February 19

Leviticus 7:28-9:6, Mark 3:31-4:25, Psalm 37:12-29, Proverbs 10:5 



Pray: Whom have you excluded? Most people have a tendency to reject or even demonize any who are different. You don't have to search far to see evidence of this in our world today. Where you placed the check mark in the ballot box (perceived or real) either means we are friends or we are enemies. My, how far we’ve strayed from God’s plan for humanity. Jesus says, “Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (Mark 3:34). Even if we don’t agree with someone, we can still be civil and offer respect. Whom have you excluded? Ask the Lord to help you see past the differences (while not compromising the truth) and treat others as Jesus has treated you.

Read: In the Old Testament we read of Aaron and his sons being ordained as priests. It was quite the ceremony! It set them apart for the work of a priest. Then, Jesus speaks one of the most widely known parables: the farmer scattering the seed. A popular children's song is written about His next parable. You may know it as “This Little Light of Mine.” The psalmist, once again, speaks of the wicked and the evil in our world and how God will always care for His children. He also reminds us of some practices in which those who honor God should be engaged. Proverbs gets us away from the television and smartphone to work much more productively.

Edify: I preached a message once entitled, "The Spiritual Heartbeat.” Imagine the line going across a heart monitor and how it goes up and down with each beat of the heart. A healthy heart has a continual rhythm to it. What I’ve found in many new Christians and more seasoned followers who have recently had a mountaintop experience is their “spiritual heartbeat” looks normal for a couple of weeks. Then, the peaks and valleys get more shallow. Some even spiritually flatline. Sadly, many churches seem to be filled with spiritual flatliners. I think Jesus knew something like this would happen. That's why He explained part of a parable this way: “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word” (Mark 4:16-17). How deep are your spiritual roots? It's not how long you've been a follower. Those are vastly different questions! Are you going deeper into God’s Word, deeper into Christian community, deeper into service, deeper into generosity, deeper into Christ?

Practice: If you’ve ever tried to sell a house, you understand the importance of lighting. You need to have all bulbs working. If there is a showing, all lights should be turned on and all blinds/curtains open. You don’t want dark rooms. Even if a room seems bright enough and a lamp doesn’t seem to add anything at all, you still turn on the light. It may make real estate sense to do this. It does not make spiritual sense to do this. Yet, far too many Christians keep the light of Christ burning, but only among other light-bearers and only in already-brightened places. Dark places exist in our lives, our homes, our communities, and our world. Jesus asks, “Would anyone light a lamp and then put it under a basket or under a bed? A lamp is placed on a stand, where its light will shine” (Mark 4:21). The light of Christ in you is not meant to be contained to bright places or hidden from the world. It is meant to shine so bright it brings all that is hidden into view. Where and how is God leading you to shine brighter for Him?