Numbers 1:1-54; Mark 11:12-25; Psalms 47:1-7; Proverbs 14:25

NT: “Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:22-25‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Have faith in God. That statement prefaces and frames the rest of Jesus’ lesson on prayer. Answered prayer doesn’t rely on just having enough faith. Answered prayer comes from faith in God. Seeing mountainous obstacles be moved out of the way doesn’t just happen because you want the obstacle moved badly enough. The obstacle moves when you have faith in God – you know that He desires to move it, and you know that He can and will move it as you trust completely in Him. Just believing that I will receive a new car, or a new house, or a great job doesn’t force God’s hand to act. When God says, “I want to bless you with a car… I want to provide a home for you… I am going to promote you and give you favor as you follow Me… when we believe those words and place our faith in the One who gave those words, then our prayers are answered. Answered prayer also requires us to keep clean accounts with people. If we walk in unforgiveness, we hinder God’s work in our lives. The reason we can forgive others is because we have faith in God… that He will work on our behalf… that He will bring a just conclusion. Everything is predicated on our faith in God. Miracles don’t just happen because we want to see a miracle badly enough, and convince ourselves that a miracle is going to happen. Miracles occur when God says “Trust Me to make a way where there is no way,” and we have faith in Him to do it.

Psalms: “Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with a jubilant cry. For the Lord, the Most High, is awe-inspiring, a great King over the whole earth. He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. He chooses for us our inheritance — the pride of Jacob, whom he loves. Selah God ascends among shouts of joy, the Lord, with the sound of a ram’s horn. Sing praise to God, sing praise; sing praise to our King, sing praise! Sing a song of wisdom, for God is King of the whole earth.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭47:1-7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This is the God we place our faith in – The Most High, awe-inspiring, great King over all the earth. When we praise the name of God… when we verbally laud His attributes and unwavering faithfulness, it increases our faith in Him. And when we place our faith in Him, He moves on our behalf. So clap your hands. Shout to God with jubilant shouts. Sing praises about Him… sing praises to Him. Allow the truth of who He is to be on your lips, and ring in your ears, and resonate in your hearts and minds. Allow your faith to rise, then stand in awe and be amazed at God, as He moves on your behalf.

Leviticus 27:1-34; Mark 11:1-11; Psalms 46:8-11; Proverbs 14:22-24

NT: “When they approached Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. As soon as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this? ’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here right away.’” …They brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and he sat on it. Many people spread their clothes on the road, and others spread leafy branches cut from the fields. Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest heaven! He went into Jerusalem and into the temple. After looking around at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭11:1-3, 7-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Instead of telling people to not proclaim who He was, as He had done during His entire ministry, Jesus allowed His followers to give a public demonstration of who He was. His time had come. He rode in on a donkey to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy in Zechariah 9:9. The people on the road from Galilee to Jerusalem believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah, and they honored Him as such. They spread their outer garments on the road and laid down branches as a red carpet of sorts. Their shouts came from the Messianic Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord; it is wondrous in our sight. This is the day the Lord has made; let’s rejoice and be glad in it. Lord, save us! Lord, please grant us success! He who comes in the name of the Lord is blessed. From the house of the Lord we bless you.” Hosanna means ‘save now!’ They were recognizing Jesus as the promised Chief Cornerstone. They were proclaiming “This is the day!” And through the culmination of all their hope and expectation, they shouted, “Hosanna! Lord, Save us now!“ Oh, Jesus would save them, just not in the way they expected. He was the king, just not the king of an earthly kingdom. He was the Messiah, Hut he didn’t come to deliver them from Rome. He came to redeem them from the kingdom of darkness and bring them into the Kingdom of Light. He was the festival sacrifice, and in less than a weeks time, He would be “bound to the horns of the altar.” Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

Leviticus 26:14-46; Mark 10:46-52; Psalms 46:1-7; Proverbs 14:20-21

OT: “But if you do not obey me and observe all these commands — if you reject my statutes and despise my ordinances, and do not observe all my commands — and break my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring terror on you — wasting disease and fever that will cause your eyes to fail and your life to ebb away. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it. I will turn against you, so that you will be defeated by your enemies. Those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even though no one is pursuing you… But when they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their ancestors — their unfaithfulness that they practiced against me, and how they acted with hostility toward me, and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies — and when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob. I will also remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land… For their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God; I am the Lord.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26:14-17, 40-42, 45‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

People love to quote the blessings that God promises. But there are other promises, just as sure as the blessings, that people often ignore. God’s blessings always have conditions. His love is unconditional, but His blessing is not. There really isn’t any neutral ground. You are either under God’s hand of blessing or you aren’t. If you aren’t under His hand of blessing, then you are open and exposed to an out-of-control world that is under the influence of the kingdom of darkness. God says that He blesses and gives grace to the humble, but He rejects the proud. Pride rejects the word, will, and ways of God. When you reject God, and reject His hand of blessing, you place yourself outside of His protection and provision and in the hands of the kingdom of darkness. Along with His promises of blessing, God describes the sure consequences that will come if you reject Him and His truth. Yet, no matter how harshly we reject God, He always remains faithful to His covenant. All we have to do is repent from our waywardness, confess our pride, and humbly turn to God. When we humbly accept God’s truth, we are able, once again, to receive His promised blessing.

