Daily Bible Reading - Monday - March 1st

In Mark we start off reading in verse 13 the disciples thought that children were not important.  And they thought that the children would not understand Jesus’ words, Jesus was busy and they wanted to protect Him from these interruptions. Jesus was very angry. Christians ought to be angry as well, when adults are unfair to children. Christians should also be angry when adults do not show children any love.  Children are very pleased to receive a gift. People cannot cause God to forgive them by things that they do. They must accept it as a gift. Children trust people and accept their authority. People should trust God in the same way and obey his authority as their king. Jesus took young children in his arms and he blessed them. That is one reason why Christians began to baptize young children. But many Christians believe that this incident is not at all about *baptism. Jesus blessed the children. That is a sign of the joy that members of God’s kingdom can have.

In Verse 17 Mark wrote that Jesus was on a ‘journey’. He probably meant the journey that ended in Jerusalem. Matthew describes the man as ‘young’ (Matthew 19:20). Luke says that he was a ‘ruler’ (Luke 18:18). Mark says that he was ‘very rich’ (verse 22). The rich young ruler wanted to know how he could enter the kingdom. He thought that he must do something good. He had called Jesus good. Jesus asked him whether he meant it. The word good belonged to God alone. Jesus was not saying that he himself was not good. He was asking the man a question. Would he accept Jesus’ reply as if it came from God himself?

The man believed that he had always kept these commandments. He was a citizen who obeyed the law. He had never done anything wrong to other people. We should not do wrong things. But goodness is more than that. He could have been generous with his money. That would have helped other people. But he had not done that. And he had forgotten the first commandment. His first duty was to be loyal to God.  Jesus was honest. The man’s wealth was preventing him from living his life as God intended. And Jesus knew that. ‘You cannot serve God and money’ (Matthew 6:24). So Jesus told him to sell his possessions and to give the money to poor people. Then he could be a friend of God. Eternal life begins on earth and it continues in heaven. Jesus invited the man to follow him. The man had asked Jesus what he should do to enter the kingdom. But nobody can earn eternal life. It is a gift from God. The man’s possessions were so important to him that he could not follow Jesus. So he could not receive that gift. He gave up the true happiness of eternal life for the temporary pleasures of wealth. He went away sad and disappointed. The man thought more of his possessions then of entering the kingdom of heaven.  What a shame really, the man would rather keep his passions, just think of what he is going to miss out on.  That really makes me think of the few things we have, how important to I think my possessions are compared to the kingdom of heaven, doesn’t that get you thinking?

Well I’ve rattled on here enough; don’t want to bore you to much lol.  You all have a very blessed Monday, stay warm and remember to be a blessing to someone.

Today’s Reading

Leviticus 24:1-25:46
Mark 10:13-31
Psalm 44:9-26
Proverbs 10:20-21

Daily Devotional

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you"
(Ephesians 4:32, NIV)

In this day and age, it's easy to become distracted, almost consumed with all the obligations we have on a daily basis. Cell phones, computers, the internet have all made it so much easier to pack more into our days. And while technology is a great blessing to us, we have to remember that how much we get done isn't as important as how we treat others. We should never be so focused on plowing through our "to do" list that we mistakenly plow past the people in our lives.

I love this verse in Ephesians that simply reminds us to be kind, to be compassionate, to be forgiving. If people had to be reminded back in those times, how much more do we need to be reminded today! We should always be on the lookout for ways we can be kind to one another. Can you share a smile with someone or an encouraging word? Can you help meet a need?

Remember, as a believer, you are the hands and feet of Jesus in this earth. Look for ways to serve one another. Sow a seed and watch the harvest of blessing in your own life in return!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father God, thank You for another day to live for You. Help me find creative ways to show kindness to the people you've put in my life. Show me ways I can sow seed and be a blessing to others. Thank You for equipping me to be Your representative and live in victory in every area of my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen.