Posted on Monday, September 2, 2024

You’re Worth It

For The Joy Set Before Him

THE BIG IDEA: “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.” What was the “joy” that so motivated Jesus to go through such a humiliating and torturous death? I’m convinced, my friend, that you were the joy Jesus saw as he hung there on the cross. And when he saw that you would one day stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne, his heart swelled even as the life drained from his body, and he said, “It’s worth it!” All the suffering and humiliation of the cross was worth it to Jesus because you’re worth it!

Meditation // Mark 15:24

Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross.

Mark’s account of Jesus’s betrayal, arrest, trial, suffering, and crucifixion is moving beyond words. As you read in the paragraph below his description of what Jesus went through, I would encourage you to remember that Jesus didn’t have to go through this. But he did—and the reason was you.

The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then, they led him away to be crucified. (Mark 15:16-20)

Trumped-up charges, the mockery of a trial, public humiliation, mental and physical torture, and rejection—the Second Person of the Trinity, the Agent of Creation, the Messiah of God’s chosen people, suffered beyond description at the hands of the people he loved. Yet he chose to endure it. Why? He did it for you! Hebrews 12:2 says,

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.

What was the “joy” that so motivated Jesus to go through such a humiliating, torturous death? I am convinced, my friend, that you were the joy Jesus saw as he hung there on the cross. And when he saw that you would one day stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne, his heart swelled even as the life drained from his body, and he said, “it’s worth it!”

All the suffering and humiliation of the cross was worth it to Jesus because you’re worth it!

What Now? Just take a minute before you do anything else today and offer your heartfelt thanks to God yet again for what he did by placing Jesus on the cross in your stead.

Posted on Monday, November 7, 2022

Tying God’s Hands

Only You Can Surrender Your Willful Unbelief

SYNOPSIS: What is the one thing Jesus can’t do? Violate a person’s willful unbelief, that’s what. He will help a person’s humble admission of unbelief (“Lord, help my unbelief”), but he will not impose his Lordship on someone’s refusal to give him a chance. And that includes you! Only you can control your willful unbelief.

Moments With God // Mark 6:5-6

Jesus could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief.

This is one of the most amazing texts in the entire Bible. Jesus—the second person of the Trinity, the visible image of the invisible God; the one who existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation; the one through whom God created everything in heaven and on earth, the things we can see and the things we can’t see. Think of all those things Jesus created and controls, even when it doesn’t seem like things are under control: thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Yes, Jesus is the one by whom all creation is held together (Col 1:15-17). He is the one who had raised the dead, healed the sick, delivered the demonized, fed the five thousand, and walked on water. Astoundingly, this very Jesus could do no mighty works in his own town because of the unbelief of the people who knew him.

And even he—the one who had seen it all—was amazed by their unbelief. I would dare say it must take an awful lot to stump Jesus!

What is the one thing Jesus can’t do? Violate a person’s willful unbelief, that’s what. He will help a person’s humble admission of unbelief (“Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” Mark 9:14-25), but he will not impose his Lordship on someone’s refusal to give him a chance.

Now before we get all huffy about Jesus’ neighbors, do you think we sometimes do that with Jesus, too? Haven’t we seen his glory, tasted his goodness; been touched by his love and grace and power, yet we still question his right of Lordship over our lives? You might say, “but I don’t do that!” Yes, you do—so do I! How? We do that when we give in to doubt, worry, fear, depression, anger, or engage in any number of other self-medicating, self-destructive acts, like overspending, overeating, oversleeping, over-talking, over-sharing, over-indulging in sexually addictive behaviors, substance abuse…and the list goes on.

Why would we surrender to any of those harmful and deceptive things when we have seen and touched the power and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ? Truthfully, I don’t know why we would. Sometimes my own propensity to resist Christ’s loving Lordship amazes me.

Here’s what I do know: If we will take an honest look at where we are resisting Jesus’ right to rule over us—both passively and willfully—and come to him with a humble request that he help our unbelief, even that crack in the door will be enough for him to do his mighty works in our lives.

