From Mark 8: Deny Yourself

“Calling the crowd along with his disciples, he said to them, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.’” (v. 34)

We’re generally on board for the first part.

We’re willing to hear Jesus’ voice, and we’re willing to follow Him, in our own ways. We’ll follow Him to church, to morals, and even to generosity.

We’re on board with the first part.

But the second?

When Jesus says, “Deny yourself,” most of try to skirt it. We count the smaller inconveniences of followership as sufficient. We think “deny yourself” means simply to deny what you might rather do with your Sunday mornings and with those dollars.

But denying our own will for our lives? Denying self-lordship and ego? Denying every other identity, affiliation, or party? Denying material and comfort, laying those things at His feet? Denying any idea of being owed anything, of unforgiveness, or of privilege?

We’re less enthusiastic about that.

Yet it is the fundamental gospel calling, the consistent Jesus-following reality.

Would you follow Him?

Then deny yourself, and choose the cross instead.

— Tyler

From Mark 7: Defiling

“‘Nothing that goes into a person from outside can defile him but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.’” (v. 15)

Here’s some good news:

Your religious ritual—what you eat and how you church—is not the core issue. The rules neither save you nor sanctify you.

Your religious ritual is not the core issue.

Your repentance is.

We could probably stand to spend a little less time focusing on whose Christian rituals are better. That time would be better spent purifying our hearts, praying with repentance, and partnering in humble confession together. What’s inside is the real issue.

But! Don’t neglect the fact that what you put in tends to affect what comes out. I’m not talking about certain types of food. I’m talking about the media, language, and opinions you imbibe. If you permit defiling things into your head and your heart, then expect defiled returns.

Let’s hold repentance dearer than ritual. And let’s check the filth at the door.

— Tyler

From Mark 6: The Broken Record

“So they went out and preached that people should repent.” (v. 12)

You’ll have to forgive me for sounding like a broken record.

(Depending on your age, you may have to look up “broken record” while you’re at it.)

It’s easy to get swept up by the remarkable compassion, the gracious provision, and the utter mastery of Jesus. It’s easy to narrow our message about Him to a kind of indiscriminate generosity.

But don’t miss His disciples’ actual message—the one He sent them into the world to preach.

“Repent!”

Every good and miraculous thing Jesus has done draws us to Him. It tells us of His grace and of His authority. It reveals, in a gettable way here, the awesome hope He has secured for us in heaven.

Yet the One we are drawn to is holy. His heaven is the only place of purity. Our sin—every single sin—disqualifies us for His presence, or even for mere proximity unto Him.

So the message remains: Repent! Turn from sin in confession, purify your heart and your mind, and seek His mercy. Walk in His light, and forsake the lure of the dark. He, by grace, forgives our sins—but He doesn’t excuse them. You cannot profess to have heard and believed and received of His Gospel…and remain in sin.

So they preached. So we repeat. It’s the broken record we all need.

Repent!

— Tyler

From Mark 5: Only Believe

“When Jesus overheard what was said, he told the synagogue leader, ‘Don’t be afraid. Only believe.’” (v. 36)

Be encouraged:

Even though this life is disordered—even though we are dragged by deceit and desperation and death—there is hope. Jesus, at a word, changes things.

This is the power of belief: The Sovereign Lord redeems, restores, and returns our hopes.

Does that mean He will always change YOUR thing? Will we, like the synagogue leader, see Jesus undo our tragedy and restore our treasure?

Actually, no. Belief is not the guarantee of all your things. Just the one thing: that Jesus is for you, and that death is not death, in Him. But His power over death spills over into power for our lives, too, by His grace.

So be encouraged, even if you are facing the worst. Belief—at His invitation—has afforded us an everlasting confidence. And, because He is good, Jesus’ goodness is still breaking into today.

— Tyler

From Mark 4: Privately

“He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, he explained everything to his own disciples.” (v. 34)

If you want to understand the Word—if you want a deeper, fuller, better comprehension of Jesus—there really is just the one thing to do:

Get alone with Him.

