Barnes and Noble Coffee Drinking

     Sitting here at Barnes and Noble and having a cup of coffee. I love being surrounded by people and just watching them and how they react towards each other. Conversations, questions and gazing looks. An older couple who are sitting with each other just a few feet away are finishing each others sentences. A little girl with a Husker football in her hand and a smile on her face as she drinks, no drops her iced latte on the floor. Mommy is shouted out for and a sweet lady behind the counter fixes her a new one to take its place. It must be Christmas time.

    Surrounded by books and the smell of coffee in the air. What a beautiful world He has given us to enjoy. You know its the sanguine in me as I love watching people. I still stand in awe as I look at the unique creation that He has made and above all just the idea of people. We were made to communicate, to long for one another, to love and be loved. Why? We were created in His image.

     He created us to have fellowship with Him. He longs to have a relationship with us. The Divine one wants to hear our voices. This fact alone should shake us to our knees. We should be crying out as the angels, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come."

     The question though, is do I really want to be with Him? Do I long to hear His voice? Do I long to know Him? I think often for many the answer is simply no. Though I am surrounded by all of these people in the coffee shop none of them know me. There will be some who will smile at me or maybe even say a passing hello. Know me though, or want to, not many will  go out of their way to develop a relationship with me. Some might, but as a whole it will only be surface.

     What is wild to me is that this is how many will treat our Savior. The one who bled, died and rose again for their sins is forgotten. Many do not even make Him part of the conversation. They ignore or pretend to ignore Him, while all of creations shouts out His name.

     I look all around me, and often I just want to shout out at the top of my lungs. "Wake up from your slumber." They are blind. The walking dead. I know this to be true as I was once like them. I think of loved ones, friends, co-workers and neighbors. How my heart breaks.

     Even more, what must it be like to be the creator of the universe and to be ignored by your creation ? He who has His eyes ever opened is never looked upon. He who has His arms spread wide, is passed by.
How His heart must break when His creation refuses to bow down and call Him Lord.

     I guess what I am trying to get at is, I want the Lord to open my eyes to see how desperately in need His creation is of Him. We have a message of hope that we can share. A message of peace that we can give our fellow man. The babe in the manger is not just a babe but the king of kings. As they go along blindly in the day we can proclaim to them that Light has come. He is here and wants to be known.

Somewhere between Wyoming and Lincoln. Bringing Hannah home for Thanksgiving.

Hannah, Our Hannah and Julie

 

Fishers of Men. Mark 1:16-20

     The Baptist had prepared men and women for the Christ. Now, Jesus was preaching to the world to believe in the Gospel. In the following verses we see how this began to affect those around Him. He would now begin to call a select few to follow Him.  These would be the inner core; these would be the Fishers of men.

Mark 1:16 ( ESV )

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^16£Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

     Jesus would not look for those who wore fancy robes to begin this movement. He would look towards just some common fishermen.  He would find many of them along the Sea of Galilee. When compared to the rest of the world it would seem such a small place to start his ministry. The Sea of Galilee is only about 7 miles wide at some parts and only 13 miles long. It was known for its good fishing. It would also act like a central location for His ministry.

     The first two men that He would call alongside of Him would be that of Simon (Peter), and Andrew his brother. This was not the first time they had met each other. In John 2:35-42 we know that Andrew had been a follower of John the Baptist. John would point him to Jesus by calling Him, “The Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.” This caught Andrew’s attention and he would walk with Jesus for some time. In the midst of his excitement he had to tell someone about Jesus. Andrew would first of all introduce Jesus to his brother Simon.

     For many of us the story has not changed. Quite often after we have been introduced to Jesus we cannot wait to tell our family about Him. We want those who are closest to us to get to know Him as well. Often we are discouraged by our family when they tell us they do not care or do not want to believe. Yet, what joy floods our soul when they follow Him.  

    Life had gone on since that meeting. They were already back to doing what they had done for a living, which was fishing the Sea of Galilee. They were fishing with their net probably close to shore. The fish may have been schooling and had come more to the shore line. I love to fish, but for these men, this was their life.

    I have often thought Lord, why fishermen? I don’t know if I still have the answer or not. I know this to be true, like Warren Weirsbe stated, “Fishermen worked together and were known for their patience, energy, and stamina.” They also with this trade understood the ups and downs of life better than most of us do. These men would have lives that would be marked by these things. Jesus would now call them to work alongside of Him.

Mark 1:17 ( ESV )

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¹⁷And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

     The words that Jesus now shared with these men were just a simple command.  Yet, these few words would forever change these men and their lives. He did not beg them. He just simply said, “Follow me.” Literally, He was saying, “Get behind me and act as a disciple of mine.’ This would take an act of humility on their part. What is even wilder is when we realize that prophets called people to follow God, not them. Jesus though looks at these men and says, “Follow me.”

