Devotional Thoughts

Mark 16:1-4    "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  (2)  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.  (3)  And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?  (4)  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great." Have you ever made plans and thought you had figured every detail and suddenly, something comes to mind that needs to be done? Not only does it need to be done, but you are not able to do it. Plans are complete. Materials are bought. But there is one "minor" detail that has to be done. Who will I get to do that for me? It's Sunday morning. For three days, these ladies have been planning, thinking, accumulating the materials needed to accomplish that which they have plan...

Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light – Colossians 1:11-12 Do you feel strong? Well, if you believe in Christ and trust Him, you have a power within you capable of changing the world. You may feel weak, but you are indeed strong. In fact, God’s power may be glorified today through your infirmities to demonstrate His spiritual strength. At our weakest moments, we can be confident in God’s power to prevail. Conversely, oftentimes at our strongest moments, it seems that God pulls back to show us our limitations. On the eve of the Passion, Jesus Christ said to the Apostles, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41). Again the Savior said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect i...

Mark 15:43-47    "Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.  (44)  And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.  (45)  And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.  (46)  And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.  (47)  And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid." After the death of Jesus, there arose many different accounts, opinions, and yes lies concerning Jesus. The Pharisees and elders wanted to believe they had finally gotten rid of Jesus. They wanted to believe that when they "rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre" that Jesus was n...

Mark 15:39    "And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God." Jesus had just given up the ghost. We see in these words the fulfillment of Jesus saying, "no man taketh my life from me. I lay it down of myself."  This centurion was watching closely to make sure these three were really dead before taking them off the crosses. This in itself is proof that Jesus actually died. The centurion would never have released Jesus' body from the cross unless he was certain of death. Jesus died. There is no doubt. As the centurion watched the three men in their process of dying, he observed the manner in which they died. The one thief wanted Jesus to help him get off the cross. Save yourself and save us. The second thief understood their sentence of death was deserved. He was not wanting deliverance from the cross; rather he wanted deliverance into the very presence of Go...

Mark 15:37-38    "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost.  (38)  And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom." Though these verses could present a dismal picture for some, they present the blessed assurance for you and me that we have open access to our Heavenly Father. How can I be so positive when these verses present the time when Jesus had just died?  I'm glad you asked. These verses present the blessed truth of the reason for Jesus coming to this earth. Remember the words of the angel to Joseph?  "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  (21)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21) Why did Jesus leave heaven to ...

Worship is the expression of love and allegiance to the creator God of our salvation.  A Christian worship service is a formal gathering of the redeemed to personally express their love and adoration toward God.  In worship services the goal is to adore or pay honor, reverence, and homage to the Sovereign God of the universe.  In these services we declare the “worth-ship” of God.  In worship, we see, hear, and understand how God reveals Himself as deity; we agree with God’s assessment of Himself; and we give God what He is due, our full-fledged love and devotion, all praise, honor, and glory.  Worship is essential for our love of God to become more passionate, intimate, and fulfilling.  These truths concerning formal worship are beautifully communicated to us in Psalm 92:1-4, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night,...

Mark 15:33-34    "And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  (34)  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? "Why hast thou forsaken me?"  Have you ever felt forsaken? Has it ever seemed to you that God has turned His back on you? If you have never felt this, then you are truly blessed.  May I say at the very beginning that Jesus endured something you nor I will ever have to endure. God the Father truly turned His back upon His own Son as He hung on the cross. The darkness that occurred for those three hours was the point in time when the Father turned away from His son. Indeed, why did the Father forsake His only begotten Son. The very Son in Whom He was well pleased was now, literally in His darkest hour, being forsaken. The key to this is found in a book written some 700 years be...

Mark 15:29-32    "And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,  (30)  Save thyself, and come down from the cross.  (31)  Likewise also the chief priests mocking said among themselves with the scribes, He saved others; himself he cannot save.  (32)  Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that were crucified with him reviled him." Come down and we will believe. Seeing is believing. Right? Isn't that what the world says? It has to be true if the world says it. Right? Aren't you thankful that we have a better way of believing? It's called faith. When He sent His Holy Spirit into our hearts to regenerate us, God gave to us the wonderful gift of faith. He gave us the ability to see spiritual matters with our hearts that our eyes just cannot see. "Through faith we understand that the worlds were frame...

