Rich but so Poor

A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a
cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, "Truly I say to
you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributers in the
treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of
her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.

Mark 12:42-44

God notices how much we give. This isn't about the offering bucket or
how much we offer in time, talents or treasures. It's really about
what we give that we want to hold on to. To give what's leftover is
easy. It doesn't require a sacrifice or change of heart or
lifestyle. But a true offering of yourself comes through surrender.
It's about offering your neighbor food from your plate, money from
your wallet.

I'm so very blessed to never worry about food, shelter or finances. I
create anxiety by not stewarding these well but I truly have an
abundance in the grand view. And I do give generously but is that
like the other "contributers" or the widow? It's very much the former
and I'm convicted. It really doesn't matter that I contribute my
10%. What matters is what kind of tranformation happens when I do
give. Do I offer to help when I have extra time or when it's
convenient? Do I give financially after the bills are paid? Do I
serve the body of Christ when conditions are comfortable? I just
answered "yes" to all these and this won't work... A change needs to
happen or else I'm in big trouble.

Father God, thank You for blessing me with so much but that's not an
end in itself. I know Lord that my life has been set aside for more
than that. Help me Wonderful Counselor to bust out of my
selfishness. I need to love You by sacrifice, that's what You did and
I need to follow. Love You Jesus! Amen!

Am I Useful?

On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing
at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would
find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but
leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, "May no
one ever eat fruit from you again!" And His disciples were listening.

Mark 11:12-14

Jesus know that it wasn't the season for figs but yet He approached
the tree anyway. In fact, He seemed almost expectant that there would
be fruit. A fig tree (if I'm not mistaken) gives fruit before the
leaves and since there were leaves, fruit should have been produced.
But in this case it was not. So it seems fitting that even though the
season wasn't typical for figs there was an exterior presentation that
it had something it didn't. The same with the Pharisees at that
time. On the outside they looked great and righteous but their
insides weren't pure so they produced no fruit. As Jesus cursed the
unproductive fig tree He will do the same for men who have not
surrendered themselves to the Lamb of God.

We are all here with a purpose, something God had planned for us
otherwise we will be taken home. But what is it? I know a little bit
about what I'm called to do, disciple His flock by teaching and
preaching Jis character through biblical counseling and pastorship. I
want to lead others by example. Where and how this is done I have no
idea but I know just enough to take this next step... and it may be
years before I hear the next step. But that's okay cause utilizing
my giftings and that's where I'm designed to be.

Father God, thank You for Your beautiful gifts. I pray Lord that I
use them well according to Your plans, never mine. Help me to
encourage and bless others by sharing what You're teaching me daily.
In the name of Christ Jesus I pray, Amen!

Be Deliberate

Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped ip and came to Jesus. And
answering him, Jesus said, "What do you want Me to do for you?" And
the blindan said to him, "Ranboni, I want to regain my sight!" And
Jesus said to him "Go; your faith has made you well." Immediately he
regained his sight and began following Him on the road.

Mark 10:50-52

Bartimaeus was deliberate, unceasing to allow Jesus walk by without
His blessing. Once he knew what was going on he didn't stop trying to
get His attention, so much so that he was told to be quiet. This was
a blind beggar. He had sight at one time but for some reason he lost
it and wanted it back badly. He was also the son of Timaeus. I don't
know who that was but the Bible usually has a reason for using
specific names and this wa on of the cases.

What happened here is Bartimaeus refused to let an opportunity pass
by. As for me, I'm too comfortable with many opportunities and
options; I take things for granted and discard such beautiful things
like this. These aren't the oortunities to satisfy my sinful flesh,
no; it's about opportunities to love another and bless His holy name.
I have to be tuned in to what God's doing around me and serve Him,
stop being so lazy.

Father God, thank You for blessing me with many options and
opportunities to expand Your kingdom. Please don't take them away. I
need to be deliberate and never procrastinating because I may never
get another chance to bless others through You. Love You, amen!

All Things Possible through Prayer

When He cane into the house, His disciples began questioning Him
privately, "Why could we not drive it out?" And He said to them,
"This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer."

Mark 9:28-29

In meditation on this scripture, I tend to focus on verse 19 ("O
unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall
I put up with you?"). Was Jesus talking to the disciples here or the
father of the possessed boy? I think both. Jesus spoke after the
father explained but His address of "unbelieving generation" leads me
to think this message was for all who claim to follow Christ. So why
couldn't the disciples drive this spirit out when they were given
authority to do so (Mk6:7)? Obviously this was something they haven't
encountered before; they needed to drive it out through the power of
prayer.

So what's the difference between having the authority to cast out
demons and praying them out? What exactly is prayer? Prayer is our
chatroom with God. It's when we can talk, listen and sit with our
Creator, Friend and Healer. Being with God this way allows us to free
ourselves of distractions and strongholds. It's during this time
where we are quieted and most recepttive to His ways. Maybe the boy
could only be healed by prayer because the source of the spirit wasn't
in the obvious place. Maybe the demon was just expressing itself
through the boy nut it was really the father or mother or family that
it drew close to. Whatever it really is, Jesus revealed the power of
prayer; being one with the Spirit of God has no limits!

Thank You Father God with the reminder that all things are possible
for You! These bodies have limitations even in our best intentions
but You can still perform miracles through them. We're just the
instrument to upon Your strength and You will shower upon the
situation. Love You! Amen!