how beautiful that the Israelites had to be in the desert for 40 years because they were not faithful to God, and Jesus came and remains in the desert for 40 days to do the right thing and thus actually correct what they have done wrong.
“As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.””
Mark 1:10-11 NLT
The Israelites were just like a typical child. They messed up, heard the punishment and then wanted to do what they were supposed to do originally in order to escape the punishment. Too late. You had your chance. You’ll have to take your punishment.
24But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
“if you will, you can make me clean” just imagine how many times we fall short of God’s glory and we cry out to him asking him if He could please clean us and heal us and set us free; all we have to do is believe in his love and his power. and Jesus says, ” I will; be clean”
Yet, the people still came to him from everywhere. We are still fishers of people to follow the Lord. Those people sought out the Lord, because he could no longer enter towns freely. May we always seek out the Lord.
May we also intercede on behalf of unbelievers, that the Lord would pardon the iniquity of the people, according to the greatness of His steadfast love, just as He has granted me faith in His steadfast love.
It marvels me to compare God’s reaction to the people in the OT to His reaction to Jesus: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” This is the very point where Jesus changes everything for us!
When I completed the reading, this is exactly what I felt and thought. “Wow!” How lucky are we to have come to know the love and forgiveness that God allowed us through Jesus.
Wow–Mark really starts off with a bang, briefly mentioning several stories that are much longer in the other Gospels, but really, from the start, establishing Jesus’ legitimacy with incredible evidence–from prophecy, physical and spiritual healing, and preaching with authority.
It amazes me that Simon and Andrew left everything IMMEDIATELY no second thoughts no going and grabbing their stuff or telling their family! This really convicted me today. How often do I drop EVERYTHING for the Lord
Maybe some of you are playing catch up like me :) I recently got back from a bible retreat with my college group. We studied the book of Mark, super in depth manuscript style! This time I went through the the second half of Mark, so I’m excited to review the first half, but let me tell you ladies this book is amazing! Mark has such attention to detail and moves at a fast pace, giving a sense of urgency. I love the opening line “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” what a title! I also love Jesus’ command to the leper “See that you say nothing to no one; but go, show yourself to the priest…” Jesus desires the leper to not only be physically healed but spiritually and emotionally healed. To be integrated back into society, he must present himself to the priest. Jesus understood the importance of this and thought this part of the healing to be very urgent, enough that the leper should speak to no one! Cool stuff guys, seriously. I’m so excited!
There is much startling sacrifice made in these OT readings with both people and animals. I’m starting to see that this was God’s way of making a strong stand about submission and reigning in of His order. Ultimately this was being done for their own protection in forming order and structure. I equate it with disciplining children. As a parent you really don’t want to. However if you don’t, they won’t grow up with values or goals.
Numbers 14: 18 “The Lord is slow to anger…” I needed this today. After having lost my temper at my 8yr old this morning, I prayed to God to show me how I need to be. Lo and behold, this verse pops up from today’s reading.
I n
The contrast between God in the OT and the NT is dramatic. I wonder why God ordered them to stone the man for gathering wood on the Sabbath and yet Jesus encouraged sinners to change and for others to forgive them.
I think the reason is because Jesus came as the living sacrifice so our sins would be washed away meaning that we had forgiveness and grace something we didn’t have before Jesus :)
From Adam to Moses there was no law and therefore – essentially – no sin; because the law defines sin. From Moses to Jesus all had awareness of the sin infused into humanity via the Fall. From Jesus on- all have awareness of the eternal life infused in humanity by his fulfillment of the law. In other words his consumption of sin on our behalf fulfilled the law. Therefore when we live in Christ we are living way beyond the law. He taught discernment of right and wrong through a filter of love…maybe because he was the fulfillment of the law. It’s all so complicated and hard for human understanding. I constantly am trying to wrap my head around it.
I’m wondering about that Generational curse thing as well, my in laws went to counseling and they focused so much on generational curses. Aren’t we redeemed by the Blood of Christ?! Shouldn’t those curses be broken?
I may be wrong on this, but my mind is being blown thinking of the correlation between the blue tassel worn to remember the commandments and holiness of the Lord and the ‘fringe’ of Jesus’ garment the woman touched and was healed (Luke 8:44). Was the woman touching this blue tassel? I looked around the Internet (several different references), and Jews in Jesus’ day still wore these. In fact, the Pharisees were accused of making their tassels extra long.
