My name is Legion...

"My name is Legion, for we are many."
-- Mark 5:9

Sometimes we feel we are facing (a) Legion. Our circumstances or problems or failures seem insurmountable. We have tried all we know to do. And yet, we are unable to produce the power to overcome. It seems we cannot muster the will to battle another day.

Many had tried to subdue the man we read about in Mark 5:1-20. They tried to control him. They tried to bind him. They tried to ignore him. All attempts failed. It is one of the stranger stories in a book filled with strange stories. A possessed man (soon to be free)... a herd of pigs (soon to be both possessed and drowned)... frustrated people (soon to be in awe) ... and a God who is (as always) in control.

And that is really the point. God is in control. He is in control of demoniacs and pig herds. He is in control of your situation and mine.

What is it that you face today? You have bound it and fought it; you have attempted both to control and ignore it. Yet it is there. It is real. And it is affecting the way you live. It is stealing your sense of joy and hindering your purpose.

Jesus is the undefeated champion who wants to fight for you. Ask him. He will come through. He is in control. (Sorry pigs!)

Not by might, nor by by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord... 

-- Zechariah 4:6

God, it is out of my control, I place it in your powerful hands...

For now...

D

Ears that won't hear...

He who has ears, let him hear.
-- Mark 4:9

It is one of the Jesus' most often used phrases. He is quoted in the gospels as saying it seven times. And he uses a close variation seven more times in speaking to the churches in Revelation chapters two and three.

During the course of his three year ministry, multitudes of people heard Jesus speak. Tens of thousands listened live as The Word Become Flesh spoke words of life. On hillsides, in synagogues, in the temple, on beaches, in houses - they heard his voice. They all heard, yet many didn't hear.

He who has ears, let him hear. 

Reactions and responses to Jesus' words varied radically. Some heard and were filled with joy. Some were convicted, leading to life-change. Some were healed. Some were restored. Some followed. Some were perplexed. Some were offended. Some were angered. Some walked away saddened.

They all heard, yet many didn't hear. It is the same today. It is the same for us.

How is it that we can have perfectly good ears, and yet at times, be so deaf? (In the same way we have 20/20 vision and yet can be so blind - sorry for the mixed metaphor).

The fact of the matter is this; how we hear and what we hear is a reflection of the condition of our heart. Our ears (at least spiritually speaking) are tied directly to our hearts.

When our hearts are filled with anxiety, we cannot hear.
When our hearts are filled with self-centered pride, we cannot hear.
When our hearts are filled with anger, and bitterness, we cannot hear.

Deafness, spiritually speaking, is a condition of the heart. And humble hearts are hearing hearts.

He who has ears, let him hear. 

God whispers all around us. Do you hear?


God, give me ears to hear...

For now...
D

"But it doesn't make sense, Lord..."

And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, "He is out of his mind."
-- Mark 3:21

Faith doesn't always make sense. If it did, it wouldn't really be faith. We see evidences of this God in whom we have believed, but we do not see him. (Of course the same can be said of wind and gravity.)

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews put it this way:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

-- Hebrews 11:1

Now, nowhere in scripture are we called to "check our brains" at faith's door. People of faith have historically led advancements in all areas; the arts, the sciences, commerce, etc. And blind faith has sometimes been used as a smokescreen excuse for both intellectual and theological laziness.

That said, if we wait for things to make perfect sense prior to believing, we will not believe. God speaks these words through the prophet Isaiah:

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

-- Isaiah 55:8-9

Jesus' own family didn't fully understand who he was or what was his mission - at least not early on. And for each of us there are times faith compels us to make decisions that may not make perfect sense. We may call it a leap of faith, but in reality, we can never out-leap God's care, power and ability to catch us when we jump. 

We should always evaluate our leaps according to scripture and through prayer, and even counsel with other believers. But ultimately, your leap is yours, and mine is mine. 

I have spent far too long, as I look back, on the ledges of faith. Ledges create vertigo and eventually immobilize. There comes a time to leap.

When my youngest daughter was very young I had to constantly keep my head on a swivel when I took her to the pool. She would leap from the side, diving board, ledge, etc. without hesitation, because she had complete faith that dad would catch her.  

We should have the same faith in our Father. We can never out-leap his desire and power to catch leapers. 

God, today I will leap because I know you are there...

For now...

D

Miracles...

Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Rise, take your bed and walk?"

-- Mark 2:9

Ultimately even the greatest of miracles is temporary - all but one.

Jesus once raised a man from the dead. Lazarus had been in the grave four days. Lazarus' sisters hoped Jesus would show up earlier and heal their brother of his sickness. Jesus didn't do what they expected. He did something more incredible. And a dead man was given life.

But it was temporary. Eventually Lazarus died (again). The goal here is not to be morbid - there is really good news coming. But think about it for a moment. Blind eyes that miraculously see, will again be closed. Deaf ears that suddenly and miraculously hear will one day know silence. Healed bodies eventually break down. You get the picture.

In today's chapter, a paralyzed man receives two miracles. (I might argue three - but we'll come to that). One miracle is temporary. One is eternal.

