Before I begin my devotional thought for today, I want to thank you for your prayers for our recent ministry in Iquitos, Peru. We will be sending out a praise report this week to the glory of God. Our work there continues as we partner together with you to share the love of Christ. Praise the Lord for the lives that were touched and the souls that were saved as a result of your prayers and support!
As we come to Mark chapter 15, the crucifixion of Christ is now upon us. Jesus is brought before Pilate to be judged and Pilate, for various reasons, wants to wash his hands of the whole situation. Jesus was brought to Pilate by the religious leaders under the pretense that they were concerned about Jesus being a threat to the Roman government. The Scripture says that "the chief priests accused him (Jesus) of many things." They wanted Him dead at all cost and it had nothing to do with the security of the Roman government. Pilate had a custom of releasing one prisoner of the people's choosing during the Passover.
Pilate must have been hoping that they would ask for the release of Jesus, but instead they asked for Barabbas-surprise surprise! We know little about this man, but we do know that Pilate kept his word and released Barabbas to them once the crowd began to go hysterical with shouts of Jesus' crucifixion.
Look at the drama of this scene: "Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. Mark 15:9-11
Pilate was a smart man, a man of the world and he greatly understood the inner workings of men's hearts. He had not risen through the ranks of the Roman government without being able to read between the lines of the behavior of others. Pilate knew very well that the priests were not loyal to Caesar, just as he knew Jesus was not a threat to the Roman government. He correctly perceived that the real issue was one of envy. Here is a pagan Roman official discerning the spiritual condition of those who claimed to be closest to God. Amazing!
Envy is a feeling of sorrow at another's good fortune. We see this sin at all levels of society. Envy finds joy when evil or loss befalls someone else. It is not just that we are angry that someone else received something good in life, but envy causes us to be thrilled at the pain the other person is going through. The modern American culture is built upon the sin envy. Just listen to new casts, talk radio, commercials and conversation at the office or job site. No one is ever happy for someone else's success and we relish in the demise of others.
It is most amazing that this sin is found most frequently in the church. Every Sunday there are those who are in great pain because of the success of another brother or sister. One church becomes envious of another for their numerical growth or their notoriety in the community. Staff members become envious as one ministry is exalted over another, at least in their minds. Members fight over territory, resources and "platform time." The world has crept into the church and we don't even notice it.
Just as the priests were envious towards Jesus because of His popularity and power we find ourselves envious in the same way. The worst kind of envy is that which comes against the Holy Spirit. It is the envy of someone else's gifts-spiritual gifts. People become competitive and envious over the very gift's that God the Holy Spirit distributes. I have seen it with my own eyes even in our ministry. It is frightening. It is deadly. It is ugly.
Don't try to be something you are not because you think it will advance you, or bring attention to you. Don't mimic someone else's gifts because in the end you will only be frustrated and probably embarrassed. I have met more people who think they are teachers or preachers who have no gifting whatsoever for that ministry. They are envious of that gift, they want it, but they don't. Envy kills a church and the envy of others spiritual gifts is a sin against the Holy Spirit!
The Spirit has given you gifts and you must know what they are. There are plenty of resources available to help you discover your gifts. But the best way to find your gift is to not sit around and read about gifts, but to get busy serving the Lord. You will find things that come naturally to you and things that don't. Other people will confirm to you what your gifts are as well; listen to what they are saying. The best place to start though is to ask the One who gave you the gifts what He wants you do for Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you what gifts He has given to you and how He wants you to use them. I am almost 52 and I still pray that prayer because I know I can deceive myself, thinking I have gifts I don't have. The priests should have been working with Jesus not against Him. Envy leads to dissention, factions and eventually to malice. And it was malice that caused the chief priests to call for the death of Jesus. Malice is envy at its worst since joy is attained through the pain of others, just the opposite of "loving my neighbor as myself." Get busy for your Lord and let Him reveal the unique gifts He has given to you!
Bless you,
Dan
Copyright 2008 Eternity Minded Ministries
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