Obedience is Thankfulness

“As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!” Psalm 119:7-8

I’ve been thinking about obedience in relationships. As a parent I taught my children to obey by being pretty consistent with the consequences—discipline for disobedience, some type of reward for following my directions. God told Moses to put it this way:

“Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today. But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the LORD your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.” Deuteronomy 11:26-27

With my children, my goal was to teach them to respect and honor authority, an attitude that would set them on the right road in life. In my mind, the ultimate “thanks” I wanted was for them to mature into adults who valued their opportunities with integrity, sensitivity and loving hearts. Most of all I hoped they would choose to follow Jesus.

“I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth.”
3 John 1:4

Jesus—the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6) tells us:

“If you love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15

IF we love God with our whole heart, mind and soul…and love others as we love ourselves, that love will cause us to desire the characteristics of Jesus’ nature to rule over our own choices. It is the very nature of God—the Holy Spirit dwelling in us—which gives us the power to obey, so how else could we thank him, but to keep his Word.

“You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands. As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!” Psalm 119:4-8

by Marilyn Allison

Believe!

“Later Jesus appeared to the eleven as they were eating; He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” Mark 16:14

Have you ever stubbornly refused to believe something?

Ten years ago this month I was standing in my kitchen and was overcome by a sudden dizzy feeling. Perhaps it’s better described as a lightheadedness that refused to go away. I was pretty distressed by the whole thing, but was certain that a good night’s rest would help resolve the problem—whatever it was.

The next morning I awoke to the same overwhelming feeling. It persisted all day and into the next and the next. Days bled into weeks which bled into months, which eventually turned into years. Doctors ping-ponged me around, clueless how to help when my test results returned normal every time. And of those tests and doctors, I saw just about every one under the sun. It was exhausting and disheartening. And all the while I was barely keeping it together for my husband and two little ones at home. I cried, begged and pleaded with God on a daily basis to take this ailment away. But it persisted.

Eventually I refused to believe I would ever get better.

I was not seeing the Lord heal me as I expected, and so I was also blinded to the healing he was offering me in a different way. Eventually though, with his help, I did come to see. Here I sit a decade later, with the same anxiety-driven, dizzy feeling niggling somewhere in my head; but, praise God, I barely even notice or think about it on a day to day basis. My healing came in the form of a new normal and birthed a new way of trusting in God.

Undoubtedly, the eleven disciples were absolutely heartbroken over the death of their Lord. All hope was gone. The only solution they wanted to accept was for his death never to have happened in the first place. God’s plan had not been their own and so they stubbornly refused to believe the testimony that was attempting to bring them hope once again.

Sometimes it is so hard to believe that God’s plan is better than our own. And at other times it’s impossible to see his Sovereignty through the despairing circumstances that surround us. But he has not left us on our own. The same way that Jesus came to minister to his disciples and bring them irrefutable proof of their hope, so he sends his Spirit to do the same for us.

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:26-27

God does not desire us to be afraid in our circumstances, as daunting as they may seem. He has already given us peace—peace in Jesus—who came to set right all that was broken in this world. He did not “fix” things the way others thought he would, but instead fulfilled all things according to his own holy and perfect plan. Let his Holy Spirit speak that truth to your heart as well, and never refuse to believe that he is always for you.

“When anxiety was great within me, Your consolation brought joy to my soul.”
Psalm 94:19

by Siara Borning

The Pivotal Point in History

“The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the dead.” Mark 9:31b

The pivotal point in history is also the loneliest. Old Testament scriptures foretold the birth, suffering, death, resurrection and glory of the Messiah. The Prophet Daniel even recorded the exact day of Messiah’s coming.

“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus six-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One (Messiah the Prince KJV)—comes.” Daniel 9:24-25

When Artaxerxes Longimanus issued the edict to Nehemiah in 445 B.C. ordering him to return and rebuild Jerusalem, the countdown to Messiah the Prince began. 69 periods of 7 bring us to the time this week’s study in the Gospel of Mark takes place.

The prophecy given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel went on to say

“…the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing…” Daniel 9:26

The pivotal point in history: the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing. The Pharisees and religious leaders were blind to the truth and rejected him. How many times did he say something happened as fulfillment of scripture? Yet they condemned him. He stood alone amidst the hatred.

The Disciples looked for a political prince to change their circumstances. They misunderstood his purpose and slept. He agonized alone in Gethsemane and God sent angels to strengthen him.

Mary of Bethany’s faith honored him. He knew the depth of her personal sacrifice to anoint him with precious oil before he went to the cross alone.

When our sin ravaged his perfect soul, God—who cannot look upon sin—turned away. Jesus paid the sin-price alone.

For our sake he was rejected…doubted…misunderstood…grieved…killed. Because he accomplished salvation by his own shed blood, he has the right to bring us with him. Never again to be alone.

“His Cross is the door by which every member of the human race can enter into the life of God; by His resurrection He has the right to give eternal life to anyone, and by His ascension our Lord entered heaven, keeping the door open for humanity.” Oswald Chambers His Ascension and Our Access

“I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die.” John 11:25-26

by Marilyn Allison



I AM

“But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?’ ‘I AM,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Mark 14:61-62

The light shines brighter when it’s in the dark. I’ve found this to be true and am thankful for the times God has put me in a dark room and asked me to find my way out. It has helped to grow and mold my faith according to his truth. Where else can I go but to Jesus, the light of the world?

