[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (DG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
MARK
10:35-45
v41
"And hearing this, the ten began to feel indignant James and John"
The
other disciples were angry, not because it was wrong for them to ask, but
because they also wanted to be great. It was jealousy.
May
we not be jealous of others' success! May we not be jealous of others' dreams! May
we not be envious of the prosperity of the wicked! For their feet shall slip
(Ps.73:18). Help me and my brothers, Lord, Amen!
MARK
11
(Particularly
v27-33)
Jesus
refused to answer some of their questions. Sometimes, it's wise to not answer
some questions. That's why I stopped answering some of your questions in the
beginning! 😉
And
also, v25 highlights the importance of forgiveness. This reminder is necessary
because we will fail one another's expectations because even at our best, we
still are sinners in this body. We have to be forgiving.
John
MacArthur says and I agree with him that we are most like God when we are most
forgiving!
MARK
12:6-8
“He
had one more, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They
will respect my son.’ But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the
heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ And they took
him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.”
What
a tragic story! What a forbearing God, the Lord is! What a wicked creature, we
humans are!
This
parable is true and applicable to our sanctification too. Many times, we ignore
and silence the voice of conscience, Spirit, and church! Before each time we
fall, have we not ultimately silenced the warning and appealing voice?
Thank
You, Lord, for your forbearance! Allow me not to go astray! Always lead me back
to Your fold. And let me drink Your spring of joy as I walk with You! Amen!
𝕄𝔸ℝ𝕂 𝟙𝟛:𝟛𝟛-𝟛𝟟
“See
to it, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will
come. It is like a man away on a journey, who, leaving his house and giving
authority to his slaves—each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to
stay awake. Therefore, stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the
house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster
crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you sleeping. And what
I say to you I say to all, ‘Stay awake!’”
Am
I ready for the coming of my Lord Jesus Christ? Will I be found sleeping or
waiting when He returns?
𝓞𝓱! 𝓜𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓾𝓵, 𝓼𝓽𝓪𝔂 𝓪𝔀𝓪𝓴𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓫𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓻𝓿𝓲𝓬𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓶𝔂 𝓚𝓲𝓷𝓰!
𝕄𝔸ℝ𝕂 𝟙𝟜:𝟛𝟛-𝟛𝟞
“And
He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and
troubled. And He *said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved to the point of
death; remain here and keep watch.’ And He went a little beyond them, and fell
to the ground and began to pray that if it were possible, the hour might pass
from Him. And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father! All things are possible for You;
remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.’”
𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚔. 𝙸𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝙸 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙹𝚎𝚜𝚞𝚜' 𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚍𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑.
𝙷𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 🅓🅘🅢🅣🅡🅔🅢🅢🅔🅓, 🅃🅁🄾🅄🄱🄻🄴🄳, ⒼⓇⒾⒺⓋⒺⒹ,
🅵🅴🅻🅻 🅳🅞🆆🅽!
ɪᴛ ᴡᴀsɴ'ᴛ ᴇᴀsʏ ғᴏʀ ᴊᴇsᴜs ᴛᴏ ᴅɪᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴜs. ʟᴇᴛ's ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ sᴀʟᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɢʜᴛʟʏ. ɪᴛ ᴘᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ᴏғ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴇᴍᴏᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟʟʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪᴍ ᴘʜʏsɪᴄᴀʟʟʏ!
𝓛𝓸𝓻𝓭, 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓴 𝓨𝓸𝓾, 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓵𝓲𝓯𝓮 𝓯𝓸𝓻 𝓶𝓮. 𝓜𝓪𝔂 𝓘 𝓪𝓵𝔀𝓪𝔂𝓼 𝓻𝓮𝓶𝓮𝓶𝓫𝓮𝓻 𝓨𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷𝔂 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓮𝓽𝓱𝓼𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓮! 𝓐𝓶𝓮𝓷!
𝕄𝔸ℝ𝕂 𝟙𝟝:𝟛𝟘
"He
saved others; He cannot save Himself."
ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇᴅ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ᴛʜᴀᴛ. ʜᴏᴡᴇᴠᴇʀ, ᴛʜᴇʏ sᴀɪᴅ sᴏ, ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ᴀᴅᴍɪʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛ, ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ᴀᴅᴏʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴍᴏᴄᴋᴇʀʏ.
ɪs ɪᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴇᴀʀғᴜʟ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ sᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴡᴇ ᴘʀᴏғᴇss ᴄᴀɴ ʜᴀʀᴅᴇɴ ᴜs ᴏʀ sᴏғᴛᴇɴ ᴜs ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴇᴀᴅ ᴜs ᴛᴏ ᴇᴛᴇʀɴᴀʟ ᴅᴀᴍɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏʀ sᴀʟᴠᴀᴛɪᴏɴ?
ᴀʟsᴏ, ʜᴏᴡ sᴇʟғɪsʜ ᴡᴇ ʜᴜᴍᴀɴ ᴀʀᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ sᴇʟғ-ᴅᴇɴʏɪɴɢ ᴏᴜʀ ʟᴏʀᴅ ᴡᴀs! ᴡᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴏᴜʀsᴇʟᴠᴇs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴀᴅᴠᴇʀsɪᴛʏ (ʙᴇ ᴛᴏʀᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴘᴇʀsᴇᴄᴜᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴘᴏᴠᴇʀᴛʏ, sʜᴀᴍᴇ, ᴇᴍʙᴀʀʀᴀssᴍᴇɴᴛ, ᴘᴀɪɴ, sᴏʀʀᴏᴡ, ᴇᴛᴄ.) ʙᴜᴛ ᴄʜʀɪsᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴏsᴇ ᴛᴏ sᴀᴠᴇ ᴜs.
𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐘𝐨𝐮: 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮, 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬! 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐧!
𝕄𝔸ℝ𝕂 𝟙𝟞:𝟛
"And
they were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the
entrance of the tomb?’"
I
grew up seeing pictures of Jesus' tomb opened and Christ about to ascend into
heaven. As if the tomb was opened for Christ to come out. As if the stone of
the tomb was rolled away for Christ to escape.
This
verse is the clearest description of an open tomb in all accounts of the 4
gospels. The stone was rolled away for the women to come and realize that
Christ has risen because those women weren't able to roll the mighty stone
away.
I
see, how God intervenes in our every moment of life to strengthen our faith in
Him! Help me, Lord to see Your Providence in all situations, Amen!