55 days down, 310 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 15:1 – 16:28; Mark 7:1-23; Psalms 40:11-17; Proverbs 10:13-14.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. THE BIBLE AND STD’S
2. INDIANA JONES HAD IT WRONG – God is in you, not a gold box
3. WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART – PART 1
4. POOR AND NEEDY? Talk to God
5. I PITY THE FOOL! – Mr. T had it right

1. THE BIBLE AND STD’S
Just in case you still haven’t figured out yet, there’s nothing new under the sun, and that the bible covers almost every issue you can imagine. From murder to rape to prostitution to adultery to intoxication to drugs to robbery to murder…you name it, it’s in there.

Even STD’s. That’s right. It’s a problem today and it was a problem thousands of years ago.

Nowadays, we can wash our hands whenever we want, and we have medications to clear up things that soap cannot. But even today, if you get that burning sensation, that leakage or that weird rash “down there”, you’ve got some problems.

Well, it was no different back in the Old Testament. Read Leviticus 15 to see how God handled everything from STD’s (referred to as “discharge”) to hygiene after sexual intercourse, to sexual intercourse with a woman during her period. God ain’t scared.

2. INDIANA JONES HAD IT WRONG – God is in you, not a gold box
You remember that scene from the Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Indie and his gal were tied to that pole and the Nazi were going to steal the Ark of the Covenant to use it as a weapon of war.

The special effects were cheesy by today’s standards, but when the German bad guys opened the ark, all kinds of lightning and “power” and weird looking stuff shot out of it, killing all whose eyes were open to see it. In fact, they didn’t just die, their flesh melted off their bones and they became a pile of quivering goo.

Well this made for a fitting and satisfying fate for the movie’s bad guys. However, it was not, nor was it intended to be, accurate.

In the Old Testament, God lived in the Tabernacle, hovering in a cloud above the Ark of the Covenant, in the Holy of Holies – the inner most, and most holy locale on the face of the earth.

In Leviticus 16:1-28, we see that even the priests, who God Himself ordained, couldn’t just go in and out of this place as they pleased.

Leviticus 16:6
6 “Aaron will present his own bull as a sin offering to purify himself and his family, making them right with the Lord.

Now if the Indiana Jones movie had been set back in that time, it would have been accurate. Anyone approaching the Ark, much less opening it, outside of God’s specific parameters would die. We don’t exactly know the method of death, but who’s to say it couldn’t have been by their flesh melt off their bones?

But God no longer lives in a gold box, or in a cloud above, or any specific locale. Jesus switched the game up entirely on the cross. Through His blood, we humans – those of us who believe – became the new temple of God.

God lives in us if we ask him, and we don’t even have to go through a million purification rituals and blood sacrifices to get there. Jesus blood was all that it took, and now God Himself, the creator of all things seen and unseen, comes to mysteriously and unexplainably live within us sinful and wretched human creatures, transforming us into glorious members of a holy family.

Try that one on for size.

3. WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART – PART 1
This story was also told in Matthew 15, but we see it again here in Mark 7:1-23.

In Mark 7, the Pharisees are haggling once again with Jesus over legalistic matters, meaning they were treating the letter of religious law and their traditions with more importance than God’s command and His intention behind them.

Additionally, the religious leaders had begun to elevate their traditions to the status of God’s laws, and they were using both to wield authority instead of lead people to righteousness and health.  In effect, they had hijacked God’s laws and His purposes, and usurped it with their traditions and their purposes.

Jesus knew this, and whenever the religious leaders of his day attacked him for not following their law, He took it as an opportunity to point out to them that no matter how much they followed the law and forced others to do so also, that it meant nothing because their heart was in the wrong place.

A great example of this is Mark 7:1-23 when the Pharisees ask Jesus why His disciples violated their time-honored tradition by not washing their hands before they eat. Jesus harshly rebukes them for missing the point, and points out their hypocrisy in placing their tradition above God’s commands. Then, with great insight and reason, he completely dismantles their argument. He says that, “You are not defiled by what you eat. You are defiled by what you say and do” (CEV).

The Pharisees of the day had missed the point entirely. While they were so busy accusing people every chance they got, they failed to treat people with compassion, speaking condescendingly and intentionally entrapping them.

So Jesus’ point was that if you don’t wash your hands, maybe you eat dirty food, but it will soon pass from your body. But if you say and do bad things, then you have a real problem because the root of the things you say and do is in your heart; and Jesus says that from a wicked heart flow all sorts of bad things that will defile you spiritually before God, but eating with dirty hands will never defile you and make you unacceptable to God.

4. POOR AND NEEDY? Talk to God
Politically speaking, Republicans traditionally believe in smaller government, while Democrats favor a larger government more involved in the day to day affairs of citizens.

The poorer one may be, the more likely he is to align himself with democrats in order to receive aid from taxpayer supported government welfare programs.

This can of course easily create an entitlement mentality, especially when a family is on government support for generations. On the flip side, it creates a bit of a resistance from those who are not in need of government support, whose tax dollars pay for the programs that serve those who are in need of it.

Of course, if the shoe was on the other foot, who knows how things would work out.

