It's nice to be included. You aren't always. Universities exclude you if you aren't smart enough. Businesses exclude you if you aren't qualified enough, and sadly, some churches exclude you if you aren't good enough. But though they may exclude you, Christ includes you. When asked to describe the width of His love, He stretched one hand to the right and the other hand to the left and had them nailed in that position so you would know He died loving you.
Surely there has to be a limit to this love. You'd think so, wouldn't you? But David, the adulterer, never found it. Paul, the murderer, never found it. Peter, the liar, never found it. When it came to life they hit bottom. But when it came to God's love they never did.
How wide is God's love? Wide enough for the whole world. And you are included!
From He Chose the Nails
Job 16
Then Job replied:
2 “I have heard many things like these;
you are miserable comforters, all of you!
3 Will your long-winded speeches never end?
What ails you that you keep on arguing?
4 I also could speak like you,
if you were in my place;
I could make fine speeches against you
and shake my head at you.
5 But my mouth would encourage you;
comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved;
and if I refrain, it does not go away.
7 Surely, God, you have worn me out;
you have devastated my entire household.
8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness;
my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
9 God assails me and tears me in his anger
and gnashes his teeth at me;
my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
10 People open their mouths to jeer at me;
they strike my cheek in scorn
and unite together against me.
11 God has turned me over to the ungodly
and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
12 All was well with me, but he shattered me;
he seized me by the neck and crushed me.
He has made me his target;
13 his archers surround me.
Without pity, he pierces my kidneys
and spills my gall on the ground.
14 Again and again he bursts upon me;
he rushes at me like a warrior.
15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin
and buried my brow in the dust.
16 My face is red with weeping,
dark shadows ring my eyes;
17 yet my hands have been free of violence
and my prayer is pure.
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood;
may my cry never be laid to rest!
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend[c]
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as one pleads for a friend.
22 “Only a few years will pass
before I take the path of no return.
Job 16:20 Or My friends treat me with scorn
Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Read: Mark 4:33-41
With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”
Insight
Mark 4:35–5:43 records four miracles that answer the question, “Who can this be?” (4:41). These miracles demonstrated Jesus’ absolute power over nature (4:35-41), the spiritual world (5:1-20), physical illnesses (5:21-34), and death (5:35-43). Each miracle shows Jesus as the omnipotent sovereign God. Yet in this passage, Mark provides one of the most amazing contrasts. Just before Jesus displayed the awesome powers of His deity, we are given a touching picture of His humanity: Jesus was so tired that even the violent tossing of the waves did not wake Him (v.38).
Christ In The Storm
By David C. McCasland
Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith? —Mark 4:40
At the age of 27, Rembrandt painted the seascape Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee based on the story in Mark 4. With its distinctive contrast of light and shadow, Rembrandt’s painting shows a small boat threatened with destruction in a furious storm. As the disciples struggle against the wind and waves, Jesus is undisturbed. The most unusual aspect, however, is the presence in the boat of a 13th disciple whom art experts say resembles Rembrandt himself.
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| Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee |
Mark’s gospel describes the disciples’ vivid lesson about who Jesus is and what He can do. While they were frantically trying to save a sinking boat, Jesus was asleep. Didn’t He care that they were all about to die? (v.38). After Jesus calmed the storm (v.39), He asked the penetrating question, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” (v.40). Then they were even more afraid, exclaiming to each other, “Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!” (v.41).
We could also put ourselves in this story and discover, just as Jesus’ disciples did, that to each person who trusts in Jesus Christ, He reveals His presence, compassion, and control in every storm of life.
Be still, my heart; for faithful is thy Lord,
And pure and true and tried His holy Word;
Though stormy flood which rageth as the sea,
His promises thy stepping-stones shall be. —Anon.
God is a safe dwelling place in life’s storms.
My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Gracious Uncertainty
. . . it has not yet been revealed what we shall be . . . —1 John 3:2
Our natural inclination is to be so precise—trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next—that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty. Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, “Well, what if I were in that circumstance?” We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been.
Certainty is the mark of the commonsense life—gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God—it is only believing our belief about Him. Jesus said, “. . . unless you . . . become as little children . . .” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy. Jesus said, “. . . believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me”. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in—but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.
A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Faith and Fitted Sheets - #7122
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
My wife's been such an invaluable help in the ministry. The least I can do is "pitch in" at home. Huh? A lot of jobs are so much easier if you've got two people working on them. One of those is the simple task of making a bed. Of course, this is the age of fitted sheets; the ones with the elastic on each corner. Pulling sheet corner number one over bed corner number one? That's easy. So is corner number two. Corner number three requires just a little more pull, because you've already anchored two other corners. Now, the challenge is that fourth corner. You really have to stretch it to get that sheet over that final edge.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Faith and Fitted Sheets."
Yes, they do have something in common. First, let's look at a series of events in the lives of Jesus' first disciples. Mark chapter 6, they're facing a hungry crowd of 5,000 people in a wilderness place where there's no food. The disciples have an idea, "Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and buy themselves something to eat." Okay, Jesus' answer: "You give them something to eat." What? What's He doing?
He's asking them to do with their faith what I do with that fitted sheet - try to stretch it to cover this challenge. The outcome? "They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish." I love it! A basket of leftovers for each one of the disciples.
Next they're in a boat in a violent storm. And Jesus says in essence, "You saw Me feed 5,000 with one lunch. Can you stretch your faith to cover this corner, this storm?" Well, He calmed that storm with one command. Next comes a crowd of 4,000 that needs to be fed, and in spite of just seeing how Jesus can handle a challenge like this, they're asking again, "Where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?" Again, Jesus asked them to round up whatever miracle material they can.
Finally, our word for today from the Word of God after all that, Mark 8, beginning with verse 17. In a boat is where they are; they're talking about having no bread. "Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked them, 'Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts being hardened? And don't you remember when I broke the five loaves for the 5,000 how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?'"
Well you know what? The pattern of those disciples is too often the faithless pattern in your life and mine. We face a challenge that's clearly humanly impossible, and then Jesus does what only He can do. And we are amazed! We're thankful! He does that to make our faith grow. Well, pretty soon there's another challenge and we just can't seem to stretch our faith to go that far. Over and over, the Lord puts in front of you "fourth corner" situations where the faith of yesterday is not going to be enough. You'll have to trust Him for something bigger and greater. But why not? After all the "bigs" and "greats" you've seen Him do before, shouldn't we be trusting Him?
Maybe you're facing one of those overwhelming needs or situations or storms right now, and Jesus is saying, "Don't you remember? I'm the same Lord that has done miracle after miracle in your life. Do you think it will be different this time?" We suddenly get spiritual amnesia; we forget the love, we forget the power of our Lord, we forget His track record. Or we seem to say, "Well, sure He could handle that one, but this one? This is huge!" So was that one; the one Jesus already handled so amazingly.
Maybe right now you're living and experiencing unnecessary worry, unnecessary stress, and your response is fear, maybe panic. Jesus has covered every corner so far, and He will cover this one. So why not live as if you're expecting Jesus to be Lord again now over this situation. Stretch your faith this time to reach farther than your faith has ever reached - to touch the power of your Lord as maybe you have never touched it before.