Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 20 - Mark 9

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March 20 - Mark 9 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. It is shown here.
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  It is Wednesday, the middle of the week.
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  It is the 20th of March. Today, March 20th, is the
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  International Day of Happiness. Did you know that?
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  It really is. Today is the day when the United
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  Nations says we are not just here to encourage economic
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  growth and fairness and justice, but all of that is in the
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  greater goal of increasing happiness among the human race.
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  That sounds like a very noble goal, doesn't it?
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  So today, the International Day of Happiness is to remind us
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  that all the things that we cram our lives full of, if we are
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  fortunate enough to be able to do that, those things are simply
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  there to serve our sense of well being.
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  But friends, we have a different, a more robust, a
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  never ending spring of well being that wells up inside of us
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  because we are loved and forgiven children of the
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  Almighty God. So thank you UN, for all of your
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  efforts in the world. But we got this, we got this, We
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  have got this incredible reason to smile.
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  There's peace in our hearts. There's spring in our step,
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  which doesn't make every day happy and easy, but boy, to have
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  that joy. Isn't it something?
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  And it gives me great joy to know that today you have come
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  along to join me so that we can continue this journey through
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  God's Word, God's word that empowers us and informs us to
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  know more about what God is actually like and what he wants
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  for us. So today we have begun the
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  second half of the Book of Mark where Mark tells us all about
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  Jesus mission and his journey towards its ultimate fulfilment.
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  And the beginning of this is, of course, the Transfiguration,
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  where Jesus plays his hand and his disciples get to see him in
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  just a smidgen of his glory for the first time.
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  So let's read it together, shall we?
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  Let us read together, Mark Chapter 9.
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  Jesus went on to say, I tell you the truth, some standing here
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  right now will not die before they see the Kingdom of God
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  arrive in great power six days later, after Jesus took Peter,
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  James, and John and LED them up a high mountain to be alone.
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  As the men watched, Jesus appearance was transformed and
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  his clothes became dazzling white, far whiter than any
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  earthly bleach could ever make them.
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  Then Elijah and Moses appeared and began talking with Jesus.
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  Peter exclaimed. Rabbi, it's wonderful for us to
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  be here. Let's make 3 shelters as
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  memorials. One for you, one for Moses, and
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  1:00 for Elijah. He said this because he didn't
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  really know what else to say for they were all terrified.
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  Then a cloud overshadowed them and a voice from the cloud said,
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  this is my dearly loved son. Listen to him suddenly.
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  When they looked around, Moses and Elijah were gone, and they
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  saw only Jesus with them. As they went back down the
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  mountain, he told them not to tell anyone what they had seen
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  until the Son of Man had risen from the dead, so they kept it
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  to themselves. But they often asked each other
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  what he had meant by rising from the dead.
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  Then they asked him, Why do the teachers of religious law insist
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  that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?
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  Jesus responded. Elijah is indeed coming 1st to
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  get everything ready. Yet why did the scriptures say
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  that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be treated with
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  utter contempt? But I tell you, Elijah has
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  already come, and they chose to abuse him, just as the
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  scriptures predicted. When they returned to the other
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  disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some
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  teachers of religious law were arguing with them.
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  When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe and
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  they ran to greet him. What is all this arguing about?
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  Jesus asked. One of the men in the crowd
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  spoke up and said, Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal
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  him. He's possessed by an evil spirit
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  that won't let him talk. And whenever the spirit sees
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  him, he throws him violently to the ground, and he foams at the
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  mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid.
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  So I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but
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  they couldn't do it. Jesus said to them.
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  You faithless people, how long must I be with you?
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  How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me, said.
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  That brought the boy. But when the evil spirit saw
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  Jesus, he threw the child into a violent convulsion and he fell
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  to the ground, writhing and foaming at the mouth.
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  How long has this been happening?
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  Jesus asked the boy's father. He replied.
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  Since he was a little boy, the spirit often throws him into the
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  fire or into water, trying to kill him.
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  Have mercy on us and help us if you can.
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  What do you mean if I can? Jesus asked.
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  Anything is possible. If a person believes, the father
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  instantly cried out. I do believe, but help me
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  overcome my unbelief. When Jesus saw that the crowd of
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  onlookers was growing, he rebuked the evil spirit.
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  Listen, you spirit, that makes this boy unable to hear and
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  speak, he said. I command you to come out of
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  this child and never enter him again.
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  Then the spirits screamed and threw the boy into another
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  violent convulsion and left him. The boy appeared to be dead.
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  A murmur ran through the crowd as people said he's dead, but
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  Jesus took him by the hand and helped him to his feet, and he
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  stood up. Afterward, when Jesus was alone
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  in the house with his disciples, they asked him, why couldn't we
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  cast out that evil spirit? Jesus replied.
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  This kind can be cast out only by prayer.
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  Leaving that region, they travelled through Galilee.
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  Jesus didn't want anyone to know he was there, for he wanted to
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  spend more time with his disciples and teach them.
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  He said to them. The Son of Man is going to be
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  betrayed into the hands of his enemies.
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  He will be killed, but three days later he will rise from the
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  dead. They didn't understand what he
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  was saying, however, and they were afraid to ask him what he
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  meant. After they had arrived at
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  Capernaum and settled into a house, Jesus asked his disciples
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  what were you discussing out on the road, but they didn't answer
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  because they had been arguing about which of them was the
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  greatest. He sat down, called the 12
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  disciples over to him, and said whoever wants to be first must
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  take last place and be the servant of everyone else.
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  Then he put a little child among them.
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  Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, Anyone who
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  welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me,
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  and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my
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  father who sent me, John said to Jesus, Teacher, we saw someone
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  using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop
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  because he wasn't in our group. Don't stop him, Jesus said.
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  No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to
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  speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is
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  for us. If anyone gives you even a cup
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  of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the
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  truth, that person will surely be rewarded.
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  But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to
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  fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into
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  the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.
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  If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.
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  It's better to enter eternal life with only one hand than go
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  into the unquenchable fires of hell with two hands.
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  If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.
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  It's better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to
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  be thrown into hell with two feet.
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  And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out.
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  It's better to enter the Kingdom of God with only one eye and to
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  have two eyes and be thrown into hell where the maggots never die
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  and the fire never goes out for everyone will be tested with
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  fire. Salt is good for seasoning, but
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  if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again?
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  You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live
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  in peace with each other. Jesus, We really have no way of
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  our human minds comprehending Your Majesty.
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  Thank you for this story, this little glimpse in the
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  Transfiguration as we see you in your heavenly glory, even just
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  the tiniest percentage of it shining whiter than anything
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  those disciples had ever seen in conversation with the most
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  important of the patriarchs that those men could imagine.
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  There you are. God.
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  Truly God in human form. Thank you.
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  That you did not leave it to chance that we would wonder what
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  you're really like. But you come to earth, the
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  fullness of the almighty God in a human body, so that we can
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  know you, we can see you, we can hear stories of you, and know
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  your heart. Thank you for that.
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  Love that self sacrificing love that you give us.
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  Wow, We're so grateful and we love you and we pray all these
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  things in your saving name. Jesus.
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  Ah man.