What's in Your Heart?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART?

Mark 11:18

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

NIV

Surely the chief priests were familiar with Isaiah and that Jesus was using the same words, about the temple being a house of prayer, but he did add the part about for all nations. Maybe that was what made them fear him, that other nations would be invited into their holy temple. Maybe it was the fact that the people were starting to listen more to Jesus than to them, as that what this narrative seems to point to. When their leadership, their authority over the people was threatened, those who were supposed to be holy men of God starting to plot how to kill Jesus and somehow that just doesn’t seem right. We think of murderers as criminals, as very bad people, who should be either locked up for a very long time, or in some states put to death. But these were the holy high priests of the temple of God. They are not supposed to be very bad men, who plot murder and execute their plan. The troubling truth here is connected to when Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder , and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Jesus connected anger in our hearts toward others as the same as murder. If we harbor any anger in our hearts we are just as those chief priests, despising the teaching of Jesus because it goes against our own authority of our selves. The reason we push back against any authority is because we what to do it our way. Often we might think badly about those who are in authority of us at work, thinking we know better how to do what we do then they do. Often we push back against the authority of the state when it demands we stay under a certain speed, because we are in a rush and what to drive our way. Often we push back against the preaching of some pastor because his message speaks to closely to our faults. There might be many other areas we push back on and if we are not careful those moments could turn into harboring some kind of ill feelings, almost becoming a hatred for those with authority. We certainly see and what might be hatred by non-believers for the word of God, because they know it speaks to their bad behavior. We have to be careful not to allow any hatred at all in our hearts for anyone, even for those who push back against us, against our way of life, against the truth we tell them about Jesus. We have to be careful not to allow any hatred toward anyone, even those who oppose what we think is right. We cannot afford to be anything like those chief priests, looking like holy men of God, but harboring murder in their hearts. It is not about how we look, but about what is in our heart. We hear, “What’s in your wallet”, but we need to ask, “What’s in your hearts?”

How Are We Doing?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

HOW ARE WE DOING?

Mark 11:15-17

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'" 

NIV

It has been said that Jesus did not harm any of the livestock that was there, but simply drove them all out. He did, however turn over the tables containing all the money and thus it was scattered all over the ground. We could guess that some of the people who had been purchasing the livestock for their sacrifice might have jumped in and gathered up as much of the coins as they could. It may well have been a place of a little mayhem. Yet the point was that Jesus was really upset people had used religious practice into a profit making situation. People were taking material advantage out of what was supposed to be a spiritual experience. At the same time those who came to buy a sacrifice were using the system as well. Now it might be true that a person who was a merchant in the city may not have any livestock, flocks or doves of his own to bring and thus needed some way to obtain the right type of sacrifice for his particular sin, and thus these sellers of sacrifices fit right into his lifestyle. It is also true that the Law of Moses allowed people, if their tithe was too great to carry a long distant, they were allowed to sell it for silver then buy more when they were at the place of giving their tithe.  The cultural had changed since the Law of Moses and so the church had to change to stay relevant with the times. Certainly the chief priests were not opposed to this kind of business being conducted in the outer courts of the temple, in fact, maybe they got a cut of the profits, we really do not know that, but we do know they allowed it to go on. We have to be careful that the church today does not turn into what that temple looked like when Jesus walked in. Sure we may not have money changers, and people selling sacrifices, but do we have anything that could be seen as money exchanging in the church? Sure we need to bring our tithe, but we surely should not be exchanging money in the church, yet there are some churches which have a full coffee house, bookstore and gift shops for the people to spend their money in, making a material profit from what should be a spiritual experience. Perhaps the church is trying to change with the cultural in order to be relevant. We simply must not allow the church to become a den of robbers. We should not allow people to be robbed of the spiritual experience they need to have within the church. Many churches are in the right, but some are surely in the wrong. The question is,  how are we doing? 

Bearing Fruit

BEARING FRUIT

Mark 11:12-14

12 The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. 14 Then he said to the tree, "May no one ever eat fruit from you again." And his disciples heard him say it.

