36What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
37Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
What if you said “no”?
The withdrawal of 24-year-old artistic gymnast Simone Biles from the all-around team final at last year’s Tokyo Olympics caused quite a stir. Perhaps you followed some of the news coverage of her decision. During an interview, Simone explained her mental struggle by saying, “Since I have no idea where I am in the air, I also have NO idea how I’m going to land. Or what I’m going to land on. Head/hands/feet/back…”
Because of these concerns, she set a boundary, a limit, to protect herself and her teammates, too. We’re not talking about an easy decision here—at the end of the day, Olympic medals were at stake. She had spent a lifetime training for this moment.
After all was said and done, what did you think of her decision? I personally am very happy this young gymnast received so much encouragement from all sides for her courageous choice. She herself said, “I didn’t expect this.”
Maybe there’s also something in your life that you should say “no” to, something you should back away from. Perhaps it doesn’t even belong in your life anymore, but you’re afraid of what others might say if you set a boundary.
“‘And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?'” (Mark 8:36-37, NLT)
Like Simone Biles, perhaps right now you’re feeling uncontrolled somewhere up in the air, unsure of how or where you’ll land. If so, then it’s high time to set a boundary! I encourage you to take an important step back today. Consider the potential your decision has to impact you and those around you in a positive way.
YOU are worth it! 🙂
You are a miracle!
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32So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.
34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
35By this time it was late in the day, so his disciples came to him. “This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late.
36Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
37But he answered, “You give them something to eat.”
They said to him, “That would take more than half a year’s wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?”
38 “How many loaves do you have?”he asked. “Go and see.”
When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”
39Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
41Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.
42They all ate and were satisfied,
43and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.
44The number of the men who had eaten was five thousand.
45Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
48He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
49but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,
50because they all saw him and were terrified.
Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
51Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,
52for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.
How is your work-life balance?
When you lie in bed at night, where does your mind go? Do the thoughts that have been subconsciously stressing you out all day start to emerge? I know this feeling all too well, so I’d like to share a Bible story with you today that has really helped me.
Yesterday, we talked about Jesus telling His disciples to take a break in the midst of their busyness: “So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” (Mark 6:32, NIV)
Shortly afterwards, Jesus fed 5,000 men plus many women and children that were with them (see Mark 6:34-44), and His disciples helped distribute and clean up. After this “job,” Jesus again instructed His disciples to take a break: He sent them ahead by boat so they could rest while He dismissed the crowds. (see Mark 6:45)
If anyone taught proper work-life balance, it was Jesus!
Jesus then saw His disciples struggling on the stormy sea, fighting the headwind, and could’ve thought to Himself, “I wanted them to do nothing for once. Why are they fighting My battles?” But in His love, He chose to walk to them—on the water—and climbed into their boat. The storm immediately subsided. (see Mark 6:48-51)
Jesus knew a storm was coming. He had also told them He would follow! Near the end of this chapter, His Word tells us that “Their minds were closed, and they could not understand the true meaning of the loaves of bread.” (Mark 6:52, CEV)
God tells us to rest so that we can be refreshed. So when you lie in bed at night, you don’t have to worry about tomorrow…He already knows about your storms.
Remember, God can arrange everything without you worrying about anything.
Trust Him. 🙂 Let’s pray together…“I let go, Jesus. I choose to rest and let You fight this battle for me. Thank You for Your help. In Your powerful name, amen.”
You are a miracle!
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7Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.
Mark 6:31
31Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
Psalm 46:10
10He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
The power of rest
What is your mission in life? Many people get scared when asked that question, unsure what their mission is or even if they need one.
Don’t worry…even Jesus’ disciples had thoughts like that! But they had the advantage of Jesus clearly telling them what to do: “Calling the Twelve to Him, He began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits.” (Mark 6:7, NIV)
When the disciples came back a little later, excited about all they had experienced, the first thing Jesus said was “…’Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'” (Mark 6:31, NIV)
Couldn’t Jesus have just prayed, “Father in heaven, we still have so much to do—there are so many people who need our help. Please give us an extra dose of strength and take away our need to sleep…”? Yes, He absolutely could’ve prayed that! It would’ve been one way. But He chose a different way…
Maybe right now you’re in school, or perhaps you have a high-stress position that demands a lot of you. Maybe you’re taking care of small children at home who need you all the time, or perhaps you’re currently unemployed. I’m not sure what your job situation looks like right now, but whatever it may be, you need breaks!
