- And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Mark 1:10 – Maybe you noticed this while reading the chapter, but we find a word repeated often in this chapter and is used more than 40 times in the short Gospel of Mark. “Immediately.” Immediately he saw, immediately the Spirit drove him, immediately they left their nets to follow Jesus. What is being implied here with the continued use of this word is that Jesus wasn’t procrastinating in the serving the Father how He was called to. You can tell from this chapter Mark is trying to summarize massive pieces of Jesus’ ministry years in short sections, just trying to capture as much of the work that Jesus was doing for He was doing so much. With Mark not being an eyewitness himself to all this, we know that the Apostle Peter was the one supplying the details to Mark to write down, and Peter would have certainly remembered the pace of Jesus in these times. Jesus had a role to fulfill, and He wasn’t going to delay. For us, how often is “Immediately” the posture we take with the calling God has for us to fulfill? Do we set aside anything to fulfill our God given purpose or can anything delay us in fulfilling it? Do we wait to love? Do we delay in showing forgiveness? Are we holding off from sharing the Gospel? The reality is much of the work God has called us to do can naturally feel like something we can delay on accomplishing, but delaying isn’t the example Jesus set for us. Immediately is the example we have. Don’t wait to share, don’t wait to forgive, don’t wait to show grace. If you can follow Jesus’ words now, do it now. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3092
- And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. Mark 1:31 – One of the best ways we can demonstrate our gratitude to Jesus for what He has done for us is to serve Him. For this lady, after Jesus had healed her from her sickness, she immediately began the process of serving Jesus and His disciples. So what has Jesus done for you? Then ask yourself what have you been doing to demonstrate your gratitude for that. Whether it’s serving in some capacity at church or having a strong witness at work, begin showing God your thankful by serving Him. Let Him know your time, energy, and heart are His to use for His purposes. Let Him know your thankful for all He’s done for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 456
- Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. Mark 1:16 – As we study this gospel we are going to see this kind of phrasing come up often. They “were” something. They were fisherman, he was a leper, he was a tax collector. While of course its past tense because these stories happened long ago, it’s important to remember this was also Jesus’ mission. You were something, but now because of Jesus you are something else. For us yes, we were sinners, we were the “lepers” and “tax collectors.” We were those things, but because of Jesus we are something different now. Don’t let Satan, someone in your life, or even yourself force you to carry your old label in your new life. That’s who you were but not who you are. You are a new creation, valued and loved by God. Carry that label. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1610
Daily DEVO 