Labeled a Quitter

June 12

(Acts 12:25 NIV) "When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark."

(Acts 13:13 NIV) "From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem."

(Acts 15:36-40 NIV) "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." {37} Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, {38} but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. {39} They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, {40} but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord."

(Colossians 4:10 NIV) "My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.)"

(2 Timothy 4:11 NIV) "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry."

John Mark had some ups and downs in his ministry. He eventually wrote the Gospel of Mark, but not before he was labeled a “quitter” and caused a deep disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. They took Mark on a missionary journey, but he left the team and went back home. When Barnabas wanted to take Mark on a subsequent trip, Paul said no. He saw Mark as unreliable. They disagreed so strongly that they parted ways. But later in Paul’s letters, we see that Mark once again became a trusted companion. Most of us go through times in our faith when we fail to follow through or complete our mission. All of Christ’s disciples failed Him at some point. But with Jesus, failure is never final -- the “quitter” label need not stick forever. Our God is a God of second chances. Accept His offer of grace and get back in the game. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

God’s Sovereignty - Our Free Will

June 11

(Acts 12:24 NIV) “But the word of God continued to increase and spread.”

(Isaiah 49:22 NIV) ““This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders.””

(Isaiah 30:15 NIV) ““This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.””

God is sovereign, and all the Herods, Hitlers, and Ayatollahs of this world will never stop the steady march of the gospel through time. It will continue to “increase and spread” in the best of times, and in the worst of times. Today, you are either a miracle of God, or a miracle in waiting. We are carried to Christ on the shoulders of those who give their lives to glorify God. That mother or grandmother who prayed helped beckon you. That friend or neighbor who shared Jesus and invited you to church lifted the banner. But although God is sovereign, in this lifetime we have choices. God allows us to choose Him or reject Him. We have free will. Salvation is in Christ, repentance, and resting in faith, but many will have none of it. God is sovereign, but lets us choose. What will you choose? Will you be among those who have none of it, or among those who trust in the Lord? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Eaten By Worms

June 10

(Acts 12:18-23 NIV) ““In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. {19} After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. {20} He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food supply. {21} On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. {22} They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." {23} Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.””

(Acts 14:8-18 NIV) ““In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. {9} He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed {10} and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. {11} When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!" {12} Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. {13} The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. {14} But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: {15} "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. {16} In the past, he let all nations go their own way. {17} Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." {18} Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.””

The main difference between the disciples and Herod was who they sought to glorify with their lives. The disciples sought to glorify God. Herod sought to glorify himself. But God’s patience with Herod finally ran out. When the people praised Herod as a god, instead of correcting them, he accepted it and soaked it up. For his sin, he was struck down and “eaten by worms”. Herod thought of himself as a god, and it cost him his life. It still costs us our lives when we think of ourselves as gods. We mock God when we serve ourselves rather than the Lord -- when we are absorbed with self-glorification rather than glorifying Christ. We walk with Herod when we advance ourselves rather than advancing the gospel. We worship ourselves when we rationalize our sin and excuse behavior that is offensive to the God of Heaven. This is the basic flaw of humanity. Never fail to give glory to God. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

Doubting God’s Miracles

June 9

(Acts 12:11-16 NIV) “Then Peter came to himself and said, "Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating. {12}  When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. {13} Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer the door. {14} When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!" {15} "You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel." {16} But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.”

(Matthew 14:25-31 NIV) ““During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. {26} When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. {27} But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." {28} "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." {29} "Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. {30} But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" {31} Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?””

The church was praying for Peter’s deliverance, but when God answered their prayers, they doubted and were astonished that he showed up at their door. They were surprised by God’s miracle. We should never doubt God’s ability to do miracles. Our God can provide astonishing answers to prayer. However, we must be careful how we define the word “miracle”. Things don’t have to go our way for miracles to occur. They can happen, even when we don’t get what we want. We must abandon our self-centered approach to the miraculous. Miracles often go far beyond the limited scope of our personal benefit. An examination of Scripture will show that God’s miracles do not always include our personal well-being, or the well-being of those we love. Never doubt the ability of God to do miracles! Just be sure you don’t define “miracle” so narrowly that God cannot succeed. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day