18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
This is so true and a great reminder to myself, sometimes God has brought me out of a bad situation and for a while I was rejoicing. But as soon as doubt and fear creeps into my heart, I start to think about the situation I came out from and start wanting to go back there as it’s a known evil that I can deal with, even though God has already promised good to me. May I always have the strength, courage and audacity to take Daddy God at His word and believe He is faithful to His promises. :)
Hindrances to Entering My Promised Land:
– Ingratitude (v.2)
– Unbelief (v.11)
– Disobedience (v.43)
Lord, let me have the faith that Joshua and Caleb had! A faith that pleases you and sets me apart! A faith that leads me to be Grateful no matter what, and to Obey whatever the cost! The kind of faith that will lead me to where you want me to be.. in Jesus name. Amen.
Jesus is the True and better Moses, interceding on behalf of wayward Israel. He is the one who went into the wilderness and remained faithful to God (and not complaining!) in our place. Love how these passages parallel today!! =)
See Christina’s response above…“feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong.” Jesus knows that the result of a fallen world from sins entrance was both physical (disease, destruction & death)and emotional (disappointment, doubt, discouragement & despair). That was not His desire or intent when He created the world. Redemption is near! Come Lord Jesus!
It seems very random that the Israelites found a man gathering wood and then God commanded them to stone him to death. It just seems out of place! Anyone have any ideas on why that was included?
I thought the same thing Jessica, so I checked out what my study guide had to say. The punishment was so severe because the sin was so deliberate. The man knew that he was defying God by working on the sabbath. I think it’s in there because the verses before (22-30) are talking about sacrifice for unintentional sin and this man breaking the sabbath was punished for his intentional sin.
I am going in for an emergent doctors appointment on Wednesday morning. I have had three surgeries in my back and am 23. I would love prayers from you all to help decrease my anxiety for the appointment and that my pain can improve without another surgery. Thank you sweet sisters
Of course we will pray! He is faithful to complete a good work in you once begun (Philippians 1). May the truths of God which have been spoken over you continue to bring you peace as the Holy Spirit abounds where you are.
Praying!
Job 15 But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction. Romans 8:26-28 is also a great reminder that this is all in God’s hands!
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Dear Father how I hope that there are days when you look down on me and say the same words to your daughter. I will never be the perfection of Jesus, but I strive to please you in all I do each day. Thank you for the example and sacrifice of Your Son so that I know Your ways. Thank you for the blessings of every day.
First off, I wanted to say, I’m so happy to be caught up with everyone. I started this plan at the beginning of lent and I’m really excited to be doing this, especially with this great group of ladies. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s comments. Secondly, I loved how mark verse 44 ties back to Leviticus and numbers. I’ve never fully understood why Jesus tells the man to show himself to the priests and offer sacrifice. I love how the New Testament is becoming so much clearer each day!! SUCH A BLESSING
The Lord was displeased with Their lack of faith, it hurt him deeply. Joshua and Caleb had seen the obstacles/the large army but had great faith that God would continue to provide and protect them, their faith in God is beautiful to see. There are so many obstacles and fears and often I focus too much on those and do not reflect and thank God for what obstacles he had brought me through..today as I go into another unknown I pray for this attitude of confidence in Gods work and thankfulness for what he has already done.
Sarah – my version here (HCV) says “41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” Another version I have (ESV) says “moved with pity”. What version are you reading from?
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
This is the KJV. I don’t believe Jesus would ever be offended unless someone didn’t have faith or trust in Him. This man was just asking to be healed. Hope this helped :)
Sarah I just read this passage in about 5 different translations and all of them except NIV use some version of Jesus being moved or filled with compassion. However, the NIV does say indignant! Caught me off guard and confused me too! So I looked up indignant and I found “feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong” and I’m thinking (might be a stretch) that this translation is more the tone of Jesus being moved in a way because the man’s plague of leprosy is “unfair or wrong” and so is moved to heal him. Anybody else have any ideas on this one??
I read the bible in swedish:). And translated to English my version says that jesus is filled with anger and it confused me too. But I think you have a point Christina, maybe Jesus was upset because he saw the man’s pain and what he had suffered
I believe they are referring to a righteous anger over the sin that plagued this man’s body. Jesus spent a lot of His ministry in righteous anger or grief over the corruption of His creation. I read this as Jesus is upset and moved to compassion because of His frustration with what sin has done to His children.
While reading the Numbers passage, I thought that the command for aliens and foreigners to obey the law also could be pointing ahead to the time when Paul and others would preach Jesus to the Gentiles, showing that even then God’s plan was to be open for everyone.
Numbers 14:8 “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey”. The leaders encouraged the people not to be overwhelmed by the perceived difficulty of the task that lay before them. God had brought them to this point through many “insurmountable” obstacles. He had overcome the difficulty. And He would do it again if they followed Him in faith.
