Honest Reflections

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 6:1-7:27 ESV, Mark 3:7-30 ESV, Psalm 37:1-11 ESV, Proverbs 10:3-4 ESV

Daily Verse: “Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea” (Mark 3:7 ESV)

ANACHOREO (402): “To withdraw, to go back, recede, retire.  To make room for, betake oneself.”[I]

Jesus withdrew.

Crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went.  The more people Jesus healed, the faster word spread of Him.  People wanted to see the Miracle Worker for themselves.  As a result, Jesus retreated to the sea with the disciples so the crowd wouldn’t crush Him.

People require energy. Spending time with someone, giving them your full attention, actively loving them can exhaust you without intentional rest. Jesus withdrew intentionally, protecting Himself from the pressing crowd.

Love with space.

Jesus understood the need for balance.  Throughout His ministry on earth, Jesus never overscheduled.  God’s Son knew when to engage with the crowd and withdraw from it.  Jesus also knew when He needed one-on-one time with the Father.  Our Savior balanced His time well between spending time with people and God. 

Trying to love people in our power will never work.  When you feel the crowd pressing in on you, do what Jesus did, withdraw.  Take your closest friends and get-a-way for a weekend. Spend some time alone with God, pouring out your pain, allowing Him to refill you with His Spirit.

Create balance in your life withdraw from the crowd when necessary.  Refuel with God.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 24) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 4:1-5:19 ESV, Mark 2:13-3:6 ESV, Psalm 36:1-12 ESV, Proverbs 10:1-2 ESV

Daily Verse: “And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17 ESV)

HAMARTOLOS (268): “From 264 HARMARTANO, “to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize), i.e. fig. to err, mor. to sin.”[I]

Everyone sins

Sinning means missing the mark and not receiving the prize.  Sin separates us from God.  Jesus unites us with our Creator. Without Jesus, our sins keep us from the ultimate prize, a relationship with God. 

My thoughts remain my largest battle; little lies will wiggle their way into my thoughts.  My mind goes to the worst-case scenario at an unbelievable speed. When my brain spirals out of control, the process of sinning begins.  Our thoughts rule our actions.  We must think before we do.

Filling our minds with God’s word allows us to hit the mark.  Instead of allowing wayward thoughts to lead us to contrary actions, scripture helps focus.  Thinking about God’s promises gives us hope, just what the doctor ordered.

Jesus heals.

Our sinful nature causes us pain.  Often the largest hurts we experience start because of our poor decision-making.  Facing the reality of those choices requires accepting painful truths.  But Jesus travels with us into the hurt.  When you reveal the wound, God fills it with love.

Whatever mark you think you missed, God forgives you.  The moment you confess, God responds with grace.  Each morning begins a new day full of choices waiting for you to make.  Choose first to spend time in God’s word get your thoughts started in the right direction.  Hit the mark with Jesus.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (pp 15-6) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Leviticus 1:1-3:17 ESV, Mark 1:29-2:12 ESV, Psalm 35:17-28 ESV, Proverbs 9:13-18 ESV

Daily Verse: “And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” (Mark 1:38 ESV)

KERUSSO (2784): “To herald (as a public crier), espec. Divine truth (the gospel). To be a herald, or in general, to proclaim.  To preach the gospel as a herald.”[I]

Proclaim divine truth.

Hearing the term “preaching” doesn’t make me think of fond memories.  Listening to the pastor preach, sitting on an ornate wooden bench, white gloves, lacy socks, patent leather shoes accessorizing my Sunday dress, not my funniest childhood memories.  Preaching to me means uncomfortable and boring.

Parents preach, teachers preach, bosses preach.  None of them uplifting and encouraging experiences.

However, sharing the divine truth about Jesus causes life change.  Nothing boring about living life fuller because of God.  Preaching about God’s Son should engage and challenge all who listen.

Share passionately.

We all share in the Great Commission to make disciples throughout the nations (Matthew 28:16-20 ESV).  In essence, God made each of us preachers.  Our best sermon becomes how we live our lives.  People learn from watching more than listening.

Coaching tennis depends on demonstration.  Setting an example in how to play the game and proper etiquette means I must do it.  The kids don’t listen, but they do watch and imitate.