Psalms: “God is our refuge and strength, a helper who is always found in times of trouble. Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas, though its water roars and foams and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah There is a river — its streams delight the city of God, the holy dwelling place of the Most High. God is within her; she will not be toppled. God will help her when the morning dawns. Nations rage, kingdoms topple; the earth melts when he lifts his voice. The Lord of Armies is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46:1-7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When we humbly receive God’s truth (His word, will, and ways), God Himself becomes our refuge and strength in the midst of a world that is falling apart. He Himself is our ever-present help in times of trouble. With God as our refuge, our strength, our constant help – there is no reason to be afraid, no matter how frightening the scene may be that surrounds us. When the world is crumbling and falling apart, those who are with God in Christ can stand in peace. Jesus said that those who believe in Him – who place their faith and trust in Him – will have rivers of living water flowing from them. Our source of sustenance and life will never end, as we abide in Him and His word of truth abides in us. God and all of His mighty resources will be with us as we are in Christ, and we will have cause to rejoice and be delighted in Him.

Leviticus 25:47-26:13; Mark 10:32-45; Psalms 45:7-17; Proverbs 14:17-19

OT: “Do not make worthless idols for yourselves, set up a carved image or sacred pillar for yourselves, or place a sculpted stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am the Lord your God. Keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary; I am the Lord. If you follow my statutes and faithfully observe my commands, I will give you rain at the right time, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit… I will give peace to the land, and you will lie down with nothing to frighten you. I will remove dangerous animals from the land, and no sword will pass through your land. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall before you by the sword… I will turn to you, make you fruitful and multiply you, and confirm my covenant with you… I will place my residence among you, and I will not reject you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭26:1-4, 6-7, 9, 11-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I have had to privilege of traveling to a part of the world that does not have at its core a belief in God. Instead, their entire system of belief is framed within their susceptibility to millions of gods. In every house and place of business are idols, carved images, sacred pillars, and sculpted stone. At every major intersection are temples erected to hopefully appease the gods. Because of this, they live perpetually in the uncertainty and hopelessness of fatalism. As I walked through the temple-ridden streets, I couldn’t help but weep over the millions of people that sacrifice day after day, hoping to earn some favor by appeasing a man-made statue of wood. If that was how I reacted when I saw the pointless worship of idols, imagine the passion and concern in God’s voice as He instructed His people to forsake the worship of idols and serve only Him. By turning away from idols and choosing to serve the Lord in worship, you step out of mundane, pointless, lifeless fatalism, and into life, promise, and purpose. By humbling yourself before God alone and serving only Him, your life ceases to be meaningless and instead becomes great. God Himself dwells with you, walks with you, provides for you, protects you, exalts you and blesses you as a sign and wonder to the rest of the world. In our part of the world, we may not offer sacrifices to wooden idols – but we do sacrifice our lives at the altar of prestige, possessions, personal passions, and prosperity. Don’t make worthless idols for yourself. Worship the Lord and allow Him to give you His greatness.

NT: “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said, “Teacher, we want you to do whatever we ask you.” “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked them. They answered him, “Allow us to sit at your right and at your left in your glory.” Jesus said to them, “You don’t know what you’re asking. Are you able to drink the cup I drink or to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” …When the ten disciples heard this, they began to be indignant with James and John. Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. But it is not so among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you will be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:35-38, 41-45‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In Matthew 19:28 (a parallel passage to this one) Jesus promised that in His kingdom to come, the 12 disciples would sit with Him on 12 thrones. As Jesus’ was headed to Jerusalem to meet His destiny, James and John decided to “call shotgun” before anyone else got the chance. This caused the other disciples to be indignant and gave Jesus a teaching opportunity. First of all, James and John had no idea what they were asking… they had no idea the cost that would be required, they just wanted the position. Secondly, in Jesus’ kingdom, the way up is the way down. Places of authority aren’t given to people looking for position… looking for power over others. Places of authority are given to those who lay their own preferences down and seek to serve others first. The one who humbles himself the most and becomes a slave to all is the one who is regarded as great in God’s kingdom. Many consider Mark 10:45 to be the key verse in the gospel of Mark, summarizing all that Mark’s gospel was written to communicate: Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many. The same should be true of us. As followers of Jesus, we should not go anywhere… anywhere looking to be served. On the contrary, we should go everywhere looking for opportunities to serve and give our lives to see others come to life. That is greatness.

