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Mark 1:20
   As we read Scripture it is sometimes easy to lose touch with the reality of the lives of those who are found there. But, these were real people. They had loves and concerns, and fears, just as anyone has. So, do not miss the human element in the Bible accounts.
   For example, we see here in this verse an extra piece of information that was deemed worthy of inclusion. Given Mark’s quick style, any included facts are worth noting. This gospel doesn’t throw in much detail, so where details are found they are to be noted especially.
   What is this detail? The leaving of Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants. This could have been left out completely and not have been missed. We would not have known this fact from this gospel at all had it not been mentioned. It would have not been seen as missing from the story. The flow of thought would have remained unhindered. And yet, here it is. Why?
   Well, though some two thousand years later it seems needless, the mention of an individual’s father would have been quite important at the time. That Mark here records the structure of James’ and John’s occupation in that it was apparently a family business would surely be special to them. Though we have no connection to Zebedee, it would make all the difference if this were our own kin being left behind as we went to serve Christ. Indeed, all of a sudden, the story would take on altogether new meaning. We might ask questions like, why was Zebedee left behind, and not invited to follow Christ with the rest? Were some others there that day that were invited, but failed to follow? Was Zebedee happy about the situation that his sons left him in? These are the kinds of questions we begin to ask when we remember that the Bible is not a dead book. It is alive, and it records the lives of real people who were changed by the Eternal Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Bible Reading: Micah 4:1-Nahum 1:15

Scripture Memory: James 5:2 “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am so glad that we can always trust you! You are never untrustworthy. Your faithfulness is absolutely unquestionable. I can look to you at any time and find you exactly where you have always been, in charge of it all. You have not fallen, flinched, retired, abated, or taken a break. You are constant. All that I see that is so regular, like the marching of time, finds its regularity in you. I can depend upon Christ not only for life eternal, but for life today. All that I am may rest upon his Sovereign Person. I can stake all that I have and all that I am upon his continued love and steadfastness in any second of the day. Never will I find him to fail me. He is always there. And why, because you owe this to me? No. Simply because of your awesome glory! You are above all, you are over all, you are more than all! There is not one shred of worthiness in my soul, and yet that makes no difference before the absolute power of your gracious love. You, dear Father, have given all to us through Christ, and yet you have lost nothing. You have gained all glory while giving so much to your servants. Christ has paid the greatest price, but is yet richer than all of eternity can fathom. You dear Lord are the Consummation of Holiness, the Absolute Expression of Brightness, and the Very Definition of Love. I bow before you in awe and devotion. May I always find myself surrendered to you! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in the hospital in poor condition. Pray for a man with cancer in both of his kidneys. Pray for a woman who lost a loved one at this time last year.

Journal Entry #15004

I am still quite swollen and on pain meds. But, I plan to resume blogging tomorrow morning.

I will be having oral surgery this week. I am also taking the week off from blogging for extra reflection time as I gear up for the new year. Have a great week!

Mark 1:19
   From what we can gather, these were the business associates of Peter and Andrew. While Peter and Andrew were out fishing, James and John were fixing their net so they could go out once again. Though they may have had separate boats, it seems likely that they were not competitors, but friends. Jesus, then, picks his first followers from a group of small business owners.

Bible Reading: Daniel 4:1-6:28

Scripture Memory: James 5:2 “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, your love is the theme of our song! How could we ever truly understand just how much you love us? That you would have the patience with us that you have is simply a testimony to your great glory.Indeed, your whole plan of redemption for our souls is a beautiful proof of your Almighty Sovereignty, your Absolute Power, your Perfect Holiness. You are worthy of the praise! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man who has been though a lot of medical treatment this year. Pray for a man awaiting the results of a medical test.

