(Translated version, original article written in Chinese by Pastor Mickey Hsiao)

Worship

By singing praises and hymns, awake your soul, open your heart to the Lord, and prepare yourself to welcome the presence of God and receive the Word of God that will be given to you.

Thanksgiving

Petition with thanksgiving to God for a wonderful day and pray sincerely for a focused Scripture reading time! (Do not rush into reading the Bible without starting with prayers!) (e.g., you may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what will you be speaking to me today?)

Scripture Reading

Get the following items ready in advance: your devotional notebook, paper, pen, and/or electronic devotional articles so that you can easily write down the Bible verses, questions, and thoughts you have noticed! You are encouraged to open your Bible and vocally read out the scriptures (Try to practice this reading method daily or once a week)!

Scripture Reading: Mark Ch. 11 (ESV)

Meditation

Take a moment to quietly reflect on today’s Scriptures. Through such exercises, let God’s Word be gradually written into our hearts and be inscribed to our mind.

Devotional

Read the devotional articles prepared by CBCLWA (*Read the Bible first before reading any devotional materials.)

(vv.1-15) Many people are familiar with the account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, how he sent his disciples to retrieve a colt in an unexpected way. As he rode the colt into the city, “many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!’” 

 “Hosanna” originally means “save” or “savior”. The word is used here as a shout of praise. In addition, the proclamation, “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”, expressed the anticipation by the people of that time of the eminent arrival of the Messiah as the Old Testament prophesied, a king who would come to restore Israel. As for us today, we have all the more reason to raise our voice in praise as a people who are brought into the kingdom of God by the salvation through Jesus. We long even more for the return of Jesus. Let us remember take a moment to give praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus! 

(vv.12-21) When Jesus comes again, He will bring righteous judgment, like when he cursed the fig tree that had leaves but no fruit. The cursing of the fig tree reminds us of the need to live a spiritual life that bears fruit. But more importantly, the leafy fig tree with no fruit warns us against superficial expressions of piety while the heart is full of malice. God detests and curses a spiritually deceitful life!  

In the temple, Jesus was exceptionally angered at the sight of people turning God’s house of prayer into a marketplace. There are two lessons here for us to always keep in mind. The first pertains to how we regard our physical place of worship – the sanctuary. It ought to be set apart as holy. Not only should it be clean and orderly, how the sanctuary is used should also be pure. The second lesson applies to the people using the sanctuary, namely us. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Our bodies serve as temples of the Holy Spirit, and therefore must be set apart as holy and kept pure. Any violations of its sanctity in the sight of God must be rectified and made clean. 

We ought to remind ourselves to apply the principle of holiness in how we treat our place of worship and prayer. Similarly, we ought to take care in how we treat our bodies so that we may better glorify God! 

(vv.22-26) After the disciples saw the fig tree Jesus cursed had withered, Jesus began to teach them about having faith in prayer. Jesus told his disciples that “whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” The key to understanding these words lies in these three things: 

• To whom you are praying: Pray to a God who moves mountains. Every time you pray, elevate Him to the highest place, then sincerely bring your request before Him. 
• Faith and Forgiveness: Pray with a faithful and repentant heart. When you pray, bring not only faith, but also search your heart as you approach God.  
• The result of prayer: The desired outcome of every prayer ought to be “God’s will be done.” May Jesus’ prayer at Gethsemane and when he prayed on the cross, “It is finished,” teach us to pray for the right things.  

(vv.27-33) When the religious leaders questioned Jesus’ authority, Jesus responded by asking them, “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” They were afraid to answer Jesus’ question directly. If they answered, “From heaven,” then they would be indirectly admitting that Jesus’ authority was also from heaven. Yet they could not answer, “From man,” for they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” When dealing with skeptics who deny the truth even when confronted with the facts, Jesus’ response was, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” 

Remember how John described Jesus? The Jesus standing in front of them was the same Jesus about whom John had proclaimed, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” 

Pray

Give thanks to God for His enabling us to read the Scriptures and for our response for living out the Word of God today! (e.g., You may start with a simple prayer like this: “Dear Lord, what/where are you going to lead me to today?”)