unity

Ephesians 4 

1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, 

beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, 

for you have been called by God. 

2 Always be humble and gentle. 

Be patient with each other, 

making allowance for each other’s faults 

because of your love. 

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, 

binding yourselves together with peace. 

4 For there is one body and one Spirit, 

just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5 There is one Lord, 

one faith, 

one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, 

in all, 

and living through all.

infinitely more

This is Paul talking here, from the jail cell of his final imprisonment...

Ephesians 3 

14 When I think of all this, 

I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 

15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources 

he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 

17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts 

as you trust in him. 

Your roots will grow down into God’s love 

and keep you strong. 

18 And may you have the power to understand, 

as all God’s people should, 

how wide, 

how long, 

how high, 

and how deep 

his love is. 

19 May you experience the love of Christ, 

though it is too great to understand fully. 

Then you will be made complete 

with all the fullness of life 

and power 

that comes from God.

20 Now by his mighty power at work within us,

God is able to to accomplish

infinitely more

than we could ever dare to ask or hope. 

21 Glory to him in the church 

and in Christ Jesus 

through all generations 

forever and ever! Amen.

LGLO

Mark 12 

28 One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate.

 He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, 

“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 Jesus replied, 

“The most important commandment is this: 

‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 

30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, 

all your soul, 

all your mind, 

and all your strength.’ 

31 The second is equally important: 

‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 

No other commandment is greater than these.”

blessings

Ephesians 1 

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms 

because we are united with Christ. 

4 Even before he made the world, 

God loved us 

and chose us in Christ 

to be holy 

and without fault in his eyes. 

5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family 

by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. 

This is what he wanted to do, 

and it gave him great pleasure. 

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us 

who belong to his dear Son. 

7 He is so rich in kindness 

and grace 

that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son 

and forgave our sins. 

8 He has showered his kindness on us, 

along with all wisdom 

and understanding.

9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ;

which is to fulfill his own good plan. 

10 And this is the plan: 

At the right time 

he will bring everything together 

under the authority of Christ;

everything in heaven 

and on earth. 

11 Furthermore, 

because we are united with Christ, 

we have received an inheritance from God, 

for he chose us in advance, 

and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 

13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, 

the Good News that God saves you. 

And when you believed in Christ, 

he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, 

whom he promised long ago. 

14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised 

and that he has purchased us to be his own people. 

He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

we harvest what we plant

Galatians 6 

1 Dear brothers and sisters, 

if another believer is overcome by some sin, 

you who are godly 

should gently 

and humbly 

help that person back onto the right path. 

And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. 

2 Share each other’s burdens, 

and in this way obey the law of Christ. 

3 If you think you are too important to help someone, 

you are only fooling yourself. 

You are not that important.

4 Pay careful attention to your own work, 

for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, 

and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 

5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, 

sharing all good things with them.

7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. 

You will always reap what you sow. 

8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature 

will harvest decay 

and death 

from that sinful nature. 

But those who live to please the Spirit 

will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 

9 So don't get tired of doing what is good. 

Don't get discouraged & give up, 

for we will reap a harvest of blessing 

at the appropriate time. 

10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, 

we should do good to everyone;

especially to those in the family of faith.

living by the Spirit's power

Galatians 5 

16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. 

Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 

17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, 

which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. 

And the Spirit gives us desires 

that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. 

These two forces are constantly fighting each other, 

so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 

18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, 

you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, 

impurity, 

lustful pleasures, 

20 idolatry, 

sorcery, 

hostility, 

quarreling, 

jealousy, 

outbursts of anger, 

selfish ambition, 

dissension, 

division, 

21 envy, 

drunkenness, 

wild parties, 

and other sins like these. 

Let me tell you again, 

as I have before, 

that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: 

love, 

joy, 

peace, 

patience, 

kindness, 

goodness, 

faithfulness, 

23 gentleness, 

and self-control. 

There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus 

have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross 

and crucified them there. 

25 Since we are living by the Spirit, 

let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. 

26 Let us not become conceited, 

or provoke one another, 

or be jealous of one another.

giving up

Mark 8 

34 Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, (Jesus) said, 

“If any of you wants to be my follower, 

you must give up your self ambition, 

take up your cross, 

and follow me. 

35 If you try to hang on to your life, 

you will lose it. 

But if you give up your life for my sake 

and for the sake of the Good News, 

you will save it. 

36 And what do you benefit 

if you gain the whole world 

but lose your own soul? 

37 Is anything worth more than your soul? 

38 If anyone is ashamed of me 

and my message 

in these adulterous and sinful days, 

the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person 

when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

God's children

Galatians 3 

24 The law was our guardian until Christ came; 

it protected us 

until we could be made right with God 

through faith. 

25 And now that the way of faith has come, 

we no longer need the law as our guardian.

26 For you are all children of God 

through faith in Christ Jesus. 

27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism 

have put on Christ, 

like putting on new clothes. 

28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, 

slave or free, 

male and female. 

For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

29 And now that you belong to Christ, 

you are the true children of Abraham. 

You are his heirs, 

and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.

5000+

Little is much when God is in it.

Mark 6

 30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.

35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.”

37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.”

“With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money[a] to buy food for all these people!”

38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.”

They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.”

39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.

41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.