That doesn’t always mean, like, “alone” alone. Yes, you are meant to be in His Word, devoted to it devotionally. He, by the Spirit, will keep unfolding His truth for you. But He also does it in the local church, where a small groups comes out from the culture to hear proclamation and exposition and theology. These are private spaces, separate from the wider wondering world.

So do it. Start this week. Open the Bible, read on your own and with a group, and get in the church.

And listen—because Jesus will teach is when we do.

— Tyler

From Mark 3: The Stronger Man

“But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.” (v. 27)

The enemy sought to steal you away—but One stronger than the enemy has come.

The enemy hoped to hold you in bondage—but One stronger than the enemy has come.

The enemy tried to take what is Christ’s and capture it for himself—but One stronger than the enemy has come.

Satan may have seemed strong, but Jesus has come, and He has bound the “strong man.” The enemy doesn’t get to keep what ultimately belongs to Christ. By grace, Jesus has burst in, and He would carry you home on His shoulders.

Don’t fear the enemy’s strength—because the One who is stronger has already won.

— Tyler

From Mark 2: Welcomed

“While he was reclining at the table in Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who were following him.” (v. 15)

What should you do when Jesus calls you?

When you hear Jesus’ voice, when He brings you out of darkness and into light, when He forgives you and fills you and fits you for forever…

…what should you do next?

Levi’s life gives us the answer:

Invite others in.

Levi hears Christ’s call, and he follows. The man comes out from a life of extortion and corruption and greed—not to mention a life of broken relationships—and he steps into disciple-life. Levi is keenly aware of the grace by which Jesus welcomes him.

So what does he do?

He welcomes others in: other tax collectors, other sinners, others on the outside. He makes his table Jesus’ table. He opens his home to the spiritually and relationally homeless. And he introduces them to the One who called him.

Maybe we should all aim for the Levi life.

Who would you invite in?

— Tyler

From Mark 1: Foundation

“‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!’” (v. 15)

Mark’s gospel is direct, active, and crystal clear.

In relating the apostle Peter’s testimony, the inspired writer penned an account of the life and work of Jesus the Christ, so the generations after their own would know Him and believe.

And, in his to-the-point style, Mark records Jesus’ earliest preaching theme:

“Repent. And believe.”

We’re all about the “believe” part. The news is so good—the gift of salvation by grace through faith, afforded by the death and burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus—that we readily encourage and embrace belief. “Just believe!”, we say.

But the message from the first has always been, “Repent and believe.”

That’s how our belief is made evident. That’s how our hearts are made ready. That’s how our faith is fleshed out. Repentance—turning around from sin, as a forgiven people—is fundamental, not optional.

As you begin exploring this gospel, keep that truth as your foundation—because it is Jesus’ foundation.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 13: The Benediction and the Banner

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (v. 13)

This is one of my favorite formulations in all of Scripture. I hope that it blesses you the way that it has blessed me.

As you go today…

…go in the light of the goodness of the Gospel, the grace of Christ.

…go with the unfailing, undeniable, unrivaled love of Holy God, your Father.

…go with His Spirit inside you, and go with your brothers and sisters in the faith, living fully the life of fellowship.

Let this benediction be your banner.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 12: “Take Pleasure”?

“So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (v. 10)

I don’t know what they are saying about you.

I don’t know what they did.

I don’t know how you’re hurting, why you’re grieving, or where you’re mired in conflict.

I don’t know what it is.

But I do know the Bible’s confounding and contradictory calling for you through it all.

“Take pleasure.”

Why in the world should we take pleasure when we are insulted, accused, persecuted, and troubled? It’s because, when you and I are stripped of ego, Christ is elevated. Jesus doesn’t just shine when I am strong; He shines when I am weak.

When you are weakened by the burdens of criticism and hardship and insults—yet you still worship, still serve, still pray—Jesus shines. Taking pleasure in that means living up to precisely the kind of life He said we would live, the not-easy life lived for His glory.

That’s hard. But it is also true.