Leviticus 25:14-46; Mark 10:17-31; Psalms 45:1-6; Proverbs 14:15-16

NT: “As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked him. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; do not defraud; honor your father and mother.” He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these from my youth.” Looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But he was dismayed by this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were astonished at his words. Again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” They were even more astonished, saying to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.” Peter began to tell him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus said, “there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive a hundred times more, now at this time — houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields, with persecutions — and eternal life in the age to come. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:17-31‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This young man who came to Jesus had so much potential. He was wealthy and respected by others. He had manners and morals, and a desire for spiritual things. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come to Jesus, bowed before Him, and asked what he asked. Unfortunately, the man had a faulty understanding of salvation – which many have today. He believed that he could do something to receive eternal life. He was rich and influential, outstanding in society with a good reputation – surely eternal life was in his grasp. Salvation doesn’t come by doing more good that bad. Salvation comes through realizing that our best efforts cannot rid ourselves of sin – that only God can remove sin. Eternal life comes through humbling ourselves, repenting of our will and ways, and placing complete trust and submission in God through faith in Jesus Christ. With all the things the young man had, he lacked one crucial thing: a genuine living and complete faith in God. His faith was not in God, but in his possessions and his ability to work for and obtain what he wanted. It is not wrong to have possessions. It is wrong for possessions to have you. That is the challenge: to have possessions without them having you. That is why Jesus said (twice in fact) that it is hard for a rich person to lay aside his possessions and trust completely in God. It’s not impossible – just really hard. The only way for a rich man to not be enslaved to  his wealth is through the grace of God, as he offers his life and possessions to God. Jesus promised, that if we are able to truly lay down our lives to the Lord, even in the midst of persecutions, He will provide everything we need in this life and in the life to come.

Proverbs: “The inexperienced one believes anything, but the sensible one watches his steps. A wise person is cautious and turns from evil, but a fool is easily angered and is careless.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:15-16‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

What relevant words for us today. As the world is being brought low by a global pandemic and misinformation is everywhere… as peoples fears are taking over… as many risk losing the possessions they place their trust in… as patience begins to wear thin and the outward veneers wear away to expose our hearts, these words are wise and should be heeded by the grace God gives us as we place our trust fully on Him.

Leviticus 24:1-25:13; Mark 10:13-16; Psalms 44:23-26; Proverbs 14:13-14

OT: “You are to count seven sabbatical years, seven times seven years, so that the time period of the seven sabbatical years amounts to forty-nine. Then you are to sound a ram’s horn loudly in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month; you will sound it throughout your land on the Day of Atonement. You are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim freedom in the land for all its inhabitants. It will be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and each of you to his clan. The fiftieth year will be your Jubilee; you are not to sow, reap what grows by itself, or harvest its untended vines. It is to be holy to you because it is the Jubilee; you may only eat its produce directly from the field. In this Year of Jubilee, each of you will return to his property.” (‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭25:8-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Every 7th year in Israel was to be a sabbath for the land, where no sowing, cultivation, or harvesting was to take place – to give the land rest. After 7 7-year cycles, the 50th year was to be proclaimed as Jubilee. The ram’s horn was to be blasted loudly and freedom would be proclaimed throughout the land. Slaves and prisoners would be set free and all debts would be forgiven. Everyone’s land would be restored to them, and the mercies of God would be especially manifest. Indebtedness was not perpetual. Enslavement was not forever. Every 50 years, freedom would be proclaimed throughout the land. In Luke 4, we read that Jesus opened the scroll of Isaiah and announced that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. He was referring to Jubilee. Jesus, spiritually, was blowing the rams horn and proclaiming freedom to all who would believe in Him.

NT: “People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” After taking them in his arms, he laid his hands on them and blessed them.” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:13-16‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

People were bringing their children to Jesus to be blessed by Him, which was a common practice. For some reason, the disciples were standing in the way of the children’s blessing. Maybe they thought they were doing Jesus a favor. Maybe they believed that the children were a waste of Jesus’ time. Whatever the reason, Jesus was indignant. He openly rebuked His disciples for keeping the children from Him. That begs the question, are there people that I think are a waste of my time… people that aren’t worth Jesus’ mercy? When Jubilee was proclaimed, it was proclaimed for all – especially those who were bound and weighed down with an unplayable debt. Jesus then said something key. He said that the kingdom belongs to people to come to Him like a child. We tell children to grow up. Jesus was telling grown-ups to act like children. Not to be childish, but to be child-like: To be humbly dependent, openly receptive, with complete faith in their Father. When we come to Jesus like that, we experience Jubilee and receive the fullness of the Kingdom of God.

