Leviticus 22:17-23:44, Mark 9:30-10:12, Psalms 44:1-8, Proverbs 10:19
Today is the 28th day of February welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is fantastic to be here with you today as we reach the…the ending point of the second month of the year. So, when we get finished today, we will have completed two full months of the year. I am still finding that hard to believe but this is where we are and it’s wonderful to be here with you today around the Global Campfire. And our next step forward leads us back into the book of Leviticus. Today we’ll read chapter 22 verse 17 through 23 verse 44.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in the gospel of Mark today we have this really brief, really poignant exchange between John the apostle or disciple of Jesus and the Savior, Jesus. And John comes to Jesus and says, “teacher we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us.” So, it’s a brief exchange. Jesus responds. We’ll talk about that in the second. It’s a brief exchange, but it’s poignant because it’s in the Scriptures. And, so, we need to pay attention to it. But it’s poignant because what Jesus is addressing here is very much still with us today. As believers or followers or disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ we probably know other people who are also followers of Jesus, and we probably have some kind of community with those people, probably even a faith community, a church community. And, so, we can find what it is that sits well with us, or maybe the way that we were raised and so we kind of stick to that form and that model and build community around that. And that’s not a big deal. Like there are faith communities all over the world. That’s wonderful. We typically find ourselves in community with people that we understand and people who have common interests or common convictions or common beliefs. It just gets a little sideways in our spirituality when we begin to believe that our tribe, our community, we have…we have something that nobody else does, we have the complete truth. Our tribe is doing this the right way. Our leaders have a corner on the market here. We’re doing this the right way. And, so, then we look across the street or down the road or we look across town or we look across the country or the world and see that there are other ways of doing things and we don’t like that, and we don’t agree with that. And, so, we dismiss that. And by dismissing that we dismiss brothers and sisters who also are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, who have seen things from a different viewpoint than we have but we dismiss them as a less than because our tribe has the true. And, so, whether we realize it or not, we build walls around ourselves. And then when different ways of thinking or understanding or whatever, different things that happen inside of community actually get inside the community then it can split the community because we typically find ourselves in a battle to be right, not in a battle for redemption and reconciliation. So, in our lifetimes we’ve seen plenty of churches that split apart, we’ve seen denominations that have split apart and broken fellowship with each other over theological understandings. And that is like willful segregation from each other. Like are we one body or not? And, so, typically when there’s a group of people that need to be right, they think they’re the body. Everybody else’s needs to join in and everybody else needs to get on board because we…we can’t imagine that God would honor or use somebody or some group of people that don’t see it the way that we do, that don’t agree with…with what we think, that aren’t a part of us, that aren’t a part of our clan or group, which is what John is saying to Jesus. “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us.” And responding to this, Jesus hands us direction. Jesus responded to John by saying, “don’t stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you even a cup of water in my name, because you belong to the Messiah, will certainly not lose their reward.” So, it just makes…it makes one wonder what the world might look like if just in this one area we who follow Christ espoused the teaching of Christ because here we are in the gospel of Mark and we still have Luke and John to go but we’re…we’re well underway now. We’ve been walking alongside Jesus in the New Testament since we began our journey this year. So, we’re far enough in that we’re getting a glimpse of who Jesus is and what He has to say. And if were paying attention so much of what He has to say boils down to how we are supposed to be taking care of each other. In fact, I quote from our reading in Mark today from the lips of Jesus. “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Everyone is supposed to be taking care of everyone. And so often we find ourselves segregated into camps and we’ll take care of our own, but we wouldn’t even give a spiritual cup of water to anyone else. This isn’t how we are supposed to be. And we have a long-running history that goes all the way back to the New Testament of dealing with this right up until this very day. And the system isn’t going to change because it was never really supposed to be a system. And if we look back into the Gospels at the stories of Jesus that we are walking through, Jesus wasn’t trying to change the system either even though the system was so broken that it couldn’t see God right in front of their eyes, that it denied the work of God and attributed to the devil. Like Jesus didn’t come to change the system, He came to change the hearts of mankind, because when people’s hearts are changed systems change, which lands all of this right back in our own laps where it belongs. And we’re invited to think about how we may be withholding even a cup of water. And, so, may we take it to heart and consider today, and as we so often talk about, go through this day watching ourselves, watching what’s going on inside of us, watching what rises up within us and asking ourselves, is this…is this the way? Is this how it’s done? Is this how Jesus handles these kinds of situations? How do I be the servant in this situation, especially in this season of Lent, a season to repent, a season to reflect and examine the weightiness of our lives, both for righteousness and for everything less than righteousness, a time for us to consider.
Prayer:
Jesus, we invite You into that. We have the model that You gave us of Your life. And we read of it and we learn about it and sometimes we’ve heard it so many times we think we understand it and then we come back again and realize there’s so much more to learn. There’s so much more to be transformed within us. You have taken the penalty of sin away from us forever and ever and have made a way for us to live as we were intended, as we were created in this world with a posture of heart that looks out at…at Your children all over the earth. And then so often we just adopt the customs of our culture and throw a label of godliness on it when it’s not what You are showing us and not what You are teaching. And, so, maybe we need some time for reflection, and we invite Your Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. And we pray this in Your name. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi Daily Audio Bible this is Cynthia for from Virginia I’m calling to pray for all of the community that went down to Israel. Lord I’m praying that…and thanking You that they all got back safe and sound. And I also pray that You will help them Father God with their jet lag. Help them to get over that as quick as possible Father God Lord and let them spread the experience that they had to their family members Father God. I also come to You Lord praying for each and every member of this community Father God. You know each and every one of us Father God. You know what we’re going through, even those that don’t call in their prayers Father God. Lord, we ask that You heal Father God. Let Your healing powers go through. Heal cancer Father God. Heal all ailments, things that are going on in our lives. Heal our bodies Father God. Heal the addictions. Heal marriages Father God. Heal our children from God. Heal anything that just needs healing. You know what it is from God. I just thank You in advance and I just say Hallelujah Hallelujah. Thank You. I also want to please pray for my mom’s Father God. I’m trusting that God will heal these eyes, Lord. I have no vision but I want my total vision back and I know that God can do it and I’m just praying and thanking Him in advance and trusting Him and I just hope that we all will put on all our trust in Him because He is able and I thank you Lord in Jesus name I pray Amen.