If you are weak today, take pleasure, for He will show up in you and through you.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 11: A Pastor’s Heart

”Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?” (v. 29)

A word from the pastor’s heart:

It is entirely too easy for us to strut around the stage, to crow about our credentials, and to position ourselves as professional professors. More than a few have taken the title of “pastor” and done just that. We’ve made ministry a job, and we’ve aimed for public personas as performers.

Maybe that’s what the wider world thinks ministry is.

But…what is actual, vital, biblical ministry?

It’s a heart that beats for Jesus’ people. It’s a willingness to step into their hurts and put some of it on your shoulders. It’s a determination to shepherd, though their sins and their consequences burn you up, too. It’s the choice to be weaker, so that they might learn to walk with devoted strength.

A pastor bears burdens before he builds platforms.

And he does it, so that the church might be presented to Christ, free from her blemishes.

Pray for us.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 10: The Fight of Your Life

“For although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (vv. 3-5)

Such is the fight of your life:

You live in a world that teems with “every proud thing.” People and their ideas are exalted. Life in the flesh is glorified. Truth has been traded for “truths.” Lies abound, and lies are believed.

Then there’s your private world, the meditation of your heart. Proud things are erected there, too, as you justify your own behavior and judge your neighbor.

The fight of your life is the fight against their pride—and yours.

Know that this is a not-of-this-world reality. You are up against an enemy that opposes God’s good on the most fundamental level. And that enemy is just as likely to lure you toward your own proud things as he is to lure them.

So how do you fight?

Capture your thoughts for Christ.

Exalt Him. Love them. Magnify His mercy by being an agent of grace. Speak Gospel truth—reminding yourself of it, and relating it to them—so that the arguments of sin and self might be deflated.

Pride abounds. Yet, if you think on Christ, He will reduce it to nothing.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 9: Enriched

“You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.” (v. 11)

It’s right there in the Bible:

“You will be enriched in every way,” when you give in faith.

But this isn’t a “give to get” theology. We’re not on cable TV, begging you to send in your “seed money.” In fact, there is no guarantee that giving faithfully leads to financial increase.

How are faithful givers “enriched,” then?

In every conceivable way.

You are enriched when you release your stuff, because your Savior is better.

You are enriched when neighbors are blessed, because Gospel light breaks in between the dollars.

You are enriched when ministries move forward, because your money is multiplied into a cooperative effort.

You are enriched when you trust Him, when you fund good, and when you release treasures here with a view to treasure in heaven.

Stinginess only enriches in one way, as you count with coldness your cash on hand.

But generosity? It enriches in every way—because it casts your eyes (and your accounts) heavenward.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 8: Proportions

“For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” (v. 12)

The whole idea is not complicated, theoretically speaking.

When it comes to giving—in the church, through the church, for Jesus’ mission—keep it simple.

If you have little, give proportionally, because your little is in fact generous.

If you have more than a little, give proportionally, because your gift fills up and fills out the Kingdom’s economy.

And that’s it.

Other equations don’t add up. Disproportionate giving from a little can interfere with your responsibility to take care of your own household. And disproportionate giving from your abundance can compromise your role as a steward for His glory (and not just your gain).

Consider all you’ve been given. Make a plan. And give rightly.

It’s not complicated.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 7: Perfect Purity

“So then, dear friends, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.” (v. 7)

Let me start by saying that you and I are incapable of perfection in our own power.

But…don’t miss the clarion call of the Scriptures!

If you have been called according to His grace…

If you have trusted the truth of this Gospel…

If you have fixed your hopes in heaven, for which He has saved you…

…then you have got to pursue complete purity.

It’s more likely that we pursue SOME purity, MORE purity. It’s more likely that we aim to be purer than we were before.

But the Spirit, by the Word, urges you to pursue it toward perfection. Another reading would call it completion.

Incomplete purity, for the believer, is a dangerous thing. That little but if impurity that you permit is the thing that will take you down. It doesn’t take an avalanche of sin to shipwreck your life. It just takes one, unchecked.

My friends, commit yourselves to purity, and to its perfect completion. Pray for the wisdom and the will to do it, in the Spirit. Be honest about the junk you let hang around in your heart. Repent, and keep going.

