Tues.’s Devo - Jesus Demonstrates the Kingdom of God

Read: Leviticus 9:7-10:20; Mark 4:26-5:20; Psalm 37:30-40; Proverbs 10:6-7 Once Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priest, they entered their first day of ministry as priests. They offered the sin offering first for themselves so they would be holy, then they could offer the sin offering for the people. God showed up in a great way and fire came from God to consume the offering. *** The people fell on their faces when they saw the Lord’s fire but Nadab and Abihu, Aaron’s oldest sons took their censer and put fire in it and offered incense to the Lord that he hadn’t told them to do. It was profane. God’s fire came out and consumed them and they died before the Lord. The Lord spoke through Moses and said that these who come near to him must be regarded as holy and He must be glorified before the people. Moses called Mishael and Elizaphan who were kin to Aaron to take their bodies out of the camp by their tunics. *** Then Moses gave Aaron and his son’s a lesson on their conduct. They were not to drink wine or be intoxicated when they entered the tabernacle or they would die. (It makes you wonder if Nadal and Abihu had been drunk.) *** Moses told Aaron to eat the sin offering but when he found out he didn’t eat it he was upset. Aaron told him that he was afraid that it wouldn’t have been accepted by the Lord in light of all that had happened that day. Moses was satisfied with that answer. *** Jesus said in Mark that the kingdom of God was like a mustard seed. Though it is small, when it is put in the ground it becomes greater than all the herbs. The kingdom of God started with Jesus who died and was put in the ground but his death brought about so many followers. *** Jesus only taught through parables so that only those with ears to hear could understand them. *** Jesus took his disciples over to the other side of the lake. A storm came up and Jesus was asleep in the boat. The disciples woke him to tell him they were going to perish. He got up and rebuked the wind and told the sea to be at peace and it was. The disciples were in awe but Jesus rebuked them for not having faith. *** When they got to the other side of the lake they met the wild man of the Gadarenes who lived among the tombs. He was so full of demons that no man could bind. He ran to Jesus when he saw him and fell at his feet. Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit from him and asked the spirit what his name was. He said it was Legion because he had many evil spirits. They begged not to be sent out of the country but to be sent into a herd of swine that were feeding near the mountains. He let them and the swine ran and threw themselves into the sea where they drown. The keepers of the swine ran into town and told the people what had happened. They came and saw the demon-possessed man in his right mind and it scared them. They begged Jesus to leave them and get out of their town,. The man who had been possessed with all the demons begged to go with Jesus but Jesus told him to stay and tell the people the great things the Lord had done for him and Jesus left. *** This man was the single seed that had come back from the dead who would produce many seeds. *** Lord, may our testimony go out and produce many more seeds.