It was very interesting to read about God’s command to the Israelites to sew tassels on their garments to help them remember the laws. What immediately came to my mind was my set of prayer beads that helps me remember what I want to pray for and focus my thoughts. God knows that we poor humans need tangible ways to keep us in relationship with him. Props, used appropriately, can be very valuable in keeping us on track.
Sorry – posted before I intended: I was reading recently about Jewish prayer shawls, that they have 108 knots tied in the tassels, representing the 108 laws. Didn’t realize that this was a specific instruction from scripture. Very cool!
Yes! I wish I had the umph to get up early or stay up later after my family goes to sleep and just worship and let God speak to me and pray. Instead I just do it intermittently thru out the day
This was one of my favorite passages of today’s text! It stuck out to me so so much. Jesus – the healing teacher, perfect savior – needed time to be alone, find solace. It’s so beautiful!
I love how it keeps repeating that the “alien living among you” was to have the same rules as anyone else. Everyone was to be treated equally. Not only was this to point out that all men are equal among God, but it also was to prevent the outsiders from coming in and drawing God’s people into their own religious practices. Everyone living in the community of God’s people were to worship him and to treat each other with respect.
I love you, Jesus! ❤️
how beautiful that the Israelites had to be in the desert for 40 years because they were not faithful to God, and Jesus came and remains in the desert for 40 days to do the right thing and thus actually correct what they have done wrong.
So thankful that Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us, that we no longer are bound by sin offerings.
“As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.””
Mark 1:10-11 NLT
The Israelites were just like a typical child. They messed up, heard the punishment and then wanted to do what they were supposed to do originally in order to escape the punishment. Too late. You had your chance. You’ll have to take your punishment.
Gods spirit came on Him and He loved Him
❤️
❤️
❤️
24But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it.
“if you will, you can make me clean” just imagine how many times we fall short of God’s glory and we cry out to him asking him if He could please clean us and heal us and set us free; all we have to do is believe in his love and his power. and Jesus says, ” I will; be clean”
Yet, the people still came to him from everywhere. We are still fishers of people to follow the Lord. Those people sought out the Lord, because he could no longer enter towns freely. May we always seek out the Lord.
Immediately!! Without hesitation! This was standout for me today!
❤
✔️
❤️
❤️❤️❤️
✅
I love how Jesus goes off to pray alone early in the morning in Mark. Jesus needed time alone with the Lord, so we definitely do too!
I pray that I may able to be more confident in sharing God’s word -ellie
May we also intercede on behalf of unbelievers, that the Lord would pardon the iniquity of the people, according to the greatness of His steadfast love, just as He has granted me faith in His steadfast love.
❤️
Out of all those people only Caleb and Joshua would be the eye witnesses of the miracles who entered the new land. Amazing.
It marvels me to compare God’s reaction to the people in the OT to His reaction to Jesus: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” This is the very point where Jesus changes everything for us!
When I completed the reading, this is exactly what I felt and thought. “Wow!” How lucky are we to have come to know the love and forgiveness that God allowed us through Jesus.
Wow–Mark really starts off with a bang, briefly mentioning several stories that are much longer in the other Gospels, but really, from the start, establishing Jesus’ legitimacy with incredible evidence–from prophecy, physical and spiritual healing, and preaching with authority.
It amazes me that Simon and Andrew left everything IMMEDIATELY no second thoughts no going and grabbing their stuff or telling their family! This really convicted me today. How often do I drop EVERYTHING for the Lord
Maybe some of you are playing catch up like me :) I recently got back from a bible retreat with my college group. We studied the book of Mark, super in depth manuscript style! This time I went through the the second half of Mark, so I’m excited to review the first half, but let me tell you ladies this book is amazing! Mark has such attention to detail and moves at a fast pace, giving a sense of urgency. I love the opening line “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” what a title! I also love Jesus’ command to the leper “See that you say nothing to no one; but go, show yourself to the priest…” Jesus desires the leper to not only be physically healed but spiritually and emotionally healed. To be integrated back into society, he must present himself to the priest. Jesus understood the importance of this and thought this part of the healing to be very urgent, enough that the leper should speak to no one! Cool stuff guys, seriously. I’m so excited!
There is much startling sacrifice made in these OT readings with both people and animals. I’m starting to see that this was God’s way of making a strong stand about submission and reigning in of His order. Ultimately this was being done for their own protection in forming order and structure. I equate it with disciplining children. As a parent you really don’t want to. However if you don’t, they won’t grow up with values or goals.
Numbers 14: 18 “The Lord is slow to anger…” I needed this today. After having lost my temper at my 8yr old this morning, I prayed to God to show me how I need to be. Lo and behold, this verse pops up from today’s reading.
