November 24th - 29th | Student Reading Plan

November 24th - 29th | Student Reading Plan


Student Reading Plan 

Monday: Mark 3

Key Points 

  • There’s a man waiting at the temple. He has a withered hand. Instead of helping the man, the Pharisees sit and watch to see if Jesus will heal the man. This man is sitting in the Temple which is their church and he is in pain and in need. They would rather trap Jesus then help someone. This is why Jesus talks about the wickedness of the Pharisee’s hearts. They don’t care about others. They only care about themselves and how to elevate their own status. 
  • In vs 7, Jesus withdrew. He did this to recharge. Even Jesus took time to recharge spiritually, physically, and emotionally. If Jesus did this, how much more do we need time to recharge ourselves?
  • Jesus’s own family thought He was out of His mind. Jesus didn’t choose His family over God’s will for Him. Neither should we, we should always place God’s will for our life first even if it costs us. 
  • Jesus reminds us at the end of the chapter that even if our families fail us we have a Chrsitian family through Christ. You will always have community if you are plugged into a body of fellow believers. 

How can we keep our hearts from being hardened towards the people in need?

What is something that you have had to sacrifice to follow Jesus?

Do you practice the discipline of recharging yourself spiritually, mentally, and emotionally?

Application: 

Mark 3 gives us a sobering look at two very different kinds of hearts. On one hand, there’s a man with a withered hand who’s hurting, overlooked, and waiting for help in the very place that was supposed to care for him. On the other hand, the Pharisees are in the same room, but instead of seeing the need in front of them, they’re focused on trapping Jesus. Their hearts had grown so hard that protecting their own status mattered more than showing compassion. Jesus calls out this kind of spiritual blindness because it misses the heart of God entirely. It’s easy to read this and point at the Pharisees, but this passage is meant to turn the spotlight on us. Are there people around us, at church, at school, in our friend groups who are hurting while we’re more focused on our own plans, our own image, or our own comfort? A hardened heart rarely happens overnight; it creeps in slowly when we stop seeing people the way Jesus sees them.

Daily application: 

What are some ways you can spiritually recharge this week?

Prayer: 

Thank You for the example of Jesus, who saw people with compassion when others looked away. Soften our hearts and open our eyes to the needs around us. Keep us from becoming hardened, distracted, or so focused on ourselves that we miss the hurting people You’ve placed in our path.

Tuesday: Mark 4 

Key Points: 

  • Jesus tells the story of the sower. This is to show different hearts and their receptiveness to the gospel/word of God.
  • In vs 21, Jesus talks about how we are the light of the World. Were meant to use this light to point others to Him. 
  • Jesus states that we’re to spread the gospel. So, that it can grow. The gospel not only grows in us like a seed, but it is also supposed to grow inside of us to a point where it can be shared. For something to grow, there also has to be good soil. How’s the soil of your heart?
  • Jesus commands the entirety of the universe. When, Jesus speaks everything obeys. Why do you fear like the disciples? Jesus is in control everything bends to His will. 
  • God’s power should cause us to be in awe and reverence. The King of the universe wants to have a relationship with you and me. 

How do you shine the light of Jesus before others?

How can you allow the gospel to grow? 

Why do you fear when God is in control?

Application: 

Mark 4 reminds us not only of the power of God’s Word but also of the power of the One who speaks it. Jesus begins with the parable of the Sower, showing us that the condition of our hearts matters deeply. Some hearts resist the gospel, some receive it for a moment and fall away, and some let it take root and change them from the inside out. Jesus’ question for us is simple but challenging: Is the soil of your heart ready for His Word to grow? God’s power is at work in the gospel, but we must welcome it. Later in the chapter, we see Jesus calm a raging storm with nothing more than a word. The disciples panic because they forget who is in the boat with them. But creation doesn’t forget, wind and waves bow instantly to His authority. This moment exposes the difference between knowing about God’s power and actually trusting in it. If the God who commands the universe is for us, why do we fear? Why do we hesitate to share our faith, live boldly, or step into obedience? The same King who silences storms invites us into relationship. His power shouldn’t scare us away but it should draw us closer in awe and confidence. When we understand who Jesus truly is, we can trust Him deeply, rest in Him fully, and speak about Him boldly.

