DAY 19-TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER, BECOME A SERVANT

Mark 10: 45 “For even I, the Son of Man, came not to be served, but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” In today’s world we emphasize personal achievement. What’s in it for ME? At times it becomes a dog eat dog world, only concerned with how I can get ahead at the expense of others. In the book Lead Like Jesus, Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges state that we let our egos get in the way, as a result we Edge God Out. We selfishly put ourselves first. How can we turn it around? According to Blanchard and Hodges to be an effective leader we need to turn our egos into Exalting God Only. We have to be willing to lead by serving others. To do that we must become selfless and become more like Jesus.

DAY 18-THE DISCIPLES HAVE A “DUH” MOMENT

he older I get, the more frequently I get one of those “senior moments”. A senior moment is one where no matter how hard you try, you can’t remember something or cannot figure out how to do something. I believe the disciples had a similar moment in Mark 8.

In Mark: 8:14-21 Jesus is talking to the disciples as they are sailing across a lake. It appears that out of the blue Jesus says, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod”. I believe the disciples looked at each other, rolled their eyes and more than likely shrugged their shoulders. They had no idea what Jesus was talking about.

Jesus was trying to warn the disciples not to believe the false teachings of the Pharisees and political leaders. For some reason they completely missed His message. Have you missed His message? Have ever prayed for something and God answered, but you did not understand it? Maybe not even realize that it has been answered. Sometimes I believe we have a “duh moment.” Just like the disciples we do not understand the message even though the answer is right in front of us.

DAY 17-ENDURING THROUGH THE ROUGH TIMES

In Mark 5:21-34 we see a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years. Doctors were not able to help her and according to Scripture, mad the situation worse. But this woman still had hope despite her years of agony. She could have given up and thrown in the towel, but she still believed there was something out there that could help her. She simply believed that all she had to do was touch Jesus and she would be healed. Jesus provides hope. Sometimes we believe that our problems are not significant enough to bring to Jesus, but He is always ready to help. Jesus welcomes the opportunity to help us. Don’t allow your problems to become an obstacle to a relationship with Jesus.

Jesus understands obstacles. In Mark 6:1-6 we find Jesus in Nazereth with his homies. Those in His hometown had a hard time accepting Him. They knew Him as the carpenter’s son. Who did He think was? Where did He get all of this wisdom?

They could not accept Him. So Jesus had difficulty performing miracles among them because of their unbelief. We cannot allow others lack of understanding of our faith and works keep us from serving God. As Christians, we need to support each other to help us to overcome this type of disbelief.

I believe that is why Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs. (Mark 6:7-13). He knew that in pairs they could provide strength and encouragement to each other. Even today, we need to encourage and support one another through prayer and support. Are you praying for your fellow Christians?

DAY 16-YOUR CHOICE TO FOLLOW IN FAITH OR NOT

Andrew, Bartholomew, James (son of Zebedee), James (son of Alphaeus), John, Judas Iscariot, Matthew, Peter, Philip, Simon, Thaddeus and Thomas were the disciples hand picked by Jesus. That consisted of five fishermen, a tax collector and six individuals whose occupations are unknown. They seemingly did not have great wealth or great talent which set them apart from the rest of the world. Jesus was looking for men who were willing. We need to be willing, willing to step out in faith and allow God to lead us just like these men.

I don’t know if you are like me but I knew very little about the disciples. When I researched this I found that for two of the disciples, James (son of Alphaeus), and Judas (son of James a.k.a. Thaddeus) very little is known. For James very, very little is known. I got to thinking about that. As a follower of Jesus I want to people to know that I am a Christian and they know where I stand and what I believe. What about you?

As Christians we need to put our faith in Jesus and as we do, we will grow closer to Him. The parable of the growing seed (Mark 4:26-29) illustrates this point. It starts with a little bit of faith (the seed) and over time our faith grows slowly but steadily. Spiritual maturity takes time just as plant growth slowly but steadily. We need to prepare that seed for the harvest. Have you planted that seed? Are you caring for it by providing it nutrients (Bible study, daily prayer, etc.) to help it grow? Will you be ready for the harvest?

As our faith grows and we step out to follow a path different than what most of the world accepts, what will our family, friends and co-workers think? More than likely they will think we are crazy. But we are in good company. In Mark 3:20-21 Jesus family thought Jesus had lost it,” He’s out of his mind”. His own family did not understand what he was doing and why. As Christians as we step out on faith, many times our family, friends and co-workers will think we are crazy. They don’t understand our beliefs and the decision we make to follow Jesus. Think of the faith the disciples had, they knew very little about Jesus but were willing to leave the jobs and family to follow Him. Where are you? Do people know you are a Christian? If not, do you want to be like James (son of Alphaeus) or do you want it to be known amongst your family, friends and co-workers that you are a follower of Jesus? The choice is yours?

DAY 15-TIME TO LOVE THOSE PEOPLE

Today we begin the second of the four gospels, Mark which was written to the Roman Christians to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is found in Mark 2:13-17. Here Levi (aka Matthew) is invited to follow Jesus and he immediately gets up to follow Him. That evening He invites Jesus, the other disciples and several dishonorable, infamous sinners to His house for dinner. The Pharisees questioned Jesus regarding His association with “those” kind of people. In Mark 2:17, Jesus responds saying, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.”

The Pharisees isolated themselves from those they were to serve and wanted credit for how holy they were. They could not understand what Jesus was doing. This message was for them, but it also applies to us as well. How often do we as Christians isolate ourselves from non-Christians? We find solace in the church and our church friends and separate ourselves from “those” kind of people. We’re good; we attend church, why do we need to do anything else? Jesus encourages us to look beyond our selfish ways and to look for opportunities to serve, accept and to love “those” people. “Those” people need us. “Those” people need you. You may be the only “Christian” they know, and without you, they may never get to know Jesus.!

