Jesus's Ministry Begins Devo

January 5th, 2020

Devotional

“Jesus’s Ministry Begins”

Mark 1: 21-45 

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Monday: “Astounded” - Mark 1: 21-22

  When the word of God is proclaimed it is powerful. It has the ability to comfort. To convict. To challenge. To encourage. To shape us as Jesus’s disciples. 

Some of the first people that Jesus taught in the synagogue were astounded. 

When I was at my last appointment, I followed a pastor who left shortly after he was ordained to become a military chaplain. He knew that this was God’s call upon his life, so while he was working on ordination requirements he was also in training for chaplaincy at military schools. I inherited some of his chaplaincy training materials, including this captivating sign that hung right inside of the pastor’s study that asked a simple question, “have you prayed your way into worship today?”

In other words, have you prayed that the Word capture your heart and attention. Have you asked God to be astounded? Have you desired that God shape you in this way?

Being astounded didn’t stop long ago. It still happens today. The question is - are we praying for it?

What could it look like for you to prepare your heart for worship?

What do you pray for before worship?

Prayer: God, we confess that sometimes we do not prepare ourselves for you to move. We act as if being astounded by you and your Word is something that happened long ago, not today. Forgive us, Lord. Shape and mold us, we pray. Amen. 

Tuesday: “I Know Who You Are” - Mark 1: 23-28

Folks are a little bit in the dark about who Jesus is for the majority of the Gospel of Mark. While this is true for the other Gospel writers as well, Mark points out time and again that the people didn’t recognize that Jesus was the Messiah. 

That is true in this first healing story in this weeks text as well. 

The people miss it, but the demons they get it. The unclean spirits call out to Jesus and ask what he has to do with them? Is he going to destroy them?

And Jesus silences them. You think at this point, the people would start to get it, but instead of seeing Jesus as the Messiah they wonder if he is one who is teaching with new authority. They haven’t seen anyone like this before, but it doesn’t cross their minds that he is the one they have been waiting for. 

The same thing can happen to us from time to time as well. We miss the point. We overlook what Jesus has come to teach and proclaim. We only see as if through a veil, to quote the apostle Paul. But even when the people missed the point, even if we don’t fully get it, the Word of Jesus goes on. In spread throughout Galilee, because the Kingdom of God cannot be contained. 

What is something that we can overlook about Jesus?

Prayer: Lord, help us to see you are you fully are. Speak to our spirits. Remove the veil from our eyes and our hearts and then send us out to boldly proclaim your Kingdom come. Amen. 

Wednesday: “Left Her” - Mark 1: 29-34

In this particular section of the Gospel of Mark, the healing of Simon’s Mother in Law is one of my favorite stories. The woman is in bed with a fever. None of her family knows what to do. But Jesus, when he comes into the home, doesn’t even have to tell her to get up. He simply takes her hand and lifts her up, and the fever left her.

I don’t know about you, but there are some times in my life that I need Jesus to just take my hand and pick me up. When life has me down. When I know that I can do nothing by my own power. I need Jesus. 

The problem comes when we do not submit to this type of authority the rest of the time in our lives. When we do trick ourselves into thinking that we can do it by our own power and might. 

The woman is so sick that she didn’t even realize what was going on. Sometimes we are so sick in spirit that we trick ourselves into thinking we don’t need healing. 

How do you rely on Jesus’s authority and power in your life?

Prayer: Almighty God, help us to recognize that we need your healing. Help us to claim the truth that we cannot do anything on our own. Be with us, we pray. Amen. 

Thursday: “He Prayed” - Mark 1: 35-39

We all need time in our lives to pray. For Jesus, admits all of the people coming to him for healing, even up to the doorstep of where he was staying, he needed to get away. So he went out into the darkness of the night for some quiet time with God. 

Which of course was interrupted by Simon telling him that everyone was looking for him. You can almost hear the thoughts in Simon’s mind, can’t you. What are you doing here Jesus? Don’t you know that the people need you? Get up! Let’s go!

We can hear some of those same voices in our lives - telling us that there is more to do. To get up. That we don’t need that quiet time of prayer. 

But of course, we do need that time with the Lord, for it alone can sustain us for the work ahead. 

When is your quiet time with Jesus? How does it impact your day?

Prayer: God of Grace, thank you for calling us away from the business of the day to find ourselves in you. Let us just sit with you, O Lord, as you whisper to our spirits in the quiet. Strengthen us, we pray. Amen. 

Friday: “If You Choose” - Mark 1: 40-45

  Sometimes in the Gospel of Mark, people get close to recognizing who Jesus is, but aren’t quite there. That was true for the man in this scripture passage. He says to Jesus, if you choose, you can make me clean. He sees something in Jesus. Some sort of authority, but also the power he has. 

Of course, Jesus did choose, but then he told the man not to say anything to anyone about what happens. 

But he couldn’t contain himself. He wanted to go and shout it to everyone who will listen. 

Often right after we have a life changing experience with Jesus, we too are like this man, telling everyone who will listen. But as times goes on, we don’t tell that story as much anymore. Or with as much fire. It starts to fade. What would it look like if we lived every day like the man who was healed? How could our story help lead others to the love and power of Christ?

What do you tell people about how Jesus has changed your life?

Prayer: God, free us to proclaim your story in us. May our testimony touch others hearts and minds all for the sake of your Kingdom. Amen. 

Saturday: Preparing for the Word

You are invited to read and pray this week’s text and topic to prepare for worship: “Jesus Heals and Teaches ” - Mark 2:1-22