Otherwise, you will be tying God’s hands. And that will amaze even him—and not in a good way. So instead offer him your humble, simple faith, and Jesus will likewise be amazed—and I mean in the best way possible, just as we see in Luke 7:9,

Jesus was amazed. Turning to the crowd he said, “Never among all the Jews in Israel have I met someone with faith like this.”

Take A Moment: Offer this prayer sincere today: Jesus, there are still areas of my life where I resist your Lordship. Help my unbelief. I open the door of my heart to you and invite you to burst through it to accomplish your mighty works in me.

Posted on Monday, June 20, 2022

Everything Goes Back To Normal

Don’t Get Stuck on a Spiritual High

SYNOPSIS: Never fixate on a spiritual high. Resist the urge to erect a shelter on a mountaintop experience. Don’t rate your current and future Christian experience against those “glory days” of yesteryear. Simply see those experiences for what they are: Fuel for the assignment ahead. Then get back to normal. Climb down off your mountaintop experience and get back in the game. Lost people are still lost down there in the real world and the proclamation of God’s kingdom from your lips and through your life is still the only way they will be found.

Moments With God // Mark 9:9

As they went back down the mountain…

In Mark 9:2-13 we come across one of the most fascinating and mysterious stories about Jesus in the Gospels. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain, and there before their very eyes, for a few moments at least, his humanity morphs into the dazzling brilliance of his divine being. And if that weren’t enough to knock their sandals off, Moses and Elijah, Israel’s two greatest historical and theological figures, suddenly show up and begin to encourage Jesus about his upcoming death.

As you would expect of Peter, the unpredictable disciple offers to set up shop for this impromptu triumvirate: “Teacher, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (Mark 9:5)

At that, a cloud covers Jesus and his heavenly guests, the Voice speaks a word of Divine authentication from the heavens, Jesus is suddenly left standing with Peter, James, and John, and everything goes back to normal.

Everything goes back to normal!

That’s when Jesus leads them “back down the mountain” to the real world.

Here’s the deal: God never intends for us to fixate on “spiritual highs”; we are not to build tabernacles around them or make memorials out of them. They are simply means to an end, the fuel to empower us for another spiritual assignment. Jesus didn’t have this encounter with Moses and Elijah just so he could feel special. The same account of the transfiguration in Luke 9:31 (NLT) tells us that these two Old Testament prophets came to encourage Jesus about his upcoming departure—literally, in the original text, his “exodus.” He was about to face the greatest assignment of all—the cross. This mountaintop experience was meant as fuel—encouragement, strength, a reminder of his life’s purpose—for his impending death for the sins of the world.

Don’t get me wrong: I am not down on “spiritual highs.” They are wonderful—and necessary. Just don’t fixate on them. Resist the urge to erect a shelter and live in their warm afterglow. Don’t rate the rest of your Christian experience against them. Don’t build the entire meaning of your existence upon them. Simply see them for what they are: Fuel for the assignment ahead.

Then get back to normal. Climb down off your mountaintop experience and get back in the game. Lost people are still lost down there in the real world and the proclamation of God’s kingdom from your lips and the demonstration of it through your life is still the only way they will be found.

Take A Moment: Is there a “spiritual high” from your past (an ecstatic experience, a fruitful time of ministry, a wonderful season in an amazing church family, a dramatic period of spiritual growth under a gifted spiritual leader) against which you tend to measure current experience? Stop doing that! It’s idolatrous, actually. Repent of worshiping experience and instead ask God to show you how he intends for that “high” to fuel you for the kingdom assignment ahead.

Posted on Monday, April 18, 2022

You’re Worth It

For the Joy Set Before Him

SYNOPSIS: Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before him Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame.” What was the “joy” that so motivated him to go through such a humiliating, torturous death? It was you! As he hung between heaven and earth, he saw that one day you would stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne. Yes, the cross, with all its suffering and shame, was worth it to Jesus because you’re worth it to Jesus!

Moments With God // Mark 15:24

Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross.

Mark’s account of the betrayal, arrest, trial, suffering, and crucifixion of Jesus is moving beyond words. As you read in the paragraph below his description of what Jesus went through, I would encourage you to remember that Jesus didn’t have to go through pain, shame, and suffering of the cross.

But he did—and the reason was you.

