“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” Mark 11:23 ESV Reflection: what is the biggest obstacle in fulfilling God’s purpose for you?  This is one of those verses I remember hearing as a child, which was so amazing to me. Just think, being able to move mountains just by speaking to them! Not only move them, but to throw them into the sea!...

“And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.” Mark 11:14 ESV Reflection: how many times did Jesus cleanse the temple?  I think we can all agree that God is very patient. Peter wrote “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 ESV. Perhaps the most significant display of His patience was with His people, who received...

“And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”” Mark 11:9-10 ESV Reflection: what are your expectations for the return of Christ?  Millions of people in the United States had very high hopes as the Obama administration took office. You might remember seeing slogans like “Hope” and “Change” all over during the campaign. The country had just gone...

“and said to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately as you enter it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it and will send it back here immediately.’”” Mark 11:2-3 ESV Reflection: what do you own?  Ownership is a strange idea or thought. Because many things we clam we “own”, meaning that “belong” to us, we probably don’t have a claim to. We may say we own...

“And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.” Mark 10:46 ESV Reflection: why does Jesus seem more interested in those cast aside by society?  I was listening to an interview yesterday, of a famous podcaster with a large audience who had come to the conclusion that “everything is a lie”; in the world, that is, other than the Bible. He had been spiritually agnostic before,...

“But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” Mark 10:43-44 ESV Reflection: what does it mean to be a Christian to you?  “Us managers do different stuff. Are you sure you want to give up what you are doing?” I still remember the words from a senior manager during an interview for my first management position. I thought at the time that his comments and question were pretty strange, simplistic,...

“And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”” Mark 10:17 ESV Reflection: what are the “terms and conditions” of following Christ?  I would image few of us read and understand many (most?) of the contracts we sign. Think about when you bought your last new phone or smart device. After signing the agreement of the phone, we load some apps (Facebook, Google, WhatsApp, Weather, etc),...

“And Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment.” Mark 10:5 ESV Reflection: why are laws needed?  If you spend a bit of time looking at how quickly a society breaks down, falls into chaos, when laws or law enforcements are removed, you will be amazed. We see this during wars, during large conflicts and riots, and we saw much of this during the recent pandemic. People who you thought you knew, suddenly behave based on a different set of rules. In some...

“For everyone will be salted with fire.” Mark 9:49 ESV Reflection: how does the Lord help you remove your sin from your life?  There are two aspects of becoming a Christian. The first is what we receive through Jesus Christ, and the second is what we give up of self. In a way, we receive life by giving up death. Putting it that way, the choice sounds so obvious, so simple, right?. Oh, but it isn’t. It requires the deepest of sacrifices, of self, and the process to give up death might be quite...

“For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.” Mark 9:41 ESV Reflection: when did you last give a young Christian a cup of water?   I had to take my truck in for a recall service yesterday morning. And, as I pulled up to the service bay, I was immediately met by the service advisor who greeted me, took some information and led me to his desk. The desk had a glass top, see through, and under it he had a Bible,...