Category: Mark

“And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” Insomnia is something I’ve experienced only a handful of times in my life. In contrast, however, I live with the legacy of having dozed off at a NASCAR event. My youngest can attest that as the cars literally roared around the track I … Continue reading Stay Awake! – Mark 13:37 →

"For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she possessed — all she had to live on.” It is hard to imagine giving out of a state of such poverty. I have been given so much that my giving is always out of my abundance, … Continue reading Impoverished Giving – Mark 12:44 →

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing. [ But if you don’t forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your wrongdoing.]” Jesus theology on forgiveness is clear and uncomfortable. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Withhold … Continue reading Forgiveness – Mark 11:25-26 →

Then Jesus answered him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Rabbouni,” the blind man told Him, “I want to see!” This is exactly the same question He asked of those who were seeking self promotion in the Kingdom earlier on the road. Jesus opens us up to what we truly desire. He … Continue reading The Desires of our Heart – Mark 10:51 →

Some Pharisees approached Him to test Him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Mark 10:5 But Jesus told them, “He wrote this command for you because of the hardness of your hearts. Do the deceptive motives of the Pharisees have any impact upon the truth shared by Jesus in … Continue reading Until Death Parts Us – Mark 10:2 →

Then they began to beg Him to leave their region. What an awful legacy this village left for themselves. They are known as the village that begged Jesus to leave. It is not even that they failed to welcome Him. They actually worked to persuade Him to go. Some simply cannot bear the presence of … Continue reading Leave Us Alone – Mark 5:17 →

This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. We have internal access to the unconditional love of God. It is supernatural. No longer are we limited to the natural, human love that flows with our emotions and is … Continue reading Infused Love – Romans 5:5 →

They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will … Continue reading The Fear of Knowing the Truth – Mark 9:30-32 →

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” The obvious answer to these scribes’ unspoken question is, ‘No … Continue reading Forgiver of Sins – Mark 2:5-7 →

Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent. Even silence can convict a person. In saying nothing with their mouths, they speak volumes about the content of their heart. I am … Continue reading Silent Betrayal – Mark 3:4 →

Just then a man with an unclean spirit was in their synagogue. He cried out, “What do You have to do with us, Jesus — Nazarene? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are — the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him and said, “Be quiet, and come out of … Continue reading Mission Engaged – Mark 1:23-25 →

And they all left him and fled. Can there be a more gut wrenching verse in all of the New Testament? Those who had just sworn their eternal allegiance to Jesus with fire in their belly have turned their backs and run. They have forsaken Him as quickly and as completely as they had proclaimed … Continue reading On The Lamb – Mark 14:50 →

Yet, when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe it. Then after this, He appeared in a different form to two of them walking on their way into the country. And they went and reported it to the rest, who did not believe them either. When … Continue reading Unbelief – Mark 16:11-13 →

“What do you want Me to do for you?” He asked them. It is the exact same question that He will ask the blind beggar, Bartimaus. Yet, those who should have known best what to ask for make a selfishly inappropriate request. The blind beggar who has nothing and no standing whatsoever with Jesus asks … Continue reading What Do You Want? – Mark 10:36 →

They came to Jerusalem, and He went into the temple complex and began to throw out those buying and selling in the temple. He overturned the money changers’ tables and the chairs of those selling doves, and would not permit anyone to carry goods through the temple complex. In light of this account, isn't it … Continue reading Overturning Evil – Mark 11:15-16 →

Then, looking at him, Jesus loved him and said to him, “You lack one thing: Go, sell all you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.” Isn't this the fundamental issue for all of us in a culture that has endless material 'blessings'? Our stuff … Continue reading Sell It All – Mark 10:21 →

“Disregarding the command of God, you keep the tradition of men. He also said to them, “You completely invalidate God’s command in order to maintain your tradition!" Father God knows the motives of our heart and what truly matters to us. Empty traditions are 'worse than worthless' when the heart that is bent toward evil. … Continue reading Empty Traditions – Mark 7:8,9 →