READING

 
 

MARK 1 : 1 - 20

New International Version (NIV)

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way”—
3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

The Baptism and Testing of Jesus

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Jesus Announces the Good News

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,”Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

 
 

DEVOTIONAL

by

Art Skoczolek

The first half of Mark chapter 1 begins by quoting Isaiah the prophet - "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”, "a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him."

John the Baptist prepares the Way for the first coming of Jesus and His ministry on Earth.

Jesus being baptized by John in the Jordan river, prepared Jesus to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness for forty days.

John was imprisoned; Jesus announced the Good News in Galilee; and as He called His first disciples - Simon, Andrew, James and John - they dropped their nets (left their lives behind) to follow Jesus.

God had prepared an amazing plan for Jesus' ministry - Jesus was first baptized before He was tempted in the wilderness. He shared the Good News before He called on His first disciples. We notice that Jesus was always preparing before executing His plan.

There has to be some time of preparation before any task at hand. For example: Building engineers in the construction industry need a blueprint, which is prepared by an architect. The blueprint is used to plan the structure - all the mechanical, electrical and plumbing placements, interior floors, walls and ceilings etc… Without the blueprint, there would be chaos and everyone involved would be lost.

  1. How do you prepare when you start a project?

  2. Think about your dreams, passions and your calling. How are you preparing for your task at hand?

  3. We wake up every morning and prepare for the day. What does preparing for your ministry look like each day?

  4. How willing are you to let go of areas of your life, so you can line up with your calling for the Kingdom?

Be intentional. Plan and prepare for each day that you are blessed with. Live each day with no regrets. Let experiences happen with a purpose rather than an accident. Prepare before you step into your calling.

 
 

PRAYER plan

PRESENCE

Our supreme value and mission in life is to host God’s presence, abide in Him, & live aware of who He is.