     He was going to make them into fishers of men, but first of all, before He says this, He tells them, “and I will make you become..” This was not something that they would immediately overnight possess. There is a process in us becoming followers. We do not become fishers of men by just snapping our fingers. He must do a work within us. This is a work that would take our Lord and Master over 3 and a half years while He was here on earth. When we disciple someone we must realize that it is a never ending work and maturity comes through the Holy Spirit alone. This I do know, He has promised to continue to do His good work within us. He will equip us for the ministry that He has for us.

     In the O.T. so often we would read symbolically about fishermen in a negative sense of the word as it dealt with the judgment of God. Here in this passage being fishers of men is an encouraging statement. We are called to reach out to the lost and dying of this world. There is no greater joy then to see souls that come to Jesus. What is even more awesome is realizing that our God wants us to be a part of that good work.

Mark 1:18 ( ESV )

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¹⁸And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

     No questions asked. Jesus had called them to follow and they immediately did as they were told. They did not wait, debate or event think about it they were called and they would GO. One of my favorite songs of all time was written by Steven Curtis Chapman when he said these words, “We will abandon it all for the sake of the call, No other reason at all but for the sake of the call. Wholly devoted to live and to die for the sake of the call.”

     Why would they leave their jobs? Why would they leave it all on the shores of Galilee? It was not because of some religion instead they would follow the God man.  Not religion but a person who would become their whole focus in life. O, that we would allow our God to touch our hearts in this way. We will follow. We will obey no matter what.  We follow the God who created the stars in the sky and everything around us.

Mark 1:19 ( ESV )

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¹⁹And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.

     The next two people Jesus would call to follow him would be just a little further away from Andrew and Peter. Jesus would now see another set of brothers by the name of James and John. These two were according to Luke 5:7-10 partners with Peter and Andrew. Later on because of their zeal they would be called, “The sons of thunder.” Yet, Jesus would change them as well to where later on John would be known as the beloved apostle. He would also be known as the apostle who spoke of the love of God.

     Please don’t miss the last part of this verse as to what these men were doing. They were mending their nets. This was a very tedious work that had to be done on a daily basis after they had fished.  They would mend their nets so that they could be used for a future date. The picture here is of two men who are just going on with their normal life when Jesus would call them into a life of sacrifice and service.

Mark 1:20 ( ESV )

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²⁰And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

     When Jesus saw them He immediately called them to follow Him as well. They would follow Him without delay. The pleasure of reading about these men is that their walks with Him, were above all the first and most important thing in their lives.

     They left their father Zebedee to follow after Jesus. I believe that they loved their Father. I also believe that they loved their Lord even more. Remember what Jesus would later on say, “Whoever loves Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” They did not leave him totally alone as they left him in the boat with the hired servants. The main issue here is that we are to love our Lord even more than we do our own family and loved ones.

     These men are marked as those who would follow. They are marked as men who would leave all they had in this world to follow after Him. He was their life. He was their number one priority. He was their God. They would be His fishermen.

Oh Yes, I have more pictures.

Well maybe, I don't have more pictures.

Prepare to meet your God. Mark 1:2-8

Mark 1:2 ( ESV )

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^2£As it is written in Isaiah the prophet,^{£ £}“Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way,

    The prophet Amos had told the people, “Prepare to meet your God.” This was a message given by many of the prophets throughout the Old Testament. As a whole it was a message that was saying to the people, “get your life in order, for the King is coming to judge the quick and the dead.” Before this king would come though we are told that there would be a messenger who would go before Him. This messenger was spoken of especially in the books of Malachi and Isaiah.

     This messenger was one who was not the light but instead would bear witness of the light. John’s main ministry was to always increase the name of Christ. Two times in both this verse and the next we hear the word PREPARE. During the ancient days servants would go before their ruler’s carriages and clear the roads and pathways for them. They would make level the paths they would be going on. They would clear the roads of any obstacles. This is what John the Baptist ministry was all about.

Mark 1:3 ( ESV )

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^{3 £}the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare^£ the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’”

    I love how John is described here as the VOICE of one crying in the wilderness. He made no qualms about it. John would loudly proclaim of the Messiah who was to come. It’s interesting to me how John comes out of the wilderness area. He was like a new Moses who would shout out to the world about the coming savior. This savior’s main purpose though was not of a physical deliverance from Rome. No, this savior would bring forth freedom from the spiritual bondage that enslaved them.

     Prepare!! Get your house in order. Let the Lord turn your crooked and sinful ways into pathways that would please Him. You have strayed from Him far to long take care of the rocks of sin that have destroyed your path. John would beg of the people to turn to Christ.

Mark 1:4 ( ESV )

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⁴John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

     Almost like a scene from a Clint Eastwood movie John just appears upon the scene. His ministry though would begin in the wilderness rather than in the cities of Israel or Jerusalem. He was a prophet of and for the people. 

     Baptism had been practiced for years by Gentiles who had converted to Judaism. So what John was preaching too many of the Jews was an offensive thing. John was basically telling them that they were on the same level of the Gentiles spiritually. They were sinners and needed a spiritual rebirth. They would not see the kingdom of God by being born neither of a certain blood line nor of the will of their flesh. This baptism symbolically represented to them their need of forgiveness as sinners. Those who partook of John’s baptism were saying, “I have sinned and need forgiveness.”