Politics aside, however, we can rely on God to provide our needs, no matter how poor and needy we are, if keep our faith and trust in Him.

Psalm 40:17
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
      let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
   You are my helper and my savior.
      O my God, do not delay.

5. I PITY THE FOOL! – Mr. T had it right
Mr. T had it right. “I pity the fool!” And according to scripture, you should pity them…because they’re going to get beat. Just thought this one was a bit comical.

Proverbs 10:13
13 Wise words come from the lips of people with understanding,
      but those lacking sense will be beaten with a rod.

54 days down, 311 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 14:1-57; Mark 6:30-56; Psalms 40:1-10; Proverbs 10:11-12.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. THE EVASIVE BALANCE OF WORKING AND WAITING
2. OBEDIENCE IS TRUE SACRIFICE
3. JESUS FEEDS 5,000
4. YOU GOT THAT MOLD?

1. THE EVASIVE BALANCE OF WORKING AND WAITING
Psalm 40:1-2
1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
      and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
      out of the mud and the mire.
   He set my feet on solid ground
      and steadied me as I walked along.

Part of obeying God, as discussed in number 1 above, waiting on His guidance and leading. This doesn’t mean that you sit on your butt and don’t do anything until a voice from heaven booms into your bedroom and tells you to go west with a brail version of the King James Bible. (Although, if this does happen, you better do it. Just ask Eli.)

God has a purpose for each of us, something significant He has for us to do with our time on this earth. However, not only does He have a purpose for us, He also has a timeline.

The conundrum that we usually found ourselves in, however, is that we often discover our purpose way before we learn God’s timeline for us to achieve it.

In fact, many times, we never figure out God’s timing. We just push and push until we get there, and we figure that was God’s timing.

Many times, success in our purpose is indeed an indication that it was God’s time for it to happen, but it is also possible to force our way beyond God’s timing, and this is never good. Too much success to soon in anything is almost always destructive.

Look at the people that win the lotto and end up more broke than they were in the first place, just a year later; or the young Hollywood celebs in and out of rehab; or people who skyrocket to a high profile ministry without a solid foundation, and all the people crushed when they fall from grace.

We must find a healthy and balance between working and waiting. Patience is truly a virtue.

Like the old saying goes, “Pray like it all depends on God, and work like it all depends on you.”

I can’t give you a formula for this balance. In fact, when it comes down to you and God and the thing he’s called you to do, there usually isn’t a formula, other than faith and prayer.

The rest, you must leave in God’s hands. Be diligent, do your homework, work hard, and wait for God to do the rest. If you do this, He will always come through.

Hmm…..looks like we just found a formula.

2. OBEDIENCE IS TRUE SACRIFICE
It is interesting that while we are halfway into the book of Leviticus right now, which goes into great detail about all types of sacrifices, we also read the following in Psalms.

Psalm 40:6-8
6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
      Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
      you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
 7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
      As is written about me in the Scriptures:
 8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
      for your instructions are written on my heart.”

Sound like a contradiction? Well actually it is not. Physical sacrifices were never God’s original intention. After all, what use does heaven have with the blood of a bull or goat or turtle dove? God only instituted the mandate of sacrifice after sin and sickness entered the world through Adam’s disobedience in Genesis chapter 3.

In truth, it is our love and obedience that God requires and has a passion for, and it was our ancestor’s lack of obedience that required a sacrifice.

God was not jumping up and down for joy in heaven in the Old Testament when a turtle dove’s neck was snapped and its blood sprinkled on the altar.

Above all, God loves us, and his passion is for us to love Him and obey Him as our father and creator.

So we see in our scripture here from Psalm that right after David says that God doesn’t take delight in sacrifices or offerings, he immediately proceeds to declare how he (David) takes pleasure in obeying God, and how God’s law is written on His heart, meaning it is an intimate part of his life.

Two other scriptures that make this same point are Romans 12:1 and 1 Samuel 15:22.

So remember, if we want to please God, we must simply obey Him commands and follow His word. For if we are not doing this, then everything else we give God is useless and worthless, and counts nothing in eternity.

3. JESUS FEEDS 5,000
In case you’ve never actually read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 men, not including women and children, from just five loaves of bread and two fish, here it is, as told in the gospel of Mark.

Mark 6:30-44

4. YOU GOT THAT MOLD?
Remember a few years ago, when everyone was running from the mold. If you had that mold in your house, you had to spend all kinds of money if you didn’t have insurance to get it removed, or your whole family would get sick or worse. Remember that?

Well check this out. They had the same problem like 3,500 years ago, but they didn’t have insurance to cover it, so God had to step in as the home improvement coach.

Leviticus 14:33-57

53 days down, 312 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 13:1-59; Mark 6:1-20; Psalms 39:1-13; Proverbs 10:10.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. ANCIENT HATERS – A prophet without honor
2. NEXT ON MAURY – DEADLY STEPDAUGHTER STRIPPERS! (repeat)
3. CONTROL YOUR MOUTH – David’s short temper
4. LIFE IS SHORT
5. ANCIENT DERMATOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

1. ANCIENT HATERS – A prophet without honor
A hater is someone who just doesn’t like you, and for no good reason. They often either wish bad for you, or refuse to give you credit when you deserve it. Often your haters are actually jealous of you.

