Joy Today

Breathe the fresh air by the Sea of Galilee. Imagine listening to Jesus and eating our fill of bread and fish. Evening approaches and we head home. After instructing the disciples to sail across the lake ahead of him, "...he departed unto a mountain to pray."  We are wise to remember that after intense giving in whatever ways the Lord has led us, there is need for reconnecting with our Heavenly Father.  While Jesus prayed the disciples sailed toward the other side. "And Jesus saw them struggling to row against the wind:and about the fourth watch, he came to them, walking on the water." At first they thought it was a ghost and cried out for fear. But Jesus said:" Be of good cheer, it is I, do not be afraid." He got into the boat and the wind went calm. "And they were all amazed."(Mark 6:45-52)  So, we pick up on being blessed and refreshed by prayer, and being not afraid, but of good cheer, when Jesus IS near. May the Lord keep us in His care and ...

Walking is good exercise, of course, so let's keep "walking" in the Gospel of Mark, and with Jesus.  Oh my, another crowd has gathered. "And when Jesus saw the large crowd, he was moved with compassion because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them..."(Mark 6:34) After a while the disciples suggested to Jesus that he send everyone away to get food. But Jesus told them to give the people something to eat. It would cost too much for us to buy bread for this crowd, they replied. "How many loaves do you have? Go and see," said Jesus. " Five loaves and two fish," they reported.  What would YOU do at this point? Jesus directed the people to sit in groups. He looked up to heaven, blessed the loaves and fish,  had the disciples pass out the food. "And they all did eat and were filled."(Mark 6:42) and of scraps, there were 12 baskets full. It's the one miracle told in all four Gospels!  How DID Jesus feed th...

Right in the middle!!! Have you ever had something come up:" right in the middle" of some other situation? Good morning, my "walking" with Jesus friend.  Yes, "right in the middle" of listening to and responding to Jairus  about his gravely ill daughter, Jesus suddenly senses an outflow of strength. "Who touched my garment?" he asks... In THIS big crowd all around and pressing in, who can answer such a question? The response comes from a trembling lady who had been suffering an issue of blood for 12 years. She'd heard about Jesus. She needed healing. "If I can even just touch the hem of his robe, I shall be made whole," she had said to herself. As soon as she touched his robe "...straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt wholly healed."(Mark 5:25-34) She told Jesus "all the truth." His gracious response was:" Daughter, your FAITH has made you whole; go in peace and be whole."  Let...

Good Morning, my  "walking" with Jesus by Galilee friend. Now we are in Mark 5:22-43 KEEP close to Jesus,  another crowd is gathering. Here comes one of the rulers of the synagogue named Jairus [a religious big wig. He looks terrible, all anxious and distraught] " throwing himself at Jesus'feet, he begs:" My little daughter lies at the point of death, I pray Thee come and lay hands on her that she may live." Jesus starts to go with Jairus. A man comes  running from Jairus' house says,' Your daughter is dead don't bother the Master. But Jesus turns to Jairus and says:"Do not be afraid. Only Believe." At the house people were weeping. "Don't cry, she is only sleeping,' Jesus told the people. They laughed.He put them all out. But took the father and mother and his disciples Peter, James and John into the daughter's room. He took the girl by the hand and commanded:" Young lady, get up! And  straightaway she got up and...

Good Morning, my friend. Let's sit by the Sea of Galilee for a bit, breathe in its coolness, absorb its beauty and present tranquility. As the " things we have to deal with" run through our minds, The Holy Spirit holds up to us the words of Jesus in John 16:33, "My intention, in everything I have told you, is that you may have PEACE. I know, realistically, in the world, in living your life, there will be troubles. BUT, here's the deal, I say: Be of good cheer. What? Be cheerful, you exclaim. Yes, be of good cheer, do not let anything get you down, BECAUSE, by my love and resurrection power, I HAVE OVERCOME/ TRIUMPHED OVER the world.  Remember, friends, says Jesus, I keep My promises and I said, "Lo, I am WITH YOU always, even unto the end of the age."(Matthew 28:30)  So, we take a deep breath and follow the counsel in Proverbs 3:5-6:"Trust in the LORD with all your heart; Lean not on  your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He...

