Category: QuietTimes

28 Peter began to say to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” Mark 10:28-31

[Spoiler] I have used some of the late John MacArthur’s thoughts on this passage here in my write-up today. His perspective really resonated with me.

True Riches in the Kingdom – In this passage, Jesus is redefining wealth—not in terms of material possessions, but in terms of spiritual blessings and eternal reward. The “hundredfold” promise is interpreted as spiritual family and provision within the body of Christ. We as believers gain a new community and deeper relationships that overcome biological ties.

Persecution Is Part of the Package – Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat the cost of discipleship. The blessings come “with persecutions,” which is a mark of genuine faith and a refining tool in the believer’s life.

Reversal of Earthly Status – The phrase “many who are first will be last, and the last first” is a warning against pride and worldly ambition. This is a call to humility and trust in God’s justice, where the true value of a person is revealed in eternity.

APPLICATION:

There are so many questions from this passage I feel compelled to ask myself!

• Would I give up my house? — 100% yes. Our home is a gift from the Lord and I take no possession of it. If I felt the Lord leading us to sell it and go into the mission field, I would do it in a heartbeat.
• Have I left family or my current living location (Washington)? My family means a lot to me but my Lord and Savior means ‘everything’ to me. In this time in my life, I feel called to be there for my mom and dad especially while my mom is battling Alzheimer’s. I am currently living out the command to honor my mother and father by being here close to them.
• Finally, am I prideful? Yes, is the simple answer. I sometime struggle with selfishness or rights-based expectations. The Lord has brought me a long way in my pursuit to eradicate this from my life, and He has brought me through trials that bring me to the humble realization that He is the only answer; the only One who can bring peace and satisfaction.

13 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13-16

This passage is so appropriate today at camp. Tonight PJ Lewis (Middle School Camp Speaker) made a call to all the students to place their belief and trust in Jesus. Leading up to this night, camp chapels have consisted of all of the “I AM” statements. I am the way, I am the gate, I am the good shepherd, etc. PJ laid out the gospel and the character of Jesus so well. He not only covered what Jesus did on the cross for us, but he also covered Who Jesus is for us today. Coming to this passage in Mark today is awesome because I was blessed to spend time with one of the cabins in my Flock Group where 2 boys accepted Jesus into their hearts. I was able to share how they have a new redeemed spirit and the promise of the Helper (Holy Spirit) to come alongside them from this point forward.

The faith and simplicity of a child is how we all need to come to Jesus. It is exactly what Jesus was talking about in these verses — “whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child, shall not enter it”. Kids have this simple innate trust we must embrace when we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior.

There were so many good questions by these Middle Schoolers. I was so impressed with the depth of their inquisitiveness.

APPLICATION:

I need to live everyday with the faith of a small child. Like the little kid sitting on an airplane in turbulence who is watching a movie on their device…totally trusting the pilots and the plane — I need to have trust in my Savior that He wants the best for me in EVERYTHING. That best may not be what I THINK is best for me, but I can walk forward in faith, knowing that the Lord is in sovereign control and as long as I am following Him, He will sustain me until the time set aside for me to meet Him in heaven or in the air.

2 And Pharisees came up and in order to test him asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” 3 He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” 4 They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of divorce and to send her away.” 5 And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. 6 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ 7 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, 8 and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. 9 What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. 11 And he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her, 12 and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.” Mark 10:2-12

There are several places in God’s Word where divorce is addressed, but here is one of the places where Jesus elevates the standard of marriage above the mosaic concessions. Jesus instead points to God’s original intent by pointing to the “two shall become one” and “let no man separate what God has joined together”. Jesus is berating the Pharisees for using scripture to justify divorce, showing them that their hearts were far away from God’s purpose.

Breaking the marital covenant is a serious thing. It is a shame that today, divorce is used to correct an oopsie or ‘unreconcilable differences’. All throughout God’s Word, Love is an action…a state of heart and mind toward another. God emphasizes that spiritual gifts, knowledge, generosity, and even faith are meaningless without love. –> 1 Corinthians 13 tells us all about this. When we bring all of the aspects of Love into even a broken marriage joined by repentance and the goal of glorifying God, anything is possible.

APPLICATION:

I am so grateful for Marianne. We have had some rocky areas in our marriage but our desire to honor and glorify God above all else, has always positioned our hearts in the right orientation toward each other in light of the Gospel. The order is so important, and this order I must embrace every day –> God is my head and I am the head of my wife and family. When I am seeking the Lord with all of my heart, mind, soul, and strength, (and applying to my life all the Lord is teaching me) everything else falls into place.

49 For everyone will be salted with fire. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:49-50

July 16 – 20, Marianne, Sophie, Prim, and Brooklyn will all be at Canyon Hills Middle School Camp @ Miracle Ranch in Purdy, WA. Marianne and I will be “Flock Leaders” all week, serving and caring for several Cabin Leaders. We are so looking forward to this time with the Middle School students and coming alongside this Cabin Leaders who sacrifice so much to be there. My Quiet Time posts will be pretty short and sweet and most of them will come rapid-fire as I will post most of the days on Sunday. Cellular Data connections are horrid at camp.

