Reading your Bible for Today April 20

April 20: Mark 8:1-8

KJV Key Verse: Mark 8:8
8 So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets.

Devotion:
When you are asked to do something, do you do the bare minimum to get away with doing as little as possible, or do you do 'too much'? Once again we would have to qualify our answers with things like 'well, it would have to depend on who I am doing things for' or 'depends how I feel'... We do continue to change our answers and our willingness to do things for others depending on our circumstances. We find that we are more willing to do work for those who do things for us, or who we like.

But what about those who like you, or respect you, and of whom you know very little about. How about someone who looks up to you and you have no idea who they are?  All it would take would be a short answer or a simple 'no' from you to be able to destroy their view of you. Our views of people do seem to be based on their actions and reactions. So, if we want to be able to maintain a goodly report with others, then we have to make sure we either live up to their expectations, or we show them that we care. We cannot really hope to live up to their expectations, but we can show them we do care. Showing someone we care will go a lot farther than trying to keep up some sort of pretence that we are someone we are not.

Jesus, on the other hand, is someone who cares for us more than we will ever be able to understand. He cares to the extent that He will do things for us with abundance. He cares for us so much that He wants each of us to understand how we don't just get things given to us on a plate. If He had wanted to, He could have fed the people who were following earlier than He had. He could have sustained them on their journey. But He chose to get everyone to the state where they would see just how much He did love them. Showing someone you care is not just going to be about doing things for them at the drop of a hat, but about doing things when they are needed and doing the things which matter and showing love and compassion.

Points to Ponder:
Do you (or did you) always listen to your parents?

How often do you care about what God wants you to do in your life?