Devotionals

Enjoy our daily devotionals written by Pastor Randy Dubois. These devotionals can be used as another way to grow in your walk with Jesus and to grow in your understanding of God and His Word.


 

 

Warnings Against Idolatry (Day 14)

Read 1 Corinthians 10:1-33
 
   The cloud and the sea mentioned here refer to Israel’s escape from slavery in Egypt when God led them by a cloud and brought them safely through the Red Sea (Exodus 14). The miraculous food and water are the provisions God gave as they traveled through the wilderness (Exodus 15 and 16). They were all baptized in the cloud and the sea means that just as we are united in Christ by baptism, so the Israelites were united under Moses’ leadership and through the events of the Exodus. 

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Mark: A Walk With Our Savior (Day 34)

Hello everyone, 
 
Yes this is the middle of a study, but it felt best to stick with the daily schedule as created by Pastor Randy. If you would like to find the previous posts for the series Mark: A Walk With Our Savior, you can view them on Pastor Randy’s personal Facebook page. Until then, please enjoy the study here, starting in chapter nine of Mark. 
 
Read Mark 9:1-13
 
THE TRANSFIGURATION
   What did Jesus mean when He said that some of the disciples would see the kingdom of God arrive in power? There are several possibilities. He could have been foretelling His transfiguration, resurrection and ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, or His second coming. The Transfiguration is a strong possibility because Mark immediately tells that story. In the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw Jesus glorified as the Son of God (2 Peter 1). 
 
   Jesus took the disciples to either Mount Hermon or Mount Tabor. A mountain was often associated with closeness to God and readiness to receive His words. God had appeared to both Moses (Exodus 24) and Elijah (1 Kings 19) on mountains. 
 
   We don’t know why Jesus singled out Peter, James, and John for this special revelation of His glory and purity. Perhaps they were the ones most ready to understand and accept this great truth. These three disciples were the inner circle of the group of 12. They were among the first to hear Jesus’ call. They headed the gospel lists of disciples. And they were present at certain healings where others were excluded (Luke 8). 
 
   The Transfiguration revealed Christ’s divine nature. God’s voice exalted Jesus above Moses and Elijah as the long-awaited Messiah with full divine authority. Moses represented the law, and Elijah, the prophets. Their appearance showed Jesus as the fulfillment of both the Old Testament law and the prophetic promises. 
 
   Jesus was not a reincarnation of Elijah or Moses. He was not merely one of God’s prophets. As God’s only Son, He far surpasses them in authority and power. Many voices try to tell us how to live and how to know God personally. Some of these are helpful, many are not. We must first listen to the Bible, and then evaluate all other authorities in light of God’s revelation.
 
   Jesus told Peter, James, and John not to speak about what they had seen because they would not fully understand it until Jesus had risen from the dead. Then they would realize that only through dying could Jesus show His power over death and His authority to be King of all. The disciples would not be powerful witnesses for God until they had grasped this truth.
 
   It was natural for the disciples to be confused about Jesus’ death and resurrection because they could not see into the future. We, on the other hand, have God’s revealed Word, the Bible, to give us the full meaning of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We have no excuse for our unbelief. 
 
   It was difficult for the disciples to grasp the idea that their Messiah would have to suffer. The Jews who studied the Old Testament prophecies expected the Messiah to be a great king like David, who would overthrow the enemy, Rome. Their vision was limited to their own time and experience. 
 
   They could not understand that the values of God’s eternal Kingdom were different from the values of the world. They wanted relief from their present problems. But deliverance from sin is far more important than deliverance from physical suffering or political suffering or political oppression. Our understanding and appreciation of Jesus must go beyond what He can do for us here and now.