MARK & LUKE

Today Thursday, and I'm looking forward to a wonderful day!  It is lovely outside already.  In looking at Mark and Luke, here are three quick thoughts: 1) PRESERVATION- Mark 13:31 says:  "Heaven and earth shall pass away:  but my words shall not pass away."  Jesus is making a statement about the Words of God... they will never pass away!  That my friend is called preservation.   God speaks= Inspiration!  The Word last forever= Preservation!  Now preservation is the act of God that causes His inspiration to last forever in the word that He has spoken.  The Bible is as alive today as it ever was!  It is the "God breathed" perfectly preserved, inspired Word of God.  However you chose to describe it, the end results is that we have the Word of God passed down to us and we can have confidence (not in the scholars) in the God who said He would keep them to all generations! Praise God! 2) LED BY THE SPIRIT, EMPOWERED BY THE SPIRIT- Jesus was 100% man and 100% God at the same time, and yet He chose so often to live in His humanity that He wanted to show us a pattern.  In Luke 4, we have His temptation in the wilderness.  In verse one, He was "led by the Spirit into the wilderness".  In verse two He fasted for forty days and afterwards hungered.  In verses three through thirteen, He was tempted by Satan.  But in verse fourteen, "Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit".  Notice that the Spirit of God will test us, and the Spirit of God will empower us as we succeed in the temptation.  There is no short cut to the power of God upon your life.... trials litter the pathway of the man or woman of God that God uses!  No other way!  Don't desire these trials, but don't be surprised when they come; and know that they are there because God has some plans for you in the future!  3) THE OLDER BROTHER- In Luke 15, we have the story of the prodigal son.  We know the transgression of the younger brother, and we know the attitude of the older brother.  I would suggest we need to be the Older Brother, but drop the Attitude!  In verse 29, it says:  "Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment:...."  Now this is what we want to be, but without the judgmental attitude towards the prodigal that comes home.  Let us also learn to rejoice in God's goodness to bring them back to fellowship in the fold.  Now, also notice this about the older brother:  (vs. 31)  "So, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."   Wow!  Let's stay home and live for Jesus!  Yeah!!!  Three cheers for the older brother!!!  (but drop the attituded). Have a blessed day!  Pastor Mike Mutchler