Mark 10:24-25 Jesus said again, “Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” There is a widespread disease in our society known as affluenza. It is the belief that peace and contentment can only be found in life by becoming increasingly wealthy. It is in fact not a new disease at all. The disciples were shocked by Jesus’ teaching that riches were a massive obstacle to following him. Jesus had just met a rich, young ruler. He seemed to have everything. On the surface, he had every advantage in life, but when Jesus told him to sell all that he had and give it to the poor, he went away sad. It wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear. In our verse today, Jesus addressed his disciples as children. He didn’t often use that expression, and it suggests that he was reaching out to them with great gentleness and compassion. He could see how much they were struggling with his teaching about wealth. They had been brought up with the belief that wealth was a sign of God’s blessing, so the thought that it was a huge obstacle to following Jesus was a new way of looking at life. Jesus was saying that wealth will never be the way get a ticket into his kingdom. The only way to find salvation is through depending entirely upon God and throwing ourselves upon his mercy. Jesus was never opposed to wealthy people following him, and clearly many did. Through the centuries, the Church has been blessed by the presence of many rich people, but not one of them has obtained salvation through their wealth. The only way into the kingdom is by recognising our spiritual poverty and coming to the Lord with empty hands, eager to receive his gift of new life. Question In what way do you think it is particularly difficult for a rich person to follow Christ? Prayer Loving God, help me never to allow anything to get in the way of following you. Amen

Mark 10:15 [Jesus said:] “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” It wasn’t at all surprising that there were parents who wanted Jesus to bless their children. What was surprising was that Jesus had time to do so. He was on the way to Jerusalem and within a few days he would be crucified, and he knew that all of this was ahead of him. The disciples were concerned that Jesus shouldn’t be bothered by children, so they told the parents off. The disciples were simply seeking to protect Jesus, but they were absolutely and completely wrong. Even though they knew Jesus well and had spent much time with him, they completely misread the situation. Not only did Jesus welcome the children, but he went much, much further. He insisted that the only way to enter the kingdom of God was by becoming like a child. As he so often did, Jesus was turning the disciples’ thinking upside down. They saw children as a noisy distraction, but he saw them as the perfect illustration of what they all needed to be. I am sure that Jesus had many things in mind when he encouraged his followers to become like children. He was aware of their humility and urged his disciples to come to him with empty hands, ready to receive his gifts. He was also deeply aware of the trusting nature of children. Children very quickly learn who they can trust. I remember with pleasure the times when my children would leap into the air, certain that I would catch them. Now that they are adults, I am equally grateful that they don’t still do so! When a child leaps into their parent’s arms, they are expressing total confidence. They know they will be completely safe. As adults, we are wonderful at making everything extremely complicated. The previous verses tell us of Jesus being challenged about his views on divorce. I think he pointed to children by way of contrast. It was as if he was saying: “Stop making things so complicated. Just trust yourself to me.” Question In what ways do you need to become more childlike? Prayer Lord God, thank you that you are a loving Father and that I can always place my complete trust in you. Amen

Mark 9:50 [Jesus said:] “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavour, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other.” Salt is incredibly powerful, and that has been known for thousands of years. It does three main things, and Jesus applied each of these to his followers. Firstly, it gives flavour. Food producers make massive use of it. Indeed, British Salt produces over 400,000 metric tonnes of salt every year from its site in Cheshire. However, salt only has any influence when it is used. Sitting in a pot, it will have no effect at all. The message is clear for us today: God does not call us to sit in our churches pontificating about the evils of the world, but to get involved and to give a good flavour to our society. Since ancient times, it has been well known that salt is a very effective preservative. In days long before fridges, salt could be relied upon to preserve fish and meat for extended periods of time. Jesus was calling on his followers to have exactly that role in society. Our calling is to stand up for moral principles. Through living a life of love, grace and forgiveness, we show the world what the kingdom of God looks like and help to spread the good news of salvation. Salt has always been valued for its purity, and I believe that’s what Jesus was encouraging in his followers. He wanted the world to see their purity through the quality of their relationship with one another. Through living peacefully and lovingly together, they would give people an insight into the new life that Christ came to bring. No wonder Jesus wanted his disciples to be like salt. Question In what ways is your community touched by the influence of Christians? Prayer Lord Jesus, help us to have the qualities of salt, so that those around us will get to know what you are like. Amen