I’m praying for you.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 6: The Christian Life

“Instead, as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardships, by difficulties, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, by the word of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; regarded as deceivers, yet true; as unknown, yet recognized; as dying, yet see — we live; as being disciplined, yet not killed; as grieving, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet enriching many; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.” (vv. 4-10)

Such is the nature of the Christian life, if it is indeed lived for Christ.

There will be trials.

You will be utterly dependent.

And He will work in you, through you, producing spiritual fruit for His glory.

Don’t be ignorant of the real challenge that comes with faithfulness. But don’t discount the balance: He is with you, in you, and for you—for His glory.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 5: Home or Away

“Therefore, whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to be pleasing to him.” (v. 9)

How often do you think about heaven?

About the pure worship we’ll offer there? About His elect from all the nations, united in everlasting song? About the joy that flows when tears have ceased?

How often do you think about heaven—and the glory of God, who is pleased by it all?

The mercy of Christ carries us there—home!—where we will please Him for all eternity, by His grace.

There’s just one problem:

We’re not home yet. We’re away, in the flesh, on this earth.

And worship here—the life of pleasing Him—is harder.

Yet we aim for it with all we’ve got. We pray. We sing. We give. We repent. We proclaim. We love.

We depend on His grace to guide is into the God-pleasing now, by the Spirit, knowing that the “away” season isn’t forever. It matters, but there’s more.

Look forward, yes. And live for Him now.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 4: Unseen

“So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (v. 18)

It really is the one great spiritual fundamental. It is the thing you have always known, deep down inside, even before He called your name. It’s the inescapable reality behind all of our longings.

This life is not all there is.

There is more. Unseen. Yet assured.

You’ve known it forever. It’s why you have always counted pain and sickness and death as disordered. You have known forever that this is not the way it ought to be—and that there has to be a better, a more.

And you’re right:

This life is not all there is. There is a light that pierces this darkness, and it reminds us of the One who is our light, who will be our light forever. There is a hope that is older and purer and mightier than any seen thing. There is Christ, glory, and eternity.

Trust that in these difficult seeing days—because this life is not all there is.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 3: You Can’t

“It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.” (v. 5)

I once heard someone say, “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.” It’s a quality quip, a motivational memo.

But it’s not especially biblical.

Here’s one of the most bizarre freedoms you’ll discover in the Gospel:

You can’t.

(Please don’t stop reading.)

You can’t live up to the height of moral perfection.

You can’t love well—whether the lovely or the not.

You can’t manage the weight of the million responsibilities you carry.

You can’t serve or give—you can’t even pray—with what you’ve got.

You can’t.

But He can.

And He is with you. In you, by the Spirit. He is your adequacy—your only adequacy—for every calling, every challenge, and every hope. It’s His strength, His mind, His heart, alive in you so you might live.

This is the freedom we have in Christ. This is what sustains us for the living of these days. And this is how we keep going—until He comes, or until He calls us home.

You can’t—and you don’t have to, thanks be to God.

— Tyler

From 2 Corinthians 2: The Wedge

“Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven — if I have forgiven anything — it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (vv. 10-11)

How, exactly, does the enemy plot against you?

We have some ready answers: he lies, he tempts you to trade what God has given for what you think you want, he straight-up torments you with negative thoughts. All true.

But don’t miss this:

Among Satan’s schemes, there is the wedge of unforgiveness.

Satan hopes you’ll be so mad at some wrongdoer that you won’t forgive him. He whispers about justice and “just deserts.” He convinces you that that one was so wrong and that you are so right.

Satan would have you hold on to all of your anger and frustration and pain—he would drive a wedge in your fractured relationships—so that he might have you.

So lay all that down.

Trust that the Lord, who is righteous, will discipline a wrongdoer. Trust that what was sown in sin will reap a just result. Trust the wisdom He gives you, so that you will know how to set the right boundaries where they are needed, going forward.

But release your unforgiveness. Forgive. Because the Lord commanded it, yes, but also because our enemy can’t stand it.

That’s how you get some wedges out—out of your family, out of your workplace, and out of your church.

And that’s hard.

I’m praying for you.

— Tyler