 His Jewish name was John which means grace of God. His Roman name was Mark. Both names are used in the New Testament but it is the same guy. He is most likely the author of the book of Mark .
In Acts 12:12 when Peter was rescued from prison, He went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. Peter refers to Mark as his son in Christ at the end of his letter (1 Peter 5:13) Mark, who is like a son to me, sends his greetings too. Mark’s cousin was Barnabas. He went with Paul and Barnabas on one of their mission trips but left them part way and returned to Jerusalem. This was the reason that Paul and Barnabas had a falling out. Barnabas wanted to take Mark on another one of their trips and Paul did not because he had deserted them earlier. Even though they had their differences, Mark was a comfort to Paul in prison. Colossians 4:10 says, My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. In 2 Timothy 4:11 Paul told Timothy, Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. Life Lessons: Past mistakes don’t disqualify us from serving God. It's helpful to have spiritual mentors who can pray for us and offer wisdom and guidance. CHALLENGE: Do you have a spiritual mentor who you can talk to and ask questions? Perhaps a parent, aunt, youth leader, friend's parent, pastor.  In Deuteronomy chapter 7 Moses was reminding the Israelites that they were God's chosen people and that God would keep his promises to those who followed and obeyed him. We all know friends or family members who can't be relied on to do what they say but we can rely on God - he is faithful.
In Exodus 34:6 God said to Moses, I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with my people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. So what does that mean? It means we shouldn't worry about things. Instead, we should pray about them and trust God because he is with us and loves us. CHALLENGE: What have you been worrying about recently that you need to pray about and trust God with?  Matthew was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied Jesus during his ministry.
Before that he was a tax collector and was probably quite wealthy. His Hebrew name was Levi but Matthew was his Jewish name which means Gift of God. He wrote the book of Matthew and refers to himself as Matthew in it. In the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John he is referred by his be his Hebrew name, Levi. Luke 5:27-29 says, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the place for paying taxes. Jesus said to him, “Come with me.” Levi left everything and went with Jesus. In his home Levi gave a big dinner for Jesus. Many tax collectors and other guests were also there. There is not much written about him in the Bible. It is believed that he preached in Palestine then other countries including Ethiopia, Macedonia and Persia after Jesus returned to heaven. Life Lesson: Matthew gave up everything including a well paid job and friends to follow Jesus. What are you prepared to give up for him?  God is the God of both angels and men. He is higher than any earthly king or ruler. Sometimes we get a bit casual and forget that God is not just our heavenly father but he is GOD. He owns the universe and requires our respect, love and worship. Deuteronomy 10:17 is part of a speech of Moses to the Israelites when he gave them the Ten Commandments for the second time. (the first set of commandments he smashed when he saw that the Israelites had made a gold statue of a cow and were worshipping it). Deuteronomy 10: 12 says, "Now Israelites, listen! What does the Lord your God really want from you? The Lord God wants you to respect him and do what he says. He wants you to love him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
CHALLENGE: Have you been a bit casual with God? Do you love and serve him with all your heart and soul? Write out your own Psalm or poem of praise telling God how great he is. If you need inspiration read Psalm 136. |
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