The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. (Mark 15:16-20)

Trumped up charges, the mockery of a trial, public humiliation, mental and physical torture and rejection — the Second Person of the Trinity, the Agent of Creation, the Messiah of God’s chosen people — suffered beyond description at the hands of the people he loved. Yet he chose to endure it. Why? He did it for you! Hebrews 12:2 says,

For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.

All the suffering and humiliation of the cross was worth it to Jesus, because you’re worth it!

Take A Moment: Just take a minute before you do anything else today and offer your heartfelt thanks to God yet again for what he did by placing Jesus on the cross in your stead.

Posted on Monday, April 11, 2022

What Does God Look Like?

Just look at Jesus

SYNOPSIS: No one has ever seen God and lived to tell about it. But if you’ve seen Jesus, you’ve seen God. Colossians 1:15 & 19 tell us, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God … For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” In Jesus, God has identified with you so you can identify with Him. In Jesus, God has come near to you so you can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for you to live before Him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness. In Jesus, you get a live demonstration of what God is like. That means today, even at this very moment, you can experience all of God through Jesus. How? Simply and confidently “come boldly to the throne of your gracious God, and there you will receive His mercy and you will find His grace to help you when you need it most.” (Heb 4:16)

Moments With God // Mark 10:13-14

One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.”

What does God look like? No human being has ever seen him and lived to tell about it. So we are left to wonder.

I love the story of the little girl who was drawing a picture when her mother asked, “Honey, what are you drawing?” Quite confidently, the little girl said, “I’m drawing a picture of God!” The mother reminded her that no one really knows what God looks like. To which the little girl said, “They will when I get done.”

In Jesus’ day, the people of Israel had never seen God. They only knew of him from their wooden rituals, vacuous traditions, and misguided theologies. They had no visible clue as to what God was like, but Jesus came along and said, “They will when I get done.”

So what does God looks like? Just look at Jesus. The Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 1:15, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God.” Verse 19 says, “For in Jesus all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.”

In other words, when you see Jesus, you’re seeing God himself. Jesus is the perfect picture of God; the absolutely accurate image of the Father. Jesus is the invisible God made visible.

So what does watching Jesus tell us about God here in Mark 10? Well, how does God feel about your marriage? Just look at Jesus telling the Pharisees, “What God has joined together let not man separate.” (Mark 10:9)

How does God feel about your children? Just look at Jesus gathering up a bunch of kids in his arms and saying, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” (Mark 10:14)

How does God feel about your struggle to let go of earthly dependencies? Just look at Jesus’ interaction with the rich young ruler: “Jesus looked at him and loved him.” (Mark 10:21)

How does God feel about your competitiveness with others? Just look at Jesus saying to his disciples, “Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.” (Mark 10:44)

How does God feel about the things you care about? Just look at Jesus asking blind Bartimaeus, “What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51)

What is God like? What does he look like? How does he feel about you? Just take a look at Jesus—it will really encourage you. Take a moment just to drink in what Hebrews 4:15 (The Message) has to say about it:

In Jesus, we don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

In Jesus, God has identified with us so we can identify with him. In Jesus, God has come near to us so we can come near to God. In Jesus, God has made a way for us to live before him with complete confidence and daring prayerfulness—we can “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God, and there we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”

Wow! In Jesus, we get a live demonstration of what God is like. And that’s a good deal for us way beyond description!

Take A Moment: Offer this prayer of gratitude that God has revealed himself to you by his Son, Jesus Christ: “Father, thank you for making yourself known to me in Jesus. And thank you for making a way through Jesus for me to come into your presence to receive the mercy and find the grace that I need to make it through this day in victorious fashion.”

Posted on Saturday, April 11, 2020

You’re Worth It

He Endured The Cross For You

“For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.” (Heb. 12:2) What was this “joy” that so motivated Jesus to go through the most humiliating, torturous death when he didn’t have to? It was you, my friend—you were the joy Jesus felt in his heart as his hands and feet were nailed to the cross. And when his mind’s eye saw that you would one day stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne, his heart swelled even as the life drained from his body, and he said, “it’s worth it!” All the pain and shame of the cross was worth it to Jesus, because you’re worth it!

Holy Saturday Reflection: Mark 15:24

Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross.

