Archive for category: GAMEtime Sharing

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 10:46-52.  Let’s go!

Mark 10:46-52 (NIV)
46  Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
47  When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
48  Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
49  Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
50  Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51  “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
52  “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
 
On verses 46-52:  Contrast Bartimaeus to the rich young man in verses 17-22:
–  The rich young man hoped he could earn salvation on his own merit (“What was I do to inherit eternal life” – v17).  In contrast, Bartimaeus knew that his only hope was Jesus (“Son of David, have mercy on me!” – v47)   

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 10:17-31.  Let’s go!

Mark 10:17 (NIV)
17  As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  
 
On verse 17:  On the outside this man seemed to approach Jesus the right way: he ran up to Jesus (proactive!), he fell on his knees before Jesus (humility!), and addressed him respectfully as “Good Teacher” (honouring!).   But when you hear the man’s question to Jesus, you get a hint that this man’s approach to God and heaven was flawed.  There’s a good chance that what this man was really asking was, “What can I do to earn heaven?”  Jesus will use this man’s question to show that there is nothing a human being can do to earn their way to heaven (“With man this is impossible” – v27).  

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 9:42-50.  Let’s go!

Mark 9:42-48 (NIV)
42  “And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
43  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
45  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell.
47  And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,
48  where “‘their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.’
 
On verses 42-48:  Jesus’ words here show us a number of things:
 
1. Here Jesus shows us how holy God is, how nothing with sin can stand in His presence.  If it weren’t for Jesus Christ dying on the cross to pay for our sinfulness, none of us would stand a chance of going to heaven.  As Psalm 130:3-4 says, “If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.”  May we never take God’s incredible holiness or His equally incredible mercy for granted.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 9:24-32.  Let’s go!

Mark 9:24 (NIV)
24  Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

On verse 24:  After realizing that the size of his own faith mattered, the boy’s father declares his faith in Jesus and asks Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief.  That is a legitimate prayer and request you can make to God: “help me overcome my unbelief”.  When you pray that way, you’re coming to God honestly, humbly and with an open mind.  God loves to give grace to those who come before Him with honesty, humility and an open mind.

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 9:1-13.  Let’s go!

Mark 9:1-2 (NIV)
1  And he said to them, “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.”
2  After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them.
 
On verses 1-2:  It’s not too much of a stretch to say that when Jesus lived on earth, His glory was under cover, veiled by human flesh.  For while Jesus came to the world revealing God’s glory, in some ways by being limited to a human form Jesus was also concealing God’s glory.  For if Jesus came to us in all the glory that He had in heaven, we would not be able to take it.  Like Moses who came down from Mount Sinai with a radiant face and at the people’s bidding had to cover himself with a veil, so Jesus’ heavenly glory would be too much for us to take on earth.  That is why this scene that Mark 9 describes – the transfiguration of Jesus – is so precious.  To transfigure means to change in appearance.  Here, for a moment, God takes the cover off of Jesus’ glory and gives Peter, James and John a glimpse at the kind of glory Jesus had in heaven.   John would see a vision of Jesus’ glory again later in life, which prompted him to write the book of Revelation.