Day 94

August 26
Mark 15:33-37

Sin separates us from God. When Jesus died on the cross, all of our sin was put on Him. Talk about a heavy burden! But because of all that sin, His intimate fellowship with God was broken. Our sin is kind of like this invisible barrier that keeps us from being able to be intimate with God. Since Jesus was perfect, He had not experienced this barrier before the cross. That is why He cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He felt what it is like to be separated from God. Our lives are the opposite. We are not born perfect, so we start our lives with that invisible barrier. But thanks to Jesus, we do get to experience what life can be like without it. Because Jesus paid the punishment for our sins, we can have an intimate relationship with God. Wow. It never fails to amaze me!

Principle: The darkness of sin brings separation from God.

Application:
1. Have I accepted the fact that Jesus bore all my sins on His body on the Cross?
2. What words of Jesus have I misunderstood, and what have I done to correct my misunderstanding?
3. Do I know that because of the power of His Cross Jesus will bring me through in triumph?

Day 93

August 25
Mark 15: 24-32

When I think about the thieves on the cross, I always picture the Passion Play that my church used to put on. One year, my little brother played one of the thieves. Watching him hang on the cross with torn clothes and blood all over his body was really hard for me - even though I knew it wasn't real. He was a convincing actor, and it was difficult for me to watch him "suffering". I can't even imagine if that had been real. But it was real for God. He had to watch His Son hang on the cross, bleeding and broken. And to top it all off - the people were mocking Him. Maybe that doesn't seem like such a big deal compared to some of the other things Jesus went through, but we know that words can be very hurtful. When we are following God's will, we may also have to endure insults and mockery. Jesus took it like a man. If only I could be so forgiving...

Principle: Obedience to the will of God may result in physical suffering, insults, mockery or even death.

Application:
1. How do I respond to insults and mocking?
2. Whom am I hurting further by assuming that their God-imposed suffering is due to their sin or weakness?
3. Am I demanding that Jesus do something spectacular before I will believe Him?

Day 92

August 24
Mark 15:21-23

My cousin, Debbie, is a member of a small church in Florida. When the youth/children's pastor left the church last year, the responsibilities of his job were sort of forced onto Debbie. She is now in charge of children's church, vacation bible school, and all sorts of other things that she didn't really want to be in charge of. This year for VBS she was pretty stressed. Not only did the children's pastor leave, but he took a lot of the congregation with him. She had trouble finding teachers and volunteers. I think we could definitely say she had a burden that was forced on her. Our principle today is, sometimes a burden that is forced upon me becomes the channel of God's richest blessing. So true! During the week of this particular VBS, 3 children became Christians (a large amount for the size of that church). What a special blessing! So don't fret when a burden is forced on you, because you never know what kind of amazing blessings will come out of it!

Principle: Sometimes a burden that is forced upon me becomes the channel of God's richest blessing.

Application:
1. How do I react when another's burden is forced upon me?
2. What burden have I borne for Jesus' sake that will bring glory to Him and blessing to me and others?
3. Have I tried to give a worldly solution to a friends' painful situation?

Day 91

August 23
Mark 15:16-20

Principle:
1. When a man is unrestricted and uninhibited, his total deprivation is revealed.
2. Jesus is King over all whether anyone declares Him so or not.

Application:
1. What do I do when I am unrestrained?
2. In what areas of my life do my actions make a mockery of Jesus’ kingship?
3. How do I respond when others around me mock Jesus today?

Day 90

August 22
Mark 15:6-15

"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?"

Pilate didn't really want to take responsibility for Jesus, so he addressed this question to the crowd. But, this is a question that every single person will eventually have to ask themselves. "What shall I do with Jesus?" Some common answers might be: I will pretend He doesn't exist. I will believe that He lived but not that He was the Son of God. I will believe what He says, but I'm not going to do anything about it. I will call on Him when I need Him, but ignore Him when life is good. I will trust in Him completely and try to live my life in a way that would be pleasing to Him. Well... I hope the right answer is obvious!

Principle: It is impossible to escape responsibility for making a decision about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Application:
1. Where am I allowing envy or other people to push me into wrong actions?
2. Where am I pretending that I don't know God's will instead of being obedient to it?
3. Regarding my own life, what shall I do with Jesus?

Day 89

August 21
Mark 15:1-5

We all either know (or are) one of those people who loves to argue. I know this person who will fight about anything. Even when he knows he is wrong he'll just keep on going. Sometimes I wish he would just shut up already! Jesus was never wrong, but He still knew the value of silence. Jesus had already told everbody the truth; He'd told them everything they needed to know. Some people just weren't listening or were too stubborn to hear. So when the chief priests continued to accuse Jesus, He didn't argue. He didn't get definsive. He didn't roll His eyes and mutter under his breath. He was silent. I'm gonna try that right now.....(that makes for a short lesson)

Principle: After the truth has been stated, silence speaks louder than words.

Application:
1. When the Lord is silent toward me, do I examine my motives or defend my actions?
2. Where should I be stating the truth in love?
3. How can I stand for Jesus without defending myself, being fully under His control?

Day 88

August 20
Mark 14:66-72

Peter may seem weak in these verses, but like we talked about a few days ago - we are all guilty of denying Jesus in one way or another. (that was Saturday's lesson if you missed it) So, that is on my mind as I read these verses, but the other lesson I see is that God's word is truth! "Don't cross your eyes for too long, or they'll get stuck like that." This is a warning, meant to scare kids out of doing something their parents don't want them to do. Maybe that is what Peter thought Jesus was trying to do when He said, "before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times." (vs 30b) Peter didn't believe that he could ever disown Jesus, and therefore didn't take this warning very seriously. Obviously, Peter was wrong as we read in today's verses. Everything happened just as Jesus said it would. Everything God says will come true. In this world that is always changing, one thing has always remained the same. How blessed are we to be able to read God's true word and study it together! Oh, and by the way - your eyes won't get stuck if you cross them!

Principle:
1. The pressure of circumstances will reveal my weakness, which is no surprise to Jesus.
2. All that God says will literally come true.

Application:
1. How have I denied Christ in my thoughts or actions for fear of being identified with Him or His people?
2. Have I ignored a warning from Jesus because it involves something of which I think I could never be guilty?
3. When have I, like Peter, wept over revealed sin in my life?

Day 87

August 19
Mark 14:53-65

The classic wife to husband question: "Do these pants make me look fat?" If the man immediately says no - her response is, "You didn't even look!" If he looks, and then says no - her response is, "What took you so long to answer?!?" And if he says yes - well, nothing good could come of that! Pretty much no matter what he says, it's gonna be wrong. That is what today's story reminds me of. No matter what Jesus might have said to the high priest and his counsel, it would have been wrong. Jesus was taken to the high priest, because they were looking for evidence to put Him to death. Even though the testimonies against Jesus were false and didn't agree with each other, He did not try to defend Himself. Even if He had, they would not have listened. Their minds were made up even before the arrest. They wanted Jesus dead, so they came up with a weak excuse, and He was condemned. Sometimes, we may be judged unfairly. We may be accused of things we didn't do, or we may be persecuted for our beliefs. Lucky for us, we have Jesus' perfect example to follow. "He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly." (1 Peter 2:23 NLT)

Principle: Those who aim to condemn will condemn regardless of the evidence.

Application:
1. How carefully do I examine the evidence before condemning others?
2. In what ways am I willing to suffer to see that the truth of Christ is proclaimed?
3. When is it best to remain silent and when is it necessary to speak up?

Day 86

August 18
Mark 14:51-52

I would like to share these verses with you in the NLT version, because, well, it paints a better picture...."One young man following behind was clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him, he slipped out of his shirt and ran away naked." Ohh la la! The original streaker. So who was this nakey runner? No one really knows. It has been suggested that it could have been Mark himself, but we are not sure. Whoever he was, his story is not insignificant. Jesus had many more followers than just His 12 disciples. He had been teaching and healing for a long time now and had drawn in a lot of people. The NIV version says this young man was "following Jesus". But, as soon as the angry mob came and arrested Jesus what did this follower do? He ran away! We have been learning that when we follow Jesus, persecution is inevitable. We have to remain strong and be able to face this persecution without turning from Jesus. We need to trust God and not run away from difficult situations - naked or otherwise!

Principle: Following Jesus may result in persecution and humiliation.

