Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

December 15, 2020

by Kerwin Baptist

Today’s reading
Mark 8:13-21
Mark 8:21 KJV
21 And he said unto them, How is it that ye do not understand?

I was really convicted as I read this passage today. I find myself a lot of times feeling like the disciples do here. Jesus had fed 5000 in Mark 7, he feeds the 4000 thousand in almost an identical way at the beginning of this chapter, Mark 8. Jesus has a brief encounter with the religious leaders who want Him dead, and then He and His disciples board a boat and set sail to the “other side.” Verse 14 tells us that the disciples forgot to pack a lunch (I’ll be honest, this sounds like an awful trip if we are skipping lunch) As we read in verse 15 Jesus makes mention of the Pharisees and takes the opportunity to warn His disciples of the “leaven” or the influence and teachings that they were spreading. The disciples missed the point all together, the teaching went, as we say it, right over their heads. They took Jesus’ comments about bread as literal, and they thought the Lord was scolding them for forgetting lunch (again, who could blame Jesus if he were upset with that?) The disciples misunderstanding wasn’t the only problem, however. Their worry about the lack of food showed they had a hardened heart (verse 18) and a lack of faith in Jesus. They had so soon forgotten what Jesus had done earlier in the feeding of the 5000, and 4000. This is a clear example of the disciples forgetting what Jesus had already done. They were guilty of the same thing back in verse 4 of this chapter. I say all that to say this, it is easy to forget what God has done for us in the past. Often, we have the attitude, and mindset of “what have you done for me lately” I know I sure am guilty of that. I look around at all that is going on in our society, and I worry sometimes, about several different things. Really, all that mindset is, is me doubting God, and forgetting what He has done in my life repeatedly. Don’t overlook how God worked in your life yesterday, you’ll need that knowledge for the trials you’ll face tomorrow.

Frank Newsome