#34: God’s Wonderful Contrary Plan

Merry Christmas! I pray you’re having a beautiful season of celebration!

In our current Wednesdays-In-the-Word series Knowing Jesus, we’ve been studying our way through Mark’s gospel. Today, we’re going to take a little jump back to a half-verse in Mark 6 and pause for a Christmas thought.

From childhood, we dream about what our lives will be like—what we’ll be, where we’ll live, who we’ll marry, and so on. Usually, our lives don’t turn out quite as we’d imagined. I’m confident that was true for Mary and for Joseph, neither of whom had anticipated that the Messiah would grow up in their home as a part of their family, with a host of joys and sorrows along the way.

Read Mark 6:3a. Then read Luke 1:26-38 and Matthew 1:18-23. Read More

#33: He Knows the Pain of Loss

Growing up, my cousin Amy and I were very close. We didn’t see each other often but when we got a chance to spend time together, we had tons of fun! We still don’t see each other often; when we do, we laugh about our childhood “adventures”—like when we pulled her parents’ heavy pedestal table over on ourselves and screamed for rescue. Maybe you cherish growing-up memories of a sibling or cousin also.

What about the growing-up relationship between Jesus and his “cousin” John, known as John the Baptist? Exactly how they were related isn’t clear, but we know their mothers were near relatives (Luke 1:36ff). Jesus and John were born a few months apart, each under his own set of extraordinary circumstances. They each had righteous parents who were devoted to God. And they each played an extraordinary role in the coming of God’s Kingdom—though John was adamant that his part was nothing compared to Jesus’ (John 1:19-30).

How well did these two outstanding young kids know each other? Did they only see each other as their parents visited the temple each year? Or more often? When they were together, was there a unique quality to their relationship? Jesus paid John a wonderful tribute in Matthew 11:7-15 (see also Lk. 7:24-28), saying, “Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John…. he is the Elijah who was to come.” How early were they both aware of the other’s purpose? Read More

#32: Learning By Experience

“Experience is the best teacher,” a wise saying goes. An ancient Chinese proverbs adds,
“Hear and forget,
see and remember,
do and understand.”

Our Creator knows that we don’t understand the full scope of anything until we experience it firsthand. With this in mind, Jesus sent out the Twelve to get a taste of the ministry that would soon be theirs. They had heard Him teach, they had watched Him minister—but now they would do ministry and really begin to understand its challenges, joys, and frustrations. Read More

#31: Would You Know Him?

If I’d lived in Jesus’ day, would I have recognized Him as the Messiah? Would I have accepted His deity? I think about it a lot. Apparently, I’m not the only one. Singer/songwriter Wayne Watson wrote a powerful song with the same theme, called Would I Know You Now? The first part says,

“Would I know You now if You walked into the room?
If You stilled the crowd, if Your light dispelled the gloom?
And if I saw Your wounds, touched Your thorn-pierced brow,
I wonder if I’d know You now.

“Would I know You now if You walked into this place?
Would I cause You shame? Would my games be Your disgrace?
Or would I worship You, fall upon my face?
I wonder if I’d know You now.

“Or have the images I’ve painted so distorted who You are
that even if the world was looking they could not see You,
the real You?
Have I changed the true reflection to fulfill my own design,
making You what I want, not showing You forth divine?
Divine!”*

Get your Bible and let’s dive in to Mark’s sixth chapter, as we continue getting to know Jesus. Read More

#30: Leave Your Past in the Past

Welcome back to our study of Mark’s gospel, Knowing Jesus! So glad you’re here.

Today we sum up Mark’s fifth chapter. In it, we met three people in seemingly hopeless situations:
• a demon-possessed man (vs 1-20; see post #27: Hope for the Hopeless)
• a woman sick for twelve years (vs 21-34; see #28: Changed By His Touch)
• and a dying—then dead—young girl (vs 35-43; see #29: A Platform for Praise).

Read back through Mark 5.

All three “main characters” had two things in common.
(1) Under the Law they were unclean.
(2) Jesus compassionately, fearlessly touched them. He changed their circumstances and their lives, leaving them eternally grateful. Read More

Praying Psalm 136: The Bedrock of His Goodness

Thanksgiving week is here! In the midst of turkey dinners and family gatherings, tail-gating and football games, we may lose the reason for the day. How can we bring focus to giving thanks to God for His gracious love? Psalm 136 gives us one easy way.

