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I love the book of Mark. I’m extremely A.D.D. and so the fact that he kind of moves from moment to moment quickly- it keeps my attention. There was one verse that really stuck out in this chapter after reading it this morning. Verses 24-25:
“24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”
It made me think about two things.
Number one- my wife.
She knows what’s best almost all of the time for our family (notice I said what’s best and not, what’s right, I can’t ever tell her she’s right- j/k). Anytime something comes up she is usually the first to lay out a plan, but sometimes we don’t always agree. That causes the house to be divided- because sometimes disagreements in our house turn into World War 3 (I’m sure that never happens in your house). I wonder if our communication was better, if our relationship with God was stronger and more consistent, and we learned to compromise & give a little more… if our house would not be divided in those moments? I think we could fall into a place where God was the center and it wasn’t about our desires or plans. We’re not a wreck, but we are continually striving for a better marriage and family environment.
Number two- God’s church.
Everyone’s got an idea how to create and be the biggest, baddest church in the whole universe. I have my ideas, you ave your ideas, your kids and our students and our pets probably even have ideas… So what happens in the church when you put a ton of people who love God and are passionate about Him and have their idea of what’s best?!? It gets messy. The church was never meant to be a safe place. We bring baggage, hurt, pain, addiction, questions, doubts, and the list goes on. With all of that we want it to be a place where people can find Jesus and we can grow. So, through that passion sometimes comes ownership of ideas that if they aren’t made to happen- people get frustrated. Through that passion people in ministry areas butt heads over who is right.
I love that passion, but a house divided cannot stand. As followers of Jesus, we need to seek His plan. His plan for Forefront, for you, for those who are far from God. As we move forward into 2009, my prayer is that we will be a house that has “gel’ed” together through one common bond- that’s the fact that we love Jesus and want to share it with others. I wasn’t expecting a super big revelation today through the reading (to be honest), but God continues to speak to me and I’m so glad we’re doing this reading plan as a church.
Until next time,
Jason *over and out*