For the warm-up, we use multi-sided dice with different exercises listed.  Rolling the dice, each student must complete five activities.  Since we’ve implemented this into the program, I do five exercises daily with the kids, leading by example.  Actions speak louder than words.

Live your life to the fullest, giving God the glory.  Accept His love and mercy into your life, share it with everyone you meet.  Let your preaching uplift and encourage always.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p138) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 39:1-40:38 ESV, Mark 1:1-28 ESV, Psalm 35:1-16 ESV, Proverbs 9:11-12 ESV

Daily Verse: “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” (Mark 1:1 ESV)

THEOS (2316): “A deity, the supreme Divinity; fig., a magistrate.  In the polytheism of the Greeks denoted an ‘a god or deity.  Appropriated by Jews and retained by Christians to denote ‘the one true God.” In the OT, “God” comes from the Hebrew words Elohim and Jehovah, the former indicating His power and pre-eminence, the later His unoriginated, immutable, eternal, and self-sustained existence.  In the NT, these and all the other divine attributes are predicated of Him.”[I]

Everything starts with God.

People will argue until their dying breath, God doesn’t exist, but that’s not the truth. God created everything.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

Other theories exist about how the world began, but none proved.  Our existence depends on God’s creativity; each morning begins because God allows the sun to rise.  You live because God gives you breath.  Everything starts with God.  First, He created the world; then God made man.  Without the Big Guy, none of us would live.

Eternal and self-sustained.

Our human minds can’t comprehend God’s sovereignty completely.  An eternal being, God doesn’t need us; we need Him.  Our forever life begins when we believe in God’s existence.  God created us as an expression of His love.  Loving, worshiping, and serving Jesus becomes our gift to God. 

Theology means how you view God. Each of us develops a belief system about the nature of God, which determines our relationship with Him.  If we think of God as cold and uncaring, our relationship will reflect the belief.  However, understanding God’s unconditional love for you will draw you into a closer relationship with Him as you accept His affection into your life.

Believe God exists.  Pursue a relationship with your Creator.  Experience the love and mercy God offers.  Live life to the fullest today.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p138) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 37:1-38:31 ESV, Matthew 28:1-20 ESV, Psalm 34:11-22 ESV, Proverbs 9:9-10 ESV

Daily Verse: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV)

HAGIOS (40):  “Sacred (phys. Pure, mor. Blameless or religious, cer. Consecrated) Fundamentally signifies separated, and hence, in Scripture in its moral and spiritual significance, separated from sin and therefore consecrated to God.  It is used of men and things in so far as they are devoted to God.  The saints are thus figuratively spoken of as a holy temple.[I]

One Spirit

Holy Spirit, God within us, makes our body God’s temple.  Jesus taking up residency in our hearts changes us.  Beginning to understand and apply God’s love to our relationships brings new life.  Only one God exists, only one Spirit.

Paul, in Athens, challenges the Romans because they have a statue of an unknown god, along with all their other gods.  Speaking to the men, Paul shows God as the unknown god, the one and only God.

Holy and Separate.

Believing in the one true God makes you holy, separated from your sin.  God forgives wholly and immediately the moment you ask for mercy.  As we journey with God, we become more sensitive to the sin in our lives, realizing a constant battle of surrendering our will to His exists.

God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, helps us win the battle.  Conviction from within helps us confess quickly.  When an errant thought runs through my head, I admit it to God.  Partnering with the Creator’s power, the idea doesn’t take root in my mind and turn into action.

Holy Spirit, our one and only, guide and direct us today.  Let us acknowledge Your promptings, confess our sins, and become more like Jesus.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 3) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 35:10-36:38 ESV, Matthew 27:32-66 ESV, Psalm 34:1-10 ESV, Proverbs 9:7-8 ESV

Daily Verse: ‘And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46 ESV)

EGKATALEIPO (1459): “To leave behind in some place, i.e. (in a good sense) let remain over, or (in a bad sense) to desert:-forsake (7x), leave (2x).  To forsake, abandon, leave in straits or helpless.”[I]

Forsaken moment.

Jesus experienced abandonment and despair, taking our sin upon His shoulders; He endured the suffering we deserve.  His heart-wrenching words reveal Jesus’s agony.  God forsaking Jesus for a moment gives us eternal life.  Before breathing His last, Jesus uttered three words, “It is finished” (John 19:30).

