Scripture for this day:
Leviticus 4:1-5:19
Mark 2:13-3:6
Psalm 36:1-12
Proverbs 10:1-2
"Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of that kind among Jesus' followers.) But when the teachers of religious law saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, 'Why does he eat with such scum?' When Jesus heard this, he told them, 'Healthy people don't need a doctor --sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.'" -Mark 2:15-17
"Then Jesus said to them, 'The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!'" -Mark 2:27-28
"He looked around them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, 'Hold out your hand.' So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus." -Mark 3:5-6
"Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds."
-Psalm 36:5
"How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings."
-Psalm 36:7
"Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you; give justice to those with honest hearts." -Psalm 36:10
In the portions of Scripture from Mark, we see Jesus demonstrating that unfailing love which is so perfectly described by David in Psalms. Those which society refused to acknowledge and regarded as "scum", Jesus loved unconditionally, showing them unparalleled mercy. The words of Jesus from Mark 2:17 which state that "'Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners,'" really impacted me. God came to save me, a horrible sinner, truly the 'scum' that the Pharisees so aptly named me. But God, in His unfailing love saw fit to forgive me, to forgive all those who acknowledge Christ as Savior, and are trying to live holy lives. Lord knows I am NOT perfect. I sin regularly. I cannot understand His unfailing love, but it is there for me nonetheless. It is there for each and every one of us. There are no words left but to thank God for His unfailing love and mercy.
Therefore, my prayer on this day is, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you for your unfailing love and mercy! Thank you that you see me not as scum, but as someone in need of healing. Lord, heal me, cleanse me, and make me pure. Lord, I know I fail constantly, but PLEASE forgive me, and help me not to sin. Help me to be holy as You have called me to be. Pour out Your unfailing love on me because God, I LOVE YOU! I cannot live without you! Give me an honest heart and mind, one that is focused solely on pleasing You and bringing others to the saving knowledge of Your grace so that they can also be saved and sanctified. May it be so, in Your name, and for Your glory, Amen!
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