Nowadays, everyone seems to know what a hater is, and in many cases, the more you achieve, the more “haters” you have. Some people even exaggerate the numbers of haters they have, in an attempt to make themselves feel like more of a success, or more enviable

The term “haters” was popularized by rap lyrics within the last 10 years or so I would say, but the haters themselves have been around much longer – even 2,000 years ago.

Yes, Jesus, too, had haters.

Up to this point in scripture, we know that the Pharisees and other religious leaders were hatin’ on Jesus, Mark 6:1-6 also reveals that some members of His own family were hatin’ on Him too.

Mark 6:3-4
3 Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. 4 Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”

Perhaps you have experienced this. The people that are closest to you will often only see you as that person they have always known, and when you begin to aspire to more, even greatness, they’re own mediocrity and complacency shines even brighter. So to make themselves feel better, they try to tear you down.

This is exactly what happened to Jesus, as the scripture above clearly illustrates. But Jesus didn’t let it stop Him. It stopped some of the people there from getting their blessing, but Jesus kept moving forward in His calling and towards His destiny.

When it comes to dealing with haters, let Jesus be your model. Love them, but don’t let them stop you. They’re only hurting themselves.

2. NEXT ON MAURY – DEADLY STEPDAUGHTER STRIPPERS! (repeat)
This same story was also featured in the book of Matthew chapter 14, but it is told again in Mark 6:14-29, so I wanted to share it again.

This has got to be one of the craziest stories in the bible, and there are plenty. During the time of Jesus and John the Baptist, King Herod the Tetrarch, at his birthday party, is approached by a dancing girl.

But this isn’t just any one of the neighborhood strippers. This is his own stepdaughter, whose mother King Herod stole to be his wife from his brother Phillip, who was married to her first. Then, at the request of his new wife, the king threw his brother Phillip (her first husband) in prison. John the Baptist had been telling the King that it was illegal for him to marry his brother’s wife, irritating and offending him greatly. The bible says the King would have had him executed, but he was afraid the people would riot because they believed John the Baptist was as a prophet. Also, the King enjoyed listening to John, when he wasn’t rebuking him.

So now back to the birthday party and the strip-teasing stepdaughter.  I don’t know what dropping it like it’s hot looked like 2,000 years ago, but it must have been even on a whole ‘nuther level than today, because whatever this chick did in her dance for the King, the bible said that he was so “pleased” that he told her she could have whatever she wanted, up to half his kingdom.

I hope this doesn’t sound too crude, but if a stripper today heard that, I bet she’d be like, man, I got started in this game about 2,000 years too late, cuz ain’t no one tipping like that in these clubs today.

Interestingly enough, though, the dancing girl didn’t ask for a single dollar. Instead, following her mother’s instructions, her request was something much more gruesome – the head of John the Baptist on a platter.

Because the king made his promise to the girl in front of everyone, he could not refuse, and that is how the life of John the Baptist ended.  WHOA!

3. CONTROL YOUR MOUTH – David’s short temper
No need for my commentary here. Just read the words of the David in this scripture.

Psalm 39:1-3
  1 I said to myself, “I will watch what I do
      and not sin in what I say.
   I will hold my tongue
      when the ungodly are around me.”
 2 But as I stood there in silence—
      not even speaking of good things—
      the turmoil within me grew worse.
 3 The more I thought about it,
      the hotter I got,
      igniting a fire of words:

4. LIFE IS SHORT
We all know this phrase. “Life is short.” It is in fact, appropriately short itself. Only three words.

But here in this poem penned by David, he uses many more words to so eloquently paint the picture of the fleeting nature of life. Take a time to read it. Even if you’re not into poetry, you can’t help but feel this one resonate within.

Psalm 39:4-13
 4 “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
      Remind me that my days are numbered—
      how fleeting my life is.
 5 You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
      My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
      at best, each of us is but a breath.”
                         Interlude
 6 We are merely moving shadows,
      and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
   We heap up wealth,
      not knowing who will spend it.
 7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
      My only hope is in you.
 8 Rescue me from my rebellion.
      Do not let fools mock me.
 9 I am silent before you; I won’t say a word,
      for my punishment is from you.
 10 But please stop striking me!
      I am exhausted by the blows from your hand.
 11 When you discipline us for our sins,
      you consume like a moth what is precious to us.
      Each of us is but a breath.
                         Interlude
 12 Hear my prayer, O Lord!
      Listen to my cries for help!
      Don’t ignore my tears.
   For I am your guest—
      a traveler passing through,
      as my ancestors were before me.
 13 Leave me alone so I can smile again
      before I am gone and exist no more.

5. ANCIENT DERMATOLICAL DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Back in the ancient times, they didn’t have all the hygienic resources available that we do today. So it is interesting that the laws and regulations that God gave the ancient Hebrews after their exodus from Egyptian slavery were not only moral in nature, but also hygienic and health-related.

Leviticus chapter 13 is a good example of this is. Check it out to see God’s diagnosis and treatment of infectious skin disease, and his handling of the infected to prevent spread throughout the community before there were antibiotics and the like.

