Mark 11:22-26 Just believe!

1 Corinthians 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 

In the measure that we believe we can receive from the very hand of God. He can move mountains. 

Mark 11:22-26 Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. 

Forgiveness frees us!  Without God’s love for His creation as our foundation…we are just making noise.

25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” NKJV

By our forgiving others and ourselves we no longer allow them or our ego to take up space in our minds. It leaves our minds open to the renewal that God wants us to have and allows Holy Spirit to work in us and through us for our good and the good of the Body of Christ. There is no one righteous, no not one. We are all a fallen people seeking God, in Jesus, and the power of Holy Spirit to accomplish in us what we cannot. Carla

The fig tree that Jesus cursed (verses 12–14) has now withered. The disciples ask Him about it, and He responds by teaching about faith, prayer, and forgiveness. Faithlife Study Bible

The illustration of casting an enormous mountain into the sea is an extreme example of the absolutely impossible. That is the point. Having faith in God can accomplish the impossible. Mark had previously emphasized Jesus’ insistence on simply believing (9:23, 24). It is doubtful that a person who cannot forgive another has ever experienced the forgiveness of his own sins by God. The NKJV Study Bible

Matthew 17:20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 

Matthew 6:14–15 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 7:7–8  Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 

Matthew 6:5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward

Real friends honor one another as a place of restoration in a stormy world.

And yes, real friends are those who, when you’ve made a fool of yourself, don’t feel you’ve done a permanent job.

They provide us with a shelter where we don’t have to do battle. The irony, of course, is that in our woundedness we project our insecurity and pain on to those we love the most. “Sabbath Moments”

Dear God,

may we find strength in each other,

courage in community,

and peace in the presence of love.

May those grieving be held gently,

and may we all be prepared

not just for disaster,

but for compassion, connection, and healing.

Amen.

Clint Hurdle

Of all the wonderful gifts we have given and received, our earthly gift-giving bears no comparison to the gifts we receive from our heavenly Father through His Son, Jesus Christ (Luke 11:13).

One of these gifts, as we read in today's verse, is peace: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid" (John 14:27).

Jesus Himself shared these words with His disciples on the night before His death. Although He promised not to leave them "as orphans" and told them the Father would send the Holy Spirit to be with them (John 14:15-18), they didn't yet understand what Jesus was telling them. They were anxious and distressed, and they couldn't imagine how to carry on without the physical presence of Jesus.

Jesus knew their hearts. He knew they were anxious and afraid. And while we can't necessarily choose how we feel, John 14:27 reminds us that we can choose how we respond to our feelings: Our hearts may "be troubled," but we don't have to simply "let" them stay that way. We can acknowledge our fear and still choose to receive the peace Jesus gives.

Since we are always in Christ, His peace will sustain us through every situation life throws at us. First5