June 18 - I Do Know

Read: John 9: 24-27

He answered, "Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." (John 9:25 ESV)

The Pharisees were constantly questioning the integrity of Jesus because of the company he kept. In their inflated opinions he was a sinner because he didn't follow all of their silly rules. As they grilled the former blind man about his miraculous healing they approached the questioning with a different tactic surrounding his holiness.

The once blind guy's response is great. He stated flat out that he didn't know the spiritual condition of Christ, but that he did know for certain that he used to be blind and was now able to see. For too long I feel Christians have made bold claims about things we don't really know much (or anything) about. The testimony of Jesus is firmly rooted in the truth of what we do know.

Where do we find ourselves in this story? If it were a reselling of our experience with Jesus who would we be? Are we the blind man who's life was irrevocably altered for the good? Or, are we the Pharisees staring at an obvious work of God, but not seeing it for the truth because it didn't happen according to our religious superstitions?

There are a lot of things that I don't know about Jesus. I do know that since I pledged my life to serve him in active vocational ministry it has been an awesome experience.

June 17 - Fear No Man

Read: John 9: 18-23

(His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) (John 9:22 ESV)

When Jesus healed the blind man it caused quite the uproar. Religious elitists felt threatened. Someone had come along that demonstrated real authority. Jesus was able to do things they couldn't do. He was able to bring about the miraculous. And he did it all without cowing to their ridiculous rules, politics, or bureaucracy.

In an attempt to reassert control, the established religious leaders defaulted to fear and intimidation. Intimidation and fear are cowardly ploys, but when people's comfort, power, and security are threatened they will do nearly anything to keep it within their grasp. So the threat was voiced that should anyone declare Jesus to be the Messiah they would be barred from the Jewish Synagogues.

At some point in your walk with Christ you will face an unavoidable moment when you must choose. You will face the encumbering ridiculousness of religiosity, with its many rules and politics. You must choose either to be a part of it, or to not be a part of it.

Jesus is the Christ. He is the One and Only Son of God. To embrace the fullness of that truth. To live life on those terms. Loving your neighbor, loving God, serving others before yourself. That is a life that throws off religious manipulation. It is a life that avoids the stifling busyness of religious distraction. Fear no one. Love Christ. Serve him.

June 16 - It Was a Sabbath

Read: John 9: 13-17

Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. (John 9:14 ESV)

Jesus had healed the man born blind. It caused an uproar in his community because everyone knew him to be the man who used to be a blind beggar. Some wanted to know if the man had actually been healed. Others just wanted to know if the Sabbath Day had been violated.

Jesus is The Lord of the Sabbath. Men had corrupted it, but Christ restored it to meaning. For the blind man the Sabbath took on an incredibly special significance. It was the day that he saw the world for the first time. It was the day that darkness became light. Blackness became color. Hopelessness found hope.

We are all born into darkness. We enter this world blind. Only Christ can open our eyes. Only Christ can restore our world to light. Only in Jesus can we rise above the silly inconsistencies of bad religion.

That day was a good day. It was a day of hope. It was a Sabbath.

June 14 - Jesus Says

Read: John 8:1-11

Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say? (John 8:5 ESV)

The woman was caught in the act of sin. Her accusers hauled her before Jesus looking to pick a fight. Burt Jesus would not be manipulated by the wicked thoughts of the religious elite. Turning the situation around on them he declared that anyone without sin should be the one to stone the accused. Everyone left. And being the only sinless person in attendance he also refused to condemn her.

Jesus offers forgiveness for sin. He brings mercy. He overshadows the Law, bringing it to fulfillment and life. He was changing the landscape of religious thought. He was challenging their judgmental presuppositions.

The truth is that condemnation is for all who have sinned. We have all sinned. But when we put ourselves at Jesus' mercy he offers forgiveness. He offers life.

The Pharisees thought they were going to trap him. They failed to realize, or believe, that Jesus was God made flesh. He was divine. He wasn't about to contradict the Law. But what he had to say did triumph over the Law. What Jesus says goes.

June 13 - Convinced?