I n
I think we all need this one. :). Especially with our kids.
The contrast between God in the OT and the NT is dramatic. I wonder why God ordered them to stone the man for gathering wood on the Sabbath and yet Jesus encouraged sinners to change and for others to forgive them.
I think the reason is because Jesus came as the living sacrifice so our sins would be washed away meaning that we had forgiveness and grace something we didn’t have before Jesus :)
From Adam to Moses there was no law and therefore – essentially – no sin; because the law defines sin. From Moses to Jesus all had awareness of the sin infused into humanity via the Fall. From Jesus on- all have awareness of the eternal life infused in humanity by his fulfillment of the law. In other words his consumption of sin on our behalf fulfilled the law. Therefore when we live in Christ we are living way beyond the law. He taught discernment of right and wrong through a filter of love…maybe because he was the fulfillment of the law. It’s all so complicated and hard for human understanding. I constantly am trying to wrap my head around it.
I’m wondering about that Generational curse thing as well, my in laws went to counseling and they focused so much on generational curses. Aren’t we redeemed by the Blood of Christ?! Shouldn’t those curses be broken?
I found Ezekiel 18 to be helpful in answering your question. God ends the generational curses in the Old Testament is how I read that.
I love the gospels!
I may be wrong on this, but my mind is being blown thinking of the correlation between the blue tassel worn to remember the commandments and holiness of the Lord and the ‘fringe’ of Jesus’ garment the woman touched and was healed (Luke 8:44). Was the woman touching this blue tassel? I looked around the Internet (several different references), and Jews in Jesus’ day still wore these. In fact, the Pharisees were accused of making their tassels extra long.
18 ‘The Lord is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’
Would this verse be tied to Generational curses?
2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”
6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
This is so true and a great reminder to myself, sometimes God has brought me out of a bad situation and for a while I was rejoicing. But as soon as doubt and fear creeps into my heart, I start to think about the situation I came out from and start wanting to go back there as it’s a known evil that I can deal with, even though God has already promised good to me. May I always have the strength, courage and audacity to take Daddy God at His word and believe He is faithful to His promises. :)
My Take Away from Numbers 14:
Hindrances to Entering My Promised Land:
– Ingratitude (v.2)
– Unbelief (v.11)
– Disobedience (v.43)
Lord, let me have the faith that Joshua and Caleb had! A faith that pleases you and sets me apart! A faith that leads me to be Grateful no matter what, and to Obey whatever the cost! The kind of faith that will lead me to where you want me to be.. in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen!
Jesus is the True and better Moses, interceding on behalf of wayward Israel. He is the one who went into the wilderness and remained faithful to God (and not complaining!) in our place. Love how these passages parallel today!! =)
Does anyone know why some versions say “indignant” and others say “filled with compassion” in Mark 1:41?
See Christina’s response above…“feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong.” Jesus knows that the result of a fallen world from sins entrance was both physical (disease, destruction & death)and emotional (disappointment, doubt, discouragement & despair). That was not His desire or intent when He created the world. Redemption is near! Come Lord Jesus!
Thank you, Heidi (and Christina)! This makes more sense now. :) The Spirit and the Bride say, “come!”
It seems very random that the Israelites found a man gathering wood and then God commanded them to stone him to death. It just seems out of place! Anyone have any ideas on why that was included?
I thought the same thing Jessica, so I checked out what my study guide had to say. The punishment was so severe because the sin was so deliberate. The man knew that he was defying God by working on the sabbath. I think it’s in there because the verses before (22-30) are talking about sacrifice for unintentional sin and this man breaking the sabbath was punished for his intentional sin.
That makes sense! I totally missed the part where it was on the sabbath. Thank you!
I am going in for an emergent doctors appointment on Wednesday morning. I have had three surgeries in my back and am 23. I would love prayers from you all to help decrease my anxiety for the appointment and that my pain can improve without another surgery. Thank you sweet sisters
Praying for you. Peace and healing to you!
Of course we will pray! He is faithful to complete a good work in you once begun (Philippians 1). May the truths of God which have been spoken over you continue to bring you peace as the Holy Spirit abounds where you are.
Lifting you in prayers, Amanda!
Praying!
Job 15 But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction. Romans 8:26-28 is also a great reminder that this is all in God’s hands!
Praying for you Amanda
11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Dear Father how I hope that there are days when you look down on me and say the same words to your daughter. I will never be the perfection of Jesus, but I strive to please you in all I do each day. Thank you for the example and sacrifice of Your Son so that I know Your ways. Thank you for the blessings of every day.
