Tag: Mark 8

Respond! (Mark 8:34-38 Devotion)

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When He had called the people to [Himself], with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 35 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”

– Mark 8:34-38 (NKJV)

It’s time for a decision! Somewhere along the way, I’ve learned that the good news of the gospel can be summed up in four movements. First there is GOD who created the world and everything in it, especially Adam and Eve, and it was very good. Second, Adam and Eve SINNED and now we are all separated from God because of our sin. Third, that JESUS came and lived a sinless life and died on the cross and rose again from the dead so that whoever would put their faith and trust in him could be restored to a right relationship with God. Finally, We have to RESPOND to the good news by committing our lives to follow Jesus.

Jesus has been throughout Galilee preaching the word of God, healing folks, and casting out demons. He is calling for a response. As He calls for people to put their trust in Him. He makes it clear that those who follow Him will need to surrender their will to His and be prepared for it to lead to an early death. The cross was a particularly cruel instrument of death. To follow Jesus is to trust Him enough to put His will ahead of our own and follow Him even to places and circumstances that we would otherwise avoid.

We respond to the word of God by trusting Jesus as our LORD and savior. We profess our sins separate us from God, but then we also submit to Jesus authority over our lives. You can’t truly belong to him any other way. Faith means to trust God and simply take Him at His word. It means that we believe Jesus and act on what He says. Faith requires action.

There are some places around the world today where a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ will cost you your life. Yet, it amazes me how deeply intentional that new Christians in those cultures are about getting baptized and professing their faith in the midst of the local church. Yet, often in places that are offered more freedoms it can be challenging to get someone who says they have made a “commitment” to Christ to go public with it, much less be baptized.

When it comes to where you stand with Jesus, Jesus doesn’t indicate that just a whisper will do. No he calls for unashamed commitment. It’s uncomfortable. It’s unsettling. But it’s so freeing! What we gain by putting our trust in Christ far outweighs the cost of anything we have lost in following Him.

So where do you stand today? Have you gone all in on Jesus?

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Help us to live lives of boldness, courage, and conviction. Let our confidence be in your word. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Learning to Put God’s Will First in My Life(Mark 8:30-33 Devotion)

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Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him. 31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

– Mark 8:30-33 (NKJV)

Peter just a few verses before has professed that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus then tells Peter and the gang to keep it under wraps. Jesus goes on to explain how he will be killed and raise from the dead in three days! Peter is upset. This doesn’t fit into his plan. Maybe Jesus was sorrowful as he shared the news trying to prepare the disciples. So Peter offers what must have been a rebuke with the best of intentions, “It’s ok Jesus! We’ll get through this! There will be brighter days!” Anyone of us might pull a friend aside and try to encourage them with such a rebuke… but then Peter get’s rebuked. Why? He is putting the things of God to the side and filling in his own man-centered wishes, wants, and desires.

If we aren’t careful we’ll do the same. I took a youth group on a mission trip. In the room next to me I could hear through the thin walls two of my chaperone’s discussing the difficulties of the trip. One of them said, “If God is in it, it should all be easy!” The other one interjected and said, “no, often when God is in something it is seemingly hard and often very difficult, but either way we need to seek what God wants and not complain.”

The truth is, it can be really hard to submit our will to God’s will. It takes recognizing that you don’t see the whole picture and God does. It takes humility to bow a knee to Christ and say, “your will be done!” and mean it. We often want to avoid pain, loss, sickness, and the harder things of life that shape us but sometimes God allows those things to shape our character and work in other peoples lives as well.

Had Peter been able to actually stop Jesus from carrying out the divine plan, we would all still be dead in our trespasses and sins! Seeking our own will and not seeking after God’s will can be toxic. There is no shortage of sad stories to tell of men and women who wanted things their way instead of God’s way. Peter found out that it was possible to have a good grasp of who Jesus is and forget to submit to him.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful that you use ordinary people like us to share your gospel with others. Help us all to fully submit our lives to you and see after your will, not just our own. Help us to be able to quickly discern what is truly your will and what is our own will. In Jesus Name, Amen.

It All Comes Down To Jesus (Mark 8:27-29 Devotion)

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Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, “Who do men say that I am?” 28 So they answered, “John the Baptist; but some [say], Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

– Mark 8:27-29 (NKJV)

I used to wonder what made Christianity different than different religions. The more I’ve studied, the more I’ve come to see that it all comes down to Jesus. The difference between Christianity and religion is who Jesus is! Religion teaches that you can enter into some sort of bliss by what you have done. Christianity teaches that we can only go to heaven through what Jesus has done. Religion offers you a recipe of good works, attitudes, or characteristics that YOU can do to bring everything into balance. Christianity teaches that it is only through Jesus that we can be forgiven of our sins and come into a right relationship with God. Christianity is personal, Christian doctrine is squarely based on the actions that Jesus took. Who Jesus is and what He has done, in particular his death, burial, and resurrection make all the difference in the world.

