March 2, 2015
I AM SO BUSTED
Rev. Julia
Webb-Bowden
Mark 8:31-38
Scripture Focus: …you
are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. Mark 8:33
Our reading for today is a very familiar passage from the
Gospel of Mark. Jesus is teaching
the Disciples and preparing them for what lies ahead. Jesus will suffer and die. Peter, being ever Peter, speaks quickly and with
passion. To paraphrase, he tells
Jesus to stop saying these things, ministry is going so well, and this will
only bring people down! Jesus responds to Peter with a sternness that is
startling; you will not stand in the way of God’s plan! And to try to do so is not of God. DANG!
Jesus focuses his admonition to Peter – you are setting your mind on earthly things. Think about your daily life. How often do you find yourself tripped up by earthly things
rather than focusing on the things of God? As I type this devotion, I am chasing the clock as I am
about seven days late in turning it in.
I find myself tripped up by the calendar and clock. When these things happen, what should I
do? What should we do? I am
guessing I am not the only person who struggles with where I set my mind. Let us be gentle and rely upon the
grace we have known and know in Jesus Christ. I tend to hear this passage as
harsh judgment; perhaps if we hear this odd passage as an invitation “what will
it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life?” If I can give
up control and trust God to provide the way of life, I gain new life in Christ.
Lord, in a season marked by sacrifice, make our sacrifices
holy. May we be willing to give up
our old lives focused on earthly things and may we receive full life in Christ. Amen.
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