Daily Encouragement: 

Who is someone in your life who shines their light for the Lord? How can you encourage them? Also, how can you imitate them? 

Prayer:

Thank You for the power of Your Word and the power of Your presence. Make the soil of my heart soft so Your truth can take root and grow. Help me shine Your light boldly and share the gospel with confidence, knowing that You are the One who gives growth. Lord, strengthen my trust in You. When fear rises, remind me that even the wind and waves bow to Your voice. Let Your power move me toward awe, not anxiety but toward worship, and away from worry.

Wednesday: Mark 5

Key Points: 

  • Jesus once again shows His power. There is a man who no one can control. He is too powerful. Yet, Jesus calms Him. Jesus has power over the man who is possessed. This is an important reminder that whatever you fear or worry about good or evil, Jesus has complete and total control over. Jesus has power over things that man can’t cure such as evil, cancer, disease, and death. Where man has no power, Jesus always has all power.
  • Jesus commands this man to go and tell everyone what the Lord has done for the man. This same command is true for us. We haven’t been healed of a demon, but the Lord has done so much in our lives. He has freed us from sin and done countless other things. Share with others what Jesus has done in your life. 
  • A woman with a never-ending menstral cycle just simply touched Jesus and was healed. She had faith Jesus would take care of her. Jesus told her that her faith saved her. Have faith that Jesus will care for you. Run into His presence when you are struggling. 
  • Jesus has power over the dead. Jesus healed a girl who had died.

What do you struggle to give Jesus control of?  

Why do we forget all that Jesus has done for us?

Why is it comforting knowing that Jesus shows compassion in the New Testament?

Application: 

In this chapter we see Jesus’ power displayed in ways no one else could imitate or control. First, we meet a man who is completely overwhelmed by demonic power. No one could restrain him. No one could help him. People had given up hope, but Jesus hadn’t. With a word, Jesus brings peace to a man who had lived in constant torment. What everyone else feared and avoided, Jesus ruled over instantly. This moment reminds us that no matter what we face if it’s evil, sickness, fear, anxiety, or anything beyond human control we can know Jesus has full authority over it. Where people reach their limits, Jesus begins. After restoring the man, Jesus sends him out with a mission: “Go home to your people and tell them everything the Lord has done for you.” His story becomes his testimony. And that same calling is ours. We may not have been freed from a demon, but if we belong to Jesus, we have been freed from sin, forgiven, and transformed in countless ways. Testimonies aren’t about dramatic stories but they’re about faithful reminders of God’s work in our lives. Jesus wants us to speak openly about what He has done. Then we see a woman who is desperate, isolated, and out of options. She has suffered with a bleeding condition for 12 years and no doctor could help her. But she believes Jesus can. She reaches out, touches Him, and instantly receives healing. Jesus tells her that her faith has saved her. Her story encourages us to run to Jesus when we’re hurting, not away from Him. He meets us with compassion, listens to our cries, and gives us what no one else can.

Daily Encouragment: 

What difficult thing is happening in your life that you need to lay at the feet of Jesus?

Prayer: 
Thank You for the power and compassion You show through Jesus. Help me trust You with the areas I try to control on my own. Remind me of everything You’ve done in my life, and give me boldness to share it with others. Teach me to run to You when I’m hurting and to rest in the truth that nothing is beyond Your authority. Thank You that the One who has power over demons, disease, and death also loves me deeply.

Thursday: Mark 6 

Key Points 

  • What Jesus preached in the Temple offended people. Jesus’s message can cause some to become uncomfortable. This is because people don’t like to hear how they’re living in sin or what they need to change about themselves. 
  • Jesus was amazed at their unbelief. May that never be true of us today. 
  • Herod’s sexual sin of marrying his brother’s wife led him to more sin. It led him to murder. 
  • Jesus in vs. 30, tells His disciples to remove themselves for a time and rest. All followers of Jesus are called to rest and to be remote in Jesus’s presence. 
  • When Jesus feeds the five thousand, at first, His disciples are trying to come up with their own solutions instead of asking Jesus. They suggest sending them to town. Jesus has a different plan. When we try to take matters into our own hands instead of trusting Jesus we often do something different than what He would have us do. 
  • People everywhere wanted to be in Jesus’s presence because it brought healing. Today were blessed because we could spend every day in Jesus’s presence, but we often go a week or two without spending time with Him. We must make it a habit to rest in Him. 

