The One Year New Testament

April 2

Mark 4:35-41

Mark 4:35-41

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Reflection

Jesus continues to display his power over the entire creation, including the laws and forces of nature. With a few simple words he calms the wild wind and the sea (Mark 4:38–39) —a miracle revealing that this man is utterly unique. He is God, come in the flesh (Isa. 40:3). It is crucial to realize this, since only God has the power to deliver and to save from the brokenness of our world and the bondage created by our sinful rebellion against him (e.g., Isa. 25:9; 33:22; 35:4; 37:20; 38:20; Jer. 17:14; Zech. 8:7; 9:16; Heb. 7:25).

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

2 Corinthians 1:12-24

12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge— 14 just as you did partially acknowledge us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

Reflection

The apostle Paul seeks to set things straight with the Corinthians, who believe that he has been unfaithful to his promise to come visit them. However, Paul has not been unreliable, saying both “yes” and “no” at the same time (2 Cor. 1:17). His reliability has come from God, and God does not waver between “Yes and No” (v. 18). God has made promises and has spoken a stable “yes” to all of them in Jesus (vv. 19–20) —that is, God sent Jesus to fulfill and secure all of God’s promises to us. Like God, Paul is a person who keeps his word.

Paul’s response to the Corinthians provides a good example for us. In the end, their criticism doesn’t faze him. God is the One who truly knows Paul and knows that the timing of his visit to Corinth is ultimately for the benefit of their church (v. 23). Confident of these things, Paul is able to continue working for the sake of their joy (v. 24). When we live in light of God’s acceptance of us, it allows us to respond well to criticism. He enables us to be confident, humble, and loving.

Psalm 147:3

Psalm 147:3

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

Thoughts For Prayer

The God who has power over the creation (Mark 4:35–41) has the power to heal the brokenness of our lives. Spend some time praying for someone you know who needs the healing power of Christ. He will bring a complete restoration to all of his children someday soon.

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