Trusting God In Mark 14-16 (Apr 8)

Christ Obeys Father’s Will For Us

The time has come for Jesus
to demonstrate the full extent of
His servanthood. For the Passover
Lamb of God, the long-awaited
hour has arrived. Conspired against
by His enemies – betrayed by one
close follower and denied by another
– tried and finally executed, Jesus’
life of service seems to be finished.
But in the greatest of all miracles,
Easter dawn reveals an empty tomb,
setting the stage for Jesus to
commission His followers to
bear the glad tidings worldwide.

Lord, having thoroughly prepared
the disciples, your actions in the
Final Day on earth shows you are
Fully Obedient to the Father’s Will
to Give Yr Life as ransom (Mk10:45)
At the Last Supper, You said one of
you who eats with me will betray me
(M14:18) & yet You did not stop him.
You greatly desire to get out of
the intense suffering and yet You
went to Gethsemane to pray: Not
what I will but what You will (v36).
Thank You Lord Jesus and really
grateful for choosing to surrender to
the Father’s will in loving obedience.
Whilst Your sacrificial love is
really very lofty, we are challenged
and purpose to be more obedient
to God and His mysterious ways.

Lord, at trial before religious leaders
You chose to remain silent when
false charges were thrown at You.
And yet when high priest asked:
Are You the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed? You said I am. And you
will see the Son of Man coming
with the clouds of heaven(Mk14:62)
At trial before political authority,
when Pilate asked: Are you King
of the Jews? You said: It is as you
say. And yet when Pilate asked
about priests’ false accusations,
You answered nothing (Mk 15:1-5).
Jesus in all Yr previous encounters
where religious leaders accused
You of wrong doings, You had no
problem defending Yourself. And
Yet this time You chose not to do so,
having received triple confirmation
from the Father of His will for You.
Grant us discernment on God’s
will and tender heart to yield to it.
Whilst there may be challenges,
we know the almighty, all loving and
all faithful God is on our side. Amen.

Lord, at the cross when teachers
of the law mocked You; He saved
others but He can’t save himself?
Let this Christ come down now
from the cross, that we may see
and believe (Mark 15:27-32).
You who Calm the sea (Mk4:39) &
yet chose to remain at the cross.
And then there was darkness over
the whole land for 3 hours (v33).
And You cried: My God, My God,
why have You forsaken me ?
Then the veil of the temple was
torn in two from top to bottom.
So when the centurion saw that
He cried out like this & breathed
His last, he said: Truly this Man
was the Son of God! (Mk15:34-39).
Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love
enduring suffering on our behalf.
We love You in deep gratitude!
Grant us the grace to deny self,
take up the cross and follow You
in obeying to do Father’s will. Amen.

Lord, we purpose to Trust Yr Word:
We note You appeared to the eleven
and rebuked them for their lack
of faith and their stubborn refusal
to believe those who had seen Him
after He had risen. Then He said:
Go into all the world and preach
the good news. Whoever believes
and is baptised will be saved,
but whoever does not believe
will be condemned (Mk 16:14-16).
Lord, we should trust You without
doubt for You’ve good plans for us &
You as faithful God fulfils promises.
Lord, with Your resurrection,
we have good news to proclaim
in obedience to Your commission.
Help us carry out our assigned tasks
out of love of You and others. Amen.

Trusting God In Mark 13 (April 7)

Christ Promises to Return

The final week of Jesus’ earthly
life dawns; that period of time
which occupies more space in
the Gospels than any other stage
of Jesus’ ministry. His arrival in
Jerusalem coincides with the
preparations for the Feast of
Passover. Though events move
quickly, Jesus is never hurried.
There is time to clean the temple,
watch the widow contributes
her two mites, and give final
instructions to the disciples.

Lord, we’ll Prepare for Your Return:
Nation will rise against nation…
And there will be earthquakes… and
there will be famines and troubles…
These are beginning of sorrows…
The gospel must 1st be preached
to all the nations (Mk 13:8-10).
Everyone will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds with great
power & glory. And He will send out
his angels to gather his chosen ones
from all over the world(Mk13:26-27)
Since you don’t know when (these
things) will happen, stay alert and
keep watch. The coming of the Son
of Man can be compared with that
of a man who left home…(for) a trip.
He gave each of his employees
instructions on the work they were
to do, and He told the gatekeeper
to watch for his return. So keep a
sharp lookout! For you do not know
when the homeowner will return…
Don’t let him find you sleeping when
he arrives without warning (v33-36)

Lord, the events of the end times
are still to come in world history.
The signs are already here with
raised frequency of earthquakes,
pestinences and lawlessness.
And surely Lord the day will come
when You will appear in the clouds.
Help us be prepared for Your return,
know Your Word, be weary of false
prophets & share the gospel. Amen.

Lord Jesus, You have promised
to come back for Your church.
Help us not lose sight of what You
have called us to do as we wait Your
return with hope and expectation.
Help us be diligent in Your assigned
tasks as we anticipate that day.
We purpose to share the gospel
with our friends and loved ones.
Lead us sow seeds of love & prepare
their hearts to receive You. Amen.

These are the days of Elijah,
Declaring the word of the Lord.
And these are the days of Moses,
Righteousness being restored.
These are the days of the harvest,
The fields are as white in Yr world.
We are the labourers in Yr vineyard
Declaring the word of the Lord!
Behold He comes riding on t clouds
Shining like the sun at t trumpet call
Lift yr voice, it’s the year of jubilee
Out of Zion’s hill salvation comes.