Ps. 145:18 "The Lord
is close to all who call on Him."
Prov. 30:5 "Every
word of God proves true. He defends all who come to him for protection." NLT
THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.
REJOICE.
May 2009 Devotionals
06/01 Mark
1:1
Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.
JESUS
Jesus is the Good News from God. He lived a perfect life. He willingly
died for us to pay the price for our sin. He chose us even when we were
dead in our trespasses and sin. We didn’t come looking for Him, He was
looking for us. The really Good News is that God came for us.
06/02 Mark
1:2-3
In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God said, "Look, I am sending my
messenger before you, and he will prepare your way. He is a voice
shouting in the wilderness: 'Prepare a pathway for the Lord's coming! Make a
straight road for him!'
EVANGEL
John the Baptist fulfilled this role. He came declaring that Messiah was
coming. You and I are charged with the responsibility to tell everyone that
the Messiah has come. We tell it with our lives and our oral testimony. Be
busy about the Lord’s work, Jesus is coming soon and then He will come in
judgment.
06/03 Mark
1:4
This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and was
preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from
their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.
OBEDIENCE
The Lord calls us to obedience. Once we start to be obedient everything
else falls in place. Too many want everything to fall in place and then
they will obey. The Lord tells us to trust and obey Him.
06/04 Mark
1:5
People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled out into the
wilderness to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he
baptized them in the Jordan River.
CONFESSION
When we confess our sin Jesus forgives us. The problem is that sometimes
our confession is not so that we can change and do right, it is simply a
passing act of religious fervor that leads on to doing things the way we
have already done them. Jesus calls us to a life of obedience to Him.
Confession includes our changing to become more like Jesus.
06/05 Mark
1:6-8
His clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his
food was locusts and wild honey. He announced: "Someone is coming soon who
is far greater than I am – so much greater that I am not even worthy to be
his slave. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the
Holy Spirit!"
JESUS
Jesus came so that we might have a relationship with the Father. The Holy
Spirit indwells us and will guide us. We cut our relationship with Jesus
when we disobey Him. Obedience is the required path for us to walk when we
are seeking a close relationship with Jesus. Obedience takes discipline.
Listen to the Lord and do what He says.
06/06 Mark
1:9-10
One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John
in the Jordan River. And when Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the
heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him.
JESUS
Jesus was the Son of God. He lived and walked on this earth in ancient
Israel about 2,000 years ago. Everyone saw this happening. Let this Word
from God encourage your faith. Jesus really came to save us from our sin.
06/07 Mark
1:11
And a voice came from heaven saying, "You are my beloved Son, and I am
fully pleased with you."
JESUS
Jesus was obedient to the Father. He always did what His Father said. This
is an important lesson for us. Jesus was fully man and fully God and it
took Him a lot of time to keep in close relationship with the Father. Spend
time with Jesus every day.
06/08 Mark
1:12
Immediately the Holy Spirit compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness.
He was there for forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was out among the
wild animals, and angels took care of him.
JESUS
Jesus had a tough time but He dealt with all of the issues in His life by
maintaining that close relationship with the Father. Can we do any less?
If the Son of God had to spend a lot of time in prayer and fellowship with
the Father how much greater is my need. Discipline yourself unto obedience
to the Lord Jesus Christ.
06/09 Mark
1:14
Later on, after John was arrested by Herod Antipas, Jesus went to Galilee
to preach God's Good News.
GOOD NEWS
The Lord has come. This is Good News. We are not alone. Our life has
meaning. The Lord has made each one of us a part of His plan. His plan is
that all might be saved to a relationship with Him. People count with God.
Without God man is dead in his trespasses and sin.
06/10 Mark
1:15
"At last the time has come!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near!
Turn from your sins and believe this Good News!"
CALL
The call for each one of us is to turn from our sins and believe in the Good
News of Jesus. No one is exempt from this requirement of repentance. If a
person has not repented of their sin and believed in Jesus they have not
made a profession of faith. The Good News is that we can choose to be in
the family of God.
06/11 Mark
1:16-18
One day as Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, he
saw Simon and his brother, Andrew, fishing with a net, for they were
commercial fishermen. Jesus called out to them, "Come, be my disciples, and
I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once
and went with him.
CALL
Jesus calls us to come to Himself. Each one of us and anyone of us can make
this decision to follow Jesus. He is calling all of us. Listen, He is
saying your name. “Come,” Jesus says.
06/12 Mark
1:19-20
A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee's sons, James and John,
in a boat mending their nets. He called them, too, and immediately they
left their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men and went with
him.
