VERSE: Mark 12:44–“for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.” TRUTH: Jesus is explaining the sacrifice involved in a poor woman’s offering. He applauds her faith and trust in God to supply all she needs. When we give to the Lord, are we giving out of our surplus, or are we offering Him everything? Do we look at everything we have as belonging to Him anyway and give back to Him all that He asks without hesitation? RESPONSE: Lord, You own 100% of everything I call mine. There is nothing I have that doesn’t…

VERSE:Mark 11:25–Whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. TRUTH: Our prayers and our relationship with God is affected by our relationship with others. When we are unforgiving toward others, that attitude affects our closeness with God. We are to be forgiving toward others just as God is forgiving toward us. What relationships with others do you need to make right through forgiveness today?RESPONSE: Lord, You forgive us so that we can forgive others. Help me to not hoard your gift of forgiveness, but to be willing to share it to all. I…

VERSE: Mark 10:45–“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” TRUTH: Service and sacrifice describe how Jesus lived His life while on earth. Service and sacrifice should define how we live our lives each day. Are we allowing Jesus to live this purpose through us on a daily basis? We can’t do it on our own. RESPONSE: Father, help me fulfill Your purpose in my life each day. Show me today how to serve others and sacrifice as You did for me.

VERSE: Mark 9:35–Sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, be shall be last of all and servant of all.” TRUTH: What is our goal? Jesus gives very clear instructions on how to be first and successful in life: the last of all will be first. How are we to be last? We are to be a servant. Are we seeking to serve others in every opportunity that we have throughout our day? RESPONSE: Lord, the secret to success is to serve others. Father, I want to display the heart of a servant in everything I do. I want to serve others as…

VERSE: Mark 8:35–For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel will save it. TRUTH: Are we a spiritual hoarder? Do we try to tuck away our life, intent on saving every piece of it for ourselves? The Bible is very clear that if we are focused on keeping and preserving our own life, then we will ultimately see it slip away from us. If we are focused on giving our life to the gospel and being obedient to God, then we will save our life. RESPONSE: Lord, it seems backward that to save our life we must…

VERSE: Mark 7:9–He was saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.” TRUTH: Of all the things to be an expert at, this is not a good choice. The Pharisees had become experts on their own traditions, but as a result they were lacking severely in obedience to the commands of God. As we look at our life today, are we setting aside obedience just to hold on to or protect the “things we’ve always done?” Let go of traditions if they are standing in the way or taking the place of true obedience to God. RESPONSE: Lord, I…

VERSE: Mark 6:34–When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. TRUTH: When we see people lost and hurting, we are to have two responses. First, we are to have compassion on them. Second, We are to teach them about Jesus. That is how Jesus responded to hurting people. He didn’t just share because He felt He was supposed to, and He also didn’t just feel sorry for them without giving them hope and sharing with them a better way.We must do both in order to truly help…

VERSE:Mark 5:36–But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” TRUTH: Our lives are full of “noise” every day. We can start our day seeking Jesus, but then get distracted by everything and everyone else around us. This synagogue official faced this same challenge. He asked for Jesus’s help and Jesus came. Then he started hearing the “noise” coming from those around him. Jesus reminded him not to be afraid, but just to believe. Jesus reminds us of the same thing today. RESPONSE: Father, no matter what the “noise” in my life says, I will continue to place my…

VERSE: Mark 4:38–Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushions; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” TRUTH: It can be easy to feel that way sometimes. We look around us and can’t see God’s plan or purpose, but just see our pain and fear. We feel that somehow God has forgotten us or abandoned us. Yet God is still always right there, no matter how we are feeling. The truth of situations is that He loves us and He is still over everything, even when we can’t see it. We just need to come to Him and…