Leviticus 23:22-44; Mark 10:1-12; Psalms 44:9-22; Proverbs 14:11-12

NT: “Some Pharisees came to test him, asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He replied to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted us to write divorce papers and send her away.” But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭10:2-9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Pharisees, attempting to trap Jesus into a sound bite, asked Him to comment on a controversial subject: divorce. There were 2 competing views on what was allowed: 1) a conservative view that allowed divorce only if a man found out that his wife wasn’t a virgin when they married, and 2) a very liberal view that allowed a man to divorce his wife for any reason. Instead of taking a side in the debate and answering the question directly, Jesus addressed the heart of the matter. Moses allowed divorce because of the hardness of men’s hearts. It was a way to protect women from abuse and being abandoned by their husbands, and made the act of divorce a legal matter. However, just because it was allowed, doesn’t mean that it was sanctioned. Marriage is intended to be a life-long covenant, not a contract that can be easily broken if one party doesn’t hold up their terms of the agreement. Two people, a man and a woman, who are married become one flesh. It is a spiritual union as well as a flesh union… and it is a union made and ordained by God. Covenants are not 50/50 propositions. They are 100/100 commitments to each other – and are to be held, even if one side of the covenant falls short in their 100%. Marriage, as Paul says in Ephesians, is to be a living example of Christ and the church: Christ is ever faithful to His covenant with us, even when/if we are unfaithful to Him. Divorce is allowed, but should not be an easy out.

Psalms: “All this has happened to us, but we have not forgotten you or betrayed your covenant. Our hearts have not turned back; our steps have not strayed from your path… If we had forgotten the name of our God and spread out our hands to a foreign god, wouldn’t God have found this out, since he knows the secrets of the heart? Because of you we are being put to death all day long; we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭44:17-18, 20-22‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Paul actually quoted this verse in Romans 8, when he was describing the unbreakable covenantal connection we have to the love of God in Christ Jesus. This psalm is a lament psalm, where the sons of Korah are lamenting the challenging times that the nation of Israel were experiencing. In their lament, they were being honest with their feelings. Because of the challenges they were facing as a nation, it felt as if God had abandoned them… even as they had been faithful to their covenant with God. Our faithfulness to God doesn’t prevent challenging things from occurring in our lives. In fact, as this psalm states, we experience challenges because of our faithfulness to God. However we may feel, the truth is that God never fails in faithfulness. As we look at the state of the world, our national economy, our dwindling checking account – it can feel like we have been abandoned by God, even when we are being faithful to Him. But as Paul states in Romans 8, event when we are counted as sheep to be slaughtered, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. He is faithful and never backs out of His covenants. If we remain faithful to Him despite what our feelings are telling us, He will prove Himself faithful. He will lead us through these present challenges to green pastures and still waters of peace and provision.

Proverbs: “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:12‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

There are always ways that seem right… especially when feelings get involved. The wisdom of the world says, “Follow your heart.” Or, “If it feels right, do it.” We can feel abandoned by God and thus choose to abandon Him in anger or frustration. Ultimately, following ways that seem right will lead to death… spiritually, emotionally, and/or even physically. The wisest way to go is the way of truth and the way that our Good Shepherd leads us on.

