Devotions

pushing the envelope

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

WHO IS REALLY SOVEREIGN IN YOUR LIFE?

Mark 10:35-40

³⁵ James and John, the sons of Zebedee, approached him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask from you.” ³⁶ And he said to them, “What is it you want [me] to do for you?” ³⁷ So they said to him, “Grant us permission to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” ³⁸ But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am to be baptized with?” ³⁹ They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, ” You will drink the cup that I drink; and you will be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized,; ⁴⁰ but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those it has been prepared for.”

pushing the envelope

James and John weren’t content simply to be part of the greatest movement in human history. Being apostles wasn’t enough. Being close to Jesus wasn’t enough. They wanted the seats of honor, the places of glory, the positions that would set them above the rest. Their ambition feels very modern. We live in a world that constantly whispers, “Aim higher. Push further. Don’t settle. You deserve more.” And sometimes that whisper slips into our spiritual life too.

But Jesus gently—and firmly—showed them that some things are not theirs to seek. Some destinies are fixed by the Father. Some prayers, no matter how earnest or well‑intentioned, will not be answered the way we want. Not because God is stingy, but because He is sovereign. He knows what we cannot know. He sees what we cannot see. And He shapes our future according to wisdom far deeper than our ambition.

James and John weren’t wrong to desire closeness to Jesus. But they had to learn that closeness is not the same as control. Following Christ means surrendering the illusion that we can script our own greatness. It means trusting that God’s plan—even when it limits us—is better than our own dreams. It means letting Him be the One who assigns the seats, writes the story, and determines the outcome.

Lord, we surrender our sovereignty to Yours.

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the other future

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TOMORROW?

Mark 10:32-34

³² They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were confused, and those who followed were afraid. He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them what was about to happen to him, ³³ saying, “Watch, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death; then they will hand him over to the Gentiles; ³⁴ they will mock him, and spit upon him, and flog him, and kill him; and after three days he will be raised again.”

the other future

Most of us love imagining the bright possibilities ahead, but we instinctively turn away from the shadows. The apostles were no different. They could dream about the kingdom with ease, but the cross was another matter. It didn’t fit their hopes, their expectations, or their theology. They wanted glory without grief, triumph without tragedy.

But Jesus loved them too much to let them cling to illusions. He told them plainly—again and again—that suffering was part of the path. Not because He wanted to frighten them, but because He wanted them ready. He knew that discipleship is not a straight line upward. It is a road with both sunlight and storm, both joy and sorrow, both resurrection and crucifixion. And He wanted them to face the future with eyes open and hearts anchored.

I love time‑travel stories. We’re fascinated by what might come, but we don’t really want to know everything. Jesus doesn’t give us everything. But He gives us enough. Enough to trust Him. Enough to prepare. Enough to walk forward without fear, even when the path includes thorns.

Lord, ready us for our future—both the good things and the bad.

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grace is not fair

Posted on October 27, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO GET FOR FOLLOWING JESUS?

Mark 10:28-31

²⁸ Peter started saying to him, “Notice, we have left everything and followed you.” ²⁹ Jesus said, ” I guarantee you, there is no one who has left a house or brothers or sisters or a mother or a father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the excellent message, ³⁰ who will not welcome a hundredfold now in this age– houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions– and in the age to come eternal life. ³¹ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

grace is not fair

The disciples’ world had just been turned upside down. They had assumed—like many in their culture—that wealth was a sign of divine approval. If someone was prosperous, surely God was smiling on them. And if the wealthy were closest to God’s blessing, then following Jesus must eventually lead to the same kind of blessing. It was a tidy equation: invest in Jesus, reap success.

Then Jesus shattered that equation. He said it was hard for the wealthy to enter the kingdom. Not because wealth is evil, but because it so easily becomes a substitute for trust. The disciples were stunned. If the people who seemed to have life figured out were actually at a disadvantage spiritually, then what hope was left for anyone?

Peter voiced the question everyone was thinking: “What about us? We’ve left everything. Doesn’t that count for something?” Jesus didn’t rebuke him. He acknowledged that every sacrifice made for the kingdom matters. Nothing given up for Christ is wasted. But He added two essential truths: persecution will accompany blessing, and the kingdom does not operate on a simple investment‑to‑dividend ratio. The first may be last. The last may be first. God’s rewards do not follow human math.