51 days down, 314 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 9:7– 10:20; Mark 4:26 – 5:20; Psalms 37:30-40; Proverbs 10:6-7.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. DEAL WITH YOUR OWN ISSUES FIRST

2. THE POWER OF STORIES – Ancient parables, modern movies – The Passion of the Na’vi

1. DEAL WITH YOUR OWN ISSUES FIRST
No one likes a hypocrite, especially a religious one – they guy that rails on someone for their sins, while they’re secretly doing the same thing, or something just as bad. This goes without saying, so I won’t dwell on that.

But what about the people who aren’t necessarily boldfaced hypocrites?

None of us will ever be prefect on this side of heaven, but thankfully, we don’t have to be perfect and without sin to help someone through their sin.

But we do have to have our hearts in the right place with God before we can really be used to help other people.

In Leviticus 9:15, Aaron the priest offers sacrifice for the people only AFTER he has offered sacrifice for his own sin.

Leviticus 9:15
15 Next Aaron presented the offerings of the people. He slaughtered the people’s goat and presented it as an offering for their sin, just as he had first done with the offering for his own sin.

The point is that we must all deal with our own sins first. We must be honest about them with ourselves and truly make an effort to live right by God. If we are not, our ability to help others will truly be limited.

After all, when it comes to someone’s soul, all we can do of our own power is offer advice, but to really help them become free, we must be a conduit through which God Himself moves in the life and heart of that person.

And if my life is full of secret sins that I am consistently giving in to, then I am doing one of two things:

1. I am severely hindering my ability to be used by God in the lives of others, or
   
   
2. I am allowing myself to be set me up for a huge and inevitable fall, like the many high profile ministers that fall from grace, delivering a huge blow to those who trusted in their ministries.
   
   

So follow the example God laid out for the priests in the Old Testament. You may not be in “ministry”, but God still wishes to use you to help others around you.

And until we are making an honest effort to get our lives right with God, there’s not too much we can do for other people. We must deal with our own sin first.

2. THE POWER OF STORIES – Ancient parables, modern movies
Mark 4:33-34
33 Jesus used many similar stories and illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand.
34 In fact, in his public ministry he never taught without using parables; but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them.

Jesus taught in parables to get the point across to those who were willing to receive it.

The power of stories is still relevant today, whether in the classroom or the movie theater.

Remember when you were in school. How boring was the teacher that just got up and lectured? He may have been relaying all the information you needed to pass the test, but the learning got lost in the delivery.

But then there was that teacher that could take the information and bring it to life, through a funny or interesting story, or an illustration, or even just through an engaging personality - much more effective.

Now think about the power of movies or TV. How many people today run around quoting Al Paccino as Tony Montana in Scarface, doing their best imitation of his imitation of Cuban? Or let’s take it back a generation to those with a few more years under their belt quoting John Wayne in his distinct drawl.

In the 50’s, actors like James Dean stirred kids up to be a “Rebel without a cause.”

Movies have always been about so much more than the story. The story, just as in the case with Jesus parables, is just a vehicle to indoctrinate the receiver with some moral or spiritual message.

All you have to do is look at what value system the good guys have, versus the bad guys.

If the writer wants to influence us to be more conscious about saving the environment, he will make the villains in his story be the type who viciously rapes the planets for precious resources, steam rolling over the 10 foot tall indigenous blue people that get in his way. Meanwhile, the good guy, our hero, will do everything he or she can to stop him.

In the end, we are to end up hating everything associated with the bad guy, including his evil treatment of the planet.

And if the writer wants to push his religious agenda over that of “passé mainstream Christianity”, he or she would make the protagonist, the good guy or guys, for example, pantheists, praying to a huge tree in which dwells all the souls of their ancestors.

Of course, I’m sure you know what movie I was just referencing in this example. Yes, it is Avatar.

Visually, it was a tremendous experience or most, but the story line was a bit one dimensional, and Cameron clearly pulled no punches in pushing his environmental and spiritual agenda.

I am not going to comment on the movies agendas in this post. Rather I just wanted to use this movie as an example of a modern day parable, intended to push a particular set of beliefs and morals.

Without $500,000,000 and 21st century technology, Jesus’ parable were limited to His words alone, while James Cameron, and other film makers today, are able to tell their stories and push their agendas with a complete 3 dimensional sensory extravaganza.

Avatar, of course was an extreme version of this, and concerning the religious aspects of it, it ran pretty counter to Christianity. However, there are a growing number of Christian films today that are equally as unveiled in their religious agenda.

Personally, I think this makes for a worse movie, and one that could be even less effective at spreading its message, because it gracelessly and simply staples the message to a visual lecture instead of weaving it seamlessly into a compelling story that connects with the soul of the audience, but that’s just me.

Remember, Jesus’ parables told a story, but He didn’t just come out in the story and say…”Now listen up everyone. This is the point!” He shared this with His disciples later, but for most of the people, the parable was intended to teach them something through guiding them to discovering it for themselves.

Of course Jesus was very good at this. He would have been a great screenwriter. Lesser talents are forced to shove their messages down the throats of the audience in a desperate attempt to indoctrinate everyone in the audience before it’s too late.

