Now you’re Cooking with Gas

A Series on the Milestones in Jesus’ Life

Mark 1:1-11

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%201%3A1-11&version=NIV;NLT

 

When I was in high school and was working on my math homework, sometimes I would get stuck and I would ask my Dad for help. What I really wanted though, was for him to just tell me the right answer. That would make it much faster and easier. But he never did.

 

He would make me work through the problem by asking me questions that made me think. Ugh! Then, at some point, a light would come on; and suddenly, I would get it.

 

Usually at that time Dad would say, “Now you’re cooking with gas”. I didn’t know exactly what that meant, or where the saying came from; but I knew it was his way of saying, “Good job, Joe Boy. I’m proud of you”. When he said that, I felt like I could conquer the world; or at least the world of math.

 

John had a mission that was inspired by the prophet Isaiah. “He was a voice shouting in the wilderness.” John was preparing the way for the Messiah by calling people to confess; to repent; to turn away from their sins; and to be baptized. Then one day, Jesus came to be baptized.

 

⁹ At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”     NIV

 

John had prepared the way for Jesus. In the process, John had become very popular; but now it was time for the focus to shift to Jesus. His baptism was the passing of the mantle of ministry. It was a milestone in Jesus’ life.

 

With his Heavenly Father’s affirmation, Jesus was sent into a life of ministry. It was to be a life of trials, troubles and temptations. Yet, he went into it knowing that his Father, his Dad, loved him and would always be with him constantly at work through him and in him.

 

You probably haven’t heard an audible voice telling you, “You are my son, my daughter, whom I love.” Yet, this same affirmation; this same love; this same promise is there for you and me today. How should we respond?

 

Father Knows Best

Colossians1:15-23

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians%201%3A15-23&version=NIV;NLT

 

In the 50’s there was a popular TV series called, “Father Knows Best”. It was about an idealized family where the Father, as the title indicates, would always have good advice for his three children. In fact, he was the one that the family would look to for leadership, stability and wisdom.

 

That was how I looked at my own Father. I put him on a pedestal as if he were perfect. In fact, in my eyes, he could do no wrong. When he spoke, I listened. It doesn’t mean I always obeyed, but I certainly considered his word the truth.

 

The Colossian believers were struggling with who Jesus was. False teachers were leading them astray. They were making Jesus into something less than who he really was. So Paul wrote this about him.

 

¹⁵ Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation ¹⁶ for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.        NLT

When I read this passage in Colossians with my Dad in mind, it could be describing him from my childhood perspective. However, as the years passed I came to realize that my Dad wasn’t perfect; he was only human, with human weaknesses.

 

In reality, we all desire someone or something to fill this role of perfection in our life. Someone to believe in who is larger than life; someone to believe in who is god-like in our eyes; someone to believe in that loves us unconditionally.

 

¹⁹ For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ… ²² now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.  NLT

 

Thankfully, even though Jesus was fully human, he was perfect. Because of this, we know that he loves us unconditionally; is always with us; will never forsake us. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is bigger than life and more than worthy of our love, our trust and our worship.

 

Indeed, it is our Heavenly Father that knows best. Let us come into his presence holy and blameless.

 

 

 

Welcome Home

Revelation 21:1-7

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2021%3A1-7&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Where is home for you? Several years ago, my siblings and I had a family reunion in Charleston, WV. All of us were born there, although we moved when I was four. For my older brother and two sisters though its home.

My brother and sisters at Panther Rock in 2014.

 

Still it was fun to watch them reminisce as they walked down Valley Road. Each house seemed to be the home of a memory; the memory of a friend and some mischief they got into like building rockets that were more like a bomb made from steel pipes and gun powder. Later we visited Panther Rock, a great place to climb around as a kid, although not so much when you’re a senior.

 

Home is where the heart is. Home is where we belong. Home is where we are going. John draws a great picture of this for us.

 

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among

his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”      NLT

 

Life on earth is temporary and can often be like running on a treadmill. We can invest our time and energy on advancing our career. We can drive our kids from sport to sport, never ending. We can fight with personal demons that debilitate and destroy. We can do all this and more, but never find home.

 

But there will come a day when none of it matters anymore. And on that day when we do go home, our Heavenly Father will be at the door to welcome us. To take us into His arms and say, “Well done my faithful daughter; my faithful son. Welcome home.”

 

 

 

(Feel free to use the link below to enjoy the song Home by Chris Tomlin.)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtUTa5Nc-e0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lincoln Logs and Little Men

Hebrews 12:3-17

 

Growing up in the 50’s, my favorite past time was playing cowboys and Indians. I used to take all my “little men” and create a story around them including the Lincoln Log homes that I would build. The problem was, I would get so involved in my playing that I would rather play than obey.

 

On one occasion, my Mom called me to the dinner table several times, and although I heard her, I didn’t come. I was too busy playing with my “little men”. Finally, my Dad came out, and with one swift kick, completely wiped out my toys. I was crushed.

 

¹¹ All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those

who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.          NASB

 

The “peaceful fruit of righteousness” sounds like such a pleasant, desirable thing, but apparently the process of acquiring such fruit can be painful at times.

 

For instance, Moses wandered in the desert as a fugitive for forty years. Jesus wandered in the wilderness for forty days while being severely tempted by Satan. Paul struggled with his “thorn in the flesh”, but God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”.

 

God uses difficult experiences in our lives to mold and shape us; to make us into the men and women that we are meant to be. In a word, he disciplines us.

 

My dear child, don’t shrug off God’s discipline, but don’t be crushed by it either. It’s the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects.            MSG

 

When my Father disciplined me by destroying my Lincoln Log game, I was crushed. It felt more like he didn’t love me than he was trying to teach me a life lesson.

 

However, our Heavenly Father is always at work in our life with our best interests in

mind. Because of that, it’s important to identify how God is working and to not get in His way. By doing this, God will be the potter and you will be the clay.

 

Here are some questions that might help you to identify His discipline in your life.

• What experiences have you had that have shaped you to be more like Jesus?
• Who has God brought into your life to help you to be more godly?
• What gifts and opportunities has God given you to use?
• How is God disciplining you through your weakness?

 

Answering these questions will help you to answer the most important question:

 

 

Are you ready to grow the “peaceful fruit of righteousness”?