Aaron Hufty – Page 22 – The Everyday Prayer

Get Near Jesus

Re:Verse passage – Mark 2:1-12 (day two)

Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. vs. 4

What would you do to get near Jesus; climb a tree, push through a crowd, walk to the next town, leave your dying relative? Are these familiar stories of people doing whatever they could to get near the savior are becoming, well, familiar? It seems we are comfortable reading these magnificent stories, but, in reality, we do little to emulate them. Perhaps it is because any one of those stories includes a bit of humiliation. Each of them were willing to risk something to get near Jesus, and that may be a bridge too far for us. It was good for a tax collector, or a bleeding woman, but not for a 21st century average Joe/Jane. What’s missing? Did they recognize Jesus more fully than we do? Were they willing to throw all caution aside for a chance to be near this teacher, this healer, this Jesus? One thing that hasn’t changed over time is Jesus. So what we are left with is a choice to follow the examples of some first century sinners and do whatever it takes to get near him today.

Recognize Jesus

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:36-45 (day two) And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

Yesterday on the Re:vlog I mentioned another passage of scripture that had a similar feeling to me. I wanted to follow up on that text. In the very familiar account of Peter walking on water there is this exchange between Jesus and Peter.

Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. Matthew 14:28-29

Both the leper and Peter recognize in Jesus the power and ability to conquer fear, disease, and nature. They first acknowledge that what they seek is rooted in the savior. This recognition goes beyond Jesus’ ability to perform miracles, it begins with humility and submission. Turned around the questions could have easily been asked this way. I desire to be healed/to come near you, but I desire your will not mine. Sound familiar?

Recognize Jesus’ authority today in your petitions.

Surrender

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:21-35 (day two) Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” vs. 23-24

Recognition and surrender are not the same thing. Think about it for a moment. More than once in scripture demons recognize the divinity of Christ, and that does little to save them. Are we trying to hang our salvation on a basic acknowledgment of Jesus, or have we surrendered completely to his Lordship over our lives? Consider doing a spiritual inventory over the next few days or weeks. As you examine your routine ask yourself, and the Lord, if your walk reflects a surrendered heart or one that simply acknowledges Jesus. This is a good exercise for all of us.

Immediately

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:16-20 (day one) Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. vs. 18

There was likely further discussion than what is recorded in the gospel narratives, but the heart of what was said was clearly recorded. This was not a transactional conversation. What these men got out of following Jesus was not necessarily clear. And yet, they followed. I think there are times that we forget the authority with which Jesus spoke, and still speaks. Imagine the absolute certainty that he exuded as he confronted these men. Follow me, and your lives will change, and this journey will be worth everything you are giving up and more. Friend, that message has not changed. May we never forget that when we meet Jesus we cannot leave unchanged. Whatever lies before us is infinitely more navigable with Jesus leading. Where has he called you? What has he asked you to give up? Are you still struggling with things that matter more than Jesus? Follow him; fully.

Story

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:9-15 (day two) Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God vs. 14

One of the fascinating things I love about scripture is how the gospel writers approach the narrative of Jesus’ life and ministry. Their writing styles are different, and some chose specific events to illustrate while others left them out. To be sure, needless were none of the deeds of Jesus, but it is such a great tool to looking at his life through each of their eyes. Mark makes no apologies that this story is about the good news. He states it in verse one of chapter one, and again, as Jesus begins his earthly ministry, in verse 14. This does not mean that the details of Christ’s temptation are irrelevant, or that John’s arrest is insignificant, but they are not what Mark chose to focus his gospel upon.

The details of your life matter. The everyday journey you walk helps to shape the meta of you. What we should continually ask the Lord is how those details and decisions will impact the narrative of who is shaping us to become. What is the story he is trying to tell through you? Are there things getting in the way of that story? Is it time to let go?

