Thursday, April 29, 2021

Mark 1 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God... 

 

We must remember that though it had a beginning, it will never come to an end! That the Gospel (good news) about Jesus Christ is just as much alive and active today as it was back then.

 

I think it’s so cool, awesome, and amazing to think about the Redeemer of the whole world being born in a manger. That the King the whole world desperately needed was born in the lowliest of places. That humility was a crown that He wore from the manger to the cross. That though He is very much above us, He became like one of us to set us free from the things that bind and destroy us.

 

I imagine God looking down on Jesus in the manger and laughing to Himself, thinking something like, “Buckle your seatbelts, folks, because you’re in for the ride of your lives. You haven’t seen anything yet, and you won’t be the same after this!” Thank you, Lord!

 

The greatest gift ever given to mankind was given with purpose and out of love. The purpose was to set the captives free and redeem those thought lost forever; to end death’s reign and control over God’s creation; and the love was the vast and eternal love between the Creator and His creation, our God and His wayward children. No truer love has mankind experienced or witnessed than the love of Jesus Christ that was poured out through His pierced body for the sins of the world!

 

John 19:30 - When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

 

God bless! I love you all, but He loves you more! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our Redeemer that lives, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

Mark 1:1

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God...

I love how this Gospel has a beginning, but it doesn’t have an end! The writer of Mark clearly states that this is the beginning, but no matter how hard you search this book, you will never find where it ends! Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of salvation bought by Christ and preached through the Gospels is eternal and never ending. What was true for those people thousands of years ago is still just as true for us today.

Jesus is the Son of God, who came to earth to buy for Himself peoples of every tribe, tongue and nation! He does not change and neither does His message. There is not a different Jesus for different people but one Jesus for all people! There is not a white Jesus and a black Jesus, nor a Republican Gospel or a Democratic Gospel but one Jesus, one gospel, one way to salvation – only through our glorious King; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Division breeds destruction, and right now, there are so many divisions in the Body of Christ that it looks like a jigsaw puzzle. We have let race, politics, personal convictions, and government divide us. Do we not realize that Jesus dealt with all these things in His ministry? He broke down walls and crossed lines that all may be set free in Him! Is it too late, or can we as the Body of Christ, let’s get back to that today? Will the Body follow the Head?

Ephesians 4:1-6- As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

God bless! I love you all, but His love unites us in Him! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

  

Mark 1:12,13

At once, the Spirit sent Him out into the wilderness, and He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended Him. 

 

So, what will we find when we are in the wildernesses of this life? The enemy, yes, but more than that, I see Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God’s angels out there too! We’re not alone or abandoned in the wilderness but actually surrounded by the best company there is! It often feels lonely out there, but in reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our feelings will lie to us, but God’s Word never will! He promises to never leave us or forsake us, regardless of what seems to be around us!

 

We aren’t bound by sin and death anymore but set free through the righteous blood of Jesus Christ! I feel like some of us are in the wilderness right now, so let me share what the Lord shared with me about the wilderness . It went something like this: if we can learn to persevere and grow in the desert/wilderness, we will flourish in the Promised Land. We may feel like it’s too dry, too hot, or too barren out there, but what He is saying is, “There is water right below the surface. Just dig a little more. The heat of the day may be excruciating, so get up earlier and find your rest in Me! It may look like there’s nothing to eat, but I rained down bread from heaven for the Israelites and will do the same for you!”

 

God’s not absent from the wilderness, but sometimes, I think we stop looking for Him and start looking within ourselves for the answer. We have to stop and remember that He is the Great I Am, and His Word will never fail! Let’s stop looking in the mirror for the answers and start looking to the Lord!

 

Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you…The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

 

God bless! I love you all! Glory, Honor, and Praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

  


Mark 1:31

So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them.



Thank You, Jesus!! To me, this is a play by play of the order in which things should go! Let’s think of her sickness here as sin instead of a fever. Jesus went to her and met her right where she was at her lowest, laying in her sin and miserable. Then He takes her hand, and she has a choice here; she can either accept it and let Him help her up or pull back and stay sick. It’s her choice as to which way this will go, but if she doesn’t choose Jesus, then He won’t force His way in!

 

Thankfully, she chooses to let Jesus in!!! After Jesus helps her up, He heals her, and it says she starts to wait on them!! I think it’s because once she had been in His Presence, she didn’t want to leave it, and the best way to do that is by serving Him!!!

 

It also tells me that it’s never too soon to start serving Him. This lady knew Him only a few minutes, but you best believe that once she had a taste of His love and mercy, she wanted more, and she knew right where to find it!!! Serving Him and His people!!!!! She served out of love and because she knew what Jesus had saved her from. I pray we can do the same!!!!

 

I love you all, God bless, and Glory to God!!!!!

 

 

Mark 1:40,41

A man with leprosy came to Him and begged Him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus was indignant. He reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!”

The willingness of our God cannot be overstated! God the Son’s willingness to step down out of Heaven and into the world, His willingness to not only come to earth but die for it, His willingness to carry His cross and set the captives free! All throughout the Scriptures, we see a willing God, a God who would rather be open to us then closed off. This willingness speaks volumes to me; though God is above us and has every right to disown us, He doesn’t. In fact, He does the opposite, He allows us to come to Him just as we are to be transformed and become more like He is!

We were much like this man with leprosy. Dirty, defiled outcasts, shunned, forgotten, abandoned and alone with no hope of being made whole again. But God! All that was true before we met the willing Christ! The One who was willing to make Himself unclean that we may be made clean. You see, Christ’s willingness here is not just to heal the man but to accept Him and love Him where He is. Christ is saying more than, “I’m willing to heal you.” He’s saying, “I’m willing to accept you!”

He is still saying that to us today! That He is willing to accept us today, that He is not afraid to reach out and touch us and heal us in more ways than one! We serve an amazing God who’s willingness is worthy of all praise! Thank You, Jesus, for willingly taking our punishment and willingly giving us a new life in you! The God of willingness is worthy!

John 9:25- He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

God bless! I love you all, but His love is willing and waiting for you today; will you receive it? Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Mark 1:43-45

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere.

Our disobedience can affect Christ's ministry in those around us. We see Jesus give this man a direct and strong warning not to tell what had happened to anyone. Instead, to go and do what the Law required both as proof to them and to give God glory. Unfortunately, this man didn't listen and instead went out and did what he thought best and told others about what Christ had done.

Oftentimes, we think we are doing the right thing, when in reality, we're not. This man probably thought he was doing a great service for the Kingdom, but instead, he was just causing problems for Christ. The same can be said in our lives when we try to take matters into our own hands instead of listening to His voice. We may think we know best, but the truth is no one knows better than Him.

If the Bible didn't have factual and powerful truths to live by, then why would God give it to us? He gave it to us for many reasons, but some of the most powerful ones are so that we may see the heart of our God on full display and know what pleases Him and how to live this life in the Spirit and not the flesh. A beautiful truth found here is that though the man's disobedience affected the way Christ moved, it didn't stop Him from moving! Be encouraged; our disobedience doesn't stop Christ – nothing can – but it may stop us from being part of this process. So today, let's humble ourselves and live a lifestyle of worship while walking in obedience to our King!

John 14:15- "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

God bless! I love you all, but His love is moving in our midst. Will we move with Him? Praise, glory, and honor to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

 

 

 

 

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