NIV

It would seem a little story about a fruitless fig tree has no bearing on the reason Jesus is at Jerusalem, but that may not be the case. This could be a very telling narrative about the condition of the spiritual state of the nation of Israel, in fact, even about the spiritual state of everyone. There has been discussions about the fig tree and is season of bearing fruit, which being about five days before the Passover the and the climate of Israel, this tree should have been bearing fruit, otherwise why would Jesus even go to it to pick some figs. Certainly Jesus would have known the season for fig trees, having grown up in that place, so why would he go to the fig tree unless he knew it was supposed to be bearing fruit? Although it does say here it was not the season for figs, which may or may not be absolute in the sense that in this climate it is known fig trees have fruit on them the whole year. Now because it was by the wayside and the road was busy with travelers going to into Jerusalem for the Passover, perhaps it had already been picked clean by the time Jesus came by. But the truth for us today is not about the season of figs or not, or about the tree having been picked clean or not, as it is about the condition of the human spirit. Just as in the first Psalm if we put our roots deep within the stream of living water, Jesus, we will bear much fruit; this story is about people who do not bear fruit. The nation of Israel had over three years to hear and listen to the message Jesus was teaching. They had more than ample time to bear fruit within they spirits, but they chose to have no fruit, and Jesus was pronouncing if they had not borne and fruit by now, they would never bear any fruit. Is this not the case with all of us? If when we hear the gospel, and have the opportunity to be planted by the stream of living water and bear much fruit, and we do not accept that opportunity, we will never bear any fruit ever again. We might even see that we who have been planted by the stream of living water have an obligation to bear fruit, and if we do not, we have to ask what then? So we should learn that when Jesus comes he should find us bearing fruit.

Conquering King

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

CONQUERING KING

Mark 11:4-11

4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go. 7 When they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, he sat on it. 8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"   10 "Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!" "Hosanna in the highest!" 11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

NIV

The triumphant entry into the city of Jerusalem riding upon a donkey, at least that is what we call this event recorded for us here. Surely it seems the people actually thought he was going to over throw the current leadership and set himself up as the king of Israel then wage an all-out war on Rome destroying it, thus freeing the people from all oppression. It is sad in some respects that we humans always think in human terms. It is doubtful they would have been so excited and yelling, “Hosanna in the highest” if they knew that he was coming to die for their sins. Of course in hind sight we know what this entrance into the city is all about and we see the great spiritual significance of this event. But are we missing anything else in all the events and life of Christ? Do we still think in human terms concerning many things we should be seeing the great spiritual significance in? We try to apply the truths of the scripture to our lives, but should we be applying our lives to the truths of the scripture? In some sense we should be yelling,” Hosanna in the highest!” “Blessed is he who comes into our lives in the name of the Lord!” We should be laying down our lives, not our cloaks, saying, “Blessed is the coming of the kingdom” leaving out of our father David. We should be excited about the fact the kingdom of God has arrived and we are able to become citizens of that kingdom. It seems that many of us are simply too reserved to shout, or even raise our hands, especially when we are supposed to be worshipping him in church, in fact some even barely open their mouths to sing. In some churches it looks like a funeral service instead of a worship service. But then again many might be thinking in human terms and their lives are not any better than they think they should be, or they are having some human problem that overpowers any spiritual insight into being a part of the kingdom of God. We need to throw everything in our lives on the path making way for the coming of the king into our lives. We need to case all our cares upon Jesus. He is the conquering king, He is our conquering king. He has conquered death, so we can have life. That is what this entrance into the city is all about, but they missed it, we cannot afford  to miss it, for we know the truth. We need to let him conquer our lives. 

Just Do It

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

JUST DO IT

Mark 11:1-7

11:1 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, "Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 3 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you doing this?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.'"  4 They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. As they untied it, 5 some people standing there asked, "What are you doing, untying that colt?" 6 They answered as Jesus had told them to, and the people let them go.

NIV

Two truths are within this passage which bears our attention. The first is that Jesus, being God, knows all things. He could foresee the colt tied up in the city, and he knew exactly what his disciples needed to do and say in order to bring this colt to him. Now of course we know why a colt, as in those days a conquering king who had won the battle over others would ride into the city on a large white stallion, signifying his important, his now rule and reign over this city. A king who road in the city on a colt showed grace and peace to the residence, that he comes in peace. That is a truth which is in the story, but we should also pay attention to the fact Jesus knew ahead of time what was to happen. He is not an ordinary man, he is not just a man, and he is in fact God in the flesh. The second truth we can see here is that no matter how strange his command may sound, we should obey without question. When he told his disciple to go into the city and what appears to be steal a colt, that is take it without asking the owner, they did not question, they did not ask Jesus why did they need to do that. They did not seek a further explanation, or try to figure out a better way, or suggest to Jesus that would not be right. They simply went into the city, found the colt as he told them they would and untied it to bring it to him. Sure those people asked what are you doing, but that also was just as Jesus had said what would happen. The only response needed was the one Jesus had told them. Our lives would truly be far better off if we did what Jesus asked us to and if questioned why we do what we do, simply response as Jesus has told us to, “The Lord needs it.” Now it is also true they were assured that the colt was only being borrowed and it would be returned, although we have to record of that event, we must assume Jesus had the colt returned after his entrance into the city. It would be total conjecture or assumption, but it would not be wrong to consider that upon returning the colt, Jesus repaid the owner handsomely in some way. The fact is no one can out give the Lord. So when the Lord tells us to do something, knowing he knows the future outcome of our obedience and that he is always seeing to our good, we should not overthink it, we should not try to figure out a better way, we should not even attempt to change the plan one bit, but we should simply do whatever he tells us to do. It may or may not make sense to us at the moment, but that does not matter, what matters is we do what he asks of us to do. As David told his son Solomon, “Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the Lord God even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.” Simply said, Just do it.

