Photo courtesy of Aaron Burden
Today’s Bible Reading:
Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9: Proverbs 6
I find Mark 9:14-29 quite interesting. Jesus comes down from the Mount of Transfiguration to find some if his disciples in a heated debate with some scribes. They are arguing over the fact that the disciples were unable to cast out the spirit that inhabited the son of a man who came to them for help. This was not something they had not done before-they had been given authority by Jesus to do just that, but for some reason this time they were powerless to work a miracle. So Jesus steps in and all is well. In the final verse we read these words of Jesus when the disciples asked Him why they were unable to cast it out. “And He said to them, ‘This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.’” I wonder at those words-did the disciples neglect to pray? Had they become too confident in their own ability-God given though it was? Was this all a lesson in how when we are weak-our God He is strong?
There is another little treasure tucked away in these verses where Jesus tells those listening, “All things are possible to him who believes.” Perhaps the whole issue was a lack of faith. I can try to conjure up faith, but it’s source is always Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. It would stand to reason then, that faith is perfected as I meditate on God’s word and pray-when I spend time with the source of my faith. Perhaps the lesson here is that I am powerless on my own.
Grace, peace, and mercy,
Debra
Genesis 39; Mark 9; Job 5; Romans 9: Proverbs 6
I find Mark 9:14-29 quite interesting. Jesus comes down from the Mount of Transfiguration to find some if his disciples in a heated debate with some scribes. They are arguing over the fact that the disciples were unable to cast out the spirit that inhabited the son of a man who came to them for help. This was not something they had not done before-they had been given authority by Jesus to do just that, but for some reason this time they were powerless to work a miracle. So Jesus steps in and all is well. In the final verse we read these words of Jesus when the disciples asked Him why they were unable to cast it out. “And He said to them, ‘This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.’” I wonder at those words-did the disciples neglect to pray? Had they become too confident in their own ability-God given though it was? Was this all a lesson in how when we are weak-our God He is strong?
There is another little treasure tucked away in these verses where Jesus tells those listening, “All things are possible to him who believes.” Perhaps the whole issue was a lack of faith. I can try to conjure up faith, but it’s source is always Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. It would stand to reason then, that faith is perfected as I meditate on God’s word and pray-when I spend time with the source of my faith. Perhaps the lesson here is that I am powerless on my own.
Grace, peace, and mercy,
Debra
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