Encountering Jesus



Bible Reading - Mark 1:1-20

Remember the last time you waited eagerly for something to happen? Perhaps it’s the release of the latest cell phone, or your favourite pop star’s concert, or the birth of your first child.

At the beginning of the gospel of Mark, people were buzzing with excitement too. Jesus Christ, the Saviour foretold by ancient prophets, was finally coming! His arrival would change history for ever because He was not just a man but the beloved Son of God (v10-11).

Pause and chew on this amazing truth – God, the supreme and limitless Creator of heaven and earth, took on the finite flesh of a man. Jesus slept, ate, breathed, moved and hurt like you and me. This transformation is as drastic as a man shrinking to look and live like an ant. Jesus was 100% man, but He is 100% God as well. His ministry (what we do for God out of our faith in Him) was unique, powerful and mind-blowing.

People prepared for an encounter with the Saviour by turning away from their sins (thoughts, words and actions that fail to meet God’s perfect standards) and living a new life in Jesus (v5).

Everywhere Jesus went, He drew people to Him. At Jesus’ call, Simon, Andrew, James and John immediately dropped everything they were doing in order to follow Him (v14-20). There must be something wonderfully special about Jesus that made them abandon all that they had to pursue Jesus. Their lives would never be the same again.

You may have already invited Jesus into your life and are wondering what is ahead. You may have many questions and doubts. That’s okay! We’re all on the journey of knowing Jesus more.

Life with Jesus is fulfilling, with plenty of unexpected discoveries. You can look forward to encounters with Jesus that will stun you, shake you and shape you to become more like Him. Jesus calls us to let go of our old mindsets, habits and values in order to model our new lives after Him.

Are you ready to know this Jesus more? Are there concerns or fears that are holding you back? Pray to God about them. Share your thoughts with your church family who will support you in your walk with Jesus. Pray that God may show you how wonderful Jesus is as you read the Gospel of Mark.

As you spend time on the couch with God, take a moment to pray and reflect on what you've read.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger

Image
If you’re reading this right now then be warned. This devotional to spiritual warfare is a bit dangerous, not to you, but to your way of life. If ignorance is bliss, it aims to destroy that bliss forever. Imagine living in a house infested with termites. For years you never noticed them. Just beyond reach, just out of sight, they lived, they ate, they spawned, they festered. For all those years you blindly ate, played, and slept, unaware of the lurking presence right beneath your head at night. If you live in a house full of termites is it better to know or is it simpler to live in ignorance? If you prefer ignorance, then stop reading right now. If you don’t want to know about the spiritual forces that have been eating away at the foundation of your life and family like termites, then there’s no need to go any farther. Ignorance is in fact bliss, at least for the short term. This book’s aim is nothing short of ripping up the base boards, pulling out the sheetrock and exposing the d...
Read more

Worship

Image
Text: Psalm 104.24-35 Psalm 104 starts and ends with the words, “Praise the Lord, my soul”. The beginning and the end are a proclamation of praise to the Almighty God. In fact, the whole psalm is a review of the greatness of God in creation and, therefore, a meditation on God’s providence. To consider such things, helps us to draw closer to God and worship Him. If we are sincere with ourselves, our daily situations (children, work, news, stress, etc.) can take our attention away from God. It is not easy to just plug-in and worship the Lord. I find myself missing so much of God’s creation, because my mind wanders off to my daily concerns. My wife calls me to really see the beauty around us, otherwise I would miss it. How easy it is for us to be carried away and not once lift our eyes to the Lord, and worship Him that created the earth. Let us open our spiritual eyes, God has revealed through the authors of the Psalms that all of creation is called to worship. It is not just appreciation...
Read more

Fight Together

Image
Stand . . . Take . . . Pray. Ephesians 6:10, 14, 18 The final step in successful spiritual warfare is one that is as critical as the others but it is far too easily missed. The last step isn’t a specific verse or a piece of armor mentioned, but rather a verb tense. When most Americans read the armor of God passage in Ephesians 6, we read it through the lens of our individualistic, self-focused mindset. We worry about ourselves first and foremost. As harsh as it sounds, everyone else can fend for themselves. But that’s not the intention at all behind Paul’s instructions on spiritual warfare. When Paul tells us to stand firm, to take the pieces of armor, to pray, the verb is not in the singular form, it’s in the plural. To use Southern language, it’s as if he’s saying, “Y’all stand, y’all take, y’all pray.” Why is this important? Because too often our defeat in spiritual warfare comes from the fact that we try and engage in it on our own. And please understand this: if the enemy ha...
Read more