GraceNotes

Including Peter
Mark 16:6-7
Jim Stephens
11-04-09

Scripture:

The women were startled, 6 but the angel said, "Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn't here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!" (Mark 16:6-7 NLT)

The angel that appeared to the three women that Resurrection Morning gave them great news - news that the Good News of Jesus Christ was still Good News - Jesus is no longer dead, but alive! Then the angel told them to go right away and tell Jesus' disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is alive!

The women likely needed to hear the words, "including Peter" from the angel because after Peter's behavior at Jesus' arrest and trial, they weren't feeling very proud of Peter. Peter needed those words because during Jesus' trial and torture he had denied three times that he even knew Jesus, much less followed him as a disciple.

Peter had ended that day feeling like a complete failure, feeling so ashamed of his weakness, and feeling that he had forever destroyed the possibility of forgiveness and restoration. Ever felt that way? I have!

Life Lesson: God doesn't leave us in the dark about his unfailing, unconditional love for us, and his forgiveness for our weaknesses and sins. He is always willing to pick up where we left off - to pick us up where we stumbled and fell, where we left the path, where we let him down and go forward with his good plans for us.

I'm glad that the angel's message of Good News was to tell the disciples, Including Peter. I'm glad that God still sends a message of Good News to Jesus' weak and sin-prone disciples, including Jim.

Prayer:

Father, I am so thankful that my weaknesses and sins and failures don't take my name off the list of people you have Good News for. Thanks for reminding me. And thanks for reminding me not to write people off when they fail, fall, or flame-out. Let me be sensitive to the opportunities I have to give a message of hope and forgiveness to your disciples, Including Peter! Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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What She Could
Mark 14:8-9
Jim Stephens
11-03-09

Scripture:

8 She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. 9 I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman's deed will be talked about in her memory. (Mark 14:8-9 NLT)

A few days before his crucifixion, Jesus was guest of honor at a banquet at the home of Simon, in the village of Bethany. During the meal a woman who some identify as Mary Magdalene and some as Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, came in and broke open a container of expensive perfume, worth a year's wages, and poured it on Jesus' head.

The room was filled with the fragrance of her act, but some of the people present began to criticize her and complain that the woman had wasted a valuable resource that could have been sold to help the poor. Jesus told them to leave her alone. Then he said some things that really spoke to me this morning:

* Don't criticize someone who gives a sacrifi cial offering differently than you think it ought to be given.
* She did what she could.
* Her story will be told throughout the world, wherever the Good News is preached. And it has been!

The primary message to me today is: She did what she could.

I want it to be said of me, "He did what he could." I want to give the substance of my life (that which, when poured out, can never be reclaimed or used in another way): My time, my abilities, my resources, my creativity, all that I am and have, to serve, honor, and please Jesus Christ.

Prayer:

Father, I'm a long ways from where I want to be in this. I want to be more conscious of the fact that I get only one opportunity to use each day of my life and each resource you put in my hands. I want to be willing to sacrifice what I have in a way that pleases you even if the other people in the room think I should have done it differently. Help me to give, serve, and live for an audience of one.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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How Much Left?
Mark 12:41-44
Jim Stephens
11-02-09

Scripture:

41 Jesus went over to the collection box in the Temple and sat and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42 Then a poor widow came and dropped in two pennies. 43 He called his disciples to him and said, "I assure you, this poor widow has given more than all the others have given. 44 For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has." (Mark 12:41-44 NLT)

Jesus went into the Temple during the final few days of his ministry, the very week of his arrest and crucifixion, and for a while he just sat and watched people put money into the huge offering chest by the door. The crowds dropped in their money and the rich, the many rich people, put in large amounts. Their gold and silver coins must have jingled and clattered as they poured them from their leather bags into the treasury.

One poor widow shuffled by and shyly dropped in t wo copper pennies. The coins hardly made a "clink," and yet the sound of those two little coins still echoes today in this teaching of Jesus. In fact, Jesus called his disciples over to where he sat watching and told them, "This poor widow has given more than all the others, not just more than any of the others, but more than all the others combined. They all gave something and had much left over. She gave everything. She gave it all!"