CHOICE
Following Jesus is a clear choice. We change from what we were to a
follower of Jesus. Those that follow Him will become more like Him day by
day. God is love. He loves people. Jesus died for people. His most
recognizable trait is His love. Can we say that about ourselves?
06/13 Mark
1:21
Jesus and his companions went to the town of Capernaum, and every Sabbath
day he went into the synagogue and taught the people.
JESUS
Jesus will teach us about Himself. He will guide us into what we need to
read, say and do. His love will call us to prayer. When we love Jesus we
will love those we are with. Life is always to be lived where we are and
never where we aren’t.
06/14 Mark
1:22
They were amazed at his teaching, for he taught as one who had real
authority – quite unlike the teachers of religious law.
JESUS
Jesus said that He and the Father were one. When we see Jesus we have seen
the Father. Jesus is our teacher. He is our role model. The more we learn
about Jesus the more we know how to live our life. The more of what we
learn about Jesus that we put into practice the more we will become like
Christ.
06/15 Mark
1:23-24
A man possessed by an evil spirit was in the synagogue, and he began
shouting, "Why are you bothering us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to
destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One sent from God!"
JESUS
Jesus is Lord. He is Lord over all things. When He is Lord of our life He
will teach us the way in which we should go.
06/16 Mark
1:25-26
Jesus cut him short. "Be silent! Come out of the man." At that, the evil
spirit screamed and threw the man into a convulsion, but then he left him.
AUTHORITY
Jesus has authority over all things. When we surrender our life to Him He
will exercise authority in our life teaching us how we should live and
guiding us in the right way we should go.
06/17 Mark
1:27-28
Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had
happened. "What sort of new teaching is this?" they asked excitedly. "It has
such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!" The news of what he had
done spread quickly through that entire area of Galilee.
JESUS
Jesus knows all about us. He is able to deal with any issue in our life.
Jesus will walk with us everyday of our life. He will teach us to
accomplish the plan He has for our life. He will sustain us. He will never
leave us.
06/18 Mark
1:29-31
After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they went over to Simon
and Andrew's home, and James and John were with them. Simon's mother-in-law
was sick in bed with a high fever. They told Jesus about her right away. He
went to her bedside, and as he took her by the hand and helped her to sit
up, the fever suddenly left, and she got up and prepared a meal for them.
JESUS
Jesus will meet our every need. He will not fail us. His only requirement
is our belief. This is not our believing that we will be successful for
indeed we may not be successful in the eyes of the world. Our belief is in
His love and His call. He will not forsake us and nothing can ever separate
us from Him.
06/19 Mark
1:32-33
That evening at sunset, many sick and demon-possessed people were brought
to Jesus. And a huge crowd of people from all over Capernaum gathered
outside the door to watch.
WORLD
The world is only interested in things that are passing away, those things
that fulfill personal wants and aspirations. Jesus is interested in the
things that will outfit us for eternity. The things we need to live before
the Father from this moment until forever. Christ equips us to move from
this life into the next without any difficulties. The Lord is with us and
overcomes every obstacle to life.
06/20 Mark
1:34
So Jesus healed great numbers of sick people who had many different kinds
of diseases, and he ordered many demons to come out of their victims. But
because they knew who he was, he refused to allow the demons to speak.
EVIL
Evil is well acquainted with who Jesus is. Evil is seeking to devour us.
Evil wants us to go our own way, do it our self, so that it can control us.
We have no power in the face of evil. We cannot over come evil. Only Jesus
can. He is Lord and He has already faced evil and won the battle for our
life on Calvary. All we have to do is accept the offer of Jesus-eternal
life.
06/21 Mark
1:35
The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into
the wilderness to pray.
JESUS
Jesus was Lord but He had to spend a great deal of time in prayer. His
prayer time kept Him in constant touch with the Father. Prayer enabled
Christ to keep His focus and strength to deal with the world. Jesus was
equipped by the Holy Spirit and beloved by the Father.
06/22 Mark
1:36-37
Later Simon and the others went out to find him. They said, "Everyone is
asking for you."
PEOPLE
People will generally seek to have their needs met first. People will look
for anyone they think can meet their needs. Jesus knew what each person was
looking for and knew that surrender wasn’t one of those things. We can only
come to Jesus in surrender. Jesus is Lord.
06/23 Mark
1:38
But he replied, "We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach
to them, too, because that is why I came."
GOSPEL
The Gospel message is for each one of us. Jesus has come that we might have
life and that life is in Him. We will no longer be alone Jesus will be with
us. The world is searching for things that are passing away. Jesus gives
us life and that more abundantly. We are cleansed from our sins and made
whole. Jesus brings us into the family of God and gives us the ability to
have a relationship with the Father.
