Category: Daily Word

Let’s read the Bible!

Daily Word

Mark 5

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Reflections on Mark 5 – Faith and authority – Jesus has the authority to deliver those who cannot ask for themselves.  And faith moves Jesus to heal. 

It had been quite a crossing as Jesus and the disciples reached the other shore after the great storm that caused the disciples to fear for their lives in the night.  They arrive in the region of Gadarenes, discovering a demon possessed man right away.  The demons bow before Jesus and speak through the man.  That’s weird, right?  Remember, the demon’s knew exactly who Jesus was long before the people did (see James 2:19).  It’s also interesting that the man wanted to follow Jesus after being delivered from the demons, but the townspeople wanted him to leave.  That is very sad; rejection of Jesus is always very sad. But hope is not lost for them as Jesus tells the man, no, and instructs him to instead stay and share his testimony with everyone.  Scripture records that the people were amazed by his tale of all that Jesus did for him!  Beloved, sharing your testimony is what you are called to do.  Share with others what the Lord has done in and for you.

Jesus travels back across the lake where a great crowd has gathered.  Jairus, the synagogue leader, asks Jesus to heal his sick daughter.  But on the way a great crowd was pressing in on him, and a woman in the crowd thought in her heart… “If I can just touch the hem of his garment, I will be healed,” :29  She reached out in faith and was indeed healed on the spot.  This poor woman had spent everything trying to be healed.  Bleeding meant she was unclean and would not have been allowed into the synagogue, and was a social outcast.  Imagine how her life changed when she was healed, and Jesus stopped everything to ask, “Who touched my robe?” :30  Imagine the courage it took her, this marginalized, suffering, outcast woman to speak up – Scripture records she came forward, frightened and bowing down to Jesus.  And He responded to her with the most beautiful, life affirming words before everyone in the crowd.

Beloved, we’ve read who Jesus was to the demon possessed man, to Jairus and his daughter, and to the woman who touched His garment.  Who is Jesus to you?

Read Mark Chapter 6.

Daily Word

Mark 4

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Reflections on Chapter 4 – Jesus taught by telling stories in the form of parables.  Four are recorded here, and then a life application is presented. 

The first one, the parable of the farmer scattering seed, is one I have spent some time with.  I first asked Jesus into my heart around the age of 6… a neighbor shared the Good News to the best of her 8 year old ability.  Unfortunately, there was no further foundation for that faith, no one I knew went to church or could help me grow, and it was as if that seed were picked up by birds and carried away, :4.  In high school, I answered an altar call and began attending church regularly for a period, but adulthood came with so many temptations and distractions that my faith went dormant for many years, :7.  Then in 2004, I was a hair away dismissing my faith all together, when I decided to settle the matter once and for good.  I began investigating Christianity, Jesus and the Bible with all the skepticism and hardness of heart I had developed over the years.  Jesus dealt with me brilliantly!  He put people and conversations and books in my path… this time, my seed landed on fertile soil and I’ve been learning and sharing ever since!  Hallelujah!  

Beloved, I share this to say, it is not too late to revive your faith, dry spells, bad foundations, guilt, shame, arrogance and anything else that has kept you at arms length can be confessed right now.  Jesus is waiting for you with patience and mercy.  He knows all about your hurts and He knows you are thirsty. 

Jesus explains His purpose in speaking through parables in :11-12.  He could easily override our freewill with His divine nature, forcing people to believe.  True belief lies in the heart of the individual.  Jesus is a respecter of persons; no one in hell will be surprised to be there… though it breaks my heart to say that.

Our chapter has three other parables, which spoke to you the greatest?  Which one are you going to share with someone today?

In verses :35-41, a true life application comes to the disciples.  Jesus suggests that they cross the lake, and goes to sleep at the back of the boat.  As they are sailing a fierce storm comes up and they (the disciples) are terrified for their lives.  They wake Jesus, and the way it plays out is quite telling of their faith.  This is to grow them, not to shame them.  Beloved, may all of your, “I should have’s” grow and mature you for the life that lies ahead.

Read chapter 5 for tomorrow.

Daily Word

Mark 3

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Reflections on Mark 3 – Oh tragedy, the religious have lost their way! Religion is such a foul word to most believers. In Mark 3 we begin to see where it missed the mark in Jesus’s day.  

Mark 3 begins with Jesus entering the synagogue and discovering a man with a shriveled hand.  

Beloved,  notice how Jesus goes straight to the impossible.   Are there areas of your life that are impossible, but for Jesus?

In :2, we see the religious men are watching Jesus to see if they can accuse him.   According to their religious interpretation, healing on the Sabbath was considered working and therefore, illegal. Fortunately, our Jesus does not hold such a legalistic view of His own Word. Jesus is all about restoration, mercy, grace and love.   The fact that those entrusted to represent the Word of God were anything but angered Him,  :5.  Jesus told the man to stretch out his hand. 