The point is not to build our own kingdom, but Christ’s. Not to accumulate, but to serve. Not to measure outcomes, but to remain faithful. When we focus on expanding His kingdom, our hearts stay free from the gravitational pull of wealth and self‑interest.

Lord, help us to focus on expanding Your kingdom, not our bank accounts.

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figuring life out

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

IF YOU DON’T NEED GOD, YOU WILL NEVER FIND HIM

Mark 10:23-27

²³ Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How tough it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!” ²⁴ And the disciples were confused by his words. But Jesus said to them again, “Children, how tough it is to enter the kingdom of God! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁶ They were very much shocked and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “For men it is impossible, but not for God; because all things are possible for God.”

The disciples had grown up believing what many still assume today—that wealth is a sign of God’s approval. If someone had resources, influence, and stability, surely that meant they had figured life out. Surely that meant they were on the fast track to the kingdom. But Jesus shattered that assumption. When the wealthy young man walked away, and Jesus commented on how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom, the disciples were stunned. If he couldn’t make it, who possibly could?

Their shock makes sense. They were watching the collapse of a worldview. Wealth wasn’t a shortcut to salvation; it was often an obstacle. Not because money is evil, but because it can so easily become the thing we trust instead of God. The disciples suddenly realized that if the “most qualified” candidate couldn’t enter the kingdom on his own terms, then no one could. And that was exactly Jesus’ point.

This is where Jesus reveals the level ground of grace. Entrance into the next life is not hard—it is impossible. Impossible for the wealthy. Impossible for the poor. Impossible for the moral, the disciplined, the religious, the sincere. Impossible for everyone… except by the mercy of God. Salvation is not achieved; it is received. It is not earned; it is given. The only people who enter the kingdom are those who come empty‑handed.

That is what everyone must “figure out.” The gospel is not a reward for the competent but a rescue for the helpless. And that is good news for all of us—especially for those who think they don’t need it.

Lord, we thank You for Your saving grace, and ask You to help us share the good news of Your grace—even with those who believe they do not need it.

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missing one

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 10:17-22

¹⁷ While he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, “Good Teacher, what do I have to do so I will inherit eternal life?” ¹⁸ Jesus said to him, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good other than the one God. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder; Do not commit adultery; Do not steal; Do not bear false witness; Do not defraud; Honour your father and mother.'”[1] ²⁰ He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since I was young.” ²¹ Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You are missing one; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in the sky; then come, follow me.” ²² When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, because he had many possessions.

missing one

Any pastor today would have been thrilled to welcome this young man into the church. He had the résumé we dream about—morally disciplined, spiritually earnest, financially capable, and eager to serve. He wasn’t hiding secret sins. He wasn’t careless or immature. He was the kind of person we would immediately imagine as a leader, a donor, a pillar of the community. On paper, he looked like the perfect disciple.

But Jesus didn’t look at the paper. He looked at the heart. And He saw the one thing the young man had never surrendered—the one strength he trusted more than God, the one area he still controlled, the one identity he refused to loosen his grip on. For this man, it was wealth. Not because wealth is evil, but because it had become the place where he found security, identity, and power. Jesus wasn’t trying to impoverish him; He was trying to free him. But the young man couldn’t imagine life without the thing he trusted most.

And that is where the story becomes uncomfortably universal. Most of us don’t have great wealth, so we assume we’re safe from this danger. But Jesus’ challenge wasn’t really about money. It was about surrender. Every one of us has something we cling to—some strength, some talent, some dream, some relationship, some reputation, some comfort—that we quietly treat as untouchable. We may have nothing to sell, but we may still have something we refuse to yield.

Jesus puts His finger on that one thing not to shame us, but to liberate us. He wants disciples, not managers. He wants followers, not people negotiating the terms of their obedience. And He knows that the one thing we hold back is often the very thing that keeps us from serving Him fully and loving others freely.

Lord, give us the courage to surrender the one thing we hold on to—the thing that keeps us from serving You and others.

[1] Exodus 20:12-16; Deuteronomy 5:16-20.

