Familiar
Saturday,
June 17, 2017
Familiar
Scripture:
Mark 6:1-6, 45-52
1 Then He
went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed
Him. 2 And when the Sabbath had come, He began to
teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished,
saying, “Where did this Man get these things?
And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such
mighty works are performed by His hands! 3 Is this
not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and
Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him.
4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is
not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in
his own house.” 5 Now He could do no mighty work
there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And
He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a
circuit, teaching.
45 Immediately He made His disciples get into
the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the
multitude away. 46 And when He had sent them away,
He departed to the mountain to pray. 47 Now when
evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea; and He was alone
on the land. 48 Then He saw them straining at
rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night
He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. 49 And
when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed it was a ghost, and cried
out; 50 for they all saw Him and were troubled. But
immediately He talked with them and said to them, “Be of good cheer! It is
I; do not be afraid.” 51 Then He went up into the
boat to them, and the wind ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves
beyond measure, and marveled. 52 For they had not
understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.
Devotional:
Spending time
with Jesus is such a joy. This morning I have the pleasure of a dark, quiet,
sleeping house as I soak in His Word. I have been revisiting the stories of His
earthly ministry, and am so thankful for each beautiful act of compassion and
power. His miracles are amazing. The healing of the demon possessed man. The
woman with the flow of blood. Raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead. Each time
He touched someone, He left footprints of the spectacular on our world.
During His
earthly ministry, Jesus operated with great power. He made profound impact.
Even so, those closest to him were so familiar with him that they were at times
unable to see Him for Who He was and is. It is a sobering thought. Having spent
time away from the Lord, at 43 I have walked only 17 consecutive years in my
faith journey. My testimony of redemption is one that I am thankful for, but
looking back on my childhood and my story of losing my way I can see how familiarity
and a hardened heart contributed to being separated from Him.
My goal in
life is to foster intimacy with the Lord and to model that for my children so
that they have the same love and passion for Him. While this is true, I need to
be always prudent in remembering that I am not immune to this type of
familiarity. I want to always be amazed at Him, hungry for Him, and ready to
allow Him to do His work.
Today, let’s
pray together that our hearts would be refreshed and overwhelmed with gratitude
and wonder at Who He is and what He desires to accomplish in our homes!
Prayer:
Father, thank
You for placing Your narrative before me so that I can spend time learning
about Who You are, who Jesus is. Let me not pass by the story too quickly and
miss the power of it. Let my life be ruled by this wonder, and let me never
become so familiar with it that my heart is hardened to Your desire for our family.
Intercession:
(Spend time
journaling and listing needs for each child in your home. Pray over them. Note
scriptures that God quickens to your heart. Bathe your children with prayer.
Remember, we serve a miracle working God!)
Lord, I give
this time to You. Let my heart be ever softened and ready to receive from You.
Let my children also be fully open and softened. Teach me to cultivate this in
them by Your grace.
In Jesus’
Name I pray, amen.
Comments
Post a Comment