Beloved,  this is where our part comes in. The man might have told Jesus he couldn’t because his hand was shriveled, but instead he did the impossible, trusting if Jesus told him to stretch it out that he would be able to. The impossible is possible with Jesus. Can you think of any areas of your life where you are holding back? Do you have excuses why Jesus can’t heal things because….

In verse :7-10 we see a problem developing as people from everywhere heard about the healings and wanted their own to the point where Jesus had a boat ready, lest the crowd crush Him.   People pushed in for healing without care for who Jesus was or what he came to do. 

Beloved, soul’s are eternal, infirmities are not. Many more incredible things happen in our chapter.   What was your favorite?  Were any hard to wrap your head around?   It’s okay to have questions, but pursue answers, always remembering that God is good. 

Enjoy chapter 4 next.

Daily Word

Mark 2

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Reflections on Mark 2 – Did you imagine it?  As you read about the paralyzed man being lowered by his friends before Jesus,  did you try to picture it?  

Beloved,  would you could lower someone into Jesus’s presence for healing? What if you were the one with the need?   Who cares so much about you they keep you close to Jesus? Do try to keep your needs to yourself? 

What do you think the outcome would have been for this paralytic man if he would have told his friends to stop?  It’s too embarrassing. It would be rude to tear up the roof.  

May I propose that none of us are very different?   We all fall short; we all need each others to stay on the narrow path,  and we all need Jesus.

In verse :16, judgement enters the scene as the Pharisees and scribes notice Jesus keeps company with tax collectors and sinners. He responds without being asked, saying it’s not the healthy who need a doctor,  but the sick. 

Beloved,  don’t you love that? Hypocrisy is ugly.   Knowing one is unworthy is a terrible way to go through life, and even worse when those in power won’t let the person live it down.   Jesus changed everything. 

Finally,  Jesus confronts legalism.   Pharisees loved legalism,  and Jesus points out that the law was not meant to matter more than people.

Beloved,  what else in these verses refreshed your love for our Savior? Take some time with that,  then read Mark 3.💕

Daily Word

Mark 1

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Reflections on Mark 1 – Good News! 

Mark gets right to the ministry of Jesus in this account.  He confirms Jesus in the second verse by the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3, saying it began just as Isaiah wrote.  John the Baptist announced His coming, and Jesus is the one John spoke of; Jesus is Messiah.  John baptised Jesus; Jesus saw the heavens open and heard God’s voice as he came up out of the water, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy,” (:11).   John prepared the way, and was arrested as Jesus took the lead. 

Jesus invites Simon (Peter) and his brother Andrew to, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their fishing nets to follow Him (:16-18).  Soon thereafter Jesus calls James and John (sons of Zebedee).  They went to Carpernaum and Jesus amazed people by teaching with authority, casting out evil spirits, healing many including the mother-in-law of Simon (Peter). 

Jesus preached and healed people, restricting the demons from speaking – they were well aware of who Jesus was and what He was setting out to accomplish. 

Beloved, take hold of verse :35 “Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.”  Jesus is LORD, and He takes time to get quiet with God and pray.  How is your prayer life?  Do you have a habit of seeking a quiet place to pray?  Let Jesus be your example.  

Now read and meditate on Mark 2.

Daily Word

Mark

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Read Mark 1

Beloved, I was praying about where to go next in God’s Word, and the book of Mark impressed upon my heart.  I find myself longing for Jesus… Yes, yes, it is true, He can be found on every page of the Bible, prophetically, symbolically and the like, but I am longing for Him in the plain and simple way.  Perhaps you are too?

You will find the book of Mark in the New Testament, right after Matthew.  Mark wrote this second Gospel account and was deeply involved in the early church, although he was not one of Jesus’s twelve disciples/apostles.  Mark, whose full name was John Mark, was the son of Mary – a woman whose home was used for prayer by the early church (the New Testament records 6 different women with the name of Mary… that’s a whole different study, but suffice to mention that this Mary was not Jesus’s mother.  This Mary is found in Acts 12:12).  He was also the nephew of Barnabas (see Colossians 4:10), who is known as “son of encouragement”; both  men accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey.

It has been said of the four gospel accounts that Matthew presents Jesus as Messiah; Luke presents Him as Son of Man; John presents Him as Son of God; and Mark presents Jesus as Servant.  Mark focuses on what Jesus did, His actions on earth.  And what perfect refreshment for us all to walk alongside our Savior and Lord, through Mark’s account.

I woke up this morning to a glorious rainbow in the sky.  It seemed to be resting upon my city!  What a wonderful way to start this new beginning.  May today be a day of prayerful gratitude for us all.  

Read Mark 1 and let it speak to your heart.  Moving forward in our reading together, we will stay this course – today read, tomorrow reflect and read the next chapter.  In this way, you will be developing your ability to hear what the Holy Spirit has for you personally.  Jesus loves us all so completely and uniquely.  

Daily Word

Genesis 50

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Read Genesis 50 – This is the end of the beginning, and it ends with hope for more promises fulfilled.