To be CALM is to be CERTAIN. Thanks to the love of God, there are  things of which we CAN be CERTAIN in these days when some things are uncertain. Staying  with the ship, the sea, the storm and the Savior in Mark 4:36-40, we note that Jesus felt so CERTAIN of his Father's care in all circumstances that he went to sleep in the back of the boat. We are offered, and can accept, assurance of God's care: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall be blessed with everything I really need."( Psalm 23:1)OK, the storm arose. The wind was strong. Waves were filling the ship. Fear gripped the disciples. They woke Jesus. What did he do? Being CERTAIN of His power and authority, He rebuked the wind and said to the sea:'Peace! Be still.' And IMMEDIATELY what happened? Yes! There was a GREAT CALM. When WE pay attention to the voice of Jesus, (by Bible reading, prayer, on-line worship. and deeds of kindness)  the storm stops tossing us around, we become CERTAIN of God's love and c...

Good Morning, my friend, good because God is faithful. He promises to be with you/with me when we trust Him through receiving Jesus, His Son, into our heart as Savior and Lord.  Today's dramatic account, in Mark 4:36-40, demonstrates and persuades us of the POWER God vests in Jesus. POWER available to us through Jesus. After teaching the multitude by the sea, "When evening was come Jesus said, let's cross over to the other side." [of the Sea of Galilee, which is, actually, a very large inland lake].* The disciples and Jesus get into a boat and head for the other side. Jesus goes to sleep in the back of the boat. "And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship" They were fearful that it would sink, so they woke Jesus, saying, "Don't you care if we perish?" What would YOU do? "Jesus arose. He rebuked  a GREAT CALM."  Storms arise.  But, Soul POWER for storm calming comes when our hearts choose to abide in the Pr...

Instead of "walking" today, let's do some thinking and rejoicing.  A serious health circumstance confronts us, yes. But we can choose to let the confidence of Christ and the promises of God keep us calm. "My Peace I give unto you..." Jesus said (John 16:47) "God has not given us a spirit of fear, God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind," the apostle Paul wrote to his spiritual son Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7)  And the Psalm writer declared eight of the many mighty ways God provides for and protects His people. The writer begins:" I will love You, O Lord, my Strength. * The Lord IS my Rock, Fortress and DELIVERER, my God, my Strength in whom I will trust, my Shield, the Defender of my Salvation and my High Tower." (Psalm 18:1-2)  Why not say those eight every time we come to an octagonal STOP sign? And let knowledge of the sure provisions of the Lord fill our hearts  with peace and guide our choices with calm assurance. L...

Hi my "walking with" friend. In Mark 4:21-25, Jesus is still teaching, using parables to teach some fundamental truths. Wanting his listeners to understand, he asks: "When you want light, do you put your lamp under a basket, or under your bed? No, you put it on a lampstand. Do you realize that there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed and that nothing secret will remain secret? Pay attention to what you hear. The way YOU measure something is the same measure others will use to measure you; and to you who hear, with understanding, more will be given. To those who HAVE, more will be given, but, from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." It's a hard saying, yes. But we know the truth of it: pay close attention, learn, think, develop understanding of something, and MORE understanding will grow. Fail to focus, and one will fall off track. In effect, Jesus is  saying, I want you with me, but you need to engage your WHOLE mind and spirit ...

Good Morning, my friend, I trust that the Lord is providing wisdom and protection for you during these challenging days and keeping us in prayer for those "on the front lines."  With Mark, we are by the sea of Galilee again. "And a great multitude was gathered, seeking to hear Jesus...and " ...he taught them many things by parables/by stories that illustrate a principle/ that give a lesson for living. "A farmer went out to sow seed. Some fell by the wayside. Some on stoney ground, some among weeds, and some on fertile ground where it yielded a good crop. He who has ears to hear, let him hear," Jesus admonished his listeners. "The SOWER, sows the Word. Some do not listen. Some seem to receive it, but stoney hearts reject it.  Some let the Word be choked out by the cares of this world. BUT, some receive the Word gladly, let it grow in their hearts and produce spiritual fruit to the glory  of God."(Mark 4:3-20)  Yes, Jesus' point is: be receptiv...