Here, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do people think I am?” There were a lot of opinions flying around. Most were willing to give him prophet status indicating that he spoke for the Lord. But for us to be saved, Jesus has to be more than a mere prophet with some pretty wise or bold saying… Religion is filled with prophets and teachers. The beliefs that we as Christians hold most dear are based on who Jesus is. The signs that he had been showing weren’t there to convince people to accept his teaching alone, they were given so that they might receive Jesus into their hearts (John 1:12).

He is the Messiah, that means the anointed one of God, expected to come and deliver his people his people. In his little knowledge Peter blurts out that Jesus is more than a mere prophet, he is the Messiah! Who Jesus is, really matters!

Who do you say Jesus is? There is a reason we Christians often refer to Christianity as a relationship, not a religion.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for the grace to have a personal relationship with you. I am grateful that you welcome us to repent of our sins and trust in you. May we live in the light of your work in our lives. Please guide us in your will and direction. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Get Out of Town (Mark 8:22-26 Devotion)

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Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him. 23 So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything. 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men like trees, walking.” 25 Then He put [His] hands on his eyes again and made him look up. And he was restored and saw everyone clearly. 26 Then He sent him away to his house, saying, “Neither go into the town, nor tell anyone in the town.”

– Mark 8:22-26 (NKJV)

We get a glimpse of Jesus healing a blind man. Yet, he does something peculiar, he takes the man out of the town and then does the miracle. The reason may be to give him a broader view when he does restore his sight, or this may be a hint that Jesus is a little fed up with this community. In fact he tells this man not to go back into town or tell anyone in the town… It seems like Jesus is a little fed up with this place called Bethsaida.

We see in Matthew’s gospel that Jesus actually pronounces a woe on Bethsaida:

“Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matthew 11:20-21, NKJV).

It was like Jesus was indicating that what works could have been done in Bethsaida will not be done in Bethsaida. Because of the lack of response to the witness that this community had been given, it would be given even less. In essence, Jesus wasn’t going to waste his time on folks who had ample opportunity to respond and failed to do so. Jesus won’t wait forever.

In the same breath, despite the rest of the town, there were those who did act in faith to bring their friend to Jesus. He honored their faith, though he brought the man out of town and healed him. I think there is plenty of room to note that when we are faithful to seek the Lord, even when others are not responding to Him, He will allow Himself to be found.

Finally, I think it is very interesting how this man is healed in stages. He sees some things, but not clearly, then Jesus touches him again and it brings complete clarity of vision. It reminds me of how we being our walk with the Lord. When we trust Him, we see things in a way that we have never seen before, but often he comes back and helps clarify the vision. Sometimes he does that through a trusted mentor or pastor who helps us see, understand, and apply the Word of God more clearly.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for your love for us. We pray that we would always have a faithful and real response to your word and your work. We want more of you. Thank you for the grace to bring our friends to you. Give us wisdom as we seek to reach those around us. Please guide us in your will and direction foe our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Dishonest Skeptics (Mark 8:11-21 Devotion)

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Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. 12 But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” 13 And He left them, and getting into the boat again, departed to the other side. 14 Now the disciples had forgotten to take bread, and they did not have more than one loaf with them in the boat. 15 Then He charged them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “[It is] because we have no bread.” 17 But Jesus, being aware of [it], said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments did you take up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.” 20 “Also, when I broke the seven for the four thousand, how many large baskets full of fragments did you take up?” And they said, “Seven.” 21 So He said to them, “How [is it] you do not understand?”

– Mark 8:11-21 (NKJV)

Yesterday we read about Jesus feeding the 4000 with a few loaves and fish. He remembered that he did something similar with a crowd of 5000 back in Mark 6. So now here, soon after feeding the crowd he gets in a boat with His disciples and heads across the lake. They land and are immediately met with a group of religious leaders demanding a sign.

It’s important that we pause here and reflect. For anyone serious about seeing if Jesus were the Messiah or not, there were already plenty of signs. Jesus had fulfilled prophecy, healed people, fed massive crowds on a few loaves and some fish, and even taught in the synagogues. But these leaders were still looking for a sign. A sign not to believe him, not to follow him, but a sign to test him.

