Mark 7:1-13, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Christmas Can Be Messy - December 2, 2021

In the mystery of Christmas, we find its majesty. The mystery of how God became flesh, why he chose to come, and how much he must love his people. Christmas is best pondered, not with logic, but imagination.

The first Christmas was messy. Messy with crowded inns, traveling families, and barnyard animals sniffing at baby Jesus. Messy with questions. How did Mary become pregnant? What is Joseph supposed to tell his friends? Why is Herod hell-bent on killing babies? The first Christmas was messy. No midwife for Mary, no bed for Jesus, no explanation to give the scruffy shepherds.

Is this one messy for you? Too many relatives? Divorce? Pink slip? Christmas can be messy. But just as with Bethlehem, good came out of the mess. May good come out of yours.

Mark 7:1-13

The Source of Your Pollution

The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. They noticed that some of his disciples weren’t being careful with ritual washings before meals. The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they’d give jugs and pots and pans).

5 The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples brush off the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?”

6-8 Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God’s command
    and taking up the latest fads.”

9-13 He went on, “Well, good for you. You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel out of that by saying that it’s perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, ‘Gift! What I owed you I’ve given as a gift to God,’ thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God’s Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this.”

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Thursday, December 02, 2021

Today's Scripture
Psalm 133
(NIV)

A song of ascents. Of David.

1 How good and pleasant it is

when God’s people live togetherf in unity!g

2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,h

running down on the beard,

running down on Aaron’s beard,

down on the collar of his robe.

3 It is as if the dewi of Hermonj

were falling on Mount Zion.k

For there the Lord bestows his blessing,l

even life forevermore.

Insight

David’s reign as king saw more than its share of conflict, yet the theme of Psalm 133, which is attributed to him, is unity. James Montgomery Boice proposes that perhaps David’s coronation provided the inspiration for the psalm. The nation had been divided under Saul’s leadership, and David’s ascension to the throne likely infused the people with anticipation. A coronation marks a fresh beginning, one filled with hope for unity under the new king.

This psalm of ascents makes two geographical references, both to mountains. Mount Hermon, at 9,232 feet (2,814 m.) was the highest point on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It was far north of Mount Zion in Jerusalem (elev. 2,510 ft., 765 m.). The imagery of dew from snow-capped Hermon would resonate well with pilgrims walking the dusty road to Jerusalem to celebrate the three annual festivals—Passover, Pentecost (Festival of Weeks), and the Festival of Tabernacles. By: Tim Gustafson

Celebrating Diversity

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
Psalm 133:1

At the 2019 graduation ceremony at a local high school, 608 students prepared to receive their diplomas. The principal began by asking students to stand when he read the name of the country where they were born: Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bosnia . . . . The principal kept going until he’d named sixty countries and every student was standing and cheering together. Sixty countries; one high school.

The beauty of unity amid diversity was a powerful image that celebrated something near to God’s heart—people living together in unity.

We read an encouragement for unity among God’s people in Psalm 133, a psalm of ascent—a song sung as people entered Jerusalem for annual celebrations. The psalm reminded the people of the benefits of living harmoniously (v. 1) despite differences that could cause division. In vivid imagery, unity is described as refreshing dew (v. 3) and oil—used to anoint priests (Exodus 29:7)—“running down” the head, beard, and clothing of a priest (v. 2). Together, these images point to the reality that in unity God’s blessings flow so lavishly they can’t be contained.

For believers in Jesus, despite differences such as ethnicity, nationality, or age, there’s a deeper unity in the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). When we stand together and celebrate that common bond as Jesus leads us, we can embrace our God-given differences and celebrate the source of true unity. By:  Lisa M. Samra

Reflect & Pray

When have you experienced the goodness of unity in Christ? How has it brought blessing?

Heavenly Father, help me do my part to live in unity with all of God’s people.

Learn more about loving those who are different from you.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 02, 2021

Christian Perfection

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfect… —Philippians 3:12

It is a trap to presume that God wants to make us perfect specimens of what He can do— God’s purpose is to make us one with Himself. The emphasis of holiness movements tends to be that God is producing specimens of holiness to put in His museum. If you accept this concept of personal holiness, your life’s determined purpose will not be for God, but for what you call the evidence of God in your life. How can we say, “It could never be God’s will for me to be sick”? If it was God’s will to bruise His own Son (Isaiah 53:10), why shouldn’t He bruise you? What shines forth and reveals God in your life is not your relative consistency to an idea of what a saint should be, but your genuine, living relationship with Jesus Christ, and your unrestrained devotion to Him whether you are well or sick.

