Daily Grace
He Delights in Us
“Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him” (Mark 3:13). Prior to choosing His twelve disciples Luke pointed out that Jesus spent the night in prayer. He was careful in His selection. No one is an afterthought with God. He...
Empowered
“He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored” (Mark 3:5). As difficult as it may be to understand, the religious leaders in the...
New Wineskins
“And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins” (Mark 2:22). Wineskins have one purpose—to carry wine. Otherwise they are useless....
Jesus Came to Heal Us
“When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: ‘Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the...
Vandalism or Faith?
“Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their...
Jesus is Willing
“A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed” (Mark...
The Power of Jesus’ Touch
“Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they immediately told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them” (Mark 1:30-31). Jesus taught large crowds and would have conducted major...
Take Advantage of Detours
“There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after...
Snakebite Proof Gospel
“Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand” (Acts 28:3). We call some ventures snake-bitten when they don’t work out. Maybe that expression comes from this event in the life of Paul....