LOVE ISLAND - WEEK TWO - DAY FIVE
Hello and welcome to your Daily Devos following our Love Island messages at 29:11! Take some time today to read through the scriptures provided, meditate on the lessons learned that are applicable for all of us from this week and journal your prayers. Have an amazing week 29:11 Church!
THEME SCRIPTURE:
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
Genesis 2:18-24 NIV
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith.
- Mark 6:1-6
REFLECTION:
This portion of scripture in Mark 6 seem contradictory because of the phrase “[Jesus] could not” in verse 5. It doesn’t say “wouldn’t” it says “couldn’t”. I thought Jesus could do anything. teaches us that we can ask all the right questions and reflect on all the things we know about someone but if our faith or our hearts are not in the right place we can miss the miracles God wants to do among us! It wasn’t that Jesus was unable to do mighty works there and it wasn’t that he lacked the power to do it. We know he was more than able, and he did right before this in Mark 5 when he healed a sick woman and raised a girl from the dead! It wasn’t that Jesus lacked the power to do miracles, it was because of their dishonor that they would not have been able to receive what Jesus had for them.
Just like the people at the synagogue, we too can struggle to honor those we are familiar with. Wives, in their familiarity to their husbands can struggle to still respect and honor them. The warning here is that if we do not honor Jesus, he cannot do miracles among us. All they saw was a carpenter - a below average human being. Yet the thing that they did not see, required the most faith. Our faith and honor, or lack thereof, enables or disables the miracle working power of our God.
An honorable heart will open the door to God’s miraculous power.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER:
Pride first, then the crash,
but humility is precursor to honor.
Proverbs 18:12 MSG
Dishonor limits God’s ability to move in your life/marriage because dishonor is wrapped up in pride. Pride is an attitude that leans into self-importance, trusting only in ourselves, our own ideas, and our own abilities. Pride keeps us from seeing others as more important than ourselves. It keeps us from serving others, honoring others, and ultimately missing out on the miracle working power of our God. However when we humble ourselves it allows us to count others as greater than ourselves. It also allows us to rely on God, serve, and honor others in a way that brings God glory. In return God gives us grace, favor, help, and blessings!
Was there a time in your life - maybe in your marriage, a work environment, on a sports team, or in a family gathering that you didn’t feel honored? What was it that made you feel that way? Was there pride involved?
Think about how the situation might have been different without pride, but with humility instead. Then take time to think about how you can continue to move forward in all areas of your life by starting with humility and what that would look like for you!
