Today's Readings: New Testament -
Mark 6:45-56
1 John 4:1-6
Old Testament -
Job 15:17-35
Ezekiel 42-44
Click on Text Links to Read Online
Focus Verses: Mark 6:54-56
54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.
Insight:
When people recognize the presence and the power of Jesus, they come running to him. Why is it that so many Christians and churches act as though Jesus needs to be marketed, promoted, and sold to get attention? In Mark's account, I see Jesus doing the very opposite. He tries to get away from the crowds, he withdraws for prayer and rest, and still the crowds seek him out wherever he goes.
When people recognize Jesus, they are drawn to him. They don’t need to be pushed toward him. If Jesus is alive in me, I will find myself meeting and serving new friends who have been drawn to the Jesus-shaped way I am living. If Jesus is living and active in the lives of those in my church, we will discover that others are seeking out the love and blessing our Christian community has to offer.
Response and Action:
I want to experience the power and presence of Christ Jesus. I will seek him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. If Jesus' power and presence are at work in my life—shaping, guiding, and transforming me—I will not have to figure out ways to tell people about Jesus. I want Jesus to be recognizable in me. I will lift him up in my life by following him and living for him.
O God, help me to grow in my knowledge and experience of Jesus. Help me to recognize him and to follow him. Transform me and shape me by his power and grace. Make my life a testimony of his love and mercy, that others might recognize Jesus at work in me. Amen.
Spiritual Formation Verses: Galatians 2:20
20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Resources:
Following Jesus: Biblical Reflections on Discipleship
by N.T. Wright
