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TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

Because of the crowd [Jesus] told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Mark 3:9-10

Read: Mark 3:7-12

Listen: Mark 3

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Word is spreading, and everyone is coming to see the miracle man. We see they come from places even outside of Israel as we underline Tyre and Sidon in our journals on pages 31–32 (check out the map on page 6 for the location of Tyre). The people are coming because Jesus can heal their sister with leprosy, free a friend from years of demon possession, or help their mother (unable to walk for a decade) walk with her grandchildren. The massive crowd is there because of what Jesus can do for them. They are fans.

The crowd starts where many of us start—with what Jesus can do for us. This is a great place to begin our faith journey with Jesus. He loves us unconditionally. He is willing to forgive our sins. He provides an eternity in heaven with him. When we pray, “Jesus, I want this from you,” these are the things we want from him and the things he delights in giving us. We are fans.

But there’s a chance we’ve stopped at being just a fan. We’ve come to Jesus, and keep coming to Jesus, only for what he can do for us. One way we can check to see if we’re just a fan of Jesus is to review our prayers. If our prayer time is only a list of the things we want from God, this is probably a good indication we’re just a fan of Jesus. If we are, Jesus is calling us to much more.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Review your prayers over the last few days or weeks. Are you only praying for what you want from Jesus? Use the prompt on page 36 to begin a prayer like this, “Father, here is what is going on my life right now. Thank you for what you are teaching me through this series.” Then talk to God about everything going on in your life, and thank him for all he has been teaching you in the last four weeks.

Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.