Today's Reading: Mark 6: 17-29
**For a simple and good way of Daily Devotion method please click this link: Subject Shifting Devotion.pdf.
Please click this link to read Mark 6: 17-29
Bible Study
King Herod wanted to be a great king, a true king. He even wanted to be recognize as the Messiah. But, would God's anointed marrying his brother's wife leading a kind of unlawful lifestyle?
John the baptist was a righteous and holy man(v. 20), leading a lifestyle the opposite of Herod. N.T. Wright says that the kingdom of which he had spoken, and the forgiveness he had offered, were the reality that would win the day. Even in so solemn and ugly a story there can be found real encouragement, to faithful witness and constant hope.
Within a decade, Herod was left to die in disgrace in a distant land. And, Mark honored John as a fearless witness to the Kingdom of God.
See the difference of these two persons? What have you got today?
Have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage of scripture we have just read. Offer this time up to God as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"
My Spiritual Journal
What I heard from Jesus today is: To be a fearless witness!
There are quite a number of brothers and sisters from Richmond Emmanuel and other churches telling me that they are being blessed by my blogs the past fews days helping them to deal with their fear. I praise our Lord Jesus Christ for those encouragements!
Today Jesus shows me the wonderful structures of Mark that he builds up a momentum for us to see how Jesus helps His apostles and other people to deal with fear. It's like a crescendo in music, louder and louder, "Fear not, fear not, fear not ....". Then gives us to see a good example of John the Baptist of how a fearless witness looks like!
That is so wonderful! Praise the Lord!
If you are not a fearless witness then you have a better possibility to be a fearful and insecure man or woman on earth living a fearful life each day, depressed, powerless and yet try all the best to seek power like Herod!
If you are willing to allow Jesus to change your life and transformed to be a fearless witness, then you need to follow the footstep of John the Baptist - change your lifestyle like John and like Jesus. Live a righteous and holy life, preach the Good News of the Kingdom, lead people to turn back to the Kingdom of God. All these needs courage and faith, fearless courage and true faith!
Let's say YES to Jesus today that we are willing to be a fearless witness!
Dear Lord Jesus,
Help us not to follow Herod's footstep to live in an insecure power-driven life. Open our eyes to see John's example and pour down on us your fresh anointing that we can also be a fearless witness. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Chinese praise song - 这一生最美的祝福 The Most Wonderful Blessing of My Life
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