Leviticus 22:17-23:21; Mark 9:38-50; Psalms 44:4-8; Proverbs 14:9-10

NT: “John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he wasn’t following us.” “Don’t stop him,” said Jesus, “because there is no one who will perform a miracle in my name who can soon afterward speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. And whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you belong to Christ — truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward. But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to fall away — it would be better for him if a heavy millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and go to hell, the unquenchable fire… And if your foot causes you to fall away, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell… And if your eye causes you to fall away, gouge it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you season it? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:38-43, 45, 47-50‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This is a really important message for believers. John was concerned that there was someone other than the 12 of them casting out demons in Jesus name, and they tried to stop him. Surprisingly, Jesus said, “Don’t stop him.” If the man was performing miracles in Jesus’ name, then the man was not against them. He obviously had faith in Jesus name and was using that faith to advance the kingdom. In Matthew 12:30, Jesus said that if anyone is not with Him, then he is against Him. Here in Mark, Jesus says the inverse, which is also true: Whoever is not against us, is then ultimately for us. We should not concern ourselves with bickering over disagreements among those who are under the name of Jesus. What we should be concerned with is not running someone off and causing them to lose their faith because we disagree with them… because they aren’t “one of us.” Or causing someone to fall away from the faith because of our own short comings. Before we get concerned with someone else’s faults, we need to deal with our own sin. Sin is spiritual cancer. When someone has cancer, they remove it before it causes their death. We need to have the same attitude toward sin. Hell is a real place. For anyone who would say that Jesus didn’t talk about hell, needs to look no further than this passage. The wages of sin is death. We need to get serious about any personal undealtwith sin instead of bickering amongst believers about nit picky disagreements. Everyone will face the fire of God’s holiness. We can either face it now and allow ourselves to be made pure through His refining fire, or we can face the fire of eternal judgement because we did not allow Him to refine us. The way we stay effective… the way we stay salty is by dealing with sin and living a peace and in unity with one another.

Proverbs: “Fools mock at making reparation, but there is goodwill among the upright.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭14:9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Fools mock the idea of dealing with sin and those who take sin seriously and do what is necessary to rid their lives of sin. They may even mock the idea that sin even exists at all… that sin is just a man made concept, completely relative, and is based on nothing real or tangible. However, among the upright and righteousness – those who take sin seriously and rid themselves of it – there is favor, goodwill, acceptance, and delight.

Leviticus 22:1-16; Mark 9:30-37; Psalms 44:1-3; Proverbs 14:7-8

NT: “They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:33-37‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Apparently, the disciples were engaged in a little competition to see who would rise the ranks to become the greatest and most valued out of them all. While they were traveling, they were talking a little smack-talk to each other, and Jesus overheard them. Jesus used that opportunity to teach them about greatness in His kingdom. The greatest in the kingdom is the one who serves the most. To illustrate His point, He called a child over and embraced the child in His arms. I didn’t know this, but in Aramaic (the common language of the day), child and servant are the same words. Children in those days had no social status. They held no position of respect or honor. Yet, Jesus used receiving a child – taking the hand of a child and bearing the responsibility of meeting that child’s needs – as the way to becoming great in His kingdom. If you take the hand of the least and lowest and meet their needs, you serve Jesus, and ultimately the Father. Instead of looking for opportunities to climb the social or corporate ladder, look for opportunities to serve those who have nothing to offer you, and help them grow and mature.

Leviticus 20:22-21:24; Mark 9:14-29; Psalms 43:5; Proverbs 14:5-6

NT: “When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing with them. When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?” Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” “…How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’? Everything is possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.” Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions. The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”” (‭‭Mark‬ ‭9:14-18, 21-29‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

When Peter, James, John, and Jesus descended from the Mount of Transfiguration, there in “the valley,” they found the rest of the disciples in distress. A crowd was gathered around them and the scribes were disputing with them. While Jesus and the 3 disciples were on the mountaintop, a father had brought his demon-possessed son to the remaining 9. The disciples were unable to deliver the boy and the scribes were belittling them for their inability. By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, the father of the boy wasn’t even sure if Jesus could deliver him. Jesus encouraged the father’s belief and delivered the boy. What had happened? Why did that encounter with Jesus’ disciples go wrong and descend into chaos? Jesus had delegated His power and authority to all of His disciples, not just Peter, James, and John. They were fully capable of delivering the boy, but had failed. Apparently, they had lost faith in what Jesus had delegated to them. They had been given power and authority, but because of their lack of discipline, had lost their faith when Jesus and the stronger disciples were out of the picture. The disciplines of prayer and fasting help to cultivate, strengthen, and harden our faith so that it can endure even when things come to challenge our faith. Through prayer and fasting, we grow to know our Lord more and more intimately and come to depend on Him deeper and more fully. The disciplines of prayer and fasting grow our hope in God and lessen our reliance on ourselves. It’s not the prayer and fasting that demons respond to – it is our rock solid faith in the power and authority of God born out of prayer and fasting that they respond to.

Psalms: “Why, my soul, are you so dejected? Why are you in such turmoil? Put your hope in God, for I will still praise him, my Savior and my God.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭43:5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Hebrew word translated as ‘dejected’ here is very similar to the Hebrew word for worship. Both words have to do with being bowed down. The word for worship has to do with voluntarily bringing yourself low and humbling yourself. This word has to do with being humiliated and cast down. The psalmist asks, why are you allowing yourself to be humiliated with your thoughts in chaos (much like the 9 disciples were in the story above). Instead of being humiliated, humble yourself and place your hope completely in God. He is our Savior and our God. He is well able to deliver and He is willing to deliver. Hope in Him.