Mark 1:35

Yesterday I talked about our biblical responsibilities as a parent.

With those responsibilities in mind, what are some practical steps we can take to help our kids grow up to be responsible, loving, productive adults?

There has been some research on the topic. University of Michigan has done some specific studies and came up with a clear #1 predictor for growing healthy children into adulthood. It is... Family Mealtime.

Family mealtime is the strongest predictor of:

Studies have shown that the simple act of sharing meals with your children can have more sway than:

Powerful stuff, right? So let's take a look at our schedule this week and find a way to add one more family meal! It is worth it...your kids are worth it.

I'm a little perplexed as I read Genesis 2 & 3. In 2:25 is says, "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." But then Adam doesn't show back up again until 3:6.

So the question today men is this, "where was Adam?" What was so important to him that he allowed his wife to become entangled with the serpent? Why wasn't he standing up for his wife and giving her the encouragement and support she needed to endure this trial?

We, as men, have become passive and allow so many things to overtake our families. Much is preventable but we do not have the courage and nobility to stand up for what is right. By the same token, we do not have the courage and nobility to say out loud what is wrong. Passivity has taken over and we need to repent.

Now...I write the facts. But inside I am a deep offender of this information. My lack of courage has caused my marriage to stop progressing at times. It stops by relationship with Christ from progressing.

It also gives satan a foothold where he would not otherwise have the ability to stand. The power of Christ is enough to breakdown that foothold and I call upon the name of Jesus to provide power where I am weak.

Father I love you today and thank you for the example set by Christ. He was never passive and never willing to settle for anything less than God's best for humanity. Amen.

Ps 3:3 But Thou, O Lord, art a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.

Verse 3 has long been a memory verse. The Lord has used it many, many times in my life when I feel like the situation at hand is overwhelming or out of control. The Lord gently reminds me that he is present. He is my shield. He is my glory and the lifter of my head. It is Him alone. Not my wife or my friends, nor my own desires. It is God alone that sustains me and keeps me in His loving arms. He loves me deeply and I need to let go of everything else and allow His love to permeate my very being. As John says in 3:30, He must increase, but I must decrease.

What do I have to lose:

My life? It is His!
My money? It is His!
My family? They are His!
My prized possessions? They are His!
My pride? My arrogance? My selfishness? My sin? These things are not from God but are self created as a means to hold onto something that I don’t own. They are created to manipulate myself into believing I’m in control. They are worthless and fleeting. Symptoms of my flesh.

God, I pause right here and relinquish all desires to hold tight to what you own already. Release me to be free to love you and not grasp to that which is perishable. Amen.

Let’s continue. In v.5, I notice that the morning was a very important time for David. He really enjoyed the morning and gives us another example of Mark 1:35 in action. Some other examples are Psalm 5:3 as it starts with, “In the morning…” Psalm 30:5 refers to this as well, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.”

Lamentations 3:22-23 says, “For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is thy faithfulness.”

Does joy come in the morning for you? Do you think of God’s compassion towards you each morning?

Let’s live the words sung by 33 Miles in “Thank You” as we seek to understand Mark 1:35.

"What if in morning when I wake up
Even before I fill my coffee cup
I said thank You

What if I look at the day and the hours ahead
And before I move forward I bowed my head
And said thank You

What if I looked at my life in a different way
Took a little more time to stop and pray
I know it would change all the moments in between "

Today we say thank you God for loving us and for giving us life... eternal life. Thank you today and everyday for the gifts you bestow and the blessing of having this incredible relationship with you. I'm humbled and in awe. Amen.