OK I think I may have rambled on about something that may be of interest to those really into movies, but as a part of film making ministry, I tend to do that. Forgive me.

Well these are my thoughts on this issue, on the power of stories, comparing Jesus’ parables to modern day movies.

So that next time you go to the movies, look past Tom Cruise or Denzel Washington saving the world, and see if you can find what morals and messages the writer is trying to push, and how effective you think they were at it.

What movies have you already seen that you could comment on regarding this issue?

50 days down, 315 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 7:28– 9:6; Mark 3:31 – 4:25; Psalms 37:12-29; Proverbs 10:5.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. FEED THE PREACHER – To give or not to give
2. ARE YOU RELATED TO JESUS?
3. YOUR HEART GETS A GRADE, BUT NOT A, B, C, D OR F
4. HEY KID. GET A SUMMER JOB!

1. FEED THE PREACHER – To give or not to give
How would you feel if after everyone in your church brought their offering, the preacher went through the bucket and took a cut off the top and put it in his wallet? You’d probably be shocked and come down with a severe case of righteous indignation.

However, this is exactly what God instructed here in Leviticus 7:28-39.

Leviticus 7:34-35
34 For I have reserved the breast of the special offering and the right thigh of the sacred offering for the priests. It is the permanent right of Aaron and his descendants to share in the peace offerings brought by the people of Israel. 35 This is their rightful share.

So we see here that God specifically instructed the priests to be fed off of the offerings the people brought to God.

Now I know we’re not in the Old Testament anymore, and instead of just one temple, we have numerous churches; and God isn’t necessarily showing up in a tangible way every time to give the preacher His stamp of approval.

However, if you join a church, then you are basically giving that preacher your stamp of approval. You’re not saying he is perfect, but you should be saying that you trust this pastor hears from God and will be a good steward over the church and its financial resources.

Of course if you’re not a member of a church, then you should be asking God to direct you to one, and stop worrying about what preachers do at churches you’re not even a member of.

So if God in the bible set up a system for the preacher to live off of the offerings of the people, then why would a Christian today have a problem with that? I believe it comes from a lack of trust.

Rightly or wrongly, they either don’t trust the preacher, in which case they should find another church.

Or, they just don’t trust God enough to give their money to support His work.

What do you think?

2. ARE YOU RELATED TO JESUS?
Mark 3:31-35. This same story is shared in Matthew 12:46-50, and blogged about it on 1/19/09, but I wanted to post it again here.

Some people are really into genealogy. They research their family tree back generations, back to different countries even. Now I’m not sure what’s the farthest back anyone has traced their ancestry. I’m sure it could be looked up, but aside from the fictional Di Vinci Code account, I wonder if anyone has gone back 2,000 years to find they’re actually related to Jesus Christ.

While that would be a pretty amazing discovery, the fact of the matter is that you don’t have to back thousands of years, or even one generation to find out if you’re related to Jesus Christ, at least according to Jesus Himself.

In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus was speaking in a crowded place when someone came and told Him that His biological mother and brothers were outside trying to get in. You may think Jesus response would have been, “Well see them in, of course, and seat them in the V.I.P. section!” However, this is not was what Jesus said.

Instead, he pointed to his disciples and stated, “These are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

So by this same standard, we too can check to see if we’re related to Jesus. Are you? Am I?

3. YOUR HEART GETS A GRADE, BUT NOT A, B, C, D OR F
Mark 4:1-20. This same story is shared in Matthew 13, and blogged about it on 1/19/09, but I wanted to post it again here.

Have you ever been to church? Have you ever heard a sermon? Has anyone ever talked about Jesus to you? I would venture to say that the answer is yes.

However, just because you hear about God’s plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, doesn’t mean that you accept it and apply it to your life. But if you choose not to, and you are reading this, it is not because you have never heard of God, Jesus or the Bible. And in addition to this blog, you’ve probably heard the message many times before.

There lies the defining moment. In Mark 4:1-20, Jesus shares the parable of the farmer who scatters seeds, representing God’s message.

According to Jesus, what you do with this message actually indicates your heart’s grade. Now I don’t mean a grade as in A, B, C, D or F. The grading scale for your heart is different than in school. There are four grades you can receive, but only one passes. Here they are. Which are you?

1. You heard the message, but didn’t understand it, so it left your heart and mind. - FAIL

2. You received the message with joy at first, but your relationship with God never grew much, and as things in life got tough, you seemed to have lost your faith, or at least spiritually you’re not where you used to be. - FAIL

3. You received the message with joy at first, but then your ambitions and your pursuit of success overcame your pursuit of God, and as a result, you’re not where you used to be spiritually. - FAIL

4. You received the message and nourished it through prayer, reading your bible, church attendance and a sincere heart to grow spiritually. No matter your ups and downs, you have remained, or returned, to the place where God wants you to be, and have become a blessing to others, helping them to do the same, bearing fruit. – PASS

Some of you reading this are passing with flying colors. Others are failing miserably, and others are somewhere in between. Unfortunately, as with any test, you either pass or fail. Fortunately, however with this test, you can take it as many times as you want until you get it right.

So what grade would you give your heart right now? And if you’re failing and you don’t want to be, what are you going to do begin to earn a passing grade?