Jesus is still watching people give. He's watching us give of our time, our talents, our substance and our hearts. He's still more interested in what we have left - what we have held back - than the amount we have given.

Prayer:

Father, I want to give myself to you without holding anything back. Sometimes that's easier than at other times. Sometimes when I feel I'm accomplishing something, or feel my efforts are appreciated, it's easier. When I'm struggling, or when it seems my own needs are u nmet, or when I compare what others give (and what they have left), i t's harder. Help me give what I give to you without comparison, and without holding back. Help me give without thinking about what I have left. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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Jesus Loved Him
Mark 10:21
Jim Stephens
11-01-09

Scripture:

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack only one thing," he told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Mark 10:21 NLT)

A young man came running up to Jesus on the street and asked very respectfully and sincerely what he needed to do to get eternal life. Jesus reminded him of the commandments of God and he responded that he had been very diligent in living a moral, commandment-keeping life. The thing is, Jesus and the young man both knew there was something missing.

Jesus looked him in the eye - and loved him! So he challenged him on the one thing that would be most difficult of all for this nice young man - the one thing that hindered him from spiritual progress.

If Jesus really loved him, why did he hit him with the one thing that he just couldn't manage? Why not ease into it? Why not make an exception? Why not give him a couple of options?

I believe more confidently than at any previous time in my life that Jesus loves me - really loves me. But that doesn't mean he won't look me hard in the eye and challenge me on the one thing - or in my case the things - that stand in the way of my spiritual progress and growth.

Jesus loves me just as I am, but he loves me too much to leave me like that.

Like this nice young man that Jesus loved, I have the choice of responding in obedient faith to Jesus' hard look in the eye and challenging words or of walking away with a heavy heart. I don't want to disappoint Jesus and I don't want to miss what God has for me. But it sure seems tough some times!

Prayer:

Father, when Jesus looks me in the eye and challenges me on the one thing that I most need to let go of or take hold of, I purpose to rise to the challenge. I don't want to miss what you have for me! Pl ease don't give up on me and let me walk away with a heavy heart. I h ave decided to follow Jesus - no turning back! Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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Out Of Food Again
Mark 8:1-4
Jim Stephens
10-31-09

Scripture:

1 About this time another great crowd had gathered, and the people ran out of food again. Jesus called his disciples and told them, 2 "I feel sorry for these people. They have been here with me for three days, and they have nothing left to eat. 3 And if I send them home without feeding them, they will faint along the road. For some of them have come a long distance." 4 "How are we supposed to find enough food for them here in the wilderness?" his disciples asked. (Mark 8:1-4 NLT)

You can probably see where I'm going with this already! Two chapters back - maybe a couple of weeks, maybe a month or two earlier - these same disciples had participated in the miraculous feeding of five thousand hungry men, as well as women and children, with pieces of bread and fish that multiplied in their hands as they distributed it to the crowd. Now, once again faced with a hungry crowd and limited resources, their response is "How are w e supposed to find enough food for them here in the wilderness?"

Here is what my Father is patiently trying (again) to teach me this morning as I read this story and think about its application to my life:

* I shouldn't have to start all over from square one when I'm faced with a challenge. I should remember previous experiences of God's power and provision and let those experiences be the basis for a faith response today.

18 "You have eyes - can't you see? You have ears - can't you hear? Don't you remember anything at all? 19 What about the five thousand men I fed with five loaves of bread? How many baskets of leftovers did you pick up afterward?" "Twelve," they said. (Mark 8:18-19 NLT)

* When I'm faced with a challenging need I don't have to have "enough stuff to meet the need." I only have to have something, even a little something, that I'm willing to put in Jesus' hands to get the miracle started.

5 "How many loaves of bread do you have?" he asked. "Seven," they replied. 6 So Jesus to ld all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd. 7 A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out. (Mark 8:5-7 NLT)

Prayer:

Father, Thanks for being as patient with me as Jesus was with his first twelve disciples. I'm as slow a learner as they were, but I'm determined to learn the lessons of life if you will keep teaching and not give up on me. I pray for each fellow-follower who reads this today - may you grant insight for today's lesson to be learned, faith for today's challenge to be faced, and grace for today's journey to be traveled. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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He Was Amazed
Mark 6:4-6
Jim Stephens
10-30-09

Scripture:

4 Then Jesus told them, "A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family." 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn't do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief...  (Mark 6:4-6 NLT)

What does it take to amaze Jesus? In Nazareth, his hometown, his neighbors listened to his teaching, heard the stories of the great miracles he was doing in the towns nearby, and they said, "He's just the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us." In fact, they were deeply offended and refused to believe in him. (Mark 6:3 NLT) Jesus was amazed at their unbelief and besides that, his power was limited there by their unbelief.

