The Better Part, week #16

 

Here's this week's FB posts:

The Better Part, Day #99: 

 

 

Joh 21:15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs."

Joh 21:16 He said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

Joh 21:17 He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. 

 

 

Most Christians know that in this passage, Jesus uses the term "agape" for love the first two times, indicating the greatest level of love; While Peter each time- and Jesus the last- uses "phileo"; more of a brotherly love. It strikes me that this is another, unfortunate, affinity I have with Peter- not knowing how to go from "I'm fond of you" to the next level.

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #100:

 

 

A post by Chuck Swindoll gave me, "Consider this" for a topic (paraphrased my way): The biggest difference between Jonah and John Mark was that Barnabas didn't have to swallow Mark...

 

No wonder that Jesus cited the saved (by Jonah) of Nineveh! No matter how hard you've run from God in the past, turning and standing will bear fruit....

 

 

 

The Better Part, day #101:

 

 

James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

 

Charles Stanley rightly pointed out, "The Bible tells us to flee temptation and resist the Devil, but too many of us flip that the other way." Then he went on to discuss how flipping them just gets you clobbered by both. I can look at myself and say, "Yep, that's just how I get clobbered." No one needs tell me that that second look at temptation brings the house of cards down. What I need is to do the fleeing.

 

 

 

The Better Part, Day #102:

 

 

2Ti 4:10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.

2Ti 4:11 Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. 

 

 

Michael Youseff pointed out this morning that we see Demas but three times in the Bible- and he goes from "a fellow worker" to a deserter. Mark's life trajectory has gone the other way, I noticed. He started as a double-deserter and became "very useful".

If I can't be "life-long faithful"- and who was?- let me be a Mark and not a Demas, someone who begins to grow in Christ and is able not to desert near the end of life.

 

The Better Part, Day #103:

 

This morning I was the anointed one to get Misty and her first round of pills done.  Afterwards, I told myself I'll lay back down for a couple hours, listen to a few Pastors to get some teaching to share on TBP.  Four programs came and went, and I woke up for the end and start of each one, and none of the teaching.  I decided to get on my e-mails and peruse the devotionals I get.  First thing from Chuck Swindoll's Sunday post:

Your mind is a muscle. It needs to be stretched to stay sharp. It needs to be prodded and pushed to perform. Let it get idle and lazy on you, and that muscle will become a pitiful mass of flab in an incredibly brief period of time.

 

Definitely true, perhaps not completely applicable to the situation, but a well-appreciated chuckle from a loving God.