February 27

Leviticus 20:22-22:16, Mark 9:1-29, Psalm 43:1-5, Proverbs 10:18



Pray: Today’s reading is full of powerful imagery of God inviting us to be and remain faithful, or to be more exact, to “be full of faith”. One miracle Jesus performed which He said later could not be done without prayer. So, let us pray for God’s revelation: “Dear God, as we spend time with You today to hear from You through scripture, we ask the dear Holy Spirit to reveal truth, and give us direction. Lastly, to have the courage to live out what You do reveal.” Amen.

Read: Our O.T. lesson gives us the reason for living the faith with healthy boundaries, making clear what our “non-negotiables” are in our lives and that of our family. When God says, 2 “You must keep all my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice; otherwise the land to which I am bringing you as your new home will vomit you out.”, it is clear that God doesn’t want His people to be just like the people who have inhabited the land. God wants His people to be “set apart”, in not only what they say but how they live. If your home is clear about your “non-negotiables” like honesty, respect, putting God first in everything, then when someone or yourself tries to drift away, the DNA of your home, the DNA of your faith will “vomit you out”, or call you on the carpet. Healthy organizations are clear about their “non-negotiables” in building a healthy culture. Should followers of Jesus do any less?

Edify: Jesus wanted His inner core of Peter, James and John to share a sacred moment with Him. This reading reveals the power of God revealed in Jesus. This passage underscores our basic Christian teaching on who Jesus is as He is 100% human and 100% divine. Peter wants to “do something” out of nervousness and build an altar. Jesus wants him to be personal and support him in this moment realizing who Jesus actually is. So often we get busy “doing ministry” that we fail to “encounter Jesus in the ministry”. As my mentor Bill Hybels has said, “There have been times when doing the work of ministry was killing the work of God in me.” We should serve from grace, not trying to earn it nor establish it…the grace and love of God is already abundantly available. 

Practice: Jesus wasn’t trying to impress the disciples. In fact, Jesus wants His followers to succeed in being faithful. However, sometimes we seek to “cook up ministry” out of seeing the need instead of allowing God to simmer the faith within us over time. When Jesus said, “this kind can be cast out only by prayer” He was saying, “you can’t cast out this kind of evil unless there is some kind of holiness living within you.” So, practice holiness today by spending time, as you are, reading the scriptures and applying them to your life daily. Pray for God’s presence to be with you throughout the day. Look for the Holy Spirit’s revelations and seek to love your neighbor. Over time, holiness will grow within you so you can do battle against the evil around you.

February 26

Leviticus 19:1-20:21, Mark 8:11-38, Psalm 42:1-11, Proverbs 10:17



Pray: Just as others brought the blind man to Jesus that we’ll read about today, start off your prayer time by praying for those you know who are searching as if they’re in the dark, those who are hurting and need healing, and those who are vulnerable and outcast in some way. Now, begin to ask God if there are any ways that you are blind, or possibly any ways in which you can see but not too clearly. Make yourself available to God. Meet with Him outside the village in a quiet place and ask Him to fully restore the way you need to see your life and the world.

Read: In Leviticus, there is an often repeated phrase “I am the Lord your God.” As you read, notice the frequency and placement of that statement. Then, let that declaration provide the lens for you to see what God has for you today in the Mark passage, the Psalm, and the Proverb for the day. 

Edify: We begin with a declaration that we are to be holy as God is holy. We think surely this was just an Old Testament thing because Jesus is gracious. Jesus is gracious, but He didn’t take anything away from the law. In fact He says in Matthew 5:48 that we are to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. The good news is that Jesus offers forgiveness and salvation while we were still dead in our sins. It’s clear that our attitude in order to grow in holiness is revealed in each of today’s readings. In Leviticus, we must submit and acknowledge that He is God and we are not. This makes us want to live in line with His law and calling on our life. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves of His Lordship when we feel tempted, weak, or even rebellious at heart. In Mark, we are to specifically acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus and His identity as our Messiah who has come to save us. Peter begins by getting it right and acknowledging Jesus’ identity as Messiah at Caesarea Philippi. We must turn from our selfish ways and take up our cross and follow Jesus. He is to be number 1 in our lives. In Psalm, we grow in holiness despite our circumstances when we thirst for the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives like a deer thirsts for water. Even in the hard times we see David calling out to God as his Savior (like Peter) multiple times and calls Him his rock. Finally, in Proverbs we see that it is wise to humbly open ourselves up to God’s discipline and correction in our lives in order to grow in holiness.

