Beginning to read Mark in the past few days. Mark is a book of action. We don't read about a baby; we learn about Jesus and what he did in a few short months.

:
"Then one day
Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee,
and was baptized by John,
there in the Jordan River.
The moment Jesus came up out of the water., 
he saw the heavens open
and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove
descending on him,
and a voice from heaven said
'You are my beloved Son,
you are my Delight.'"
~ Mark 1:9 - 11 LAB

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Bible Commentary:  "The Holy Spirit descended dovelike upon Jesus, and the voice from heaven proclaimed the Father's approval as his divine Son. There we see all three members of the Trinity together --- the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."

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I really liked Mike Redig's communion meditation at church on Sunday. His word he wanted us to remember was 'fix'. 

Right now we are in state tournament season:  wrestling, girls and boys basketball games. Lots of fans. Lots of cheering. Lots of noise.

But Barb and Mike's grandkids participate in archery. Not the same! Not a sound from the crowd. Why? Because the participants have to keep their eyes 'fixed' on their targets, if they have any chance of hitting the bull's eye!

He likened us and our relationship to God. Sometimes we need to shut out all the noise around us to be able to focus on "Our Bull's Eye' - Jesus and His Kingdom. 

Lots of 'noise' in the world which causes us to be distracted:  looking around at others; watching our own situations;being distracted by things going on in our families or other families; maybe the world situation.

A few lines from the song, 'Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus";

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace.

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God, 
will You help me,
help us,
from being bothered by things of this world.
If we are going to keep from being distracted,
we are going to need Your Help.
Amen.

A Max Lucado from a few days ago:

SEEK HEALTHY COUNSEL

"The next time you lack the will to go on, seek healthy counsel. You won’t want to. Slumping people love slumping people. We love those who commiserate and avoid those who correct. Yet correction and direction are what we need when we’re tired.

"I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon. After the 1.2-mile swim and the 56-mile bike ride, I didn’t have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run. Neither did the fellow jogging next to me.  He said, 'This stinks. This is the dumbest decision I’ve ever made.'

 I said, 'Good-bye!'

"I knew if I listened too long, I’d start agreeing with him. I caught up with a sixty-six-year-old grandmother who said,  'You’ll finish this—stay in there!'

"Which of the two describes the counsel you seek? Proverbs 15:22 (MSG) says, 'Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.'

"Don’t give up, and get some good advice!"

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Installment #4 of 4, taken from 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5 on 'how tos' from verses 11 - 23 by writer Paul, as he gives us ways to encourage ourselves and others.

Taken from a graphic, titled 'Checklist for Encouragers', lengthy list. I am once again including four of them today:

"BE THANKFUL
- verse 18
Make a list of all the gifts God has given
you, giving thanks to God for each one.


"DO NOT SMOTHER THE HOLY SPIRIT"
- verse 19
Cooperate with the Spirit the next time he prompts you to participate in a
Christian meeting.

"DO NOT SCOFF AT THOSE WHO PROPHESY"
-verse 20
Receive God's word from those who speak
for him.

"KEEP AWAY FROM EVIL"
- verse 22
Avoid situations where you will be drawn
into temptation.

"COUNT ON GOD'S CONSTANT HELP"
- verse 23
Realize that the Christian life is to be lived,
not in our own strength, but through God's power.


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Thank you, God!
AMEN!!!

This is yesterday's Max Lucado, a little heavy on 'Max' this week!  It is so good , in light of Easter upcoming!

It's nothing new. We just have to be reminded often. How much God and Jesus love us and what they are willing to do for  us!

JESUS HIMSELF CHOSE THE CROSS

"God has penned a list of our faults. The list God has made, however, cannot be deciphered. The mistakes are covered. The sins hidden. 'He has forgiven you all your sins:  he has utterly wiped out the written evidence…and has completely annulled it by nailing it to the cross'  (Colossians 2:14 Phillips).

"He knew the price of those sins was death. He knew the source of those sins was you, and since he couldn’t bear the thought of eternity without you, he chose the nails.

"The verdict behind the death was not decided by jealous Jews. With a flex of the biceps, Jesus could have resisted. No. Jesus himself chose the nails. He knew that the purpose of the nail was to place your sins where they could be hidden by his sacrifice—nailed to the cross, covered by his blood."

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