Mark 9:42 [Jesus said:] “If you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck.” In saying this, Jesus may have been talking about children, but it’s quite likely that he was talking about new Christians. His concern was to protect the vulnerable, and he had some very challenging things to say. He was fiercely angry at the thought of anyone deliberately tripping someone up in their faith. Whether a person is young, disabled, poor, illiterate or simply new to the faith, it is totally unacceptable for anyone to take advantage of them. I am delighted that we live in days when safeguarding is such a high priority. A vast amount of energy is expended in churches and charities in order to ensure that good practice is followed. It is hugely expensive in money and time but it is all worth it because everyone matters and we need to have a special care for those who are most vulnerable. That’s Jesus’ way. He is the one who offers good news to everyone, not just the strong and confident. Jesus then went even further by telling his disciples that if their hand or foot caused them to sin, they should cut it off, and if their eyes were the problem, they should gouge them out (Mark 9:43). I have never heard of a church that practised this, and I don’t believe that was Jesus’ intention. I believe he wanted to impress upon his followers, then and now, that we mustn’t play games with the kingdom of God. Following Jesus is so serious that we need to ensure we do everything we can to obey his commands, and if we need to completely change our lives in order to align them to his will, that’s what we should do. Question In what ways do you need to care for the vulnerable in your own community? Prayer Loving Lord Jesus, thank you that you invite me to follow you. Help me to do so with my whole heart and never to do anything that might cause someone else to stumble. Amen

Mark 9:37 [Jesus said:] “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not only me but also my Father who sent me.” I often think that the most crucial ministry in any church is in the hands of the welcomers, those wonderful people who stand at the door and welcome people as they arrive. This verse helps us to understand the importance of welcoming. When we welcome people, what we are actually doing is welcoming the Lord himself, and if we are welcoming him, God the Father is also being welcomed. Jesus used the illustration of a little child for a very clear reason. At the time, children were seen as being of no significance. They had no power and lacked any legal status. The attention that Jesus gave to children was completely out of line with the thinking of his day. When the disciples famously tried to push them away, it was their way of showing respect to their rabbi. They assumed that Jesus wouldn’t want to be bothered by noisy children. How wrong they were. Jesus turned their thinking upside down and said that when they welcomed the people who were considered the lowest and least in their society, they were actually welcoming him. The test of any church is how well it welcomes the lowest and the least. James identified the problem of churches discriminating between the rich and the poor. He agonisingly described the warm welcome that was given to a rich person and the surly rudeness meted out to a poor person in dirty clothes. The rich person was given an important seat and the poor person was told to “sit over there, or else sit on the floor” (James 2:2-4). James was appalled by this attitude and made it clear that God has no time for discrimination. Everyone needs to be loved and welcomed. We can all share in the ministry of welcome, but I do encourage you to acknowledge and thank God for those who head up this vital ministry in your church. Remember that they are not just welcoming people but Jesus himself. Question What could you do to encourage the ministry of welcome in your church? Prayer Lord God, thank you for welcoming me. Help me to welcome everyone but especially the lowest and least. Amen

Mark 9:28-29 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” Jesus replied: “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” The transfiguration of Jesus was an incredible experience, but it didn’t last long. Jesus and his disciples needed to go back down the mountain and, sure enough, they were pitch-forked into the middle of a dispute. A man had come to the disciples with his son, who likely suffered from epilepsy. He had asked them to heal the boy, but they had failed miserably. Jesus was in despair and said: “You faithless people! How long must I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to me” (Mark 9:19). He then healed the boy. All of this stirred up questions in the disciples and, later in the day when they were alone with Jesus, they asked him why they had failed. He responded that this kind of evil spirit could only be cast out by prayer. By this stage, the disciples had spent some time with Jesus and were clearly convinced that they now had the power to heal people. What they had to learn was that they still needed to lean on God through prayer. That’s an important lesson for anyone who gets involved in Christian ministry. You may have the gift of the gab and the ability to speak with great clarity and power, but if your preaching and teaching are not soaked in prayer, they will be powerless. You may have gifts of administration, but if you are not continually praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit, God will never be able to use you in the way that he would want. You may be a naturally caring person, but without prayer, your gifts will never have the effectiveness that God would want. Prayer is vital for all of us. However gifted we may be and however much experience we may have, without prayer we will be powerless. Question In what ways have you found prayer to be important in the work that you have done for God? Prayer Lord God, help me never to lean so heavily on my own abilities and experience that I forget to pray. Amen

