Lesson for 3/27

Hey all, the Sunday school lesson for tomorrow comes from Mark 16:1-8. Its titled "Resurrection Faith" As the lesson begins, we find that Jesus has already been crucified at this point. The scriptures as described by Mark begin with Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, setting out early Sunday morning to anoint Jesus' body at the tomb with the burial spices they had purchased. These 3 women were devoted followers and supporters of Christ. Verse 3-4 says "On the way they were asking each other, "who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone which was very large, had been rolled aside." It says "when they entered the tomb they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the Angel said, "Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid His body." Verse 7, the Angel tells the women to "go and tell His disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you before He died." To piggyback off of last weeks lesson, in which the discussion focused on the events leading up to the Jesus' death and how Peter denied Jesus. I found it fascinating that the Angel in today's lesson mentions to "include Peter" who broke down and wept after denying Jesus the third time. The Angel knew and stated what Jesus said to Peter and the disciples as previously in Mark 14:28. "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” - This took place, just as Jesus stated early on. We, as Christians should remember that we are included, and never forgotten. If there is a message, plan, word, or revelation that we were meant to hear - God is going to give it, show it and reveal it! The key is patience and trust! The lesson then ends in verse 8 where the women fled form the tomb, trembling in fear. As we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, may we reflect and find encouragement in these few scriptures:

John 3:16-17 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

2 Corinthians 5:25 "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again."

Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved"

Acts 4:33 "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all."

Resurrection faith, is powerful faith - Unstoppable, pure and encouraging! I open the challenge to genuinely pray and meditate on what God has done for us. I often think about how at times I still have may hand out, expecting and looking for "things" from God - when in reality, I shouldn't because He has already given the most valuable gift of all - and that's salvation and eternal life, through His Son Jesus!

Faith is amazing!

Thanks for reading all - Happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday! 

Lesson for 3/20

Hey all, the Sunday School lesson for tomorrow comes from Mark 14:26-31, 66-72. Its titled "Struggling Faith" To get an idea of the setting, the lesson focuses on the events leading to Jesus' Crucifixion. I encourage you to read the entire chapter 14 of Mark; but tomorrows lesson starts at verse 26, where we find Jesus and His disciples heading out to the Mount of Olives. Jesus says in verse 27 "All of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say. 'God will strike the Shepard, and the sheep will be scattered.'" - Think of the analogy used, for without a Shepard, an actual herd of sheep wouldn't know what to do, they would run/flee in fear. That is what Jesus is saying His disciples will do during the events that will transpire that night.  Peter stops and says in verse 29 "Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will." Jesus replied and told Peter, "this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me." No!" Peter declared emphatically. "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!" And all the others vowed the same. - The lesson then skips to verse 66; but to pause; As Christians we never set out to disappoint God. In Fact, most of us want to genuinely follow Christ and live to God's Glory. At times we often struggle with this as we will see Peter did. Back to the verses you will see that by now Jesus has been taken before the council. To provide a setting verse 54 says "Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.  Jesus' verdict is then made; Can you imagine Peter whom was outside in the courtyard hearing the people say and do all this to Jesus? "“Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!” "Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away." (Ver.65) Verses 66-72 says,  "One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by and noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of Nazareth. But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. When the servant girl saw him standing there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!” But Peter denied it again. A little later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one of them, because you are a Galilean.”Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.”And he broke down and wept." The lesson ends there, as you can see, during times of persecution or hardship, its very easy for us to flee in fear and forget who we put our faith in. Its a struggle, even for Peter, a great man of action who witnessed Jesus' perform countless miracles first hand. Most Christians today wouldn't verbally deny God, but the honest reality is we often do by not denying our own flesh, sin and worldly desires. I for one can relate to how Peter feels when he realized what he done. Going from  saying "I would never do this or that!" to the conviction that sets in once I've done the very thing I vowed not to. Peter is eventually reconciled with Jesus after the resurrection, to not jump too far ahead "verse 28 of this very lesson said "But after I am raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there." Jesus said this right before Peter vowed he wouldn't desert Him, and what encouragement as next weeks lesson shows this very reunion! Regardless of being, we all struggle at times with our faith. The key, as mentioned in our previous lessons, is prayer. We cannot make it on our own, but with God, all things are possible.

Thanks for reading - God bless!

Fulfillment

Fulfillment

This is not a scheduled Sunday School lesson, however this word has been resonating with me. - its defined in Google as the satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing one's abilities or character. The pronunciation of the word itself just sounds like you're full of joy or peace or what ever it is you need to keep you on this journey of life. One thing that stood out to me in the definition was "fully developing one's abilities or character." - In life, I believe our abilities or character are never FULLY developed. We are always or should be seeking to grow; in faith, in skills, in knowledge, in loving, in everything. I began this as a formal paper, but I feel it should be written otherwise. Ephesians 4: 1-3 says  "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,  with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." To me, this is fulfillment - As previously mentioned, I don't believe we as humans are ever fully developed in our character or abilities - so the Bible reveals to me in this scripture that we are to walk worthy of the calling, the journey, the mission that God has called us to take. I believe the first step for us is to allow God to give us our purpose. Let me explain, we are often encouraged and pushed to go out and find our purpose - but the key element often missed is praying that it be revealed.  Proverbs 19 "There are many plans in a man’s heart, Nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand."  Meaning, we can do all the planning, studying, dreaming, but as time goes on; Only the Will of God will prevail.  Back to Ephesians 4 :2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." When we walk, may we all walk with these traits. These are words of fulfillment to me. If I pop this phrase into any area of my life; I see fulfillment. Sliding lowliness and gentleness with my family, longsuffering and bearing with on another in love in my relationship, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace in my church, job, home, school, or community; it all fits. Its all fulfilling; satisfaction and happiness as a result of. I began this paper intending to go a different route with the point I wanted to set out. The enemy had began to plant the thought in my mind "well what about you?" "what is this person or that person doing to help you fulfill your purpose?" As I began to write - I learned that fulfillment is what you make it, its how you perceive what God is doing in and through your life. Along with the scripture in Ephesians, I find fulfillment in giving and helping others succeed.  I find supreme encouragement in John 15:16 Jesus told His disciples "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, He may give it to you." So, without expecting handouts, recognition, or even appreciation - we should trust that what God can give is far greater! Acting in spite of, caring when its so much easier not to, giving when you don't have much are examples - but more importantly we should love because we are commanded to!