As you rest, your all-powerful God can give you what others are striving hard to take by force and through their own strength.
Just as Jesus gave His disciples rest, He wants to give you rest, too. And in this quiet place, you may recognize His mission for your life.
“…’Be still and know that I am God…'” (Psalm 46:10, NIV). Take time to reflect on the fact that you are simply allowed to be.
You are a miracle!
We would like to thank Jesus.net for providing this plan.
He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them.
21For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder,
22adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
23All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
James 1:14-15
14but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.
15Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Colossians 3:1
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
The Making Of A Bitter Heart
We have all heard people talk about the proverbial “line in the sand.” Whatever the context, the point is always the same—you can go this far, but no farther. We have now come to the important point in our study where we honestly face how and when bitterness becomes sinful. This is the line in the sand that God instructs us not to cross.
The good news is that the Lord is our gracious King who stands ready with strength to help us avoid taking steps that would dishonor him and destroy us. Additionally, He is our merciful Savior who is willing to forgive and cleanse us when we have become sinfully bitter. The hope is that we don’t cross the line into sinful bitterness, but if we do, He provides a way out.
God’s Word paints a comprehensive picture of how human life works. Our behavior, including bitterness, flows out of a fully functioning heart, or inner person. Jesus explained it like this: “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man” (Mark 7:20).
The word “heart” is used over seven hundred times in the Bible. It isn’t simply the seat of our emotions or the physical organ in our body. In God’s Word, “heart” encompasses every aspect of our inner person. It is our control center and includes everything about us that is not material. It is so important that King Solomon tells us, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
Sinful bitterness in the heart always begins with misplaced desires. Often they come in the form of unreasonable expectations we set up for the people and situations around us. Our children, spouse, coworkers, neighbors, and everyone else must behave in a certain way. Once we go from “I’d like to have” to “I must have,” there’s idolatry in our heart.
We do what we do because we want what we want. One way to watch over our heart with all diligence is to give careful attention at any given moment to the nature of our desires. We should be asking ourselves, What am I wanting right now, and is this a desire God can bless?
Is examining the condition of your heart something you do often? Commit to making this a common habit. Are you able to ask yourself: What am I wanting right now, and is this a desire God can bless?
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Take a minute and make your own list of things you are thankful for.
Now, go back over your list and put a check mark beside all the things on your list that were given to you by God. There might be things on there that you obtained through hard work, but who gave you the ability to know what to do or the strength to get up each day to go to work?
Does your list include unseen things like your talents and abilities? How many of those talents are you giving back to God? Are you really good at explaining things? So, are you using that to tell people about the love of God? Are you good at talking to new people and making them feel welcome? So, are you inviting people to church or serving as a greeter? Are you good at music? Do you sing God’s praises in the choir or praise team? The list of your talents could go on and on, but the question is:” What are you doing with them?”
Are you giving them back to God?
One thing that I am pretty sure is NOT on your list is paying taxes. Nobody likes to pay taxes. That was true back in Jesus’ time and is pretty much true today too. Jesus looked at a coin and asked whose face was on it. When the religious leaders replied “Caesar,” that is when He said, “Give onto Caesar what is Caesars!” In other words, pay your taxes.
Our money is similar in that on it there are pictures of Presidents and important people, but there is one thing different about our currency. On the back is our country’s motto, “In God We Trust.” How often have you noticed it? How much do you believe it? Do you trust God with your life, your money and with all of the things on your list? If not, why not? Why not take a few minutes right now to give all of the people and things on your list back to God? Ask Him to show you how you can start to trust Him fully with all you have including your money, your time, your talents and your life!