What Do You Want?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Mark 10:46-52

46 Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 49 Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 52 "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

NIV

It is amazing how people think about Jesus. They must had thought him to be so important that this lowly blind man should not be bothering Jesus. Could this be like making sure the ill-dressed poorer person should sit in the back, while us well-dressed wealthy ones sit close to Jesus? Could this be like it is us four and no more? We cannot be sure why everyone else including what appears to his twelve did not want this man to have access to Jesus. We would think that knowing the power he has to heal they would be looking for people to bring to him. Maybe it was because of this man’s financial state of affairs; after all he was sitting by the road begging. Surely there must have been some prejudice attitudes going on. Surely anyone who loves Jesus and claims to what to be like him would not keep anyone from having access to the healing power of Jesus, yet that is exactly what is going on here in this narrative. We also see that this man would not be kept silent, he wanted to get to Jesus, he wanted to be healed, he wanted to see, and he was tired of his condition, of his need to beg for a living. If he could see then he could work for his own living, be a productive member of society, and enjoy his life like others, but those who followed Jesus did not want this man to have access to Jesus. That is the strangest thing. What truth can we glean from this account? We certainly do not keep anyone from Jesus. We surely invite all, anyone, no matter their appearance, or their infirmity to come to Jesus and be healed. We can also learn that, at least in this case, it was the man’s faith, his insistence to get to Jesus, his perseverance to overcome all objections by others that caused Jesus to heal him. True it is the nature if Jesus to heal, but here we do see that it was because of this man’s faith. So we learn we should not keep others from Jesus and others should not keep us from Jesus, that faith can make us whole. Sometimes we may be embarrassed to come to Jesus for a healing because of what others may think. We always ask for pray for some nephew of a cousin who has a friend whose mother’s aunt is sick. All too often we never yell out for a healing of our own. Someone is keeping us from Jesus and we are keeping someone from Jesus. But Jesus says, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Thinking As A Servant

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

THINKING AS A SERVANT

Mark 10:41-45

41 When the ten heard about this, they became indignant with James and John. 42 Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." 

NIV

It is clear the disciple were thinking like people, always concerned about who is going to get ahead of each other. Just because James and John asked to sit on the right and left of Jesus when he came into his glory they were upset, maybe because they didn’t get to ask him first because those two bet them to the punch. It seems that our attitudes have not changed much. Most people today still look at things the same way, always concerned about how far up the latter they can get. Even in the church it seems at times that some believers feel more important due to the position of leadership they are in. Some feel important because they are Elders, or Deacons, or on the board, or teach a class or run some kind of other “ministry”. It might seem that some feel their importance based on how many people in the church know them and respect them as being spiritual, or knowledgeable in the Word. But Jesus debunks all that. If any of us care about being great, and it must be so, because Jesus bases his statement on that, we must become a servant. It is difficult to be a servant if we have never been treated like a servant as we really do not know how to feel as a servant feels. Rather than being concerned about self, a servant’s only function is to wait hand and foot upon the master. A slave has it even worse, as his life is absolutely not his own, as he is but property to be used exclusively for the benefit of the master. In fact the master has the authority over the life and death of his slave. Do we really consider ourselves as servants or slaves to everyone else? It would appear we might still be thinking about ourselves way more than others. When we get our feelings hurt we are not thinking like a servant or slave. When we become upset about what someone has done or not done that affects our life, we are not thinking like a servant or a slave. When we get jealous, envious or greedy we are not thinking as a servant or a slave. When we have unforgiveness we are not thinking like a servant or a slave. There is much to learn in this statement of Jesus, about being last in order to be first. There is also much to learn about the fact that if we are going to follow Jesus, if we what to be like Jesus, then we must come to grips with the simply fact, that our only purpose is to serve. Yes we serve our God, we serve his kingdom, and we accept his calling and serve area he has called us to. Yes we serve, but do we do it in the attitude of a servant or slave? And do we serve the others in the body of Christ with that attitude, if fact Jesus said we must be servants or slaves to all. Would that all include non-believers as well? It appears Jesus gave his life for the whole world, not just for his disciples. So how do we response to this? What should be our attitude? We should really think as a servant. 

