Category: Digging Deeper

1 Jesus entered Jericho and made his way through the town. 2 There was a man there named Zacchaeus. He was the chief tax collector in the region, and he had become very rich. 3 He tried to get a look at Jesus, but he was too short to see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree beside the road, for Jesus was going to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came by, he looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name. “Zacchaeus!” he said. “Quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.” 6 Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy. 7 But the people were displeased. “He has gone to be the guest of a notorious sinner,” they grumbled. 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” 9 Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

Luke 19:1-10 (NLT)

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EL ROI: THE GOD WHO SEES

 

If you grew up in church, you may have learned a song that told the story of Zacchaeus.  It went like this:

Zacchaeus was a wee, little man,
And a wee, little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree,
For the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior came that way,
He looked up in the tree,

And he said, “Zacchaeus, you come down from that tree,”

For I’m going to your house today.
For I’m going to your house today.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man
But a happy man was he
For he had seen the Lord that day
And a happy man was he;
And a very happy man was he.

 

Although it is a great way to learn the story of Zacchaeus, it leaves out some key points about who Zacchaeus was. Luke 19:2 tells us that he was a chief tax collector and was rich. In those days, the tax collectors worked for the Roman government and collected the taxes demanded, but they were also allowed to collect what they wanted for themselves. As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus would also get part of what other tax collectors had gathered. This structure set the stage for tax collectors to be immoral and highly disliked by the people. Zacchaeus was no exception, as verse 7 says the people called him a “notorious sinner.” 

 

The story also tells us that Jesus sees Zacchaeus. He calls him by name – the notorious sinner, in a tree, separated from the crowd watching Him, as He travels through Jericho. From the very beginning, scripture reveals God as a seeker. After Adam and Eve sin, we see God calling out to Adam in Genesis 3:9, “Where are you?” Their sin is not deterring God from seeking them out. Later, in Genesis 16, we find Hagar running away from Abraham and Sarah, hiding in the wilderness, pregnant with Ishmael. An angel of the Lord finds her, and after that encounter she says, “You are the God who sees me.” (Genesis 3:13)

 

Jesus declares at the end of Zacchaeus’ story that He came to “seek and save the lost.” It takes intention to seek out those who don’t look like us, who don’t live or believe the way we do. It is much easier to gather and be around people that we know, that are like us, those we are comfortable with. Today, let’s ask God to show us who we need to seek out. Who needs to see a glimpse of Jesus through us?  Ask God to open your eyes as you go about your day for the one person you can share His love with.

 

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Bridget Turner serves as the Director of Women’s Groups at NorthStar Church. She and her husband, Steve, live in Powder Springs and have two young adult children, Hannah and Joshua. She enjoys watching football, traveling and reading.

 

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. ³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? ⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹ “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Mark 2:1-12 (ESV)

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WHATEVER IT TAKES

 

As we bring this week to a close… Let me ask you, who are you in the story? There are four people we can consider (excluding Jesus); the scribes, the homeowner, the friends, and the paralyzed man.

 

The Scribes. They loved to follow all the rules of religion. They loved to keep a close eye to make sure everyone stayed in line. They loved to question others’ actions and intentions. They were in the wrong here, but most likely it started from a place of love and concern. They wanted to keep the Law as perfectly as possible out of their love for God and they wanted others to do the same.

 

In our lives it is easy to fall into this same category. We have seen how good the Lord is and we want others to experience that, but there is a fine line between loving submission and legalistic obedience. If you have found yourself in this place recently, ask God to soften your heart to him, his word, and his working around you.

 

The Homeowner. Though they are not mentioned in the story, somebody owned this home. Whether they were in the room watching the scene play out or out of the house for ten minutes for a quick Publix run, their house was ruined. Was this a hot season and the sun was beating down through the gaping hole? Was rain on the horizon? We don’t know how they reacted, but there had to be some type of reaction.