Read: Luke 16:19-31

He said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from lthe dead." (Luke 16:31 ESV)

The distinguishing characteristic of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That historical event is the dividing line between Christianity and all other faiths. The resurrection of Jesus sparked something in a small group of people in a small place in a small part of the world that went on to impact all of the world. And it happened because the followers of Jesus were convinced that he really did rise from death.

Jesus' story about Lazarus and the Rich man was meant to be a convicting one. They were a people in need of convincing and conviction, two things missing in the religious system of the day. They wanted signs. They wanted miracles. They wanted proof about Jesus' identity.

He told them that he would die and come back, and they didn't understand him. He performed countless miracles and they didn't believe in him. He laid our he framework for divinely inspired conviction, and they remained entirely unconvinced.

What does it take to convince you and I? Are we hard-headed and stubborn? Do we see truth for truth? Do we go to the bible for truth and conviction? If it was good enough for the people in Jesus' story it is good enough for us.

June 12 - It Was Fitting

Read: Luke 15:11-32

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found. (Luke 15:32 ESV)

Have you ever lost something dear to you? What happened when you found it? Losing stuff is a big pet peeve of mine so when it does happen I am dearly invested in finding it. I get really excited when I find something I have lost.

Jesus was clear in his famous story about the prodigal son. The Father celebrates lost things. He loves to celebrate lost things. Furthermore, He refuses to allow anything, including self righteous religious people, to get in the way of His welcoming celebration.

Outside of God we are dead. Lostness, life not lived under the saving grace of Jesus, is death. Salvation restores us to God. The Father loves and longs to celebrate that. He even goes so far as to say that celebrating the return of a lost son or daughter is expected. It is fitting.

June 11 - Joy Before Angels

Read: Luke 15:8-10

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10 ESV)

Joy is an incredible thing. A fruit of the spirit, it is arguably not spoken about enough. Rejoicing is the sudden outburst of joy. It is a spontaneous party erupting out of the unforeseen awesome.

Jesus told his audience that heaven rejoices over the salvation of someone. Just imagine that. Your salvation was and is the the cause for rejoicing across eternity. Heaven will be a glorious gathering of saints as we come together to exalt God and declare the wonders of His goodness toward us.

Have you been the cause of joy before angels? If you're in. The family of God, if you have started a life loved under the saving blood of Jesus, then the answer is yes. Heaven rejoices for you.

June 10 - After the One

Read: Luke 15:1-7

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? (Luke 15:4 ESV)

On our farm when I was growing up it was very common for my dad to go looking for a cow if it was separated from the herd. He would throw all of his effort into finding the missing animal and bring it back to the group. Jesus' parable about lost sheep teaches that God reacts much the same way over lost people.

We are silly, selfish, and dumb by default. Left to our own devices we would choose our own destruction over and over again—without even realizing it. This is what it means to be lost. We are wanderers. We are separated from God by our sins of omission and commission.

How amazing that He would initiate the rescue. That he cared enough about us to come and save us. The point to be learned is that each of us have incredible value and worth. We are worth so much that God would redeem us by the sacrificial death of His only Son. He would graft us into family.

Let me ask, are you among the one? Have you been brought back into the fold? It only takes a moment to ask.

June 9 - Among the Robbers

Read: Luke 10:25-37

Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" (Luke 10:36 ESV)</blockquote

Have you ever had something terrible happen to you, while the very people who should and could have helped you just looked the other way? If so, then you have something in common with the man from Jesus' story about the Good Samaritan.

A priest passed by. A Levite passed by. Both of whom were under moral, religious, and cultural obligation to help the victim. So why didn't they?

Remembering that this story is a parable you have to look at the context Jesus tells it in. What was going on in that time? Well, both the priests and the Levites had condoned rampant corruption within the established religious system. People were making a lot of money off of religion. It was robbery.

Jesus' parable was a challenge to those listening to rise above the corruption. He was calling them to help their neighbors and friends, to not live selfishly, and to love God and others. He was showing them it was possible to live above instead of among the robbers.

