THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:30-44 “When Jesus saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them.” (Mark 6:34) Jesus is concerned for his disciples, and invites them to a quiet time of retreat. Jesus is concerned for the desperate, and teaches them about God’s kingdom. Jesus is concerned for you, for me, and for all people….
Partners with God
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 127 “Unless the Lord builds… the builders labor in vain… (Psalm 127:1) What if my house or city falls, if I don’t have kids, or can’t sleep? Does this mean God is not for me, God is not blessing me? Or if my church is not growing, is it because God is…
Walking with Jesus!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 13 “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” (Proverbs 13:20) As as follower of Jesus, I am eager to walk with Jesus, in His wisdom. Even though He is not visible to me, I can ‘see’ and ‘hear’ Him through the Gospel stories. The more…
I may be wrong!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Proverbs 12 “The way of fools seems right to them, but the wise listen to advice.” (Proverbs 12:15) This verse stood out to me today, warning me about when I feel right. There are things that I feel right about… but am I? The religious leaders were convinced they were right as they…
Liking… but not listening?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:14-29 “Knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.” (Mark 6:20) Herod was intrigued by John, even if he did not like being challenged by him. He could sense the goodness in John, and was drawn to how he spoke. I have heard the same attitude about Jesus from people. Most…
He sends me too!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:6-13 “To send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” (Mark 6:7) I am trying to put myself in the shoes of these first disciples. They had been with Jesus, and witnessed the amazing things He said and did. Now He is pushing them out in teams…
Missing out?
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 6:1-6 “He could not do any miracles there…” (Mark 6:5) Imagine a new cure has been discovered for a terrible illness. But some people are skeptical; they refuse the treatment and stay sick. Doctors will not be able to heal these people because of their lack of faith. Wouldn’t this be frustrating,…
Don’t be afraid
THE STORY OF JESUS: Mark 5:35-43 “Jesus told him, ‘Don’t be afraid; just believe.’” (Mark 5:36) What does Jesus mean when He says to this man, ‘don’t be afraid’? His daughter is dead, his heart is melting in grief and sorrow!? I hear Jesus saying ‘don’t give in to your despair, trust me on this one!’ Fear,…
Using a checklist with God?
I don’t recommend this, but some people like to use a checklist when it comes to measuring themselves and others. They point out how others are ‘living in sin’ because of a particular sin on God’s list. But do they really want to relate to God based on a checkist? Below is a list someone…
Seeing Jesus through tears!
THE STORY OF JESUS: Psalm 126 “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5) The things that normally cause tears are wrong, bad, unfair or hurtful. There’s something wrong if we don’t weep at injustice, grief or tragedy. Tears are universal, a natural response to our messed up world. “Blessed are those…