 

This is the same for our lives. If the Lord is moving around us, we can control how we react. Are we filled with awe with what God has done, or filled with anger due to inconvenience? As NorthStar enters a new season, how will you react when confronted with inconvenience? Begin praying today that you will see the inconveniences as tangible evidence for the Lord moving.

 

The Friends. It’s interesting, we assume that these men are friends with the paralytic, but the text just calls them men. Imagine how burdened they must have been for this man to be willing to do all these things. They believed in the power of Jesus that much! Jesus even says so himself.

 

The real question we must wrestle with is do we have this much faith? Do you believe that Jesus can do for your friends, family members, and co-workers the same that he can do for the paralytic? I pray that these characters are where you find yourself today. If so, would you begin to create a prayer list for those around you who don’t know Jesus, and as you do, pray that God would do a miracle in their life in forgiving their sins?

 

The Paralyzed Man. We come to the final person in this story: the man who reaped all the benefits. He had very little to offer in this story. He didn’t bring himself to Jesus, the men did. His faith didn’t heal him, theirs did. We don’t even have any of his words recorded. All we see is his obedience to Jesus.

 

Friends, this is us. Before Christ, we were paralyzed by our sin without hope. Luckily, Jesus came so that we could be healed spiritually and all we must do is get up and walk. If you have trusted in Jesus before, remember this was you and that outside of the good news of Jesus you would still be there. If you have not trusted in Jesus before, today you choose to get up and walk. Follow the man who can do what we could not do: take our spiritual death and in turn give us spiritual life.

 

Honestly, we can go through different seasons as different characters, but we should always be reminded that we once were the paralyzed man. And because of that we should be the friends who are willing to do Whatever It Takes to get others to Jesus.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁹ Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? ¹⁰ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— ¹¹ “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” ¹² And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

Mark 2:9-12 (ESV)

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JESUS DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE – AGAIN!

 

In 2015 the world was taken by storm with the biggest question of the decade. Is the viral photo of the dress black and blue, or white and gold? You know you sat around the dinner table, turning the brightness up and down on your phone, debating your loved ones. It was incredibly controversial! What’s funny about the debate is that there was an actual answer. The photo was deceiving, but the dress was in reality black and blue (personally, I still see white and gold).

 

Knowing the hard-heartedness of the scribes, Jesus asked a controversial question in Mark 3. Which is easier, forgiving a man’s sins or making a paralyzed man walk? The scribes had already made their answer clear in verse 7. Only God can forgive sins. They most likely had seen other miracles, magic tricks, or faith healers in that day do some incredible things. Think back to Exodus. God is causing these ten plagues and using Moses to tell Pharaoh what was going to happen. Twice, magicians of that day were able to copy God to discredit Moses.

 

These scribes knew the harder option was to forgive the man’s sins. Jesus knew this too, but how can you prove somebody’s sins have been forgiven? Jesus tells them that he is going to heal the man so they can know that his sins have also been forgiven.

 

Immediately the paralyzed man gets up and walks out of the house. The text doesn’t necessarily say this, but I picture this paralyzed man dancing out of the room like the old man in the Six Flags commercials. Jesus was able to heal both the man physically and spiritually.

 

Isn’t it crazy that we can sometimes doubt God’s ability to work in our own lives? We read passages like this and get so excited watching the scene play out in our head, but then when difficulties in our lives come, we fold quickly. Friends, if Jesus has done the hardest task in forgiving your sin, he can also heal any mess that you are in. That does not mean that he will get rid of all of your problems, and you will live a pain-free life. If God cares for your biggest problem (sin) then he also cares for the difficulties you face in life.

 

What is the life circumstance that you are struggling to give to Jesus? Maybe it’s a past mistake that the shame of it still haunts you daily. Maybe it’s a current circumstance physically, relationally, or financially. I’m not sure what it is for you today, but God knows. He wants to see you through it, but only if you’ll freely give it to him. Jesus was willing to do Whatever It Takes for you to live in this freedom, so let’s walk in it!

