Author: Jennifer Armstrong

Today’s reading:  2 Corinthians 4

I’ve had several interesting, and occasionally frustrating, experiences navigating the politics of corporate America this week.  While today’s text in 2 Corinthians 4 was written for the purpose of encouraging Corinthian Christians who were confronting false teaching, not for corporate politics, I still found Paul’s key messages applicable.  May I share with you his encouraging words?

• Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God (2 Corinthians 4:2).  God commands us to be honest in all situations, anything less is sin. Manipulating God’s word is false teaching.  Deception in human interactions also erodes trust, inhibiting us from experiencing meaningful relationships with others.
• For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Corinthians 4:5). Paul’s teaching always pointed to Jesus, it was never about himself. Messages that don’t align with God’s word and don’t point people to Jesus are false teaching. In contrast, putting aside our selfish ways, serving God and loving others can bring joy and fulfillment in even the most challenging situations.
• But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). In our times of weakness, God’s strength can sustain us to stay the course. These times are opportunities for him to demonstrate his power. If we accept him as Lord, he will never abandon us.
• So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). Our short life on Earth is not all we have. If we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can look forward an eternity in the presence of God. One that is free from pain and suffering.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10).

 

Today’s reading:  1 Corinthians 7

In my Bible, the heading for 1 Corinthians 7 is ‘Principles for Marriage’. While the majority of the text talks about marriage in some way, I don’t think the main point of the chapter applies only to marriage.  Look at the section titled ‘Live as You are Called’, beginning in verse 17 –

Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him (1 Corinthians 7:17).

As our creator, God knows what is best for us and has a plan for our lives. He designed everything to work together for good and to bring glory to him.  This is why his word outlines principles for key parts of our lives like marriage, jobs, kids, and so much more.  (Food for thought – with a divorce rate over 50% and a job satisfaction rate under 50%, I don’t think we can claim our plan is working better than God’s).

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

God’s plans do not promise happiness, but they do promise hope and purpose. The wisest choice I could ever make is to trust God and rely on his plans.  I am not that smart.  To think I could ever come up with a plan that is better than the omniscient, perfect creator of the universe is just foolish.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

I know I used this verse in my last post, and I will probably use it in a few more before the year is over, but I love it. It is so humbling, and it illustrates the superiority of God’s ways so beautifully.

Here is the rub… If I know God has my best interest in mind, and if I know that his plan is better than my plan, what is the problem? Why is it so hard to follow his ways?  As much as I hate it, I know the problem is me.  I get in the way of God’s perfect plan.  In his book, The Purpose Drive Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?, Rick Warren says it well –

“You cannot fulfill God’s purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans.”

Will you get on your knees with me today and ask God for help surrendering to him and his ways? I know I can’t get there on my own, but I don’t want to miss out on the great things God has designed for my life.

Today’s reading:  Romans 11

The primary message of Romans 11 is God’s gift of grace to all mankind.  Last month in my post, An Invitation for All, I talked about God’s plan for salvation.  It started with the Jews, then expanded to the Gentiles.  Based on our text for today, we could dig deeper into how his plan played out through the Old and New Testament.  Instead, I’d like to focus our thoughts on who the plan is about.  Did you pick up on it?  The plan isn’t about the Jews or the Gentiles, it is about God.  Look how Paul describes him in the last four verses of chapter 11.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:33-36).

In verse 33, Paul describes three attributes of God:  wisdom, knowledge, and judgment.  Dictionary.com defines knowledge as the perception or state of knowing facts or truths.  Wisdom, is then about how knowledge is applied – the soundness of an action or decision with regard to the application of experience, knowledge, and good judgment. God is perfect.  Not only does he know everything, but he also has the ability to perfectly apply knowledge in every situation.

I smiled when I read these definitions.  Every weekday when I drive my kids to school, we spend time talking to God on the way.  We confess our need for him.  We ask him to be by our side as we move through the day’s activities, and we specifically ask for his help to make WISE choices.  Wise choices are hard for fourth and seventh grade kids.  (They are still hard for their forty-four year old mother, too.)  Peer pressure is strong, and they don’t always have the wherewithal to think about the consequences of their choices ahead of time.  Our prayer helps remind them relying on God’s knowledge and wisdom can make up for their shortcomings.