Day 14 Reflecting Thoughts – Pat Kearney

Two thoughts on Matthew. The book is filled with times that Jesus healed
the sick, fed the masses, performed great miracles for many to see. I often
looked at this and said how easy it was for those people to believe. Who
would not have believed having gotten the chance to see Jesus in person and
witness one or more of his miracles. We have not had that same chance.

Then I came across Matthew 8 and the faith of the centurion. This man
believed because he heard of Jesus and had faith that Jesus only needed to
speak the Word and his servant would be healed. That is the faith we are
called to have and our circumstances are no different than the centurion.
That is the faith that I am striving for in all situations.

In Matthew 19 Jesus speaks about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the
kingdom of heaven. This verse always left me feeling troubled. Will it be
impossible for me to enter the kingdom of heaven? What I saw this time was
the connection of this verse to verse 26 where Jesus reminds us that for man
alone this may be impossible, but with God all things are possible.
Connecting the two verse left me with much greater hope.

Day 14 – Not My Will, But Yours

As I read the last three chapters of Matthew pertaining to the events leading up to and including the crucifixion, I kept being drawn back to Matthew 26:36-46. It was there in the garden of Gethsemane that Jesus becomes filled with anguish over his approaching physical pain up and upcoming death. As I read Matthew 26:38 I recognized that the anguish Jesus was feeling was the anguish that I was supposed to bear. For the first time I was brought to tears as I felt guilt and at the same time gratitude. Even though He knew what He had to do, the pain was so terrible He asked God the Father, to remove the suffering from Him. “If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine. (Matt 26:39).

The pain, the torment, the agony He suffered was unbearable. His suffering was for me. His suffering was for you. And yet he remained faithful and true to the Father’s will —“My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, Your will be done.” (Matthew 26:42)

What does it take to be able to say “Not my will, but yours”? Why is it that we struggle with submitting to God’s will? Is it too much to ask of ourselves to submit to God? Think about what Jesus has done for us!! How about reconsidering?

DAY 13-I WANNA BE MADE READY

As I read Matthew 25, I thought of the MTV reality television show called MADE. MTV’s MADE follows teens that have a goal and want to be “made” into something that they want to be, but do not have the confidence or the discipline necessary to succeed. This includes being made into singers, athletes, dancers, skateboarders, etc. The teens are supported by coach, usually an expert or someone very proficient in the teens chosen field in which they want to be “made”. The coach tries to help them attain their goals over the course of several weeks.

As I read the parable of the ten bridesmaids and the parable of the loaned money, I saw people that were lazy and ill prepared for the future. The foolish bridesmaids probably became wrapped up in the moment and did not think about what they would need in the future (oil for the lamp). The third servant in the parable of the loaned money was given one bag of gold and was negligent in managing the money. He played not to lose. A lot of times that is the easy way out. Not risky, and keeps us in our comfort zone. That choice did not fair well for the servant.

In both parables Jesus is trying to tell us we need to be ready for His return. We need to stop making excuses for not reading our Bible or not having a quiet time with our Lord. We need to ensure the lamp has oil. And we also need to realize that as Christians, we have been entrusted with unique talents and treasures. Are we playing not to lose? We are unwilling to challenge ourselves and unwilling to step out and utilize our talents and treasures. Instead we sit back and let others serve. Many of us are like the servant with the single bag of gold as we bury our talents in a hole.

What do we need to do? Do we need to get a “Made Coach” to help us realize our potential? We already have that “Made Coach” and that is Jesus Christ. He can provide us with confidence and the ability to do things that we think impossible. He can help us achieve goals we think are unattainable. I encourage you to think about where you are and ask the Coach (Jesus) how you can be made, made into the Christian he wants you to be. Then you will not only be “Made” but you will also be “Ready”, ready of His return.

Day 12 – Conflict, In versus Out

In Matthew 12:23-24 Jesus was condemning powerful religious leaders of His day. He was fed up with their misrepresentation to the religious law. They were not practicing what they were preaching. Are you practicing what you are preaching? Do others see you as a Christian living the life as Jesus wants you to live? Does your outward appearance and actions reflect your true inward beliefs? If they are in conflict, I believe that Jesus would consider you a hypocrite, just as he considered the Pharisees. Take a moment and assess your life, does your outside actions reflect your heart?

Day 11-Cleaning the temple and the wedding invitation

In Matthew 21:12 Jesus cleared out the temple driving out the merchants and their customers. The temple was being used for things other than honoring God. Jesus said. “My Temple will be called a place of prayer, but you have turned it into den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13). And in the parable of the two sons, (Matthew 21:28-32), we find a son who commits to go work in the vineyard but doesn’t. In reading these two passages I picture the Temple as our own body housing the Holy Spirit. Why do we allow the garbage and clutter in our lives to crowd out Jesus bringing dishonor to our Lord? And how many times have you seen “church” people say they will help out but never show up?

In Matthew 22:1-14 Jesus tells us about the king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son and invited many guests. As was the tradition of the day, wedding guests were given wedding clothes to wear, but one man refused. As a result, the king had him thrown out. Jesus provides us the invitation of salvation but many refuse it thus refusing their acceptance by God. Jesus provides everyone the opportunity to experience the clothes of righteousness and the acceptance by the Father, but that decision is up to each of us. Where are you? Have you accepted the invitation of Jesus? And if you have, has your focus remained on Him, or have you let your life be cluttered with other junk? Is it time to cleanse the Temple?