Part of Lent is repentance. Our culture has attached a negative meaning to “repentance”, in which it is often thought of as a sign of weakness, lack of confidence, and lack of determination. That is really the self-centered, self-righteous modern culture speaking to us. In fact, repentance is a beautiful thing all Christians should continually do. Repentance is realizing we are flawed individuals, and the inner confession of our sins triggering an outward reaction to change our behavior so we can be more like God. Repentance is what every Christian needs to do continuously to truly follow.

 

Are you ready to repent? We’ll spend the next few days reflecting, confessing and repenting to Jesus. Let us quiet our hearts before we begin with today’s reading. Today’s reading starts with Jesus and his disciples crossing Galilee, and they are yet another step closer to Jerusalem; and, another step towards the cross and the crucifixion for Jesus.

 

 

Scripture Reading : Mark 9:30 – 37

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.”³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

³³ They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” ³⁴ But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.

³⁵ Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

³⁶ He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, ³⁷ “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

 

Devotion Questions:

 

• Isn’t it sad when Jesus is revealing to his dearest disciples that he was going to be killed, and then he would resurrect, but this fell on deaf ears because his disciples were too busy arguing who was the greatest among them? How would you feel if you are to reveal to your family about a major health problem you are faced with, yet they are too busy to hear you out? Can you try to put yourself in Jesus’ place and feel how he felt? Yet, this did not stop Jesus from loving his disciples, and it does not stop Jesus from loving us today. Lord, how great is your love?!!

 

• Has the same thing happened to us? Has the Holy Spirit tried to speak to us but we are too busy fighting for trivial things of this world? Have we been sensitive to the Spirit’s voice? Or have we told Jesus to shut up because we are too busy with our career, or relationship, or leisure, or family … Take a moment to reflect and confess to Jesus.

 

• Jesus doesn’t want us to repay His love by covering his churches with gold, or decorate the Bible with diamonds. Instead, He wants us to respond to His love by loving others around us, loving strangers, and even loving our enemies. Can others see Jesus’ love in how we receive them? Is there any person that God has put in your heart today, that He wants you to love and care for? What kind of action can you take to extent God’s love to him / her?

 

• Think of anything that took priority over your personal time with Jesus over the past week when you were trying to devote / read Bible / pray? Take a moment to reflect and confess to God in your prayer.