At Once

Mark 1

16 One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. 17 Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” 18 And they left their nets at once and followed him.

19 A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. 20 He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men.

“At once.” Not, “in a few minutes,” or “when it is more convenient for me,” but “at once.” THAT is the proper response to the call of Christ. May I always remember this, and may I pass along that attitude to others.

Perfect Gift

Matthew 28

18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

God’s Valentine’s gift to mankind is the resurrected Lord Jesus. Our Valentine’s gift to the world is to share the Gospel, baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey Christ always. There is no better gift that can be given on this or any other day.

Skills and Call

Exodus 36

1 “The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.”

The LORD has gifted Ian musically, and given him a heart for ministry, but he is scared, living in denial, and running from God. Had a long conversation with him about all of this again yesterday while on our way to Kissimmee to help move Emily back on campus. I am praying that God will convict Ian so severely that Ian is miserable until he gets back in a state of obedience to God’s call on his life. I love this son of mine more than life itself, and I pray that I can be a positive influence on him. If Bezalel, Oholiab, and the skilled craftsmen had ignored their calling, the tabernacle would have been built by others, and these guys would NOT be part of God’s story. I do NOT want that fate for Ian by any stretch of the imagination!

Lasting Effects

Exodus 35

6 The Lord passed in front of Moses, calling out,

“Yahweh! The Lord!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I am slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
7 I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I do not excuse the guilty.
I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren;
the entire family is affected—
even children in the third and fourth generations.”

The Lord is slow to anger, and He is the God of compassion and mercy and forgiveness. The effects of sin remain, and those effects can linger for several generations. I pray that I can be a man of God who will not pass along the effects of the sin in his life to my kids and grandkids, and great grandkids. My desire is to be a fully committed follower of Christ. I still have lots of work to do in that area, but that IS my desire.

Periods of Absence

Exodus 32

1 When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

When I see long periods in my life when I am not staying in touch with the Word of God, it makes me sad. Sad because I am allowing the stuff of this world to crowd out that which is most important. It makes me mad. Mad because I KNOW better, and yet I find myself falling into that trap once again. When I finally awaken from my spiritual slumber, it makes me glad. Glad because I do know what has happened, and I can remedy this situation. Glad because my Lord eagerly awaits my return, and our conversation. May I NEVER allow a period of absence to lead me into idolatry like the children of Israel did. May I be more determined than ever to no longer allow a period of absence in my life. God is with me, whether I acknowledge His presence or not, so I might as well just acknowledge it, and enjoy deep conversation with Him every day.

What Joy

Psalm 32

1 Oh, what joy for those

whose disobedience is forgiven,

whose sin is put out of sight!

That is the joy I feel every day. Because of Christ, my disobedience is forgiven and my sin is out of God’s sight. Because of Jesus, I will live in a way to bring glory and honor to my Lord every day. To do any less would be to live the life of a foolish ingrate.

The Lord's Supper

Matthew 26

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Each Lord’s Day, we commemorate the Lord’s Supper by eating the bread, drinking the cup and proclaiming the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. I don’t want to ever take this special time in the corporate celebration service for granted. This meal is central to my belief as a follower of Christ. May my life be lived in such a manner as to bring Christ glory always. Jesus is my Lord and Savior. I will proclaim this Truth always.