To The Right

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

TO THE RIGHT

Mark 10:35-40

35 Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to him. "Teacher," they said, "we want you to do for us whatever we ask." 36 "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked. 37 They replied, "Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory." 38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"  39 "We can," they answered. Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with, 40 but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared." 

NIV

Surely both James and John were put to death for their faith, which is what Jesus was referring to when he told them they would drink from the cup he drank from. They too were in fact Baptist with the same Spirit as Jesus was. But as far as the right and left sits next to Jesus we have to know it was not for James and John, but those places are for whom they have been prepared. Could that be the goats and the sheep spoken about in the narrative Matthew records for us? The sheep are at the right side of Jesus, which is the place of honor. All of us who believe on the name of Jesus, all of us who are born again, all of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior will be placed on the right side of Jesus. This place has been prepared for all of us. Solomon wrote that the heart of the wise is always inclined to the right. Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father, and so his right has been prepared for those who are his. But the left has also been prepared for those Matthew records, Jesus calls goats. Those who do not believe in Jesus, those who refuse to accept him as Lord and Savior, those who are not born again. His left side has been prepared for all of them who he will cast out and throw into the lake of eternal fire. Yet there is also the question which we must ask of ourselves. Can we drink from the cup Jesus did? Can we stand firm in our faith in the face of extreme opposition, even onto death? Surely we can be and should have been baptized with the same Spirit Jesus was. Surely we have the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, exhibiting the evidences of his presence. Surly we have both the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit at work in us. But we have not yet been tested in the face of death. The one thing we know for sure is that we will be sitting on the right hand of Jesus, if we come to him as little children, if we simply accept him as Lord and Savior, if we become born again. That is simply enough to do. That is all it takes. No lists of do’s and don’ts, no denominations rules and regulations, no religious practices, but just simply childlike faith. Left is a no-no, right is the place to be. We need to be to the right. 

Astonished Fearful and Content

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

ASTONISHED FEARFUL AND CONTENT

Mark 10:32-34

32 They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid. Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him. 33 "We are going up to Jerusalem," he said, "and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, 34 who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. Three days later he will rise." 

NIV

Many of the things Jesus said were indeed astonishing and we should not be surprised that his disciples were astonished. It may also not surprise us that some who followed Jesus were afraid. They had never heard such teaching like his, and at times it can shake people right to the core. But when he took his twelve aside and spoke to them about the future events that were to happen, we will see how they respond in the next narrative, at least how some responded, James and John, but for now we should be astonished, mixed with a little fear as well as contentment. We should be astonished because we have all this recorded for us to believe. We know Jesus is the Son of God and the Son of man. We know all the things, the miracles he did while here on earth. We know he did experience exactly what he was telling his disciples would happen to him. We should be astonished that even in our sinful state Jesus still lives in us, and we are saved. We should be astonished in that truth. We cannot ever be perfect, without sin, and yet because of what Jesus did, and our faith in him we are saved from eternal death, and have instead, eternal life. How astonishing is that? We should also have a little fear because of the greatest of Jesus and his power and might. We should not become so familiar with him, so casual about our relationship with him that we do not presume upon our salvation. Yes, it is a free gift, but with it comes certain responsibilities, certain expectations, certain requirements of a life worthy of being call his follower, his disciple. When, not if, we fail him, and it is certain we will, we should be filled with remorse, sadden because of our failure, fearful of failing again, and astonished because he forgives us, and that is where the contentment floods our soul. It is difficult to imagine astonishment, fear and contentment all existing simultaneously within us, but if we understand the truth about Jesus then we should understand how those three exists together. These exist within us mostly due to the last statement of Jesus, “Three days later he will rise.” What matter is all the rest, if Jesus remained dead? All the religions of the world serve dead prophets, teachers, or gods, but we serve a risen Savior, a living powerful Lord, able to conquer death, so we too may also. That alone should cause us to be astonished, fearful and content. 

Out-giving God

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

OUT-GIVING GOD

Mark 10:28-31

28 Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!" 29 "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields — and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first." 