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wasted ministry

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 10:13-16

¹³ People were also bringing little children to him so that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, “Allow the little children come to me; do not prevent them; because the kingdom of God is made of people like these. ¹⁵ I guarantee you, whoever does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child does will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

wasted ministry

The disciples weren’t trying to be cruel when they turned the children away. They simply assumed Jesus had more important work to do—teaching adults, debating Pharisees, shaping future leaders. Children, in their minds, couldn’t evaluate doctrine, couldn’t contribute strategically, couldn’t advance the mission. Why “waste” the Rabbi’s time on those who couldn’t yet understand?

But Jesus used that very moment to teach them something essential about the kingdom. The kingdom is not received through analysis, caution, or guarded skepticism. It is welcomed the way a child welcomes a gift—open‑handed, curious, eager, unembarrassed. Logic says, “Be careful. Don’t commit too quickly. It might not be true.” But childlike faith says, “I want that!” And in this case, the child is right. There is nothing false in Christ’s claims, nothing deceptive in His promises, nothing unstable in His word. Following Him is not a leap into the dark; it is a step into the light.

Yet if we wait until every question is answered and every doubt is resolved, we may wait too long. The heart can harden. Fear can calcify. False teaching can build layers of resistance. That is why, in every generation, most people come to Christ when they are young. Before cynicism forms. Before wounds deepen. Before the world teaches them to distrust what is good. Children jump in—and Jesus honors that.

So time spent ministering to the young is never wasted. It is planting seed in the most fertile soil. It is welcoming the kingdom the way Jesus told us to—without reservation, without hesitation, without the protective armor of adulthood.

Lord, show us how to reach the young with the gospel, and show us how to welcome Your kingdom without reservation.

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and takes another

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 10:10-12

¹⁰ Then in the house the disciples enquired of him again concerning this issue. ¹¹ He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and takes another wife in marriage is committing adultery against his first wife; ¹² and if she divorces her husband and takes another husband in marriage, she is committing adultery.”

and takes another

Divorce is a terrible wound. Anyone who has lived through it—whether as a spouse or as a child—carries the ache of something that was meant to stay whole but didn’t. God can redeem, restore, and even bless people with a beautiful remarriage after deep pain. His mercy is wide enough for every broken story. But even when grace rebuilds, the damage of divorce doesn’t simply vanish. Something sacred was torn, and the tearing leaves marks.

That is why God’s best for us is an unbroken covenant. Not a perfect marriage—no such thing exists—but a faithful one. A relationship where two imperfect people keep choosing each other, keep forgiving, keep growing, keep returning to the vows they made. That is the path that protects hearts, strengthens families, and reflects the steadfast love of God.

Faithfulness is not glamorous. It is not dramatic. It is often quiet, ordinary, and unseen. But it is holy. And it is worth seeking with all our strength.

Lord, teach us to be faithful to each other.

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what God has paired together

Posted on October 22, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 10:1-9

¹ He got up from there and went to the regions of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as he usually did, he again taught them. ² Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it proper for a husband to divorce his wife?” ³ He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” ⁴ They said, “Moses allowed notice of discharge to be written and to divorce.”[1] ⁵ But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. ⁶ But from the beginning of creation, ‘He made them male and female.’[2] ⁷ ‘Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother behind and be faithfully devoted to his wife, ⁸ and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. ⁹ Therefore let no man divide what God has paired together.”

what God has paired together

The Pharisees came to Jesus looking for permission—permission to dissolve a covenant, permission to reshape marriage according to their preferences, permission to treat something sacred as negotiable. But Jesus refused to play along. He saw beneath their question to the deeper issue: they wanted marriage on their terms, not God’s. So He took them back to the beginning, back to creation, back to the moment when God Himself defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman, joined by His own hand and sealed with His own intention.

In our world, the pressure to redefine marriage is strong and growing. Many cultures that once assumed a biblical framework now treat marriage as a flexible social construct, something humanity can reshape at will. But Jesus’ words stand firm. Could He have been wrong? Was there some truth He didn’t know, some insight unavailable to Him, some cultural development He failed to anticipate? The very question reveals its own answer. The One who spoke creation into being is not out of date. The One who designed marriage is not surprised by modern debates. The One who is Truth cannot be corrected by the shifting opinions of any age.