     There are those who today believe that baptism is part of their salvation. This is a foolish belief, as salvation is a free gift from God. Baptism is not a part of the Gospel as one can see from I Cor. 1:17. I believe that the idea here is that they were baptized because they had been forgiven of their sins. They were looking forward to the forgiveness that would be offered them by the Lamb of God which would take away the sins of the world.

Mark 1:5 ( ESV )

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⁵And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

     They came from all over the country to hear this messenger of God. Many of the people were willing to hear this message of repentance and forgiveness of sins. They came from all walks of life. Tax collectors, soldiers, the common people even some scribes and Pharisees. Many came with pure motives. Some came with motives that were not pure and wanted to see John fail.

     No matter who they were or what they had done many would be baptized and confess their sins. I would have given anything to have been there during those days. Men and women openly acknowledged before all, that they had done evil in the sight of God.  They made it public that they deserved death. They wanted to turn their hearts towards God.

Mark 1:6 ( ESV )

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⁶Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

    John was a common man just like many of the people he had preached to. He had clothes made of camel’s hair and ate the dried insects that the people of that region ate. He was not one who dressed in the finery of his day. No, he was a man who would not be shaken like a reed by the wind.

     In dressing and eating like he did I believe that he must have reminded them of the Elijah of old. He did not rely upon society for his livelihood. John was reliant upon God alone for His needs. This would have brought to their minds the idea of the coming Elijah before the Messiah’s return. Mal. 4:5-6

Mark 1:7 ( ESV )

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⁷And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.

    What is it that sets John apart the most for me though is his humility. I believe that he was fearless. I believe that John was beyond bold in his proclamations about Christ. Yet for all of these characteristics, John was one of the most humble men that walked on this earth.

     Even before his birth he would leap in his mother’s womb upon hearing of the upcoming birth of Jesus. He would always have the view that I must decrease but He must increase. In their culture when a guest would come into the house the servants of the household would remove the guest sandals and often wash his feet. John said that he was not even worthy to be called a servant to this king. “I am not even worthy to take off His shoes. Who am I to even touch His feet?”

Mark 1:8 ( ESV )

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⁸I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

     Isaiah had told the people of a different type of water that would be spilt one day. Water that would be for the cleansing of the soul.  In Is. 43:3 we read these words, “Pour water on thirsty land and streams on dry ground, I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring..”

     Yes, John had the important ministry of calling the people to repentance and preparing the way for the Lord. Yet, when Jesus would come not only would He save us from our sins but He would also cause us to have the working of the Spirit of God in our lives. The Spirit of God would wash us and renew us to a life pleasing to God. He would make someone like us into a part of the body of Christ.

     Are you prepared to meet your God?

This little Light of Mine

Childhood songs seem to stick with us for a lifetime. We don’t forget simple songs that helped us understand basic truths about God and life. I am still reminded of Miss Peggy or Miss Elsie teaching us Bible songs at my grade school and in my Sunday School classrooms at Gravette Bible. The one that still stands out to me after all these years will always be This Little Light of Mine. As simple as that song stands out to me I am still reminded of the challenge to my Christian walk that it is to me daily.

There are those days when I don’t feel like letting it shine or I might even try to hide it but like Jeremiah it burns within me and I have to shine it forth. How I truly love him and despite the mess that I make of me at times, I have to shout out His name.

When I think of the word light  I am also reminded of the Light of the World who we represent. One of my favorite passages in the book of Isaiah is found in Is. 8:19-9:7 Israel had fallen upon hard times due to their sin. The nation that had once seen the Shekinah glory now walked in darkness. Israel now inquired of mediums and necromancers who chirped and muttered talking to the dead for guidance. They no longer looked to the teachings of God and no longer had the dawn of light upon them. Looking for help from the earth they were now thrust into thick darkness.

I don’t know about you but a light in the darkness is sometimes the thing that I need the most. I get lost or I stumble along the way to my destination. I need some guidance and I need some help. I cry out in the darkness unsure, lost and sometimes a feeling of hopelessness creeps into my heart. I fear the gloom that covers me.

I love Is. 9:2 which tells me that, “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shined.” Like the land of Israel I have come out of the darkness into the light that shines. No longer blind, we as believers now walk in the glorious light of Christ.
The light has come into the world to offer us hope. How? Is. 9:6 says it best, “ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Jesus has come brothers and sisters, this one who is called the Light of the World. John 3:19, John 8:12 and John 12:36 He is the light of the world that shines through the darkness. This child in Isaiah was not just some simple child but he is also the Mighty God and Prince of Peace.

As a followers of the Lamb and the Light of the world he now calls me to shine forth to this  world his life to all. We are to walk as children of light. Eph. 5:8  We are to be, “blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” Phil. 2:15

So during this blessed season, may we show forth to this world that is covered in darkness, the light of Christ in our life. We are the ones who are called to bring them hope. Just keep in your mind the following words…

“This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.”