Why is the gospel offensive to some?

Why can sexual sin spiral out of control?

Why is it so important to rest in Jesus?

Application: 

Mark 6 shows us the tension that often comes when Jesus speaks truth into the world. When Jesus taught in the synagogue, the people were offended and not because His message was wrong, but because it confronted their lives and because of who it came from. The gospel is still offensive to many today because it exposes sin, calls for repentance, and challenges people to surrender control. Truth can feel uncomfortable, but it is always rooted in God’s love. Jesus was amazed at their unbelief, a sobering reminder that we should never allow stubbornness or pride to close our hearts to Him. We also see the destructive path of sin through Herod’s life. His sexual sin, marrying his brother’s wife, didn’t remain isolated. It pulled him into deeper darkness, ultimately leading to the murder of John the Baptist. Sin rarely stays small. Left unchecked, it grows, blinds, and leads us further than we ever intended to go. Herod’s story warns us to take sin seriously before it takes hold of our hearts. In verse 30, Jesus invites His disciples to step away and rest. Ministry was nonstop, demands were constant, and crowds were everywhere. Yet Jesus made rest a command, not a suggestion. He knew His followers needed time away to be renewed in His presence. We often pride ourselves on busyness, but Jesus calls us to rhythms of retreat, reflection, and quiet with Him. Rest isn’t laziness. It’s obedience.

Daily Encouragement: 

What sin in your life is in danger of spiraling out of control? 

How can you stop it?

Prayer:

Thank You for speaking truth even when it’s uncomfortable. Keep my heart soft and willing to hear Your correction. Protect me from sin that pulls me away from You, and help me take seriously anything that threatens my relationship with You. Teach me to rest in Your presence. Slow me down when I try to handle life in my own strength, and remind me to trust Your plan above my own ideas. Thank You that I can come to You every day for renewal, comfort, and peace.

Friday: Mark 7 

Key Points: 

  • Jesus quotes Isaiah at the Pharisees. He does this because they only care about looking like they follow God. They follow God for the appearance not because they love Him and they want to be transformed. 
  • Jesus says the things that come out of a person defile him. How do we control what comes out?
  • Out of our hearts come evil things. We have to feed our hearts and minds good things so that it doesn’t produce evil. 
  • At the end of the chapter, the people proclaim that Jesus does everything well. This is true. Jesus is the perfect example of excellence. He is what we should be striving towards. 

How do you control what comes into your mind?

What good things come out of your mouth? What about the bad things?

How can we focus on striving for excellence?

Application: 

Jesus confronts the Pharisees by quoting Isaiah. He exposes the gap between their outward appearance and their inward reality. These religious leaders looked spiritual, sounded spiritual, and acted spiritual, but only on the surface. Their “faith” was more about reputation than transformation. Jesus isn’t impressed by performance; He is after the heart. Following God is not about looking the part, but it’s about truly loving Him and letting Him reshape every part of who we are. Jesus then teaches that what comes out of a person is what defiles them. Words, attitudes, and actions don’t appear out of nowhere because they flow from the condition of the heart. If our hearts are full of bitterness, anger, impurity, or pride, then that is exactly what will come out of our mouths and into our lives. But if our hearts are fed truth, goodness, and the presence of God, then our lives will begin to reflect those things. What we put into our hearts will ultimately shape what comes out. This is why Jesus urges us to guard our minds and hearts. The world constantly offers influence such as music, shows, conversations, jokes, habits, and environments, and every one of those things shapes us either toward Christ or away from Him. We can’t expect godly words to come from an ungodly heart. We must be intentional about filling ourselves with Scripture, worship, prayer, and community so that our lives produce what honors God.

Daily Encouragement: 

Think of some ways you can strive for excellence in your life?

Prayer:

Guard my heart and my mind. Help me be aware of what I allow into my life, and give me wisdom to choose what leads me closer to You. Transform my heart so that good things and, not hurtful or sinful things, come out of my mouth. Teach me to pursue excellence, not for my glory but for Yours. Jesus, You do all things well. Make my life reflect Your character more each day.