NIV

This is the conclusion of the conversation that stemmed from the rich young man going away sadden because he could not give up his wealth. He treasured it more than eternal life. He had a greater concern for his present life and how he was able to enjoy its pleasures than the life Jesus was able to give. Now Peter is making sure that Jesus knows he is not like that man, he is making sure Jesus knows he and his fellow disciples have given up everything in order to follow Jesus. But if our memory serves us well, we know that sometime after the death of Jesus, Peter returns to his boat, and goes fishing. He must not have given it up completely, or sold it and given the money for the ministry. True he may not have been as wealthy as that young rich man, but at the same time he appears he really had not given up everything either. Jesus sets the record straight making it very clear the no matter how much we give up to follow Jesus we will be greatly rewarded both in this world and in the one to come. The simple fact is that we cannot out give God. Again, does Jesus actually expect us to sell our homes, cars, clothes and all our toys to follow him? What if all that is what he has blessed us with a hundred times over in this present age because we had left it and followed him? Do we have to give it up again? It appears the point  is that we really should not put that much value on anything and that we should be willing to forsake all for Jesus and the gospel. Once we have decided to do that nothing else matters, but God will still make sure we are cared for. He will not forsake us in this world or the one to come. It still comes back to that fact, we cannot out give God. 

All Things Possible

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

ALL THINGS POSSIBLE

Mark 10:24-27

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?" 27 Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

NIV

We are still in the middle of this whole conversation about the rich and the difficultly of letting go of it in order to enter the kingdom of God. We are now seeing Jesus explaining just how hard it is for those who cling to their material goods to get into the kingdom. We know the needle was the name of one of the gates  into the city of Jerusalem and that at night it would be closed except for a small enough opening for a person to get through and that there would be absolutely no way that a camel could get through. Again we should remember the rich man who started all this dialog would not let go of his wealth. This was most likely because he had placed his trust in his material possessions, his wealth, even though he was trying to live a holy and righteous life. Here we see the disciples worried about how people, especially people who put their trust in their wealth. Could it be that some of the disciples, who we usually think as poor simply men, have some form of wealth. Peter, James and John we know were fisherman, a fairly good paying profession of the day. We know Matthew was a tax collector, not poor by any means. Could it be the others also had a certain amount of material goods they were sort of counting on for their later years as well? If the disciples had started thinking about their own situations in light of the conversation Jesus had with the rich man, and now with them, he surely reassured them. If we are thinking about salvation in any human way, it is impossible. We cannot earn it, we cannot buy it, and we simply cannot have it in our human abilities. All self-reliance has to be thrown out the window. All trust in anything on the earth must be cast off. It is only by the grace of God that we can be saved. We cannot even live a life well enough; we cannot be holy and righteous enough to get into the kingdom of God. We cannot, but he can. Jesus was telling them people must come to him with their whole heart, forsaking all for him, not keeping a portion of their hearts and minds bend toward their material goods or even their families as we shall see in the rest of this dialog between Jesus and his disciples. But for now, we should simply consider that it is God who saves us, and we should come trusting with our whole heart, leaving all else behind and once saved not returning to trusting in those things. With us it is impossible we God all things are possible. 

How Would We Respond?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

HOW WOULD WE RESPOND

Mark 10:17-23

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good — except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"  20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy." 21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."  22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" 

NIV

It would seem some of us have learned the lesson of self-reliance very well. It would also seem that with the invention of investments many believers have learned the lesson of storing up as much wealth as possible for some future date when they can spend it all on their own needs. It would also seem that Jesus debunks both those lifestyles with one simple but very pointed statement. Some believers may very be living according to all the rules and regulations, checking the lists of do’s and don’ts very carefully making sure they do not murder, commit adultery, steal, lie, defraud, and honor their parents, but they may very well be storing up wealth for themselves. It seems somehow some believers separate spiritual things from material things. They might use the excuse that Jesus teaches us to be frugal, but it is doubtful they can quote and scripture, especially when Jesus uses the word “give” so much. This man was so entrenched in his wealth he could not let go of it. Had he told Jesus, “no problem, give me a few days to give it all away”, Jesus may very well have told him there was no need to do it; just that Jesus had wanted him to be willing. Jesus was showing him how he had been deceived by the world’s way of thinking about material goods. It is clear, that what we place value on we put it, in what we think is, a safe place. Even in our attempts to increase our wealth, we try our very best to invest it in the safest stocks or bonds. The general thought is that it would be dumb to just throw our money away, which would not be frugal. It may well be true that we need money in order to pay for housing, clothing, food, and all the other stuff we need. It is true that money, wealth is needed in order to live our daily lives. We must work to secure enough money for our needs. All that is true, but to place so much value on it, that if Jesus told us to give it all away might be a little dangerous. How would we react to that statement of Jesus? How would we react if he told us to sell everything we had, our home, our furniture, our cars, our extra clothes, our investments, our complete portfolio, all our stuff, even the stuff in the storage unit? That is the one question we need to ask, how would we respond?