Good morning. In the mighty name of Jesus, may God bless you, protect you, give you extra wisdom today, my "walking" with Mark friend.  Jesus is with his disciples at a home in Capernaum. As usual, people are gathered around listening. Suddenly, "His mother and brothers came, asking to see Jesus. "And a multitude was sitting around Jesus. They said to him, 'Look, your mother and your brothers have come seeking you.' Jesus responded with a question: 'Who IS my mother or my brothers?' Then, looking around the circle at those sitting with him, he said: these are my brothers and mother. Those who do the will of God are my brothers and sisters and mother."(Mark 3:31-35) Now) We join the family of Jesus by believing He is the Son of God."But to all who believed in the Son, to THEM,God gave the right to become children of God "(John 1:12)  We step up to being his brothers and sisters by doing  the will of God...which God makes known in His Wo...

Good Morning, my friend. In the mighty name of Jesus, may God bless you with protection and peace.  Once again, "walking" with Jesus, we are in a synagogue on a Sabbath. A man with a withered hand was there. "Stand up," Jesus told him. Watch him, the big wig Pharisees said to themselves. Knowing their thoughts, the all discerning Savior again put them to shame, asking:"Does the law allow a man to do good, or evil, to save life or to kill, on the Sabbath?" They gave him no reply. Under those circumstances, how would you or I react? Here's how Jesus reacted: "He looked on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, and said to the man with the withered hand: Stretch out your hand. And the hand was restored/ became as whole and sound as his other hand." How did the Pharisees react? With grumbling, malice and scheming to get rid of Jesus! Stuck in their rut of self- importance they were blind to the goodness, grace and compas...

Good Morning, again, my friend. Seemed like a good idea, because I love you, to send all of Psalm 91: " He who DWELLS in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the protective shadow of the Most High,* I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my firtress: my God; in Him will I trust.* SURELY He shall rescue you from any trap and from the threatening pestilence.* He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His mighty muscular wings shall you trust; His Truth shall be your surrounding shield and your quick shield.*You shall not be afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flies in the day, *Nor For the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noon.* A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you...*Because you have made the Lord, who is your refuge, even the Most High, to be your dwelling place in mind and heart,*No evil shall befall you, neither shall any plague ...

3 6 There is a big task ahead Everyone needs to discover that Jesus IS the Son of God, learn about the Kingdom of God and find salvation from the wrath of God, by believing that Jesus IS the Christ, the Son of the living God. Big task? Let's put together a team...So, we're "walking with Jesus along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. " As Jesus walked, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea.: For they were fishermen. *And Jesus said to them, 'Come! Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. * And straightaway they left their nets and followed Jesus. * And when he had gone a little further, Jesus saw James, the Son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. *And straightaway Jesus called THEM: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship..., and went after Jesus."(Mark 1:16-20).  Who is SO winsome, so radiant, so strong of  spirit, so appealing as to draw men away from their work, into fresh fello...

What governs YOU? When Jesus was born a tall stack of religious laws governed the Jewish people, including a prohibition against ANY work on their day of worship,  the Sabbath. THEN, " It came to pass, that Jesus went through the corn fields on the Sabbath, and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn.[ doesn't seem like any "big deal" to you and me, BUT]  The religious big wig Pharisees challenged Jesus: Don't you realize your men are breaking the " no work on the Sabbath" law?( naughty, naughty!)  With great calm and deliberation, Jesus looked them in the eye and replied, King David of old gave temple bread to his men when they were hungry. My disciples have done nothing wrong. The principle here, said Jesus is:" The Sabbath was made to benefit man, not man to be a slave to a silly law disallowing work to feed hungry people. "The Son of man," he said, referring to himself, "Is Lord also of the Sabbath."  Le...

