The Power of Prayer

20In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. 21Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” 22Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:20-25, NRSV)

If you say to this mountain be taken up and thrown in the sea and you believe it it will happen. Is this a statement of our lack of faith?

Because then Jesus goes on to say whatever you ask in prayer believe that you have received it and it will be yours. Again is this a statement of our lack of faith?

I have asked for things in prayer and never got them. I never asked a mountain to move but I know it wouldn’t. Does that mean I don’t believe? I believe Jesus died for me and for all of us.

So where does that leave us?

It leaves us with the last sentence, forgive if you have anything against another so God can forgive you. God forgave you when you are didn’t deserve it, we have to forgive for our sanity and for God.

We need to spread love. And don’t worry about not believing. Have faith and trust that God always loves you.

A Fig Tree and the Temple

12On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; 16and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 19And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city. (Mark 11:12-19, NRSV)

We should not be doing business with others to make more than we should. Jesus says the house of God is a house of prayer and it has become a den of thieves because those in the temple doing business so others can have what they need to worship were taking advantage of people and charging more than was necessary.

As Christians and followers of Jesus we should charge what is needed and not take advantage of others. We need to help all in need and work for the betterment of the kingdom.

Live in the love Jesus gave you.

Blind Beggar at Roadside

46They came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” 50So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” 52Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. (Mark 10:46-52, NRSV)

What would you say if Jesus asked you, “What do you want me to do for you?”

For Bartimaeus it was easy, he wanted to see again. But what would you ask Jesus for?

We are all beggars on the roadside and we all need help, but are you willing to admit the help you need?

What would you aks Jesus for?

Disciples don’t get it…

35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” 36And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” 37And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” 38But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; 40but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” 41When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. 42So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 43But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. 45For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:35-45, NRSV)

Being a follower of Jesus is not about what we get for it.

We do not completely know what we ask, like when Jesus asked James and John if they can drink from the cup He is going to drink, which means His death, and they say yes, because they don’t get it. And neither do we. If we knew everything that was going to happen in our lives most of us would give up long before we get any where near the end. God promises to always walk with us and guide us along our journey. And our job is to believe and follow. And know that while we may not understand everything, there is a plan and it will be ok.

Follow after God and Jesus not for what you will get, but for the life you can have now and for the joy you can give to others by giving them what God has given you.

Love always and accept people where they are, because that is what God has done and is doing for you!

On the Road to Jerusalem

32They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; 34they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will rise again.” (Mark 10:32-34, NRSV)

What would you do if the teacher you had been following for 3 years all of a sudden started talking about going somewhere and they would be killed?

Well, Jesus didn’t all of a sudden start talking about this, Jesus had been preparing the disciples all along that this was going to happen. They just didn’t get it, but it took them by surprise or caught them off guard, and I am sure it would have done the same to all of us.

What would you have done?

How would you handle this?

It is the same for how we handle God telling us we need to go and do something we aren’t prepared to hear. How do we handle it?

Take a step in faith and know that God goes with you!

Present Sufferings, Future Glory

18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Romans 8:18-25, NRSV)

God never said in the scriptures or through any messenger that we would have a live devoid of pain and suffering.

God said that God would always be with us through whatever we went through.

God will always be there to walk with us and guide us along the way, not to take the pain away but to show us that we are loved and not alone.

Always hope in God, because God is always there for you.

Eternal Life to Come

28Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Mark 10:28-31, NRSV)

It is not only about eternal life to come. It is about abundant life now.

Jesus says that those who follow will get a hundredfold in this age. We get life abundantly now.

Don’t just wait for it, live in it now.

The Love of Money

6Of course, there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment; 7for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; 8but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these. 9But those who want to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pains. (1 Timothy 6:6-10, NRSV)

Money is the root of all evil, right?

That is what we all think. Money is an inanimate object. It is not good or evil, that all depends on how we use it.

The verse above actually says the love of money is the root of all evil. Meaning if you love money and use people to get it, then that is evil.

We need to relearn to love people and use things, rather than using people and loving things.

Love as God loved you, unconditionally.

Glory

14Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; 3and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. 4And one does not presume to take this honor, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was. 5So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”; 6as he says also in another place, “You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” 7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. 8Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; 9and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, 10having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 4:14-5:10, NRSV)

Because of Jesus we can come to God and be bold in our coming. We can know that we are accepted because of Jesus and Gid wants to hear from us.

We can seek God and know God will hear us.

So be bold because of Jesus and go to God with all your needs.

Brothers and Sisters

10It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, 12saying, “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.” 13And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me.” 14Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. 16For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:10-18, NRSV)

Jesus came here to help us. To show us how to live.

Jesus calls us brothers and sisters so we are a part of His family.

Lean on Him and trust in Him.

He came here for you.