June 8 - Hands

Read: Luke 9:37-45

"Let these words sink into your ears: The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men." (Luke 9:44 ESV)

Jesus had just worked an incredible miracle. A boy terrorized and possessed by a demonic spirit had been delivered. The disciples were unable to perform the miracle despite having Christ's authority. The father of the boy was himself struggling with unbelief about the after. But Jesus did what he could for the boy. He did everything. And immediately recorded after this awesome and compassionate act is Jesus' prophetic warning about his impending persecution.

Jesus knew. He knew what he was born on this earth to do. How it would happen. Who the culprits were. He knew. And till he chose to come. Still he chose to minister. Still he chose to love, serve, heal, deliver, and teach. Jesus repeatedly reached out with the tender-hearted hand of compassion, eternal hands of compassion. Even as he warned his closest followers that a day was soon coming when he himself would suffer at the hands of men.

When men are on control there is death. There is selfishness. There is wanton reckless rebellion.

When Christ is control there is peace in the struggle. There is hope in affliction. There is rescue from damnation.

Jesus knew what it meant to fall into the hands of men. He understood. And yet still he chose to love us, live for us, and die for us. Truly it is a remarkable thing when we draw life and live life from the grace of Jesus, the work of Jesus, and the hands of Jesus. In the hands of men were held the hammers that pierced the hands of the Son of God, but by that affliction my eternal sorrows are undone, and by that torment are my troubles pulled down from their high places. Thank God for the hands of Jesus.

June 7 - Help My Unbelief

Read: Mark 9:14-29

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 ESV)

The disciples encountered a boy possessed by an evil spirit that frequently tried to harm him. It had made him mute and caused other physical manifestations of pain and suffering. For some reason the disciples were not able to make it go away. Jesus alluded to a lack of faith among those present. And I love how the father of the boy responded. "I believe; help my unbelief!"

There are days when faith comes so easy to me. It is nearly effortless to fully, completely, and eagerly accept both the big claims of Christianity and all of its various implications for my life. And then there are the days when I feel like I am having a strong case of unbelief. Not because I have ceased to believe in the truth about Jesus, but because I am internally wrestling with some of what it will mean for my life.

I don't know if you're like that. Maybe you don't have a problem pushing the unbelief out of your life. Or maybe you feel inundated by the doldrums of unbelief on a very frequent basis. Jesus can help. He can help with the prevailing feelings of a lacking belief , and he can help with the root of the issue. All we have to do is ask. All we have to do is communicate our heart to him. He is waiting.

Jesus, we believe; help us with our unbelief.

June 6 - Overshadowed Certainty

Read: Luke 9:28-36

As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. (Luke 9:34 ESV)

There are multiple occasions in the bible when a cloud, fire, or smoke accompanies the supernatural presence of God. The Transfiguration of Jesus was similar. God told the disciples to listen to Jesus, His son. And a cloud enveloped them as God spoke.

This passage is talking about a literal cloud of something that obscured vision and made the disciples fearful. I think sometimes being in the place where God is leading you will also cause you to find yourself in a place of obscured vision and potential uncertainty. Those are trust moments.

When you can't see what's around you. When you can't see ahead, side-to-side, or behind. Those are the moments ripe with opportunity to trust in God. That's probably why He seems to allow us to experience so many if them.

The Jewish psalmist, king, and prophet David wrote about God's protection in times like this. He talked about being in the "shadow of His wings." It is a beautiful metaphor that recalls the protective obscurity of parental shielding.

Maybe we're not certain of the future, and maybe God wants it that way. Ultimately He wants us to depend on Him by trusting in Jesus. When life seems hazy we can be at our most fearful, but that's also a moment of divine opportunity. God wants us to embrace His certainty in a way that will overshadow all uncertainty in our lives.

June 5 - Have No Fear

Read: Matthew 17:1-13

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." (Matthew 17:7 ESV)

Jesus took his closest friends with him to the top of a mountain and there they witnessed a supernatural event. This is often referred to as the Transfiguration. It was a moment when Jesus was momentarily revealed in his divine glory. It was revelatory moment for the disciples. It was something they did not fully comprehend.

Moses was there, Elijah was there, and Peter spoke prophetic things he didn't even understand. But the climactic event took place when God spoke in such a way that all in attendance heard and understood.

