July 10:  Affirming His Grace.

HIS GENTLENESS.
"A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out."--Matthew 12:20

Deborah Hall just wouldn't give up.  She convinced her husband Ron to join her in volunteering at the local mission, where they met Denver, a tough homeless man who often had outbursts of unfriendly and threatening behavior.  However, through Debbie's perseverance and gentleness, God broke down the barriers in Denver's heart and won him over; Ron and Denver became life-long friends.  When Debbie died of cancer, Denver gave an emotional testimony at her funeral about the life-changing influence she had on him.

After Jesus healed a man with a withered hand, Matthew reports that He withdrew from there, yet many followed Him, and He healed them (Matthew 12:15).  Then Matthew presents another prophetic formula, the longest Old Testament quotation in this Gospel (Matthew 12:18-21).  It is the first of four songs in Isaiah about God's coming Servant (Isaiah 42:1-4).  This is the only time in the Gospel that Jesus is called God's Servant ("My Servant," Matthew 12:18).  It is striking that this passage highlights the gentle and hope-filled ministry of Jesus, particularly for those who are at their wit's end.  "A battered reed He will not break off, and a smoldering wick He will not put out...and in His name the Gentiles will hope."  (Matthew 12:20, 21).  A bent reed could no longer be used as a measuring instrument nor to sustain any kind of structure; a smoldering wick had to be replaced in order to serve its purpose.  But Jesus refused to give up on people like that.  R. T. France explains: "The imagery thus describes an extraordinary willingness to encourage damaged or vulnerable people, giving them a further opportunity to succeed which a result-oriented society would deny them....Here Matthew finds a further portrait of the meek and lowly Jesus who offers a kind yoke and a light burden; the giver of rest to the toiling and heavily loaded (11:28-30). *  Are you in the midst of hopeless circumstances?  Jesus is gentle, patient, and kind, and He is not giving up on you; you can count on that!

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007), 473.

June 15:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS BLESSING.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."--Matthew 5:3

Who are the fortunate, happy, and blessed ones?  I am sure you have heard this classic story: "A king was suffering from a painful ailment and was told that the only cure for him was to find a contented man, get his shirt, and wear it night and day.  So, messengers were sent through the king's realm in search of such a man, with orders to bring back his shirt.  Months passed.  After a thorough search of the country, the messengers returned without the shirt.  'Did you find a contented man in all my realm?' the king asked.  'Yes, O King, we found one, just one in all the realm?'  'Then why did you not bring back his shirt?' the king demanded.  'Master, the man had no shirt.' " *

In one of the most famous discourses, the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus announces the kingdom's manifesto, highlighting who these blessed ones really are.  In nine Beatitudes, Jesus turns the values of the world upside down, starting with today's devotional text: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3).  In Judaism, the poor in spirit and the materially poor were closely related concepts (see Luke 6:20), as this is usually the frame of mind of those who are struggling to make ends meet.  God has always shown a special concern for the needy and afflicted (see Psalm 9:18).  As a matter of fact, the mission of the Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus, was focused on the poor: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor" (Luke 4:18, NKJV; see also Isaiah 61:1).  How could the poor and the poor in spirit be called blessed, while the world venerated strength and power?  The present tense of this particular beatitude is of much importance: "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).  Not will be as in other Beatitudes.  The poor in spirit not only have a future inheritance but can partake of the blessings of the kingdom now, in the present.  The poor have no other resource or hope than what is promised by God.  And when all we have left is God, that's when we realize that God is more than enough. Yes, we are blessed!

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7000 Illustrations (Rockvill, MD: Assurance Publishers 1979), 272, 273.

June 14:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS HEALING.
"He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases."--Matthew 8:17

I had the immense privilege of visiting the synagogue at Capernaum.  As I stood there, while we were filming a video for our ministry, I was overwhelmed by the thought that I was walking where Jesus had walked.  After we left the synagogue, our guide took us to an excavated site that is believed to have been Peter's house.  Once again, it was as if the Bible was coming alive in front of my eyes, as I pictured Jesus entering Peter's house and healing his mother-in-law.

