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Love others as I love myself…. (devo reflection)

Mark 12:28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

I’ve heard the most important of all commandments short-formed to “Love God. Love others.” And while I really like that wording, it strikes me as marginally lacking because the original tells us to love our neighbors as *ourselves*.

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

While I think I’m pretty good at being loving, gracious, compassionate—to others, I’m often not very kind to myself. So the directive to love others as I love myself means that I need to do a better job at being loving and compassionate to myself than I currently do. I suspect I’m not alone in this habit and this need.

Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Lord, Thank You for the reminder of what’s important, “Love God. Love others.” Thank You also for the reminder that if I am to love others as I love myself, I need to be kinder and more compassionate to myself than I generally am. Thank You for the certainty that I am Your deeply loved child, even when I struggle. Amen.

Mark 12:33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

Have a blessed day.

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Praying you through…. (devo reflection)

Mark 2:2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.

To know that you are deeply, fiercely loved by the Creator of the universe even when you don’t feel like you have any value, to know that God is making a way in your wilderness, even when you can’t fathom any way out, these are important and powerful truths. So when I offer to pray for or with someone, these are the primary things I want to remind them: 1. God loves you. Period. Full stop. 2. He is in control. Even now. 3. He’s making a way, a perfect way through whatever wilderness you are facing, even if you can’t yet perceive it.

Mark 2:3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.

Saying that I’ll pray for someone is a promise I take very seriously. My sisters and I call it “praying you through,” and I’ve seen the power of prayers for others more than once, and I know that when I’m at the end of myself, the end of my faith, just knowing that others are lifting me up, praying me through, is incredibly powerful.

Mark 2:4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.

Lord, Thank You for the power of prayer and for the ability to lift each other up to You in prayer. Thank You that the ability to pray each other through the trials of life is one more way that we can glorify You and encourage each other in this life. Help us never to forget the power of prayer. Amen.

Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Have a blessed day.

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I don’t understand, Lord. But I trust You with my life…. (devo reflection)

Mark 11:20-21 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Today’s scripture is hard for me because I truly don’t understand. Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit—even though it wasn’t fig season. Why? Then He says that if we believe hard enough, if we pray without any doubt, we can have whatever we pray for. What?!?

Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

I’m pretty sure we all have things we’ve prayed fervently for that did not come to pass. I can’t believe in a God who sees fervent prayer, yet says, “Nope. She quit praying 5 minutes too soon. No granted prayer for her.” So what’s going on here?

Mark 11:23 “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.

Lord, You tell me to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness, and all these things will be given to me (Matt 6:33). Jesus teaches me by example to say, “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). You assure me that Your thoughts are not like my thoughts and Your ways are far beyond anything I could imagine (Isaiah 55:8). I don’t understand, Lord. But I trust You with my life. “Not my will, but yours be done.” Always. Amen.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Have a blessed day.

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Belief and trust…. (devo reflection)

Mark 9:21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?” “From childhood,” he answered.

I’m currently reading Peter Enns’ The Sin of Certainty, still trying to wrestle with my discomfort with the certainty of commentary especially with texts like Revelation. Enns talks about how the word BELIEVE in the Bible is synonymous with TRUST.

Mark 9:22 “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

Trust is something I have a really hard time with. I don’t know if it’s because of my hyper-developed self-sufficiency gene or what exactly, but I think it’s the root of so much of my anxiety, anger, bitterness, and fear. I believe, but it’s so hard to trust. Ridiculous, and yet utterly true.

Mark 9:23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

Lord, I stand before You this morning in humility. I believe You are who You say You are, and yet, I struggle to trust, to be ok with uncertainty and unfairness and unknowing. Forgive me, Lord. Help me to remember Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Help me to let go of my fear and my need to control and to fully trust You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 9:24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

Have a blessed day.

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God’s got me, no matter the trials I face…. (devo reflection)

Mark 16:1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.

Two thoughts and two verses came immediately to mind as I read this scripture this morning. The first thought is that Mary and the other women wanted to honor their Lord by preparing His body properly for burial, something there was no time for in the rush before Passover. This brought to mind Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Mark 16:2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb…

The second thought that struck me at verse 3 was that as they approached the tomb, they were worrying about how to move the stone that was much too heavy for them so that they could get to the body to prepare it properly. (I’m a worrier. Trust me, I get their worry.) This brought to mind Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Mark 16:3 …and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

Lord, Thank You for this beautiful illustration of Your truths in action. These women wanted to honor You by preparing Your body for burial. They were called according to Your purpose. You supplied their needs by removing the stone and by showing them that Your physical body was no longer in that tomb. You are risen. Help me to take these truths, this knowledge with me always, knowing that You’ve got me, no matter the trials I face. You will work all things to my good and Your glory and You will supply my needs. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 16:4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Have a blessed day.