"This is my beloved son, listen to him."

The disciples were on their faces before the powerful voice of God. It was probably terrifying to hear the disembodied voice of the one true God. When the Father had finished speaking Jesus touched them and assured them that there was no reason to be afraid.

Today, we can walk, live, breathe, and enjoy the presence of The Holy God by way of His only begotten son. Jesus removes the fearfulness that exists between fallen man and God almighty, at least for those that have been covered by the righteousness of Christ. Apart from Christ there is much to fear about eternity. In Jesus there is an eternal reason to have no fear.

June 4 - By the Hand

Read: Matthew 9:18-26

But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. (Matthew 9:25 ESV)

There is something special about clasping hands with another person. Recently my son started learning to hold my hand as he tries to go up or down steps. It is a gesture of security, comfort, and closeness.

When Jesus went to Jairus's house he revived the man's daughter in spite of skeptics, and mockery. As he performed the miraculous sign he took the girl by the hand. Hand in hand with Jesus she awoke from death into a new life.

Each of us that have believed on Jesus for salvation have experienced the same kind of thing on a spiritual level. We were dead in our sin. Our spirit was stirred and we turned to Christ. In him we pass from death into new life.

June 3 - Laughing at Jesus

Read: Luke 8:40-56

And they laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. (Luke 8:53 ESV)

Jesus had just healed the woman with an issue of blood while on his way to Jairus's house. Arriving at the house he found a crowd of pessimistic and skeptical mourners. They had actually tried to dismiss him from coming at all as they believed her to be dead. When Jesus informed them that the situation was not beyond hope they laughed at him.

I enjoy a good joke. I like to laugh, and try to find humor in things that are sometimes difficult. A dead little girl is not a laughing matter. Neither was Jesus' commitment to minister to the family in the situation.

Why did they laugh at Jesus? Because he spoke with authority and confidence that the girl was going to be ok. Jesus was telling people that a dead girl was going to be fine, that they needed to merely believe and all would be fine. That seemed impossible. It was ridiculous. After all curing someone of something while they were still alive was one thing, but who has the power to make life return to a body that has ceased to function? God does.

Jesus did the inexplicable for Jairus's family. Some of us need him to reach down from heaven and do the inexplicable for us. He can. I believe that he wants to. But if he told us the enormity of the magnitude for what he had planned would we believe him? If Jesus looked at the impossibility of our situation and declared authoritatively that he was about to undo the impossible would we believe? Or we would join the crowd of skeptics and laugh at Jesus?

It's not enough to merely believe in Jesus. We need to move beyond the point of simply believing in his existence and begin to believe in his words. We need to believe in his power. We need to believe that he has our best interest at heart, and in hand. That's no joke.

June 2 - Issues

Read: Mark 5:21-43

For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I will be made well." (Mark 5:28 ESV)

We all have our issues. I don't know what your issue is. It may be something horrible that has plagued you for years. Or, maybe it is something recent that has came up in your life and is horribly troubling. Regardless of the duration, severity, or seeming hopelessness of the situation you can take your issue to Jesus.

The poor woman with an issue of blood was an outcast for years. She was ceremonially unclean from her ordeal. She was broken financially, socially, physically, and spiritually. Jesus helped her. But she went to Jesus.

There is no magic formula to receiving comfort and aide from Christ. For some people he inexplicably interrupts their situation with a supernatural kind of sovereign mercy. For others it does not happen that way.

The bottom line is that we are not in control and that is a big part of the big idea. God is in control. Just as the woman took her issue to Jesus we can take it to him today. We can go fearfully, reverently, and boldly into his presence and present ourselves. He is in control. No issue is beyond God.

June 1 -Fear the Good

Read: Mark 5:15-17

And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. (Mark 5:15-17 ESV)

The first portion of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Mark records the incredible encounter between Jesus Christ and a man possessed by a legion of unclean spirits (demons). Christ sends the demons away from the tormented man, allowing them to enter a herd of pigs. The pigs run down a hill and throw themselves into the water, and the herdsmen run to the nearby community to spread the tidings of this startling event. Afterwards a gathering of curious people come to the site of the exorcism, a graveyard near the coast.