This event (Matthew 8:14-17; see also Mark 1:29-31) is the third healing miracle in this chapter, following the cleansing of the leper (Matthew 8:1-4), and the healing of the centurion's servant (verses 5-13).  "When Jesus came into Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever.  He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him" (verses 14, 15).  The focus of this passage is on Jesus: He saw...He touched...He cast out the spirits...and healed all who were ill (verses 14-17).  Touching a person with fever was against the laws of the rabbis, still Jesus touched Peter's mother-in-law, as He had touched the leper.  The fever left her immediately, and she served Him (verse 15).  A summary verse (verse 16) portrays the inclusivity of Jesus' healing ministry, as He was casting out demons with a word (in the same way He had healed the centurion's servant) and healed all who were ill (verse 16).  But perhaps the most meaningful part of these verses is that Matthew end this section by proposing that Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah 53:4, which is  the prophecy about the ultimate ministry of God's Servant: "This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 'He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases' " (Matthew 8:17).  In Isaiah, this sentence precedes the verse that explains that Jesus not only paid the price for our transgressions and iniquities but also purchased the right to bless us with His peace and His healing (Isaiah 53:5).  Is your soul downcast?  Is your heart sick due to shame?  Jesus paid for your healing with His blood!

My Response:_________________________________________________________________

June 13:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS ABILITY.
Jesus said to them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"--Matthew 9:28

When we worry, we're saying, 'God can't.' " says Linda Dillow--"If we are walking in anxiety, we're not walking in faith.  We want to be women of faith, yet often worry becomes our middle name....We're familiar with the small trickle of fear that meanders through our minds until it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.  We must conquer this 'God can't disease." *  Do we really believe that God is able to save us, to restore us, and to guide us?

Two blind men followed Jesus, "crying out, 'Have mercy on us, Son of David!' " (Matthew 9:27).  Matthew uses the title "Son of David" more than any other Gospel.  It is spoken mostly by those requesting mercy, healing, and deliverance.  It is rooted in the Old Testament prophecies about a new Davidic ruler, through Whom God  would heal and give rest to Israel (Ezekiel 34:11-15, 23, 24).  Blindness was often considered a judgment of God (see John 9:2; Deuteronomy 28:28), and the blind  became outcasts, begging for survival (John 9:8).  On this occasion, Jesus asks a most intriguing question, unique to this Gospel: "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"  (Matthew 9:28).  They responded, "Yes, Lord" (verse 28), and their eyes were opened (verse 30).  It is very helpful to understand that anxiety and worry are often rooted in the belief that God is not able, that He doesn't have the power to take care of a particular situation.  In the Bible, blindness is a common metaphor for spiritual darkness.  God promised of His Chosen Servant:
                   
                   "I will appoint you as a covenant to the people,
                    As a light to the nations,
                    To open blind eyes,
                    To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
                    And those who dwell in darkness from the prison"
                    (Isaiah 42:6, 7).

Let's rest, believing in His ability to save and heal us.  Do you believe He is able?  Oh, yes!  He is able.  I know He is able!

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* Linda Dillow, Calm My Anxious Heart: A Woman's Guide to Finding Contentment (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2007), 116.

June 12:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS SECLUSION.
"Come away...to a secluded place and rest a while."--Mark 6:31

Sometimes your soul needs to catch up with your mind and body.  I had a strong sense that God was asking me to take some time off and concentrate on my PhD dissertation.  But I was the senior pastor of a church and things were going well, and there was so much to do...yet God seemed to insist.  God knew I needed time away from my ministry to be instructed and refreshed.  However, requesting leave without pay; to finish my doctoral studies, was one of the hardest things I've ever done, because it went against my personality and my sense of mission.

As the disciples wrap up their mission to the Galilean region, they come to Jesus and joyfully report to Him, "all that they had done and taught" (verse 30).  I can imagine how excited they were to recount their experiences.  This is the only time in Mark (with the exception of 3:14 in certain manuscripts) that the disciples are called apostles (one who is sent).  They had been sent on a mission (see Mark 6:7-13) and they had plenty of  testimonies to share with Jesus.  In response, they receive an imperative from Jesus, which in the Greek original reads: "Come you yourselves privately to a desolate place and rest a little" (Mark 6:30). *  This is a command from Jesus that we all need to heed.  The mandate of Jesus was to rest in divinely-ordained seclusion, in solitude in an uninhabited place, in contrast to the many people coming and going when they were ministering (verse 31).  You don't need to be a professional minister to observe this command.  During times of seclusion and solitude, God provides true rest, spiritual nourishment, guidance, revelation, instruction, and much more.  Jesus often instructed His disciples privately (for example, see Mark 9:28; 13:3), and He does the same with us.  In a culture that celebrates busyness, results, and achievements, let's remember that sometimes less is really more.  Overextending ourselves, even in ministry, leaves us depleted of energy and insight.  God wants private time with us, to remind us of His love.  During times of retreat, He reveals to us the magnitude of His grace, the sufficiency of His sacrifice, and His assurance for the future.

