Mark 6-4.27.22
Scripture:
Mark 6:30-37
30 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. 31 Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” 32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37 But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
Observation-What does it say?
The initial plan was for the disciples to get away to a quiet place and get some rest by themselves with Jesus. However, because of Jesus’ compassion on the large crowd of people, who in verse 34 says were “like sheep without a shepherd”, their plans changed.
Understanding-What does it mean?
Because of Jesus’ compassion on the lost, He didn’t want His disciples to send them away, but rather, take action.
Jesus was very outward focused with His ministry. Although He taught the religious leaders in the temple and synagogues and loved resting, teaching and hanging out with his disciples, He NEVER neglected the lost. Jesus was a true leader, not a follower in this regard. His disciples would get questions from the Pharisees about why He ate and dined with sinners. Throwback to our reading in Mark 2:17, Jesus responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Life Application:
Pray to have a compassionate heart for the lost, like Jesus did, and take action when He instructs us to!
Without a heart of compassion for the lost, we will never be outward focused, but always want to stay within our own circle of Believers. One way to develop a heart of compassion is by remembering who we once were before Jesus grabbed a hold of our hearts. It’s hard not to have mercy and compassion for the lost when we remember the lost person we used to be before Christ. (For those who think they weren’t that bad of a person, there’s your sin right there! Please see Luke 18:9-14).
I love how Pastor Levi said that the Holy Spirit is stirring up an evangelistic/mission focused mindset at our church at DSC! What did Jesus say to His disciples when they wanted to send the people away to get something to eat? He said, “YOU give them something to eat.” He not only said that, but gave them instructions on what to do next and provided everything they needed to accomplish the task.
Let’s continue praying for the lost, but also be obedient to the call to invite and feed them when the Lord instructs us to.
-Michelle Gaddi
Proverbs 2-4.26.22
Scripture
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you accept my words
and store up my commands within you,
turning your ear to wisdom
and applying your heart to understanding—
indeed, if you call out for insight
and cry aloud for understanding,
and if you look for it as for silver
and search for it as for hidden treasure,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
Observation
Do you really want to know God? Then study His word!
Understanding
Have you ever really wanted to learn something and put in the time and effort required? Maybe you learned to play an instrument. Or you worked to qualify for a sports team or to become a master in a particular field. These things didn’t happen because you had a passing interest. They happened because you practiced, and studied, and put in an incredible amount of time and effort. I’ve always wanted to play an instrument, but not bad enough to apply myself consistently. I’ve taken some piano lessons and I can play a couple of chords on the guitar, but I haven’t reached a level that I can say I “play” either instrument. But for me, finishing my bachelor’s degree was important enough to spend many years and many thousands of dollars to get that degree (even though I was in my 50s!).
Proverbs says that if we want to really know God, we can, but we need to truly seek Him. We’re not going to get there with lackluster, inconsistent effort. We need to truly value getting to know Him and search for His wisdom as we would search for treasure. And where are we going to search for Him? Like Pastor Levi said on Sunday, “Have you heard – God has a book out!”
Life Application
Proverbs says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To fear God is to know Him as He is and respond accordingly (John MacArthur). To know Him, I’ve got to go to His word. I’ve got to study it and memorize it and make it a part of my life.
I’m challenging myself to memorize a couple of verses each week for the next month. So when you see me on Sunday, hold me accountable and make me quote some scripture!
-Debbie Dunn
Mark 4-4.25.22
Scripture
Mark 4:38
“Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
Observation-What does it say?
Jesus and his disciples just finished a long day of ministry. It was evening time, so Jesus and his disciples got in a boat and began to cross to the other side of the lake. While they began to cross the lake, a fierce storm came. High waves were breaking into the boat and began to fill it with water. The disciples began to panic. They rushed to get Jesus for help. They found Jesus sleeping at the back of the boat in the midst of this storm. So the disciples woke Jesus up and shouted, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are going to drown?”
Understanding-What does it mean?
Is there anyone else you would rather have in the boat with you during a storm?
Jesus’ disciples have witnessed first hand some of the amazing things Jesus had done. From casting out demon possessed people, to healing all sorts of people with various sicknesses and diseases. Jesus performed miracles! Why were His disciples panicking and so frantic on the boat as the storm hit? Did they suddenly forget who was in the boat with them?
Life Application
Seek Jesus first when life’s storms hit you.
We can poke fun and laugh at the disciples all we want about their lack of faith, but if we were to look at our own lives, aren’t we the same way sometimes? I know I am. I know Jesus has gotten me through so many things in life. From my struggles while in the Marines, to my bout with Bells Palsy, through my financial debt, to the healings of not only my physical ailments, but my family’s as well. Jesus continuously comes through! Yet, when the next “storm” in my life arrives, there I go again, worrying, panicking, and forgetting who is in the boat with me. It’s quite silly when I think about it. It’s like I have short term memory or something! It’s almost as if the enemy wants me to forget all those miracles Jesus did for me so that I would rely on other avenues to deal with it. Just one problem though...not one of those avenues lead to Jesus! And why should I try these other avenues in life to help me through these storms?..When I have Jesus in my life! He is the One who has always been faithful to me. It would be foolish of me to go any other way. Why try to fight these “storms” in life on my own, or with anything else?..Especially when I have the God of the universe on the boat with me, who has the power to do ALL things!
“When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped and there was a great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”-Mark 4:39-41
-Moses Gaddi