Everyone feels God’s absence at some point in life.  Currently, I have areas in my life I’m wondering, “What the heck, God?”  As much as I pray, nothing appears to happen.  At times like these, we must remember God’s sovereignty. Our heavenly Father knows all, we only know in part, trust His wisdom.

Keep going.

When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He meant it.  Victory over every evil came at that moment.  God didn’t forsake Jesus; He used His Son to connect with us.  Jesus’ humanity on the cross joins us with our heavenly Father.  Our minds will never understand God, not until we reach heaven.  Trying to figure everything out wastes time and energy.

Feeling forsaken doesn’t mean God abandoned you.  Emotions lie; God doesn’t.  Jesus promises, “I am with you always, to the end of age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV).

Jesus did what we couldn’t.  Live in His gift today.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 75) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 34:1-35:9 ESV, Matthew 27:15-31 ESV, Psalm 33:12-22 ESV, Proverbs 9:1-6 ESV

Daily Verse: “Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27:22 ESV)

STAUROO (4717): “To impale on the cross; fig. to extinguish (subdue) passion or selfishness-crucify (46x).  Metaphorically, ‘the putting off of the flesh with its passions and lusts,’ a condition fulfilled in the case of those who are ‘in Christ Jesus,’ so of the relationship between the believer and the world.”[i]

---

Jesus crucified for you.

In a world full of narratives, Jesus’ truth stands the test of time.  With over 500 witnesses alive during the writing of the New Testament, they validate the book. The fact remains the same, Jesus lived and died for us.  His resurrection proved accurate because of eyewitness testimony.

Crucifixion meant hanging the offender on a cross, nails hammered through hands and feet holding the person in place.  Death comes from suffocation; the body’s weight pulls the arms down, eventually making breathing impossible.[i]  Jesus suffered for our sins; make no mistake about the facts.

Respect the act.

What Jesus did for us deserves respect.  No other “god” shows such love.  Buddha’s last words as he died from eating tainted pork[ii]:

“Work hard to gain your own salvation.” Buddha[iii]

Our Savior’s last words before drawing His last breath:

“It is finished,” Jesus (John 19:30 ESV)

People create gods out of humans.  God came in the flesh, fulfilling over 300 prophecies, connecting us to Him.  Jesus lived so that we could find life to the fullest.  He died for our sins, not His—honor Jesus’ actions with your life.  Show gratitude for His sacrifice by taking steps of faith.

Trust the one who hung for you—experience life to the fullest with Jesus as your guide.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 233) Thomas Nelson

[i]https://www.theguardian.com/science/2004/apr/08/thisweekssciencequestions

[ii]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19813312/#:~:text=Buddha%20died%20from%20an%20illness,toxins%20of%20Clostridium%20perfringens%20infection.

[iii]http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/lifebuddha/2_31lbud.htm

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 32:1-33:23 ESV, Matthew 26:69-27:14 ESV, Psalm 33:1-11 ESV, Proverbs 8:33-36 ESV

Daily Verse: “But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” (Matthew 26:70 ESV)

ARNEOMAI (720): “To contradict, i.e. disavow, reject, abnegate. Forsake, or renounce a thing.”[i]

Everyone denies.

Peter, the beloved disciple who walked with Christ, denied Him.  Not wanting to suffer, when asked if he knew Jesus, Peter responded, “I do not know the man.” (vs. 72).  Jesus knew Peter’s answer in advance:

“Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Matthew 26:74 ESV)

Inevitably, we all deny Christ at some point or another.  When we decide to go against Jesus’ teachings, the decision denies Christ.  Our actions speak louder than words when we consciously do something that contrasts God’s word.  As Peter did, we feel remorse for our activities, realizing our mistake.  Just like Jesus forgave Peter, He forgives us. 

Don’t deny.

When I began my adult journey following Jesus, I faced the challenge of denying Christ.  In my late 20’s, training for a new job, I attended a seminar in Florida.  Surrounded by assumed non-believers, someone started a spiritual conversation, asking each of us what we believed.  One verse ran through my mind:

“But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:33 ESV)

Petrified, when my turn came to answer the question, I quietly said, “I love Jesus.”  To my surprise, the guy next to me said, “Hallelujah, praise the Lord.  My aunt says, I’m lost, but I ain’t lost.  I love Jesus too!”