Don't let your thoughts sit in your mind; but write so that God can straighten them out for you to His Glory. Keep your morals, standards, and expectations in life, but genuinely trust that only He can give you the fulfillment you really need and the people to help you along the way!

Thanks for reading. - To my Sunshine, Forever and Always- and -The 5ive for Life- I love yall!!!!!!

Lesson for 3/13

Hey all, the Sunday School lesson for tomorrow comes from Mark 10:17-31. Its titled "Simple Faith" The lesson begins in verse 17, where Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem, then a man came running up, knelt down to Jesus and asked "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" To answer the man's question Jesus says in verse 19 "You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Do not cheat others,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother." In verse 20 the man then mentions how he has obeyed these commandments since his youth. Jesus then looks at the man and felt genuine love for him. He said "There is still one thing you haven't done, Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me." Verse 22 says "at this the man's face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions." - Reading this, I found it fascinating once again, Jesus knew this man knew God's commandments; He even knew that the man's wealth and riches were holding him back from following Him. Jesus poses the statement to His disciples "How hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God!" - To deeply analyze and put into perspective, the riches described in this lesson represent what people today often put their faith and trust in OVER God. It may very well be money, but it could also be our time, careers, education, convenience, weapons, and even other people. To not misinterpret this, we should seek to be rich with God's favor, whatever it takes to please Him! and if we are blessed with wealth, time, careers, and education, we should then use it to bless and serve others; we should be willing to give it all up if required, but that's not always easy. Here we find encouragement in verse 27-31 "...Everything is possible with God." Then Peter said "We've given up everything to follow you" "Yes," Jesus replied, "and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or father or children or property , for my sake and for the Gospel will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property - along with persecutions." Pause, to reiterate, Jesus is saying once we let go of whats hindering us from following Him, God will provide and give us more than what we need to carry out His plan and purpose for our lives. Persecutions which for some of us could be, stepping out of our comfort zone, people disliking us, or moving to different locations. We are encouraged as verse 30 finishes "And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then."
Its remarkable to see how the Bible brings out that giving up our worldly desires and following Christ, although may not be easy, but it benefits us now and in the future. Let us not get to the point where we are like this rich man where we know of God, but we can't follow the example He set out through His Son Jesus. Let us not be stingy with our achievements, but serve and love as we are commanded. One humbling scripture that comes to mind is John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life"

As Christians we show we believe through our actions, which represents our faith, love, trust and service!

Thanks for reading - Keep Faith and God bless!

Lesson for 3/6

Hey everyone, the Sunday School lesson for tomorrow comes from Mark 9:14-29 - its titled "Powerful Faith" - Looking ahead at the lesson titles, I became thrilled that the next few lessons focus on this amazing action word "Faith." - Today's lesson begins at verse 14 of Mark ch 9. Jesus comes back down from the mountain to his disciples and He saw the scribes questioning them. Jesus is immediately greeted by the crowd when he arrives on the scene and asks the scribes "what question or discussion are you having with them?" (His disciples) - Verse 17 brings out that one of the men in the crowd, a father, spoke up and said "Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by a mute spirit and wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.” - Jesus then says "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” - Pause - Why do you think Jesus said that?, as Christians, we are all given the tools we need to carry out the mission God has for our lives, we are never left bearing more than we can handle. Jumping back to Matthew 10:7-8  Jesus tells the disciples "7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give."  So, it was previously made known to them that they had what they needed to heal this boy - lets keep reading; we see how its described that the unclean spirit that is inside the boy is violent at times and tries to kill him. The latter part of verse 22, the father of the sick boy says to Jesus "have mercy on us and help us, if you can" - After reading this fascinating verse in various versions of the Bible - they all indicated that this father lacked faith by saying "if you can" ..After the disciples were unable to heal, after witnessing his son being thrown around by this spirit for long, he had doubts. - to be honest, some of us probably would too. Then in verse 23 Jesus smoothly says  “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - How humbling as he cries out to for help to overcome his lack of faith. So then, Jesus casts out the unclean spirit and commands it to never enter the boy again. Verse 26 brings out how people in the crowd began to murmur saying "the boy is dead" (clearly still lacking faith) as the boy was just laying on the ground.  But Jesus took him up by the hand and helped him to his feet. The lesson then ends with the disciples and Jesus having a conversation when alone "They ask Jesus why couldn't we cast the spirit out?" Jesus answered  in verse 29 saying "this kind can only come out by nothing but prayer and fasting." This is an amazing scripture set - The last verse in this lesson indicates that they didn't pray and fast as they should from the get go. We are often faced with an unexpected event or emergency that arises; and during that state of emergency or opposition, we may not always remember to stop and pray. We are most effective when we take a step back to meditate and just talk to God. All it took for the disciples to be empowered and to resolve the issue at hand was to express faith and pray! We are not alone! Jesus said if we pray and believe; all things are possible!

To God be the glory! Keep Faith - love you all!