 

Take a minute and pray to God, surrendering your circumstance. Allow him to work in that area of your life today! Doing that won’t absolve you of all responsibility, but it will free you to take steps toward what God has for you.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁶ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ⁷ “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ⁸ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?

Mark 2:6-8 (ESV)

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CYNICISM HARDENS HEARTS

 

Have you ever given your all to something, just for others to not approve? Maybe it was the group project in high school or the home renovation during lockdown. You put in hard work, sweat, tears, money… all for somebody to critique your work. It can be a dejecting feeling.

 

In this story the friends worked so hard to get this man to Jesus. Climbing the roof, tying rope to a stretcher, lifting him up, tearing off sticks, clay and straw, lowering him down (probably on top of other people), all for the scribes and religious leaders to question what Jesus had done. They had faith that Jesus could heal this man, but Jesus did the harder thing and forgave his sins.

 

This made the scribes angry and Jesus (being omniscient) knew that in their hearts they were questioning him… so he called them out. They accused Jesus of blasphemy. They saw the faith of others, but instead of encouraging them in their own belief, they questioned Jesus and his intentions.

 

It’s easy to read a story like this and want to assume the friend role. You may think “I’m willing to do Whatever It Takes to get my friends to Jesus,” but unfortunately most of us play the role of the scribes. When our family member who seems “too far gone” begins to trust in Jesus, do we cheer them on or call them out? When we know our co-worker had a crazy weekend making bad choices, but raises their hand or comes down front on a Sunday, do we see their past sin, or do we see the power of the Savior?

 

Today we are marked by cynicism. The world has made us hard. We choose to blame it on our personalities, our wiring, our enneagram number, or so many other things. I wonder if the biggest miracle that day didn’t happen. For Jesus, giving a man the ability to walk was easy. Forgiving the sins of a heart that was ready to receive God’s grace was easy. I wonder if the biggest miracle was missed that day: breaking through the cynical, hardened hearts of the scribes.

 

For you today, will you ask God to soften your heart? Whether it’s to the relationships around you, the circumstances you’re going through, or the way you view God himself… we need soft hearts to hear clearly from God.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

³ And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. ⁴ And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. ⁵ And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 

Mark 2:3-5 (ESV)

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CHRISTIAN FRIENDS VS. CHRISTIAN FRIENDSHIP

 

Years ago, a pastor said something that changed the way I view my close relationships: “There is a difference between Christian friends and Christian friendships.” His point is that we can easily surround ourselves with other believers, but Christian friendships play an active role in pushing us closer to Jesus.

 

In this story we see that there were four men who were not content to just hold the same values as the paralytic. I wonder how the story would have gone if these guys just went to the same church? Or if they just took a second to pray before eating? Or if they expressed the same political views as the paralytic? There is nothing wrong with these things, but I wonder if we have tricked ourselves into becoming content with just having Christian friendships. It’s easier that way, right? If they have the same beliefs as you then there are little to no disagreements. We get along. We smile at each other at church, but that is the extent of our friendship.

 

I wonder if God wants more out of our relationships. Christian friendships are willing to push each other, even when it is uncomfortable. Christian friendships are there to stand in the gap when life is tough. Christian friendships are willing to do Whatever It Takes to get their friends to Jesus, even tearing off a roof.

 

The passage we covered this past Sunday hits its focal point in verse 5 when we find out that Jesus didn’t just have compassion for the paralyzed man, but the faith of the friends is what caused this man to find his miracle. It wasn’t the paralytic’s faith, but the friends’ faith. They carried him to Jesus.

 

Let me ask you, who are you carrying to Jesus? It can be difficult, inconvenient, and uncomfortable, but if your friendship is truly centered on Christ, it is always worth it. I want to challenge you today. Will you commit to carrying somebody to Jesus? Take a minute and pray for a friend, co-worker, or family member who does not know Jesus. Pray that God would use your words and actions to help them find him. This story ends in salvation but even as believers we need a constant reminder of the good news of Jesus. Take time today to encourage a close friend, spouse, or child and see how you can better help them to look like Jesus.

