Today's Verse 10-1-15 Rejected

Mark 6:4

New Living Translation

 

⁴ Then Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.”

 

Jesus said that a prophet (in other words, a worker for God) is never honored in his hometown. But that doesn’t make his work any less important. A person doesn’t need to be respected or honored to be useful to God. If friends, neighbors, or family don’t respect your Christian work, don’t let their rejection keep you from serving God.

 

Joe

Faith involves action! (Mark 5:24-34)

Mark 5:24-34

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁴ Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. ²⁵ A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. ²⁶ She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. ²⁷ She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. ²⁸ For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” ²⁹ Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition.

³⁰ Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?”

³¹ His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. ³³ Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. ³⁴ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

 

Jesus was not angry with this woman for touching Him. He knew she had touched Him, but He stopped and asked who did it in order to teach her something about faith. Although the woman was healed when she touched Him, Jesus said her faith caused the cure. Genuine faith involves action. Faith that isn’t put into action is not faith at all.

 

Joe

Find Time to pray. (Mark 1:35)

Mark 1:35

 

New Living Translation (NLT)

 

³⁵ Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.

 

Jesus took time to pray. Finding time to pray is not easy, but prayer is a vital link between us and God. Like Jesus, we must break away from others to talk with God, even if we have to get up very early in the morning to do it !

 

Joe

Satan's temptations bring turmoil. (Mark 1:12-13)

Mark 1:12-13

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹² The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, ¹³ where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him.

Jesus left the crowds and went into the desert where He was tempted by Satan. Temptation is bad for us only when we give in. We should not hate or resent times of inner testing, because through them, God can strengthen our character and teach us valuable lessons. When you face Satan and must deal with his temptations and the "TURMOIL" he brings, remember Jesus. He used God's Word against Satan and won. You can do the same.

Joe

 

 

 

 

 

Take responsibility. (Matthew 27:24)

Matthew 27:24

 

 

The Message (MSG)

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”

In making no decision, Pilate made the decision to let the crowds crucify Jesus. Although he washed his hands , the guilt remained. Washing your hands of a tough situation doesn't cancel your guilt. It merely gives you a false sense of peace. Don't make excuses - take responsibility for the decisions you make.

Joe

 

 

 

 

Keep watch and pray. (Matthew 26:40-41)

Matthew 26:40-41

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴⁰ Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? ⁴¹ Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

Jesus used Peter's drowsiness to warn him about the kinds of temptation he would soon face. The way to overcome temptation is to keep watch and pray. Watching means being aware of the possibilities of temptation, sensitive to the subtleties, and spiritually equipped to fight it. Because temptation strikes where we are most vulnerable, we can't resist it alone. Prayer is essential because God's strength can shore up our defenses and defeat Satan's power.

Joe

Leadership (Matthew 23:5-7)

Matthew 23:5-7

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁵ “Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. ⁶ And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honor in the synagogues. ⁷ They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’

People desire positions of leadership not only in business but also in the church. It is dangerous when love for the position grows stronger than loyalty to God. This is what happened to the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Jesus is not against all leadership - we need Christian leaders - but against leadership that serves itself rather than others.

Joe