Application:
1. What is causing me to run from others - fear? uncertainty?
2. How am I preparing myself or others to be strong when faced persecution?
3. In what areas am I watching Jesus but avoiding following Him because I don't want to be involved personally?

Day 85

August 17
Mark 14:43-50

I think there is a very strong theme running through today's passage: God is in control! We left off yesterday with Jesus saying, "The hour has come." There was a reason that (despite all the plans) Jesus hadn't been arrested before this point - because the hour hadn't come yet! The crowd of armed people probably thought they were catching Jesus off guard. They were wrong. God is in Control! And then we get to the whole issue of Judas. I'm not going to let Judas off the hook and say that he couldn't help what he did because he was predestined or whatever. But his story does show the way that God uses even negative situations to work out His plans. God is in Control! Finally, Jesus leaves us with the reminder that "Scriptures must be fulfilled." The men arresting Jesus thought they finally got what they wanted. Little did they know that they were playing a role in this HUGE event that would change the world forever! God is in control!

Principle: Because God is sovereign and His Word will be fulfilled, I do not need to panic in persecution.

Application:
1. How is God's Word being fulfilled in my present pressure or persecution, and how am I responding?
2. Am I able to stand in persecution because I know the Scriptures?
3. When have I betrayed Christ or a friend? Will I confess that sin and receive forgiveness?

Day 84

August 16
Mark 14:32-42

Question 1: Do I take time to think about what Jesus suffered before the cross for me? Hmm... not really. When I think about Jesus suffering, I think about the physical pain. I think about Him being beaten, bloody, and hanging from a cross. I don't usually think about how awful it must have been before that. "It was not the physical suffering that almost overwhelmed Him with 'anguish and sorrow,' but the contemplation of being forsaken by His father." (Warren W. Wiersbe) But Jesus drew strength from talking to His Father, our Father! He was not alone - even though His disciples kept falling asleep on Him. When we are in crisis we too can draw strength from prayer. Prayer is also how we stay in God's will. Jesus' prayer was the perfect example of how we should be praying. He told God what was in His heart, in fact the bible says He "cried out". We shouldn't be holding back on God, because He knows what we're thinking anyway. But then Jesus made it clear that even though He had these desires, His strongest prayer was that God's will be done. "'Abba, Father,' he cried out, 'everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.'" (vs. 36 NLT) So many times in this study I have thought to myself, 'I wish I could be more like Jesus.' - I guess that's kinda the whole goal isn't it?!

Principle: Only in prayer can I draw strength and submerge my will into the Father's will in my crisis.

Application:
1. Do I take time to think about what Jesus suffered before the cross for me?
2. Who has asked me to stand with them in prayer, and am I praying?
3. Do I truly want God's will in my present crisis, or do I want my own?

Day 83

August 15
Mark 14:26-31

Words are easy. It's easy to say, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." Can you imagine Peter's shock and horror when Jesus said to him, "you yourself will disown me three times." I'm sure that Peter knew in the back of his head that if Jesus said this was going to happen, then it was going to happen. But he was still quick to deny what Jesus was telling him. "Even if all fall away, I willl not." Like I said, words are easy. It's easy for us to say, "I would never do what Peter did. I would never deny that I knew Jesus like that." The hard part is putting our words into actions. Or maybe the hard part is realizing our sin. Just because we have never said, "I don't know Jesus" out loud to someone, doesn't mean that we haven't denied Him. Every time I yell at a slow driver on the highway it looks like I'm saying, "I don't know Jesus." Every time I talk about someone behind their back, it sounds like I'm saying, "I don't know Jesus." Every time I am rude, impatient, unloving, or judgmental my actions are screaming, "I don't know Jesus!" Words are easy, but what are your actions saying?

Principle: It is easy to pledge loyalty until actual persecution comes.

Application:
1. Where am I so busy objecting to the hard part of Jesus' words that I am missing His encouragement?
2. When will I be silent long enough to hear what the Lord is really saying?
3. Am I assured of my own strength - certain that "I would never do that"?

