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Transcription
The Daily Devotion for October 12, 2023, discusses a passage from Mark where Jesus tells his disciples not to stop someone who is performing miracles in his name, even if they are not part of their group. Jesus emphasizes that anyone who is not against them is for them. The passage teaches Christians to be accepting of different ways of worshiping and to work together for the common goal of spreading God's love. The personal worship option encourages forgiveness for being disrespectful towards Christians of other traditions and asks for God's blessing on the global church. Welcome to Christ Church's Daily Devotion for October 12, 2023. Today we will be reading from Mark chapter 9, verses 38-41. Teacher, said John, we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop because he was not one of us. Do not stop him, Jesus said, for no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me. For whosoever is not against us is for us. Truly, I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. When someone is serving effectively in the name of Jesus, but we don't know them or know much about their church, does that mean we are not on the same team? Of course it doesn't. After all, Jesus is the one in charge and he can use who he wants. The disciples had come across a man doing ministry in Jesus' name, but he wasn't one of them. So they put a stop to this unauthorized ministry to protect Jesus' reputation. They told Jesus about it, thinking that they would be praised. But Jesus told them not to stop him. That is when Jesus said, whoever is not against us is for us. If we're honest, sometimes we Christians can be overly protective of our own turf. We see others ministering or worshiping Jesus in a different way and it makes us uncomfortable. Jesus tells us to be careful in how we speak about one another. The disciples had begun to make distinctions about who was allowed to bring help and hope to persons. They wanted to corner the market. Jesus had to explain how he wanted to expand the reach of his good news in this world. Today we need to realize, as Christians, there is more that binds us together than what separates us. When Christians pray and work together, it honors God and creates a powerful witness. Today's personal worship option. Father, forgive me for the times I have been disrespectful of Christians of other traditions. Bless your church around the world that the world may see your love in us. Amen.
