Month: September 2026

Mark 4:35–41

Evening had come. Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side.”

Then came the storm. A fierce gale. Waves breaking over the boat. Water filling it.

And Jesus?

He was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.

The disciples woke Him: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”

Their fear was real. The storm was real. The danger was real.

But fear was beginning to interpret Jesus. His silence became indifference. His apparent inactivity became lack of care.

Fear can do that: Misinterpret.

It can move from interpreting our circumstances to misinterpreting the character of God.

Yet the silence of God should not be interpreted as the indifference of God.

Visibility is not the measure of God’s activity.

Jesus had not left the boat. He had not stopped caring.

He stood and spoke: “Hush, be still!”

The wind died down. A great storm became a great calm.

Jesus did not pray for someone else to still the sea. He spoke—and creation obeyed.

The Psalms declare that the LORD stills the roaring seas. (Psalms 65:7). Hebrews tells us that the Son “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). Colossians tells us that “in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17)

Now the disciples were seeing something of that reality before their eyes.

The One sleeping in their boat was the One creation obeyed.

Jesus then asked:

“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

Perhaps our instinct is to hear this simply as: I need more faith.

But Christian faith is not a resource we manufacture, stockpile, and then deploy against fear.

Faith has an object.

Jesus.

The disciples had called Him “Teacher.”

But after the storm became calm, they became more afraid:

“Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

The storm was not ultimately the climax of the story.

Jesus was.

And perhaps that is where our gaze must remain.

When we cannot understand the storm, look at Jesus.

When His activity is not visible, look at Jesus.

When fear whispers, “Does He care?” look at Jesus.

When we are tempted to measure the strength of our faith, look again at Jesus.

Hebrews says that we do not yet see all things subjected to Him..

“But we do see Him… namely, Jesus.” Hebrews 2:

Faith is not looking at faith.

Faith is looking at Jesus.

The Creator.

The Sustainer.

The One who upholds all things by the word of His power.

The One whom the wind and sea obey.

So perhaps the question is not first:

How strong is my faith?

But:

Who is my faith in?

Look at Jesus.

Listen to Jesus.

Trust Jesus.

Prayer

O Lord, when the waters are calm and when the storms come,
help me not to sway, doubt, or fear.
Remind me that You are near.
Help me to call upon You,
believing and trusting in You, Jesus.
Amen.

---

A searching window into the wonder of being called His own. 

The Jesus, Scripture reveals and the family He calls His own.

People follow, but understanding does not necessarily follow.

“For whoever does the will of God, this is My brother, and sister, and mother.”
Mark 3:35 • Read Mark 3:7–35

Amid the demands

People come from far and wide. Jesus asks for a boat to be ready because of the crush. Later, the crowd leaves no opportunity even for a meal.

Yet amid these demands, Jesus deliberately pursues His purpose. He appoints the Twelve to be with Him and to be sent out.

Being with Him comes before serving Him.

His growing fame does not mean that those around Him understand who He is.

Amid the claims

Many speak about Jesus, but we need to hear Jesus Himself.

The unclean spirits recognise Him, yet remain opposed to Him. His own people think He has lost His senses. The scribes attribute His power to Satan.

Jesus silences the spirits and exposes the false accusation. He teaches what is true, revealing His authority over the enemy.

Our claims must also be tested by Scripture. Calling something “my truth” cannot make it true. Even sincere conviction needs correction by His word.

The question comes home

Paul warns of another Jesus, a different spirit and a different gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3–4). We can retain His name while reshaping His identity.

We may welcome a Jesus who comforts us while resisting His call to repent, forgive or surrender.

Q. Am I yielding to the Jesus Scripture reveals, or shaping a version of Jesus who agrees with me?

The tenderness of kinship

Jesus identifies His family by their response to God’s will. Belonging bears a family likeness, expressed in obedience.

Hebrews 2:10–18 opens the gracious depth of that relationship. He shares our humanity, suffers for us and makes His people holy.

The Jesus who searches our hearts is unashamed to call His people brothers and sisters.

We obey because we belong. His likeness becomes visible as we yield.

