Mark 8 – Do you still not understand…

Mar17

Good evening y’all. Today we are studying Mark chapter 8.

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I am focusing today’s blog on verse 1 – 21.

Be blessed 🙂

Mark begins this chapter with another ‘feeding-of-the-multitude’ miracle.  I was amazed that the disciples still didn’t understand that they need not fret about feeding the multitude. Just a few days back (at least I’m assuming it was only a few days),  they saw Jesus take 5 loaves and 2 fishes and multiplied it enough to feed 5000 and they had 12 baskets left over! Now in a similar situationl, they still don’t understand that God can provide. Their reaction was similar to that in chapter 6.

With all I’ve said, I’d like us to resist passing judgement on the disciples, and instead try to empathise with them. I know I’m guilty of the same offence they committed. So many times I find myself forgetting that God is able to deliver, provide and save. Even though I’ve seen Him do it for me before, when a seemingly new challenge comes I forget and panic before remembering that God has done this before!

After this the disciples went away on a boat with Jesus and He charged them to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees. They thought it was because they only had one loaf of bread with them. Again these guys still didn’t understand who Jesus was. They knew of his works on the surface level but they didn’t fully know who He was or understand the power and authority He carried; or have enough faith in Him. They tried to understand Him with the physical mind. Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, gave them a good telling off.

‘Do you still not understand?’: That was Jesus’ response.  ‘If I could multiply 7 loaves, 5 loaves and 2 fishes then what gives you the impression I can’t multiply 1?’

I kinda feel that’s how God feels when we begin to doubt Him; forget about how great He is; or choose to focus on our problems instead of Him, even though we have seen Him do them before.

Beloved, God is able…let this be a reminder for someone today. Perhaps you have been fretting about an issue.  Jesus is saying to you today that, ‘If I have fixed it before, then know that I can still do it. I still move mountains for people; I still deliver people; I still provide for people; I still heal the sick; and I still set people free.

Be encouraged today. In the book of Hebrews, it is written: ‘He is the same yesterday and today and forever. The same book of Hebrews says, ‘… there are 2 immutable things: that God can never change or lie’.

Today be reminded that if He has done it before, He can do it again.  Jesus is closer to you than you think. He is waiting for you to run into His loving arms. He wants to help you. He is gently tugging at your heart saying, ‘give it to me…let Me carry this for you. It’s not meant for you. I already paid the price so why are you trying to pay for what is already paid for? Let me carry your burden and give you rest’.

Jesus loves you more than you can imagine. And if you haven’t experienced his love perhaps this is the time for you to take that step of faith and invite Him into your heart by saying these words:

“Lord Jesus I thank you for my life. I thank you for coming to die for me. I ask you to come into my life today; to come and be the Lord and Saviour of my life. Please forgive me of all the wrongs I have committed. Today I choose to follow and trust You. Thank You for welcoming me into Your family. In Your holy name I have prayed. Amen”.

I pray that the HolySpirit will help us remember the greatness of God at all times. I also pray that we will choose to see Him instead of the magnitude of our problems; and He will help us to always remember that if He has done it before then He can do it again.

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed evening 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Mark 7 – You are what you feed your heart…

Mar16

Good morning y’all. We should be studying chapter 8 today but i’m one day behind….hopefully i will catchup before the week runs out 🙂

Todays blog will be on chapter 7.

Be Blessed 🙂

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“So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.  For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’  But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’  In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents.  And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.” Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand.  It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. ” (Mark 7:5- 15 NLT)

The pharisees were more concerned about fulfilling all the religious traditions passed down to them than actually spending time with Jesus and getting to know him for themselves. I love how the message version puts verse 6 – 8.

“Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:
These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God’s command
    and taking up the latest fads.” (MSG)

They rather uphold man made commandments than that of God. Their mouth says one thing but their hearts are far off. Jesus is looking for genuine worship and not a fake one. John 4:23 – 24 says:

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (ESV)

Jesus goes on to tell them in v15 that it’s  what comes out of us that defiles us and not what goes in.

“It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart”(NKJV)

No wonder the psalmist in Psalm 141 prayed for God to keep a watch over his mouth.
“Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth;
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
Do not incline my heart to any evil thing,
To practice wicked works with men who work iniquity;
And do not let me eat of their delicacies”.(Psalms 141: 3-4 NLT)

In the book of Proverbs, the wise man told us to guard our hearts for out of it comes the issues of life. I like the MSG version of that verse

“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts”. (Prov 4:23 MSG)

We need to keep renewing the inside. It is very easy to get carried away by the outside and forget to take care of the inside. The more we rub minds with God and allow His Spirit to work in us, the more we become like him.

Romans 12:2 says:

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect”. (NLT)

What is the state of our heart? Remember you are what you feed your heart…

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to leave your thots on the chapter.

Have a blessed day 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

***With God all things are possible***