Jesus wasn’t offering a cultural opinion. He was revealing God’s purpose. And that purpose is not restrictive—it is protective, restorative, and life‑giving. When we ask not “What can we get away with?” but “What is God’s intention for us?” we find clarity, dignity, and blessing.

Lord, we ask not what we can get away with, but what Your purpose is—for our marriages, our families, and our lives.

[1] Deuteronomy 24:1,3.

[2] Genesis 1:27.

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fire, salt, and peace

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 9:49-50

⁴⁹ “Because everyone will be salted with this fire. ⁵⁰ Salt is good; but if salt has become saltless, what can you season it with? Have salt among yourselves, and live at peace with one another.”

fire, salt, and peace

Jesus’ words here can feel confusing until we remember the conversation that led to them. The disciples had just tried to stop other followers of Jesus from doing ministry in His name. They assumed that only their group had the right to serve, and they wanted to shut down anyone outside their circle. Jesus corrected them immediately. He told them not to put stumbling blocks in front of those other disciples. The kingdom was bigger than their group, and they needed to stop acting like gatekeepers.

Then Jesus turned the warning back on them. If they must not hinder others, they must also guard their own hearts from anything that could hinder them. Even if the stumbling block felt as essential as a hand, a foot, or an eye—something familiar, something precious, something they thought they couldn’t live without—it had to go if it threatened their loyalty to Him. Jesus wasn’t calling for literal self‑harm. He was naming the cost of discipleship: anything that pulls us away from Him must be removed, no matter how deeply rooted it feels.

To make the point even clearer, Jesus used the imagery of salt. In the ancient world, salt symbolized dedication—especially in offerings placed on the altar. A grain offering seasoned with salt belonged wholly to God. Jesus was telling His disciples that their lives and ministries needed that same kind of undiluted devotion. Nothing should be allowed to “desalt” them, to drain away their commitment or compromise their witness.

But Jesus added one more layer: their dedication to Him must never destroy their peace with one another. Total commitment to Christ does not justify harshness, rivalry, or division. The same salt that marks our devotion should also preserve our unity.

Lord, give us the courage to remove every obstacle to our commitment to You, and the wisdom to do this without harming those who serve alongside us.

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removing the stumbling blocks

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Jefferson Vann

Mark 9:43-48

⁴³ If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to Gehenna, to the unquenchable fire. ^{44^[1]} ⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into Gehenna. ^{46^[2]} ⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into Gehenna, ⁴⁸ where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

removing the stumbling blocks

Context is everything in this moment. Jesus had just warned His disciples not to put stumbling blocks in front of “the little ones”—those other disciples outside the Twelve who were also ministering in His name (9:42). They weren’t competitors. They weren’t threats. They were fellow servants. Jesus wanted His closest followers to protect their faith, not hinder it. He wanted them to encourage, not discourage. He wanted them to recognize that the kingdom was bigger than their circle.

Then Jesus turned the warning inward. If they must not cause others to stumble, they must also refuse to tolerate anything that would cause them to stumble. His language about cutting off a hand or foot, or tearing out an eye, was intentionally shocking—but never literal. He was naming the seriousness of spiritual sabotage. A hand, a foot, an eye—these were symbols of relationships, habits, ideas, or loyalties that could quietly pull a disciple away from faithfulness. Better to lose something precious than to lose your life. Better to enter resurrection life limping than to walk confidently into destruction.

And Jesus’ reference to Gehenna was not about eternal torment but about irreversible ruin. The fire and the worm were images of total destruction—nothing left, nothing surviving. That is why Jesus spoke so urgently. Anything that turns us away from believing and serving Him must be removed. Not managed. Not negotiated with. Removed. Our lives depend on it.

We often pray for strength in trials, but sometimes the trial is the courage to name the stumbling block and let it go. Sometimes the danger is not the storm outside us but the compromise inside us. Jesus’ words call us to clarity, honesty, and decisive faith.

Lord, we ask for insight so we can identify the ideas and relationships that tempt us to reject You and Your word. Give us courage to remove those stumbling blocks from our lives.

Posted in consideration of others, kingdom of God, temptation | Tagged Mark 9 | Leave a comment