Mark 9:5-6 Peter exclaimed, “Rabbi, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” He said this because he didn’t really know what else to say, for they were all terrified. Peter, James and John had just had the most incredible experience. They had been with Jesus as he was transfigured in front of them. We are told that this happened on a high mountain. This is often thought to be Mount Tabor in southern Galilee, although it may well have taken place on the constantly snowy Mount Hermon not far from Caesarea Philippi, where they had just spent time together. Mount Hermon is the highest peak in the area, rising to nearly 3,000 metres. The disciples saw Jesus’ clothes transformed into dazzling white and he was accompanied by Moses and Elijah. Moses was the great lawgiver and Elijah the first and greatest of the prophets. What an incredible experience it must have been. It’s hardly surprising that the disciples were all terrified! Peter’s response was so typical of him. Terrified as he was, he didn’t know what to say, but that didn’t stop him from blurting out a response! He said it was great to be there and suggested that they should build three shelters for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. It was a generous idea, but it totally missed the point. The transfiguration was simply a precious holy moment in the ministry of Jesus. It wasn’t something that needed to be preserved or prolonged. In that amazing moment, God spoke out of the cloud, saying: “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him” (Mark 9:7). Then, the disciples looked around and Moses and Elijah had gone. They were alone with Jesus once again. I am sure we can all think of precious moments of worship which we would have loved to prolong. Perhaps we were in a great cathedral, or at a Christian festival. We may have been on holiday in a beautiful place with God seeming incredibly close to us. We were sad when we needed to move on, but that’s precisely what we had to do. It was the same for Jesus and the disciples. They’d had their mountaintop experience and now they needed to return to the cut and thrust of everyday life. Question Why is it important that we don’t prolong mountaintop experiences? Prayer Loving God, thank you for special moments when you feel incredibly close to me. May they be a constant source of strength and encouragement. Amen

Proverbs 10:19-21 Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. The words of the godly are like sterling silver; the heart of a fool is worthless. The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense. I love the straightforward and down-to-earth language of this amazing book. Written nearly 3,000 years ago, the words leap off the page as if they were written yesterday, and the writer forces us to sit up and take note. He offers wise advice on a wide range of life issues, and all of it is intended to help us to keep our eyes fixed on living life to the full by walking in the ways that please God. God loves it when we use our words carefully. Words can build or they can destroy. They can leave people encouraged or depressed. Opening our mouth is always a huge responsibility, so we need to ensure that our tongue is under control. If we can’t do that, we ought to keep our mouths shut. The writer encourages his readers to see the immense value of speaking in a godly way. When we do, our words can be compared with pure silver and will have the effect of encouraging many. What could be more desirable than that? It is good to reflect back on our life and recall those people who have spoken godly words to us – words of love, peace and encouragement. I can think of many occasions when just the right words were spoken and I was left feeling stronger and more confident. Such experiences need to give us renewed determination to look hard at the way in which we speak to ensure we are using our words to build in the way that God would want. If not, we know what God asks us to do – shut up! Question In what ways have people’s thoughtful and kind words to you helped you to encourage others? Prayer Lord, help me to always speak in a way that will build up the people I meet. Amen

