Tuesday 20 Mar 2018

March 20: Mark 9:39-50

Key Verse: Mark 9:42
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Devotion:
You would think that anyone listening to Christ on this occasion would get a graphic picture of just how horrible hell would be and would do anything to turn away from going there… but, sadly, people do not quite understand just how much of a choice they make for themselves by not making a choice. If we are told by the sales person at the car dealership we need to fill up our car with petrol when the gauge gets to the empty marker, we would do that. Some of us have had to find out the hard way that letting the gauge go too far means that the car will stop running altogether! Fortunately for us, this is not a terminal situation…

God gives us instruction when we get our bodies. He has the whole instruction manual neatly laid out in 66 books and letters which we now call the bible. He went to great pains to make sure all we need was written in this manual as the truth and it shows us what can happen in almost all situations. It shows us what will happen when we are good, bad and indifferent. It tells us what will happen if we believe and if we choose not to believe. If we choose not to believe, then we are in effect choosing not to fill our cars with petrol and see how far we can go! We think we know how far it will last. We think we know we will be ok, even if time runs out… but truth be told, when time runs out, we have one big problem!

These verses remind us; we are either for God, or against God. No in-betweens. We are either for Him where He can support us, encourage us, protect and save us… Or we choose to go the other way where He no longer can support us. This support breaks down, not because He cannot get to us (for God is everywhere), but because we are actively choosing not to have His support. When that happens, we have to face up to whatever lies ahead… alone…

We all still make mistakes, but if we are headed off in the wrong direction there is not going to be any help ahead…

Points to Ponder:
How often do you make the right choices?

Are you walking in God’s direction?