Weby Desig - Bible Verse

Jesus looked at the man. Jesus felt love for him. Jesus said,
“There is still one more thing you need to do. Go and sell
everything you have. Give the money to the poor people. You
will have a reward in heaven. Then come and follow me.” — Mark 10:21 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Jesus had genuine love and compassion for this man. He was so close. He
was headed in the right direction. But, Jesus wanted his heart to yield
and not just his actions. So he called him to do what is hardest — the
“one thing” he lacked. Could you do this? What is the one thing you
lack?

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O Father, please don’t let greed, love for money, or my desire for
things block me from totally surrendering my heart to you. I want to be
yours — heart, soul, mind, and strength. I want to be like you –
holy, righteous, compassionate, and generous. Humble me gently and
conform me completely so that my stubborn will is completely yielded to
your will. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“{But I will answer your question.} You know the commands:
‘You must not murder anyone, you must not do the sin of
adultery, you must not steal, you must not lie, you must not
cheat, you must honor (respect) your father and mother …’”
The man said, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commands
since I was a boy.” — Mark 10:19-20 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Here’s a guy pretty sure that he has mastered it all … and he even
began as a child. Oops! This is where his spiritual “heart problems”
begin to show through his veneer of legalistic righteousness. Instead
of keeping the Law to honor God, this fellow was using his law-keeping
as leverage to exalt his status before God. That misses the point. The
pride of law-keeping becomes the false god that shatters the whole
point.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
Father in heaven, you are holy and majestic. I know that my attempts to
be holy are going to be met with failure. I commit to work at being a
holy person, but I know that my own efforts, even on my best days, are
going to fall short. I thank you for giving me a righteousness beyond
my abilities, works, and efforts. Thank you for Jesus, whose sacrifice
for me makes me righteous and thank you for the Holy Spirit whose power
works on transforming me into your character and holiness. In Jesus’
name I pray. Amen.

“{But I will answer your question.} You know the commands:
‘You must not murder anyone, you must not do the sin of
adultery, you must not steal, you must not lie, you must not
cheat, you must honor (respect) your father and mother …’” — Mark 10:19 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Do you know the commandments? Do you know the core teachings of God’s
morality? If not, why not review them today. They can be found in
Exodus 20. While we are not under law, but under grace, we are reminded
that grace and the power of the Holy Spirit helps us to be what we
could never be under law — people who live morally pleasing lives to
God.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O holy and righteous Father, conform me to your character and write
your moral will on my heart so that I can display it in my daily life.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? No person is good.
Only God is good. — Mark 10:18 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Yes, only God is good. But then that is the point, isn’t it? Jesus is
God with us and we must put our faith in him and listen to him and obey
just as we must with God. If the man who asked the question in the
previous verse can’t see that Jesus has God’s authority as well as
God’s goodness, he will never relinquish complete control of his heart,
his life, and his future. Come to think of it, neither will we. Only
God is good! So then, Lord Jesus, you have our attention as God
speaking to us!

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O Father in heaven, hallowed is your mighty name. I recognize that your
Son, Jesus, is God come in the flesh — your very presence with us.
Thank you for becoming one of us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus started to leave, but a man ran to him and bowed on his
knees before Jesus. The man asked, “Good teacher, what must I
do to get the life that never ends?” — Mark 10:17 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
This is a great question if it comes from a genuine heart. You will
have to read for yourself and decide if this man’s heart was genuine.
Better yet, why not look at your own heart and ask the Lord Jesus this
same question. I bet if you listen this week, he will make that clear
to you if he has not already done so.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O God, please help me be confident of my future with you. May that
confidence be based on my obedient response to your gracious gift of
salvation. I trust that by the power the Holy Spirit, you will empower
me to be and to do what pleases you. In Jesus’ name. Amen

“Don’t stop them, because the kingdom of God belongs to
people that are like these little children. I tell you the
truth. You must accept the kingdom of God like a little child
accepts things, or you will never enter it.” — Mark 10:14b-15 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
We must have child-like faith to be a part of God’s Kingdom. So many
things about the Kingdom require of us a “dangerous innocence” and
genuine humility. Yet Jesus demonstrated these child-like qualities. He
wants us to travel along our religious journey as trusting children of
God, not as worldly wise theologically astute scholars. Now don’t take
me wrong on this; we are not told to throw away our brains to become
Christians. However, we are taught to live in a way that is often
upside down to the world and its conventional wisdom. To do that, we
need to go back and experience the gift of salvation, the magnificence
of God, and the wonders of grace as wide-eyed, excitable children who
trust in God’s ways, God’s love, and God’s care.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O God, make my heart child-like and my faith fresh and new each day. In
Jesus’ name. Amen.

