The Gospels through the Summer, Day 31 What does it mean to be family? Read Mark 3. As Jesus began his ministry, we see so often Jesus doing amazing and miraculous things in the company of lots of people. However, when we see Jesus’s biological family come on the scene, they are trying to stop him and Jesus asks the question who is my family. It’s important to understand that when we belong to Christ, we are family. Not because of biology, but because of his blood that covers us all for the forgiveness of our sins. He adopts us into his family and as a result we have a…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 30 Do something. Read Mark 2. As we continue in next chapter of the book of Mark, we see that Jesus is busy doing things. Jesus is meeting with people, and Jesus is impacting the lives of these people. They would have these verses where we see Jesus tell a paralyzed man to take his mat and walk. We can say that we believe in Jesus. We can tell others of our faith and all that we are doing. However, it only becomes real when we actually do something in response to our faith and our beliefs. Do we actually believe it enough to…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 28 All authority. Read Matthew 28. As we conclude the book of Matthew, we read about the miraculous resurrection Jesus Christ from the dead. Jesus Christ was dead and buried, yet God raised him up victorious over sin and death. Jesus met with his disciples to share with them and demonstrate his victory and as part of his final words to them, begins by making the statement that all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to him. What a profound statement! There is nothing in this world that is not under the authority of Jesus Christ. Nothing that happens to us,…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 26 As you read Matthew 26, it’s quite a long chapter and a lot of different things happen during the course of this chapter. Still, verse 54 sums up the entire chapter… Jesus was obedient and fulfilled scripture. Everything Jesus did was for purpose and was because God told him to. When we think about our lives, can we say the same thing? Is everything that we do a result of Christ living and working within us?

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 25 Two destinations. Read Matthew 25. Jesus begins to share that there are two destinations that people will end at. One is heaven and the other is hell. As Jesus uses this chapter to explain the differences, we see what results in people arriving at either place. God is a loving God, but make no mistakes, he will punish sin. Are we seeking after God and all that he is or are we just expecting to be given God’s glory, regardless of how we have acted or what we have pursued in our life? We need Jesus.

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 24 Christ is coming back. Read Matthew 24. The disciples asked Jesus how they will know when he will be returning, so Jesus goes through a list of signs and ways that that they will know that he is about to return. Still, Jesus makes it very clear that no one will know the exact time when Christ will return again. Are we waiting for his return? Even though we do not know exactly when he will return, he does give us signs and points us to ways in which we see scripture being fulfilled around us. Christ is very clear that no one…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 23 What kind of a spiritual leader are we? Read Matthew 23. As Jesus continues his teachings, he turns his focus to the spiritual leaders of the day. As these people have been leading and teaching the people of Israel, Jesus condemns them for teaching one thing and yet living out something different. He shares with them that he sees the hypocrisy that they live out and that he does not agree that what they are teaching and what they are doing match. Jesus tells the people to follow what they say, but not what they do. As leaders, it can be very easy…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 22 Who owns what? Read Matthew 22 As Jesus goes through some intense testing, we read about how the leaders of the day were trying to trick him and get him to mess up and say something they could use to incriminate him. Jesus was perfect in what he said, just like he was perfect in everything he did. Jesus makes this statement in this verse and it is one that reminds us just how mistaken our thoughts often are when it comes to ownership. We don’t own anything. God owns it all and he allows us to share in that. As a result,…

The Gospels through the Summer, Day 21 As we continue to read through the Gospels this summer, today we are reading Matthew 21. As we see Jesus enter triumphantly at the beginning of the chapter, we then see Him continue to display his power. As Jesus is sharing, we see him referencing the fact that people can have Christ’s power in their lives. Do we have and live in Christ’s power every day? Are we bringing our prayers and our requests to Him and praying through Him in His power?