Jesus responds that their won’t be a sign and hops back in the boat with the disciples and they head off on the lake again. While in transit Jesus mutters, “beware the leaven of the Pharisees” (religious leaders). The disciples think it’s a backhanded rebuke for forgetting to bring the bread. Jesus reminds the that he fed the 5000 and 4000 with just a few loaves of bread and fish. We discussed about how gracious Jesus is to be patient with us. We often have to have repeat lessons to learn things of faith. It doesn’t always come easy.

In this passage, Jesus doesn’t want bread, he wants them to be aware that the kind of doubt that is constantly looking for a sign (though plenty are evident) is both dangerous and contagious. The truth is, it wouldn’t matter how many signs Jesus did for the Pharisees, they had already decided in their hearts.

I’ve heard apologist Frank Turek answer several questions from a skeptical audience. Someone will often ask a difficult question and Frank will say something like, “I’ll address your questions in just a moment, but before we get into it I want to know… If I prove to you Christianity is true, will you give your life to Jesus?” It surprises me how many he has asked that to and how many say, “no.” In essence they have already made up their mind, no amount of proof will change it.

The point is when you already know the will of God you should do it. This kind of religious disobedience on the part of the Pharisees was contagious and dangerous. They claimed they wanted more signs to know that Jesus was who he said he was, but they already had plenty.

It’s not as thought Jesus asks us to follow him blindly, he has proven himself over and over, but there comes a point where it is absurd to say you are holding out for more signs.

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Thank you for grace that you pour out on your people. Help us to see, know, and do your will. Let us not be deceived when what you are doing is plain to see. Give us discernment, and when we have it, give us boldness to act for your kingdom and your glory! Show us your will. Please guide us in every direction we should go and decision we make. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Sometimes We Get a Repeat Lesson Because We Didn’t Learn it the First Time. (Mark 8:1-10 Devotion)

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In those days, the multitude being very great and having nothing to eat, Jesus called His disciples [to Him] and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 “And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.” 4 Then His disciples answered Him, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” 5 He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.” 6 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke [them] and gave [them] to His disciples to set before [them]; and they set [them] before the multitude. 7 They also had a few small fish; and having blessed them, He said to set them also before [them]. 8 So they ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets of leftover fragments. 9 Now those who had eaten were about four thousand. And He sent them away, 10 immediately got into the boat with His disciples, and came to the region of Dalmanutha.

– Mark 8:1-10 (NKJV)

I heard a story of a new preacher who had come to a church and he preached his first message on John 3:16 and everyone thought he did a fine job presenting the message. When the congregation came back the next week, they were puzzled to see the preacher preach the same sermon he had the week before. Some thought that maybe it had slipped his mind, others thought that perhaps he was young and he only had one good sermon and so they’d give him time to bring something different the next week. Sure enough after preaching the same sermon for three weeks in a row, one of the deacon’s pulled the pastor to the side and asked him why he hadn’t brought a “new” message. The pastor replied, “I’ve been wondering the same thing. I get up there and I preach my guts out but as I talk with people in the community through the week I realize that our church folks haven’t gotten the message and so I’ve committed to preaching it until it takes! I’m not hear just to tell you what the bible says, I’m calling you to really trust Jesus!”

I laughed when I heard that story, but it also stung a little. There are times in our life where God reveals his faithfulness to us through our trials, we seemingly grow by leaps and bounds, but then when we face a similar trial down the road, we are back at square one. (Like when Abraham lied about Sarah and said she was just his sister in both Genesis 12 and 20.) That is where we find the disciples again today. Jesus does another miracle of feeding a large crowd in the wilderness but the disciples seem to come up short on having learned their lesson from the last time and they are puzzled about where to get the bread to feed so many.

grateful that Jesus took his time to teach and reteach the disciples even through some hard lessons like this and I’m grateful that he takes time to reteach us as well. I think it’s also worth noting how many people were “bought-in” to the message that Jesus was sharing. They were willing to go into the wilderness and fast for the sake of seeing Jesus and hearing his word. It’s also worth noting that Jesus provided for those who were so desperately and persistently seeking him (again similar to how God provided manna when the nation of Israel was wandering in the Desert).

Father, We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. We are grateful for your patience with us to teach us how to trust you and come to you in faith. Thankyou that when we are weak, you are strong. We are grateful for the way you call us to follow you and where you guide, you provide. Please grow our faith. give us grace to trust you in the easy times and in the hard. Please be glorified in all of our lives. We humbly ask that you guide us in your will and direction. In Jesus Name, Amen.