Today’s Reading, Mark 1-3
Focal Scripture: Mark 3:5 “After looking around at them with anger, he was grieved at the hardness of their hearts and told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.”
Jesus understands people. He understands what is happening in their hearts and he understands their intentions. This matters, because we can’t hide what is happening to us personally from the Lord. We also need to know that Jesus has emotions. He has anger and he has grief. He cares about people and he cares about how his creation is treated.
In today’s reading we witness people trying to catch Jesus saying something scandalous. Instead he asks them a question if it was lawful for him to heal on the Sabbath. Not one person gave a response. Jesus was angry at their attitudes and he was grieved they didn’t believe that healing could happen on the Sabbath. Jesus wanted them to see the truth about the Lords goodness. He wanted them to be confident in Gods redemptive work. Instead, they had hard hearts.
So what about you? Do you have a hard heart? Do you try to put God in a box and make him into your image? I know personally I have had moments where I try to limit God. Then I am reminded that he is the one who created the heavens and the Earth. He formed man into his image. Jesus has no limits and he wants us to understand that in our personal lives.
I believe that we make Jesus angry when we don’t believe in who he is and what he can do in our lives and the world. I also believe he is grieved when our hearts our hard. We need to make sure we don’t act like these religious people who limit God. We need to have a belief that he can do whatever he wants on any day he wants. Jesus wanted them to see he was over physical problems and religious expectations.
I challenge you today to change your thinking and bring it to a place where we bring Jesus happiness and joy because of our beliefs and our thinking. It will change others around us but more importantly give us a deeper faith.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Mark 4-5
