June 18: Mark 6 7-11
Key Verse: Mark 6 9
Wear sandals but not an extra shirt.
Devotion:
Now, this was not a literal command for all Christians to wear sandals and not an extra shirt, but rather a command for us to get out there into the world without having to lug round all our creature comforts. Life is not all about being as comfortable as you can make it without regard to others. Life is all about living with others and being part of their lives. Life is about including everyone who is willing to be included and sharing life together.
How many things do you pack before you go on holiday? Do you make sure you have all of your comforts met by the amount of stuff you take with you, or do you take the bare basics and make do with what you have? Well, Jesus was telling these disciples to not pack bags but to just get out there and spread the gospel. If people do want to hear about God then they will be willing to open up their lives a little to allow you to work with them. It’s not about enforcing your way on others to prove them wrong!
I see what is happening in society at the moment and I am dismayed there are people out there who refuse to believe there is a crisis happening right now, one which has been brewing for hundreds of years and has had far too many people turn a blind eye or even support the wrongful suppression of a human beings right to live as equals. Far too often people hang on to the riches they have gained and refuse to let them go in fear of not having those luxuries to live with.
Jesus wants us to live a life which is similar to the one chosen for the disciples to live, one where they could go out and share their lives without worry or shame for what they were doing. A life where Jesus Christ is at the centre and is the cornerstone upon which everything should be built. It is not our job to build up enough resources to carry others or to make others successful. It is our task to share Christ with everyone who is willing to listen and to live a life which simply gives glory to Him at all times.
Points to Ponder:
Are you worried about your bank balance?
Will you willingly share your bank balance with Christ?
June 17: Mark 6 1-6
Key Verse: Mark 6 5
He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
Devotion:
What is it which would prevent you from believing in Jesus? We all have our own things we believe because of what we have seen in our lives, or at least what we believe we have seen. But, as you go through life, you begin to realise things are not always what they seem. If you are willing to find out the truth and change your perceptions then you will be able move on further than if you stick to what you think are the right ways.
When Jesus went back to His home town, the people there knew Him as Jesus the Son of Mary and Joseph, not as Jesus Christ our Saviour. Their imaginations and faith were clouded by the fact they knew Him as a mere human being and not as the Son of God! Some of them accepted He was some kind of prophet because of the knowledge He had about God, but that was also their limiting factor, they did not want to believe further than that.
Sometimes we have things in our lives which are preventing us from seeing the truth about God and fully realising our faith in Him. This was a clear statement about how our faith was able to make things possible with Jesus being the catalyst and not the doer of all things. Jesus wants us to know it is our faith in God which will make things possible – things beyond our normal understanding.
When He tried to get people to be the doers instead of just being hearers of the word, things went south because of the lack of belief from the local people. When we go out into our communities we need to believe that Christ is going to work through us and not just us doing what we can. If we do what we can, we can help the people we touch, but if we have faith, God can do so much more in our communities than we can by ourselves!
Points to Ponder:
Do you like working alone?
Will you invite Christ to join with you in reaching your community?
June 16: Mark 5 9-17
Key Verse: Mark 5 17
Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
Devotion:
What is your first reaction to something you find unbelievable? Do you stop and question how or why? Do you just accept it as unknown and move on? Do you seek advice from others to try and form an consensus? Do you freeze and begin to panic? We all like to think we would be composed and react in a civilised manner, but if we are honest, we would have to face the unknown before we actually knew how we would react. Judging others because they are doing things differently after being forced into a corner they have not known before is dangerous ground!
When Jesus was faced with a legion of spirits who had taken up residence in a poor man His reaction sparked off a variety of ways in which people acted. The legion of spirits knew who Jesus was and they begged Him to not send them away for good. The rest of the people had reacted in many different ways, but the general feeling was probably fear from the unknown and they distanced themselves from the man who had been possessed.
When Jesus was able to get the spirits to leave the man and to go into the herd of pigs nearby, people were amazed and also afraid. The people did not know how to deal with this action they had not seen before and were now facing. Even though some people had been eye witnesses to what had happened and probably accepted what they had seen, the others began to get worried and started to demand Jesus left them alone.
We tend to over-react to things we hear and have not seen before because we have a built-in fear of the unknown. This is probably why there are so many conspiracy theories which plague our communities. God simply wants us to know the truth and to accept the truth. He wants us to know He has power over anything we fear and anyone we come against in our lives. As long as we are willing to ask Him for aid when we need it and listen to that help, we will be able to face the unknown without fear.
Points to Ponder:
Do you ask God to take your fears away from you?
Or do you ask God for help to face your fears?
June 15: Mark 4 35-41
Key Verse: Mark 4 39
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
Devotion:
Sometimes in life we seem to be swamped by storms! Everything seems like it is out of control and we start panicking because we think we are going to sink! This may well have been a real storm for the disciples as they were crossing the sea, but Jesus’ reply goes much deeper than the physical storm. In just a few words He was able to calm the storm and allow the disciples to relax once again – none of this had bothered Jesus in the beginning because He was asleep during the storm.
It was all about trust and faith. Jesus had complete faith and trust in His Father in Heaven. He knew His Father would look after Him no matter what! He knew no matter what He faced in this physical life, God His Father would continue to be there and look out for Him. What faith!
When we are faced with physical, emotional or spiritual hardships in our lives, we do need to remember God is in control and has this! Yes, it is hard to remember the pace of Christ when we are surrounded by a storm in our lives, but, as demonstrated here, it is the perfect way out of any storm. Does this mean we are not going to face storms? Certainly not, we are surrounded by people making storms, by situations which have grown up from tiny streams into raging torrents – all because a succession of people have not yet called on the name of God to calm the storm.
If we are able to call on God to help with the situations before they turn into storms, then we are ahead of the game and others will not have to endure those storms. If we are able to share this encouragement with others, they will feel a whole lot safer when they see the storms approaching. It is our faith which will be able to help others find theirs. It is our faith which is that light shining in the darkness. It is our faith which is that tiny seed from which a whole lot of goodness can grow!
Points to Ponder:
Do you sink or swim?
Do you call on God before the storm or only when it rages?
June 14: Mark 4 30-32
Key Verse: Mark 4 31
It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.
Devotion:
One of the things I keep hearing from friends is they are so insignificant in this world and they don’t believe they can make a difference. I would love to sit down with each one each time I hear this and remind them of this parable, but then to expand on it and cook them a meal, half of which I will leave out all forms of seasoning and half of which I will season properly. But then, who has got time to do this to everyone each time we hear someone putting themselves down.
My reaction would be – make time. It is far too important people understand just how much we are needed in this world. We all have been given a share of this world but whether we take all we can lay our hands on in a greedy frenzy, or whether we take a tiny morsel because we are scared, or whether we take enough to make a difference is up to us. God has supplied us with the wherewithal, we need to use what He gives us to make a difference.
Sometimes what He gives us is a seed and not a complete forest. He gives us the starting point so we can grow into our position and learn what it takes to get this far. When we grow with our communities, we learn to understand what is needed in those communities and we can make a bigger difference with the little we receive. The ultimate is planting a tiny seed which is going to grow into a formidable force which can be used for so much more.
If we plant a flower seed, we can grow a flower and make things look pretty, or we can give the flowers to someone else to make them feel wanted. If we are given a vegetable seed, we can grow vegetables which can be used to share with others in our communities. If we are given fruit seeds we can grow fruit to share with our community. It’s not what we get given but how we are going to use it!
Points to Ponder:
Do you know what God has allowed you to have?
How are you using what he has given you?