Author: David Short

Mark 9:33-34

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Personal Challenge…

Once again, Jesus cuts to the core of my heart and reminds me where my true place in life is. Because of Him I am a child of God, I have been adopted into His family. Through Him I am a saint, a priest, royalty. However, I am commanded to be a servant, to put others first and myself last. This is so contrary to how the world wants me to operate (as well as my own desires). At work, in our churches, in our homes, we jockey for positions of authority. And when we get there our pride swells up and we begin to lord it over those whom are subordinate to us. This is not what Jesus did. The Creator, the Son of God, became a servant to all. It did not change the fact that He was still royalty, but it did highlight the fact that He loved us dearly and immeasurably. Should I do any less if I truly desire to love and serve Him? I can be elevated to positions of authority and leadership, but for each step of the ladder that I go up I must humble myself all the more to reach the place that I should be in order to be a true servant leader…the bottom of the ladder. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Matthew 7:7-8

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

Encouraging Words…

So! Who is this passage referring to more? The asker, seeker, knocker? or the Giver, Revealer, Opener? Both are at play here. We must be diligent, persistent, relentless in my asking, seeking, and knocking. And part of that diligence is continually renewing our hearts and minds so that we are pursuing those things that God would want me to have. But it also speaks of God who does answer us, and does help us to find, and does open the doors for us. But in His love for us He provides that which is best for us and not just what we think we want. As a father I understand this (to a human point). I tried, and continue to try, to meet my children’s’ (and now grandchildren’s) needs. Sometimes I even met, and continue to try to meet, their wants. But it is still necessary to withhold that which would actually cause harm. I am so thankful that my Father, my Abba, my Daddy, not only knows what I need, but provides it when I need it. Glory be to God!

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Matthew 15:7-9

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is with you. The Mighty One shall save you. He shall bring gladness upon you and will renew you with His love. He will delight over you with joy as in a day of feasting.

Encouraging Words…

It has always been verses like this one that have made it difficult to accept a doctrine that presents God as a wrathful, judgmental God. I am, we all are, the works of God’s love, created in His image. He has always desired to walk with us in the garden. And yes, we do sin and turn our backs upon Him, and someday we will need to account for these sins. But if God loves us so much that He gave up His only Son in order to redeem us, then His love will be what blesses us as this verse so eloquently reminds us. Glory be to God!

1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Encouraging Words…

The verses before this one give a long list of the types of sinful backgrounds that the followers of Christ came (and continue to come) from. I know that I can identify with more than one in the list. And yet God cancels this past all out through the work of His Son. The early church fathers taught, and we continue to teach today, that salvation includes being washed in Holy Baptism, sanctified through the Holy Spirit in the oil of chrismation, and justified through our faith. In Christ we can be set free from the very worst of sins. Glory be to God. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Romans 12:12

rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer;

Personal Challenge…

In this passage Paul gives us some very valuable instructions on how to live our lives. In this verse there are three very vivid reminders. We have such a wonderful hope in Christ for a future that will be filled with God’s grace and glory; we are to rejoice in this. We will encounter tribulation in our lives; by the hope that we have in Christ we must be patient through this tribulation. All of this is made possible by continuing through our lives being steadfast in prayer. Glory be to God!

Matthew 9:24

He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him.

Encouraging Words…

Okay…here we have Jesus, the Son of God, who has been healing people of all forms of diseases, casting out demons, and raising people from the dead being ridiculed by those around Him. Should I expect any less when I stand up for Him and profess Him to those around me?

Matthew 13:45

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Personal Challenge…

The kingdom of heaven, God’s gift, is of such great value that I must be willing to sell all, give up all that I have, in this kingdom in order to acquire it. Have I done this? Am I ready to do this every day? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

1 Corinthians 3:18

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.

Personal Challenge…

There is a fine line between earthly wisdom and godly wisdom and we must constantly be putting to death our earthly focus and desires in order to gain that which is godly. To the world this looks foolish. But this foolishness becomes our starting place to receive God’s blessings of true wisdom. All too often I see in today’s workplace God’s wisdom being abandoned and man’s wisdom prevailing. This, however, is producing an environment that is bound to fail, bound to treat people as commodities as opposed to images of God. Man’s wisdom will lead to ruin and despair. God’s wisdom, even though it looks foolish to the world, will lead to peace, joy, and eternal blessings.

Hosea 6:3

Let us know, let us pursue
That we might know the Lord.
We shall find Him ready as the daybreak,
And He will come to us
As the early and latter rain to the earth.

Encouraging Words…

Our Lord need not be a stranger in our lives. Just as the Genesis account of the beginnings of mankind shows that God walked in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and even called out to them after they sinned, God is ready to walk through life with us today. He is standing ready for us to come to Him. He is always coming to us in the midst of our trials and tribulations. He is dependable even when we are not. Glory be to God.