My Response:_________________________________________________________
* J.D. Douglas, The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, 4th rev.ed. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1993).

June 11:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS CONTROL.
"Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him."--Mark 4:41

The Sea of Galilee is prone to sudden storms, because it is surrounded by mountains and is approximately 685 feet below sea level.  At times, the cool air from the Mediterranean Sea comes down through the mountain passes with fierce force and clashes violently with the hot air of the enclosed lake.  I will never forget being on a boat on the same lake where Jesus calmed the storm.  We saw fishing nets, we sang together, but most of all I imagined Jesus calming the angry waters while the helpless disciples wondered: "Who is this?"

Having addressed the wind and the water, that were by now completely calm, Jesus addressed the disciples: "Why are you afraid?" (Mark 4:40).  Well, isn't it obvious?  They were afraid because they thought they were perishing; they couldn't control the storm, no matter  how hard they tried.  We become afraid for the same reasons: we can't stop the phone calls, the medical results, the bad news.  We just can't do it!  When Jesus stilled the wind and the sea, the disciples were in awe: "They became very much afraid and said to one another, 'Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?' " (verse 41).  Really, Who is this?  The question "Who is this?" is repeated many times in the first half of Mark's Gospel.  The authoritative Messiah is being revealed.  This story is the beginning of a crescendo of the power of Jesus.  First, His power over nature; next, His control over evil and demons (5:1-20), and the following two stories display His power over disease and death (verses 21-43).  But the most striking realization in this Gospel is that Jesus, the powerful Son of God, who controls the wind and the sea, was to be the Servant, submitting His life as a ransom for many (see Mark 10:45).  Jesus, the authoritative Messiah, would become the Suffering Servant, and would lay down His power and conquer evil through suffering.  The Gospel of Mark is dedicated to understanding this profound juxtaposition: the authoritative Son of God is also the Suffering Son of Man.  Jesus is sovereign, and through the cross He gained the crown.  Let's submit ourselves to His control.

My Response:_________________________________________________________

June 10:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS WATCHFULNESS.
"Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?"--Mark 4:40

My grandparents lived in a small village, and as a child I loved visiting them.  There was a large hospital with a swimming pool next to it, and I used to spend most of my days there because it was such a treat for me.  But that section of the country was prone to sudden summer storms that could be quite violent.  So, as soon as I would see that the clouds were getting dark, I would start running towards my grandparents' place, which was a couple of miles from the hospital.  And I was always certain that my mom would be waiting for me.

The disciples encountered a severe storm, with a "fierce gale of wind," and they couldn't control their boat (Mark 4:37).  These experienced fishermen were running out of options; they were sure that they were perishing.  Jesus was sleeping in the stern, on the pillow usually found under the cozswain's seat.  There is no doubt that the disciples were terrified of the storm, and that's why they woke Him up.  Mark tells us that aside from their fear, they were struggling with something else, which is revealed in their rebuke of Jesus: "They woke Him up. and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?' " (verse 38).  They were doubting Jesus' personal interest in them, questioning His vigilance and watchfulness over them.  Does it matter to you that we are dying?  That we have no way out?  Do you care?  How often this question arises in our minds when we face difficulties that we don't understand.  But Jesus is always watchful of His children in the storm.  After stilling the tempest, Jesus addressed them: "Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?" (verse 40).  After all you have witnessed of my power and love, do you still doubt if I care?  Do you still wonder if I will act on your behalf?  In a storm, we must be absolutely certain of God's care for us, otherwise, what do we have left?  An author suggested adding the word "personally" to 1 Peter 5:7 in order to internalize this truth: "Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He personally cares for you."  He personally cares, never doubt it.  And yes! He cared so much, that He died in our place!

My Response:______________________________________________________________

June 9:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS CALMNESS
The wind died down and it became perfectly calm.--Mark 4:39

In 1986 archaeologists found a fishing boat that is believed to date back to the first century A.D.  It is now displayed at the Yigal Allon Center at Kibbutz Ginosar and is known as the "Jesus boat."  I had the privilege of visiting this site, and it was quite an experience.  This fishing boat is twenty-seven feet long, seven and a half feet wide, and approximately four feet deep.  Definitely not a very big boat.  With thirteen people (Jesus and His twelve disciples), it would have been quite overcrowded in calm waters.  But in the storm, it was sinking.

