believe – Page 6 – John Markum

My Personal Devotions: Mark 6

Posted on July 19, 2011 by johnmarkum

Mark 6:1-13

Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth, his hometown. ² The next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. They asked, “Where did he get all this wisdom and the power to perform such miracles?” ³ Then they scoffed, “He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas, and Simon. And his sisters live right here among us.” They were deeply offended and refused to believe in him.

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 miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. ⁶ And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. ⁷ And he called his twelve disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. ⁸ He told them to take nothing for their journey except a walking stick—no food, no traveler’s bag, no money. ⁹He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes.

¹⁰ “Wherever you go,” he said, “stay in the same house until you leave town. ¹¹ But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”

¹² So the disciples went out, telling everyone they met to repent of their sins and turn to God. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil.

My Thoughts:

People underestimated Jesus, some will underestimate me as well (v. 1-2)
Proximity to life change does not equal personal life change (v. 4).
My faithlessness limits God’s willingness to work through me (v. 5).
Jesus was consistent with what he taught (compare v. 8-9 to Luke 12:22-31).
Don’t be discouraged by the people who won’t listen to me (v. 11).
God will make my successful in everything He has called me to (v. 12-13).

Blessings,

John

“You Asked For It!” beginning this Saturday

Posted on July 6, 2011 by johnmarkum

Relationships. Faith. The Bible. Church. Culture. You have questions. We have answers… hopefully. Join us for 4 weeks as we deal with the things that YOU asked about. Begins at our Saturday night service this Saturday at 6 pm. But we’re not stopping there. This series is also happening at our youth service, Elevate, every Sunday at 10:45am. Hope to see you this weekend!

If you still have questions you want to ask, submit them here:

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Blessings,

John

Safe Is NOT Safe

Posted on July 3, 2011 by johnmarkum

“Better safe than sorry!” That was a line I heard alot growing up. And it certainly is true in many of the circumstances we face.

“Was that paper due tomorrow or next Thursday?” Better safe than sorry…
“Do I have enough money in my account to buy that?” Better safe than sorry…
“Would my spouse be ok with me doing this?” DEFINITELY better safe than sorry!

There are times when it is wisdom that tells you to play it safe. But the wisdom of God is different from the wisdom of this world. And God consistently leads His people to make choices that are anything but playing it safe:

Get in the face of the most powerful human on earth and demand my people’s freedom.
Leave the safety and security of your hometown and go somewhere you’ve never been.
Go attack a 9′ 6″ tall warrior with a rock.
Break the law by preach in my name.

Jesus said throughout the gospels, “If anyone will save their life, they shall lose it. But if you lose your life for my sake, you shall find it.” Matthew 10:39

When God calls us to do something risky -share our faith, trust Him with our finances, relocate yourself and family, change jobs, end a relationship, follow Him into the unfamiliar- we cannot afford to play it safe. In an attempt to stay comfortable, many would-be Christ followers have tried to be safe rather than sorry, and only ended up “safe” and sorry.

I know that all conventional wisdom is telling you not to leave your safe place. That if you do, it could all go bad. And it could. That’s the adventure! We are trusting in the Unseen to lead us over circumstances that are bigger than ourselves. And the payoff of experiencing God’s provision and protection is nothing short of a game-changer.

I know people in my life and ministry who are going through some tough circumstances. Some of them feel like they are cornered in a place where all they have left is trusting God. In some ways, I wish everyone in my church could experience that… to have the anxiety of realizing you can’t do it on your own, only to be outmatched by the exhilaration of watching God work mightily on your behalf.

One missionary once told me, “It’s safer to be 4,000 miles from home and in the will of God, than at home but out of the will of God.” He was right. I would rather be “not safe” from the world’s perspective and “not sorry” from mine, than to be “safe” in the world’s perspective and “sorry” in my own.

Step out on faith. Trust God. Be dangerous. You’ll never go back to playing it safe again! And you won’t be sorry that you trusted Him either.

Blessings,

John