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The One Year New Testament

April 25

Mark 10:46-52

Mark 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

Reflection

No matter who we are, Jesus offers his grace to us. All we need to do is call out as Bartimaeus did: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:48).

In this passage we see a contrast between James and John, and the blind Bartimaeus. In both cases Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” (vv. 36, 51). James and John request glory, but Bartimaeus requests mercy. James and John, though physically seeing, were spiritually blind. Bartimaeus, though physically blind, was spiritually seeing. God pours out mercy on those who know their need, not those who assume their superiority.

2 Corinthians 13:1-14

2 Corinthians 13:1-14

This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 All the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Reflection

The apostle lovingly and sternly addresses the Corinthians’ sin as he concludes his letter (2 Cor. 13:1–4). Because he is weak, he is confident to address sin with the power of the resurrected Christ (v. 4). Gospel-love never overlooks sin, but lovingly confronts it so that people can be restored (vv. 9–10; 12:19).

Because we are prone to sin, it is our responsibility regularly to examine ourselves for evidence that the good news of God’s grace to us in Jesus (the gospel) is bearing fruit in our lives (13:5). Am I experiencing and sharing the comfort of Christ in times of suffering (1:3–11)? Is the forgiveness I have experienced leading me to forgive others (2:1–11)? Are the permanent promises of God more important to me than momentary afflictions (4:7–18)? Is my love for other Christians hindered by my sin (6:1–13)? Am I eager to give sacrificially to those in need (8:1–15)? When we see the fruit of the gospel in our lives we should rejoice (13:11), but when we spot sin in our hearts, we must take action. Because Christ was crucified for our sake (v. 4), we can freely run to the self-sacrificing God of love and peace (v. 11). This is the heart of the gospel, and the note that rings in our ears as Paul’s letter comes to an end.

Psalm 1:1-3

Psalm 1:1-3

Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

3 He is like a tree
planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

Thoughts For Prayer

Is your trust in Jesus bearing fruit? Give God the glory for his good work in your life, and continue to confess your sin as you see it. The only way forward is to humbly trust in Christ to forgive your sin and empower your continued growth.

Missions Prayer Requests More

  • April 26, 2024

    Supported Workers: Jon (& Ruthie), Matt (& Laura) Pheneger, Goran (& Beth) Tomic

    Country: United States of America

    Ambassadors Football has 24 youth teams locally for children ages 8-18. In February, they had a retreat for the high school players in the club, and the students spent the weekend learning about God. Students from all sorts of backgrounds were exposed to the gospel and given a chance to ask questions and discuss who God is. Several students who come from refugee families in Akron attended, and one young man from Afghanistan said it was the best weekend of his life. Please pray for these students as they continue to think about what was shared at the retreat and during their weekly devotional times at the club.

    Albania (Europe). Population: 2,826,020 Believers: 0.5%. Thank God for his work in this land! For a long time, it was closed to the gospel, but evangelicals grew from nearly zero to several thousand in just a few years. The Church has indigenous leadership, nationwide networks, a vision for discipleship and evangelism, and it sends out workers to other lands! And all this came about during a politically and economically unstable time. Many believe that years of devoted prayer for Albania opened the way for ministry here. From Operation World DVD-ROM 2010 and www.operationworld.org

The One Year New Testament Copyright Tyndale House Publishers, used by Permission. NIV Bible copyright International Bible Society.