February 15: Mark 8:22-26
Key Verse: Mark 8:26
Jesus sent him home, saying, ‘Don’t even go into the village.’
Devotion:
When you read verses by themselves you begin to wonder why Jesus did some of the things He did; this is why our study of the bible study should always take into account the whole bible and not just a couple of verses by themselves! Jesus was having a hard time with people in Bethsaida and because of that He took this man outside of the village before He did anything.
When Jesus performed the miracles He did, it was always to bring glory to God and to focus peoples minds on God. If He had stayed in the village and done the healing there, we don’t know what would have happened – but Jesus knew something would go amiss and so took the people out of the village.
Sometimes when we are faced with strife we need to take a step back and think of another approach rather than fighting against the local people. When we are faced with disagreement and conflict which we know will affect how people perceive the Gospel, we need to change our approach. We must not bring doubt into the equation when we are trying to tell people the truth. Jesus was doing the same thing here, knowing someone would disagree or make a scene, so He avoided the conflict and doubters altogether.
When Jesus had healed the man He told the man not to go back into the village and not even to tell them about what had happened outside the village. We can only imagine what was going on to force Jesus to come away from the village in the first place! We should be willing to stop and listen to what God is telling us through the Spirit and through Christ and through His Word; only then can we too avoid the disagreements and doubters who may affect our own faith.
Points to Ponder:
Do you get upset by people talking against God?
Will you try to avoid the doubters and see how your faith changes?
February 14: Psalm 29:1-11
Key Verse: Psalm 29:7
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.
Devotion:
When you were growing up, who had a voice which would strike fear into your soul when you heard them shout out? For me as a very young child it was my Dad’s voice which struck fear into me. If he had to raise his voice at me, I knew I was in big trouble!
When the Psalmist wrote these words, I wonder who he was thinking about to describe the voice of God in such a manner. He would have known what the people thought about God from growing up and learning from the scriptures. He would have heard how Moses described the voice of God and how His voice struck fear into many people’s hearts over the years. King David, assuming it was him who wrote these words, knew how dire it was to get on the wrong side of God and having a good knowledge of the history of Israel through the Old Testament meant He knew how serious it would be if God were to speak directly to him!
I think we often gloss over just who God is when it comes to our Bibles. We like to look at the side of God which shows His love and mercy which enables so much in our lives when we need Him, but not to be reminded of the power and might when we do something wrong! I think these words should be read from time to time to remind us of the power of God.
Think about any time when you have been told off for doing something wrong. Think of the feeling of being told you are wrong and knowing it in your heart. Think of the fear which drained the blood and feeling from your face when the fear overtook you. Then think of God’s power in a new light, the light of His wrath when we do things wrong.
Points to Ponder:
Do you always make excuses when you have done something wrong?
What would God say to you?
February 13: Mark 8:11-13
Key Verse: Mark 8:13
Then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.
Devotion:
One of the things we don’t get to hear much about is Jesus’s anger. Each time we are told about a situation where we would have probably “flow off the handle,” Jesus would calm the situation down after telling people the truth. Here the Pharisees came to question Jesus because it seemed like He was not following the laws they were giving out. They had a very strict sense of the law and they would make sure people knew all about the law. This would give them a position of importance and would make sure everyone else would be in a position of being guilty!
What better way to placate people than to blame them for things so they are forced to back down because of some feeling of guilt! They came to Jesus and demanded He show them some sort of sign to prove He was the Messiah – what better way to corner an imposter than to force them to back down… at least that is what they were probably thinking!
Instead, Jesus kept the peace by simply saying He would not give them a sign and walking away from them. Sometimes the best way to win an argument is to walk away from it… Jesus was not about to give in to the Pharisees and He certainly did not want them to be in any position of power over His actions – how could they be!
When we are faced with any situation we think puts us in a difficult position, we should be trying to move forward with the truth and without aggravating other people. Much easier said than done because we will always take offence when faced with a truth we do not like… So next time you are cornered, think about the truth and not just your feelings...
Points to Ponder:
Do you retaliate when faced with the truth?
Will you allow God to show you the whole truth?
February 12: Matthew 6:25-34
Key Verse: Matthew 6:32
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Devotion:
One of the hardest things to do in life is to rely on someone else for life’s essentials! But, during these times of great turmoil in our lives and in our countries we need to be able to stick together and help each other out whenever we can. This will often mean we have to put our pride aside and allow someone else to do something for us even when we think we should be able to do it!
God wanted the disciples to know this so they would go out into the world, not as great leaders, but as servants depending on the people around them for everything. Jesus was a man who went forward doing things for God and not commanding a great army or a great country – His army was the host of angel who would willingly follow Him as He listen to and obeyed His Fathers instructions!
This is what God would have us to do – to stop worrying about what the world is going to do to us or for us and to trust God for our lives. I used to think it was fine for the church leaders to say this sort of thing when they had a steady job with the church… until I found myself in a place where I could not work for myself and needed to totally rely on God! And guess what… He came through more than I could ever believe possible!
God wants to be able to look out for us and to hold us close at ever opportunity. We have to be willing to let go of the world and allow God to guide us on the path we should be going on and not the path we think the world should give us! There is not much we can do to make our lives worth living other than trying as hard as we can; but what happens when we try hard and seem to fail? Try asking God what you should really be doing!
Points to Ponder:
Do you trust God for everything in your life?
Will you start by trusting Him with one thing at a time?