The Vineyard- November 20, 2011

The Vineyard

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. – John 15:5

Mark 8:1-21

-          The Pharisees come to Jesus wanting a sign, something to prove His authority.  And yet, He has just finished miraculously feeding 4,000 people.  Are you ever blind to the signs of God’s authority, because of your insistence that God manifest His power in a certain way?

-          The disciples knew the story of Jesus’ miraculous actions, and yet those stories had clearly failed to shape their understanding of who He was.  Do you simply “know” the story of Christ life, or are you also letting it shape your understanding of who He is?

Psalm 1

-          Do you delight in discovering God’s will for your life?  Do you find that it gives your life purpose and meaning?

-          Do you feel like a tree planted by streams of water, or do you feel like chaff driven by the wind?

-          This psalm states that “the Lord knows the way of the righteous” (v. 6).  The word know here implies a relationship, just as it did when Jesus spoke of never “knowing” someone.  Do you “know” the Lord, because you’re walking in the path of righteousness?