Mark 11:12 The next morning as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 He noticed a fig tree in full leaf a little way off, so he went over to see if he could find any figs. But there were only leaves because it was too early in the season for fruit. 14 Then Jesus said to the tree, “May no one ever eat your fruit again!” And the disciples heard him say it.
20 The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”
22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Don and I read Mark 11 and 12 together this morning and a couple of things I noticed that I don't think I've noticed before. I have wondered about exactly why Jesus cursed the fig tree just because it had no fruit. The obvious thing was to show his disciples that they could do anything if they have faith in God and don't doubt, but I also saw something else and it involves surrender or being available when God calls me. Today, I saw that because the fig tree had nothing to offer the Lord when he was hungry (had a need), it was virtually worthless and didn't have a reason to live.
That said to me, if I refuse a call from the Lord, He may not ask me to do anything else for Him and because of that separation from Him, I would wither and die. When I say "no" to God or when I am not ready in Spirit, I am of no use to the Kingdom of God... I am no use to serve my neighbors, to lead them to the Lord, unless I'm surrendered to Him. I dare say that I would even run the risk of God turning His back on me for He says in His word that He will not always strive with us. He is certainly longsuffering and loving, but He knows our hearts.
I realize this is a heavy theological subject that I am not highly qualified to delve into, but it was a revelation that gave me pause regarding the importance of surrender and availability.
The next thing that jumped out at me was what Jesus said about forgiveness and prayers in verse 25. I believe He is saying that my prayers are hindered if I have unforgiveness in my heart toward anyone. If the desire of my heart is to obey Him and be forgiving, my faith is strong and my prayers are answered. I don't have all the answers on this subject either, but I definitely see the connection between faith, prayer, and forgiveness. I have always understood the concept of forgiving others as God has forgiven me, but I had not really seen the connection to my prayers being hindered and any grudge I might be holding against someone. For me, this was a revelation. Maybe doubt comes from not forgiving someone and then when we pray, we don't really believe that we deserve for our prayers to be answered or that God hears our prayers. God so wants us to understand that anything He instructs us to do, like forgiving others, is for our own good, because it affects so many things in our spirit and life.
Is forgiving someone who has hurt me, easy? No. In fact, I can't do it. I believe forgiveness is one of the things God commands us to do because He knows we can not do it apart from Him, therefore, our need to be forgiving drives us to Him and we realize our need for Him. It's ALL about His love for us and His desire to have a relationship with us. Isn't that awesome?!
I absolutely love how the Word is alive and relevant to our everyday life and how every time I read, I learn something new. Every time I read, it is my desire for God to speak to me and teach me through His Word.
What do you think? What did the Lord reveal to you today during your quiet time? I would love to hear your thoughts. The word says, "iron sharpens iron." We need each other and we learn from each other.
We are all so blessed.
2 comments:
I'll be your first 'iron' then ... I love your ponderings written out here and the invitation to engage in conversation about it.
I agree with you that every time I read God's Word, I see something different and I think it's God's way of saying, "I'll show up for you when you are ready to hear from Me on this particular subject." The message is always there and has been for eons, but I've not always been ready to receive it. I liken it to teaching a 2-yo versus teaching a 16-yo ... The message is the same, but the method (as well as the recipient) is different.
The message is the same, yesterday, today and forever and that's what makes God's Word trustworthy. And it is applicable to every life.
Hey, thanks for being the first "iron."
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