YOU KNOW, my friend: something BIG to be done: get together a good team! As we are "walking" around with Jesus, He comes to a tax-collector named Levi. "Follow Me," Jesus says. And Levi follows him. Later, he and his followers eat lunch with a bunch of "public and and sinners." The Scribes and Pharisees scoff, saying, "Don't you realize the folks you are lunching with are sinners?"  All calm and discerning, Jesus tells them: Cool it you dudes. I know what I am doing. "They who are whole have no need of a physician, but they who are sick DO need a physician; I came not to call the righteous, but to rescue sinners/ to call THEM to repentance." So, of course they are having lunch with me to hear the message of the Lord/to come to the Light/ to be drawn to "walk in newness of life."(Romans 6:4) Jesus said:" I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me."(John 14:6)Wow, Jesus, You always ...

YOU KNOW, my friend: something BIG to be done: get together a good team! As we are "walking" around with Jesus, He comes to a tax-collector named Levi. "Follow Me," Jesus says. And Levi follows him. Later, he and his followers eat lunch with a bunch of "public and and sinners." The Scribes and Pharisees scoff, saying, "Don't you realize the folks you are lunching with are sinners?" All calm and discerning, Jesus tells them: Cool it you dudes. I know what I am doing. "They who are whole have no need of a physician, but they who are sick DO need a physician; I came not to call the righteous, but to rescue sinners/ to call THEM to repentance." So, of course they are having lunch with me to hear the message of the Lord/to come to the Light/ to be drawn to "walk in newness of life."(Romans 6:4)Jesus said:" I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me."(John  14:6) Wow, Jesus, Yo...

While "walking" some more with Jesus, suddenly a man stricken with leprosy(a terrible, disfiguring, highly contagious skin disease) rushes up to Jesus, kneels at his feet and pleads, "Teacher, if you will, you can make me clean." What does Mark say about the situation? What would you do? What did JESUS do? See: Mark 1:41-42, "And Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out his hand and touched the man and said: 'I will. Be clean.' And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was cleansed."  We pause here. What just happened? Could that sequence of occurrences take place in our lives? A problem that needed to be solved. The needy one came to Christ and ASKED to be healed. Compassion moved the Savior to act. When the Savior acted, the problem was resolved. Compassion STILL moves our Savior to act on our behalf WHEN we ASK.  Matthew 7:7, advises us:"Ask and it SHALL be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock...

While "walking" some more with Jesus, suddenly a man stricken with leprosy(a terrible, disfiguring, highly contagious skin disease) rushes up to Jesus, kneels at his feet and pleads, "Teacher, if you will, you can make me clean." What does Mark say about the situation? What would you do? What did JESUS do? See: Mark 1:41-42, "And Jesus, moved with compassion, reached out his hand and touched the man and said: 'I will. Be clean.' And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was cleansed."  We pause here. What just happened? Could that sequence of occurrences take place in our lives? A problem that needed to be solved. The needy one came to Christ and ASKED to be healed. Compassion moved the Savior to act. When the Savior acted, the problem was resolved. Compassion STILL moves our Savior to act on our behalf WHEN we ASK.  Matthew 7:7, advises us:"Ask and it  SHALL be given unto you, seek and you shall f...

G'morning, my friend. We "watched" Jesus minister healing and proclaim the message of God. Great strength was needed. "Trust in the LORD, for in the LORD IS EVERLASTING STRENGTH" counsels Isaiah 26:4.  Knowing THAT, here is Mark's account of what Jesus did next: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Jesus went out of Simon's house, and departed into a solitary place, and there PRAYED."(Mark 1:35)  Jesus connected with His Heavenly Father, and ours, with the One whose strength is greatest above all. The One of whom alone, it can truly be said: "Yours, O Lord IS: the greatness, power, glory, majesty and victory."(1 Chronicles 29:11) When WE have "put out" a lot and will need to "put out" more again, do we follow the example of Jesus? Rise early. Seek a solitary place. Spend time alone with Almighty God: lift up our heart for Him to fill it with His love, wisdom, grace and the energy of goodness.  W...

