Category: Uncategorized

Mark 10:17
When we read the rest of this passage, and see that this man did not end up following Christ, we tend to think that the enthusiasm he shows in this verse was an unnecessary show. Well, show or not, enthusiasm is not unnecessary. Just becuase our genuiness may not be forthcoming doesn’t mean true enthusiasm should never exist. Blessed are they who have a genuine enthusiasm for service to our Lord!

Heavenly Father, help us to love Jesus with a pure heart. But, in our true faith, may we not forget a real enthusiasm for you and your greatness. You are an exciting person to be involved with. To think that we may be a part of your program is such a wonderful blessing! You have given us a great opportunity. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:16
There are those places in scripture where God has obviously given us the opportunity to use our imagination. What better verse could you find to inspire a beautiful painting? What better verse could you find to inspire thoughts of God’s love for us? This is such a beautiful picture of how God cares for his children. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

Heavenly Father, sometimes it is just overwhelming to think of how good you are to us. We must ask ourselves how can we ever give back to you? You have done so much for us, and you will do so much more. But, this is only consistent with your glory. You are worthy of all the praise forever and ever. All the glory and honor belongs to you, and we will praise you forever. Thank you for your love! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 10:15
Does Jesus then mean to say that only children may be saved? It sounds that way. But, remember, why was Jesus so upset about the children being denied access to him? Because the only thing keeping us from Jesus is sin, not age.
What Jesus is saying here is that people most come to him with the understanding that they are no better than any other. The unassuming, trusting faith of a child is what is needed. If one comes to Christ with some preconceived notion of his or her own value, nothing shall come of if. We must just come as total dependents, with nothing to show as our rights or grievances. Just as children are completely dependent upon the judgement of their parents, we are to be that dependent upon Christ.

Heavenly Father, what have I to offer you? And the answer is nothing. I came empty and you have filled me. I came as an outcast, and you made me a son. I came as one full of iniquity, and you have made me righteous. I came with no certainty, and you have given me wisdom. We cannot be anything without you, and with you we may be all that you would have us to be. And that is something quite wonderful. Thank you! You alone deserve the glory. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and I praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:14
Now some might say that Jesus should not be one to get upset. I think however it’s really nice that when he gets very upset it is in connection with something like this. He was very displeased with the disciples decision to deny access to him. But, much more than that, the fact that they denied access on the basis of the age of those who were being brought to him, was a big deal. It is so appropriate to see that Jesus, who is God in the flesh, would not cotton to the idea of children being denied access to him. It just makes sense.
One of the most unique things about God is, as the scripture reveals, he is not a respecter of persons. This means that no one person has any more right to him than any other person. All of us are undeserving, all of us are unholy, all of us are not worthy. So, to deny access to him simply on the basis of age, that is so totally wrong! Sin keeps us from God. And adults are just as guilty as the children. So, age must not stand as an obstacle to access.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your magnanimous mercy! If you were not merciful and gracious, it wouldn’t matter what age we were, we could never hope to escape damnation. But, because of your wonderful grace, you sent your Son to make it possible for us, all of us, to be redeemed. You are worthy of all the praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 10:13
This seemed a frivolous thing to his disciples. These people had brought their children just so Jesus could touch them. They probably envisioned this kind of thing catching on, and then they would have to deal with the blessing of the children in every town as some kind of tradition. They felt this is unnecessary abuse of the Master’s time.

Heavenly Father, help us to understand the simple blessings that you have given us. Help us to see how that you can use us in the lives of children to make such a difference for your kingdom. What you can use us to do is not based on our limited ability, but on your unlimited ability. You deserve the glory, for you have used us in ways we would never expect. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Mark 10:12
This is quite an interesting statement since the Jews did not allow for a woman to get a divorce. Jesus doesn’t leave the women out. They would bear responsibility for the marriage just as the man. This would apply whether she was the instigator or not, but it is interesting that he includes this since the disciples would likely not have wondered about the women at that time. Later, once the church was growing, they would remember this and understand better.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy upon us. We never know what a day may bring forth. We think we know everything ahead of time. But, we don’t. We cannot even predict the next ten minutes. May we always depend upon your glorious wisdom! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

I’m battling a bad skin infection. I’ll resume posting when I can.

Mark 10:11
This was the kind of teaching that we need. Rather than taking the experiences of man into more account, Jesus upheld the dictates of Almighty God. No matter what importunity might have befallen a marriage, to break it up is still an act against the designs of our Sovereign Creator. Indeed, Jesus’ teaching on this shows clearly that the institution of marriage is only the outward trappings of the inward reality. When the two become one by the physical consummation, that is marriage. The rest is the recognition of its holy status as the design of God. To break that physical union, and to be joined to another is to confuse and trespass against his purposes.

Heavenly Father, you have given us a perfect pattern. You have blessed us with your grand designs. You have instructed us to do your truth. What a mercy this is! Thank you for your great goodness to us! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:10
The disciples were concerned that they hadn’t completely understood Jesus’ position on marriage. It just couldn’t be that straightforward. There had to be more to it. But, there wasn’t. Jesus was upholding the Word of God, not allowing sinful human experience to modify it. The disciples simply could not understand how a man could be expected to stay married to the same woman for life without some sort of contingency plan. Though Jesus allowed for divorce in the case of adultery, he made it clear that God hates divorce.

Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus! Your Word is a blessing to our lives. Though we often have difficulty with it, your Word causes us to grow. It is the way that you work for our good in our lives. You are kind to give it to us. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Mark 10:9
One of the biggest things that we fail to understand is that God has a right to his creation. He makes the rules, he calls the shots. The design for marraige is just as important to the makeup of the human race as are fingers, toes, eyeballs, etc. It is a part of what we are, not simply an institution of man.
To help in understanding this, remember the state of Adam and Eve at the beginning. They were totally nude! Now how could that work for society? What kind of world were they supposed to build from that? The answer is, a perfectly good one. Why? Because no one would have dreamed of getting out of God’s order. The rules were not barriers that they chafed under, but containers for the beautiful intentions of an infinitely wise Creator. And yet, we threw it all away for the only tree that God said we could not touch. Such is sin, deceiving the gullible!

Heavenly Father, when we think of what you had intended for us, and what you do give us now in marriage, we are so thankful! No matter what we think is right, you always know the best way. You alone have all the answers. You alone may design our life in a perfect way. You have the power to make us what we ought to be through Christ. Thank you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.