Today we read Mark 3. What does Jesus mean in verse 29? To “blaspheme against the Holy Spirit” means to reject Jesus and to want nothing more to do with Him. May God protect us from ever doing that! Rather, we thank God the Father for all that Jesus has done for us–that He has forgiven us all our sins and promises us eternal life with Him and all other Christians throughout the ages!
Today we read Mark chapter 2. In verse 17 we learn that Jesus calls us, even though we are sinners. How wonderful that He forgives us all our sins. That is a feature of Christianity that no other religion has–that our sins are forgiven… In all other religions you have to work your way *up* to God and hope that you are good enough–but you are never certain. In Christianity, God comes *down* to us–as Jesus Christ–and forgives our sins. And He guarantees this with his blood, shed on the cross!
Today we move on to another of the four Gospel books in the New Testament: the Gospel according to Mark. Mark later became one of the apostles. The Gospel according to Mark is in some ways a repetition of what we have already read in Matthew and John, yet it provides a different perspective. In Mark chapter 1, Jesus reminds us all to “repent and believe in the gospel” (verse 14). That was true back then and is still true today!
Today we read the last chapter of the Gospel of John. The resurrected Jesus forgives Peter for his triple denial, even as Jesus will always forgive us our sins when we repent. Thank you, Lord! Tomorrow we will begin reading the Gospel of Mark. 🙂
