next level. Here is the one from Chapter 1: "O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O god, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen. Wow this spoke to me volumes, my only desire needs to be Him so much so that my thirst causes more thirst. It's almost like drinking salt water, it only makes you more thirsty. Let me drink the saltwater of Jesus that is the true Living Water!! I do truly long to long more for Jesus. Let me rest in the person that You are and truly live in Your presence and let me be content in the simplicity that You are! I know that my satisfaction cannot be in anything other than You and if I seek it elsewhere I will not be satisfied until I come back to the resting place that I find in You!