SCRIPTURE: Mark 13 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. [Mark 13:10] Jesus seems to have different priorities than us. As He describes the end time, He is more concerned that the message is preached than that the messengers are kept safe and comfortable. He notes that His followers (the elect or called…
why go to church?
Have you heard this one? It’s made the email rounds before, but it does make you think. Its not only true for going to church, its true for reading the bible, prayer, or any other spiritual exercise. It’s the cumulative effect that counts, that tips the scale in the right direction. (Thanks Trish). A Church…
it comes down to love
SCRIPTURE: Mark 12 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.” [Mark 12:43-44] What does God desire from…
helping people find God?
SCRIPTURE: Mark 11 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 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.’” [Mark 11:17] Why does Jesus curse the fig tree? The tree wasn’t at fault, it wasn’t the season for fruit….
today I believe
Lord, You have always given bread for the coming day; and though I am poor, today I believe. Lord, You have always given strength for the coming days; and though I am weak, today I believe. Lord, You have always given peace for the coming day; and though of anxious heart, today I believe. Lord, You have always kept me safe in…
a prayer
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing…
seeing God’s riches!
SCRIPTURE: Mark 10 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: “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 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them,…
only One can satisfy
A friend shared this quote with me, something to stop and make us think… The loneliest moment in life is when you have just experienced that which you thought would deliver the ulimate and it has let you down. We have a whole generation of people around the country today empty, because they are moving…
holding back, resisting, doubting
SCRIPTURE: Mark 9 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: “’If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” [Mark 9:23-24] I have often used these words myself, they describe how I often feel about my own weak faith. This passage presents Jesus as a glorious messiah…
drawn by Jesus, not His message
A thought-provoking quote by Hugh Halter in The Tangible Kingdom ”Our main contention is that what drew people to Jesus, surprisingly, was not his message. It was him. His face, the softness in his voice, the whimsical look he gave the children, how he laughed, and how he lived. His message repelled people. Many people…