Journal Entry #14346

Mark 1:18
   We have in this verse two very important ideas. For one, these brothers forsook their nets. This translation of the word is very appropriate. It means more than that they simply dropped their nets. They gave them up. They left off caring about them. They were finished with that part of their life.
The second significant idea is expressed by the fact that they followed Christ. The word here means more than to simply follow because someone is going in the direction you want to go. This signifies following a leader, becoming a disciple. They were choosing to follow Christ as their Teacher and Master.
   One other important thing to notice in this verse is the structure of the sentence. It is not completely clear in the English, but it is in the Greek. These men immediately followed Christ. The forsaking of the nets was an attendant circumstance. It is secondary, whereas the following is the primary idea.
   This is very applicable because we often will remind ourselves of all that must be given up to follow Christ. However, the forsaking of other employments is secondary to the decision to follow the Master. If an individual is truly trusting Christ fully, the leaving of other entanglements is much more simple. Thus, we should avoid telling people what they must give up for Christ before we tell them why they should follow him. True followers will accept the price, but others will fail to do so.

Bible Reading: Daniel 2:1-3:30

Scripture Memory: James 5:2 “Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this wonderful Christmas Day! It’s great to have family all around us! We love you so much and we love each other so much! Having these wonderful children, and Lord, a safe and happy home, is such a blessing! Lord we ask that you bless another year if it be your will so that we may be witnesses for you everyday. Help our children to have faith in you. And Father help us to continually faithfully serve you with patience and kindness. O thank you for the Lord Jesus Christ you sent so long ago to die for us! We’re so glad that we can have salvation from our sins! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise you, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for several people who are recovering from the flu. Pray for a man in a rehab hospital.

Journal Entry #14345

Mark 1:17
   In the history of all the world there has never been such an invitation. Never before or since has so much been asked, and yet so much given for the task. The work of the gospel ministry is the highest calling anyone could ever follow. As some have said, if you are called to the ministry, do not stoop to being a king. It is a job with more danger than any other. The hours are long, the stakes are high, and martyrdom is not uncommon. But, as Jesus himself made plain, the treasure laid up in heaven for those who faithfully carry out the gospel ministry is unfathomable. Great thinkers may influence men’s minds, generals may force men’s bodies, artists may inspire one’s expression, but the minister only, by Christ, transforms one’s soul.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-Daniel 1:21

Scripture Memory: James 5:1 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day together! Christmas is a great time of year! You’ve given us so many blessings it is overwhelming. We could never even list all of your blessings, let alone thank you for every single one of them. But, please help us to remember to thank you for all that we can. As we realize your role in our lives, we begin to actually live. The content of our character, the quality of our experience, and the fervency of our love are all affected by our understanding of you. Thank you for the Christ child! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for those who are away from each other due to sickness today. Pray for the lost. Pray for those who are homeless at Christmastime.

Journal Entry #14344

Mark 1:16
   The occupation of fishing is so very much like the occupation of the gospel ministry. The net is cast. Various sea creatures are taken in. A few will be chosen, some will be missed. The fishing may be very poor in one area, and rich in another. Some can hardly be reached, whereas others will be missed due to great numbers in one place. It is a job that takes up many hours of the day, and can involve the night hours as well. In almost every particular, fishing is like preaching.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 44:1-46:24

Scripture Memory: James 5:1 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son to this earth for us. Thank You for the wonderful message of the gospel. And, thank you for allowing us to ‘fish’ in this great work. It is an honor for each believer to work in this great task. May we win souls daily! Thank You for Jesus! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for  a man in the hospital. Pray for a man who is recovering from a serious condition.

Journal Entry #14343

Mark 1:15
   There are those who, of course, do not believe the truth about Christ, and yet presume to teach on the Bible anyway. Some, as a result, say that Jesus got his early message from John the Baptist, and then built it from there. Well, this is one of those arguments built upon itself. John got his message from Jesus, not the other way around. But, because this connection was necessary and proper, unbelievers have used it as an excuse for their assertions.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 41:1-43:27

Scripture Memory: James 5:1 “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. You give us such amazing blessings. Our children are a constant reminder of Your amazing power and wonderful love. They are, each of them, miracles. Thank You for the every-day miracles all around us. We cannot forget Your glory! You are above all. Thank You! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man in a nursing home. Pray for an elderly woman who just lost her husband.