This passage in Mark is one that is kind of tough to understand. What’s interesting is that Jesus talks about 3 different aspects of salt.

1. Everyone will be salted with fire. – This has a couple of potential meanings (or both). If we link it with the previous verses, then Jesus is talking about Judgement. However, if we look at it in light of the following verses, it is more about purification or sanctification of our lives as followers of Jesus. I tend to think Jesus is referring to both and the ‘being salted with fire’ is a cleansing…whether that is as an unbeliever or a justified/redeemed follower of Christ.
2. Salt is good, but how do you make unsalty salt, salty again? – Different commentators have different thoughts on this but when I look at this passage applied to my own life, here is my take-away -> The seasoning of Jesus in my life makes me a preservative and “bringer of good news” to the world around me. I can become unsalty by being distracted by other books and authors say which can keep me out of His Word and what the Lord is revealing to me through it. I must stay salty by keeping my nose in God’s Word and prayerfully supplicating with Him every day.
3. Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another. – Jesus calls on the disciples to have peaceful, harmonious relationships among themselves. In Old Testament times, salt was also seen as a symbol when entering into covenants with each other. I think it fits well in that while we look to encourage each other and hold each one accountable, we need to do that with Grace and Love so that we can grow each other up without cutting each other down.

APPLICATION:

I must be deliberate about being the salt of the earth God wants me to be. I also need to welcome the cleansing fire of trials. I need to pivot from feeling ‘hit’ to ‘what does God want to teach me in this’.

Mark 9:43-48
43 And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell. 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, 48 ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.

This passage follows the warning to not cause another brother or sister in Christ to sin. This pretty much says that it is better to die a death of drowning than cause others to sin. Then Jesus goes on to talk about the “would be betters” of our own temptations to sin.

HANDS:

For some of us, it is the work of our hands that gets us into trouble, the desires of our material selves. Or it might be the addiction to work and all the choices we make to support that addiction.

FEET:

For others it is where we go and who we allow ourselves to be surrounded by, or even our environment/circumstances we allow, that can be hot beds for us to say “Yes” or “Just this one time” to sinful desires. This can even include self-isolation where we entertain self-loathing or other behavior that seeks pity, people-pleasing, pride, or encourages our selfish thoughts and feelings.

EYES:

Even more will be lured by the flesh of the eyes, the lust of women/men, the brain-rot of “slinging reels” or other avenues of time waste and windows for sin into our souls.

Each of these is followed by the “Better to be <maimed, crippled, or with only one eye> than find yourself in the Lake of Fire for Eternity” where the fire never goes out, nothing ever dies, and anguish is constant. I really like how the amplified talks about the maimed, crippled, or one-eyed “life”.

“It is more profitable and wholesome for you to go into life [that is really worthwhile] maimed…crippled…with one eye”

APPLICATION:

Do I allow opportunities to sin by my willful disregard of the things, places, or circumstances I know to be dangerous territory for me?

• Slinging “reels” as a way to “RELAX”?
• Cigars that can lead to more nicotine products?
• Alcoholic beverages that lead to more alcoholic beverages “to become relaxed”?
• Hanging out with that friend who has a twisted sense of humor that goes too far… where I am tempted to participate.

The biggest question I can ask myself is —

“Is King Jesus alone enough for me? If the answer is yes, then I must seek to choose the most Christ honoring and glorifying path.”

Mark 9:42
42 “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”

To incline someone to sin == “to cause to fall”

To entice, trap, or lead a believer into sin is a serious matter.

A millstone was so heavy that it had to be turned by a donkey or an ox.

Even such a horrifying death (a gentile form of execution) is preferrable to leading another Christian into sin.

Romans 14:21 “It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or TO DO ANYTHING ELSE that will cause a brother to tall.”

This is in primary reference to causing a person who struggles w/ alcohol or a person who has a conviction about eating meat sacrificed to idols, but Paul quickly applies this to ANYTHING that would cause a brother or sister in Christ to fall/stumble.

APPLICATION:

Anything I do that could cause someone else to stumble into sin because of my participation in it…has to go. [This verse is a command by Jesus]

Mark 9:39-41:
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”
39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me.
40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
41 For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”

It’s been almost 1 year since I last posted and the Lord has done so much in my life and the life of our family! The biggest reason I am back is because the Lord, in His mercy and grace, as afforded me a job change at Microsoft that reduced my stress and workload considerably. For that reason, I am able to start posting my quiet times again!

I was finishing Ephesians and now I am going verse by verse through the gospel of Mark.

There is no NEUTRALITY with JESUS (Revelation 3:15-16)

1.) Luke 11:23 — Whoever is not with me, is against me

2.) Mark 9:40 — Whoever is not against me, is with me.

((Not against me is all-encompassing)) – When I am for Jesus, every area of my life becomes open game to be transformed into being more like Him.

I AM EITHER ALL-IN WITH JESUS, OR ALL-OUT.

APPLICATION:

• Does my Life produce enough evidence to convict me of being all in on Jesus?
• What areas of my heart show a “not all-in” attitude toward Jesus?
• Not everyone who is committed to Jesus may look like ‘my people’.