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

⁴⁰ And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” ⁴¹ Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” ⁴² And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. ⁴³ And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, ⁴⁴ and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” ⁴⁵ But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. ² And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them.

Mark 1:40-2:2 (ESV)

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PEOPLE WERE COMING TO HIM

 

Growing up I loved the Atlanta Braves, and I loved collecting sports memorabilia. I vividly remember my third-grade field trip to watch the Braves play the San Diego Padres. I brought my brother’s glove, a stack of trading cards I received from my Christmas list, a baseball, and a black Sharpie. That day I walked out with 17 autographs, not because the stadium was empty, but because I could squeeze my body between people to get to the front. My dad watched in amazement because of his claustrophobia. Now why did I go to all of that effort? These guys were celebrities! Jeff Francoeur, Adam Laroche, and Braves legend, Ryan Langerhans (for some reason, Chipper wasn’t entertaining 10-year-olds that day).

 

Before we jump into our passage for the week, we need to understand why the house was full. Why was Jesus so sought after? This is only the second chapter of Mark. Jesus has just begun his public ministry after about 30 years of obscurity. So far Mark has talked of Jesus’ baptism, him being tempted, calling his disciples, and bringing about three miracles (healing a man with an unclean spirit, healing a town from sickness and demonic possession, and cleansing a leper).

 

I don’t know about you, but just one of those miracles is enough for me to want to fight a crowd at Turner Field for Jesus’ autograph! This house was over the fire code because they wanted to see Jesus perform a miracle in their own lives.

 

Jesus’ miracles were not just party tricks. They were life changing. Imagine being possessed by a demon, being sick for years, or being isolated from community due to a disease. To us these may just seem like simple Bible stories; but put yourself in their shoes. I would tell everyone I know!

 

Apparently, I am not alone. Jesus tried everything to remain obscure, but very soon he could not enter a town because people were coming from every quarter to see him. Jesus returned to Capernaum and immediately was surrounded by others looking for their own miracles. He was surrounded by people who were willing to do Whatever It Takes to get healed by Jesus.

 

For you today, are you willing to get to Jesus no matter the inconvenience? This house was not comfortable. There were a lot of people and no air conditioning. Maybe the line was out the door and Jesus was moving at the speed of the DMV. What if you had another meeting on your calendar for that day? What would be enough to send you away?

 

I would hate for us today to miss Jesus and the blessing he brings all because it does not fit on our calendar. Maybe today Jesus wants to speak to you. Will you allow yourself a few undistracted minutes to hear from him?

 

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Sellers Hickman serves as College Pastor at NorthStar Church and loves cheering on his Ole Miss Rebels. He and his wife, Hannah, live in Dallas, Ga. with their one year old, Emery. He also serves as the chaplain for the KSU Men’s Basketball team.

 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7 (NIV)

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UNENDING PEACE

 

My wife and I love mysteries.  Movies, TV shows, anything that lays out something that is puzzling or unexplained just captures our attention.  Philippians 4:7 is, to me, one of the greatest mysteries in the Bible. 

 

“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

I don’t understand this.  Which, naturally, agrees with “transcends all understanding.”  But even though I don’t understand it, I love it.  I love that our Good Father in Heaven is not bound by what we can understand.  I love that He is not bound by what we say is natural, or reasonable.  And, I love that He promises, no matter what, that His peace can always be with us.

 

One of my favorite lines of a worship song says, “Every promise you’ve made, is as good as done.”   Philippians 4:7 is a promise from the Lord.  If we reference Philippians 4:6 and “in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” it is as good as done that His peace will guard our hearts and minds.