Prayer

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself in Jesus. Forgive me for shaping Him around my preferences. By Your Spirit, open my understanding and make my heart willing. Beautiful Jesus, teach me to receive Your truth, trust Your kindness and obey Your word. Thank You for calling me Your own. Let Your family likeness grow in me. Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.

Quote

“They obey because they belong; His likeness becomes visible as they yield.”

---

Under His Lordship, in His Likeness, in His service, serving others

Before asking what you do for Christ, remember whose you are.

“Paul and Timothy, bond-servants of Christ Jesus…”
Philippians 1:1  Read Philippians 1:1; 2:3–11

Belonging gives identity

Paul begins with whose he is. He belongs to Christ.

The word translated “bond-servants” is douloi, from doulos. It carries the reality of belonging to a master, not simply performing acts of service.

Before usefulness, ministry or recognition, there is this settled reality:

I belong to Christ.

We can become so occupied with what others expect that we measure our lives by their approval. Paul’s opening words bring us back to the One whose we are.

Belonging recognises Lordship

If I belong to Christ, He is Lord. My will, ambitions and direction come beneath His authority.

Is there an area I still treat as my own? A decision I keep beyond His reach? Belonging invites me to yield it to Him.

Belonging shapes likeness

But pause before turning this into another demand upon yourself. Look at the Lord to whom you belong.

“…He emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant…”

Philippians 2:7

His Lord took the form of a bond-servant.

The One who possesses all authority humbled Himself. He took the servant’s place and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.

Paul calls us to have the attitude of Christ Jesus. His humility gives shape to our obedience. We learn what service looks like by looking at Him.

Belonging gives direction

His likeness turns us outward, towards the interests of others. Yet Christ remains Lord of our service.

We do not serve others because they are our lords. We serve others because Jesus is our Lord.

Today, there may be an unnoticed kindness to offer, a preference to surrender or someone to listen to. We serve from belonging, with our eyes on Him.

Look again at Jesus.

See the Lord who took the servant’s place. See His humility, His obedience and His love. Hear His Word, and let His heart shape yours.

Under His Lordship,
in His likeness,
in His service,
serving others.

Lord Jesus, I belong to You. Where am I still holding back? Bring every part of my life under Your Lordship.

Shape me into Your likeness. Free me from serving for recognition. Let my care for others flow from the joy of belonging to You.

Teach me to look at You, follow You and gladly take the servant’s place. You are Lord. Amen.

What a Lord to belong to!

You can be near the things of God while resisting the Lord of them.

“After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart…”
Mark 3:5 • Read Mark 3:1–6

See the Lord of the Sabbath

Before looking at anyone else, look at Jesus. In Mark 2:27–28, He has just declared that the Sabbath was made for man and that He is Lord even of the Sabbath.

Now He enters the synagogue. A man with a withered hand is there. So are people watching for a reason to accuse Him.

Right place. Right Scriptures. Right day. Right commandment. Yet they resist the Lord standing before them.

These gifts are good. The danger is holding them while our hearts refuse the One who gave them.

Looking without beholding

They see an opportunity to accuse.
Jesus sees a man to restore.

He brings the man forward. A person with a real need stands before them, not merely the subject of a religious dispute.

Jesus asks whether the Sabbath is for doing good or harm, saving life or killing. They remain silent.

Their eyes are on Jesus, but their hearts resist Him. We too can study His words while defending ourselves against what He says.

Righteous anger grieves

Jesus is angry at their hardness, and grieved by it. His anger does not spring from wounded pride. He takes no pleasure in their failure.

The suffering man does not move them to mercy. Yet their hardness moves Jesus to grief.

His holiness is not cold. Even His anger reveals the beauty of His heart. Beholding Him should change both what we oppose and how we respond to those who resist Him.

Hardness or yieldedness

Jesus tells the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He responds, and his hand is restored.

The man yields to His word. The watchers hold their position. Jesus restores life; they go out and plot His death.

Their concern for a commandment has become detached from submission to its Lord. The One they resist is the very One who restores.

Outward conformity to God’s command is not necessarily inward submission to God.

But we should not finish by staring at the Pharisees.

Look again at Jesus.

See the Lord of the Sabbath.

See what He sees.
See what moves His heart.
See His desire to restore.
See His righteous anger.
See His grief over hardened hearts.
See His authority.
Hear His word.

