Reply To: OCU C)HT C Devotion 03

This devotional reminds me of Mark 4:16 & 17. Jesus was explaining the parable of the sower to the disciples and believers because it was given to them to know the mysteries of the kingdom. Their walking away is indicative of the seed that was on stony ground. When they heard the word they were exited and received it with gladness, but as soon as the first sign of opposition for the word’s sake came, they were offended & there was no root in them. I like to say there was no stick-to-it-iveness.

In Matt. 16:4 Jesus said a evil & adulterous generation seek for a sign (James, 2019). By using the word adulterous here He is saying they were unfaithful in their worship and allegiance to God. Furthermore the only sign He said He was going to give was that of Jonah. Jonah was symbolic of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament in that he died in the belly of the whale for three days and was resurrected to preach repentance to the people of Nineveh. Thomas was a disciple of Jesus Christ & he didn’t believe Jesus resurrection until he saw the nail scars in His hands. Jesus told him he believed because he saw. We today are blessed because we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ without having even seen Him.

This devotional reminds me to keep my faith in Jesus Christ in spite of what my natural eyes might see & continue to walk by faith and not our natural sight. It also reminds me that the Christian walk will not always be easy. Sometimes we will face persecution, many times, by the ones we love most and are the closest to us. The power of God to do the miraculous is just as strong today as it ever was & we should not lower our standards because of what people around us say, rather hold the word of God in such high esteem that we arise to the standard it calls for and continue to believe. Mark 16:17 tells us the signs that follow those that truly believe.

References

James, K. (2019). Holy Bible: King James Version, 1611 Edition.