THE WORDS OF JESUS IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Introduction
We are so glad you are joining us for these daily prayer devotionals as together we seek the heart of our God. Over the coming weeks, we will focus on some of the most meaningful words of our savior Jesus Christ from the book of Mark, as we follow his journey with his disciples on the path toward the cross. Our journey of prayer and fasting will culminate on Easter Sunday as we celebrate His resurrection, declaring victory over sin, death and shame.
Each devotion will take less than ten minutes of your time.
- We will Engage the Word – looking at some of Jesus’ words in their biblical context.
- We will Connect the Heart – considering a truth that is applicable to our lives.
- We will Reflect on the Truth, asking a number of questions each day that invite us to look and listen with intent.
- And we will Depend on the Spirit – We will pray, for it is in praying that we learn to pray. And it is in praying that the Spirit changes our hearts.
We want to encourage you to grab a journal or a notebook – something to write on as you walk through each prayer guide. Yes, it will add a few minutes to the time it takes to do the devotion, and it will also deepen your experience and shape your walk with God for years to come. This journal or notebook will be a keepsake to remind you of God’s faithfulness during this challenging season for all of us.
Engage the Word
Mark 2:16-17
16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Connect the Heart
Jesus always showed a heart for those who needed him the most – the broken, the needy, the sick, the hurting, the sinner. Those who considered themselves righteous and religious during his day did not understand this approach to the broken. Jesus did something unexpected – he engaged! Jesus wasn’t religious – He was connected. Connected to His Father – and connected to the broken people around Him. He forgave the sins of the hurting and confounded the expectations of the pompous.
Reflect on the Truth
1. How are you like Jesus in your response to hurting people? How might you be more like Him in this way?
2. Jesus was not judgmental like the scribes and Pharisees. He was loving. How do you respond – are you judgmental or loving?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the deeper longings, desires or motives in your heart that those thoughts are pointing to. (for example: you may write down, “I’d rather avoid hurting people than reach out in love. But I know this is not the heart of Jesus. I need your help, Lord.”) The Lord can help us discern the path forward – through His word, His Spirit, His people.
4. How can Jesus’ example inspire you to respond differently to someone today?
Depend on the Spirit
“Father, help me to live like Jesus, by Your Spirit. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear the needs of the hurting people around me today. Help me to more fully see that it’s not doing things that appear to others as righteous or holy that is important to you, but responding to a hurting world with the hope and love of Jesus.”
__________________________
Recent Comments