Devotional thoughts tagged as: 'Mark'


Faith Healing

Mark 5:21-43

When the messengers from the house of Jarus came with news that his daughter had died, Jesus counselled the father not to fear, but to believe (v. 36). Jesus needed and wanted the faith of the father and others to make the healing or resuscitation easier. When he got there to the house he found the neighbours in mourning. He asked the reason for the uproar, since the child was not dead but sleeping (v.39). They reacted with laughter. Jesus sent the unbelieving group away. He went in to the girl with her parents and his closest disciples. For him to do a miracle there needed to be a climate of faith. It seems most of Jesus' healings were faith healings.

What can you do to create a climate of faith in your family, church or work place?


Prayer for a Privileged Position

This scripture can be found in Matthew 20: 20-28, and Mark 10: 35-45.

Then came to him the mother of Zebedee's children with her sons, worshiping him, and desiring a certain thing of him. And he said unto her, "What wilt thou?" She said unto him, "Grant that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand and the other on the left, in thy kingdom."

The request of Salome, mother of James and John, was one Christ could not answer and it produced indignation among the other ten disciples.

Salome probably felt she had some basis for her petition. One of her sons, John was known as the disciple whom Jesus loved. Her other son James was one of three who witnessed the Transfiguration of Christ.

Yet Jesus answered Salome, "Ye know not what you ask." James endured the baptism of blood (see Acts 12:2) and John endured persecution and loneliness on Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Let us be careful how we pray. Some answers to our prayer petitions may be costly.


Blocked Entry

During my prayer time, I was thinking of the veterans who have to wait a year for treatment. Mark 2:1-12 came to mind. Many people gathered around Jesus in a home and the paralytic and the people carrying him could not get in to be healed by Jesus. They had their entry blocked. However, nothing was going to prevent those who carried the paralytic from gaining access to Jesus for their friend.

In life I am sure some of us will be blocked from gaining entry to many things, sometimes due to a lack of imagination, faith or the willingness to take a risk. When you do, remember the friends of the paralytic mentioned in Mark 2:1-12.

After a few days, Jesus went back to Capernaum, and people heard that he was at home. So many gathered that there was no longer space, not even near the door. Jesus was speaking the word to them. Some people arrived, and four of them were bringing to him a man who was paralyzed. They couldn't carry him through the crowd, so they tore off part of the roof above where Jesus was. When they had made an opening, they lowered the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven!"

Some legal experts were sitting there, muttering among themselves, "Why does he speak this way? He's insulting God. Only the one God can forgive sins."

Jesus immediately recognized what they were discussing, and he said to them, "Why do you fill your minds with these questions? Which is easier—to say to a paralyzed person, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take up your bed, and walk'? But so you will know that the Human One has authority on the earth to forgive sins"—he said to the man who was paralyzed, "Get up, take your mat, and go home."

Jesus raised him up, and right away he picked up his mat and walked out in front of everybody. They were all amazed and praised God, saying, "We've never seen anything like this!"


The Biblical Basis of Christian Marriage

The institution of marriage is based on the order of creation. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

In spite of the fact that most Bible translations still use the words man, he and his, it is plain that males and females are equally created in the image of God. Jesus recalled this created equality in his teaching on divorce: But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. Mark 10:6

The equality of male and female is clearly stated in such passages as Paul's declaration: For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28


All devotional thoughts