Jesus Will See You Through The Storm

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 4:30-41. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:30-32 (NIV)
30  Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?
31  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground.
32  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”
 
On verses 30-32:  Whenever the kingdom of God starts in any person, in any city, or in any place in the world, it always begins the same way: as the tiniest seed.  Over time, however, it can become the biggest thing you see and strong enough to give protection and shelter to others.  So don’t despise small beginnings.  God doesn’t.

Don’t Be Afraid to Share What God Has Given You

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 4:21-29. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:21-23 (NIV)
21  He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?
22  For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
23  If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
 
On verses 21-23:  Remember that Jesus is talking here with his disciples, to whom he has revealed the secrets of God’s kingdom (see v11). 

Keep a Soft Heart Toward God

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 4:10-20. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:10-12 (NIV)
10  When he was alone, the Twelve and the others around him asked him about the parables.
11  He told them, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables
12  so that, “‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!'”
 
On verses 10-12:  Yesterday we learned one reason why Jesus taught in parables: to make truth about the kingdom of God easier for his disciples to understand and remember. 

Aim to Be a Great Communicator

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 4:1-9. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 4:1 (NIV)
1  Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge.
 
On verse 1:  According to many scholars, Jesus’ voice would project more clearly by sitting in a boat out on a lake than standing on the shore.  This would make a difference especially when speaking to a large crowd, as Jesus often would. 

Misunderstood By Your Family?

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 3:31-35. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:31-35 (NIV)
31  Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him.
32  A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”
33  “Who are my mother and my brothers?” he asked.

On verses 31-35:  Jesus was known for making shocking statements, but what did Jesus mean exactly when he said that “whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother” (v34-35)?  Jesus means that those who believe in Jesus and follow Him are Jesus’ true family.

You Belong to Someone Stronger

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 3:20-30. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:20-22 (NIV)
20  Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat.
21  When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”
22  And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, “He is possessed by Beelzebub! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons.”

On verses 20-22:  In our day a lot of people long to be famous.  But here we learn something about fame from the most famous person of all, Jesus Christ: fame is a double-edged sword.  For example:

Jesus Values Teamwork

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 3:7-19. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!
 
Mark 3:7-19 (NIV)
7  Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.
8  When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.

On verses 7-19:  For those of you who want to make a difference in this world, remember this lesson from Jesus’ life:  It’s not enough to draw a crowd.  You need to raise a team of leaders.

Given his abilities and the crowds he was drawing, Jesus could have chosen to be a one man show.  But wisely, that wasn’t Jesus’ way.  Jesus knew the value of a team. 

Don’t Miss the Big Picture

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 3:1-6. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 3:1-2 (NIV)
1  Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.
2  Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.

On verses 1-2:  The Pharisees were in “church”, that is, in the synagogue, but their focus was not on worshiping Yahweh.  Their focus was looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, to see in particular if Jesus would heal a worshipper in attendance with a shriveled hand.

When Grace Became an Outlaw

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 2:23-28. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 2:23 (NIV)
23  One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.

On verse 23:  The law of Moses allowed poor people to walk through a landowner’s property and pick up the leftover heads of grain that the landowner had not harvested and keep it for themselves to eat (Leviticus 19:10; Deuteronomy 24:10).  By allowing the poor to glean in the fields, the Law of Moses was demonstrating that God’s heart is one of grace and compassion. 

I Think You Need a New Container

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Mark 2:13-22. With an open mind and a humble heart, read this passage and see what sticks out to you in this passage.  Is there a verse, a phrase, or a lesson you think the Holy Spirit may be highlighting for you in this passage?  After you’ve thought about the passage yourself a bit, read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Mark 2:13-14 (NIV)
13  Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them.
14  As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
 
On verses 13-14:  Levi, who is also known as Matthew, made his living as a tax collector.  Many Jews looked down on Jewish tax collectors since they were known for taking money from their own people, giving it to the Roman government and in some cases pocketing some of that money for themselves.