Paul goes on to describe God’s judgment as unsearchable and inscrutable.  I’ll admit, I had to look these words up to really understand the second half of this verse.  It means God’s judgment is unable to be clearly understood.  This makes sense.  Without his complete knowledge and perfect wisdom, we don’t have the capability to really understand the depth of his plan.  At times we are able to connect the dots through study and experience, but generally only after the fact.  Seldom are we able to prospectively figure out what God has in store for us and why.  I think this is by design.  I’m a planner.  While I’d love to know every detail of what is to happen (surely I’d make wiser choices if I knew it all), it would lead me to rely on myself rather than rely on God.  My human nature wants it, but without God’s perfect knowledge, wisdom and judgment, I know it wouldn’t have a good ending.  How do I know?  The prophet Isaiah reminds me,

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9).

Paul closes the chapter with the following statement to remind us the plan is about God not us – For from him and through him and to him are all things…

• It is all from him – the plan came from God, it wasn’t our idea.
• It is all through him – even if we had the plan, we couldn’t make it happen.  We couldn’t free ourselves from the bondage of sin.
• It is all to him – the plan is not for me, it is not for you.  We were created to glorify God, and we find our fulfillment in bringing him glory and honor.

…To him be glory forever.  Amen (Romans 11:36).

Today’s reading:  Acts 25

I spent this past week in Atlanta attending the Shingo International Conference.  If you aren’t familiar with Shingo, it is a model for enterprise excellence.  It takes principles from several of the world’s leading experts like Shigeo Shingo, W. Edwards Deming, Taiichi Ohno, Joseph M. Juran, Eli Goldratt, and Jim Womack, just to name a few, and combines them into a framework to help organizations consistently deliver ideal results by creating a sustainable culture of excellence.

The Shingo model includes ten guiding principles, or foundational rules.  According to the model, these principles:

• Are universal and timeliness – they apply everywhere, always.
• Are self-evident – they cannot be invented, but they can be discovered through research and study.
• Govern consequences – regardless of how well we understand the principle, we are subject to the consequence of it.
• Help us to make more informed decisions.

One of the guiding principles is to create constancy of purpose.  Constancy of purpose is an unwavering clarity of why the organization exists, where it is going, and how it will get there, such that it enables people to align their actions, as well as to innovate, adapt and take risks with greater confidence.  This is the true north, the vision, mission, values, etc.

As we have studied the book of Acts over the past few weeks, I can’t think of another human being (except Jesus of course) who has ever demonstrated constancy of purpose better than the apostle Paul.  We have seen it ever since we were first introduced to him at the end of Acts chapter 7.  Before God got a hold of Paul’s heart, his unwavering purpose was to persecute Christfollowers.  He was very effective at it.

But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison (Acts 8:3).

After his conversion in Chapter 9, we watched a complete reversal.  Paul’s purpose changed from persecuting Christfollowers to helping people become Christfollowers by placing their faith in Jesus Christ.  Over the last seventeen chapters of Acts, have you watched how Paul took advantage of every opportunity to point people to Jesus?  He had unwavering clarity of why he existed, where he was going and how to get there.  With confidence, he took risks and aligned every action to point people to Jesus.

By chapter 25, our text for today, Paul was on trial for wrongs he did not commit.  The Jews were pressuring Festus, the governor of Judea, to transfer Paul from a prison in Caesarea to a prison in Jerusalem so they could kill him on the way (Acts 25:3).  After Paul asserted his innocence, Festus gave him the option of being tried in Jerusalem.  He did this primarily just to appease the Jews, as Acts 25:25 tells us Festus didn’t find Paul guilty of anything that would require him to die.  Furthermore, Festus couldn’t even clearly articulate the charges against Paul.  As a Roman citizen, Paul had the right to appeal to Caesar.  But knowing he hadn’t done anything wrong, and there was really no evidence against him, why would he go to all this trouble?  Why did Paul feel the need to appeal to the highest court?  Why would he take this risk?  The truth is, Paul didn’t appeal because he thought it would give him a better chance of winning his case.  Rather, according to Romans 1:10, Paul wanted to go to Rome to carry out his purpose.  He took the risk in order to give him the opportunity to lead more people to faith in Jesus Christ.  This is constancy of purpose!

Think about your own life.  Do you have an unwavering clarity of why you are here, where you are going, and how you will get there?  Do you take every opportunity to align your words and actions to this purpose?  As much as I would like to, I know I don’t.  Thank you God for Jesus Christ who forgives my sin, who covers my shortcomings, and who makes me perfect in your sight.  On my own, I am hopeless.