People brought their small children to Jesus, so that Jesus
could touch them. But the followers told the people to stop
bringing their children to Jesus. — Mark 10:13 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
We can never seem to find enough time to do the things we need to do.
So who gets left out in the “busy-ness” of life? Children tend to be
forgotten, neglected, ignored, put off, or left out when schedules get
crunched — and this is true even in our child-dominated cultures. Even
when children are a key part of adult schedules, this time is often
centered on their performing or competing against other children. We
take such little amounts of time to just be with children and let them
just be with us — nothing to do, to win, or to perform, just be with
us. This reality is nothing new. Children often have been left out,
pushed to the periphery of life, or simply neglected. Jesus had many
important things to do. The disciples just didn’t realize children
should be viewed as very important. Jesus did. Now so should we!

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O Father in heaven, thank you. Thank you for the gift of children.
Thank you for the gift of future. Thank you for the gift of wild-eyed
wonder. Help me to show the children around me that they are special
and important — not only to me, but also to you.

Later, the followers and Jesus were in the house. The
followers asked Jesus again about the question of divorce.
Jesus answered, “Any person that divorces his wife and
marries another woman is guilty of sin against his wife. He
is guilty of the sin of adultery. And the woman that divorces
her husband and marries another man is also guilty of
adultery.” — Mark 10:10-12 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
In a world which takes divorce lightly despite the carnage left in the
lives of children, God reminds his people that he takes seriously the
sin of divorce when it does not have a basis in your will. He views it
as adultery — betrayal of the marriage covenant that was made with
him. He hates it and doesn’t want it to happen among his people. Why?
Is it because he wants to limit or punish or harm them? No! Is it
because of the damage done to children and their faith? Can this be
overcome? Yes. As far as it is possible with us, divorce must be
prevented and Christian men and women must learn to make homes full of
love, joy, and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O Father, forgive us and help us. So many people in our time feel the
pain of abandonment and loss because a spouse has left them. Others
have grown up wondering what they did wrong because a parent abandoned
them and their family. Heal our wounds. Heal our land. Pour out your
Spirit and restore our love for each other in our homes. Help us, O
Lord, find the way back to your grace and power so that we can be a
people of solid marriages, loving families, and compassionate ministry.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

“God has joined those two people together. So no person
should separate them.” — Mark 10:9 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
God has the power to make two people one. Marriage is not about a
wedding, but about a man and a woman entering into a covenant
relationship with God. God is the greater party in the covenant. The
man and the woman give their highest allegiance and commitment to God
when they marry. There will be times when their spouse will
unfortunately disappoint them or let them down. But, God wants them to
remember that their highest priority is not treating their spouse as he
or she deserves, but as God would have them be treated. Honoring God in
the way they treat each other is the key to marriage as God sees it.
God wants husbands and wives to understand that breaking a marriage
apart is an offense against God — he is the one who makes couples one
and the one with whom they enter into covenant relationship. God hates
covenants made with him to be broken.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
O God, please give your people a deeper appreciation of what it means
to enter into covenant with you when they marry. I worry about all the
money we spend on wedding ceremonies when there is so little
appreciation for the covenant relationship that begins when a couple is
married. Help me, O God, to be a covenant-keeper and a person who
encourages others to be loyal to you and the covenants they make with
you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“‘And the two people will become one.’ So the people are not
two, but one.” — Mark 10:8 (ERV)

KEY THOUGHT:
Marriage is about two people becoming one entity. Jesus makes this
powerfully clear by emphasizing “oneness” four times in the whole
passage — vs. 5 - “joined”; vs. 5 - “two united into one”; vs. 6 - “no
longer two but one”; and, “God has joined them.” The sexual union
between a husband and wife is clearly in view with this context. This
is a good and glorious union that is to be enjoyed and celebrated in
marriage.

TODAY’S PRAYER:
Father, thank you for your plan about the proper place for sexual
intimacy within the security and protection of marriage. May I always
honor you in handling my sexuality in holiness, righteousness, and
love. In Jesus name. Amen.