Jesus once encountered a Roman military officer who said, "You don't need to come to my home. If you simply speak the word, I know my servant will be healed!" Jesus was amazed at his faith! (Luke 7:9)

Jesus was amazed at the unbelief of the people in his own home town and he was amazed at the faith of a Roman officer. I wonder if Jesus has ever been amazed at my unbelief? Is there anything about my faith that amazes Jesus?

I've been a Christ-follower for a long time. I don't want the business and language of faith to become so common to me that it becomes "religious unbelief". I don't want to get to the point that I can think of Jesus as the Son of God, the resurrected Savior, the King of Kings, and not be stirred to active, determined, confident faith by the truth of who he is.

Prayer:

Father, Would you amaze me again by your love, amaze me by the fact that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth and lived and died to save me? Remind me of the times I've been reassured by your presence and you r touch, of the times you have spoken your word and it became real in my life. May I be amazed again by your amazing love and your amazing grace. And may it not be my unbelief but my faith that amazes you. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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Afraid
Mark 4:40
Jim Stephens
10-29-09

Scripture:

Then he asked them, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?"  (Mark 4:40 NLT)

Jesus' closest followers were just coming off a season of miracles and healings and teachings that got them really excited and faith-filled. Then they faced danger in the boat in the storm and they panicked.

When the storm became fierce and the boat started to fill with water, they frantically woke Jesus from his nap, shouting. "Don't you even care that we are going to drown?" Jesus' question implied that the faith that was stirred up by the things they had already seen and experienced should carry over into the present challenge they were facing.

I need to hear Jesus' question, "Why are you afraid? Do you still not have faith in me?" pretty often, I'm afraid. I have a lifetime of experiences in which I've seen the faithfulness and ability of God demonstrated in large and small ways and still I find myself sayin g, "Jesus, don't you even care that we are going to drown?"

My lesson for the day: "Recalling our past experiences of God's power, protection, and provision will calm our fears and inspire faith as we face today's storm."

I know it's hard to do when the waves are high, the wind is howling, and you're bailing water out of the boat like crazy, but take a moment to quiet your racing mind, open your trusting heart, and remember how God protected you and provided for you in past storms and challenges. Then prayerfully affirm your faith in his present provision and protection.

Prayer:

Father forgive me for doubting you. I believe you have the power to do all things. I believe you have the wisdom to know what needs to be done and how and when to do it. I believe you love me with unconditional love and want the very best for me. I trust you in today's storm. As I trust you today, I know your faithful protecti on and provision will see me through. Thanks, Father. I do trust you. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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My Words
Job 19:23-24
Jim Stephens
10-28-09

Scripture:

23 "Oh, that my words could be written. Oh, that they could be inscribed on a monument, 24 carved with an iron chisel and filled with lead, engraved forever in the rock." (Job 19:23-24 NLT)

Nobody really listened! God didn't seem to hear his desperate prayers and his cries for understanding. His friends didn't listen at all. They impatiently waited until he finished speaking and then accused him of being evil and blamed him for his suffering or spouted simplistic formulas for fixing things.

Job just wanted someone to hear him. He cried out in frustration, "Oh, that my words could be written! Oh, that my words could be carved in stone!"

If Job had only known what God was going to do with his story! There was no way he could know that his words would be written in the Bible. That, better than being carved in a stone monument, his words would be passed on from generation to generation, from century to century, translated from language to language. That people from every nation and generation, who are facing life's injustices, unexplainables, and unanswerables, would find hope and comfort in Job's story.

Lessons for you and me?