06/24 Mark
1:39
So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the
synagogues and expelling demons from many people.
JESUS
Jesus expels evil. Evil cannot survive when Christ is around. Very simple,
we need the Lord and when we are in Christ we are free from any other
control. We are able to become more like Jesus because He is with us showing
us the way.
06/25 Mark
1:40
A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be
healed. "If you want to, you can make me well again," he said.
HEALTH
Jesus brings spiritual health to us. We are no longer dead in our sin. We
are alive in Christ. Christ will take us by the hand and lead us in the way
we should go. He will give us what we need. His will is that we honor and
glorify the Father just as He, Jesus, does.
06/26 Mark
1:41
Moved with pity, Jesus touched him. "I want to," he said. "Be healed!"
LOVE
The response by Jesus to a person that needs help is never decided by the
position of the person. This man wasn’t prayed up. This man did not know
Jesus and he wasn’t coming for any other reason than that he wanted to be
healed. Jesus healed the man because the man asked Him for healing. What
do you need? Jesus is not going to wait until you have done enough or put
yourself in a favored position. Jesus loves you and He will meet your need
at the point of your need.
06/27 Mark
1:42-44
Instantly the leprosy disappeared – the man was healed. Then Jesus sent
him on his way and told him sternly, “Go right over to the priest and let
him examine you. Don't talk to anyone along the way. Take along the offering
required in the Law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy, so
everyone will have proof of your healing."
JESUS
Jesus was showing His deep compassion for the needy. He also will show us
the same kind of compassion as we come to Him with our needs. The Lord will
talk with you and He will let you know what He will do. Spend time with Him
and get to know Him. Let His presence change you. We need changing. We
need leading. Bend your knee to Him.
06/28 Mark
1:45
But as the man went on his way, he spread the news, telling everyone what
had happened to him. As a result, such crowds soon surrounded Jesus that he
couldn't enter a town anywhere publicly. He had to stay out in the secluded
places, and people from everywhere came to him there.
PEOPLE
People are hurting. These folk didn’t know who Jesus was but they knew they
needed help. They were desperately seeking a solution to their plight. The
tragedy in this world is that when folks discover that they can’t manipulate
Jesus to do their bidding they often walk away. Jesus is Lord not a genie
or butler. It is He who created us and we need to be faithful in our
relationship with Him. If we aren’t it will harm us and the only one fooled
will be us.
06/29 Psalm
75:1-5
We thank you, O God! We give thanks because you are near. People
everywhere tell of your mighty miracles. God says, "At the time I have
planned, I will bring justice against the wicked. When the earth quakes and
its people live in turmoil, I am the one who keeps its foundations firm. "I
warned the proud, 'Stop your boasting!' I told the wicked, 'Don't raise your
fists! Don't lift your fists in defiance at the heavens or speak with
rebellious arrogance.'"
THANKS
Gratitude is the attitude for a follower of Jesus. We are grateful for our
daily bread. We thank the Lord for His rich blessings and His wonderful
presence. We need the Lord. Surrender you heart to Him and let Jesus come
into your life to give you the direction that you need. Jesus is a friend
who will never leave you.
06/30 Psalm
75:6-10
For no one on earth – from east or west, or even from the wilderness –
can raise another person up. It is God alone who judges; he decides who
will rise and who will fall. For the LORD holds a cup in his hand; it is
full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours the wine out in judgment,
and all the wicked must drink it, draining it to the dregs. But as for me,
I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of
Israel. For God says, "I will cut off the strength of the wicked, but I
will increase the power of the godly."
JESUS
Jesus is God’s everything. Christ makes us whole, cleansing us of our sin.
Jesus gives us His right standing so that we can have a relationship with
the Father. Praise God from whom all blessings come. Thank you Lord.
May 2009
Devotionals
April 2009
Devotionals
March 2009
Devotionals
February 2009 Devotionals
January 2009 Devotionals
December 2008 Devotionals
November 2008 Devotionals
October 2008 Devotionals
September 2008 Devotionals
August 2008 Devotionals
July 2008 Devotionals
June 2008 Devotionals
May 2008 Devotionals
April 2008 Devotionals
March
2008 Devotionals
February 2008 Devotionals
January 2008
Devotionals
contact Clay:
clay@lifesongs.com
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Scripture quotations are
taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
NASB Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New American
Standard Bible, copyright 1975. All rights
reserved by the Lockman Foundation.
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