Confess and Repent

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day two) John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. vs. 4

Mark goes out of his way to talk about John’s appearance, doesn’t he? My love for a nice camel hair coat aside, John’s presentation was probably a bit disheveled, even for the first century. That’s what makes the response to his message all the more compelling. He wasn’t attractive, but the freedom from the burden of sin was. We have such a backwards view of confession and repentance. People came in large numbers to hear John’s words. They received the message, and freed their hearts from the burden they had been carrying. This message is not just for new believers. All of us should be reminded of the power of repentance. Why not start again today?

Fleas

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:10-23 (day two) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. vs. 12

Have you read Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place? It is a must read for any believer. One of the many stories of her faith, and that of her family, come from when they were learning to cope and witness in the concentration camp where they had been taken. Corrie’s sister, Betsie, begins to give thanks for their current situation which included fleas. Although reluctant, Corrie goes along with her sister’s prayer to thank God for fleas. They later began to realize that the Nazi guards would not enter their meeting areas because of the infestation, and because of that they were free to share the good news of Jesus. They understood clearly what it meant to give thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18). They understood clearly what it mean to live without, and yet, thought Christ they were able to fulfill their duty as disciple-makers. May we have that kind of resolve.

Application

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:1-9 (day two)

The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. vs. 9

OK, be honest, have you ever struggled through a particularly dense passage of scripture and wondered…how can I apply this to my life? There are times when the broad stroke of God’s grace unfolds in scripture over generations of people. Those moments need a greater context of the plan and purpose of God. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians is chock full of applicable life lessons.

To live is Christ and to die is gain. 1:21

Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. 1:27

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. 2:3

Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. 2:12

Do everything without complaining or arguing. 2:14

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 3:12

And now at the end of this letter he sums up the formula for continued growth in our faith: focus on the things that matter. Focus on the true things, the beautiful, noble, pure, right, and excellent. These are the things that should occupy your thoughts. The promise is that God will be near.

Newness

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:17-21 (day two)

…we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory…vs.20b-21a

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Revelation 21:5

Don’t misread these verses. It doesn’t say Jesus will make all new things. He will make all things new. One of the things we tell our kids as they struggle with those awkward phases of development is that God doesn’t make mistakes. You are not a mistake, but we are not yet fully ourselves. When we finally clothe ourselves with Jesus we will, at last, be who we were intended to be. While we walk these Shadowlands we may begin to catch of glimpse of what that renewal will be like, but only until we venture further up and further in will we know fully how Jesus will renew his creation. Be encouraged today that the work that He began in you will find its completion in eternity. May that hope push you to continue to seek after His perfect will for your life in the meantime. Aren’t you grateful for the promise of newness?

Press On

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:12-16 (day two)

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. vs. 13-14

Today is an important day. Many have looked to this day for quite some time for release from, or recognition of the current political climate. We have heard words like, unprecedented, critical, crossroads when describing the place this election plays in our national psyche. The end of this day will bring little in terms of reconciliation of the political narrative that we have digested over the last several months and years.

This morning I read an essay by C.S.Lewis written in 1940 titled “The Danger of National Repentance.” One of his assertions is that when some people call for repentance, they are calling for others to course correct, or to align with a differing ideology that is currently trending. Too often, a nations citizens are reaping the consequences of decisions made before they were born, or before they were a part of the conversation. Rarely, if ever, when we call for national repentance have we effectively taken inventory of the part that each of us play in the rhetoric of divisiveness; in our homes, families, work places, and churches. What we see nationally is, too often, a reflection of our own hearts towards our neighbors.

For this, we must repent. We must take the words of Paul as a harbinger of hope. We must forget what is behind, in this case the anger and hurt, and we must press on towards the upward call of God. This morning, with all the possibilities that lie before you, pray that you will move and react as the Holy Spirit calls you. Pray for each other, for your political enemy, for the candidates, and their advisors, and for all who would seek public office. Pray that they would seek God’s will and guidance.

I leave you with the closing words of Lincoln’s first inaugural address.

In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to “preserve, protect, and defend it.”

I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.