Don’t deny Jesus.  Stand for the One who hung for you.  Watch in amazement as God blesses your faithfulness.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 41) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 30:11-31:18 ESV, Matthew 26:47-68 ESV, Psalm 32:1-11 ESV, Proverbs 8:27-32 ESV

Daily Verse:  “Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” (Matthew 26:48 ESV)

PARADIDOMI (3860): “To surrender, i.e., to deliver over to another to keep, yield up, intrust, transmit.  Also means ‘to give over, commit, deliver’ and also signifies ‘is brought forth.’ Is used in the sense of delivering a person or thing to be kept by another, to commend or to deliver to prison or judgment.”[I]

Delivered heartache.

Betrayal especially breaks hearts.  Giving up a bond of trust you have with someone to benefit yourself defines heartlessness.  Every “Good vs. Evil” story includes one, if not several, betrayals of some sort.  Once betrayed, you never forget the pain.  Trust disappears as hurt fills the void.

Jesus’ betrayer handed Him over to endure unspeakable torture and suffering.  Watch “Passion of the Christ”[i] by Mel Gibson if you want to understand what Jesus experienced.  Judas’ kiss, betrayal of all betrayals, killed the King.

Painful lessons.

Judas’s betrayal of Jesus caused him remorse; he hanged himself (Matthew 27:5 ESV).  For both parties, the betrayer and the betrayee, pain exists.  Jesus experienced physical and emotional pain, as we’ll never know.  Judas’ understanding of his actions came far too late. 

Pain exists on both sides of the story, each of us carrying unseen wounds, some festering more than others.  Regaining trust after a betrayal impossible without God.  Jesus brings us all together at the foot of the Cross.  His death paid the price for our sin.

Forgiving a betrayal, for me very difficult.  God forgives quickly.  I struggle to do the same, not wanting to experience the pain again, afraid the offender will do it again if I forgive.  Creating appropriate boundaries helps me develop healthier relationships.   Some people I pull in close, others I keep at arm’s length.  Following Jesus helped me learn to set boundaries.

Give your pain to Jesus.  Ask Him to show you what to do next.  Jesus never betrays.  In Him, you can trust.

---

[i] https://youtu.be/4Aif1qEB_JU

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 189) Thomas Nelson

2 minute read.

Daily Reading: Exodus 29:1-30:10 ESV, Matthew 26:14-46 ESV, Psalm 31:19-24 ESV, Proverbs 8:14-26 ESV

Daily Verse:  “And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled.” (Matthew 26:37 ESV)

LUPEO (3076): “To distress; to be sad; be sorrowful, grieve, make sorry, be sorry, sorrow, cause grief, be in heaviness.” [i]

Jesus experienced sorrow.

Jesus, knowing His mission, dying on the cross for our sins, heads to the garden to connect with God.  Feeling sorrowful and troubled, Jesus asks Peter, James, and John to keep watch as He communes with the Father.  When Jesus returns, He finds the disciples sleeping, not looking out for Him.  Already sorrowful and troubled, betrayal gets added to the mix. 

Yet Jesus persevered.

Sorrow’s path leads to joy, but we must experience the pain, not run from it.   Jesus didn’t run. The Son’s strength came from the Father; we have access to the same power. Jesus endured earthly pain on His way to eternal joy. And so do we.

Everyone experiences heaviness.

For most of my life, I’ve avoided sorrow.  Afraid of the emotion, I tried valiantly to prevent it.  Whenever sorrowful feelings began to wrap their tendrils around my heart, I would find something to take my mind off the emotions.

Coping techniques help us deal with difficult emotions and live fuller lives.  Identifying our feelings requires sitting in them for a moment, experiencing them.  My go-to technique RAIN by Dr. Laurie Santos[ii]:

Recognize:  Identify your feelings.

Allow: Permit yourself to feel.

Investigate: Understand your feelings.

Nurture: Become a friend to yourself

Jesus felt deeply.  He experienced the same heartaches we do.  Instead of running from His emotions, Jesus moved through them with His Father.  In His darkest moments, Jesus prayed.  Eventually, sorrow becomes joy.

---

[i] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p 153) Thomas Nelson

[ii] https://mindyourmind.ca/blog/using-rain-technique-part-2-happiness-lab-podcast-series