October 21 – Mathew 17 & Mark 9

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Matthew 15 & Mark 7. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: sean/mundy

Every year I spend a week at Butler Springs Christian Camp serving a week of camp with fourth and fifth graders. This is the first full week that campers come and spend an entire week, Sunday through Friday, at camp. One of the issues we always face is homesickness. For many this is their first time away from home without parents or other family members with them. For many this is their first time disconnected from technology. For many of them this is their first time really getting dirty, playing in the woods, and learning about Jesus. With all this new or different stuff going on homesickness can show up.

Jesus has spent around thirty years on this earth by the time we find Him in our reading today. He takes the three disciples of His inner development circle up onto the mountainside with Him. He leaves the remaining nine at their basecamp in town. On the mountain side God shows up in a powerful way along with Elijah and Moses. God shares with all present that Jesus is His son. For a brief moment Jesus is reminded that this earth, full of all its dirt and grime, its lack of glory, is not His home; He is just temporarily visiting.

Immediately on their return home Jesus is reminded of the differences between earth and heaven … He is certainly not in heaven any more. The disciples left behind have been unsuccessful at casting out a destructive demon from the body of a young boy. The father comes to Jesus asking Him to do what the disciples could not … heal His boy. Jesus then utters these harsh words … “You faithless and corrupt people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” (Matthew 17:17 NLT) I wander what the tone and volume of these words was. Regardless Jesus is sharing His heart. Hours before He was reminded that this earth is not His home. He was in the presence once again of God and now He has returned to the grime of our lives. How He must have been homesick.

What caused Him to be here? It was His love for us and His desire to restore the relationship torn apart because of sin. Jesus put up with all the messed up stuff we offer so that He could do life with us again. For that I am thankful. 

October 15 – Mark 4-5

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Mark 4-5. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

In our reading today Jesus encounters a man who is possessed by demons. His case is severe. They have caused the man to live in a cemetery because of his wild behavior. He could no longer be restrained because he broke the chains and shackles. There was no one strong enough subdue the man and he spent his days wandering the hills and caves howling and hurting himself. When Jesus arrives on the scene he comes out to great Jesus. To a normal person we might have run at the sight of this man, but Jesus did not.

Why? Because the man came before Jesus paying the utmost respect and honor due to the creator of all things. Does that response startle you? It should. People do not just run up to someone and bow before them. It happens here because the demons possessing this man know who Jesus is, “With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, do not torture me!” (Mark 5:7 NLT) When this demon saw Jesus he knew immediately who he was.

While the people traveling with Jesus were still not sure who he was … remember the scene before in Mark 4 when Jesus calmed the storm they were left questioning who Jesus was that the wind and the waves obey him … this demon knows Jesus! There was no doubt in their minds who He was and why He was here on this earth. He was here to end the reign of Satan. He was here to end their reign of terror and ultimately crush evil and death.

Do you believe with the same conviction in Jesus that the demons did? While they rejected obedience to God, they believed in God, they believed in Jesus, and they knew that their days were numbered. This may sound odd, but we should develop the level of faith the demons possessed … just do not follow their example of obedience to God.