Much of Israel’s thanksgiving was a continual recital of God’s past goodness. Over and over, Israel was encouraged by Moses and other leaders to remember, remember, remember what God had done for them.

Psalm 136 is a beautiful, poetic example of this kind of remembrance. The psalmist recites Israel’s history in phrases, following each phrase with “His love endures forever.”
• In the majesty of creation, His love endures forever.
• In the miracle of deliverance from threats, His love endures forever.
• In the magnanimity of His provision, His love endures forever.
Undergirding every moment of their lives, was His love.

Has God created you and redeemed you? Remember the generous greatness of His mercy; consider how different your life would be without Him.

Does God appear to be silent in your moment of need? Remember former times when He didn’t seem to be listening and then, suddenly, there He was speaking clearly into your crisis.

Has God allowed a great sorrow to descend on you? Remember other times when He was with you in the middle of sorrow and carried you.

Each of us could write a psalm like Psalm 136, reciting our own encounters with His goodness. Under every line, just like bedrock, would be “His love endures forever.” This Thanksgiving, plan some quiet time with the Lord to write your Psalm 136. Remember, and give thanks for His love that endures forever.

© Diane McLoud 2013

#29: A Platform for Praise

Welcome to Knowing Jesus, our study through Mark’s gospel. Last week, we read about a woman healed by touching Jesus’ robe. Her story is woven into another—of a frightened father and his dying daughter. Today, we’ll learn the rest of their story.

Read Mark 5:21-24, 35-43. (The same account can be found in Matthew 9:18-19,23-26 and Luke 8:40-24, 49-56.)

Jairus was a prominent man. Four times, Mark identifies him as the synagogue ruler (v. 22, 35, 36, 38). Everyone in Capernaum knew who Jairus was. But his position didn’t protect him from pain; his only daughter—just twelve years old—was dying, and Jairus was terrified. Read More

#28: Changed By His Touch

She pushed through the pressing crowd, jostled right and left by others wanting to see Jesus. She pulled her veil closer, trying to stay anonymous. She shouldn’t be there. She was making everyone who touched her unclean. But she was ill, alone, broke, and desperate.

He pushed through the pressing crowd, risking his standing in the synagogue to be there. His only daughter—his little princess—was breathing her last. The mourners were already gathering at his home. He was sick with fright, helpless, and desperate.

For him, twelve years of joy were about to come to a tragic end. For her, twelve years of misery seemed without end. Today, we’ll look at her story; next Wednesday, we’ll look at his.

Read Mark 5:21-34. Also read Matthew 9:18-22 and Luke 8:40-48. Read More

#27: Hope for the Hopeless

He was the picture of misery. Naked, scarred from numerous cuttings and self-mutilation, isolated by his own insane raging, he was both feared and afraid. Well-meaning people had tried to bring him under control; they bound him many times but he broke the strongest restraints. Now he stayed outside of town in a cemetery. No one went near him. He was a hopeless case.

Then he met Jesus.

Welcome to Knowing Jesus, our study of Mark’s gospel. Glad you’re joining in!

Read Mark 5:1-20. (For parallel accounts, read Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-38.) Read More

Treasured Times to Share

Ever since my grandma let little-girl-me play in her button box, I have loved buttons of all shapes and sizes. Among my treasured possessions is my grandma’s button box. It has no value to anyone but me. But for me, it brings back wonderful memories of time spent with her, looking at the different buttons, finding the ones that matched, and lining them up in pretty rows.

Now my granddaughters like to play in my button box. Every so often, I add a few new buttons (or old ones from my grandma’s box—they love to hear about their long-ago great-great-grandma Hilda) to keep them interested in coming back. I hope that someday after I’m gone, they’ll relive happy times with me through the “memory vehicle” of that colorful little box.

Memories are born out of simple things. Maybe you can’t afford to build memories on expensive vacations or fancy collectible toys. But you can think back to treasured moments from your early years (I’ll guarantee that many of them revolve around simple moments), then share what you loved with your children and grandchildren.

As the Thanksgiving/Christmas season approaches, take a few minutes to reflect on your best memories. Then consider how you can adapt or recreate one or two of them for your family. Keep it simple, and make it fun!