Today I saw an example of:
HUMILITY (Mark 1:7)
OBEDIENCE (Mark 1:20)
JESUS’ AUTHORITY (Mark 1:27)
JESUS’ COMPASSION (Mark 1:34, 41)
DEPENDENCE ON THE FATHER (Mark 1:35)
I’m sure there is more, but my heart has enough to ponder for now :) Thanks, Jesus! I love you!
Amen!
First off, I wanted to say, I’m so happy to be caught up with everyone. I started this plan at the beginning of lent and I’m really excited to be doing this, especially with this great group of ladies. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everyone’s comments. Secondly, I loved how mark verse 44 ties back to Leviticus and numbers. I’ve never fully understood why Jesus tells the man to show himself to the priests and offer sacrifice. I love how the New Testament is becoming so much clearer each day!! SUCH A BLESSING
Bravo Heidi! that’s amazing that you were able catch up!
I agree!
The Lord was displeased with Their lack of faith, it hurt him deeply. Joshua and Caleb had seen the obstacles/the large army but had great faith that God would continue to provide and protect them, their faith in God is beautiful to see. There are so many obstacles and fears and often I focus too much on those and do not reflect and thank God for what obstacles he had brought me through..today as I go into another unknown I pray for this attitude of confidence in Gods work and thankfulness for what he has already done.
Praying for you, dear!
Sarah – my version here (HCV) says “41 Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched him. “I am willing,” He told him. “Be made clean.” Another version I have (ESV) says “moved with pity”. What version are you reading from?
Why does it say Jesus was indignant when the leper asked to be healed?
The NIV version in the app says indignant, but my NIV Study Bible says “Filled with compassion”
I’m not sure why it says indignant in the app, and I was confused as well Sarah.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
This is the KJV. I don’t believe Jesus would ever be offended unless someone didn’t have faith or trust in Him. This man was just asking to be healed. Hope this helped :)
Sarah I just read this passage in about 5 different translations and all of them except NIV use some version of Jesus being moved or filled with compassion. However, the NIV does say indignant! Caught me off guard and confused me too! So I looked up indignant and I found “feeling or showing anger because of something that is unfair or wrong” and I’m thinking (might be a stretch) that this translation is more the tone of Jesus being moved in a way because the man’s plague of leprosy is “unfair or wrong” and so is moved to heal him. Anybody else have any ideas on this one??
I read the bible in swedish:). And translated to English my version says that jesus is filled with anger and it confused me too. But I think you have a point Christina, maybe Jesus was upset because he saw the man’s pain and what he had suffered
I believe they are referring to a righteous anger over the sin that plagued this man’s body. Jesus spent a lot of His ministry in righteous anger or grief over the corruption of His creation. I read this as Jesus is upset and moved to compassion because of His frustration with what sin has done to His children.
While reading the Numbers passage, I thought that the command for aliens and foreigners to obey the law also could be pointing ahead to the time when Paul and others would preach Jesus to the Gentiles, showing that even then God’s plan was to be open for everyone.
Very interesting!
Numbers 14:8 “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us—a land which flows with milk and honey”. The leaders encouraged the people not to be overwhelmed by the perceived difficulty of the task that lay before them. God had brought them to this point through many “insurmountable” obstacles. He had overcome the difficulty. And He would do it again if they followed Him in faith.
Your comments are always so wonderful, I get a lot out of them :)
It was very interesting to read about God’s command to the Israelites to sew tassels on their garments to help them remember the laws. What immediately came to my mind was my set of prayer beads that helps me remember what I want to pray for and focus my thoughts. God knows that we poor humans need tangible ways to keep us in relationship with him. Props, used appropriately, can be very valuable in keeping us on track.
I love my prayer beads too! I was ing rerece
Sorry – posted before I intended: I was reading recently about Jewish prayer shawls, that they have 108 knots tied in the tassels, representing the 108 laws. Didn’t realize that this was a specific instruction from scripture. Very cool!
35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
I need this kind of discipline. :)
Yes! I wish I had the umph to get up early or stay up later after my family goes to sleep and just worship and let God speak to me and pray. Instead I just do it intermittently thru out the day
This was one of my favorite passages of today’s text! It stuck out to me so so much. Jesus – the healing teacher, perfect savior – needed time to be alone, find solace. It’s so beautiful!
Yes — and it shows me that even Jesus needed quiet time to function each day. Silly that we think we can do without it!!
I love how it keeps repeating that the “alien living among you” was to have the same rules as anyone else. Everyone was to be treated equally. Not only was this to point out that all men are equal among God, but it also was to prevent the outsiders from coming in and drawing God’s people into their own religious practices. Everyone living in the community of God’s people were to worship him and to treat each other with respect.