In Mark’s record of the feeding of the five thousand, we read that Jesus “commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass.” (Mark 6:39).

Jeremiah 31 is a pivotal chapter not only in the book itself but the entire Bible.

This thought is a counterpoint to yesterday’s where we looked at spiritual relationships being more important than biological.

At the end of today’s reading in Mark 3, we learn that Jesus’ “mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him” (v31), but his response was, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (v34).

In today’s reading in Mark 2, we read about the call of one of Jesus’ disciples, Matthew, the tax collector.

Have you ever wondered why Psalm 91 came up in Jesus’ wilderness temptations?

Paul’s ending words in his epistle to the Romans sum up everything he said in one simple phrase: “the obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26). He began the epistle in the same way when he said, “through [Christ] we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Rom. 1:5).

In Romans 12, the apostle Paul uses a very intriguing word in his introduction to the practical matters related to God’s righteousness.

What is the blessing promised to Abraham in Genesis 12? Just about the first thing God says to Abraham is that He will bless him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Gen. 12:2).

In today’s reading from Jeremiah 17, we have that well-known verse about the deceitfulness of the human heart – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (v9).

When “Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’” (Matt. 27:46) on the cross, why did some of them think that Jesus was calling for Elijah? – “This man is calling Elijah.” (v47)?

Jesus was willing to lose everything in this world for the sake of you and me. When we face temptation or trials, what do we do about it? The example of Christ is to keep relying on the voice of God and the ministry of angels. Even if everyone else forsakes us, God never will