The account of the betrayal, arrest, trial, suffering and crucifixion of Jesus is moving beyond words. As you read again his description of what Jesus went through, I would encourage you to remember that Jesus didn’t have to go through this. But he did—and the reason was you.

The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified. (Mark 15:16-20)

He did it for you! Hebrews 12:2 says, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.” What was this “joy” that so motivated Jesus to go through the most humiliating, torturous death? I am convinced, my friend, that you were the joy Jesus saw as he hung there on the cross. And when he saw that you would one day stand with him as one of the redeemed before his Father’s throne, his heart swelled even as the life drained from his body, and he said, “it’s worth it!”

All the suffering and humiliation of the cross was worth it to Jesus, because you’re worth it.

Just take a minute before you do anything else today and offer your heartfelt thanks to God yet again for what he did by placing Jesus on the cross in your stead.

A Simple Prayer:

God, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your grace. Thank you for my salvation, so rich, so free.

Posted on Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Signs

Supernatural Power Is Promised To Every Believer

Casting out demons, speaking in tongues, handling snakes, drinking deadly poison without harm, healing the sick—scripture promises those supernatural signs to Christ-followers. Miraculous signs, Jesus said, will accompany believers today! Now don’t get hung up on the individual signs. I am not proposing that we become snake-handlers (although tossing a rattler into the congregation would certainly pep up a lot of church services and likely boost attendance, at least for a while). Nor am I proposing that rat poison smoothies be on the menu at your church’s coffee bar. I remember Jesus saying that we’re not to foolishly test the Lord our God, so we probably ought to keep that in mind! But since miracles are part and parcel of the Kingdom, since they are promised to believers, since they are taking place in the world today, then I think it is reasonable that we should desire them here in America, in your church and mine, and in your life and mine as well.

The Journey: Mark 16:17-18

These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.

The footnote in your Bible says Mark 16:9-20 doesn’t appear in the earliest known manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel. In light of that, I am not sure how you feel about the words of Jesus recorded here, but I happen to believe that Jesus actually said them—and that he meant them. Jesus wanted us to fully understand that he expected the very same miraculous signs that authenticated his authority to attend the witness of his followers, validating their testimony as well—not only in the first century, but in the twenty-first century.

Now some Bible scholars believe that this section of verses (Mark 16: 9-20) was not in Mark’s original manuscript. The reason is that these verses are not found in the earliest and best Greek manuscripts of Mark’s Gospel. Their thought is that since well-intentioned church leaders added to Mark’s words a couple of centuries later, no doctrines should be built upon these verses. However, scholars who doubt the authenticity of these verses will invariably add that what verses 9-20 say is affirmed elsewhere in Scripture, therefore we should not completely disregard them.

So back to my point: If Scripture promises supernatural power for Christ-followers, then miraculous signs should be accompanying believers today! Now don’t get hung up on the individual signs. I am not proposing that we become snake-handlers (although tossing a rattler into the congregation would certainly pep up a lot of church services and likely boost attendance, at least for a while). Nor am I proposing that rat poison smoothies be on the menu at your church’s coffee bar. I remember Jesus saying that we’re not to foolishly test the Lord our God. We probably ought to keep that in mind!

But I am saying that we ought to be expecting, and experiencing miracles in our midst today. And in many places around the world, miraculous signs are following Christians, even as we speak—usually in areas where people are desperate for God and believers are depending on his intervention just to stay alive. Yes, miraculous signs are accompanying those who believe…today…in the twenty-first century…right here on Planet Earth!

Since miracles are part and parcel of the Kingdom of God, since they are promised to believers, since they are taking place in the world today, then I think it is reasonable that we should desire them here in America, in your church and mine, and in your life and mine as well. I may be crazy, but until God shows me otherwise, I am going to keep asking for them. Not that I want them as some sort of crowd boosting gimmick, nor do I want them to bring attention to me or my church. I simply want them as an authentication of the kingdom, power and glory of God revealed among his people before a watching world!

I think it’s only fair, since Jesus promised them.

A Simple Prayer To Be More Like Jesus:

God, restore Christ’s authority and power to your people, to your church and its leaders, and to my life—sooner rather than later.