Divine Encounters

Day 261 Reading: Luke 21:1 - Luke 24:53 We live a world today full of disparity. The biggest divide we have is between the rich and the poor. Jesus while on earth tackled the issue of wealth many times. Do you know Jesus spoke more about wealth than anything else while here on earth? I know money is a touchy issue, however, we need to deal with it. Jesus observed as people gave offerings in the Temple. Child of God why wouldn't He be watching today? If anything the statement Jesus made about the woman who gave her all reveals what God is looking at in our giving.  A young man approached Jesus asking what he needed to do to obtain eternal life. Jesus replied to the young man and advised that He needed to obey the commandments. The young man replied that He did obey them and at this point asked what more should he do. The young man was obviously hungry for God why else would he be so obedient. Jesus then replies that the young man should sell his belongings and follow Hi...

Day 253 Reading: Mark 10:1 - Mark 13:37 Words are powerful. Words are loaded with either life or death Proverbs 18:21 . Many today are suffering from a words-said problem. For example, some people have never become what God designed them to be because someone ridiculed them. Words by an authority carry weight. When a ruler or a person of authority speaks the spoken word it releases or binds the hearers. This is what the Centurion understood when he approached Jesus about his sick servant. He understood that Jesus only needed to speak the Word and his servant would be healed. The Centurion also understood that his part was to believe the word spoken carried authority. The Centurion honoured Jesus as he understood that Jesus operated with an authority that mere men didn't have Matthew 8:5-13 .  Creation reveals to us the power of the spoken word. Look up and see the sky, and remember that God spoke a word calling for a separation of the heavens and the earth. God before ...

Day 252 Reading: Mark 5:1 - Mark 9:50 What are you thinking right now? Do you know that your mind is always having conversations? Actually, science has enabled us to learn that we talk with ourselves mostly. We may not verbalise all the conversations we have internally, however, it's important to understand the implications of what is happening internally. Science has discovered that up to 90% of medical ailments are rooted in our thinking. Truly as Solomon said, as a person thinks so are they Proverbs 23:7 . It's not how you talk or walk but how you think that affects who you are. Our thoughts are important to God not just ourselves. Our thoughts have a big say in our lives. Jesus said that we speak out of the abundance of our hearts, that is we speak aloud from the inner conversations that condition our being Matthew 12:34-35 . Jeremiah declared that God gives us the fruit of our thoughts Jeremiah 6:19 . Your life is the fruit of your thoughts. Your life is not t...

Day 251 Reading: Mark 1:1 - Mark 4:41 The gospel of Mark is a short narrative that displays the power and principles of the Kingdom of God. As you read through the Book of Mark you will discover that Mark's desire was to provide the reader with faith building miracles that remove any doubt of the authenticity of Jesus. While reading today's passages I felt a need to dwell on one of the parables Jesus taught. The parable of the Sower reveals to us the relationship between the heart, the external and internal factors that affect us as we study the Word. I have read the parable many times however after reading the Word, this parable kept playing on my mind. I began to ask myself what is it that God desires I learn about this parable? What is God saying to me?  Jesus in the parable mentioned 4 types of ground that receives the Word. As I meditated on this I realised that many times I have always looked and seen them as four different grounds however God had something d...