Back up just a little to 49:33 “When Jacob had finished this charge to his sons, he drew his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and joined his ancestors in death.” What a beautiful and perfect passing for Jacob, and now chapter 50 opens with Joseph, his brothers and all of Egypt mourning him.

“Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him.” :1 There is something so confirming about that last kiss. Oh! If only our kisses could bring our beloved back, but the last kiss confirms they are sent off with love and the only reunion will be when we join them – Praise Jesus for the Salvation that gives us the hope that surpasses understanding, the hope of heaven, the hope that means we do not mourn like the world mourns! (see 1 Thessalonians 4)

Pharaoh gave permission for Joseph to escort his father’s remains back to Canaan, and the procession was an incredible sight.

After burial, the brothers were concerned that Joseph would punish them for the ‘evil they did to him’ :17. Beloved, this is such a beautiful picture of God’s justice and mercy. Justice would require that the brothers be severely punished, and Joseph was in position to demand it, BUT he was also in position to offer grace instead…. Much like our standing in Christ Jesus – we deserve a punishment beyond what we could ever pay for our sins – YET Christ took our sins upon Himself, paying our penalty and offering us eternal Salvation in Him!

Joseph makes his sons give an oath that they will not bury him in Israel, rather that when God comes to lead them back, they take his bones with them. :25 Joseph did not want to merely be buried with his ancestors as Jacob was, he wanted to wait and return only when God rescued all of Israel.

That, Beloved, is our blessed hope as well. Jesus is coming back for us!

Daily Word

Genesis 49

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Read Genesis 49 – Prophecy  and blessings – Jacob called his sons together with a prophetic benediction for each one that we will see confirmed with time.  It is a sober time. 

Reuben, Jacob’s first born, lost his standing when he had sexual relations with his father’s concubine,  Bilhah.  He is called as stable as water.  

Simeon and Levi, next in line, also lost their standing over their cruelty and wrath in Shechem.

Beloved, there is godly and ungodly anger.  Theirs was ungodly because it was rooted in bitterness and wrath… It was motivated by self righteousness.  God’s Word says in Ephesians 4:26, “In your anger do not sin.”  And in Ephesians 4:31 we are told to get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger.

And now,  Judah, from whom King David and later, Jesus, would come.   He is pronounced the one whom his brothers will praise.  Jacob says,  “Judah is a lion’s whelp. ” Later, Jesus is described as a lion from the tribe of Judah. (Revelation 5:5) 

Jacob’s words over his sons will be confirmed in the land divisions (covered in Joshua), and in Jesus’s life and ministry… It is remarkable and a stretch above me to put it all together.

Beloved, soak in as much as you can and ask God to give you wisdom and insight as you go. 🙏 

Daily Word

Genesis 48

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Read Genesis 48 – The gift of time is such a precious gift. 

Not long after the oath in Chapter 47, Joseph received word that his father was failing.  He brought his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him to visit, and Jacob sat up, gathering his strength for the visit :1-2.  The first thing Jacob does is repeat God’s words, exactly as they were spoken to him, and exactly as they were spoken over Isaac and Abraham. 

Then Jacob claims Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons, stating that any sons of Joseph born after them would be Joseph’s, but that Ephraim and Manasseh will receive blessing and inheritance from Jacob.  I couldn’t find an explanation for this, there are a few theories, but I am comfortable saving this for story time in heaven.  Beloved, what do you think? 

A curious thing happens when Jacob is about to bless the boys (Though they were more like young men at this point).  He crosses his arms as he reaches for them, so that the blessing of his right hand went to Ephraim and not Manasseh.  Joseph was displeased and tried to correct the situation as Manasseh was first born, but Jacob assured him this was correct.  Both boys were blessed, but Ephraim would be even greater than his older brother. 

Jacob is elderly, weak, and has poor vision, but his heart and mind are certain.  And he has the gift of time… time to pass blessings along and get his affairs in order.  What a wonderful gift that is.  Beloved, if you were in Jacob’s shoes, what would you like your loved ones to know?  Why wait?

Daily Word

Genesis 47

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Read Genesis 47 – I’ve been hung up on this chapter for a few days. There’s something about Jacob’s use of the word sojourn (found in the ESV, 47:4,9) that is giving me pause…. I’m sojourning on the word sojourn.

When I became a flight attendant decades ago, I thought it was like a sojourn, a temporary career/ life, and now? Jacob brought the nation of Israel to Egypt in similar fashion. They would be in their temporary residence of Egypt for about 400 years. What was necessary to save them eventually became something they were slaves to (Oops, I’m supposed to say ‘spoiler alert’ when I give away the ending like that).

Am I paying attention, and beloved, are you? What is our Egypt?

But, enough with my tangent.

Starting in verse :14 we see how Joseph’s wise preparation set Egypt up for absolute authority over the people as they surrendered everything for food. Joseph imposed a reasonable tax of 1/5th of all they acquired.

Then, at the age of 147, Jacob had Joseph swear an oath that he would carry him back to the place where his fathers were buried for his own final resting place.

What a tremendous chapter. What a big shift for Israel’s survival.