Be honest with God and others about what you're experiencing, how it feels, how it hurts. Realize that there will be times when even your closest friends misunderstand. Don't focus your frustration and anger on your critics or accusers. Trust that God loves you and will not forsake you. Know that God always has more going on than can be seen or understood in the moment and from our limited viewpoint.

Prayer:

Father, I feel pretty much unqualified to write about handling suffering and hardship in a Job-like manner. It's just that as I read this verse today, I felt as if there were people who would read this GraceNotes who are right where Job was when he cried out in frustration, "Oh th at someone would acknowledge and remember what I'm going through!" I pray for your grace on each person who is facing unexplainable hardship and wrestling with unanswerable questions. Please grant strength and courage to face another day. Give patience to hold on until hope dawns. Grant a sense of meaning in meaninglessness and peace in uncertainty and confusion. By your grace. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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The Next Two Years
Acts 28:30-31
Jim Stephens
10-27-09

Scripture:

30 For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. He welcomed all who visited him, 31 boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him. (Acts 28:30-31 NLT)

Paul was a missionary. God could call Paul to missions ministry because he was more cosmopolitan than most Jews, he had no strong ties to a particular place, he could endure hardship and had no desire to accumulate wealth and possessions. During the parts of his life we know about, he had spent longer periods of time in Antioch, Corinth, and Ephesus. But he always moved on.

Now Paul was unavoidably detained. He had spent two years in prison in Caesarea Philippi awaiting trial, then four or five months of travel, now two years under house arrest in Rome. At his own expense.

We know that those two years were productive in terms of Paul's daily meetings with those who came to visit hi m and that the message of Christ spread throughout Rome, even making converts in Caesar's court. But the big thing is the writing. Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon during his imprisonments in Rome. Think of the truths revealed in these letter-books and think what our life and faith would be without them!

There are seasons of life and ministry. God loves us so much he calls us to serve him in ways that we already function to some degree. He calls us to use our strengths and our gifts in difference-making Spirit-empowered ways. But God also requires us to do some things that are not as natural or joy-making because he has longer-range and deeper-impact purposes for us. We must keep functioning and find new ways to use our gifts and abilities when the seasons of our lives change.

Prayer:

Father, I've never been more aware of the changing seasons. The leaves are golden and falling ou tside my window. The weather is colder. But it's not only the annual cycle of climate that's changing. The seasons of my life are changing. Please help me respond in faith-filled and creative ways to the changing seasons of my life. Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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Two Years Went By
Acts 24:27
Jim Stephens
10-26-09

Scripture:

Two years went by in this way; then Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor with the Jewish leaders, he left Paul in prison. (Acts 24:27 NLT)

Paul spent two years in jail in Caesarea because the corrupt governor Felix hoped for a bribe to release him and because Felix was willing to deny the rights of an innocent man to please the Jews. That's just not fair!

This was Paul the Apostle, called by God to take the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the whole world, sitting in a jail cell for two years at the whim of a dishonest bureaucrat, after being falsely accused by jealous Jews. That's just not fair!

Life-lessons for me:

* Life isn't always fair. Paul took it as it came and instead of being consumed by bitterness over the injustice of losing two years of freedom, he trusted in God, kept his spirit sweet, and made the best use of his time. Stay sweet!

* God's sense of urgency and importance operates on a different time-scale than ours. Two years in the life of Paul, wasted? Not wasted! Trust God's timetable!

* God had told Paul he would preach the gospel in Rome. He eventually traveled there at government expense in a prison-ship. He stayed there under house arrest. Not how he would have planned it. But he got there and he preached the gospel. If God says it's going to happen, he has a plan to get it done!

* Paul was learning about prison ministry. The two years Paul spent in prison in Caesarea prepared him for his years in prison in Rome. The years in prison in Rome produced most of the New Testament. That changed Paul's ministry impact from itinerant church-planter to centuries-long preserver of the faith. Sometimes God has bigger, longer-range things in mind. Trust him!

Prayer:

Father, help me to look beyond my immediate reaction to things. I am committed to your plan and purpose for my life. Help me to recognize your plan and timetable when I can and to simply trust you when I can't understand why things are going as they are. Please give me grace to live a joy-filled life when things make sense and when it just isn't fair! Amen.

Copyright 2009 Resource Ministries International
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