I find it really interesting that the locals were afraid of the events that took place. They clearly saw they changes that had come over the demoniac. He was no longer tormenting himself and loving among graves. He was no longer dwelling in a state of perpetual uncleanliness. He was in his right mind. He was clothed. And they were afraid. What were they afraid of?

They were afraid of the unknown. Jesus did and said things that had never been done before. It rattled people. It was a departure from the known and familiar.

His actions consistently forced people to make a gut check. He was calling people to faithfully embrace the plan of the Father by forsaking the comfort of the status quo. Jesus wanted them to unleash the full freedoms of unfettered faith.

He still wants that. It's time for a gut check. It is time to fearlessly set aside the stale positions of our present in favor of the future set aside for us by God. The difference is drastic. It is the difference between life and death. It is the difference between heaven and hell. The only good we have to fear is the one we fail to follow.

May 31 - When He Saw Jesus

Read: Mark 5:1-20

Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. (Mark 5:5, 6 ESV)

Demons are real and people can fall under their power. I know that sounds like some kind of horror movie mumbo-jumbo, but it is true. There are dark spirits in existence and they want to harm us.

The man from the tombs had tragically discovered the truth of malevolent spirits in the worst possible way. They had led him to place of death, separated him from his people, his culture, and his spiritual heritage. The evil spirits had isolated him in every possible way.

I don't believe in coincidences. I think Jesus knew just where his boat would wash up that day. I think he went there with the express purpose of freeing the man from the legion of demons.

Notice how the situation changed when Christ arrived. The man who had been mutilating himself suddenly ran to Jesus and fell before him. Here is the kicker. His response wasn't out of his human desire to be free from those entities. The action of submission and supplication was actually a response by the demonic spirits to the presence of Christ. Jesus changes everything. When the demons saw his arrival they took note. They cast themselves upon the mercy of the Son of God.

If a demonic legion would seek the mercy of Jesus with such fearful reverence shouldn't we take note and consider our response to Jesus?

May 30 - Possible With God

Read: Mark 10:17-22

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27 ESV)

You can not save yourself. You just can't. None of us can. But God did. And only by journeying through this life with Him will we know the joyous peace of our intended eternal home. Apart from God arriving at this place is impossible. With God the impossible becomes possible.

Why? Because there is nothing that is beyond the scope or ability of God.

I'm certainly no mathematician, but I think it could look something like this.

If: X + Man = Impossible Then: (X + Man) + God = Possible

God is the change agent in your life. These are the words of Jesus. Nothing is beyond Him. Nothing is above Him. Nothing is impossible.

That is a truth that is so powerful it holds the potential to uproot and alter every discouraging piece of news, every negative circumstance, and every bad day. The fact is that facts change when God gets involved. Why? Because apart from God we are impossible, but with God the impossible becomes possible.

May 29- He Went Away

Read: Matthew 19:16-30

When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19:22 ESV)

During the final stretch of Jesus' public ministry a young religious ruler secretly came to him to find out the truth about eternal life. Jesus shared with him several insights about living a devout Godly life. The young man met all of the criteria, he was on his way to experiencing eternity with God, until Jesus revealed the final piece of the young man's personal journey.

Some biblical translations call this man a rich young ruler, a name that adequately describes his place in life. At a young age this fellow had amassed great power and wealth. That was a problem. Not because either of those things are bad things, but because when Jesus asked him to leave it all behind he was unwilling. He went away sorrowful.

I am not rich and powerful. If God called me to lay aside my finances it would not be a monumental request. For this man it was. I believe that is exactly what Jesus asks of his followers sometimes. He sees into our hearts, and knowing the very things that would distract us from following him with the greatest sense of passion, he sometimes asks us to lay them aside in favor of a simpler life in pursuit of him.

In those moments we are presented with a choose similar to that of the rich young ruler. Either we will lay aside our idolatrous distraction and follow Jesus without reservation, or we will walk away sorrowful, unwilling to part ways with the gods of our own making. What will you choose?