Thursday, January 22, 2015

Thursday, January 22nd: Isaiah 3-4, Mark 1:23-45

Today's passage from the Bible In a Year Reading Plan is Isaiah 3-4, Mark 1:23-45

In our Isaiah passage it is clear that God is sovereign and in complete control of everything that happens. He can cause leaders and nations to rise and fall as He wills it - in either blessing or discipline or wrath.

The section on women and their obsession with their outward appearance is definitely applicable today!  When we become obsessed with our outer beauty alone, we reflect the moral decay of the nation and ultimately, detract from the glory of God.  We are not to try to attract attention based on our looks but rather pursue purity of heart in order to give God glory.

A few things stood out to me in the Mark passage...
The disciples didn't understand why Jesus wasn't on a mission to continue healing everyone, but they didn't realize that His true mission was to preach the gospel.  Obviously, it is good for us to help those in need, to serve the poor, to visit the sick.  But all that is really useless without the good news.  We cannot become so consumed with meeting material needs that we overlook people's spiritual needs.

When Jesus healed people by touching them, it shows us that His love, mercy, and power, was so great that not only did He not become unclean by touching them, they became clean by His touch.  We need to remain unpolluted by the sin around us, and instead be intentional about spreading His light into the darkness.




 Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Isaiah 5-6, Mark 2

3 comments:

Nathan said...

The reading in Mark made me think what it must have been like, having someone (Jesus) come to your town or village, and begin to heal the sick and possessed. It even mentions that their were lineups to see Jesus. I hope those that we're healed physically were smart enough to give thanks and go on to listen to the good news of salvation that Jesus gave, and then go on to give their lives in devotion to Him. I hope I don't get caught up in something exciting God does for me, that I forget to first give thinks and then make a decision to be more committed to Him.

Pamela said...

"But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter."

Are we "talking freely" about what Jesus is doing in our lives that people desire to come to Him? Or do we tend to keep it to ourselves and just thank God in prayer for the things that we should be sharing with others....

Conrad said...

Good points. Something we all need to be mindful of.