The Daily Fountain Devotional Wednesday, December 7, 2022
The Daily Fountain Devotional Wednesday, December 7, 2022
Wednesday, December 7,2022
TOPIC: BEWARE OF THE EPHEMERALS!
TEXT: Mark 13:1-23
1 And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here! 2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? 5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. 9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. 10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
11 But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. 12 Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. 13 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: 15 And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: 16 And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. 17 But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
18 And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter.19 For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. 20 And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: 22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. 23 But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things.
The Daily Fountain Devotional Wednesday, December 7, 2022
INTRODUCTION TEXT
Read verses 1 and 2 again. To be sure, Jesus had no personal hatred for the Jewish Temple or any other edifice for that matter. He is not against human accomplishments. The great lesson here, which Jesus points out, is that we must flee every temptation to ascribe glory to ourselves and our accomplishments. In the context of that time, the Temple had become for the Jews, a center of national pride. They cherished it more than they cherished the God for whom the Temple was built and dedicated. In fact, they worshipped the Temple more than they worshipped God!
Today, most human passions, energy, time and resources are dedicated to pursuing monuments and edifices, accomplishments that bring glory and pride not to God but to us. But Jesus has one message for us in all of this: A time will come when "not one stone will be left on another" (v.2). Whatever achievements we toil for in this life will one day either leave us or we will leave them. Only the things we do that have eternal value will outlast us. You must, therefore, live with this understanding: All earthly things will pass away. So, seek after love, righteousness, justice and the things that make for godliness - with contentment.
Prayer: Lord, may I live today in the knowledge that the things I do in your name and for your glory alone will really matter in the end. Amen.