Jesus begins with the eternal. He forgives the man's sin. Then as a demonstration of his power and authority to forgive, he heals the man's body. This second miracle - the more noticeable and eye-catching one - was temporary. Great! Incredible! Miraculous! But temporary.

It was the first that was actually earth-shattering. Heaven and hell shattering might be more accurate. The first miracle was destiny changing. Jesus forgave the man's sins. Jesus made him right with God. Jesus redeemed and restored the man. Jesus showered him with amazing grace.

And then, just to show that he actually could do what he said, Jesus offhandedly says to the paralytic man, "Oh, pick your mat up. You won't need it any more. Walk."

Those around were offended by the first miracle. "Who has the authority to forgive sin?" Exactly! The answer to your question is standing in a robe right in front of you. And he stands before us today - always with the offer of miraculous forgiveness and restoration.

Wait. Stop and think about that. You are forgiven!

What miracles are we praying for today? We need to have perspective. It is good to pray for the miraculous: our health, our finances, our relationships, our circumstances. But ultimately these will be temporary. Jesus offers much more.

I mentioned there might be a third miracle at work in the story. This is the miracle of the four friends. The four may not have been the best planners, but their hearts were large. They cared for their paralyzed friend; enough to do the unreasonable. Enough to be miracles to him - or at least the ones that carried him to the miracle. You and I can be miracles to others today; by bearing their stretchers to the feet of Jesus. And if need be, have the guts to dig through a roof or two.

God, you are the Miracle Giver...

For now...
D

Our Nets...

And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
-- Mark 1:17


Jesus calls each of us to walk with him... daily. And today we will choose whether we will drop our nets and walk, or hold on to our nets and stay.

For the first century fisherman, nets were more than a tool for the job. Nets represented security. Nets were a way of life - of living. Even more, nets were identity.

Jesus came (purposefully) strolling along the beach. "Follow me," he said to two fishermen, "I have a mission for you." Mark uses a word repeatedly in his gospel - Immediately. The two dropped their nets and walked with him.

The two brothers didn't fold and store their nets for later use, as a fallback plan. They didn't tell Jesus they would meet him at church after they finished up. They immediately dropped their nets - their security... their way of life... their identity.

Nets lose their luster in the face of the high calling from God. And make no mistake, you and I have a high calling.

Jesus may call us to drop our nets. He may choose to use our nets. He may give us completely different nets. The point is, when Jesus calls, we need to realize that whatever we are holding on to - for our security... our way of life... our identity - they are just nets. And we must choose. Will we stay? Will we follow? We must choose - immediately.

God, I choose to drop my nets...

For now...
D

Stand!

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.
-- Ephesians 6:10


From where does our strength come? The better question: From whom does our strength come? It is obviously a leading question. And the Sunday School answer is, "God." That, or he, is also the right answer. And at times, we need the reminder.

Paul urges believers to be strong and to stand. He quickly notes in both cases that our strength is in the Lord and that we can stand only through the equipping that God provides - his whole armor.

Our strength is proportional to our dependence. 

And we stand strongest when we lean most on Christ. 

I was reminded of this earlier in the evening. Suddenly feeling a bit overwhelmed and overtaken by worry, I prayed. It was an odd prayer. (And you would think me pretty unspiritual if I admitted the nature of the prayer.) I reminded myself and God - though he didn't need to be - that he alone has provided all along. He has always been faithful to me. And the anxieties that I was playing out for the future were indications that I was standing on my own, leaning on myself and trusting in my own strength.

At times the weight of our circumstances, relationships, hurts and fears seem they will crush us. Paul acknowledged this, but held to a greater truth. To the Corinthian believers he wrote:

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 

persecuted, buy not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (2 Corinthians 4:8-9). 

Christ is our strength. And he never fails. 

God, You are my strength, and I will stand in you...

For now...
D

How We Walk Now...

Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time.
-- Ephesians 5:15-16


There are many things money cannot buy. Among these is time.

We cannot purchase any moment from the past to be relived. Nor can we buy additional seconds to be added to our future.

Each of us has a specified period of time in this life. We have also been given an allotment of time each year, each month, week, day and minute. Time is a precious commodity. And what we do in this moment matters. Who we choose to be in the present dictates who we will become in the minutes, days and years (even eternity) to come.

How and where we have walked in the past cannot carry us in the present. It is a legacy. It builds our confidence and hope. But it will not sustain us in this moment. Nor can our intentions and promises of faithful walking in the future empower us in the now.

We must walk (live our lives) with the wise understanding that we make the most of the moments. Each day gives us opportunity to walk faithfully with Christ ("in the Spirit").

Walk your walk today. Now.
... Pray now
... Get in the Word now
... Love now
... Be Christ to someone now
... Walk now!

God, walking with you is the best use of "my" time...

For now...
D

I wrote a post a while ago that speaks to this topic. (It also reminds me that I am far overdue to write the final post on Potential v. Kinetic.

IF ONLY... (Potential v. Kinetic, pt.3)