Good morning good morning, DABbers this is Morningstar from Canada calling except I’m calling it from Mexico. We’re actually on a little vacation here in daring the sun and warm weather. But I wanted to call in today. I was struck especially not only by the readings this morning which I always enjoy but by Brian’s commentary and introduction to the season of lent. This is Ash Wednesday. And although I was, you know, as a follower of Christ all my life growing up in the church, I was very much aware of Easter and Good Friday but perhaps not as aware of the season of lent and what those days prior to Easter really mean for me personally as a follower of Christ. And, so, when Brian talked this morning about this being a season of repentance that really struck me. Holy Spirit really touched me with those words and challenged me. Often when I think of repentance, you know, we maybe think of the big things, the big sins and sort of give ourselves an excuse, a way out. But this morning as Brian spoke I was really touched by those words and recognize that perhaps this is a challenge to me about entering a season of repentance, repentance from perhaps things like attitudes or opinions or just laziness or maybe it’s just a complacency that so easily comes to each of us. And, so, I pray that for each of us, that we will enter this season of repentance and ask the Lord to really clean our hearts. Bless you all.
Good morning DAB family I’m calling in response to a prayer request that I heard as I was listening on the 22nd of February. It was a lady. It was at the end of prayer. She called in saying that she was in the last few weeks of a pregnancy and that she had gestational diabetes and that her blood pressure was starting to rise, and she was kind of afraid that induction was going to happen and that she got overwhelmed because there was so much love to do. And I know how it feels sweet mama, that I have three kids of my own and I never felt ready for any of them but just know that whatever’s going to happen it’s going to be OK. And I know that’s cliché to say but let…let the Lord really, really guide you. Listen to His voice as you wait for your little one to arrive. Let Him just be your comfort and your strength and your peace. Even though it feels like you know everything around you is kind of chaotic in all these decisions that you may or may not have to make I pray that you just listen to His voice so clearly and that He will speak straight to you in your heart and that your delivery will be smoothly in the name of Jesus, no complications no issues. And that we speak to blood pressure that it has to go down in the name of Jesus, that it’s not going to affect your delivery and the rest of your pregnancy and that when baby is out there will be no more diabetes and your health will go straight back to normal because the Lord didn’t go to the cross and die for all that for nothing. So, Lord, I just thank You that right now that it is done, that we are going to hear an amazing report that she had her baby and everything went well and that You were right there in the delivery room with her. And I pray that You would just bring people to surround her as she’s delivering and calm her nerves Lord in these last few weeks, that You just bring people just to surround her. And we just thank You for doing it Jesus’ name.
Hi this is Sarah calling from Colorado. I’d like to pray for the young woman who called at the very end of the February 22nd podcast. She has gestational diabetes. She's…she’s pregnant and she’s nearing the end of her pregnancy. She’s got the gestational diabetes. She’s got…she’s got the increase in her blood pressure and the doctor wants to induce her. She just is not ready for the baby yet. She has things left to do, things that she needs to get I believe. Lord I’m just asking that…I’m just asking for my brothers and sisters on the DAB to pray with me for her, just to pray that she would seek out the help of her church to ask for things that she needs so that the body of Christ can stand alongside her and provide her needs Lord. You are the great provider Lord and You work through Your people. And Lord I just ask that You make the end of this pregnancy joyful and that…and that everything…she will be safe, and her baby will be safe and that she gets all the things she needs by way of the body of Christ. Lord let this woman be…just enjoy the last days of her pregnancy and welcoming her new baby into the world Lord and that she can know that You have…You have stood alongside her, You have stood with her You have provided for her and…and that all will be very well. And I pray this in the precious name of Jesus. She didn’t leave her name. She didn’t say where she was. How I wish she knew she was…if she was around the corner from me, I would just help over with so many things Lord. Let…let the body of Christ do this for her. I pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Love you DAB family. Bye-bye.
Hi DAB family. Thank you for everyone who’s praying for marriages and for family. I want to do the same today but also wanna ask for some prayer for my marriage and my family. Last time I called I identified as Joseph in the Pit when Joseph was cast in the pit by his brothers, Genesis. Although God has been gracious and done amazing things since my last call, I still feel that I’m in prison and still a long way away from reaching what God wants to achieve in my life just as I believe and He’s doing in all of yours. Please pray for my marriage. I’ve reluctantly come to the conclusion that I’ve been suffering from a mild form of abuse and sometimes not so mild forms over the past 25 years just because of a wife who technically who can be described as a narcissist. Due to trauma and pain from her childhood tries to control things and every aspect of my and her life as a way of feeling secure rather than looking towards the Lord. I pray and I ask for you to pray that the Lord will intervene in her life and show her that He’s in control. So, please pray with me. There’s a deadline on the 1st of April for unrealistic expectation of what I need to…I need to do and if it’s not met it will lead to separation. So, I pray for everyone who are going through difficult times in their marriage. I pray for the families in the DAB community. I pray Lord that you’re in control and I thank you for all the prayer support that we give one another in Jesus’ name. Amen.