And then, standing before Him:

Lord, is my heart yielded to You?

We are here to see Jesus.

To see His glory.
To bring Him glory.
To please Him.
To become a people after His own heart.

And the soul settles when everything returns to its rightful order:

Jesus is Lord.

His Word is heard.
My heart yields.

Receiving the fulfilment God has brought in Jesus

Read: Mark 2:13-28; Luke 5:33-39; Matthew 5:17; Colossians 2:16-17.

Key verse

“I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.” Matthew 5:17.

Focus: Receiving Jesus as the fulfilment of God’s purpose and allowing all we know and practise to lead us to Him.

Jesus does not change the story God has been telling. He fulfils it. God’s earlier revelation prepared His people to receive the One in whom His promises would find fulfilment.

The old was meant to reach its rightful destination. That destination is Jesus. We honour what God gave by receiving the One to whom it pointed.

In Mark 2, questions about eating with sinners, fasting, and the Sabbath gather around Jesus. The physician has come. The bridegroom’s presence calls for joy. He is Lord even of the Sabbath.

New wine bursts old wineskins: both wine and skins are lost. What Jesus brings cannot simply be contained within established expectations. His arrival calls for a response shaped by who He is.

Is what we know of God leading us to His Son?

Recognising the fulfilment

Colossians 2:16-17 describes food regulations and sacred days as a shadow, with the substance belonging to Christ. The shadow serves its purpose by pointing us to Him.

Luke does not explicitly call the old wine a shadow. Yet this wider biblical movement from preparation to fulfilment helps us understand why Jesus’ coming requires a fresh response.

Do I read Scripture seeking to know Christ more fully? Will I let Him deepen my understanding?

When the familiar feels sufficient

The person accustomed to old wine says, “The old is fine” (Luke 5:39). In this setting, those words can describe reluctance to receive what Jesus brings because the familiar seems sufficient.

We too can become settled in a familiar understanding or pattern of worship, resisting Scripture’s call into a fuller knowledge of Christ.

Newness alone proves nothing. What matters is recognising Jesus and receiving the fulfilment He brings.

Where do I say, “What I already know is enough”? What am I afraid of losing if Christ reshapes my expectations?

We can bring that fear honestly to Him.

Lord, make my heart willing to receive what You reveal.

Receiving His authority

God gave the Sabbath for human good. Jesus declares Himself Lord even of it. The gift must be understood in relation to the Lord who reveals its purpose.

Our practices also need examination. Bible reading, prayer, fasting, and worship should nurture trust in Christ, obedience to His word, and love for people.

Am I satisfied with completing a practice while avoiding the obedience it calls for? Does my understanding of holiness make room for Jesus’ mercy towards sinners?

Receiving Him as fulfilment includes yielding our dearest habits and convictions to Him as Lord.

With the Bridegroom again

Jesus said His disciples would fast when the bridegroom was taken away. Yet our present longing is moving towards joyful reunion.

He looked ahead to drinking with His disciples in His Father’s kingdom (Matthew 26:29). Revelation 19:7-9 pictures the marriage supper of the Lamb. His people will be gathered to Him.

The fasting that expresses our longing for the Bridegroom will have reached its purpose. Longing will give way to the joy of His presence.

This hope sustains us as we follow Him today. The One who fulfils God’s promises will bring us into that joy.

Feasting, not fasting, because the Bridegroom is with us.

A practical response

Choose one familiar belief or spiritual practice. Ask how it helps you know and follow Jesus. Name one response His words call for: showing mercy, surrendering a fixed expectation, or obeying a command you have delayed. Take that step in dependence upon Him.

Prayer

Father, thank You that Jesus fulfils what You promised. By Your Spirit, open my understanding and make my heart willing. Where familiarity has made me resistant, teach me to trust Your Son. Let my reading, prayer, and worship deepen my fellowship with Him. Help me receive His mercy, yield to His authority, and obey His word. Sustain me with the hope of the coming feast, when longing gives way to the joy of being with Him. Amen.

Quote

“The old was meant to reach its rightful destination. The destination is Jesus.”

Food for thought

• Is what God has already taught me leading me to a fuller knowledge of Jesus?
• How might the hope of being with the Bridegroom shape my obedience today?