Second Childhood

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

SECOND CHILDHOOD

Mark 10:13-16

13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it."  16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

NIV

Once again we are admonished to be like little children. We can clearly see that we need to accept the kingdom of God as little children accept it otherwise we are not going to be able to enter it. So what good is our abiding by all the rules and regulations we have decided to be the right ones? What good is it for us to try our very best to live a good life, making a list of the do’s and don’ts and checking it off each day, feeling good that the do’s outweigh the don’ts?  What good is it to serve in some ministry? What good is anything unless we accept the kingdom of God as a little child? We can act all grown up, being so responsible, being so adult, but that is not going to get us into the kingdom of God. Children simply accept things for what they are, while we adults have to figure out exactly how it works, what is it purpose, how can we use it, does it really mean what it says? It would seem that we have make the kingdom of God so complicated that it would take a scholar or a theologian to explain it to us, while it is so simply to children. If we give our children a candy bar, they are so happy and rip open the wrapper and eat it, while we have to check to see how many calories, the amount of sugar, carbohydrates and whatever else then decide  we better not, because we already are too fat, and this simply is not good for us. That may be the exact way we approach the kingdom of God. So then we are left with the simple truth, accept the kingdom of God for what it is. Don’t try to make it into something it is not, just take it as is, with all its guarantees and expressed warranties. We could put it another way, by saying that if we are born again, we are born again as a little children, not as an adult. Jesus also said that in order for us to enter the kingdom of God we must be born again, a new start, without any adult knowledge of the kingdom we are born into. So what is keeping us from being child-like in our faith in the kingdom of God? It would seem that if we are too adult we need to get back to our second childhood. 

One Cannot Be Separated

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

ONE CANNOT BE SEPARATED

Mark 10:2-9

2 Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" 3 "What did Moses command you?" he replied. 4 They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." 5 "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6 "But at the beginning of creation God 'made them male and female.'   7'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,   8 and the two will become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one. 9 Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." 

NIV

Surely the Pharisees were not men, who divorced their wives, but they were the ones who administered the Law of Moses to all the people and therefore according to the law men were able to write a certificate of divorce. If a wife disappointed her husband in any way at all he could simply put her away, write the certificate and be done with her. It is a good thing men today do not do the same thing. It is good that we at least most go thing the legal channels, pay some fine in order to put our wives away, and be done with them. Except today the wives also may put their husbands away as well, but the husbands still have to pay the fine. It also is a good thing that we do not live by the Law of Moses, that we have been freed from that law and now live by the words of Christ or under the principles of the New Testament. But even though Jesus responded with the fact that God allowed divorce then because their hearts were hard, but that what God has joined together we have no right to separate, we still seem to abide by the Law of Moses rather than what Jesus said. This is difficult teaching as it seems we have grown to accept divorce in the body of Christ as a normal way of life, just like the world lives. We have friends who have traveled the road of divorce for one reason or another and it is difficult to judge their behavior, as all of us have some form of sin and we all seek the forgiveness of God for what we have done. Yet it is also difficult to enough this plan and simple truth, Jesus is telling them the reason it was permitted is hard hearts, but that is not the intent of God. He desires a man and women to be one, not two people living life in a partnership that can be broken, but as one. One cannot be divided, unless it becomes less than a whole, a fraction of what it was. Why do we want to be fractional? It is far better to be one, for one cannot be separated. Now perhaps God never actually joined some men and woman, they joined themselves and therefore leaving one another might well be acceptable. We simply should make sure that if God has joined us, that we try our very best to be one, because one cannot be separated. 

Custom of Teaching

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

CUSTOM OF TEACHING

Mark 10:1

10:1 Jesus then left that place and went into the region of Judea and across the Jordan. Again crowds of people came to him, and as was his custom, he taught them.

NIV

As it was his custom, he taught them should send us a clear and present signal as to want we should do, if that is we are following Jesus. We often content that we want to live as Jesus taught us, or to be like Jesus. We even sign that song, or at least used to sing it before all the new music has arrived, “To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus, all I want is to be like him, all through life’s journey, from here to glory, all I want is to be like him” Well if we truly want to be like Jesus then one think we can know for sure that we should have a custom of teaching people everywhere we go. It would seem people everywhere will be taught about the truths of God when they come in contact with us, for that is our custom. We should even have a reputation of being a person who always brings the truth of God into a conversation. Jesus was always teaching, and if we want to follow Jesus then we should always be teaching as well. It is just that simply, it is not satirical, or has a hidden meaning, it just simply means if we want to live as Jesus did, following his ways, then we should have a custom of teaching people wherever we go. 

