Strange ideas

Luke 6:35 "Love your enemies. Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are thankful and wicked."

Whoa. Hold the boat. This is insane. I can understand forgiving your enemy, blessing your enemy, praying for your enemy and showing kindness to your enemy. I don't love it, but I understand Jesus' point. I don't understand just lending to them. That seems crazy. I don't consider money to be one of my big idols--maybe it is. Seems like you're putting yourself out there to get hosed. Is that language to strong for this blog? Sorry ! Maybe I'm really locked into my kingdom more than His.

On a lighter note, during this blustery day, Gracie and I were watching the trees blow in the wind. She giggled and said, "Those trees are dancing!"

the naked man...

I've been thinking about why the 2 verses about the man wrapped in linen who ran away naked were all about. I wonder if those two verses were a story for us...translation by Linda

Often when you are a young wanna be, you join my ranks and hang around with us...(Me and some of the brothern)kind of trying to follow Me. You think you are in a good way with me...after all you are all covered up...clothed with linen. But for some reason... unless you are REALLY mine...when things get tough, you, will run away naked. Apart from Me...you really are naked. Maybe then, you will finally understand that really, to be clothed, you must be washed clean by the blood which I will shed for you. It's called being "clothed" in My Righteousness. Only then will you really be "covered". Remember the covering of yourself in linen will never help...apart from Me....you're still just stark naked.

Gethsemane

I have been wanting to...or at least I thought I wanted to watch the Passion again while I was home alone so I could weep uncontrollably...but so far I haven't been able to do that...the pictures from last time are still too vivid. But there is something so powerful about this part of the Gospel story I want to remember it all. Gethsemane has been my favorite Bible story for a long time. Maybe because I tend to wrestle with God over so much of my life and here I find Jesus wrestling too. He does understand my pleadings...both of them do. God and Jesus. I can't really believe that God was having an easy time watching Jesus struggle with the fear and pain that was to come. I imagine God's Father heart was breaking too. How could He even ask His Son to walk through something as horrible as the Cross and all the suffering He would endure even before He was put on the Cross? I don't get it at all. Was/is our sin more revolting and horrible to God than watching His only Son suffer and die? Was it all about God's love for us that apparently is greater than His love for His Son! Can there be any beauty that comes from Gethsemane's pain and sorrow? I think the beauty may only come when we take communion together... taking the broken bread and the crushed grapes as we remember all that both God Himself and Jesus suffered. At this time we are taking communion alone...He is continuing to wait for us to join Him until the day we take it together in the New Kingdom. Then we will understand how deeply God loves us, how precious the sacrificed Lamb is and our own wrestling, our own Gethsemane's will fade away.....in worship and understanding.

Does anyone know why Mark 14:51-52 are in this chapter and what, if any meaning there is for us?

It's good to be back...

It seems like it's been a long time since I've added to the Blog. I hit a place where I was overwhelmed and tired all the time. It was easier to lose myself in computer games or Facebook or TV than to keep up with the daily readings. As a result, I missed most of the Gospel of Mark. This morning I woke up early to work on some other things and had time before getting ready for work so decided to read today's Scripture. I think its significant that today's reading starts with Luke 1 and is about Zechariah's disbelief at Gabriel's news. I realized that I do that every day with the choices I make. Any time I chose to believe the enemy's lies over God's truth I'm no different that Zechariah. And each time I choose to play a game or veg out over reading the Bible I'm making it easier for the enemy to lie to me. In fact, if it weren't for the Blog and the accountability it brings, it would be extremely easy for me to not continue this journey through the New Testament. I'm grateful for that accountability.

it's a Grace Group thing

I find Mark's account of the events surrounding the death of Jesus so disturbing. Perhaps it's a Grace Group thing, but as I read it I am stunned at the apparent unstoppable wave of injustice that permeates pretty much every verse. I'm unnerved by the glaring absence of logic, reason, sanity. It seems no one is listening to anyone. There is just a vindictive agenda spewing forth from angry, fearful, religious people. It turns my stomach. And then....somehow, when Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed his last -- the apparent victory of injustice-- the Roman soldier who had witnessed all of this and was standing there at the foot of the cross said, "This has to be the Son of God!"  Huh?? 

 Most people --including the disciples -- weren't convinced about Jesus being the Messiah until He appeared to them after his resurrection. But this soldier who watched Jesus face horrific physical, verbal, and emotional abuse; watched him decline to defend himself, refuse to lash out in anger, saw something far exceeding human explanation. He didn't see someone who had just lost the battle against his enemies, his abusers. He saw one who had fought the battle againse injustice and WON!

 This is the epitome of Romans 12:21, "Don't let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Makes me think I have soooo very much to learn about the power of God's love.

The fig tree.

Gee, another agricultural item...

In the reading this morning, Jesus goes over to a fig tree expecting breakfast, but only finds leaves, no figs. He curses the fig tree, saying it will never bear fruit again. The next day when He and the disciples pass the tree, it has withered up and died. I've always thought this was a little bit of a strong reaction to not getting breakfast, especially when it says that "it was not yet the season for figs".

In reading the passage in The Voice it gives an explanation for the reaction. This was the only time that Jesus used His power for destruction, rather than good. The passage says the fig tree "was in full leaf", which normally doesn't occur until after fruit has been set. Therefore, the tree was barren. It had produced only leaves, ahead of its time, but would produce no fruit.

The commentary states that this represented the people who, on the outside, showed themselves to be religious, but on the inside were bearing no fruit at all. The reason the fig tree was destroyed was as a warning to the religious leaders of the day.

Food for thought...

Ps.44

"You are my King and my God...and we will praise your name forever"...But now...v.9 you have rejected us, humbled us, given us defeat, plundered, devoured, and scattered us. Sold your people for pittance...gaining nothing. We are a reproach, are scorned, a derision( anyone know what that means?) Our name was but a byword, all we know is disgrace and shame etc, etc........

"All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant." What's with this?? "We are crushed, in deep darkness, Yet for your sake we face death all day, we're like terrified sheep, heading for the slaughter."

Translation by LM...God, do you even see or care? I have faithfully followed your ways for so many years. Always trusted you. I never turned back or strayed from You but now, You turn your back away from me when I'm crying my heart out? Why punish me by hiding your face. Why are You silent when I most need You? UUUhoo...do You see me in my misery and oppression? Ok, I'm down!! I can't sink any deeper than the ground. I'm covered in dirt and dust. What more? I don't understand yet....

v.26 "Rise up and help us; redeem us because of your unfailing love."

WOW!! So much for the prosperity gospel!??