Practice: Consider fasting for a meal or from a frequent food or drink for a day if your health allows. Prayerfully create a “thirst” and a “hunger” for God through fasting and with each hunger pain, make a declaration that the Lord is your God and Jesus is your Savior and Messiah. Fasting and prayer have a way of opening your eyes and allowing God to bring clarity and a healing of your sight in life. Give it a chance!

February 25

Leviticus 16:29-18:30, Mark 7:24-8:10, Psalm 41:1-13, Proverbs 10:15-16



Pray: Ask God to empty you of you today. May our thoughts, words, and actions be emptied of selfish ambition or vain conceit. May we operate out of worship for God and love for our neighbor instead of out of a desire for our personal gain.

Read: As you read today, think about God’s economy. We should get uncomfortable as we encounter Proverbs about wealth, a Psalm of David urging us to be kind to the poor, and Jesus feeding a vulnerable 4000 people. Are we ready to allow God to challenge us in the area of giving time and resources to the poor? Are we willing to trust Him to multiply what we have so that they and we have enough according to His riches?

Edify: The disciples had a scarcity mentality. They had witnessed Jesus cast out demons, heal the sick, and even walk on water. Is anything too hard for Him? To top it all off, they were there when Jesus fed the 5000 just relatively recently (Mark chapter 6)!!! The disciples were focused in on the difficulty of the situation and were not interested enough in the well-being of the crowd to suggest such a miracle occurring again. “How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness?” (Mark 6:4) How often do we tell the living God the same thing (not asking even though it’s a question)? We are often too focused on the circumstances to feel empathy for those who are hungry or stuck in a tight spot. We’re often caught in a scarcity mentality where we’re hesitant to take action due to being afraid we’ll be the ones in need if we give. When we’re with Jesus, we should turn from the scarcity mentality and live out of the abundance that He wants to provide.

Practice: John Wesley observes, “We do not think to serve the poor, because we do not spend any time with the poor.” Schedule a time TODAY with your life group or with your family to serve a meal or simply hang out at one of Christ Church’s strategic partners in the area. Don’t treat them as a target to check your “serving or outreach” religious box, but go with the intention on having a real conversation with a real person who happens to be in need.

February 24

Leviticus 15:1-16:28, Mark 7:1-23, Psalm 40:11-17, Proverbs 10:13-14



Pray: Acknowledge before God that His ways are higher than our ways. He is great and His law is perfect and not to be discarded by our own reasoning or experience or traditions. Pray a prayer of submission to God’s ways.

Read: Make a point to compare and contrast Moses and Aaron’s reverence before God, David’s honesty and joy before God, and the Pharisees’ haughty attitudes toward God’s law and instruction. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever so there is much to learn by seeing how those in His Word approach Him and His instruction.

Edify: There is much to learn from Jesus’ rebuke against the Pharisees. It’s the height of spiritual arrogance to elevate our own man-made traditions above God’s Word. When someone comes arrogantly before God in the way they speak and live, the prophecy from Isaiah that Jesus quotes in Mark 7:6-7 always follows. Our hearts will be far from Him because there is no room for pride when we’re truly in the presence of God. Worship will become a farce or a show. It’s so powerful to contrast this with the reverence that Moses and Aaron have towards God. God has shown His power when Aaron’s two sons didn’t follow God’s instruction for worship and were immediately struck dead. God is serious about His instruction and law and the wages of breaking them is death. David brings in such warmth by acknowledging his struggles and sins, but then pleading with God to rescue him. In the end, David acknowledges that he is “poor and needy” in humility, and it is with that posture that he can find joy in any circumstance.

Practice: Choose joy today. As David shows us we don’t drift into joy. As the Pharisees show us, joy isn’t found in our rituals. We choose joy by proclaiming, “The Lord is great!” as we celebrate in the joy of our salvation.

February 23

Leviticus 14:1-57, Mark 6:30-56, Psalm 40:1-10, Proverbs 10:11-12



Pray: Lift up your eyes to the One who can lift us up out of the pit of despair. 

Lift up your eyes to the One who can lift us up from drowning in the middle of a storm.

Lift up your cry to the One who hears your cries and takes action.

Lift up your hands to the One who wants to give the bread of eternal life.

Read: As you read, ask God to write His instructions on your heart like David. For it is out of the wellsprings of the heart that the mouth speaks. And it is a good tree that produces good fruit. As you begin with reading Leviticus, ask God to search out and heal or take out any disease or contamination in your heart.

