Fresh Start Daily

Devo: Mark 5:21-43

“Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.” Vv. 25-26

“When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. For she said, ‘If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.’ Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.” Vv. 27-29

The woman suffered from her condition for twelve years. She sought the help of physicians but it did not help. She spent all her money for treatments but nothing worked. In fact, she even grew worse! However, when she touched Jesus’ garment, she was instantly healed.

This is one of the many stories in the Bible where God shows us that He comes to the rescue after we’ve tried everything and nothing worked to display His power. He performs a miracle when we’ve exhausted everything but none of them helped so that He receives all the glory that He deserves. It shows us that with God, nothing is impossible. The situation may seem hopeless but when God decides to help us, we will be in awe.

“And He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.'” V. 34

It was her faith that made her well. She touched the hem of Jesus’ garment because she believed that Jesus could heal her.

“While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house who said, ‘Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?’ As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, ‘Do not be afraid; only believe.'” Vv. 35-36

Jesus was not finished speaking with the woman when he heard some people come and tell the ruler of the synagogue not to bother Jesus because his daughter is already dead. Jesus did not mind what the man told the ruler and instead assured the latter. Because the ruler believed, his daughter arose.

Devo: Mark 5:1-20

I had always wondered why the evil spirits that possessed the man wanted to be transferred to the pigs. Then I read this on enduringword.com:

“Satan would rather vex swine than do no mischief at all. He is so fond of evil that he would work it upon animals if he cannot work it upon men.” – Spurgeon

It satisfies what is said in the Bible about Satan’s goal, which is to steal, kill, and destroy.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” John 10:10

His purpose is nothing but evil. He is bent on destroying everything that God created. It is the exact opposite of God’s purpose for us. In the same verse, it says:

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

“And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea” Mark 5:13

The evil spirits asked God to send them to the pigs. They could not enter the pigs without God’s permission.

“Since a demon cannot enter even into a swine without being sent by God Himself, how little is the power or malice of them to be dreaded by those who have God for their portion and protector!” – Clarke, enduringword.com

Wow! Isn’t that true? We cannot be harmed by the evil one if God is with us. Oftentimes, we are gripped by our doubts, worries, and fears. We forget that we have a God who is bigger and more powerful than the things that the enemy feeds us.

This is very encouraging. God is our protector. We have to always remember that the Lord allows everything that happens. He has a purpose even for the bad things. We will not always understand why, but we can take consolation in the fact that GOD KNOWS what is happening and that He will carry us through it.

“So those who fed the swine fled, and they told it in the city and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that had happened. Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. And those who saw it told them how it happened to him who had been demon-possessed, and about the swine. Then they began to plead with Him to depart from their region.” Vv. 14-17

The people should rejoice after knowing that the man who was demon-possessed was freed, but instead, they were afraid. They also asked Jesus to leave their place.

“When people are more afraid of what Jesus will do in their lives than what Satan does at the moment, they often push Jesus away.” enduringword.com

Like the people of Gadarenes, there are some today who would rather keep their lifestyle than welcome Jesus because it’s convenient. People are afraid that Jesus will free them from their bondages. People are afraid that Jesus will change them. Jesus only has good plans for us. We read in John 10:10 the difference between Satan’s purpose and God’s purpose for our life.

If we only eat junk food, we will never know how good healthy food is. We will only appreciate something if we try it. Similarly, we will settle with what the world offers until we try Jesus. Unless we try Jesus, we will never know what is truly good and perfect.

“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” Psalm 34:8

“And when He got into the boat, he who had been demon-possessed begged Him that he might be with Him.” V. 18

The man that was set free by Jesus didn’t only want what Jesus could do for him. He also wanted to be with Jesus. He wanted to always be in the presence of Jesus. When we experience the goodness of God, we will never want to be apart from Him. Why would we leave the presence of someone who gives us peace, hope, joy, and all good things? When we have been freed from our bondages, why would we want to be enslaved again?

“…he who had been demon-possessed…” V. 18

The man’s name was not mentioned in the Bible. However, what he was called is his testimony of God’s love for him and God’s power. He was possessed by a demon but he was set free by Jesus.