Mark 15:21     "And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross." Jesus had been humiliated, beaten, spit upon, scourged, and rejected. He is being taken to the place of the skull, a place of death, the place where common criminals were executed. As they bring Him out of the common hall of judgment, they make Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross up the hill. There are a couple things about this verse that I must confess this morning as I write. First, I had always pictured that Jesus must have stumbled and then they made Simon carry the cross the rest of the way. Now where did I get that image in my mind?  As I think back, it was from a television movie concerning the death of Jesus. So, for myself and others, I say be careful what we accept to be fact. I went back this morning to all four accounts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No where does it say Jesus stumbled out of weakness...

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. – Revelation 21:23 There are many parallels between light and God the Father and Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. Additionally, God’s Word is often compared to physical sources of light like lamps or candlesticks. In the Revelation, the Apostle John describes the city of God as without sun and moon, because “the Lamb is the light thereof.” Whether it is light or some other guiding force, we trust our senses to inform our choices and determine up from down.  If the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is the Light in the City of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, He is the guiding force for the people as the sun is for the material world.  As we seek the Kingdom of Heaven, we  must  seek Jesus and look to Him for warmth and guidance.  The Lamb is our Savior and Redeemer. His should be our first priority and our first love. If we...

Mark 15:9-13    "But Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye that I release unto you the King of the Jews?  (10)  For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy.  (11)  But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them.  (12)  And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews?  (13)  And they cried out again, Crucify him." "Now at that feast he released unto them one prisoner, whomsoever they desired." (Mark 15:6) I'm not certain as to how this custom came about as from Pilate's perspective. Surely the Passover meant nothing to him other than a time of feasting for the Jews. But his custom was that he would release one prisoner at the time of Passover. We know that began centuries before when the Lord God released Israel from the bondage of Egypt. At this point in time, I am made to wonder if the release of a p...

Mark 15:3-5    "And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.  (4)  And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.  (5)  But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled." Pilate marvelled. I'm not sure there had been many things in the life of Pilate at which he marvelled, but on this day he marvelled at Jesus.  He wondered why Jesus would not answer any of the accusations that had been made against Him. He wondered at why the chief priests and elders held such hatred for this man. Surely, if Jesus had been an enemy of Rome, Pilate would have known about it before this time. But then the wonderment moved toward another aspect. The Greek root word for marvel means to admire. Pilate was actually holding Jesus in admiration because of the way He conducted Himself while facing these accusations. Surely, no one had ever come before Pilate with this type ap...

Mark 14:65-67    "And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.  (66)  And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest:  (67)  And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." It's always nice and sweet when Devotions make us feel good about ourselves. But sometimes the Word of God causes me to become uncomfortable. Today's verses bring me to that place. It would be so very easy for me to look at the contrast between what was happening to Jesus and what was happening with Peter. It would be very comfortable for me to sit here this morning and condemn Peter for standing outside by the fire while Jesus was inside being mocked, spat upon, and struck by the servants of the high priest. It would be easy for me to sit here and say, "...

Mark 14:55-56    "And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none.  (56)  For many bare false witness against him, but their witness agreed not together." This morning I want us to be reminded that there are two sides to the events taking place in Scripture. One side is seen plainly. The other side is unseen with the human eye, but is very definite. Jesus is standing before the council. They are seeking some kind of witness against Him whereby they can accuse Him. But their ultimate goal is to crucify Jesus. They had no thought of seeking the truth. Jesus had become a nuisance to them and they wanted rid of Him. This is the obvious side and due to our own humanity, we can understand they are envious of Jesus due to the crowds of people that followed Him. But there is a greater event taking place than that which human eyes can see. There is a wonderful thing being orchestrated by our Heavenly Father,...