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Jealousy, complacency, cowardice, realization that comes too late…. (devo reflection)

Mark 15:11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead.
It is so easy for me to analyze this scene for wrongdoing. The chief priests were jealous, pure and simple. If they had only focused on the common goal, creating followers of God, how much good could they have done? The people were sheep, following along with what their leaders said: Surely Jesus must be guilty of something if the chief priests accuse Him.
Mark 15:14“ Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
Pilate was a coward. He didn’t see any guilt in Jesus but he didn’t want to incite a riot with the Jews, so he washed his hands of the situation, doing nothing when he could have stopped it. Only the Roman centurion realized who Jesus truly was and only after His death. Jealousy, complacency, cowardice, realization that comes too late….
Mark 15:15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Precious Savior, Only You could bring beauty from the ashes of this chapter. Jesus had to die for our sins in order for us to be reconciled to You. Thank You for Your mercy and compassion on us. Jealousy, complacency, cowardice, realization that comes too late… these are still things that we struggle with. Often. Forgive us. Help us to ask, seek, knock. Help us to shine Your light and glorify Your name. Always. Amen.
Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”
Have a blessed day.
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“I will go ahead of you….” (devo reflection)

Mark 14:18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
Jesus knows that not only will Judas betray Him but also that all of the disciples will fall away during this crucial time. He *knows* this with certainty. But He doesn’t rant and rave at the disciples for the betrayal that is coming. He doesn’t cast them out into the streets.
Mark 14:19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”
Instead, He shares the Passover meal with them, equating the bread to His body and the cup to His blood. He shares a meal with those He knows will not support Him during the coming trial. But verse 28 is the kicker. Not only does He share communion, He reminds them of what comes after…. “I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Mark 14:27 “You will all fall away,” Jesus told them….
Precious Savior, Thank You for not casting us out, even though You know we are fleshly and fallible and will stumble more than once. Thank You for the reminder that when we do stumble in our walk, that You are waiting for us on the other side and that we need to turn our hearts back to You and meet You in Galilee. Help us to love ourselves and those who fall away in times of our distress as You love the disciples and as You love us. Amen.
Mark 14:28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Have a blessed day. I love you.
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Use every moment wisely…. (devo reflection)

Mark 13:33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.
These verses could be read as a warning: Watch out! Be careful! But I choose to see them as a way of being: Live every moment wisely. Tell folks what they mean to you. Give the compliment. Do the kind deed. Don’t wait. Love each other fully as I love you.
Mark 13:35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
A quote attributed, some say erroneously, to John Wesley is: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” For me, this, too, hits at the heart of what Jesus is saying here: You don’t know when I will return. Use every moment wisely.
Mark 13:36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
Lord, Thank You for this reminder to live every moment fully. It is so easy to squander the time You have given us. Help us to use our time wisely, praising Your name and giving You glory. Amen.
Mark 13:37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
Have a blessed day.
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Just love everyone…. (devo reflection)

Mark 12:28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

The four verses here can be summed up quite succinctly by a billboard I once saw, which read: “Just love everyone. I’ll sort them out later. ~God” When I struggle in my faith, I often default to this condensed version of Mark 12:28-31.

Mark 12:29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

It isn’t always easy, but being able to show unconditional positive regard to every life that walks through my classroom door is a gift. Encouraging them, supporting them, allowing them space to breathe and process and be, it is what God has called me to do. It grows my faith and my trust in God every single day. And I am so far from perfect at doing it, but every day I have the opportunity to try again.

Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Lord, Thank You that Your foundation is love. Thank You for showing us again and again through Your word how to love those who seem less than lovable. Help me to “just love everyone,” knowing my actions help draw us both closer to You. Amen.

Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Have a blessed day.

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Being fruitful…. (devo reflection)

Mark 11:14 Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

This tale has always perplexed me a bit, but in light of yesterday’s devo, it makes a bit more sense. Yesterday, the rich man wanted to know what he could DO to gain heaven, and Jesus’s response was, essentially, it’s not about works but about faith in Him.

Mark 11:20 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots.

The issue today is similar but different. Commentary says, “This tree was cursed because it professed to have fruit, but did not.” This sentence brought to mind Matthew 15:8, “’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” The leaf implies fruit, yet there was no fruit. Their hearts were far from God and, therefore, their actions were futile in His kingdom work.

Mark 11:21 Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

Lord, I know I cannot work my way into heaven. Salvation is a gift from You. Thank You. But I also know that, because I am Your beloved child, You call me to Your kingdom work. Help me to do that work with my whole heart. Help me to be fruitful in all that I do in Your name. To You be the glory, both now and forever. Amen.

Mark 11:22 “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered.

Have a blessed day.