Mark 8 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Mark 8:22

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.

We know that it is the Father who draws us, the Spirit who enlightens us, and the Son who saves us, yet our God allows us to partner with Him in His ministry! How cool is it that the ones who once rebelled and rejected Him are the same ones He uses to bring others to Him! Thank You, Lord, for allowing us to serve in Your Kingdom!

Make no mistake; God has the power, but He gives us a part! This story makes no mention of the blind man’s faith in Christ nor any perseverance in coming to Christ, but it does say that others brought him to Christ and even interceded on his behalf. This is powerful stuff and a point we all must take to heart. For if these people hadn’t put aside their lives to lead this man to Christ, who knows if he ever would have made it? We, too, must be like these people, setting aside our own lives in the hope of leading others to our King. The world and the people of it show us every day how to walk away from the Lord, but His people must continually walk the path of the cross and, in doing so, show others the way to freedom!

We must also not become conceded but rather remember that, yes, these other people led him to Christ, but it was Christ and Christ alone who healed this man. It’s not our job to heal and to save but only to be living examples of Christ, set apart for the glory of God. We cannot heal or save anyone, but we know the One who can!

Who is the Lord laying on your heart today? The world is full of people blinded by sin and lost in the dark. Will you shine forth and show them the way?

Matthew 5:14-16- “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

God bless! I love you all, but His love is eternal! Glory, honor, and praise to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Mark 8:34

Then He called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

 

This verse is so powerful and important, but until this morning, I missed the first line and the importance of it. It says He calls both His disciples and the crowd. He is talking both to the believer and the unbeliever. Jesus is saying that it doesn’t matter if you have been with Him since the beginning or just meeting Him for the first time; pick up your cross and follow Him!

 

He is teaching us that you are never too new to carry your cross, and you never outgrow carrying it. What a beautiful encouragement to the new believers and a powerful reminder to the older ones!

 

You might ask, what does this verse even mean? Am I supposed to go out and brutally murder myself? In a sense, yes! Not a physical death, like Christ died for us, but a spiritual dying to self and living in Christ. We must put to death the burning desires that are contrary to the truth of the Word of God. We must read it and obey it to learn how to crucify it!

 

Jesus died in the flesh to save us from our flesh and its sinful desires; He set us free from its bondage and broke its hold on us once and for all. Christ didn’t carry His cross for fun but rather carried it to be crucified on it and carried us to victory! Thank You, Jesus!

 

Galatians 2:20 - My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

 

God bless! I love you all, but He loves you so much more! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our Victorious King, and the Holy Spirit who will help us in our moments of weakness!