Why is it so hard to see Jesus?

 in Mark 6:45-52 the disciples are caught in a storm while crossing a body of water. When Jesus responds to their fear by walking over to the boat, they don't recognize Him and become even more afraid. Were they so fixated on the storm and waves that they missed the one they called "master." What troubles or contexts cause you to miss seeing Jesus in your situations? Are you fixated on your problems or on Jesus?

Pastor Awesome knows how to solve disagreements

Christians can mistake 'quite' for 'peace.' We often ask those with questions or unpopular opinions to 'hold their tongue' for the sake of unity. The prophet Amos was also asked to promote unity and peace by not preaching the unpopular message about the coming judgements (Amos 7). Amos pointed out that this was God's message, not his. How do you respond to questions or opinions you don't like? Do you listen? 

A Terrible Call to Ministry

Like most prophets, Ezekiel was called to live a difficult life with seemingly little reward (Ezekiel 2). Perhaps driven by a wonderful vision of God, Ezekiel did endure ridicule and saw little to no change in those he ministered to. They wanted to be encouraged to continue in their sin. What prophetic voices do you ignore today? Are you unconcerned with those who suffer injustice like the poor and the refugee?

Prioritizing God's work

When asked to heal a very important man's daughter (Mark 5), Jesus allowed Himself to be diverted by a powerless woman who also needed healing. Although Jesus was on-task to help someone who was in a more dire situation with a more impressive family, Jesus noticed the woman and took time to confront her and provide the words she needed to hear. How do you prioritize your helpfulness? 
 

Saul sees Saul and not David

 David was Saul's best solider and military leader. After killing Goliath and winning the war with the Philistines, David was cheered and loved by his people. This success caused Saul to become bitterly jealous. It seems like Saul projected his own faults onto David and could not accept that David was being used by God to bolster the kingdom (I Sam 18). Who do you secretly fear and envy?

Jesus and the family

 Jesus provides a startling revelation during a seemingly unimportant exchange. In Mark 3, Jesus is told that His family is looking for him, but rather than reuniting with his household, he tells those nearby that they are His family. When we think of the God's family, are we also limiting our scope to only those who seem most like us? Will we be surprised to find family members in unlikely places?

Trying to fit your faith into a religion is like...

When Jesus healed a person on the Sabbath day, the religious community was horrified and frustrated (Mark 2). It seemed like the religious people were more interested in the form of their worship than the person in front of them. Jesus was more interested in  helping those around him than in 'keeping the Law'. When have you sacrificed those around you in order to preserve a ceremony or practice?