- And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. Mark 10:46 – We see that Jesus is about to enter into Jerusalem within the next chapter, so this means He is at the end of His three years of earthly ministry and about to be crucified. In this multi-year long ministry, Jesus has healed so many, freed so many from evil, and even gave back sight to the blind, which is why blind Bartimaeus was so excited to discover Jesus was passing his way. After such a successful ministry we see that Jesus had a following. As Jesus was leaving Jericho we see that He was followed by His disciples and a great crowd. What is important for us today it to determine which group we’re in. Are we a part of His disciples or are we simply part of the crowd following Him? For there are major difference between the groups. Disciples are learning and following Jesus to become more like Him, the crowd is simply there for what they can get and for a show. Disciples are willing to follow whatever Jesus teaches, the crowd follows for however long the teachings align with what they believe but will bail when the teaching get too hard or conflict with their choices. We could go on with the differences between the disciple and the crowd, but hopefully you are seeing the picture and also understanding the gravity of the choice you must make. Are you a disciple of Jesus or are you simply part of the crowd? While our lifestyles of yesterday may not fill the image of a disciple, today is a new day and God is welcoming you to pursue Him as His disciple. Jesus is worth following, not simply for a show, but because He is worthy of all of us and He is the Savior of the world. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3101
- And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” Mark 10:23 – Why is that so? The answer really looks at how deceptive comfort can be. See God isn’t against us having peace and enjoying life, in fact I believe God encourages and leads us to that. Yet what can happen is if we have wealth, security, and comfort, we can begin relying on all that to get us through life rather than God. Now having the wealth and comfort isn’t the problem, the problem is trusting in it more than we are trusting in God. When we have all the luxuries in life it’s harder for us to be aware of our need for anything else, especially a Savior. My encouragement to you is to see your wealth (whatever amount that is) as a blessing from God rather than what you are relying on to get you through life. When we have the wrong view point on our wealth, we can be tempted to let our trust be shifted away from God and onto something else. Make sure your trusting in the one who has control over it all rather than something temporal like wealth. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 465
- And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Mark 10:17 – “As he was setting out,” and “And they were on the road,” and “As he was leaving.” All these were ways parts of today’s chapter began. That it was in the transition between places that great miracles happened and lessons were taught. My hope is that you today don’t discard the transition seasons in your life as pointless. In the times between cities or leaving a city the blind were healed and the truth of His resurrection was told. We would never label those as pointless, neither should we the things that God does in our story as we faithfully follow Him between seasons. So you today may be in a time of questioning direction, not feeling settled anywhere yet. Know this time is usable by God if you let Him use you in it. Keep moving forward to whatever God is calling you to but know He doesn’t want to wait to work through you only till you get to where you’re going. He works during the journey. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1619
Daily DEVO 