TUESDAY - Devotional

READ: Mark 12:38-40 

(Answer the question/s below in your app notes)

• How did teachers of the law fail to respect others? In what little ways do you have a hard time respecting your teachers?

Have you ever found your mind wandering during prayer? It’s okay, you can be honest. I have too. I’m a pastor’s kid, so I’ve sat through many a long prayer: the animated ones, the hyperbolic ones, the verbose ones. I’ve heard them all. Sometimes when the prayers go super long, it’s hard to stay attentive.

Imagine being a Jew in the first century, listening to the prayers of the religious leaders at the temple. Now those were some long prayers! We know they were wordy and long because Jesus calls them out in Mark 12! Jesus says that they prayed lengthy prayers to show off and boast about how religious they are.

The ironic thing is, those prayers aren’t more special, more religious, or more godly because they’re longer and use words with more syllables. God wants our authentic prayers, whether they are short or long. So the next time you pray—whether it’s a single sentence whispered on your way to school or a quiet moment before bed—remember that sincerity is far more powerful than eloquence.