Day 82

August 14
Mark 14:22-25

We have heard this story a gazillion times. When we hear Jesus tell the disciples about His body and His blood, we understand that it represents the sacrifice He made for us. But the disciples didn't really know everything yet. Yes, Jesus had tried to warn them, but they didn't know all the events that were about to take place....because the events hadn't happened yet! So, I wonder if it seemed a little strange to them when Jesus started comparing their dinner to His body and blood. I, personally, may have been a little grossed out. But, the bible doesn't mention any gagging, so I guess they understood more than I give them credit for. Anyway, on a more serious note... Jesus and the disciples were eating their Passover supper with the traditional cup and bread. The Jews celebrated passover every year in remembrance of being freed from Egypt. (You can read about the first Passover in Exodus 12.) Now the bread and the cup not only celebrates the Jews deliverance from slavery, but also our deliverance from the slavery of sin. In the first Passover, a lamb had to be killed. When Jesus was crucified, He became our Passover lamb and He replaced the old covenant with the new one. "And he said to them, 'This is my blood which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.'" (vs 24 NLT)

Principle: The broken body and poured out blood of Jesus cleanses me from all my sins.

Application:
1. Have I accepted the broken body and shed blood of Christ as the covering for my sin and thanked Him for it?
2. What can I do to understand better the significance of the Lord's Supper?
3. With whom will I share the good news of the new covenant this week?

Day 81

August 13
Mark 14:17-21

"Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them" (Mark 14:10 NLT) That verse was from a lesson a few days ago. I wanted to remind you that Judas had already made the decision to betray Jesus. As he was sitting at the table, eating with Jesus and the other disciples, he was secretly thinking about how he would turn Jesus over to the authorities. Obviously, Jesus knew too. He said, "I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me." Then "each one asked in turn 'Am I the one?'" If the bible says that each one asked, that means that Judas had to have asked to. Can you imagine him looking into Jesus' eyes and saying, "Am I the one?" What a fraud! The other disciples may not have had any idea that Judas was the one, but Jesus knew. It may be easy to hide our sin from other people, but we can never hide it from God!

Principle: I can hide sin from others but not from God.

Application:
1. In what ways have I betrayed and grieved Jesus with my unconfessed sins or unrepentant heart?
2. What secret sin am I trying to hide from Jesus and others?
3. Once my sin is revealed, do I go out and do it anyway?

Day 80

August 12
Mark 14:12-16

Question number 2: Do I ask, listen, and obey......or just ask? Oh man. This one is tough for me. I feel like I have talked too much about my husbands job situation in the past couple of weeks, so sorry for that. But it just fits with today's lesson so well. Remember when I was writing from the great state of Illinois and I said the thought of moving there made me a little sick to my stomach? Well, guess what....I'm moving there! I asked God a lot of things during that time when we were figuring things out....where do you want us to go? what are we supposed to be doing? please show us the way! But, the hard part was listening, and the really hard part was obeying. God knew way before we did that we were supposed to go to Illinois someday. And it is a comfort to know that none of this came as a shock to Him, but it's still hard. I don't know why we have to move so far away, but I need to trust that God's plan is the best plan. I think it would be appropriate to close with a little song I learned in BSF when I was two years old....

Trust and obey.
For there's no other way,
To be happy in Jesus.
But to trust and obey.

Principle: We can trust God's guidance to be His best plan for us.

Application:
1. Do I bring my daily life to the Lord for His plan and instructions?
2. Do I ask, listen, and obey, or just ask?
3. What is my response to the Lord when He calls me to obey Him in ways that seem strange or unusual to me?

Day 79

August 11
Mark 14:10-11

I'm absolutely positive that none of us have ever been guilty of greed.....not! Today's application questions are all really convicting. Probably because money and greed are things that almost everyone really struggles with. I know I have said before that sometimes I think it would have been easier to follow Jesus if we had lived in His time. But today's story is proof that even Jesus' own disciples were capable of putting worldly desires ahead of Jesus. Maybe we like to think that we could never do what Judas did. But we are all guilty of putting money first at some point in our lives. Just today I went in to get a new tire on my truck. Of course they found other problems that were going to be costly. Trust me when I tell you this is not my first experience with car problems, yet my first reaction was to worry. I sat in the waiting room for several hours thinking about nothing but money. I should have been putting my trust in God. This may not seem like a big deal compared to Judas' betrayal, but unless Jesus comes before everything else in my life - including money - I am no better than that traitor! Yikes....

Principle: Greed and hate can lead to betrayal of Jesus.

