Living in the Spirit
July 7, 2018
Scripture Reading: Mark 6:1-13
He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.’ And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. –Mark 6:1-6
People do not want to hear the reality they do not want to happen and thus we tend to discount the messenger speaking the reality. This was not only true of Jesus but the prophets that went before him and the prophets that followed him who met the same fate. We see it in the ones living near raging fires who refuse to evacuate to safety holding on to the slender hope that they will not be caught in the inferno, often placing at risk the people who may ultimately force them to leave or remove their dead bodies from the ashes. We see it in the people who hold tightly to their out-of-control greed who think they can make just one more million despite the damage it does to themselves and others. It is as if we never read the Hebrew Bible, never were able to look back and see that the prophets were right. Never had the story of Joseph read to us as children telling the Pharaoh of Egypt that seven years of famine were coming and thus they should prepare for it.
One of the influences that cause humans to ignore truth is we do not take the time to see how we fit in the bigger picture of God’s divine plan. The story of creation is full of the statement God created and it was good. Because we were created out of an abundance of love that was present at the beginning and is still with us today, God wants the very best for each of God’s children. Jesus puts it this way in Luke 11:11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? If God loves us so much, surely it is worth our time and effort to seek God’s guidance for what protects our best interest and follow it as closely as possible.
Prayer: O Love, that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in Thee;
I give Thee back the life I owe,
That in Thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be*. Amen.
*First verse of the hymn O Love, That Wilt Not Let Me Go by George Matheson. See at https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/432