4. HEY KID. GET A SUMMER JOB!
Tell this your lazy teenager (if you have one).

Proverbs 10:5
 5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
      but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

49 days down, 316 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 6:1 – 7:27; Mark 3:7-30; Psalms 37:1-11; Proverbs 10:3-4.

My thoughts from today’s reading:

1. FORGET OPRAH’S SECRET. HERE’S THE REAL SECRET – How to get what you want
2. THE FIRE MUST NEVER GO OUT
3. THEY MAY CALL YOU CRAZY
4. GRIND AND SHINE – Don’t be lazy. There's no replacement for hard work.

1. FORGET OPRAH’S SECRET. HERE’S THE REAL SECRET – How to get what you want
Psalm 37:3-4
 3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
      Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
 4 Take delight in the Lord,
      and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Simple and plain.  If you want something, this is how to get it. You must exchange your desires for God’s, and He will gladly give them to you.

No, this doesn’t mean that if you want a particular material possession you have to give up that desire, or that you have to sacrifice your own dreams and passions.

It just means that you must place a desire to please God above all other desires.

If you give God your heart, He will give you your life, and everything He has for it. And God is a good God, so don’t be surprised by the blessings along the way.

But from what I have found, if you let God get a hold of your heart, previous desires become a distant second, and your passion and strongest desire becomes to be right with God and to have a closer relationships with Him. This he will gladly give you, and a few things more.

2. THE FIRE MUST NEVER GO OUT
Leviticus 6:13
13 Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out.

God instructed Moses that the priest must ensure that the fire burns continuously on the altar. It was not allowed to burn out.

We may not be slaughtering animals as a sacrifice for our sins anymore, but our lives should be a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1), that should ever burn on the altar of our hearts.

What do I mean? I mean that everyday, our focus should be on living our lives in a way that pleases God, and doing the things He has called us to do.

This of course is no easy task, but even an honest effort in that direction will make a world of difference. God knows you are not perfect, but He also knows when you’re not even trying to get there.

The same diligence should apply to your dreams and aspirations. Whether it’s a business idea, an artistic pursuit, raising good kids, or whatever it is – even quitting smoking – within you must burn an undying passion to see your dream come to fruition.

See your dream, push ahead, and don’t stop until it becomes a reality. How many people quit, not knowing that tomorrow waits their success?

3. THEY MAY CALL YOU CRAZY
Picking up form the previous post about the fire that must never burn out, along the way of the pursuit of your passion, be prepared to be called crazy.

Many people won’t get it. They won’t understand the risks you take, or the unreasonable commitment you have to your dream, that they can’t seem to curtail no matter how much sense they talk to you.

Some of these people will even be family members and those closest to you, who mean only well. Their intentions are good.

Listen to them, especially if they are older. There will be wisdom in their words, but apply them within the context of your dream and your reality, not theirs.

They love you and want what’s best for you, but they don’t have your dream or your calling, so it will be likely that they can’t quite relate.

The same thing happened to Jesus.

Mark 3:20-21
20 One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.
21 When his family heard what was happening, they tried to take him away. “He’s out of his mind,” they said.

It’s one thing to be messing up your credit and falling behind on your bills in pursuit of your business dream, but imagine if you were running around saying you were the Son of God.

What would people think? What would your brothers and sisters think?

This scripture shows us that Jesus’ own family thought he was losing it. This was probably some of his brothers and sisters, and maybe some cousins or something, but most likely not His parents, because they had known who He was from His birth.

But anyway, the point is, Jesus was committed to something that some of the people closest to Him just didn’t get, and the thought He was crazy, but it didn’t stop Him one bit.

Likewise, as you pursue your dreams, be prepared for a little mischaracterization.

And God forbid you become one of the Jesus Freaks who is always talking about God and reading your bible and posting scriptures on facebook and twitter…..then they may really think you're crazy. Haha.

4. GRIND AND SHINE – Don’t be lazy. There's no replacement for hard work.
Check this out.

Proverbs 10:4
  4 Lazy people are soon poor;
      hard workers get rich.

48 days down, 317 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 4:1 – 5:19; Mark 2:13 – 3:6; Psalms 36:1-12; Proverbs 10:1-2.

My thoughts from today’s reading.

1. DON’T SPILL THE WINE – God wants to stretch you.
2. HAS SIN EVER WHISPERED TO YOU?
3. $100 FOR A LIE & $200 FOR CUSSING - Paying for your sins
4. BAD KIDS ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT AND CRIME DOESN’T PAY

1. DON’T SPILL THE WINE – God’s wants to stretch you
No this post isn’t a defense for Christians to drink wine.

In Mark 2:13-27 Jesus is getting into it with the Pharisees again. They are once again trying to frame Him as guilty of breaking Jewish religious law.

Jesus tells them in Matthew 2:22:
“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the wine would burst the wineskins, and the wine and the skins would both be lost. New wine calls for new wineskins.”

This is another one of those parables and analogies that are a bit anachronous for us today, meaning they don’t quite apply to our day and time.

Back then, wineskins held wine, and newer wineskins were more flexible and more able to be stretched than old

wineskins. If you poured new wine into an old wineskin, the wine could burst the old wineskin and waste on the ground.