Christian perfection is not, and never can be, human perfection. Christian perfection is the perfection of a relationship with God that shows itself to be true even amid the seemingly unimportant aspects of human life. When you obey the call of Jesus Christ, the first thing that hits you is the pointlessness of the things you have to do. The next thought that strikes you is that other people seem to be living perfectly consistent lives. Such lives may leave you with the idea that God is unnecessary— that through your own human effort and devotion you can attain God’s standard for your life. In a fallen world this can never be done. I am called to live in such a perfect relationship with God that my life produces a yearning for God in the lives of others, not admiration for myself. Thoughts about myself hinder my usefulness to God. God’s purpose is not to perfect me to make me a trophy in His showcase; He is getting me to the place where He can use me. Let Him do what He wants.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

Am I becoming more and more in love with God as a holy God, or with the conception of an amiable Being who says, “Oh well, sin doesn’t matter much”?  Disciples Indeed, 389 L

Bible in a Year: Ezekiel 42-44; 1 John 1

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Thursday, December 02, 2021

If the flight attendant were ever to become incapacitated on a flight, well, I could give those safety instructions I think. I'd be able to step right up and take over! I know the routine by heart, I've heard it so many times over the years.

Of course those flight instructions are more interesting because they supply video now. I like the part where the little yellow oxygen mask drops down and they show you what to do if the cabin pressure suddenly goes down. I've noticed in the dramatization that the people are wonderfully calm. Have you ever noticed that? No one is screaming, no one's yelling, "We're going to crash!"

But no problem; they're calm as they quietly put on their masks. But that's good. And the video shows a mother putting the mask on herself first, and then reaching over and giving it to her little girl and affixing it to her mouth. Well, the instructions go like this, "If the cabin pressure drops, put the oxygen on your face first, and then even though you might want to take care of your child first, take care of yourself so you're strong enough to help them." To give a child breath, you first have to take a breath of your own.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "First, Breathe It Yourself."

I hear from a lot of parents something like this, "My son or daughter is having a serious problem, Ron. Could you help my child?" In essence they're saying, "Could you help me get the mask on them? They need some oxygen; they need some help, and I need to get that mask on them." You know, many times the child's weakness or problem turns out to be a mirror of the parents' weakness or problem.

Our word for today from the Word of God talks about family sins that are these ugly hand-me-downs that grandfathers have, then the father learns to have it, and then his son learns to act that way. Hey, but there's hope! Listen, 1 Peter 1:18, "You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you by your forefathers with the precious blood of Christ."

Empty ways of life have been passed from generation to generation. Every family has them, and those family sins continue from generation to generation. Maybe you see a harsh, critical tongue or spirit developing in them, and you hate it because you look in the mirror and you say, "That's kind of like me." Maybe they've got an addictive personality or they've got a tendency to cheat on the truth, and it's the problem that frustrates you in yourself. And now it's mirroring in them.

The good news in this verse is the words, "You were redeemed." You can break that cycle; it doesn't have to be that way it's always been. But you've got to take the oxygen for yourself first. You've got to be redeemed from that empty way of life. You can't help your child with that problem until you have breathed the oxygen.

You need to turn to Jesus Christ; to turn Him loose on that besetting sin - that family sin. Begin to win some daily victories. And if you lose one day, just let it be one day. Make a daily rebound. And try acknowledging your struggle with that weakness to your family; ask for their prayers; let them know you know you shouldn't be this way. Ask for their help. And then you can say, "You know, I think you may be struggling and having a hard time breathing in the same area I am, and it's probably because you learned it from me. Here, breathe what I'm breathing - the redeeming power of Jesus Christ."

Have you ever unleashed that power in your life? Jesus has the power to break the hold of every sin you've ever struggled with. Because He took it to His cross, and He broke its power there. And when He died on the cross, He paid the penalty for your sin, He broke the power of that sin, He can forgive that sin. And those who've experienced what the blood of Christ was shed to do, know what it is to experience this truth from Jesus: "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." That's the Son of God.

And then, you can pass that freedom on to your son or daughter. Just tell Him today, "Jesus, from today on, I'm yours." Check out our website. There's a lot of help there in making sure you've begun your relationship with Jesus. It's ANewStory.com.

The biggest single answer for your child's weakness is to let Christ transform that weakness in you. He has redeeming grace for your son, for your daughter. But first, breathe it yourself.