Source: Discover Excellence Participant Guide, Shingo Institute, Utah State University, 2017

Today’s reading:  Acts 11

My son Freddy is in seventh grade. His school was planning a dodgeball tournament for charity a couple of weeks ago.  All the junior high students were invited to participate by forming a team and donating a small sum of money.  Sounds fun, right?  What junior high boy wouldn’t love a contest that involves hurling rubber balls at your classmates for two hours?

Well, Freddy came home from school the afternoon before the tournament upset.  His friends were forming a team.  They didn’t want to mess up their team’s chances of winning, thus they told him he couldn’t be on it because he wasn’t athletic enough.  He didn’t have what it took to be “part of the group”.  His heart hurt.  So did mine.

With two pre-teen kids at home, feeling left out or not good enough to be “part of the group” is an emotion we routinely encounter these days.  As a result, the beginning part of Acts 11 resonated with me.  The chapter started with Peter being criticized by other Jews because he had been ministering to the Gentiles.  He was leading them to faith in Jesus Christ and welcoming them as “part of the group”.  While these Jews embraced God’s new covenant and salvation through faith in Jesus, they were having trouble understanding that salvation was available to anyone who believed and put their faith in Jesus.  It wasn’t just for the Jews.  After reading the entire Old Testament in 2016, can you see why the Jews felt this way?  I sure can.  For 39 books of the Old Testament we studied their long, difficult journey.  They had been God’s chosen people for generations.  Now that they had a new covenant and a new start, they didn’t want to mess it up by letting the wrong people “in the group”.

The Holy Spirit’s message through Peter helped these Jews see God’s bigger plan in Acts 11.  Jesus’ message of salvation is inclusive rather than exclusive – it is available to ANYONE who believes and puts their faith in him.  This was great news for the Gentiles.  It is great news for us today.  But have you ever wondered why God had a chosen race in the first place?  The Jews weren’t exactly model believers.  Remember?  The Old Testament storyline was consistent – God’s people turned away from him, bad things happened, they came crawling back, asked for forgiveness and God restored their relationship.  This happened over and over and over again.  Do you think God just changed his mind?  Perhaps he got tired of this cycle with the Jews and decided to branch out?  Maybe he thought extending the invitation to more people would breed a better result?  My study of Acts 11 this week led me to a variety of Old Testament passages that revealed the truth.  A truth that is consistent with the unchanging nature of God.  He didn’t change his mind, rather his plan of salvation for ALL was the same from the beginning of time.  He just had to have a starting place.  He started with the Jews, then charged them with taking his message to everyone else.  The book of Acts is the account of this transition from a select chosen few to everyone.

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth” (Isaiah 49:6).

And many nations shall join themselves to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you (Zechariah 2:11).

Aren’t you glad this was the plan?  I generally don’t like to be left out, especially of a group where the stakes are this high.  The choice of whether we’re in this group is totally ours.  One road leads to life, the other leads to death.  It is a weighty decision.  I suggest we choose wisely.

Today’s reading:  John 19

Last weekend, I traveled to Florida to see my grandma.  As always, our time together was precious and filled my heart with gladness…until I got to the airport to go home.  I had chosen to fly a discount airline because it was a direct flight AND because it was $300 less than any other.  I should have known better.  I hate this airline.

On Sunday afternoon, I boarded the plane on time.  Then I waited, and waited, and waited.  Eventually I learned the fuel truck that was under the wing wouldn’t start.  Nothing was wrong with the plane, but it took almost an hour for a tow truck to come pull the fuel truck out of the way.  Did I mention this airline also boards their planes 60 minutes (not 30 minutes) in advance of the flight?  I didn’t have enough time to get lunch.  To say I was crabby is an understatement.

If you know me well, you know I prefer to keep to myself on flights.  I like to read my book and ignore everyone around me.  Because of the fuel truck debacle last Sunday, however, I struck up a conversation with the woman next to me.  Her name was Sharon.  Turned out she was as annoyed as I was, and we shared a few chuckles.  The conversation went on.  She shared that she had lost her husband five months ago.  While she has been enjoying her new independence and the ability to travel more, she is still struggling through her grief.  We talked about her three sons and how they take the time to call and check up on her every day.  We talked about Jesus.  She remembered back to 1970 when she and her husband gave their lives to him and never looked back.  She smiled, knowing having Jesus by her side is the only way she’ll ever recover from this loss.