 

It is not to say that He will shelter us from difficult times.  Far from it. The Bible promises that we as Christians WILL see tough times.  But He promises in Psalm 23 to “Prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

 

Praise God that He is always faithful to what He says, that He is FOR us, and that there is nothing that can ever separate us from His love!

 

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Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016.  He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack.  He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.

 

Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 (NIV)

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KEEP GOING!

 

One of my many quirks is that I love acronyms.  Good ones, bad ones, any of them.  I especially enjoy making acronyms out of nonsensical things.  Something about shortening down a string of words or thoughts just entertains me on a deep level.

 

If I could shorten down Philippians 4:9, it would be to two simple words.  “Never quit.”

 

Even in the mundane, and especially in the hard times, never quit.

 

How long can we keep going?  How long can we endure?  Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”  We can endure always.  Because God is GOOD.

 

So, in the interest of making things short and sweet – I would encourage you today to take a few minutes to pray: “Father God, strengthen my heart, so that I may never quit.  Jesus, help me to NEVER stop locking eyes with you daily.”

 

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Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016.  He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack.  He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.

 

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

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THINKING TIME

 

I just love the message of Philippians 4:8.  Something about it always leaves me feeling so encouraged!  I guess that is one of those funny little things about the Word of God; it always seems to know how to get to the heart! 

 

There is something to be said for taking the time to discipline our minds.  The Bible speaks about taking every thought captive, and intentionally dwelling on things that are true, honorable, right, etc.  Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives.”  We are constantly surrounded by our own thoughts, and to a large degree, our thoughts shape our reality. 

 

Everything that we think about will form the lens by which we perceive the world.  If we are constantly thinking about all the things that are going wrong, we will start to see every little thing and interaction through that lens of wrongness, instead of seeing the blessings of God.  That is one of the reasons Paul instructs us to intentionally think about that which is “true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.”

 

Philippians 4:6 and 4:8 really tie together – that intentionally dwelling on the Good (God) things, will help us develop a spirit of thankfulness, which then will lead to us dwelling on the good things, which continues to build a cycle of renewing our minds day by day!

 

So, today, take a minute and try something.  Instead of watching whatever catastrophe has happened in the news, or seeing who has been dragged through the mud, take a few minutes to pray, and spend time with God telling Him the things you see that are good and admirable, and ask Him to reveal more pure and praiseworthy things to you!  Prayer does not always need to be laying down a spiritual to-do list; sometimes it can just be spending time with the Lord, and thinking about His Good things together!

 

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Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016.  He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack.  He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

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BLESSED, NEVER STRESSED

 

Sometimes life can be frustrating – can I get an Amen?  And it sure seems like frustrations have been popping up like weeds in spring!  And what are we supposed to do in the middle of all these worries?

 

Let’s look at the second part of Philippians 4:6 – “but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” In EVERY situation?  I don’t know about you, but for me, it can be pretty hard to pray thankfully in EVERY situation – and yet, Paul does not leave a lot of room for interpretation. 

 

Sometimes keeping an attitude of thankfulness is difficult for me.  I think that lack of thankfulness really comes from a lack of proper perspective.  I am not suggesting that you compare your situation with someone else’s; even if someone is always in a worse spot, saying “well, at least I am not going through (insert tragedy here)” isn’t really helpful.

 

Instead, I think it is important to ask the Lord to reveal to you an accurate perspective on your situation.  That isn’t to say that what you are going through isn’t difficult; but ask Him how HE sees it. And ask Him to help remind you of how blessed you are – because no matter what is going on in your life, God the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, loves you specifically, and He blesses those He loves in countless different ways.  On top of that, ask The Lord to remind you of an eternal perspective – remembering that all things- ALL things – work to the good of those who love Him.

 

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Josh Neal and his family have been members of NorthStar Church since 2016.  He is married to his lovely wife, Mallory, and has three children: Ember, Clover, and Jack.  He loves being a part of the prayer ministry at NorthStar, and enjoys everything from Georgia Tech Football, to hunting, to writing.