FAMILY. Mark 3:21, 31-35.

Sara was baptized at 8. Her drunken father, standing at the back of the sanctuary, shouted, “Hooray for Sara!” as she came up out of the water.

Sara figured baptism was proof of salvation: you believed in Jesus, and proved it by baptism. But she writes that what neither she nor her father understood was that BAPTISM IS A TRANSFER OF ALLEGIANCE.

“When I came up out of the water, soaked and relieved not to have gotten water up my nose, I was a member of a different family, the daughter of a different father.”

After Jesus began His ministry, His relationship with His family changed. After Jesus began to draw huge crowds, His mother and brothers and sisters came to talk to Him, thinking He had lost His mind.

“When His family heard about [the crowds], they set out to restrain Him, saying, ‘He’s out of His mind.’ … Then His mother and His brothers came, and sent word to Him. A crowd was sitting around Him and told Him, ‘Your mother, Your brothers, and Your sisters are outside asking for You.’

“He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking around He said, ‘These are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother’” Mark 3:21, 31-35.

Why does Jesus deny his family in this moment? Because they are missing the point. They are denying Him through their doubts—and those who obey Him are acting as His true family.

Jesus uses harsh words:

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” Luke 14:26.

Does Jesus want you to hate your family? No. But He wants you to love Him so deeply that you choose Him over everyone. Jesus speaks with the assumption that no one is closer than family. But if needed, you must give them up to know Him better: no one should come between you and your allegiance to Jesus.

Do you love Him more than EVERYTHING and EVERYONE else?

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JESUS’S SECRET. Luke 5:15-16; 6:12.

YouTube is a parade of infomercials—ads for diet secrets, health secrets, stress-reducing secrets, and more. The one I hate most is a muscular young man in a selfie video: “If you’re a guy between 25 and 55, listen up,” and he begins explaining why cardio won’t work, but don’t worry, he has the secret to reduced belly fat, greater muscle tone, better concentration, better this, better that—he has the cure for EVERYTHING, if you’ll just watch his video, and send him money, and the snake oil salesmen go on.

Jesus knew the real secret, and rather than shout it in hour-long speeches, he MODELED it:

“And a large crowd followed Jesus from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon” Mark 3:7-8. “The whole crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming out from Him and healing them all” Luke 6:19. “And the news about Him spread, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. YET HE OFTEN WITHDREW TO DESERTED PLACES AND PRAYED” Luke 5:15-16. “During those days He went out to the mountain to pray and SPENT ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER TO GOD” Luke 6:12.

During the busiest years of His life—when thousands were following Jesus and jostling to get close enough to touch Him—He found ways to spend serious time in prayer. Hours. Even all night long! How does a tired man give up a full night’s sleep to pray? As badly as He needed sleep, Jesus knew He needed time with His Father even more!

And THAT is the secret to life—and health, and wisdom, and relationships, and success. We need more prayer, starting with me:

We need to spend SIGNIFICANT time in prayer. Even if it means losing sleep. (But usually it just means turning off the TV and music.)

No one had a tougher, more challenging calling than Jesus. If He could carve out time for prayer, we should do the same.

Pray with me: “Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1.

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GODLY MANHOOD. Matthew 12:18-20.

Is manhood the power to terrify and defeat enemies, or the power to act rationally regardless of passions? Is it dangerous violence or dignified silence?

Yes, men are leaders. You get to be Dad, Boss, and Hero. The Bible says “the Lord is a Warrior. Warrior is His Name,” Exodus 15:3.

But Jesus modeled something more challenging—a strong leader who is a man of PEACE.

Some of the time a man is a warrior; all the time he is a MAN OF PEACE.

“I will put My Spirit on Him, and … He will not argue or shout… He will not break a bruised reed. He will not put out a smoldering wick” Matthew 12:18-20. What GENTLE MANHOOD.

Jesus would not crush a blade of grass or snuff the smoking wick of a candle. He TREADS LIGHTLY, moves carefully, a man of peace, not a bull in a China shop. Things do not break when He is around.

When you think of Him, you think CALM. (Yes, this contrasts with the day He flipped tables, cracked the whip to stampede livestock, and threw everyone out of the temple. He was a man of PEACE who knew how to be a warrior when necessary.)