Why do I tell you this story (other than to warn you never to sit next to me on a plane)?  When we got ready to get off the plane, Sharon looked at me and said, “Thanks for the conversation.  You touched my life today.”  I responded to our flight struggles in a way with which I’m ordinarily uncomfortable.  Boy am I glad I spent time talking to Sharon instead of ignoring her and reading my book.

As I was studying John 19 this week, I thought about how Jesus’ life touched many people.  His death, the subject of our text today, was no less impactful.  The books of Mark, Luke and John identify several specific people whose lives were changed after coming into contact with Jesus.  After his death, each of these men were compelled to respond in a way they had never been comfortable responding before:

• The criminal on the cross next to Jesus in Luke 23:39-43 – He recognized Jesus’ innocence and, for the very first time, confessed him as Lord. Jesus responded, “Truly I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
• The Roman officer standing in front of Jesus when he died – When darkness came over the land and the curtain of the temple was torn in two, the Roman officer standing in front of Jesus proclaimed, “Truly this man was the son of God” (Mark 15:39). The Bible doesn’t specifically identify what happened to this officer, but I have to believe his life was changed forever.
• Joseph of Arimathea – A member of the Sanhedrin Council who was a secret follower of Jesus.  Joseph asked Pilate if he could have Jesus’ body to bury it (John 19:38).  He was now out in the open, and could no longer follow Jesus in secret.
• Nicodemus – A Pharisee who had only visited Jesus at night.  When Pilate released Jesus’ body to Joseph, Nicodemus brought spices with which to help prepare Jesus’ body for burial.  He was no longer able to secretly follow Jesus either.

What about you? How have you responded to Jesus’ death?  As you ponder this question, may I remind you of its significance?  Sin separates people from God.  Until Jesus death, people were required to abide by a complicated system of sacrifices to atone for their sin.  Do you remember how confusing the five different sacrifices we studied in Leviticus were (burnt offering, grain offering, peace offering, sin offering, and trespass offering)?  The instructions about what to do and when were very detailed, very confusing, and pretty disgusting.  But they were necessary.  These sacrifices were the only way people could pay for their sins.

As we read the account of Jesus crucifixion in John 19, may I draw your attention to the final moment of death in verse 30?  Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30).  Not only did this statement signify the death of Jesus’ earthly body, it also signified the start of God’s new covenant with man.  The shedding of Jesus’ blood became the final sacrifice to atone for our sin.  If we put our faith in Jesus Christ and accept him as our Lord and Savior, our sin is no longer a barrier between us and God.

Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).

As you prepare to celebrate Easter in two weeks, would spend time contemplating your response to Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection?  Does it compel you to respond in a way you’ve never been comfortable responding before?  Are you using your response to impact the lives of other people?

Today’s reading:  John 5

John chapter 5 has been an interesting, and convicting study for me this week.  In this chapter, Jesus makes a very direct claim of who he is and the authority he has been given by his father.

Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.  For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does.  Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.  For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.   Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.  Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:19-23 New International Version).

Jesus’ words in verses 19-23 (above) are in response to the Jewish leaders who were challenging his authority.  But they are also life changing to us today.  I don’t think we can passively read these verses.  Jesus isn’t saying he a rabbi, a teacher, or just a good man.  His claims are way more significant than that.  He calls God his own Father AND he asserts equality with him.   How do you react to this?  What are you personally doing with these verses?  Do you believe Jesus is who he says he is?  Do you believe he is the way?  Read the second half of verse 23 again –

“Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:19-23 New International Version).

How long have you been reading our Bible Journal blog?  May I probe a little more and ask why?  Why are you are reading the Bible Journal?  What are doing with messages that our team faithfully posts every day?  It is my prayer that you are following the Bible Journal in order to better know Jesus Christ and faithfully him; that you are using it as a tool to help change your heart to look like his.

Learning more about the Bible and what it says is important.  Ephesians 4:14 tells us knowing God’s word helps us guard against false teaching.  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming (Ephesians 4:14).  But, if we simply use our knowledge of the Bible to puff ourselves up, we are just like the Jewish leaders in John 5.  You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life.  These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life (John 5:39-40).  

