Are you aware of future events from studying biblical prophecy?

 11 Mar 26

Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One

Readings:

Deuteronomy 14

Deuteronomy 15

Deuteronomy 16

Mark 13:14-37

But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand (Mark 13:23).

Are you aware of future events from studying biblical prophecy?

Jesus predicts the future. He warns those who are saved during the Tribulation, “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14). Normally safety is found behind the city walls; however, that will not be the case when the prophecy about the abomination of desolation, which Daniel writes about (Daniel 9:27; 12:11), is fulfilled. John writes about the false prophet, “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast [the image is the abomination of desolation], that the image of the beast [the beast is the Antichrist] should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Revelation 13:15).

Employment Point: Study biblical prophecy to remain vigilant.

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Reflections

“And when you release them, do not send them away empty-handed. Supply them liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress. Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.”

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• It is all because of God’s grace that we are being able to have true freedom. Because it is not due to our works, we too, should exercise that same grace to the others. To not hold any bitterness, to let go of grudges, anger or hatred or anything that is bottled up in us, learn to be good even to the helpers that worked for us. Bless them as the Lord has blessed us so that they too, may receive the blessings from the Lord.

““But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.”Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Nor the Son, but only the Father: How could Jesus not know that day and hour? Did not He, as God, know all things? Jesus did not know this, but it was not because He gave up His omniscience - He is the unchanging God. It was because He voluntarily, in submission to God the Father, restricted His knowledge of this event.
• Think of it as a surprise test. If He were to come now, will we pass that test? The focus is therefore not on when the suspected test date may be but on how prepared we are to pass that test. If we are ever ready, it doesn’t matter when He will come, we will pass and this is the message we should be spreading

““Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.”Mark‬ ‭13‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

• Take heed, watch: We must watch. Anyone who watches is not caught by surprise. People are not ready because they fail to watch. The emphasis couldn’t be clearer:
• Some people have the idea, “We don’t know when Jesus is coming, so it doesn’t really matter.” Others have the idea, “We don’t know when Jesus is coming, so we have to find out and set a date.” The right response is, “I don’t know when Jesus is coming so I have to be alert, eager, and ready for His coming.”

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Vision

By Oswald Chambers

I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. — Acts 26:19

When Jesus Christ appeared to Paul and told him to preach the gospel, there was nothing hesitant about Paul’s response: he obeyed, keeping the vision from heaven bright before him as he began fulfilling his commission (Acts 26:12–19). If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible; it means that we’ve been lax and careless in our spiritual lives. The only way to be obedient to the vision God sends is to give our utmost for his highest, and this can only be done by continually and resolutely recalling the vision, while working steadily to realize it. The test is to keep the vision in our sights not only during times of prayer and devotion but sixty seconds of every minute, sixty minutes of every hour.

“Though it linger, wait for it” (Habakkuk 2:3). We cannot rush the fulfillment of a vision; we have to live in its light until it accomplishes itself through us. Sometimes, after we receive a vision, we grow impatient. We go racing off into practical work, hoping to speed things along. Then the work becomes our focus, and we lose sight of the vision. We don’t even notice when it has been fulfilled! Working to realize the vision is necessary, but we must work steadily, without rush or force, and only when and where God chooses. Our ability to wait for the vision that lingers is a test of our loyalty to him.

After God gives a vision to his disciple, he always sends a whirlwind, flinging his disciple to the place where the seed of the vision will take root and grow. Are you ready to be sown, so that the vision can fulfill itself through you? The answer depends on whether or not you’re living in the light of what you’ve seen. Let God fling you out, and don’t go until he does. If you try to dictate where you’ll go, you’ll prove empty. But if you let God sow you, you will bring forth fruit.

Deuteronomy 14-16; Mark 12:28-44

Wisdom from Oswald

For the past three hundred years men have been pointing out how similar Jesus Christ’s teachings are to other good teachings. We have to remember that Christianity, if it is not a supernatural miracle, is a sham. 

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Reflections

I call this the season of preparation and waiting, the one I am currently in. It is a season where we feel like God feels a bit distant but yet we know He is near. This is the season where He does a lot of backend work, going before us to prep a place, setting the things right, the hearts right, the place right and planning for the perfect timing to bring us there. But right now, He needs to fling out so that it gives us some time to learn how to wait, patiently. 

This season of waiting reminds me of the verse in Isaiah. “but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭31‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It is a time of not just preparing us for what is ahead but also a time of strengthening, I guess also stretching our spiritual muscles. 

May we be reminded not to run ahead of our master but to await His instructions for our next steps. And while we wait, may we learn to be patient, to continue to pray and seek Him always.

