THE WORD AND THE POWER
Today’s Reading: Mark 12
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).
Through a passage off the north side of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of the platform on which the Temples of Solomon, Ezra and Herod were built, is a collection of Jewish holy books. This man is reading an ancient scroll protected by glass. A Torah scroll is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of reproduction. Written entirely in Hebrew, a sefer Torah contains 304,805 letters, all of which must be duplicated precisely by a trained sofer or scribe. This is an effort which may take as long as 18 months.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where Reynold took the photo, click HERE.
Key Verse: Mark 12:24
Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?…”
Jesus taught that we learn about God by knowing both the Scriptures and the Power of God. There are those who concern themselves with one or the other, and who fail to have both the Word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in a balanced Christian life. Failure to give attention to both will produce a lopsided and ineffective believer. Therefore, we should take quality time reading God’s Word in a systematic way (this blog will help), and after we’ve heard from God, take time to pray fervently for the infilling of the Holy Spirit for the new day of service. This chapter begins with the parable of those who were unwilling to recognize the servants that the owner of the vineyard had sent to them. With a diligent effort to balance the head and the heart with Scripture and the experience of God’s Spirit, we will not fall into error or fanaticism.
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, Your Son and our Saviour showed us how a Christian should live in balance. May He live fully in me so that Your Word and Your Spirit will produce daily the fruit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a balanced way (Gal. 5:22-25 and 1 Cor. 12:4-11). I pray this through the Person of Jesus Christ, in whom I live. Amen!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
Before I write this blog, I know that in order to communicate as I should, I must spend time reading God’s Word, meditating on that Word, and an equal time in prayer. I try to spend the same amount of time on my personal devotions as I do writing these words. This discipline goes back to my earliest days in witnessing for Jesus. I really messed up a great opportunity to win a man for Christ by a lack of wisdom (“He that wins souls is wise” Proverbs 11:30), and a failure to keep filled with the Holy Spirit. I watched this man turn away from God. I cried out to God in my private time and was taught the reason for my failure…the lesson of today’s blog. One other lesson from today’s reading: When God counts the amount of our giving of offerings to Him, He counts the size of our gift by how much we have left over after we’ve given, not the actual cash value of our gift. Think about it the next time you give.
Yours for both the Scriptures and the Power of God,
David
We are so blessed by Your love for us Lord. Forgive us for our failings, when we continue to sin. Accept our repentance as we bow down in prayer to You. We give You all the glory and praise. In Jesus’ mighty Name, we pray together. Amen. Wishing all saints a wonderful day; stormy windy weather upon us.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5 ESV
Blowing In The Wind – Melbourne Mass Gospel Choir at Port Fairy Folk Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Feqi-4IRQU
Amen to all the above,Beverlee.Thank you
Amen
Amen Beverlee
God Bless You
Amen Beverlee: thanks for the song; The answer is blowing in the Wind”
I don’t think I have ‘cheated the Lord’ in my giving.I don’t count what I give when visiting other churches.There are other ways I give also but we should not pat ourselves on the back.
I always admire the little old lady who gave her last penny.Could she have been preparing to die?That was a lesson in giving to His disciples and one for us also.
God bless
You
In my solitude I wait.
Within the stillness I hear.
In You I rest my fate
For You conquer all fear.
I withhold no thought from You,
For You knew them before me,
And I know you see through
All of eternity.
All goodness You freely give
And in sorrow You bring rest,
For with You they ever live
While we still face the test.
GW(Bill) Marshall/March 12,2015
I was just reminded of an early poem:
Our Father
Oh God our Father you love us so,
We are blind and can not know
Just how great and kind you are,
Content to love us from afar.
We turn our backs and still you care;
We close our eyes but you are there,
But it’s You we rely on
To lead us on back to Zion.
We hurt you daily by endless sin
But still your light guides us in.
You could not know how weak we are
So you sent us Jesus to bear our scars.
We are a mixture of sin and praise,
But still you lift our spirits to raise
The love that you see in us still,
A desire to follow your holy will.
G W (Bill) Marshall /Oct 10,2011
Amen William
Inspiring poems!!!
God Bless You
Dear Lord God, You are the Holy One. You are righteous and true and good. You share Yourself with us. Thank You. Help us follow You today. We commit all this world You care about into Your care, Lord, and ask that Your will is done on Earth as in Heaven. In Jesus’s name, amen
Amen
Amen
Amen
What a joyful choir. We rejoice in our God – He is great and He never changes. He is The One in Whom we can trust when everything around us is changing and is unfamiliar. Praise the Lord!
Amen
Amen Doreen
God Bless You
Amen Doreen, Jesus is our Rock. Appreciate David’s teaching today about balance. And all your posts.
Amen Yes Jesus Is Our Rock
God Bless You
Prayers 3:00
Amen, God bless you Ger
Tornado watch for parts of the GTA. I pray everyone is safe.
Prayed at 3pm for all of you, by name. Prayed also for all who follow this blog whose names we do not know. Thank you again, Beverlee for that great idea!
How wonderfully faithful and true is Our God. We are so blessed to be His children and we pray for others to join the Family.
Blessings on all of you! 🙏