Picture the chaotic scene: fierce winds, waves crashing, the little boat filling up with water.  Everyone is fighting for survival, except for One, who is sleeping!  In the first century, the sea and other deep bodies of water were considered places where evil and demons resided.  Therefore, for the disciples, this was not just a fierce storm; it had strong connotations of evil.  This was a wicked storm, in the most graphic sense of the word.  Mark is the only Gospel writer to tell us that there were "other boats" (Mark 4:36) going through this storm, along with the boat of Jesus and His disciples.  Has this ever happened to you?  You get hit by an unexpected storm so fierce that you know it has come from the devil himself, and you are under attack?  I have.  In early Christian art, sometimes the church is depicted as a boat with Jesus in the storm.  This visualization helped early Christians under persecution to remember the presence of Jesus with them while going through trials and tribulations.  The miracle of the stilling of the sea reminded them of the greater reality of salvation brought about through the saving death and resurrection of Jesus.  There are many situations in life that threaten our minds and souls, yet Jesus is with us in the boat.  "He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Hush, be still.'  And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm" (Mark 4:39).  Whether you are in a storm of guilt, shame, persecution, despair, or fear of the future, remember that Jesus has the power to still the storm.  His calmness is real and readily available!  Jesus, calm our anxious minds!

My Response:___________________________________________________________

June 8:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS POWER.
Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm.--Matthew 8:26

I don't like wind; I particularly don't like storms!  I woke up in the middle of the night, in our brand-new home, to an eighty-mile-an-hour wind.  After frantic calls to the authorities, I was informed that these were the Santa Ana winds; a "strong episode," they said.  Strong?  This is a hurricane!--I thought.  It turned out that we had just bought our home in a wind tunnel area.  Completely terrified, I invited my husband to pray together.  As soon as I finished praying, he fell asleep!  Asleep?!  Not me; I stayed awake!  When he woke in the morning, he cheerfully announced, "See!  You have the gift of prayer--but I have the gift of faith!"

"And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep" (Matthew 8:24).  Asleep!  How is that possible?  Matthew calls this storm a seismos megas; a mega shaking, like an earthquake in the lake (verse 24).  The disciples run out of options, realizing that they are powerless over this particular storm.  Then the fishermen turn for help to the Carpenter.  They are so desperate that their cry, in Matthew's Greek language, is represented by three single words, that sound something like: "Lord!  Save!  Perishing!" (verse 25).  Have you noticed that our most desperate and heartfelt prayers are usually just one word?  "Help!"  "Please!"  "Really?"  "Why?"  "Thanks!"  They came to Jesus, and their cries woke Him up.  "He said to them, 'Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?'  Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea and it became perfectly (megale) calm." (verse 26).  From mega storm to mega peace.  Why were they afraid?  Well...they were powerless over the mega storm.  Just like us.  A sudden, unexpected storm...we do everything we can but it's not working.  Our boat (our family, our job, our marriage, etc) is being overrun by waves.  Then we remember that Jesus is in the boat, and we can rest, as he rested in the mega storm.  Do you know why?  Because we are "power-less," but Jesus is "power-full.."  He is our Savior, Lord, and Deliverer.  He's our mega God!

My Response:___________________________________________________________

June 7:  Enjoying His Peace.

HIS HOLD.
"I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand."--John 10:28, NIV

On June 7, 2016, a woman and her thirteen-year-old daughter were shopping at a dollar store when a man tried to abduct the girl.  As the man was dragging the girl toward the exit her mother did everything she could to save her.  Finally, the woman threw herself on top of the child, and the abductor was not able to drag them both.  Having let go of the girl, he headed for the exit.  He was apprehended in the parking lot by a police deputy.  The whole frightening incident was caught on the surveillance camera.

The image of this mother, doing whatever it took to fight off the kidnapper, is the visualization I get when I read today's text.  Jesus says with confidence: "no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:28, NIV).  This sentence is repeated by Jesus twice in two verses.  Having confronted those who didn't believe in Him (verses 24, 25), Jesus explains how secure His sheep really are in His hand, and the Father's hand: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.  I and the Father are one' " (verses 27-30).  Whoever believes and follows Jesus is eternally secure, just as a sheep is secure in the good Shepherd's hands; just as a child can rest in the arms of a loving Parent.  This brings such profound peace to my mind and dissipates my anxiety about the future, the end of the world, eternal life, et cetera.  You can rest in the most capable hands in the universe.  Even if God's adversary tries to snatch us out of His hand, Jesus and the Father will not let it happen, for they are greater than any power that might threaten God's children.  Jesus offers us certainty.  In the words of Leon Morris: "No one will snatch them from Christ.  It is one of the precious things about Christian faith that our continuance in eternal life depends not on our feeble hold on Christ, but on his firm grip on us." *

My Response:___________________________________________________________
* Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, rev, ed., NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: 1995, Eerdmans), 463.