Journal Entry #14342

Mark 1:14
   There has been much confusion about what Jesus is actually teaching here. Because of the fact that his preaching is referred to as the gospel of the kingdom of God, many have interpreted this to be something different from what we would think of as the regular gospel. The fact is that the plan of God has a lot to do with the response of the people of God. Of course history would flow differently if people had, throughout that history, responded differently to God’s truth. The fact is, however, that has not happened, and people have generally been unresponsive, as the Bible has predicted.
   It is because of this that we are told by some that Jesus was preaching the gospel of the kingdom. By this they mean that Jesus was saying the kingdom of God would literally, physically, come to the world at that time, if the Jews would wholeheartedly repent. Though this is true, in a sense, we need to keep in mind the fact that it had already been determined this would not happen. Scripture had already indicated and prophesied that the Jews would not respond in this way.
   The best way to understand this might be to go back to the beginning of creation. Though Adam could have obeyed, he did not. God knew before Adam ever sinned that he would indeed sin. Thus, God’s offer a blessing to a perfect mankind was no less legitimate, even though he knew mankind would not remain perfect. In the same way, Jesus’ offer of the Kingdom at that time to a wholeheartedly repentant Jewish nation was no less legitimate, even though that would not be forthcoming.
   As result, I feel it is always best to have unity in our view of the message of God throughout history. Rather than trying to divide God’s message up into different sections, it is better to realize that God’s message is always based on repentance, faith, and obedience to it. God knows who will respond, and how they will respond. Thus, the content of the message will always be tailored to the response of those who hear. The message of God, then, even before the time of Christ, has always been repent and believe. Obedience out of a true heart of love for God is always what he has asked for of us, and it is what he will always ask for of us. Because of this, it is not necessary to separate the gospel of the kingdom from the gospel of the cross. As we will see in the next verse, repentance and faith is what the Lord is asking for.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 38:1-40:49

Scripture Memory: James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, it is so good to know that you always tell us the truth! You have never once lied. All that you have promised, you truly mean. And, you are faithful to perform every promise you have made. We could never accuse you of dishonesty, flattery, impiety, cruelty, or injustice. You love us genuinely, devotedly, and faithfully. May we reciprocate with like kind. May praise for you always be found in our mouths! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for a man with several health issues. Pray for a man who is trying to decide whether to return to the mission field in spite of poor health. Pray for a woman who recently lost her husband.

Journal Entry #14340

Mark 1:13
   If we are not careful in our understanding of the will of God, it would be very easy to become confused by this particular verse. It is not God’s will for evil to happen. However, he may allow evil to do things for a time. He allowed for Jesus to be put into the wilderness, in a situation where he was challenged and tempted physically. Jesus was hungry, Jesus was tired, Jesus was in want physically. Emotionally and spiritually I’m sure it was difficult as well. However, the difference between him and our original father Adam, is his divinity. Though we have record in the other gospels of the temptation of Satan at the end of the 40 days, the entire temptation extended for this entire time. There have may have been other interchanges between the evil one and Christ. But, our record of the last encounter would be how the other ones had gone as well. Our sinful foe only has 3 tricks up his sleeve. And he uses them over and over with mankind. With the Christ, however, they fell flat.
This mention of wild beasts may seem strange to some. However, it serves to remind us of the horrible weight of sin upon the creation. Even the animals are affected by the punishment of sin, the curse reaches to them as well. It is, then, after this long testing, a significant number of days, that the angels come to minister to the Lord Jesus. No living man had ever been through such an ordeal of testing, trial and temptation. But the blessed Son of God, the Christ, came through it unscathed and uncompromised.

Bible Reading: Ezekiel 35:1-37:28

Scripture Memory: James 4:17 “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day! May we lift Christ high in everything that we do. May we give him always the preeminence in all of our actions, words, thoughts and deeds. May we always keep in mind the fact that only you have our best interests at heart. You alone know the right path for our feet. You alone will always guide us in the ways that are best for our lives. We owe you our allegiance, we owe you our worship. May we give you both in humble service. We find our worth in your infinite power. We find our satisfaction in your infinite love. May all praise be to you dear Father! In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.

Prayer Requests: Pray for our Christmas play. Pray for a woman with emotional issues. Pray for a woman who is very elderly.

Journal Entry #14339