Then you will truly be giving unto God what is God’s!
Large crowds were following Jesus. He was healing the sick, bringing life to the dead. Even at the touch of His clothes, a woman had been healed. He had fed over 5,000 men miraculously and shortly after had miraculously fed over 4,000 men. I’m sure it would have been amazing to witness these miracles or to have food in your stomach and be part of this crowd. But Jesus was about to separate those who were fans from those who were His followers. The fans wanted to witness and experience. If you wanted to be a disciple, a true follower of Jesus, there was a cost involved.
In today’s reading, Jesus calls the crowd, along with the disciples, to Himself and drops a total game changer on everyone. In Mark 8:34, Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
It was more than being part of the crowd of spectators. It was more than partaking in His miraculous feast. It was more than simply hearing His amazing sermons. It was total and complete life transformation. First, He says to deny yourself. Cease to put yourself as the object of your life and your actions and make following Him your priority. And that is not all. “Take up your cross”. The Romans made the condemned criminals carry their own cross piece, on which they would be nailed, to the place in which they would be put to death.
Taking up your cross included being willing to suffer and possibly die for the sake of following Jesus. Here in the United States, we do not face much, if any, persecution for our faith. However, all over the world, people have faced beatings and martyrdom since the very beginning of Christianity. Following Jesus may result in costing us our very lives. And there is one more thing: Jesus says, “Follow me.”
Think for a moment about being somewhere you have never been. There is just one guide, one person who can lead you where you need to go. You cannot take your eyes off of them as they lead you on the path to where you are going. You have no idea what you may pass on your journey to where you are headed, but, if you don’t follow closely, you can easily get distracted or even lost along the way. Follow Jesus in such a manner that you don’t let Him out of your sight.
The great pastor Billy Graham once said, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything.” German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was killed right before the end of World War II, wrote in his powerful book, The Cost of Discipleship, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die”. These things may seem harsh but, as Jesus tells us in today’s reading, “whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it (their life)”.
Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.
An important aspect of any profession is learning from those who have gone before you. A general leadership principle is that when you stop listening to trusted leaders, that’s the moment you should quit because you falsely believe that you know everything there is to know.
A good life lesson is this: never ask anyone to do something that you wouldn’t do yourself. Never EVER think that you are somehow above anyone else and are somehow too important to do certain things. Never think that you are above taking out the trash, setting up tables and chairs and setting up for an event that you even may be speaking at. Validate people and let them know that you appreciate them and what they bring to the team. After all, we’re all in this life change thing together.
I believe this is similar to the truth Jesus was trying to communicate to His disciples in our reading today. If you read a little bit earlier than verse 41, you’ll see the disciples are in an uproar because two, let’s say “confident”, brothers ask Jesus to be seated on each of Jesus’ sides in Heaven. To the other disciples, this was interpreted as a slap in the face as they apparently thought they were much more important than the other ten.
Jesus, knowing this tension was developing, decided to curb these thoughts of “who is better” by telling them they have it all wrong. Instead of trying to be the best and greatest, you must exemplify humility to be favored in the Kingdom of Heaven.
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
If Jesus, of all people, the One who has the power to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, calm the storms and has the authority to forgive sins, came to this world to serve, why can’t we? Why do we always seem to think more highly of ourselves than we should? What makes us above anyone else?
I challenge you to think of ways that you can serve and encourage other people.
Would you be so bold as to admit that you often think too highly of yourself? What are some ways that, instead, you can fight to serve and encourage others?
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In times of trial, one of the most treasured passages in scripture is of Jesus calming the storm while out to sea with the disciples. Falling asleep, Jesus is awoken by disciples who are not only fearful of the storm, but disturbed by Jesus’ apparent lack of care for them. Into this chaos Jesus rebukes the wind and waves, causing them to immediately cease.
This passage is the first of three stories in Mark that underscore Jesus’ power. Here, Jesus reveals his dominion over his creation, calming the storm. In Mark 5:1-21, Jesus casts a demon out of a man, revealing his dominion over the spiritual forces at work in the world.