Knowing the Bible doesn’t glorify God.  Knowing the scriptures isn’t the same as loving Jesus.  The more we study God’s word, the more acutely aware of our sins we should become.  Thus, our gratitude and love for Jesus should be growing everyday.  It is only through him that we have a way to God.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Today, would you evaluate your motives?  If you need to, would you ask God to change your heart?

Today’s reading:  Luke 16

Today’s assigned scripture has us in Luke 16. The first half of this text is devoted to the parable of the dishonest manager, sometimes called the parable of the shrewd manager.  I must admit, I’ve struggled with this one a bit.  It just seems like Jesus is promoting self-centered, unethical behavior, but I know that can’t be the message this parable is intended to convey.  Think about the facts of the story – the manager had not been properly managing his master’s resources.  When he was relieved of his responsibilities (fired from his job), he lamented that he didn’t have the strength for physical labor and was far too prideful to beg.  Thus, he devised a scheme to retain the favor of his master’s debtors by reducing their debts.  While this seems like a pretty deceitful tactic, verse 8 tells us the master’s response was positive – The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness (Luke 16:8).  Hmm…what lesson is Jesus communicating to his followers here?

I read through this parable several times, referenced the notes in my study Bible, read a few commentaries, but I still didn’t have complete clarity.  Hmm…what advice do I usually give my children in situations like this?  “Make sure you are using the resources available to you in order to solve your problem.”  Any idea what I did next?  You got it, I called my Dad.  Thanks Fath for your help on this one!

The main point of this parable is stewardship. Merriam Webster defines stewardship as the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. This text is about how we should be using the resources currently available to us in beneficial ways.  For the dishonest manager, this guidance is seen in Luke 16:9.  I found greatest clarity in the New Living Translation of this verse.

Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home (Luke 16:9).

Using the resources (particularly money) currently entrusted to us in useful ways benefits others. But remember, God is perfect and complete in every way.  He doesn’t need our money to accomplish his purpose.  The importance of stewardship in the lives of Christfollowers is seen in how it shapes our hearts.  Consider a few ways in which stewardship helps build godly character:

• Worshipping God with our resources strengthens our relationship of trust with Him.
• Investing in Kingdom work demonstrates to what our heart is committed.
• Helping others, especially those who cannot pay us back, demonstrates generosity.
• Helping others, even those who can pay us back, demonstrates generosity and deepens friendship.
• Investing in Kingdom work and helping others anonymously restricts the development of pride.
• Using resources sacrificially keeps us humble.

Considering Jesus’ words in verse 13, the stakes here are pretty high. With me, will you get on your knees today and ask God to show you tangible ways to better use your resources for his Kingdom?

No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Luke 16:30).

Today’s reading:  Luke 2

Today’s passage in Luke 2 is the account of Jesus’ birth up to age twelve.  I’ve read it many times.  As I was preparing for this post, however, I began to look at the events of this chapter from Mary’s perspective.  She was young, probably 12 or 13 at the time Jesus was born.  She was a practicing Jew (one of God’s chosen people), and had thus studied the Old Testament all her life.  She was personally visited by an angel, who told her she would give birth to God’s son, and then actually experienced the event (“experienced” is my nice way of describing the painful experience of childbirth).  Based on these facts, could Mary have had any doubt Jesus was the son of God?  How could she have lacked confidence everything was going to work out?

Alas, we must remember Mary was human. While she had found favor with God (Luke 1:30), she still had doubts.  In our reading yesterday, she was all in – “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).  But by the second half of today’s reading, it seems as if some of her confidence had faded.  Do you sometimes find yourself on this rollercoaster?  One day everything makes sense and you’re on fire for the Lord, then the next day you don’t understand and are questioning God’s plan?  The struggles of being human and living in a sinful world get in the way.  They cause us to doubt God’s promises.   Like us, Mary sometimes needed reminders and reassurances to keep going when things got tough. Did you see a few of them in Luke 2?

First there was Simeon. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Messiah (Luke 2:26).  When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple, Simeon affirmed Jesus’ identity. …he [Simon] took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32).  But verse 33 tells us that Jesus’ parents marveled at what Simeon said about him.  Does this mean that they were surprised by his comments?  Maybe it just means they were in awe of their responsibility for raising the son of God?  Either way, I think it signals a crack in their confidence.