Ask, Ask Specifically, and Ask Persistently Read Luke 11:1-13, Luke 18:1-8, and Psalm 143.  There are numerous Biblical passages we could explore in this section to make the point that God calls us to present our requests to Him with great specificity , with unwavering persistence , and with heartfelt passion .  The above three passages make this point powerfully from an intellectual, spiritual, and practical perspective.  There are many areas of our lives in which asking specifically , persistently, and passionately apply.  My challenge to you is to apply this concept to your love relationship with the Lord.  My desire for all of us is that we grow in our love relationship with God through a vibrant prayer life.  If we want to know more of God’s love, ask with the persistence of the friend who comes at midnight in Luke 11.  If we want to love God more passionately, ask with the passion of the widow before the judge in Luke 18.  If we wan...

Mark 14:51-52    "And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him:  (52)  And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked." I admit this morning that these two verses are a mystery to me; yet, I could not just skip over them in our study of Mark. Who was this young man? What significance does he hold? Why was he there in the Garden of Gethsemane that night? Why did Mark feel the need to include this young man in his account of the Gospel? (Yes, I know the Holy Spirit inspired the words of Mark.) None of the other three accounts of the Gospel include this young man. Dr. Gill makes some suggestions as to who this young man could be, but acknowledges that it is not certain as to his identity. So, this morning, I'm going to make a suggestion as to who this young man could possibly have been. Do you remember back in Mark chapter 10, there was a young man who came to Jesus inquiring ...

Mark 14:42-46     "Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth me is at hand.  (43)  And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.  (44)  And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely.  (45)  And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him.  (46)  And they laid their hands on him, and took him." People have their own thoughts about Judas Iscariot. I'm thankful that eternity is not based upon other people's judgments toward me. I have no way of knowing the eternal condition of Judas. I'm very satisfied to leave that, as well as my own eternity, in the hands of the Almighty Sovereign Lord. Any judgment that any man would make would be based solely on the works of J...

Mark 14:32-36    "And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.  (33)  And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;  (34)  And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.  (35)  And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.  (36)  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt." "And they came to a place."  Jesus and the eleven disciples came to this place together, but eight of them could go no farther. Jesus said to them, "Sit here, while I pray." Then He took Peter, James, and John a little farther, but that is as far as they could go. "Tarry here, and watch." They were given a little more insight,...

Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. – Luke 12:6-7 How valuable are you? If you were not able to show up to work or pick up the groceries, who would notice? If your prayers weren’t offered or your thoughts never shared, would someone care? God notices, and He cares. With all the skepticism and rancorous talk these days, it is often difficult to see how or if God cares. You may ask, if God cares, then why is there so much injustice and hatred in the world? How can God let people starve or suffer? The truth is simple. These things are not God’s fault. He has given us more than enough wherewithal to end injustice and hatred, as well as starvation and suffering in almost every form. These are our responsibility. The Apostle Paul, a man well acquainted with suffering, wrote, “And we know that all things work to...

Mark 14:27-31    "And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.  (28)  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee.  (29)  But Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I.  (30)  And Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.  (31)  But he spake the more vehemently, If I should die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise. Likewise also said they all." How many times have you had good intentions, but they just weren't followed? I'm afraid I am so guilty of not following the intentions that come into my mind. Jesus made a statement and Peter, with good intention, tried to refute the statement. Jesus said, "Everyone of you will be offended this night and will be scattered."  Peter, with...

Mark 14:22-25    "And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.  (23)  And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.  (24)  And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.  (25)  Verily I say unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Jesus has gathered in the upper room with the twelve men who had been with Him for the past three and a half years. They had observed His miracles, heard His message, and watched Him interact with people. The men were familiar with the Passover feast and no doubt had observed the feast all their lives. They knew the feast represented the release of their forefathers from the bondage of Egypt. They knew the reason for the Passover lamb that was to be slain each year and the meat w...

Confessing Sin When there is sin which has not been confessed, there is a breach in the love relationship we have with the Lord.  Nothing harms our love relationship with the Lord more than sin that we carry, and abide in, rather than confessing that sin in the name of Christ our Lord.  1 John 1:5-2:2 teaches this truth in a wonderful, yet convicting, manner, “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.   If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us  our  sins and to cleanse us from all unright...