Jesus preached “Blessed are the peacemakers. For they shall be called the sons of God” Matthew 5:9.

Do you want to be called a son of God? BE A PEACEMAKER.

In the same sermon, He spoke of lawsuits: “Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re still on the way to the courthouse,” Matthew 5:25.

Jesus knew a good settlement was better than a risky trial. BE A PEACEMAKER.

“Love your enemies and pray for them, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” Matthew 5:44-45.

Love and pray for your enemies. BE A PEACEMAKER.

He goes on to say pray in private, fast in private—and wash your hair and face. This is not big, brash, biker-gang manhood. It is not “toxic.”

Jesus counsels gentle peace. BE A PEACEMAKER.

“Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed on Thee” Isaiah 26:3.

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WORDS: Sticks and Stones. Matthew 12:36-37.

As children, we learned to chant things at each other. There were favorites I’ll never forget:

“Takes one to know one.” Or

“I’m rubber and you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks on you.” Or

“I know you are, but what am I?”

I remember girls singing the best ones back to us—a boy might insult a girl, and she would take on a sassy voice and that evil eye like only little girls do, and pronounce these lines, her sing-song voice making the mockery of it even deeper:

“Sticks and stones may break my bones,

But words will never hurt me!”

But words do hurt, often more than actually fighting. And Jesus took words seriously and told us to do the same:

“I tell you that on the day of Judgment, people will have to account for every careless word they speak. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” Matthew 12:36-37.

Wait. What? Every word? I’m going to have to explain EVERY CARELESS WORD?

That’s rough when you have talked as much as I have. Not every kid earns the nickname “Motormouth.” Most of my life I could not have accounted for every word even at the end of a single day.

The thought of having to explain a lifetime of careless words is staggering. Overwhelming.

Of course, the blood of Jesus delivers me from the guilt, but not from the duty to obey: He expects me to choose my words carefully.

Do I? Do you? Do you close your mouth and wait for God’s wisdom? Do you take a breath and cool off before responding? Do you ever sleep on it?

I know someone who is nice, but negative. His words leave a trail of destruction and discontent. When he speaks, everyone else ends up frustrated—not with him, but with their own circumstances. His words spread unhappiness all over everyone the way a knife spreads butter on bread. Beg God to keep us from being like him!

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BE CAREFUL ABOUT ATTRIBUTION AND MISATTRIBUTION. Matthew 12:24,32.

Attribution comes up when you write a paper and give credit to someone whose words or ideas you include. It means naming your source. You can attribute both credit and blame.

We do this to God. Sometimes when a good thing happens we forget God is behind it. The Bible says “every good and perfect gift comes from above,” (James 1:17) but we take credit, don’t we? The Bible warns rich people to remember: “It is God who is giving you the power to make wealth” Deuteronomy 8:18.

Never forget the source of your success. STOP TAKING CREDIT.

Worse, we blame God for things He did not do. How many times have you been angry at God? Or questioned Him, blaming Him for some terrible thing that happened?

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain” Exodus 20:7.

God warns us not to throw His name around carelessly. I think the worst way we do that is when we attribute messages to God that did not come from Him.

Have you heard people say “God told me…” and wondered whether God really said it?

Attributing a message to God that you are not ABSOLUTELY SURE came from Him is a grievous sin. THAT is using His name in vain—associating Him with something that may be a lie from the devil. I often refer to this as the sin of MISATTRIBUTION. Be careful not to misattribute credit or blame to God for things that God did not do or say.

The Pharisees say Jesus “drives out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons” Luke 11:15. Imagine that—Jesus is doing God’s work and they attribute it to the power of Satan. Jesus calls that Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, and He says:

“Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the one to come” Matthew 12:24,32.

Be careful about attribution. Pray. NEVER BLAME GOD. Be cautious before you say God told you something—and be cautious before you say something is not of God when it might be. We must use great wisdom when we speak about the things of God.

Pray for insight.

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Do You Want to be Normal? Matthew 12:48.

Has anyone ever told you “don’t get carried away?”

People can be that way about sports—especially during the World Series. “Let’s not get carried away…” But if you love your team, being carried away is normal, right? What if you eat at the same place every day? That’s not “normal” right? That’s getting carried away.

What if you are obsessed with a hobby or a sport or a game? Is it “normal” to play guitar every day, or paint every day, or read and write for hours every day? Is that getting carried away?

