Mark

You said, “It is not good for man to be alone…” and created mankind with a capacity for fellowship with You and with others. A unique capacity…memory, communications skills, self-awareness, inventiveness…well beyond any other part of Your creation…to interact with You and one another.

The thought of the immense intelligence required to create the human brain defies the concept of random evolution. Although counting “likes” and “retweets” dominate American culture, we cannot flourish with this sterile…artificial…unsatisfying concept of fellowship invented in darkness to rob us of real true relationships. Neither artificial intelligence nor artificial “friends” can replace the majesty of God’s plans for us…regardless of what the Kardashians may believe.

Real friends will always trump online “followers”. America needs true fellowship, not sterile isolation. Help me demonstrate true friendship to a lonely society.

AMEN:

Scripture: “…’Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ …equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30

You are definer and defender of righteousness. At the cross, You defined what is righteous and forgave my failures. Your sacrifice made me and all who seek Your face righteous before Your throne of heaven. Despite my sin You made me whole at Golgotha. Thank You.

That Monday, many years ago as You walked resolutely toward the cross, You cleansed the temple of charlatans and moneychangers staining House of the Almighty. I fear my America is not much different from those fakes You drove from the temple 2000 years ago. Money and influence drive our every decision.

Please forgive my thoughtless priorities. Help me focus on You and seek Your righteousness. Shine light into the darkness that blinds us. Use me to help others  this week to find You.

AMEN

Scripture: “He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer for all nations,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” Mark 11:17

I know the peace that surpasses understanding when I rest in You confident that You are both Just and Merciful without contradiction.

It is very easy in this world of padded resumes and self-promotion to begin to believe I’ve earned my forgiveness by my merit.  I often forget…while congratulating myself for my achievements…that Your call on my life is to be a servant.  That it is in serving others that I can have the greatest impact on Your kingdom.  America needs no more arrogant aristocrats.  Her healing will come when I learn to embrace servanthood, give of myself generously and forgive without requiring anything in return.

My humility and service rather than my debating skills are ultimately the way to overcome the darkness threatening our souls.  I cannot do it in myself.

AMEN

Scripture:  “He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, ‘Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else’.”  Mark 9:35

The nuclear family You ordained is the cornerstone of a healthy, stable society.

In all recorded history, until recently, a man and a woman in a committed marriage, bearing, nurturing, and training the next generation was the societal expectation. But in America for at least 4 decades the traditional family has been under attack. Accidental parents, single parents, and same-sex parents are becoming the “norm” as adults are choosing the pursue their happiness rather than the fulfillment that comes from being responsible parents. The family is disintegrating.

May You always be the center of my family.

Without You at the center of our homes, we have no future, and are children are without hope. Please hear our cry…heal our families…save our children.

We need help desperately.

AMEN

Scripture: “‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh.” Mark 10:7

Forgive me for living in fear, defeated by the decisions of our government, and the permissive immorality of our culture. Forgive me for feeling like a “fish out of water” or that I do not fit in… rather, encourage me to stand firm for You.

I do not belong to this world. Yet, while here, I must commit to the call on my life to represent You well to those lost in darkness. I wish to be a “fisher of men” Jesus called me to be. Commissioned His disciple. I need to boldly proclaim Your truth. Please help me be the light You’ve called me to be.

May I be found faithful to the opportunities You provide to share the gospel. Use me to bring many more precious souls into Your family.

AMEN

Scripture: “And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” Mark 1:17

You created mankind to live together in a community. You designed the nuclear family as the foundation of society, essential to passing truth from generation to generation.

In our wisdom, we have demolished the family with “better” ideas.

We now confront the predictable results. The divisions among us are threatening the very fabric of our nation. Generational selfishness; gender wars; racial divides; economic disparities; betrayal by courts and schools; tribal warfare on every hand…the church turning upon itself.

Our motto, “From many, one” is mocked…instead, we demand diversity…but You said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” There are no wise voices in today’s shrill public discourse. How foolish we have become.

We must learn to forgive or be shattered by the hardness of our “me first” demands. Teach us how to rebuild bridges. Show us the path of reconciliation. Use me.

AMEN

Scripture: Jesus said “A kingdom divided by civil war will collapse. Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. Mark 3:24-25

Your compassion for the innocent and most vulnerable among us is unchallenged.

I come to You with a heavy heart for the infants and children in America whose
innocence and purity are being stolen from them by selfish adults who care more about their agendas than they do about the young and vulnerable.

Restore a time when elder generations sacrificed for the younger, committed to their safety and their futures as a matter of first priorities. That is no longer true.

Raise up a protective barrier and restore a time when childhood was about learning and growing and loving. A time when predators were restricted from using children for their own agendas.

With You the miraculous is possible. Protect the innocent children from the ravages of our sinful and fallen nature.

AMEN

Scripture: “And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them… And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them. Mark 10:13;16