Rick Henderson – Page 21 – The Everyday Prayer

Zeal

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:21-35 (day seven)

An interesting thing happens after our students return from camp every summer. Community is heightened, activities have increased engagement, and our students desire to serve. Similar events transpire after Freedom Weekend and other major events in the Youth Ministry. What was different from before these events? What was the catalyst to create this zeal? It was that our students had a personal encounter with the Lord. The byproduct of encountering the Lord is zeal. This is evident in our passage this week,

“And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.” Mark 1:31.

Simon’s mother-in-law immediately began to serve Jesus after she was healed. This was not a misogynistic depiction of the woman. This was the byproduct of her healing, of her encounter with Jesus. Not only did God heal her physically, but she became filled with the Spirit and exuded zeal.

Romans 12:11, “Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.”

Fishing

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:16-20 (day seven)

I love to fish. I specifically love fly fishing. I do not do it enough to be good at it, but being out in the water, surrounded by nature, away from the hustle and bustle of life, fishing provides an escape. It also provides a challenge. There is an art to understanding how the fly will hit the water, how much the current will impact it, and how to hook the fish. Fishing can be challenging, and yet, it can also be rewarding. For me, fishing is just a hobby. For these men, fishing was a livelihood. It was more than a sport. It was their food, salary, and currency. However, I reckon they felt similarly about the challenge and escape that fishing provides, which is why this was so appealing to hear,

“Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

There is an art to being a fisher of men. It takes practice and time, but it is also tremendously rewarding. Instead of being an escape for you, you show others how to escape the brokenness of this world. That is greater than any catch that will come out on the water.

Make War

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:9-15 (day seven)

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down,
That the mountains might quake at Your presence.” Isaiah 64:1

“Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him.” Mark 1:10

This is war. A battle plan that has been in works since before time began. Sin and death have no chance for God has become man. He’s here to fight. Advent allows us to celebrate this coming King because we know the how the story ends (spoiler alert: God wins!), but this is the beginning of that end. This is the Commander-In-Chief joining the front lines, inspiring hope, leading by example. “This is how you fight your battles: Repent. Believe. Be Baptized. Fight temptation. Make war! You are not in this alone. I Am with you.”

Are you following this example? Are you making war? Or are you sitting back and letting the enemy come to your doorstep? Make War!

Incarnate Immanuel

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day seven)

I love Mark! Unlike the other synoptic gospels, he cuts right to the start of Jesus’ ministry. It’s not because the birth story isn’t important, but he is laying a foundation for his readers to know who and what this “good news” is about. He gives them a map. He shows them where the journey is taking them while also dropping deep theology that he will develop throughout the book. Mark is showing us that the gospel is simple:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

God loves us so much that He became man (Incarnate) and dwelt with us (Immanuel). This is the Christmas story.

“As time has passed on, my theology has grown more and more simple. It is simply this, ‘Jesus loves me!’” – Charles Spurgeon

Out of Context

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 4:10-23 (day seven)

Throughout my time playing football, I saw Philippians 4:13 used in many different ways. Some guys had this tattooed on their body. I heard coaches and players pray using this verse before games asking God for victory. Others would say this after the victory as a means to give God glory. You have probably seen and heard much of the same in your profession.

These usages of this verse are very much out of context. Paul did not want us to claim victory in sport through the power of Christ, nor was he assuring us that we could overcome our physical insufficiencies if we believed hard enough. What Paul was telling us was that with Christ we will be content in all things. If we truly wanted to apply this to the sports world, Christ helps us be just as content after a loss as after a victory.

More specifically to the context of the passage, we as Christians are not promised riches, prosperity, or even three meals a day. What we are promised is that no matter our situation, good or bad, we can be content. Christ is sufficient for all we need.