Next was Jesus staying behind in Jerusalem. When he was about twelve years old, Jesus had traveled to Jerusalem with his parents to celebrate the Passover.  His parents headed home to Nazareth, and unbeknownst to them, Jesus stayed in Jerusalem.  Have you ever lost your child?  I have a twelve year old son.  If I couldn’t find him, I’m pretty sure I would be frantic.  Probably a raging lunatic by the end of three days.

After three days, when Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple conversing with the teachers, the Bible says they were astonished (Luke 2:48).  I don’t think “astonished” here means raging lunatics, but what does it mean?  Were they surprised they found him unharmed?  Were they surprised he was holding his own with the teachers?  Or were they surprised he simply acted like nothing was wrong?  I’m not sure, but I do sense some frustration, as they scolded Jesus for causing their distress.  Jesus told them they should have known he would be in his Father’s house (Luke 2:49).  Now look at the very next verse Luke 2:50 – And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.  How could this be?  After all the miraculous things that had happened over the past twelve years, how could they not understand?  Perhaps doubt had crept in?  Perhaps life had gotten in the way?

If Mary, the mother of Jesus, occasionally needed reassurance, it stands to reason that we sometimes need it too.  After all, we are just humans living in a sinful world.  Today, may I gently remind you that God understands?  He provides reminders and reassurances to us throughout his Word.  He doesn’t promise life will be easy, but we can have confidence he has it all under control.

It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8).

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

 

Today’s reading:  Mark 5

What is your risk perspective? Say you were offered two options – option 1 is a guaranteed payout of a negotiable amount, but option 2 is a payout based on a coin toss.  Thus, you have a 50/50 chance of winning.  If the coin shows heads you receive $100, but it if shows tails you receive nothing.  The option you select in this situation depends on your risk preference:

• Risk-averse: If you are risk-averse, you will likely select the guaranteed payment. In fact, if you are highly risk averse, you will take the guaranteed payment regardless of the amount.  From your perspective, some money is a better return than no money.  If your risk-aversion is more moderate, you may consider the coin toss, depending on how the amount of the guaranteed payment compares to the $100 at risk.  The smaller the guaranteed payment, the more likely you are to choose the coin toss.
• Risk-taker: If you are a risk-taker, you are naturally drawn to situations where you could win or lose.  The idea of making it big is appealing, even though you could end up with nothing.
• Risk-neutral: If you are risk-neutral, you make your decision mathematically. With 50/50 odds, you choose the coin toss if the guaranteed payment is less than $50.  If it is more than $50, you choose the guaranteed payment.

I found our text in Mark 5 to be an interesting study from the perspective of risk preferences.

Verses 1-20 tell the story of Jesus healing a man by casting out demons. At Jesus’ command, the Legion of demons that had possessed this man for years left the man, entered a herd of pigs, immediately rushed into the sea, and then drowned.  Consider these facts –

• The demons recognized Jesus as “Son of the Most High God”.
• The demons acknowledged Jesus’ power over them by asking him not to torment them.
• The crowd saw Jesus heal a man who had been ailing for years.

In spite of these facts, the crowd still asked Jesus to go away and leave them alone.  This is mind-boggling to me.  Why wouldn’t they want more of him?  The crowd was risk averse – they were afraid Jesus might drown their livestock too; they considered the saving power of Jesus Christ less valuable than their money.

Verses 25-34 tell of a woman who had suffered from a bleeding disorder for more than a decade. This condition, according to Old Testament law, made her ritually unclean.  While she believed Jesus could heal her, she knew she would make Jesus unclean if she touched him.  He could potentially turn against her and she would have nothing.  She, however, was a risk taker and touched him anyway.

Again, what is your risk perspective?  Do you consider Jesus a risky proposition?  Do you believe his power to save, and the abundant life you could have when you follow him, to be better than a life focused on yourself and your personal desires?  It could seem like a risky proposition, when in fact it is not.  Jesus guarantees it.

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:35).

In the 1950’s Jim Elliott was a missionary to the Aucas Indian tribe in Ecuador.  This tribe was uncivilized and had a history of being very dangerous.  In fact, no outsider caught on the tribe’s land had ever survived.  The tribe killed them all.  Despite the danger, Jim and four other missionaries felt called to share Jesus with these unreached people.  Jim Elliott lived by this principle, “he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose”.  He was a risk taker.  Despite giving his life to the Aucas tribe, who eventually killed him, he gained eternal life.