SCRIPTURE UNION DAILY GUIDE DEVOTIONAL FOR JANUARY 7,2023 (YOU ARE AMONG THE CHOSEN FEW)
TOPIC : YOU ARE AMONG THE CHOSEN FEW
Opening Prayer: As I read your word O Lord, grant me an insight and grace to do your will in Jesus name.
SCRIPTURE: MARK 3: 7-19
Question(s) for Reflection
• Q 1: What does the passage teach about God the Father, or God the Son or God the Holy Spirit?
MESSAGE
It is not hard to imagine the excitement of the crowd. Those who were healed could not keep quiet. We can imagine how those who saw it happen told their families, friends and neighbours who then came to see it with their own eyes – and they were not disappointed.
Jesus now decided to formalise the little inner group who would be the constant companions and the focus of His training for the task of carrying His message to the ends of the earth. They were not a particularly impressive group!
Top of the list was Peter, who was not the deepest of thinkers and seemed to have a habit of speaking before thinking (e.g. Mark 8:31-33). There were James and John, the self-seeking Zebedee brothers with an ambitious mother (Matthew 20:20-21).
Also, there was Simon the Zealot, a political terrorist, Matthew (Levi) the detested tax collector, Judas with his expertise in mishandling finances (John 12:6), and others who have no reason for standing up in the crowd. Together, they constituted the special little band handpicked by Jesus Christ.
Apart from Judas Iscariot, they demonstrated what the Holy Spirit can accomplish with ordinary human beings like you and me!
Read again vs.14-15 and reflect on the three reasons for which Jesus chose His disciples. Are those reasons still relevant today?
• Any new insight or reinforcement of what you already know?
Closing Prayer
Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 and praise God for choosing you to be His disciple. Pray for the fullness of His Spirit to enable you to be faithful to Him to the end.
Prayer for the week
► Thank God for His mercy over you, your family, friends and neighbours.
► Pray for God’s presence, provision, protection for the year 2023.
► Trust God for a more fruitful relationship this year.
Offer a prayer of faith in line with Deuteronomy 31:8
One Year Bible Reading Plan
Genesis 10, 11, Psalms 9