G'morning, my friend. We "watched" Jesus minister healing and proclaim the message of God. Great strength was needed. "Trust in the LORD, for in the LORD IS EVERLASTING STRENGTH" counsels Isaiah 26:4. Knowing THAT, here is Mark's account of what Jesus did next: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, Jesus went out of Simon's house, and departed into a solitary place, and there PRAYED."(Mark 1:35) Jesus connected with His Heavenly Father, and ours, with the One whose strength is greatest above all. The One of whom alone, it can truly be said: "Yours, O Lord IS: the greatness, power, glory, majesty and victory."(1 Chronicles 29:11)  When WE have "put out" a lot and will need to "put out" more again, do we follow the example of Jesus? Rise early. Seek a solitary place. Spend time alone with Almighty God: lift up our heart for Him to fill it with His love, wisdom, grace and the energy of goodne...

God bless you. Good Morning, my "walking" friend. After synagogue, Jesus went to the home of brothers Simon and Andrew. Brothers James and John came also. What they found was awkward, hospitality-wise:" ...Simon's wife's mother is sick of a fever, they told Jesus." Now, we've already seen that Jesus is a man of action, so YOU have probably already figured out what happened next. Here is Mark's report:"So, Jesus came, and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately, the fever left her, and she ministered to them all." Wonderful! Amazing! Jesus says: "Come unto Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and humble of heart, and you will find rest unto Your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."( Matthew 11:28-30)Wise counsel from the Son of God, who is made by God, to become wisdom to  us when Christ indwells us by faith as Savio...

Oh good, we are together again this morning. A team is forming and our "walk brings us to the town of Capernaum on the northern Shore of the sea of Galilee. It's the Sabbath day. "Jesus entered the synagogue (Jewish place of worship), and taught.*And all who heard were astonished at his doctrine: because Jesus taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes.*And there was in attendance a man with an unclean spirit; and that spirit shouted out:*It said: Jesus of Nazareth, let us alone...have you come to destroy us? We know who you are: you are the Holy One of God."*[a disruption in the meeting, for sure. What would YOU do? What did Jesus do?] JESUS scolded the unclean spirit and commanded it to come out of the man!* And when the unclean spirit had torn at the man, it cried with a loud voice and came out.* And everyone was amazed...just WHO IS this Jesus, that the unclean  spirits obey him?"(Mark 1:21-27) Who is Jesus to you/ to me?May he always be: T...

There is a big task ahead Everyone needs to discover that Jesus IS the Son of God, learn about the Kingdom of God and find salvation from the wrath of God, by believing that Jesus IS the Christ, the Son of the living God. Big task? Let's put together a team...So, we're "walking with Jesus along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. " As Jesus walked, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea.: For they were fishermen. *And Jesus said to them, 'Come! Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men. * And straightaway they left their nets and followed Jesus. * And when he had gone a little further, Jesus saw James, the Son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets. *And straightaway Jesus called THEM: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship..., and went after Jesus."(Mark 1:16-20). Who is SO winsome, so radiant, so strong of  spirit, so appealing as to draw men away from their work, into fresh fellowship...

You with me? Hooray. Next thing we know, "Jesus came into Galilee (a province north of Jerusalem) preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God,* And saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand: repent  <turn away from sinful habits >, and BELIEVE the Gospel.' "(Mark 1:14-15)  <Believe God is holy. He loves you, but can not look on sin. So, repent from sin. BELIEVE in the Holy God. Be forgiven by God. Walk in His way and build His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven >. Being Gospel-minded generates JOY. Let's generate JOY together, my friend. Loveyou.

Good Morning, my friend. Our "walk" in the Gospel of Mark began with reference to a 700...that's a SEVEN HUNDRED year old prophecy by God's prophet Isaiah that there WILL be a "voice crying in the wilderness."( Isaiah 40:3) and Mark reports that then, in his day, AD 30, or so, yes, there was, in fact,  THE voice of one John the Baptist, in the wilderness! And what was he saying? Yes, he was saying EXACTLY what Isaiah (remember, 700 years before) had said he would:" Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." When we wonderfully understand that God created time. And God knows "the end from the beginning," it's very exciting to realize that God chooses to give us a "heads up" about something important that WILL come to pass! There WILL be "a voice in the wilderness." And there WAS such a voice! God is powerful and credible. We can trust His Word. He declares that He loves us....