Day Twelve: The Greatest (Mark 3:7-12)
Devotional: Muhammad Ali was probably the most famous boxer of all-time. He was known as much for his words as for his boxing. Here's a few of them. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". "It's not bragging if you can back it up." And of course, "I am the greatest". Ali did not struggle with self-confidence! But could he back up his words?
Yes he could. Muhammad Ali will go down as the greatest, or one of the greatest, heavyweight boxers of all time. He was able to back up the claims that he made about himself. But being the greatest of all time goes to only one person who walked this planet... Jesus Christ. He claimed to be God. And He backed it up with His life and with His power.
He has never lost a fight. In the passage today, He defeated disease. And He had authority over the evil spirits. Why? Because, as even the evil spirits had to admit, He is "the Son of God" (v. 11). And He has an undefeated record against Satan.
In the Garden after sin entered the world, God was already working His redemption plan, and states in Genesis 3:15 that “He (referring to Jesus) shall bruise your head (referring to Satan), and you shall bruise His heel”. In other words, “Satan, you may strike His heel (referring to Satan’s part in Jesus’s crucifixion), but He will beat the count and rise from the dead and will ultimately strike the deathblow to your head”.
Satan, tried to kill Jesus at the MANGER (according to Revelation 12) by inspiring King Herod to kill all the Jewish newborns under the age of 2, but Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus escaped. Even as a baby, Jesus won. In the WILDERNESS, when Jesus had fasted 40 days and night, and was humanly weak, He still resisted Satan’s temptations and won those rounds as well.
And of course, Jesus even won at the CROSS. Rising from death, and wiping that wicked smile off of Satan’s face. Paul summarizes it in 1 Corinthians 15:55: “Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?”. And you know what? Jesus still isn’t done whupping on Satan. He will whip him one last time at the END OF DAYS. Revelation 20:10 says, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
So what does it all mean for us? It means we have a Savior we can run to. A Savior who will fight our battles. It means we have nothing to fear, because no obstacle is bigger than our God. It means we cast all our worries on to His powerful "shoulders" and let Him carry them for us. He's the greatest. As John 4:4 says, "... for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world".
Prayer: Write down three things that are causing worry or fear in your life. Picture Jesus with His hands raised in victory. Raise your hands in victory. Now pray to God for those three things you wrote down.
Devotional: Muhammad Ali was probably the most famous boxer of all-time. He was known as much for his words as for his boxing. Here's a few of them. "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee". "It's not bragging if you can back it up." And of course, "I am the greatest". Ali did not struggle with self-confidence! But could he back up his words?
Yes he could. Muhammad Ali will go down as the greatest, or one of the greatest, heavyweight boxers of all time. He was able to back up the claims that he made about himself. But being the greatest of all time goes to only one person who walked this planet... Jesus Christ. He claimed to be God. And He backed it up with His life and with His power.
He has never lost a fight. In the passage today, He defeated disease. And He had authority over the evil spirits. Why? Because, as even the evil spirits had to admit, He is "the Son of God" (v. 11). And He has an undefeated record against Satan.
In the Garden after sin entered the world, God was already working His redemption plan, and states in Genesis 3:15 that “He (referring to Jesus) shall bruise your head (referring to Satan), and you shall bruise His heel”. In other words, “Satan, you may strike His heel (referring to Satan’s part in Jesus’s crucifixion), but He will beat the count and rise from the dead and will ultimately strike the deathblow to your head”.
Satan, tried to kill Jesus at the MANGER (according to Revelation 12) by inspiring King Herod to kill all the Jewish newborns under the age of 2, but Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus escaped. Even as a baby, Jesus won. In the WILDERNESS, when Jesus had fasted 40 days and night, and was humanly weak, He still resisted Satan’s temptations and won those rounds as well.
And of course, Jesus even won at the CROSS. Rising from death, and wiping that wicked smile off of Satan’s face. Paul summarizes it in 1 Corinthians 15:55: “Oh death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?”. And you know what? Jesus still isn’t done whupping on Satan. He will whip him one last time at the END OF DAYS. Revelation 20:10 says, “and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
So what does it all mean for us? It means we have a Savior we can run to. A Savior who will fight our battles. It means we have nothing to fear, because no obstacle is bigger than our God. It means we cast all our worries on to His powerful "shoulders" and let Him carry them for us. He's the greatest. As John 4:4 says, "... for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world".
Prayer: Write down three things that are causing worry or fear in your life. Picture Jesus with His hands raised in victory. Raise your hands in victory. Now pray to God for those three things you wrote down.
Posted in Come Follow Me