Finally, in Mark 5:22-43, Jesus heals a woman and servant of a chronic illness and death, respectively, revealing his dominion over even disease and death.
In all, Mark reminds us that during seasons of trial and opposition, there is nothing that is beyond the power of Jesus.
This is a hard lesson to remember when we are in the midst of storms, facing opposition, or dealing with illness or possible death. Yet how we react in the storm speaks to how well we understand who Jesus is and how he cares for us.
Jesus rebukes the disciples because they don’t grasp these two points. They don’t know who he is as the creator and ruler of the universe, fearing the storm is greater than he is. They also don’t trust that he cares for them, going so far as to ask, “Do you not care that we are perishing?”
As we try to navigate difficult seasons, we must continually refresh our faith in the answers to these two questions. Jesus is the lord of the universe, the second member of the trinity, to whom all dominion and power has been given. He is also our savior who endures with and has given to us his Spirit.
Questions for Reflection
How are you responding to God as you are walking through this difficult time? Do you see him as asleep? Unaware, unable, and uncaring of your situation?
Recognize that those who don’t know Jesus are like the disciples in the boat: fearful and uncertain. How can you share how Jesus has provided calmness in your life in the midst of the storm?
Death to Life. Old to New. Graves to Gardens. Ashes to Beauty.
All of these phrases represent what Jesus has done for us and causes me to think of Mary Magdalene.
We only see her appear in Scripture just a handful of times but her story is one of a new life. Luke and Mark both tell us that Jesus healed her of evil spirits and demons were cast out.
We don’t see her backstory or her childhood. We do not see what abuse she may have gone through or what caused the enemy to grab a hold of her so strongly that she was oppressed and possessed with such evil.
What we do see is her changed life.
Luke tells us that she went from city to city with Christ as He preached and taught. Mark tells us that Christ appeared to her and she is who ran to tell the other followers.
I look back at my old life and I do not recognize that person. That person was filled with such hopelessness and despair but Christ came to me, saved me and set me free from that darkness, just as He did for Mary Magdalene.
When we experience the gospel, it changes us but it also changes our perspective and our priorities.
Christ saw something in her and gave her a new purpose by delivering her from the darkness she knew all too well.
Just as He did for her, He has done for you.
What darkness may be filling your perspective? Where have you possibly lost hope?
May I encourage you to go back and read the gospels. The Lord healed so many people during His ministry on earth and He continues to heal us.
I pray that, as you look at the circumstances in your life, you also see the deliverance and the hope that is in Jesus. I pray that, like Mary, we walk forward, listening to His truths, words and life and allow that to cause us to experience more change for us and help to those around us.
I challenge you: spend some time in Luke 8 and Mark 16 and write down all of the ways in your life that God has shown up and moved. Allow that to propel you to the posture of surrender and hope.
“Then He took the child by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”).”
Jesus walked among the lifeless and exchanged death with life. He traded fear for faith, even as He told the man whose daughter lay dying just steps from their path, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe.” Moments before, He’d unknowingly moved an outcast from mere survival to true life when she reached out in faith for the One whom she believed to be the Messiah, her Healer. Now an important Jewish leader would see Jesus replace the death of his daughter with the miracle of her life. A touch of Jesus’ hand made hope out of mourning. The stroke of His voice composed a new beginning. The little girl was dead. But Jesus spoke, and then she was alive.
I have never seen a daughter being raised to life, but that doesn’t make the truth of this story any less real. Jesus Christ makes life out of nothing. He takes what is not and turns it into what is.
I have, however, seen Jesus turn fear into strength. He’s taken a dying relationship and made it thrive. He turned depression into purpose, created joy where guilt once paralyzed, turned anxious into calm. If you think about it hard enough, you’ve likely seen His transforming work, too.
Where faith in Jesus comes in, new life prevails. Where have you seen His power at work? What can He transform in you even today? Is there a piece of you that must die, like the little girl, so He can breathe His transforming life into it?
Every Day With God 