Proactive

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

PROACTIVE

Mark 9:49-50

49 Everyone will be salted with fire. 50 "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other." 

NIV

We have heard sermons on salt and that we are the salt of the earth. We know about that fact that salt was used and is stilled used today as a preservative and how that is an illustration of how we are believers should be toward this world. But if God is going to destroy this world with fire, why are we supposed to act like salt to preserve it? Salt also is used to make the food taste better, or at least enhance the flavor of the food. Now if we could think of us as believers as salt and non-believers as without salt, then maybe we could say that as far as God is concerned we as believers taste good to him, and those who have no salt do not. Although we have to know that God loves all the people in the world, they are all his creation and he desires all of them to come to him, to have salt in themselves, but the fact remains some will never have salt in them. A major point of this statement is regarding losing our saltiness. It seems that once we do, we can never get it back. That is harsh, but it may be true. If we walk away from God, if we turn our back on him, if we profess our disbelief in him, then it may well be all over for us, for we may not ever be able to turn back. Granted it may seem as if we do turn away from him every time we fail him, every time we yield to some temptation, but that is not actually walking away, denouncing him. We still feel guilt and ask forgiveness for our failure. Perhaps even those who do walk that far, cam come back, as it is only a question, how can they be salty again. In either case we know that we should remain salty, remain a sweet taste in the mouth of God. And we also know that we should be at peace with each other. That might be easier said than done as it seems it is quite easy for us to not be at peace with each other. It seems we can very quickly and easily engage in some kind of ill-feelings toward someone else, especially if we feel harmed or hurt by them in some way. It would seem it is our task to be proactive, being the salt and being at peace.  

It Is Better For You

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

IT IS BETTER FOR YOU

Mark 9:43-48

43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.   45 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.   47 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, 48 where "'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'  

NIV

Not an easy passage to get a handle on to say the least, many scholars have such a wide set of opinions and each of them a valued view, yet perhaps any of them could have the right view. The main idea here is that we are going to have many temptations in life and we do need to understand that yielded to them is not the option we should choose. Surely we know that perfection this side of heaven will never be achieved, but blatant yielding to temptations should not be excused because we are only human. It is interesting that Jesus tells us it is our feet, hands and eyes that could be the cause for being thrown into the fire. Could the foot represent the path we walk? Could our hand represent what we reach out for? Could our eye represent what we desire, surely our desires are seen first, then headed toward and reached out for. Yes we might fail to be perfect, yes we might still have to seek his forgiveness for our giving in to some temptations, but if we are earnest about walking the path of God, and not the path of this world, and if we have turned our eyes upon Jesus, and hand reached out to touch the helm of his garment, then we surely will escape the worm and the fire. Those who walk the path  human desires, with not an ounce of concern about Jesus, in fact, refusing to acknowledge him as Lord and Savior will end up in a pile of bodies so high that the worms which feed on them will never die, never run out of food, and the fires of hell will never run out of fuel to burn. That seems an awful end of one life because of the refusal to say no to temptations. Yes, we are saved, but this is a warning even to us saved, that we should always be on guard against returning to a life we once knew, or maybe for some a life they never knew, but could be entangled by it anyway. We need to always be aware what is better for us.

Cause or Care

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

CAUSE OR CARE

Mark 9:42

42 "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.

NIV

Jesus is saying a whole bunch of things right in a row, that is some way are all connected, yet in another way seem to be independent thoughts. This statement is actually the continuation the comments about becoming child-like being accepting of the children. It would seem that these children are not sinless, for we know that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, yet it is clear that we should not be the type of people who mistreat children, not that any of us do, but there has to be some truth here. It is the responsibility of parents and other adults to lead a life which is an example to children. All too often children today who may not have a father use some sport star as a model for behavior. Certainly that may not be the best, as we have seen so many of those sports figures living a life not suitable as an appropriate role model. But there are also parents who refuse to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior; in fact, there are people who profess atheism, gay rights, pro-choice and other anti-biblical principles who raise their children with those professions. It would seem Jesus is speaking directly to that kind of situation. Yet we should also consider all of us who are believers. Do we act or behave in any way which would actually cause our children to sin? Do we act or behave in any way which would cause any little child to sin? Do we live an appropriate lifestyle suitable as a role model for children to use? Now does that mean we make a checklist like the choir lists with give them? Does that mean we teach them all about the rules and regulations of the denomination? Or would this imply that we should show them how to live by faith? Does this imply that if we lead our children to live by the standards of this world, the needs to pursue a higher education, so as to obtain a great position, become successful, gain material wealth, store it up for the future, that we have in fact caused them to sin? It would be far better for us to teach them to trust Jesus, to live a life pleasing to him. Whatever the world has to offer, it is only temporary, but what Jesus has to offer is eternal. The scripture which declares a father who does not provide for his family is worse than an infidel might well mean about shelter, food and clothing, but it surely also can mean about providing his family an eternal home. The father who provides for the spiritual well-being of his family does not cause his children to sin, as the father who provides only shelter, clothing and food, but offers not hope for an eternal future. Causing children to sin is leading them into the world, caring for the children is leading them to Jesus. So do we cause or care?

