Centsible Living

Scripture:   Mark 6:20

When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him.

Observation:

Herod found John’s teachings strange but was compelled to listen to them.

Application:

The Message paraphrases the verse in this way, “Whenever he listened to him he was miserable with guilt—and yet he couldn’t stay away.  Something in John kept pulling him back.”

It fascinates me to think that Herod was actually listening to John’s message, that it may have actually been tugging at his conscience, yet he remained unchanged!  How many times did John preach his message of repentance before that fateful dance by Salome?  How long did this go on before Herod had John beheaded?  How often has Jesus been talking to me, tugging at my conscience and I’ve remained unchanged?

I can’t answer that last question truthfully, because I really don’t know.  But I can guarantee that it has happened — more than once!  But, Herod didn’t have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him softening his heart to the Word.  The faith given to me by my Father through the saving work of Christ gives me the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Praise God!!

There may be times when I’m as hard-headed as Herod, but definitely not hard-hearted.  Jesus continues tugging at my conscience with His message.  Many times it’s a beautiful moment when my eyes are opened to some facet of His message that I didn’t see and other times it’s humbling.  Either way, He pulls me into closer relationship with Him and I am blessed.

Prayer:

Lord God you are so merciful and loving. Forgive me for the time when I’m too stubborn to listen to Your message to me. I’m so grateful that You love me and stick with me even when I’m hard-headed.  Please help me to hear You when you speak to me and keep my heart open to Your life-changing Word.

Week one of the 5 x 5 x 5 New Testament in a Year reading plan has gone quite well!  I hope it has for everyone else following the plan.  Mark is such an interesting book because it rolls very quickly through Jesus’ life!  Four parables in one chapter — so much to think about.

I’m enjoying using SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) while I’m reading.  It can really bring new life to verses that I’ve read before as I select one or two verses to hone in on.

The schedule on the right is updated with this week’s readings and I’ve added links to the BibleGateway site.  So, if you don’t have a paper Bible handy, you can just “link” on over to BibleGateway and do your reading for the day with an electronic Bible.  The internet can be such a handy tool

Let’s remember to encourage and pray for each other this week as we move on to week two of our Bible reading!

Scripture:  Mark 4:26-27

He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.”

Observation:

Although we may sow the seed of God’s Word, God is the one who cares for and causes that seed to grow in His own time and way.

Application:

I’m reminded of Cody, a teenager I met last summer during a mission trip.  He was “different” — he dressed in mostly black, I think he wore a bit of eyeliner, had some piercings, etc.  I ended up talking to him for a few minutes during dinner one night.

He told me about the church he sometimes attended with his aunt.  He didn’t really like it, but he went out of respect for her.  I asked him where he was with Jesus and he was honest — he wasn’t sure.  Like so many young people, he was put off by “religion” and how it seemed like there were so many rules.  We spent a few minutes discussing faith vs. religion.  I told him how much Jesus loved him, how much I loved him and that I would pray for him.

It was about a five minute discussion, but my life was changed.  I only saw Cody again briefly before the trip was over.  I don’t know where he is at with his relationship to Jesus.  But the seed was planted and although I don’t know what is happening to it, I know that God is caring for that seed and can use it in His time.

Prayer:

Lord, You alone have the power to save and I praise You for desiring to save us. Please forgive me for the times when I didn’t sow seeds.  Forgive me for not being faithful and praying often for those among who I’ve sown seeds. Jesus, thank you for caring for the seeds that I’ve sewn and for giving me places in which to sew. Lord, be with Cody.  Open his heart wide to receive Your love and the full forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Scripture:  Mark 3:11

Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”

 Observation:

The spirit world, both good and evil, knows that Jesus is God and the Savior and testifies to that fact.  Humanity, however, denies Jesus and His divinity

Application:

I know that Jesus is God and He is my Savior.  Yet, I still deny Him when I don’t testify about who He is when I’m presented with an opportunity to do so.  It really stuns me to think that impure spirits fall down before Him and testify, but sometime I don’t!!

Thankfully, Jesus is God and He is my Savior!  Although those impure spirits testified, they did so in fear.  I don’t fear my Savior — He is a Friend who loves me, forgives me and guides me.

Prayer:

Jesus, You are truly God and Savior and all honor is due You. Please forgive me for times when I didn’t cry out and testify. Thank you for Your loving-kindness towards me, for being my Friend and for making me righteous. When I’m given opportunities to testify, please give me the words and the courage to do it no matter the cost.

Scripture: Mark 2:27

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Observation:

Jesus reminded the Pharisees that He instituted the Sabbath for man’s benefit and all the rules that man had created for the observation of the Sabbath weren’t necessarily to His liking.

Application:

It’s so easy to judge others for how they observe the Sabbath. Are they dressed “correctly”? Are they attending church service regularly? Are they sending their children to Sunday School? Were they paying attention to the sermon? Did they look repentant? We seem to forget that the Sabbath isn’t ours — it’s God’s.

God created the Sabbath for man as a day of rest — rest for our bodies, minds and souls. A rest that is in the Lord and with the Lord as we worship Him and He meets us through Word and Sacrament.

The problem comes when we start putting our man-made rules into place and defining the minute details of what rest is for all people. People are not all made from the same cookie-cutter, but are uniquely and wonderfully created with different needs. God knows and understands that more than we do. So it makes sense that we would let him define the details of what rest is for each of us and then do it!!

Prayer:

Lord, You are amazing and truly worthy of all my praise. Please forgive me for those times when I’ve judged how others observe the Sabbath. Thank You for creating the Sabbath for me so that I may rest my mind, body and soul in You. Help me to let You define what rest is for me and then help me to rest.

Scripture: Mark 1:2-3

I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way — a voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”

Observation:

This piece of scripture is actually a prophecy found in Isaiah 40:3 regarding John the Baptist. As amazing as I always find fulfilled prophecy, what touched me today was the word “prepare.” John prepared the way for Jesus among the people of his day by teaching them to repent of their sins.

Application:

The preparation by John the Baptist was not a one-time event. The way that was so carefully prepared gets cluttered everyday by my sinful nature. This means I need to prepare the way each and every day for Jesus.

This reminds me of my house — no matter how many times I clean it, it just gets messy again from living. If I neglect the cleaning of my house, I don’t like to invite people over and soon I don’t even like to be in it! I may not be fond of cleaning, but I do love the results. It’s wonderful to sit and relax in a clean house.

This is no different when it comes to the heart — it also gets messy from living. If I’m not continually cleaning it — repenting — I tend not to invite Jesus or anyone else in and I don’t really like it myself. There are times when repenting isn’t easy and I fight against it, but when it’s done I love the results! It’s wonderful to relax with a heart full of peace.

Prayer:

Lord, there is none like You in all the universe. Thank you for Your Word and it’s fresh meaning in my life. Help me each day to prepare the way for Jesus through repentance. When my pride steps in the way, humble me and open my eyes to my stubbornness.

This is it — the official start of our 2012 5 x 5 x 5 Bible Reading of the New Testament! I’m so excited to get started and see what the Lord has in store for us.  I’ll post each week’s readings over to the right.  I’ll also be sharing my thoughts at least once a week using the SOAP (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer) method that I learned over at Mom’s Toolbox.

This week we start with Mark. It is believed that this book was written by John Mark who was a close associate of the apostle Peter. Mark’s writings are based on the preaching and teaching of Peter and were largely written for a Gentile audience — perhaps Rome. As such you can expect Mark to explain Jewish customs and translate Aramaic for readers.  Since this is the shortest of the four Gospels, it will be a quick tour through the life of Jesus and the perfect place to start our reading.