This particular “dark room” once again had to do with my Jehovah’s Witnesses friends who came knocking. This was several years ago, and I honestly didn’t know too much about what they believed, but felt confident that I had enough knowledge of Scripture to hold my ground in a friendly back-and-forth over our differing doctrine. When they began agreeing with me on so much, their eventual claim that Jesus was not in fact God, but just God’s son (they conveniently left out the part about Him being Michael, the archangel), threw me. Of course he was God! It was all through Scripture… wasn’t it?

At that moment the question for me became not whether or not Jesus was God, but rather, why I believed that He was. These very sincere people pointed out that Jesus never once claimed to be God in all of Scripture. Naively, I thought I had the perfect verse to contradict their claim:

“I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM.’”
John 8:58

Boom! Drop the mic.

But of course, what I thought was such a great response did not impress them much. Unbeknownst to me, they had been well prepared to combat just such a verse. As we parted ways, the conversation rattled me more than I wanted to admit, and set me on a mission to discover Jesus as God, and the way he revealed himself as such in Scripture.

The Bible does not record Jesus ever saying the actual words, “I am God.” However, he used the messianic titles and referred to himself as “I Am” plenty of times throughout Scripture. A claim that was not lost on His followers or His enemies. The Jewish mindset knew what he was claiming. In our verse here from Mark, Jesus affirms that he is—in fact—the Christ. He also attributes God’s glory to Himself when He quotes in part from Daniel 7.

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power…”
Daniel 7:13-14a

Caiaphus, the high priest, tore his robes at this, and called what Jesus said, blasphemy! Blasphemy not only involved reviling the name of God but also included any infringement on His majesty or authority. Jesus’ claim to being Messiah—having majesty and authority belonging only to God—was seen as absolute blasphemy.*

In other words, unless Jesus was God, he was guilty of blasphemy by ascribing God’s majesty and authority to himself. In the Jewish culture, his guilt required the death penalty. The meanings and implications of what he said were abundantly clear to all who heard him, as they should be to us.

This leaves us, then, with two options. We can see Jesus as a liar who was seeking to glorify himself by claiming God’s majesty and authority as his own or we can see Jesus as God made flesh—worthy to claim the majesty and authority that are rightfully his.

As the light of the world, Jesus has revealed this truth to us in no uncertain terms.

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” Colossians 2:9

by Siara Borning

*Zondervan NIV Study Bible

Lessons From the Mission Field: Lamb Selection

“And Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Genesis 22:8

Easter has passed. It has brought several new lessons to the heart of this "city girl".

It’s the time of year for the highest sales of lamb—much enjoyed meat here (also one of JeJe's favorites ). I love lambs too much to really enjoy eating them (although Elli has found a way to make delicious roast lamb).

The flavor of lamb is definitely impacted by how the lamb itself was raised and cared for. It has an effect on whether or not the meat will smell.

If a lamb has been raised in a "clean" environment and fed good food, it is less likely to have a pungent odor.
If it is raised on a "dirty" farm and fed lesser quality food, it is more than likely going to smell.
If the diet has been garbage—as in "pig slop”—it’s definitely going to have a pungent scent. The odor is enough to make one lose their appetite.

The indoor area of our marketplace is where the butchers have their stands. Included in their display of slaughtered and skinned lambs are the cheeses from cows, lambs, and goats so the area is ripe with odor. Since the goal is to buy one without smell, the chosen carcass must be separated and taken outside to test in the fresher air. The odor from one lamb taints the scent of another. It’s difficult for me to see the many lambs on display and I do my best to avoid this area.

Beside knowing about odor, our family has learned it’s important to know the owner who has raised the lamb chosen for purchase. Has he raised it locked up all day in a pen? Or did he allow it to roam free, feeding off good grass? Was he watchful in keeping it safe, or does it have injuries from predators? Was it raised in a clean environment….with a clean place to sleep…and a clean food stall?

The past few years, JeJe has developed a good business relationship with a farmer/shepherd who lives in a village about 20 minutes from us. He delivers lambs "fresh" to a place outside the marketplace—kept separate just for us. His lambs are clean. Their transport is clean. The area they live in is clean. The shepherd himself is clean and well groomed. JeJe continues to purchase the lamb from him because we know the care he has given them. The meat is so good and has no odor. Family members have enjoyed the lamb at gatherings in our home and now they, too, are buying from this man.

I couldn’t help but think of today’s churches and their sheep. Are the shepherds careful with the flock? Do they feed them the truth of God’s Word or are they looking out for themselves? Do they love them enough to tell them—with a heart filled with compassion—when they are in danger? Why are there so many bad sheep? Why are there so many sick and hurting sheep? Why do the sheep stay with someone who really isn't caring for them the way they should?

If the quality of our faith is not producing good fruit—results—for others to see, it’s time to allow God to search our hearts (Psalm 139:23-24) and examine what needs to change. If our faith isn't growing and we are stagnant at best, It’s time to get off the hamster wheel of insanity—expecting new results while doing the same old thing. If we are constantly in a rut that isn't changing, we need to get before God, ask him what needs to change. and then do it—get things cleaned up.

He’s waiting to speak to us directly, if we will just let Him in (Jeremiah 29:13 & Revelation 3:20). We need to keep ourselves well fed on the truth of His Word—personally and in a good Bible teaching church. We need to put ourselves in environments where we’re well cared for so we don't stinketh (my Grandma used to use that word).

Lord, help me be a sweet aroma of Jesus for Your Name’s sake,

"But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God."
2 Corinthians 2:14-17

by Coleen Jejeran