Edify: “The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain...” (Proverbs 10:11a). Are your words giving life to you and to others? We see in the reading today that David is eager to speak out about the good news of God’s justice. David wants to share with anyone who will listen about the faithfulness, power, and unfailing love of God. Are your words pointing to the one who gives life? There is so much power when we actually speak or pray the life-giving words of Scripture to our hearts and to others. Solomon points out that the key motivator of love guides our words towards reconciliation and 1 Peter reaffirms that love covers a multitude of sins. This is demonstrated most clearly in the New Testament reading as Jesus had compassion on the crowds and fed them. He had compassion on those in the boat, so He came to them and used His words to save their lives by calming the storm. Jesus’ words gave life and demonstrated the power of God.

Practice: Ask God to bring a Scripture to mind to share with someone that points to God’s faithfulness, power, and unfailing love. Consider Psalm 40:1-3 as a model to weave in Scripture with your testimony of God demonstrating these qualities in your life.

February 22

Leviticus 13:1-59, Mark 6:1-29, Psalm 39:1-13, Proverbs 10:10



Pray: Begin today by reading aloud David’s plea: “Hear my prayer, O Lord! Listen to my cries for help! Don’t ignore my tears. For I am your guest – a traveler passing through, as my ancestors were before me” (Psalm 39:12 NLT). 

Read: How often have you had conversations with yourself secretly? How often does your mind have to give your emotions a pep talk? If you’re like David, sometimes your emotions win as you just get hotter with anger making it harder to keep it all in. The Psalms are great as they give us incredible wisdom and teach us how to pray. But it’s even better to help us realize that we’re not alone and we’re not crazy with our inner thought life! David talks to himself too!

Edify: The brevity of life is the beginning of wisdom for day to day living. As David is fuming inwardly over his current situation, he shifts from self-talk to God-talk. “Lord,” he says, “remind me how brief my time on earth is” in Psalm 39:4. Our “days are numbered,” “fleeting,” “a moment,” “like a breath,” and “like moving shadows.” When our self-talk transitions to prayer, we end up with an eternal perspective to our daily circumstances. If we place our hope in our circumstances, then our hope is as temporary as they are. But if we place our hope in God, He can provide peace, joy, and love that surpasses any circumstance we’re faced with.

Practice: What situation, relationship, circumstance, or uncertainty gets you caught up in the abyss of negative self-talk? What is it that gets you running hot inwardly so much that your words come out like fire? Let today be a day where you snatch those thoughts and take them captive. Take every opportunity to practice turning negative self-talk into God-talk. Turn the conversation of the heart upward in prayer.

February 21

Leviticus 11:1-12:8, Mark 5:21-43, Psalm 38:1-22, Proverbs 10:8-9



Pray: Set the tone for today as a day where you have a hand extended towards Jesus. What’s your most intense pain? What’s your most desperate prayer for a loved one? Literally extend a hand out in front of you as you share these with a God who is able and willing.

Read: Christianity is a “word-shaped” faith and Christians a “word-shaped” people. We lean towards and extend a hand towards the Word of God which is sufficient to equip us for anything this life throws at us. John’s Gospel introduces Jesus as the living Word of God, the logos and the very mind and power of God. Let’s have the posture of the woman in the crowd and of Jairus who leaned into the Word made flesh, because they knew that’s where the healing power is found.

Edify: As a father, I get Jairus’ desperation with his dying daughter. It’s so humbling to allow myself to think about how very little I’m in control when it comes to my children. Seeing the endless possibilities of accidents or terrible diagnoses and the reality of these in the lives of so many in our communities; it’s easy to fall into fear and anxiety. Jesus our restorer and rescuer looks at us calmly in the face of calamity and says, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” (Mark 6:36b) Jesus sees us riddled with anxiety and desires that we would become amazed by His restoring work on our behalf. Jesus sees our desperation and fear and calls us to replace it with faith in Him. Press in through the crowd to reach out and touch His garment. Purposefully travel whatever distance it takes to fall at His feet. Because when Jesus, the Word made flesh, speaks: your situations, trials, and entirety cannot help but listen. When Jesus says, “your suffering is over,” then it is over. When Jesus tells what seems dead in you to “get up!”, then it cannot help but rise. Come to Jesus today and ask Him to speak into your life.

Practice: I want to share an ancient Christian practice of “breath prayers”. This is a practice of taking a phrase or verse from your Scripture reading and making it your often repeated prayer for the day. It must be short as it can be repeated throughout the day in only ONE breath. Let’s all have the same practice today as we teach our hearts Jesus’ words as we go throughout our day. 

With a heart pursuing Jesus, pray often…Inhale “Don’t be afraid” and Exhale “Just have faith.”