Yes. Yes, that is getting carried away. But it is also the only way to achieve greatness.

“Normal” people don’t focus deeply and they cannot sustain that focus for hours, days, months, and years at a time. Consequently, those “normal” people don’t become great. Amazing people got where they are through a lifetime of dedication, not by being “normal.” They understand that there is nothing wrong with “getting carried away,” or with obsessing over the right things.

—Things like Jesus. Do not go halfway with God. Don’t put Him in a box for Sundays only. He is not a genie in a lamp that you rub only for disasters. He is not one part of your life, one cell of a massive spreadsheet. Instead, He should be in every cell. He should touch everything else in your life.

Jesus should be THE CENTER, the HUB around which the rest of your life revolves.

But if you read your Bible every day, if you make a written prayer list, if you memorize some verses, your friends will say “don’t get carried away.” Or they’ll say, “I’m a Christian too, and it’s okay to be normal.”

What they mean is, “your new spiritual commitment is making me recognize my lack of spiritual commitment.” But they won’t say that. Instead, they’ll smile and ask a question or two, and the implication will be clear: “I’m normal and I have not changed, but you are changing and that makes you abnormal. You’re being weird and overdoing it with this God stuff.”

When Jesus began His ministry, His own family thought he was getting carried away.

“While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. Someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You’” Matthew 12:48.

Scholars believe the family had decided the older brother had “gotten carried away,” that His new passion and doctrine and lifestyle were just not normal. He was acting weird and the family wanted to take Him home and straighten Him out.

But Jesus ignored His mother and His brothers.

He was on a sacred quest. He knew Who He was, and He knew His message. He was fully committed to His extraordinary mission. He would NOT be deterred.

Neither should we be deterred from following our Savior. No matter how devoted you are, devotion is normal. Deep, powerful, emotional, passionate prayer is normal. Both Bible study alone and Bible study with others are normal. Sharing your faith is normal. Talking about the Creator Who Made you? Totally normal. Memorizing His Word is normal. Giving up bad habits for Him is normal. Letting Him change your speech is normal. Bowing to your King is normal. Submission to His rule and reign is normal.

What is not normal is keeping your faith in one little box so that it has no impact on your life. If Jesus is your Lord, He is Lord over everything.

If He is not your Lord OF ALL, then He is not your Lord AT ALL.

Pray. Jesus, help me reevaluate my faith and what it means to be a ‘normal’ Christian. Make me fully devoted to you. I want you to be Lord of all. Teach me how to submit to you. Help me read the Word and love the Word more every day. Help me write a prayer list and know what to pray about daily. Make me wholly devoted to you, King Jesus. Give me the courage to be radical for Christ, to be zealous for the King who died in my place.

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The Old Testament. John 5:45-47

Do you consider the Old Testament outdated, somehow less than the New? It is God’s Word too. It deserves your full respect. Jesus quoted the OT all the time. When He disagreed with the Jewish leaders, He pointed out that Moses was the authority.

“Do not think that I accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me. But if you don’t believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:45-47.

Do you believe the writings of Moses? He wrote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Jesus says if you don’t believe Moses’ words, then you can’t believe Jesus’s words either.

God’s Word is consistent. The OT is consistent with the NT. Do you believe both? Do you read both?

Ask Jesus to help you read, and enjoy, and understand the Word–ALL of the Word.

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FAMILY TREES. John 4:37-38; 1 Peter 2:9.

Things you think about while working on a family tree:

  1. Your ancestors could fill a college football stadium (100,000 seats) in only 17 generations (~400 years).
  2. PEDIGREE COLLAPSE. Many in your tree are connected to you in multiple ways. Think about it: at twenty generations there are a million grandparents (with 20 “greats”) and at forty generations, there are a trillion. But there have not been a trillion people in all of history. Thus, a single person may occupy hundreds of positions on your family tree. In short, your British blood makes you related to nearly everyone else with British blood. Same for German, French, whatever.*
  3. Online databases have collected data on millions, and prove you (my children) are related to—seemingly everyone—including forty of the forty-six US presidents. However, most of these are >10th cousins. Considering researchers calculate that you probably have over one million 10th cousins, the connection is mathematically insignificant. Meaningless.
  4. Nevertheless, in some ways, we are all related. We are the human family. We are God’s children.