40

 Psalm 40

1 I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,
    and he turned to me and heard my cry.
2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
    out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
    and steadied me as I walked along.
3 He has given me a new song to sing,
    a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
    They will put their trust in the Lord.

4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,
    who have no confidence in the proud
    or in those who worship idols.
5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us.
    Your plans for us are too numerous to list.
    You have no equal.
If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds,
    I would never come to the end of them.

6 You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings.
    Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—
    you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings.
7 Then I said, “Look, I have come.
    As is written about me in the Scriptures:
8 I take joy in doing your will, my God,
    for your instructions are written on my heart.”

9 I have told all your people about your justice.
    I have not been afraid to speak out,
    as you, O Lord, well know.
10 I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart;
    I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power.
I have told everyone in the great assembly
    of your unfailing love and faithfulness.

11 Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me.
    Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.
12 For troubles surround me—
    too many to count!
My sins pile up so high
    I can’t see my way out.
They outnumber the hairs on my head.
    I have lost all courage.

13 Please, Lord, rescue me!
    Come quickly, Lord, and help me.
14 May those who try to destroy me
    be humiliated and put to shame.
May those who take delight in my trouble
    be turned back in disgrace.
15 Let them be horrified by their shame,
    for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

16 But may all who search for you
    be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
    repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!”
17 As for me, since I am poor and needy,
    let the Lord keep me in his thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
    O my God, do not delay.

seeds & sowing

 We've lived here in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Blairsville, GA for 14 years.

I've been pretty clueless as to why. just sure THAT we're supposed to be here.

I've wondered if this parable says something about why we're here...

Mark 4 

1 Once again Jesus began teaching by the lakeshore. A very large crowd soon gathered around him, so he got into a boat. Then he sat in the boat while all the people remained on the shore. 2 He taught them by telling many stories in the form of parables, such as this one:

3 “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. 

4 As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, 

and the birds came and ate it. 

5 Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. 

The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. 

6 But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, 

and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. 

7 Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants 

so they produced no grain. 

8 Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, 

and they sprouted, 

grew, 

and produced a crop that was thirty, 

sixty, 

and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” 

9 Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.”

10 Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.

11 He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12 so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do,
    they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
    they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
    and be forgiven.’”

13 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? 

14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 

15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 

16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 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. 

18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 

20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Maybe living here in the BRM, we're like the farmer - living transparently, loving people, reaching out to them, & sharing something of the life we find in Jesus.

weak vs strong

This is Paul speaking here...

2 Corinthians 12 

7 To keep me from becoming proud, 

I was given a thorn in my flesh, 

a messenger from Satan to torment me 

and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 

9 Each time he said, 

“My grace is all you need. 

My power works best in weakness.” 

So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, 

so that the power of Christ can work through me. 

10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, 

and in the insults, 

hardships, 

persecutions, 

and troubles that I suffer for Christ. 

For when I am weak, 

then I am strong.

37

 Late in 2016, it seems the Lord gave me this psalm to carry me through the dark days since...

Psalm 37

A psalm of David.

1 Don’t worry about the wicked
    or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
    Like spring flowers, they soon wither.

3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
    Trust him, and he will help you.
6 He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
    and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
    or fret about their wicked schemes.

8 Stop being angry!
    Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
    it only leads to harm.
9 For the wicked will be destroyed,
    but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

10 Soon the wicked will disappear.
    Though you look for them, they will be gone.
11 The lowly will possess the land
    and will live in peace and prosperity.

12 The wicked plot against the godly;
    they snarl at them in defiance.
13 But the Lord just laughs,
    for he sees their day of judgment coming.

14 The wicked draw their swords
    and string their bows
to kill the poor and the oppressed,
    to slaughter those who do right.
15 But their swords will stab their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

16 It is better to be godly and have little
    than to be evil and rich.
17 For the strength of the wicked will be shattered,
    but the Lord takes care of the godly.

18 Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent,
    and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.
19 They will not be disgraced in hard times;
    even in famine they will have more than enough.

20 But the wicked will die.
    The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—
    they will disappear like smoke.

21 The wicked borrow and never repay,
    but the godly are generous givers.
22 Those the Lord blesses will possess the land,
    but those he curses will die.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
    He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
    for the Lord holds them by the hand.

25 Once I was young, and now I am old.
    Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned
    or their children begging for bread.
26 The godly always give generous loans to others,
    and their children are a blessing.

27 Turn from evil and do good,
    and you will live in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves justice,
    and he will never abandon the godly.

He will keep them safe forever,
    but the children of the wicked will die.
29 The godly will possess the land
    and will live there forever.

30 The godly offer good counsel;
    they teach right from wrong.
31 They have made God’s law their own,
    so they will never slip from his path.

32 The wicked wait in ambush for the godly,
    looking for an excuse to kill them.
33 But the Lord will not let the wicked succeed
    or let the godly be condemned when they are put on trial.

34 Put your hope in the Lord.
    Travel steadily along his path.
He will honor you by giving you the land.
    You will see the wicked destroyed.

35 I have seen wicked and ruthless people
    flourishing like a tree in its native soil.
36 But when I looked again, they were gone!
    Though I searched for them, I could not find them!

37 Look at those who are honest and good,
    for a wonderful future awaits those who love peace.
38 But the rebellious will be destroyed;
    they have no future.

39 The Lord rescues the godly;
    he is their fortress in times of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them,
    rescuing them from the wicked.
He saves them,
    and they find shelter in him.