Proverbs 6:16-19 There are six things the LORD hates – no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who sows discord in a family. We spend a lot of time talking and singing about the fact that God is a God of love. That’s absolutely right, but we shouldn’t forget that God also has a list of pet hates. None of the things on this list comes as a surprise. God hates arrogance because the arrogant person has no time or space for him. They believe that they have already got all the answers and are content with the way that they are. God hates lies, murder and those who eagerly scheme to do evil, and he detests the person who sows trouble and division in a family. God wants us to follow him and to allow our lives to be shaped by his attitudes, so I have to conclude that he wants us to be haters too. He would like us to have a list of things that we detest with such intensity that we are not prepared to live with them. He wants us to stand up against those who tell lies. That will give us quite a lot of work to do because we hear lies in one form or another every day. Advertisers confidently tell us how we can find peace and fulfilment in life. By buying their holiday, car or cosmetics, suddenly our lives will be transformed and we will find contentment. However, it’s just not true, and somebody needs to stand up and dispute their claims. At the heart of God’s concerns is his longing for justice. Time and again throughout the Bible, God shows his hatred of how the weak are crushed by the injustices of society. If we love God, we cannot stand idly by and allow injustice to win. We need to get involved in the messy business of challenging injustice and getting alongside those who are the victims of our materialistic and ungodly society. Hatred might seem to be a strange word to associate with God, but the reason for it is because he is a God of love. He loves us and our world so much that he is not willing for evil to succeed. Question What are the things that you hate, and what do you do as a result of hating them? Prayer Loving God, help me to think more and more in the way that you do. Help me to love other people by hating those things which ruin their lives. Amen

Proverbs 6:9-11 Lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Fridge magnets often contain a lot of wisdom, and laziness is quite a popular theme. With pictures of slumbering cats, I enjoyed the following three: “If I won the award for laziness, I would send someone to pick it up for me”; “For some reason I feel tired tomorrow”; “I’m not lazy, I’m just highly motivated to do nothing.” Laziness is and always has been a common experience. The writer of Proverbs wrote about it on a number of occasions, and clearly feared it. Without the support of a welfare state or a supportive family, a lazy person would starve. It was as simple as that. The problem with the lazy person is that they never get going with anything. They find their bed too attractive. Later in the book, the writer describes how a lazy person is anchored to their bed. He writes: “As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed” (Proverbs 26:14). They live in a dream world, failing to face up to challenges and yet thinking of themselves as incredibly wise (Proverbs 26:16). The apostle Paul ran into the problem of laziness in the church in Thessalonica. What was particularly infuriating to Paul was that they gave a spiritual reason for being idle. They were so convinced of the imminent return of Jesus that they gave up their daily work, but Paul would have none of it. True, Jesus might return at any time, but God wants us to be busily engaged in his work. Paul pointed out that he had been working hard day and night in his ministry and was very harsh in his attitude to those who tried to avoid work. He said that those who were unwilling to work should not eat. He also urged the Thessalonian Christians to keep away from idle people because he was so fearful of their influence. Whether or not laziness is a problem for you, be sure of this: while we have breath, God wants us to work busily for him. Question Why is laziness so damaging, and what do you do to avoid it? Prayer Loving God, thank you that you have work for me to do. Help me to do it with enthusiasm. Amen

2 Timothy 4:1-2 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, who will someday judge the living and the dead when he comes to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favourable or not. We are all aware that other people are looking at us, and this is particularly true of Christian leaders. Because of the public nature of the role, people are constantly making judgments about us, whether we like it or not. This is challenging for everyone but especially those who, like Timothy, are still relatively inexperienced. It’s easy to become anxious and overly defensive. Paul needed to remind his young friend that the only audience that really mattered was God himself. It was his judgment that was crucial and Timothy needed to live his life with a constant awareness that one day he would have to give a full account of what he had done. Preaching was at the heart of Timothy’s ministry. It was vital that people should clearly understand the faith and be encouraged to live by it. However, preaching has good days and bad days. There are times when it is joyful and easy to preach, and others when it is sheer hard work. Often people are eager to hear what you have to say, and at other times they are asleep! There are times when people congratulate you for your oratory and other times when they point out all your silly errors. Like any task, you need to stick at it through thick and thin, and Paul urged Timothy to realise that this was his God-given responsibility. The thought of being judged by God is a challenging one for all of us, but it shouldn’t fill us with fear because we know that God is perfectly loving, forgiving and gracious. However, it should sharpen and focus our thinking on the importance of doing what God has called us to do, however tough it might be. Question What is God calling you to do for him today? Prayer Loving God, thank you for the privilege of serving you. Give me your strength and grace so that I will serve you well today. Amen