Application:
1. What has priority in my life - money or Jesus?
2. Does my behavior delight or convict Jesus' enemies?
3. How do I use my opportunities - to exalt or to betray?

Day 78

August 10
Mark 14:3-9

We all express our love in different ways. So, if worship is showing our love for God, it would be fair to say that we all worship in different ways. Are you picturing her yet? You know who I'm talking about, there's one at every church. That crazy lady with her arms up in the air, tears streaming down her face, a hearty 'amen' or 'hallelujah' after every song. There's nothing wrong with that kind of exuberance (as long as it's really out of worship), but sometimes the really outgoing worshipers can attract negative attention. Just like the woman in today's story. She did something out of love and worship for Jesus, but the others thought she was being fooling and wasteful. Jesus, however, knew her heart and was touched by her gesture. Which is more important, impressing people or impressing Jesus? Well, that's a 'duh' answer, but it's sometimes easier said than done. We should take a lesson from this woman who didn't care what people thought. Not only did she do the right thing, she was greatly rewarded. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her" (vs. 9) And it was! This story can be found in each of the four gospels! (Matt. 26:6-13, Luke 7:37-38, John 12:1-8, and of course Mark 14:3-9)

Principle: No expression of love for Christ is too extravagant.

Application:
1. How am I critical of the ways others express their love to Christ when it is different from my ways?
2. What expression of my love for Jesus will I joyfully, perhaps sacrificially, present to Him today?
3. Do I use this woman's example of giving to the Lord as a standard for myself and a lesson for others?

Day 77

August 9
Mark 14:1-2

This is not the first time in the book of Mark that we have read something along the lines of, "The teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him." They were always looking for a way to get rid of Jesus. Here's the thing though. They weren't athiests. They believed in God and, in fact they were very 'religious' men. But were so religious and so stuck on their laws that they didn't have room for the new teachings of Jesus. This may not seem applicable to us, because we do believe in Jesus and His teachings. But application question number 2 says, "Where am I trying to get rid of Jesus in my life?" Maybe you aren't rejecting Jesus as a whole, but are there little areas in your life were you're trying to get around Him? We're all good at reasoning to ourselves to get out of doing things we are supposed to be doing. We need to be aware that these things are not harmless little deeds! They are rebelious actions that make today's principle very true...

Principle: It is possible to be religious while trying to get rid of Jesus.

Application:
1. How can I be alert to the evil intentions of others?
2. Where am I trying to get rid of Jesus in my life?
3. What secret dislike in my life could flare into hatred and hurt another?

Day 76

August 8
Mark 13:34-37

I generally keep my house fairly clean. But I still like to know when someone is coming over, because I like to make sure that everything is in it's place. I might light a candle, make some lemonade, or set out a new magazine. I like to be prepared! In today's verses, Jesus uses another parable to illustrate His return. We don't know when He is coming back. We have learned some of the signs, but no one apart from God knows the day. In this parable, the master leaves home, and his servants are to take care of it and be prepared for his return at any moment. We are the servants in this illustration. We may not know when, but our master is returning and we must be ready! So, get out the dustpan. It could be today!

Principle: I don't need to know when Christ will return, but I do need to work faithfully at what He has assigned me until then.

Application:
1. What task has Jesus given me to do until He returns?
2. In what am I procrastinating which would keep me from being ready for Christ's return?
3. How do I reflect the joyous expectation of His return?

Day 75

August 7
Mark 13:28-33

We should not rely on signs, but on the Word of God. In these verses, Jesus uses an example of a fig tree to say that we will know the tribulation events are coming. This doesn't mean we should spend our lives looking for signs, but we do need to be prepared for the events that are to happen. When Jesus says 'this generation' He is most likely refering to the Jewish nation. God's chosen people - His nation- will be preserved to the end. "This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (vs. 30) The tribultation is going to be scary. Everything is going to change. Everything.... except God and His unfailing Word! "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (vs. 31)

Principle: Christ's disciples are to know His Word so that they are prepared for the future and for His coming.

Application:
1. How am I living today as though Jesus might come any moment?
2. What am I doing now to prepare and warn a lost world for His coming?
3. Is there anything or anyone in my life that I trust or depend on more than the eternal words of God?