“However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, ‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.’ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” Vv. 19-20

Jesus did not grant his request to be with Him. The people asked Jesus to leave their place so He wanted the man to testify to the people there about Jesus, and he did! Here’s another possible reason Jesus did not answer the man’s prayer:

“Of course, this was because this man could be a light among the people of these Gentile cities in a way that Jesus and the disciples could not. But it was also to cure the man of any superstitions. He might have thought that he had to stay close to Jesus to keep the demons from coming back. ‘Perhaps, too, his prayer was not answered, lest his fear should have been thereby sanctioned. If he did fear, and I feel morally certain that he did, that the devils would return, then, of course, he longed to be with Christ. But Christ took that fear from him, and as good as says to him, ‘You do not need to be near me; I have so healed that you will never be sick again.'” – Spurgeon

When we receive Jesus Christ in our heart, He imparts to us the Holy Spirit. We cannot be possessed by the devil because we are possessed by God, by the Holy Spirit. The devil can oppress us but he cannot possess us.

Devo: Mark 4:35-41

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” V. 38

The disciples were annoyed because Jesus was just sleeping on the boat instead of helping them. How often is it that we find ourselves in the situation that the disciples were in? When things are out of our control, we tend to complain to God. Some even get angry at God thinking that He refuses to help when His help is much needed.

“But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him…” V. 38

The windstorm, the water filling the boat, and the disciples’ noise didn’t wake Him up. He only woke up when His disciples woke Him up. Nothing bothers Jesus. He is only stirred when we cry out to Him.

“There may be both a sleeping Christ and a sleeping church, but neither Christ nor His church can perish. If our Lord be asleep, He is asleep near the helm – He has only to put His hand out and steer the vessel at once. He is asleep, but He only sleeps until we cry more loudly to Him. When we get into such trouble that we cannot help ourselves and feel our entire dependence on Him, then He will reveal His power.” Spurgeon

“…He said to them, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.'” V. 35

Before they got on the boat, Jesus told them that they would cross over to the other side of the lake. When Jesus told His disciples that they would cross over the lake, He meant they would get to the other side safe. It means that they wouldn’t perish while crossing. When Jesus says something, He will do it.

This story reminds us to trust in the Lord always. God’s promises are not merely words. God’s promises will help us because God fulfills His promises.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

Also, God does not lie. He says something and does it.

“Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.” Hebrews 6:17-18

“Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” V. 40

“It was not their fear of the storm that made Jesus say they had no faith . A small boat in a big storm is a scary place, and the initial fear itself isn’t wrong. What the disciples chose to do with the fear made all the difference.” enduringword.com

Wow. God does not invalidate our emotions. It’s normal to experience fear in that situation. Jesus said they had no faith not because they were scared of the windstorm but because Jesus told them they would get to the other side of the lake and they didn’t trust His Word.

Sometimes, even when God gave us a promise, when trials come, we forget His promise. Sometimes we even think that He won’t really fulfill His promise because it seems impossible for it to happen. Sometimes also, because His promise takes so long to come, we think that God already forgot His promise and we just give up. However, God is faithful. He is true to His promises. He isn’t like us humans who often forget.

“Jesus could say they had no faith because they forgot the big picture. The disciples should have known that God would not allow the Messiah to perish in a boat crossing the Sea of Galilee. Could the story of Jesus possibly end with Him drowning in a boat accident on the Sea of Galilee? “Our fears are often intensely silly, and when we get over them, and ourselves look back upon them, we are full of shame that we should have been so foolish. Our Lord kindly censured their unbelief because it was unreasonable.” Spurgeon

Worry is a sin. It shows that we don’t trust God to help us. God cares about us and He will help us when we cry out to Him. He is always with us. He is on the boat with us even when it sometimes seem like the boat is sinking.

I am learning to trust God every day here in our fairly new apartment. I don’t like living in a tall building because of earthquakes but I have no choice because I had to move out of our previous apartment immediately last month. (The condominium building has 41 floors and I live on the 27th floor.)

Out of all the apartments I checked, this one is what my husband OK’d to. I was hesitant but my husband gave his blessing. I realized, if God allowed me to be here, He will protect me. I prayed about the move so I know that God guided me and my husband in our decision.

Wherever we live, if God’s presence is not with us, we won’t be safe. If it’s our time to go, there’s no stopping it. I may not feel very comfortable here but I am grateful. I am grateful that God gave me a place to stay temporarily.

Devo: Mark 6:13-19

“And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.” V. 13

The disciples learned from being with Jesus, from seeing how Jesus lived, listening to His preaching, and receiving God’s message. They learned from Jesus Himself. They did not go to school to train. They spent time with Jesus. They were always with Jesus. They had a personal encounter and a relationship with Jesus.

“Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons…” VV. 14-15

Jesus appointed the twelve disciples to continue His mission on earth. He wanted to train them and eventually send them out to preach, to heal, and to cast out demons. The power that believers have to carry out out God-given mission is from God Himself. God will enable and empower us to do the things He commands us to do.

God does not choose perfect people to serve Him. The twelve disciples committed a lot of mistakes. Judas Iscariot eventually betrayed Jesus. Only God knows why He chose Judas. However, we know that what Judas did brought Jesus to the cross. I don’t know why God chose me, but I am grateful that He did. I don’t know what I’d do without Him. I am only here today because of Him. I am only able to press on because of the Lord.

Those who believe in the Lord are commanded by God to preach, heal sicknesses, and cast out demons. Jesus gave His disciples the great commission.

Matthew 28:18-20
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.“

Devo: Mark 3:7-12

“But Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea. And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.” VV. 7-8

Many people from different places followed Jesus even when He withdrew from the crowd. However, they followed Jesus only because of the great things He was doing.

“…when they heard how many things He was doing…” V. 8

They were attracted to Him because they heard of the miracles that Jesus did (healing of the sick and casting out unclean spirits). They were not attracted to Him because of who He is. They were not interested in His message but in what He could do for them.

Will we come to Jesus when we know that He won’t heal our diseases? Will we come to Jesus when we know that He won’t make us rich? Will we come to Jesus when we know that He won’t make us happy in this world?

God is a healer and He wants us to have healthy bodies. However, it’s not all the time that He will heal our illnesses and it doesn’t mean that He is not good. The apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh and he pleaded with God to remove it but God refused to grant his request.

“Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.'” 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Paul understood that it was for him to keep from boasting.

“And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure.” 2 Corinthians 12:7

We will not always understand why He sometimes withholds healing but God is sovereign. He is in control even when things in our life seem out of control. We may not have the life we expect to have on earth but as long as we know that God is with us no matter what our circumstance is, we’re good.

I don’t expect life to be easy in this world because God Himself said that in this world, we will have tribulation (John 16:33). However, God promises us peace that is not like what the world offers.

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27

Devo: Mark 3:1-6

“So they watched Him closely, whether He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him.” V. 2

They knew that Jesus would heal the man with the withered hand so they watched Him closely. They had faith that Jesus could heal the man. They believed that Jesus had that power but that wasn’t enough for them to believe in Jesus.

It’s possible to know about Jesus, to know everything written in the Bible, and not have a personal relationship with Him. Knowing about God is different from knowing Him. God does not want us to have head knowledge only. He wants to have a deep and intimate relationship with Him. He wants us to be connected to Him moment by moment.

The religious leaders watched Jesus closely and knew what Jesus could do but they did not have love for Him. Their purpose for watching what He would do was to accuse Him. A normal person would be excited to witness Jesus’ miracles. The religious leaders, on the other hand, were jealous of Him. They were enraged. They could not stand the fact that Jesus had power.

They were also angry because for them, Jesus was defying the law. People shouldn’t work on Sabbath. Jesus emphasized that to meet the needs of people are more important than religious rituals.

“Then He said to them, ‘Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?'” V. 4

He said the same thing in the previous chapter when the Pharisees criticized His disciples for doing what was not lawful on the Sabbath.

“And He said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.'” Ch. 2 vv. 27-28

“…He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts…” V. 5

Jesus was angry because their hearts were so hard. They refused to believe despite knowing that Jesus is God. It’s sad that there are many who, after witnessing the power of God, still choose to reject Jesus. The hardness of their heart blinds them spiritually.

“He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.” V. 5

The man obeyed Jesus. He stretched out his hand when Jesus told him to. He could have complained and asked Jesus to heal him first but he didn’t. He stretched out his hand just as Jesus told him to. The result is complete restoration of his hand. Amazing!!!

It might seem to easy to do, right? However, not many would obey Jesus. Some would refuse to stretch out their hand when Jesus commands them to. However, the man obeyed and he was blessed because of his obedience. Jesus only asked him to stretch out his hand but He restored his hand’s function. God did the rest after he stretched out his hand. God is good! When He tells us to do something, He will help us finish it. He will not leave us alone in the task He gives us.

“Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.” V. 6

They were filled with hate. Jesus didn’t do anything wrong to them. What Jesus did was a good and wonderful thing. He healed the man and yet, the people hated him.

I fixed a charcuterie board for our snack tonight. ☺️