Together We Stand

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

TOGETHER WE STAND

Mark 9:38-41

38 "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." 39 "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.”

NIV

It would seem some people who are not what the disciples thought of as believers, or a part of their little group, or inner circle were doing miracles in the name of Jesus. At least to this point in time, they sort of had a “It’s us four and no more” attitude. Evidently those others who were preforming miracles in the name of Jesus were outsiders, who might of have a different view or approach to the message Jesus was preaching. Maybe they had been disciples of John the Baptist, maybe they had been in the group of seventy that Jesus had sent out two by two, but the fact remains they were in fact doing good  for the kingdom of God as what they were doing was in the name of Jesus. Were the disciples jealous of them? Did the disciples think that only those who followed Jesus as closely as they did were supposed to have the power to do miracles? But Jesus taught them that as long as someone is doing good for the kingdom of God then that person is not against them. We could take a lesson about feelings we might have about people in who belong to other denominations then the one we do. So what if they do not follow Jesus in exactly the same manner as we do? Does that make the good they do for the kingdom of God unworthy of their reward? True there are some basics we believe must be attended to as being born again, yet it does not seem as though Jesus was implying that here. Of course those who were doing miracles in the name of Jesus may have had some kind of conversion experience, we simply do not know about it. There again is a lesson for us. Who are we to judge if another person has had a conversion experience, other than by the evidence of their lives, and if they are doing good for the kingdom of God, that surely must count as some kind of evidence. We might be guilty of making a list of the acceptable evidences and if they are not present then we do in fact judge those people as being unsaved or non-believers, or not having had any conversion experience or at the very least not following Jesus in the same manner as we do. We must always remember that Jesus was not and is not any denomination. We should also remember that all mankind is his creation and all of mankind is loved enough by Jesus that he died for them. We need to recognize that as long as people are doing good for the kingdom of God than we should rejoice because the kingdom is being advanced and that we should see those who are doing good as our brothers and sisters in Christ. A house divided cannot stand, so we must know that together we stand.

Becoming a Child

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

BECOMING A CHILD

Mark 9:36-37

36 He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 "Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me." 

NIV

We cannot be certain why Mark does not record this incident as Matthew does and in some sense in order to gather the truth we have to bring Matthews account into consideration. According to Mathew Jesus also said that in order to enter the kingdom of heaven they had to come like one of these children. We have to change from being an adult and become like a child. Adults think way too much about accepting the truth, but a child simply accepts it in all innocence. A child believes because he is told so, an adult questions what he is told, because he thinks he knows better. Matthews account is all about conversation; about becoming something we are not in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet even though Mark leaves that out, there is still a truth here for us to encounter. In a cultural where woman and children are certainly not the important people, except of course the first born son, who inherits all the father has, Jesus tells his disciples they if they accept these children, they see them as Jesus does, precious in his sight, then they are truly accepting him. Of course in our culture we cherish little children and certainly accept them as a gift from God. We have more programs at church for the children then we do for adults. We have many outreach programs to bring in the little children so we can teach them about Jesus. Certainly today we are welcoming these little children, so what else could we glean from this for our lives? It would seem obvious that if we accept Jesus we accept the Father, although it is true some people, who we would have to categorize as non-believers, accept some of the teaching of Jesus, seeing him as a great man with wisdom, just as they do with Gandhi, Muhammad, Confucius or some other seemingly spiritual person of the past. Yet the fact remains, Jesus is the Son of God and he did come to save us, to die for our sins, and we must overthink that, but simple accept it as a little child accepts what his father tells him. If we want to see the kingdom of heaven we must become a child of God. We must become a child. Must of our childhood we spent wanting to be an adult, but now as adults we need to become a child.