The Bible contains two truths on this subject:

First, your close family members will shape your life. You will reap what they have sown.

“One sows and another reaps…. Others have labored and you have reaped the benefit from their labor” John 4:37-38.

THANK GOD FOR THE BLESSINGS OF YOUR FAMILY AND FOR ANCESTORS WITH INTEGRITY, GODLINESS, AND HARD WORK.

Second, you still need to be fixed. “Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God,” John 3:3. No matter who you are, who your relatives are, or how great your family, you need Jesus to ADOPT YOU into His family—that is the only family that matters–

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, REDEEMED SO THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE PRAISE OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU out of the darkness into His marvelous light” 1 Peter 2:9.

God, thank you for calling us, re-making us, and adopting us into Your family!

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* For more on PEDIGREE COLLAPSE, consider the opening paragraph of this article. I will link the article, but would note that the further I read, the more certain I became that it was “written” by A.I. At the end, it is noted to be part of an “AI-driven tech blog.” Nevetheless, the opening paragraph provides a good introduction to the idea of pedigree collapse:

“Have you ever wondered why your DNA test results sometimes defy your meticulously constructed family tree? Or why, mathematically, you appear to have more ancestors than the total number of humans who have ever lived? The answer lies in a captivating phenomenon called pedigree collapse, which redefines the structure of your family tree. It isn’t simply a straightforward tree; it’s more akin to an intricate, overlapping web of connections that reveals surprising truths about our shared human past.”

–from https://medium.com/@timplay89/the-tangled-web-of-your-ancestry-how-pedigree-collapse-connects-us-all-54eedbf080fd

WHO IS THE JUDGE? John 5:22-23.

A cliché says God the Father is a mean, angry judge, but Jesus, the Son, is merciful. FALSE. God is ONE—and Jesus Himself said, “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30. God is both holy and merciful. (Four of the five verses that follow are the spoken words of Jesus.)

  • The Father has handed over all judging duties to JESUS:

“The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son” John 5:22-23.

  • Those who refuse to believe in the Son are under wrath ALREADY.

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life, but the one who refuses to believe in the Son will not see life; instead the wrath of God remains on him” John 3:36.

  • But the wrath is not BECAUSE of Jesus or God the Father. Judgment and wrath comes from violating the law—from failing to honor the words of Moses, and from putting your hope in Moses instead of Jesus.

“Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. Your accuser is MOSES, on whom you have set your hope” John 5:45.

  • Jesus was NOT sent to condemn or to Judge, but to SAVE. He brings HOPE.

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save it. Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the One and Only Son of God” John 3:17-18.

  • Jesus’s all-seeing eye of judgment is a message of HOPE.

“Then the Samaritan woman went into town, and told the men, ‘Come see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?’” John 4:28-30.

Jesus is the ULTIMATE JUDGE. But Because He loves you, He also made the ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. Why would anyone resist Him?

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THE BIBLE DOES NOT CAUSE CONDEMNATION, BUT REVEALS IT. John 3:17-18.

Some think the Bible is a harsh message of judgment and condemnation. It is not.

The Bible speaks a truth that already exists.

It’s like a weather forecast. If satellite radar shows a hurricane in the Gulf, we don’t blame the weatherman. We thank him for the warning and prepare.

The Bible does not CAUSE the condemnation of sinners. It REVEALS it. We should be thankful for the warning. Not only that, the Bible shows us the way to be rescued. That’s why it is GOOD NEWS—it shows us the mess that we’re in AND it shows us the only way out.

Jesus did not come to bring judgment or condemnation.

Condemnation was here already. When Adam sinned, we all became sinners. As Adam died, we will all die.

But Jesus makes us alive again. He brings salvation and forgiveness. Remember John 3:16? Read what follows:

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he did not believe in the name of the only Son of God” John3: 17-18.

God, help us explain your message of grace: we all fail, but Jesus offers a way out. We sin and die on our own, but Jesus offers life that never dies. We starve and thirst, but Jesus is the BREAD OF LIFE, the LIVING WATER. We are lost and blind trapped with no way out. But Jesus is THE DOOR. 

We stand before the Judge condemned in our sins, but Jesus is our attorney, our ADVOCATE WITH THE FATHER who has never lost a case. Thank you for filling our lives with hope and joy!

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