Revelations

Okay i know i haven't written lately. Sorry but I'm working really hard to get my degree! so to sum up. Block party was so much fun, I didn't go to the speed dating thing. In fact I haven't even met my brother dorm haha. oh well there's a tailgate party this saturday before the game. Maybe I'll meet them then. In my spiritual life is this and many more things but this is a really long tangent so I'll leave it at that. I was assigned to do some reflections on the book of Mark so this is what I have written and either discovered or declared how I feel about the text-

Book of Mark: chapter eight if you read it right, Jesus is saying that the four thousand have literally been listening to him teach for three days, three days! That’s incredible, and not to have had anything to eat? This was a dedicated crowd. I have spent countless days in church and no one can even stand an hour of teaching, but when I traveled to India church was held every day for an hour and on Sunday it was six! People were standing up and praying and disciplining to others. How can God look on the Western church and say that we meditate on his words day and night when we can’t even spend an hour in his Holy Place. God is in our hearts but I think we ignore him or refuse to let him influence our daily decisions. The hardest part about being a Christian is not the big choices, it’s the little ones. In chapter ten verses 13-16 Jesus talks about the little children being welcomed in Heaven, and in Deuteronomy 1:39 it says, “ And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children who do not yet know good from bad—they will enter the land. I will give it to them and they will take possession of it” which makes me wonder if in Heaven our glorified bodies would be that of children. Which makes sense since Jesus also says in Mark 12: 25 that there will be no marriage in heaven.

Chapters 11-16

            In verse 15 Jesus proceeds to turn over tables of people selling wares in the church. Is this how we should be treating mega churches that put a Starbucks inside their doors? Or even have people pay for food there? I don’t entirely agree with that but I don’t agree that we should be having companies inside the church. The only thing that should be allowed to sell wares is the library. Only books, no t-shirts with “I love Jesus, how ‘bout you?!” written on the front because the House of the Lord is a place of learning. People should be able to read the books for free and then be able to buy them at the same place. In twelve, Jesus talks about how there will be no marriage in heaven. With that said I can understand why Paul advises against it, saying it will distract you from worshiping God. I can see the merit in having an intimate accountability partner but if I’m not going to have one when I die, what’s the point in having one while I live? If I can be my own accountability partner in the areas of my life that I don’t share with others, than I would rather not be distracted. But if God intends for me to have a suitor then he knows I am not strong enough to recognize when I am deceiving myself. Then in the last part of the text in chapter sixteen, my bible says that verses 9-20 weren’t found in the earliest manuscripts. Does this mean that they weren’t supposed to be a part of Mark?  Also at the end it says, “and these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well” (16:17-18) Does this mean that if I don’t posses all these things I am not a believer? I’ve always wondered that, and it frustrates me because I would like to be able to do all those things because I am bent on being a believer. I am like the man in 9:24 who says, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief”. If I do not have enough faith in God to do these works in me, they will not happen. Yet I am frightened by the power of God so much that I do not want to be able to heal the sick or drive out demons.

Thanks to all my readers! Eva, Mom, Dad, Grandma Diane, Savannah and others Of whom I don't know viewed it! I love you all and keep commenting!