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Lent devotion Day 22/53

taken from YouVersion, Lent for Everyone

Lent for Everyone is a devotional created and written by N.T. (Tom) Wright. For each day of Lent, there is a reading chosen from the Gospel of Matthew, plus a reflection by Wright. These readings have grown out of a project encouraging Lent reading in Northern England. This is the second in a three-volume series based on the Revised Common Lectionary of the Church of England.

Today’s reading:

Matthew 15:21-38

WEEK 3: WEDNESDAY

Let's listen in on this conversation. Stand in the crowd and see what you think.

We're up north now, away from Galilee. Jesus has already spoken of this region ('the district of Tyre and Sidon') in such a way as to make it clear that he and his Jewish hearers thought of it as non-Jewish, beyond the pale (11.21). Now he's come here, we're not sure why; perhaps to escape, for a while, the controversy hanging in the air after his previous exchange with the Pharisees (15.1—20).

As we watch from the sidelines, suddenly a local woman comes out of the crowd and starts shouting at Jesus. 'Take pity on me, son of David!' Her daughter, it seems, is in a terrible state, tormented by evil spirits. 'Take pity on me, son of David!'

A whisper goes through the crowd. 'Son of David?' That's serious talk. The Jews, down south, may be looking for a coming king, but what would that have to do with us non-Jews? Clearly the woman is desperate. Mothers in the crowd know exactly how she feels. They'd do anything to get help if it was their daughter. Still the woman goes on, 'Take pity on me, son of David!'

We watch to see what's going to happen, but Jesus and his friends are moving on and he's not saying anything. Finally his friends have had enough. 'Tell her to go away! She's shouting after us!' This is a puzzle. We in the crowd thought Jesus was a healer. Why doesn't he heal the little girl? And why don't his followers want him to?

Then, at last, Jesus speaks, and what he says sends a chill through the crowd. 'I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.' 'Well,' mutters someone close by, 'so what are you doing here, then? Why come to us if you don't want to help us too?'

We, remembering the previous conversation, may have an answer to that; it was wise to lie low for a bit. And, having followed Jesus for some time now, we realize that what he just said fits with what he had said to the Twelve in 10.5—6: don't go to the Gentiles, only to Israel. Jesus was strongly aware of a commission, a solemn charge he'd received from his Father. His job was to announce God's rule to his own people, the Jews. If he began to preach and teach more widely, the Jews would write him off as a traitor. They would never then discover that he had come to fulfil their deepest hopes.

But then the woman comes right up to Jesus and kneels down before him. We hold our breath as the crowd quietens down to listen. 'Lord, help me!'

Then a gasp of horror at Jesus' response. 'It isn't right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.' Dogs! That's what some Jews called non-Jews. Surely Jesus doesn't think in those terms? It's as though he's struggling within himself; he knows what his commission had been and doesn't want to be disloyal, disobedient. What he has to give, he must give to God's ancient people; they must never be able to say that their own coming king ignored them and went elsewhere. And yet . . . he had already said that many would come from east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Could it be that this future promise was already starting to come true, even before he'd finished his mission to Israel?

Normally, when we listen in to conversations Jesus is having, it's other people who set the thing up with comments or questions and Jesus who gives the brilliant punchline. This time it's the other way round. The woman accepts Jesus' point of view and turns it to her own advantage. 'Yes,' she says, 'but the dogs under the table eat what the children drop!'

We feel the buzz in the crowd. Great line! Well said! Nice job! And Jesus seems to agree. 'You have great faith! As you wish, so let it be done.' And the girl is healed.

And we are left thinking: is that what we mean by faith? Faith to see how God's strange plan works, even though it isn't exactly flattering for us? Faith to cling on to everything Jesus says even when it's unexpected, and to pray in those terms rather than assume he's going to do what we want in the way we want it?

Jesus makes to leave. His eyes swing slowly round the crowd, and they pause for a moment on you. 'What is it you want from me, then?' he seems to be saying. 'Have you got enough faith to see God's strange plan working its way out and find what you need within it?'

TODAY

Sovereign Lord, give us the faith to ask for your help, and the humility to receive it on your terms.

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Let’s pray:

Father help us to always be ready for your second coming. To stay vigilant and be watchful. To not be swayed by worldly norms and walk the path of faith You had build for us to do. In all the various things set before us, help us to do things with submission, humility and obedience to Your commands. Help us too to have discernment amongst chaos, to not chase after supernatural things but be anchored in Your truth. In Jesus's name we ask and pray. Amen 🙏🏻