Day 57 Bible Readings – Mark 9: 28-29 (ESV)

Exodus 39 & 40, Mark 9: 1-32, Psalm 35: 11-18

Mark 9: 28-29 (ESV)

“And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

In verses 28 and 29 from Mark 9, Jesus tells his disciples that they could not cast the demon out of the child because the demon could only driven out by prayer. In a Bible commentary I read, the author stated that Jesus was not saying that prayer would make them worthy to cast out demons. Jesus was trying to tell his disciples that they needed to pray more because prayer brings us closer to the heart of God and increases our faith. If our faith is strong, then we can draw on the power of God to perform miracles. The author also stated that that the disciples couldn’t drive out the demon from the child because they were relying more on themselves than on God. I like this explanation that prayer brings us closer to God and strengthens our faith. It isn’t that God needs to hear our prayers because God knows us better than we know ourselves. But we need prayer to strengthen our faith and to become closer to God.

Day 56 Bible Readings for February 26 – Mark 8: 38 (ESV)

Exodus 37 & 38, Mark 8: 1-38, Psalm 35: 1-10

Mark 8: 38 (ESV)

“For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

In verse 8 from Mark 8, Jesus talks about how his disciples cannot be ashamed of him and his words when they are surrounded by adulterous and sinful people. If they are ashamed of him, then Christ will ashamed of them after his resurrection. I find this verse to be applicable to Christians living in today’s world. We cannot be ashamed of being Christians and loving Christ, even though to love Christ and be a Christian in today’s world is not seen as a good thing by the same people who uphold sins as good things. I find it so interesting that the words from the Bible are still applicable to us in our modern day, when our world is so different from world in the times of Jesus. What this similarity does tell me is that the nature of people are the same today as they were in the times of Christ, and the Bible can still be used as a guide for how to live our life as people who believe in Christ.

Day 55 Bible Readings – Exodus 35: 30-33 (ESV)

Exodus 35 & 36, Mark 7: 31-37, Psalm 34: 11-22

Exodus 35: 30-33 (ESV)

“Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft.”

In verses 30-33 from Exodus 35, we find out God has filled Uri the son of Ur with the spirit of God to help build the Tabernacle. God gave Uri skill, intelligence, and knowledge of craftsmanship to do his work. I love these verses because they tell us that if God has given us a task to do, we should not be afraid of taking it on. God would not have given us the task without give us the needed skills, intelligence, and knowledge to complete the task. God will always give us everything we need to fulfill his plan for our life and his plan for humanity. We have a good God who loves us and want us to always be happy in our lives.

Day 54 Bible Readings – Mark 7: 20-23 (ESV)

Exodus 33 & 34, Mark 7: 1-30, Psalm 34: 1-10

Mark 7: 20-23 (ESV)

“And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

In verses 20 through 23 from Mark 7, we read how Jesus responded to the Pharisees when they questioned him about why his disciples did not observe the ceremonial washing rituals before they ate food. Christ tells us that God is more concerned with what comes out of a person, then what comes into him through food. Christ tells us that food or unclean hands do not defile us. We are already defiled by our sinful nature. Christ then gives us a list of 13 evil things that live in our hearts. William Barclay wrote in his book The Gospel of Mark that “Every outward act of sin is preceded by an inward act of choice; therefore Jesus begins with the evil thought from which the evil action comes.” I like Barclay’s theory that every outward act of sin is only made because we made an inward act of choice. Every sin known to man can be connected to the list of 13 evil things that Christ said lives in our hearts. It is only with the help of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, can we hope to overcome these 13 evil things that Christ said lives within us and live a live of peace and righteousness.