Jesus was saying here that God was doing something new; and that if the Pharisees refused to let go of their rigidity and tradition, and be open to the new thing God was about to do, that they would miss the blessing.

Let me be clear, Jesus was not saying that they should be more lenient on sin. Jesus Himself was the first to rebuke sin. Many times after He healed or touched someone, He would tell them, “Go and sin no more.” So Jesus was not soft on sin.

What He was referring to here was Himself; and how through Him, the Spirit of God would soon be able to dwell within men and women, instead of just in tabernacles made by hand, but the religious leaders of the day were not trying to hear it.

Jesus was doing things different than how they had been doing it for hundreds of years. He was upsetting the religious tradition they established.

These guys had taken God’s commandments and ordinance, devolved them into empty and meaningless rituals devoid of their original purpose, and were using them to condemn and oppress others.

Now here comes Jesus, God in the flesh, and the religious leaders want Him to fit their mold. How backwards it that?

They should have been rejoicing because the Messiah showed up, ready to take orders. Instead, they hated Him and want Him to take orders from them.

They missed what God was doing because they refused to be flexible.

Now think about your life. How willing to change are you when God comes calling?

God has a purpose and a plan for you, but you’re going to have to be willing to go through some unfamiliar territory to get there.

You’re going to have to trust God and take some chances that He knows what He is talking about. You have to have faith and believe that God will get you to where He has called you.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that you actually know what God is calling you to do, and that you actually heard Him in the first place.

This is actually the first step in the journey. Believing God and finding His calling for you is the first act of faith. It is the first step outside of your comfort zone, and into God’s safety zone.

But be warned, God’s safety zone will not always feel safe. That’s where the faith comes in.

If you are faithful and obedient, you will come to learn from experience that no matter how choppy the waves around you as you begin to sink, God will always reach down and pull you to safety. But of course, this doesn’t change the fact that the choppy waves are scary.

It’s like they say, if you never get up to bat, you may never strike out, but you’ll also never get on base, much less get a home run.

So grab your bat and your bible, step out of comfort zone and see where God takes you.

2. HAS SIN EVER WHISPERED TO YOU?
Psalm 36:1
"Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts..."

Chris rock said it best as Pookie in New Jack City. "It just be calling me" (or something like that.)  He was talking about his crack addiction, and how the crack beckons unto him, and he comes running.

Sin is the same way. Until we have obtained freedom from sin, it controls us. It has free reign in the wickedness of our hearts.

You may not consider yourself wicked, but by the standards of the One who created us, each of our hearts has a very dark and wicked side.

Sometimes it yells, but I would venture to say that for most of us, it whispers. Temptation is usually a soft stroking of our carnality. We are especially vulnerable when we are alone, and no one else is around.

Even for us Christians, most of us all had a particular sin that we especially enjoyed. And if we are honest, even if we have overcome that sin, at times, we can still hear that faint but familiar whisper of a sin that so desires to seduce our souls back into slavery.

Have you ever felt like this? I know I have.

Ultimately we are all slaves. We are either slaves to Satan and sin, or we are to God and His righteousness.

This is why it is SO important that we are not cavalier about our relationship with God. We must be honest with ourselves about our own frailty and weakness. God can help us overcome, but we must first want to.

Sin is fun, but it will destroy you. Trust me. Sooner or later it will destroy you.

So the next time you hear that tempting whisper in your heart, tell it no, and then ask God for help. If you really mean it, He will come through for you. He has for me, and He can for you.

3. $100 FOR A LIE & $200 FOR CUSSING – Paying for your sins
What if you had to literally pay money for every time you sin?

What if every time you told a lie, cheated, cussed – or guys, what if every time you thought about you know when you saw a chick with all the right curves, we had to pay a few hundred bucks?

Well this is basically what was happening in the Old Testament. InLeviticus 5, God is laying the law down about the sacrifices required for a variety of sin.

The people had to bring animal sacrifices every time they sinned. And if they didn’t know they were sinning, when they realized it, then they had to bring Old Elsie to the altar for the old chop chop.

Back then, and even today, live animals were money. People judged their wealth back then by how many animals they owned. So bringing a bull or a sheep to the altar and just killing it was the equivalent of burning cash.

In fact, in the Bible God even sets up a graduated system for His sacrifice, almost like our tax brackets to day. If you didn’t own bulls or cows, you could bring smaller animals, like sheep. And if you didn’t own any animals, you had to just bring some grain and some flour.

Regardless of one’s ability to pay, his or her sin was going to cost them something financially.

Of course, I know the spiritual aspect of the blood sacrifice was most important, but the whole money aspect just made me wonder how this would affect us today.

If we had to fork over that paper every time we committed a sin, from the smallest to the biggest, would we be quick to get ourselves under control?

Well actually, we probably wouldn’t. We’d just all be broke. From the biblical account, as long as people kept sinning, sacrifices were required, and they never stopped sacrificing, which means they never stopped sinning.

But this isn’t that hard to believe. The truth is that as humans, we are born addicted to sin. We may be able to grow and mature and get some things under control, but ultimately, we will be prone to sin as long as live in our earthly bodies.