Mark 14:18-19    "And as they sat and did eat, Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, One of you which eateth with me shall betray me.  (19)  And they began to be sorrowful, and to say unto him one by one, Is it I? and another said, Is it I?" "Is it I?" Jesus had just made a statement that one of the twelve would betray Him. To this statement, each of the twelve began to question whether he would be the one to betray Jesus. This tells me that human nature is such that any of the twelve were capable of betraying Jesus. Two previous verses in the chapter give us the information that Judas Iscariot was the one who had bargained with the chief priests to betray Jesus into their hands. But the other eleven disciples did not know this had taken place. "Is it I?" Could I be the one to do this terrible deed? Luke's account of the Gospel tells us a little more about the disciples and their conversation concerning who could possibly be the betrayer.  "And...

Mark 14:13-16    "And he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go ye into the city, and there shall meet you a man bearing a pitcher of water: follow him.  (14)  And wheresoever he shall go in, say ye to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?  (15)  And he will shew you a large upper room furnished and prepared: there make ready for us.  (16)  And his disciples went forth, and came into the city, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover." "And he sendeth." Jesus was in Jerusalem for His final observance of an earthly Passover. He sent two disciples into the city to make a place ready to observe this feast. Passover was the time to remember the manner in which the Lord brought Israel out of the Egyptian captivity. In just a matter of hours, Jesus would become THE Passover Lamb sent by God to take away our sins by His ...

Mark 14:3-8    "And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.  (4)  And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made?  (5)  For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.  (6)  And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me.  (7)  For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always.  (8)  She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying." The time of Jesus' death is approaching.  We are told this is the home of Simon the leper. It's interesting how many things are left out of the narrative such ...

Mark 13:31    "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away." After Jesus had told the disciples that the buildings of Jerusalem would be destroyed, they asked when it would occur. As you can see, I have skipped past several verses. They are important verses, as all of the Bible is important. In those verses, I believe Jesus is answering their question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem. Many believe He is talking about the end of time as we know it today. I skip them because, in my opinion, in a devotional such as this, there would be an opening to questions rather than an edifying of the body of Christ. I will say that in verse 30, Jesus spoke of that generation to which He was speaking that those things would take place. But whether you believe they are speaking to the end of the Jewish age or they are speaking to the very end of time, I want our attention this morning to be on the verse at hand. "Heaven and earth shall pass away: but ...

And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will. – 2 Timothy 2:24-26 What’s the difference between acting in your self-interest or selfishly?  Actually there is a big difference.  We have all seen undisciplined children and adults.  Most children prefer to eat what they want, sleep when they want and act in whatever way they please when they please to do so.  Many adults are no better.  We must be trained to act in a way that is contrary to our innate selfishness.  However, such training is in our self-interest. When we continue to rebel against God, kicking against the pricks as did Paul before his conversion, we find the way hard going. The Christian life ...

Mark 13:1-2    "And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!  (2)  And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Jesus had just spoken a great lesson to the disciples concerning the placement of the heart above the placement of things. He is not saying for us to leave one undone without the other. But if our hearts are placed in the position of loving God, the other things will be done, including our monetary possessions. And now they are leaving the temple. One of His disciples begins to talk about the splendor of the buildings and the stones of the temple. No doubt, the temple was a beautiful sight to behold. No doubt, the Pharisees in all their glorious garments were a sight to behold. No doubt the city of Jerusalem was a beautiful city to behold. But the Lord was not, nor ...

Mark 12:27    "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." Jesus is still addressing the Sadducees with this statement. We saw earlier that He told them they erred because they knew not the Scriptures. He is reinforcing that statement with this one. "God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living." These men had the assumption that nothing they asked Jesus was true. They did not believe in the resurrection. They did not believe in life after death. They did not believe in heaven. They did not believe in hell. They were eating, drinking, being merry, and trying to trap Jesus because they did not think anything happened after their final breath on earth. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. What did Jesus mean by that. Let me remind you of a few statements of fact made by Jesus. When Lazarus died, Martha went to Jesus and said, "If you had been here, our brother would not have died....