Author: David Short

Mark 9:33-35

Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest. And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Personal Challenge

Once again, we have Jesus turning the wisdom of the world upside down. His disciples, as so many today, were arguing about which one of them would be the greatest in His Kingdom. I can see it now. “I answered more of His questions right than anyone else!” “I was the first one that He selected!” “He gets into my boat more than yours?” “I have…” But Jesus tells them this doesn’t matter. He wants us to be willing to put others first, to be servants rather that masters. Do we willingly step aside and let others go before us? Do we take the seat in the back of the room so that others can have the better seat? Do joyfully do His work without seeking recognition and praise? If we do these things with pure hearts and motives, and not false piety, then we are serving others and Christ. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Mark 9:23-24

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Personal Challenge

Sometimes I think this is my favorite passage in the Scriptures. Here we have a man whose son is very sick. He had brought him to the disciples hoping that they could heal him. They couldn’t. Then he asked Jesus to heal him. Once again, Jesus reminds us that our faith plays an active role in His work of miracles in our lives. The father proclaims what I have felt so many times in my life. “Lord, I believe, help me in my unbelief!” We need to reach out to Jesus to help us believe in Him. We need to trust Him. We need Him to lead us though our valley of disbelief. Glory be to God!

Mark 8:34-35

When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.”

Personal Challenge

It can be difficult living the life that Jesus calls us to live. A critical component of this kind of life is denying ourselves, putting God and others before ourselves. This is indeed what God expects of us. This may mean that I spend less time doing the things at my church that I find uplifting and edifying because they are coming between me and my spouse or family. They should come before me. It may mean doing things that I do not enjoy or that do not make me look good because they are inhibiting someone else from growing in Christ. If we want to be like Christ, which all Christians should desire, then we must be willing to set aside those things that we perceive as important in order to raise up the importance of others and our God. This is losing our life for God and others. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Mark 8:11-12

Then the Pharisees came out and began to dispute with Him, seeking from Him a sign from heaven, testing Him. But He sighed deeply in His spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Assuredly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.”

Personal Challenge

Are we, the modern church, as bad as the Pharisees were in the day of Jesus? Do we expect God to show us signs and wonders before we will commit our lives and hearts to Him? Do we make Him jump through hoops in order to satisfy our own expectations before we put our trust in Him? Based on this passage, these expectations grieve and sadden Him. He wants our love and trust, not our disbelief. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, hare mercy!

Mark 2:27-28

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Personal Challenge

This is still a challenge with religiosity today. God gives us something good like the Sabbath, a day of rest, and we turn it into something to be worshipped and a stumbling block for our brothers and sisters. Any tradition or rubric in our faith practice can be misused like this. This is why God wants us to always keep our eyes on Him and not on the things that He gives us, no matter how good they are. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

Encouraging Words

Throughout the ministry of Jesus during His time here on earth, we see Him connecting sin to physical maladies. There is much to be said about how the sins in our lives do not only affect our spiritual state, but they also affect or physical, emotional, and mental states as well. More and more scientific evidence is being gathered that shows this as well. When Jesus forgives us of our sins, He also sets us on a path of healing, holistically. Glory be to God!

Mark 1:35

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.

Personal Challenge

So, if Jesus was fully God and fully man, why did He take time out of His day to pray? He shows us here that He needed to be in fellowship with the rest of the Godhead. He demonstrates the need to stay connected to His Father and the Spirit: He also shows that being fully human, His humanness is complete by being in fellowship with the Father of all. His example shows us what we need to do in order to grow in our lives in the likeness of Him. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

Matthew 28:19-20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Personal Challenge

Being a true follower of Christ does not mean living a static Christian life. He wants us to be active in our relationship with Him. Sometimes this may mean writing a check so that someone else can go, but in reality, it means going and doing. We can be goers within our own churches and families. We may be called to go into our neighborhoods or even somewhere half way around the world. In all cases, we are to be goers and doers so that God’s kingdom can be taken to the ends of the earth. Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!