Dwell

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

This passage was written in the first century and yet, is speaking directly to this moment on November 22, 2020. Just as it felt like we were finding normalcy again, we seem to be taking steps backwards. Coronavirus is surging. Holiday plans are being affected. Hope is fleeting. A time normally filled with thankfulness, is filled with apprehension. So… what are we going to do?

Dwell.

Dwell on the good things. “…whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” vs 8. There is always a silver lining. If you see something worthy of praise, praise it. If you see excellence in others, brag on them. When you find good, make a big deal of it. We need positivity.

Dwell.

Dwell in thankful prayer. “… with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” vs 6. Thankfulness orients our hearts and minds to see where God is already at work. Dwell in prayer, and He will show you the good things. We need thankfulness.

Dwell.

Dwell in Jesus. “he who [dwells] in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit” John 15:5. The more we dwell in the Lord, the more fruit (love, joy, peace…) we will produce. We need Jesus.

Conformity

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

“[Christ] will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory.” vs 21

God knows every hair on our head. He created us and knows us better than we can ever know ourselves. We are perfect the way he made us: in His image. Why then are there so many in this world that seek changes to the way God made them? Either in personality or image, it seems like people are not comfortable in their own skin. They think if they look different and act different, then maybe they will feel different.

Sin has distorted our perception of goodness. Pain, shame, guilt, envy: these are the things that creep in and tell us we are not good enough. The only way we rectify this problem and feel different, is to begin to conform into Christ’s image now. As we begin the process of conformity, we will find we get tastes of what heaven will feel like as we await our final transformation.

^“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Cor 3:18

The Standard

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

“however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.” vs 16

First off, what is this standard? I believe Paul is finishing his defense of the statement he made in verse 10, “becoming like [Jesus].” This is our standard as Christians. Our goal first and foremost is to be conformed more and more into the image of Christ every day.

Here is the catch: Not only are we attaining a standard, but we as Christians are the standard. As the gold standard is to currency, we are the value by which the world measures morality. If Christians are not keeping the standard constant by speaking truth and shining a light in the darkness, then the morality of the world inflates and deflates based off societal norms. If Christians are not there to point to a moral law giver then there is no need for morality, or if our standard becomes corrupted, then people will look for morality in other places. We are to be the standard by attaining the standard, which is becoming like Christ.

Instant Righteousness

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 3:1-11 (day seven)

Wouldn’t it be nice if becoming a Christian meant that we were perfected in that moment? No more sin, no more trials, and no more pain. In salvation, our past has been forgiven, but a life in the flesh leaves remnants of itself hiding in the unwanted places of our mind. What we see is that though salvation is instantaneous, sanctification is continual.

The problem is that in a fast food, high speed internet society, we expect everything to be instantaneous. We want it here, and we want it now. We want instant righteousness. Like those to whom Paul was referring to in Philippians, we attempt to prove our own righteousness through legalistic measures, and look for ways to show how great we are. Paul tells us that righteousness doesn’t come this way. It “comes from God on the basis of faith” (vs 9). Sanctification is a lifelong process of spending time in a relationship with God. The longer you spend, the more He will carve out those remnants of the flesh that bubble back up post-salvation, and He replaces them with His righteousness.

Discipled

Re:Verse passage – Philippians 2:19-30 (day seven)

“But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.” vs 22

The relationship of Paul and Timothy is one of my favorite dynamics in the New Testament. Take a look through the latter parts of Acts and the letters to Timothy and you will see the progression of Timothy’s training. It began in such a way where Timothy was a young man in whom Paul saw potential, so he brought him on his team and invested in Him. Then we see Paul challenging Timothy, though young in his faith, to be a leader. He eventually becomes one of Paul’s most trusted companions. Paul saw potential, invested, cultivated, and sent him out!

We all have had those people in our lives who have helped shape our faith journey. They saw the potential in us and invested. They cultivated our theology and then sent us out to do the same for others. This is the model of discipleship!

Have you experienced this? Who has been a Paul to you? Who has been your Timothy? These are questions that we should ask and answer often!