And if Jesus hadn’t paid the final penalty for our sin, then we’d still be liable for it. And our sin costs us a lot more than animals and money. It costs us our eternity.

So thank God He already paid your bill. You just have to endorse the check.

4. BAD KIDS ARE AN EMBARRASSMENT AND CRIME DOESN’T PAY
I read this one and just had to put it down. Good since has always made good since.

Proverbs 10:1-2
1 The proverbs of Solomon:
A wise child brings joy to a father;
a foolish child brings grief to a mother.
2 Tainted wealth has no lasting value,
but right living can save your life.

47 days down, 318 to go.

Today’s scriptures for my Read the Bible in a Year plan are Leviticus 1:1 – 3:17; Mark 1:29 – 2:12; Psalms 35:17-28; Proverbs 9:13-18.

Leviticus underway. Let’s go.

1. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF BLOOD – Old Testament Sacrifices
2. ANCIENT HEALTH TIPS – God M.D.
3. LINE UP YOUR DEMONS
4. JESUS – AN EXAMPLE OF PRAYER
5. JESUS WAS BADDER THAN MIKE

1. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF BLOOD – Old Testament Sacrifices
Leviticus 1-3 begins the third book of the bible with graphic details of God’s system of animal sacrifice.

From our modern perspective, reading it paints a pretty gruesome picture of priests stabbing animals in the throat, breaking birds’ necks, skinning dead animals, ripping and tearing their bodies apart, and then splashing the blood on an altar.

By today’s standards it almost sounds like a slasher flick. It even reminds me of some type of voodoo or witchcraft ritual.

Yeah I said it, and it’s not sacrilegious. Don’t lie. If you saw someone doing an animal sacrifice today, you would think the same thing.

The truth is that voodoo and witchcraft practitioners today in fact do a lot of the same that God ordered the priests in the Old Testament of the Bible to do. Of course there is a big difference.

Before Christ’s death, the true and living God, in His sovereignty, chose to institute a system of atonement for sin through the shedding of the blood of sacrificed animals. If there is a God, then it is His prerogative to set up whatever system for forgiveness of sin He chooses.

So the priests in the Old Testament were offering a sacrifice to the one true God as an act of obedience, and once Jesus showed up, He was the final sacrifice. God no longer requires more blood to be shed for the forgiveness of sins.

Voodoo and witchcraft practitioners offer their sacrifices to demons, not God; but demons cannot forgive sins. In fact, these sacrifices are usually offered to persuade these demonic forces to act on behalf of the one offering the sacrifice.

I just wanted to get that out of the way. But the point of this post was that that altar in the Tabernacle appeared to a pretty bloody place, even gruesome by a more “civilized” standard.

But then again, when Jesus hung from the cross, He was just as bloody and disfigured; and this was not just some animal. This was the Son of God in human form dangling from a wooden cross drenched in blood, with His own flesh hanging from His body.

Sacrifices are a mess, but so is our sin. Thank God for Jesus and His sacrifice.

2. ANCIENT HEALTH TIPS – God M.D.
Leviticus 3:17
You must never eat any fat or blood. This is a permanent law for you, and it must be observed from generation to generation, wherever you live

Now, think about that the next time you order a rare steak or prepare yourself to ingest a plateful of saturated fats. HAHA.

3. LINE UP YOUR DEMONS
Picture this imagery from Mark.

Mark 1:33-34
33 The whole town gathered at the door to watch. 34 So Jesus healed many people who were sick with various diseases, and he cast out many demons.

Have you ever seen a demon possessed person? Maybe you have. Maybe you haven’t. Or maybe you have and didn’t even know it. Maybe there’s one in close proximity as you read this.

Well just imagine having hundreds of them line up in front of you, like you’re giving our government cheese or something.

Here’s Jesus with just that. Lines upon lines of demon possessed people, and more being brought to Him. Of course, Jesus simply casts the demons out of the people, and heals them of whatever sickness, but that had to be one crazy situation to be in.

4. JESUS – AN EXAMPLE OF PRAYER
I try to pray everyday, and I’ve found that morning prayer is the best. There is less distractions from outside, and even more importantly, your mind hasn’t yet become filled with the daily minutia.

When I wait till later in the day to pray or read my bible, frankly, it is just harder to get those spiritual wheels turning.

Jesus appeared to like early morning prayer also, although I don’t think I get up to pray quite as early as Jesus. I got a ways to go in that area.

Mark 1:35
Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray

5. JESUS WAS BADDER THAN MIKE
In modern terms, Jesus was an ancient celebrity.

Mark 1:45 – 2:2

45 But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.Mark 2Jesus Heals a Paralyzed Man

1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them

Jesus couldn’t go anywhere without crowds of people flocking to see Him. Sounds kind of like Michael Jackson for something.

Well at least Jesus didn’t have to deal with the Paparazi.

On an interesting side note, in a fulfillment of prophecy, the masses of people ended up turning on Jesus and shouted for his death.

I wonder how many, if any, of the people Jesus healed were in that crowd shouting, “Crucify Him.” What do you think?

Was there any, or was everyone yelling in that crowd people who had never been really touched by Jesus love and His power?

Just wondering. What do you think?