Uncomplicated (Mk 15:16) by Jason Peters

25 Apr Uncomplicated (Mk 15:16) by Jason Peters

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“He said to them, “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” ~ Mark 15:16 (full readings)
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Jason’s Reflections: How do you answer the call of Jesus to “proclaim the gospel to every creature”?  In a devotion I wrote a long time ago, I mentioned the example we set being the only “Bible” some might ever read.  Do we show Jesus to others?  Do our actions give others an example to follow to help them grow closer to Christ?  I believe that sometimes we are able to show others Jesus in the simplest of ways.  Jesus loves children.  Jesus tells us that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children.  Kids often give us examples that aren’t flashy, or that don’t take a lot of words to explain.  They teach us that loving Jesus is really pretty simple.  They don’t complicate it.  They allow themselves to just be open and close to Christ without any strings attached.  While a mature relationship with Christ may be important to help us sometimes make sense of the world around us, I think that we often need to just simplify our relationship with Christ.  Like an unborn child in the womb that relies totally on his or her mother, we need to remember that Jesus is right with us and allows us to depend on him…all the time…every day.  Sometimes all we need to do is pay attention.  When we allow ourselves to be closer to Christ, we also allow our lives to be a reflection of Jesus to those around us.  When we do this, we proclaim the gospel to everyone we meet.
* Jason Peters (LIFE Runner) is married to Deanna and they have three children.  Jason is the President of JMJ Caseworks in Sioux Falls, SD.
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Faith Challenge: How can you simplify your relationship with Jesus?  Has your relationship become more complicated than it needs to be?  Try to pay attention to the simple ways Jesus tries to move closer to you every day.
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: St. Mark the Evangelist
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Faith Quote: At the end of a book I was reading to my children there was a question, “What things are you afraid of?” Many common answers were given by my two younger children, but my oldest son JP had no answer.  JP spent most of his life in the hospital, so I asked him if things at the hospital scared him.  He replied, “No.”  I asked why, and he told me, “When I am in the hospital, I look up and I see Jesus.”
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Through Christ our Lord,
Jason
Heb 4:16