Sunday, July 30, 2017

Alone - Mark 14:50



Mar 14:50 And they all forsook him, and fled.


 Do you ever feel you’ve been deserted? The Lord can sympathise as He knows more than any other person what it is to be alone.

 In our passage today we see that Mark has recorded for us this fact that all forsook Him and fled. Another translation says ‘everyone deserted Him and fled’ (NIV). He was left alone with those who had come to arrest Him, this despite all that Peter had said earlier.

The Lord knew what it was to be left alone in the hour of His deepest need. He was to face the barrage of abuse with no man standing by to support and help. During those 3 hours of darkness on the cross he was forsaken by God as He was made sin for us. Psalms 102 tells us that He was like a pelican of the wilderness: like an owl of the desert and a sparrow alone upon the house top, pictures illustrating His loneliness. No one has been lonelier.

It was His obedience to His Father that led Him to this lonely place. Sometimes you will find the same happening to you. Friends and colleagues want to do things and go to places that as a Christian you feel are not for you. That decision may come with a cost: being alone.

I remember from my college days that there were many lunch times that I spent alone in the library because class colleagues had gone drinking. At times I found this hard and embarrassing as we don’t naturally like to be the odd one out and left alone.


We can take comfort that when these situations arise the Lord has been there first. He knows what it is to be alone and so can sympathise with how we feel at times like these.
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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

He will reign - Mark 13:4




Mar 13:26 'And then will they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory'




We are incredibly privileged to know what the future holds for us and this world as we find in the Bible. What other book do you know tells the future and then what it tells come to pass? This is a great book to get into. Don’t miss out on what the Bible has to say about our future. 
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Monday, July 24, 2017

Signs of the times - Mark 13:4

Mar 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

 We are incredibly privileged to know what the future holds for us and this world as we find in the Bible. What other book do you know tells the future and then what it tells come to pass? This is a great book to get into. Don’t miss out on what the Bible has to say about our future. 
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Saturday, July 22, 2017

Take your c@%##! - Mark 8:34




Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. (Mark 8.34)

In polite Roman society, it was as bad as swearing to say the word ‘cross.’ No decent Roman ever mentioned it, let alone considered dying on a cross. Jews had a similar horror of crucifixion. It was hanging on a tree, which is cursed in Old Testament Law. However the cross was never far from the Lord Jesus’ mind. He thought about it in eternity, when He was marked out by God as the Lamb. He thought about the cross in history, when the Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to describe those sufferings in intimate detail. He thought about the cross during his earthly life, since He often told His followers that He was going to die.
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Thursday, July 20, 2017

To be continued - Mark 8:25





After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (Mark 8.25)

Have you been for an eye test recently? The Lord Jesus is better than any optician. As I read through the Gospels, it is interesting to see how He uses different treatments to heal blind people. Today’s man has two eye tests. He is healed gradually not immediately.
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Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Not Nasty but Nice - Mark 7:27


















Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled (Mark 7.27)



At first, it seems like the Lord Jesus is being horrible to this woman. She has a serious problem, so she comes to the Lord Jesus for help. Yet He takes His time and carefully guides her. She understands her need. She expects that He can meet that need. But she must also realise how little she deserves His mercy. At last in desperation this lady begs for His help, knowing she can’t earn it. Then the Lord answers her cry and heals her daughter.
 It’s the same for me! To truly appreciate His greatness, I need to be aware of my own unworthiness. Only then can I understand how kind He is to help me.
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Sunday, July 16, 2017

Heart 2 Heart - Mark 7:21



From within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts … (Mark 7.21)

My heart is a wonderful engine. It pumps 7000 litres of blood a day, beating more than once a second. It should last for 70 years without a service or MOT. But humans are more than machines – I am a spiritual creature made in God’s image. And so I can learn more about my heart in the Bible than in any Biology textbook!
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Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Famous Five - Mark 6:44


They that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men. (Mark 6.44)


Every day with the Lord Jesus is an adventure. The disciples soon discovered this fact as they spent time with Him. On this busy day, the Lord was teaching, healing, feeding, praying and saving. Five wonderful actions! Many people think it is boring being a Christian. Not true! Living with the Lord Jesus is always an exciting experience!
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Monday, July 10, 2017

Teens Talk




She was of the age of twelve years, Mark 5. 42.




Twelve is an important age for Jewish children. It marks the time when they officially become young people. Boys celebrate this at their Bar Mitzvah ceremony. The Lord Jesus has always been interested in young people. Jairus’ daughter was about to begin her teens. John the disciple was probably near the end of his teens when he first met the Lord. Most people write off teenagers as awkward immature individuals – but the Lord Jesus sees my value and potential however young or old I am.
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Saturday, July 08, 2017

God’s plan for public services





Short Reading – Mark 10:35-45 


Longer Reading – Mark 10:28-52

Key Verse – Mark 10:45

The Lord Jesus really shook people up ,and in particular his disciples, with the teaching that he gave. I can only imagine the shocked looks on their faces when he announced that for anyone to be great in his Government they would need to serve everybody, v 44.
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Thursday, July 06, 2017

Who gave you the right to do that?




Short Reading – Mark 11:27-33 


Longer Reading – Mark 11:20-33


Key Verse – Mark 11:28

Sometimes when I am trying to tell someone about what I believe they respond like this. Don’t shove religion down my throat! Who gave you the right to tell me that?

The rulers of the nation of Israel were out to get the Lord Jesus. They didn’t like the attention he was being given and as far as they were concerned he was a major threat.
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Tuesday, July 04, 2017

Using what you have for God!

Using what you have for God



Short Reading – Mark 11:1-11  
  

Longer Reading – Mark 11:1-19

Key Verse – Mark 11:3 ‘The Lord hath need of him’

Imagine that I just bought a new car. It is just the model I dreamed about, the pearlescent metallic paint is looking great, the alloys are really cool and the leather seats are ….well what can I say! I have only one problem. Someone has asked me to take a new family, with their children, mucky feet etc, to an outreach meeting. What should I do?
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