Beyond the Weekend

November 9 | Matters of the Heart

November 9, 2020

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Mark 7:6b

Read: Mark 6:53-7:30

Listen: Mark 6 and 7

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Jesus and his disciples continue bringing the message of God’s kingdom to towns throughout Israel and beyond. The Pharisees and teachers of the law remain key characters (which we’ll circle today in our journal) as they observe and question why Jesus and his disciples don’t follow all of their religious traditions and rules. Another key character, a non-Jewish woman with a pressing family issue, seems to understand something the Pharisees and disciples don’t. Through this week’s passages, we see it is possible to be “around” Jesus but not “with” him.

Mark reveals the greatest barrier to reflecting Jesus out there is something in here in our hearts. Our hearts don’t always align with God’s. We face deep divisions over current issues in our world. Heavy concerns for our future weigh us down. Our passions drive our decisions and daily interactions. The road to discipleship is marked by growing in our understanding of what truly matters to God. He aligns our hearts’ desires to match his as we study the Bible, communicate with him in prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us.

The road to discipleship is a lifelong journey of growing and adjusting course as we follow Jesus. We won’t always get it right. The more consistently we set aside our agendas and seek his help, the more our hearts will match his.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Turn to page 64 in your journal and list the things that most concern you about your heart. Pray over the list and invite God to help you understand what matters most to him. Then ask God to reveal anything you need to let go of and what you need to focus on more.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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