Category: Mark

Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

I’ve shared before that I am a planner. The thing with planning is that it often takes time. There is no “drop everything and go” with good, serious planning. But today’s scripture reminds me that there is a time to plan and there is a time to just go at once.

Mark 1:16 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.  

Simon and Andrew don’t hesitate. When Jesus calls, there is no, “Hang on a sec” or “Let me put my pole up” or “Just let me say goodbye to….” There is a call (“Come, follow me”) and there is a response (At once they left their nets).

Mark 1:17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

Precious Savoir, I know that You gave me the ability to plan, to create contingencies to help care for those I love. Thank You for reminding me that there are also times when You call and I need to just answer, no planning. Help me to know when it’s time to plan and when it’s time to follow “at once.” Amen.

Mark 1:18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

Have a blessed day.

Mark 1:9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.  

Two things immediately strike me about today’s verses. First, in verse 11, God tells Jesus He loves Him and is well pleased simply because Jesus did the next right thing–baptism with water. He had yet to perform any miracles. He had yet to begin his ministry. And yet, God was well pleased because he was taking the right steps to begin. We can learn a lesson there.

Mark 1:10 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.

Second, immediately after His baptism, immediately after His ministry begins in earnest, the Spirit sends him into the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by Satan. There’s no rest, no period to bask in the glory of God’s praise. The ministry begins with wilderness temptation by the devil. But even then He is not alone. He is “with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”

Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for reminding us that we are deeply, fiercely loved simply because we are Your precious children. Thank You for reminding us that it brings You joy when we do the next right thing. Thank You for reminding us that even in the wilderness, You are with us, Your angels attend us. Thank You. Amen.

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.

Have a blessed day.

Mark 1:5 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.  

Again, what strikes me is this sense of community, of uplifting each other. John knows that Jesus is coming after him. He knows that Jesus is the Son of God, fully human, fully divine. He knows that in the hierarchy of holiness, he’s not worthy to untie the straps of Jesus’s sandals.

Mark 1:6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 

He knows all of this, yet it doesn’t make him bitter. John doesn’t try to make himself more to outshine Jesus. He’s shining Jesus’s light because he knows that he is baptizing with water, but Jesus will baptize by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:7 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.

Precious Savior, The world tells us that this life is all about being first, being best. Thank You for showing us another way, a better way, Your way. Help us to shine Your light, lift others up, encourage others. Help us to put You first. Always. Amen.

Mark 1:8 I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Have a blessed day.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 

What strikes me about today’s verses is that even Jesus–fully human, fully divine–had a support system. Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, the disciples, so many others all were part of Jesus’s village. Jesus functioned in community and we do, too.

Mark 1:2 …as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” —

Sometimes being part of community means encouraging. Sometimes it means holding space so that others know they are not alone. Sometimes it means sharing your own testimony of how you’ve seen Jesus show up in your life. Sometimes it means showing up to hug a friend’s neck because there is nothing else you can do. Jesus is in all of that. Wherever two or more are gathered….

Mark 1:3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’ ”

Precious Savior, You know I have a fierce independent streak. You know I’m a fixer at the core, someone who likes to try to make things better for others. You know that I’m an encourager. You made me that way. Thank You for the need for community. Help me never to underestimate the power of showing up, sharing my story, encouraging others, making space, sharing a hug, just being present in Your name. Amen.

Mark 1:4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Have a blessed day.

Mark 6:53 When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there. 

The people want healing. They want hope. They clamor for Jesus. Jesus understands that what He is doing takes time and intentionality as well as a solid connection to God. He knows it is exhausting and takes intentional renewal. He knows the sick will always be there. The sinners will always be there. That there will always be someone who needs a word, a touch from Him.

Mark 6:54 As soon as they got out of the boat, people recognized Jesus. 

Perhaps those are the lessons He wants to impart to the disciples in this chapter: God provides. But it takes connection and intentionality. It takes seeking prayer time and renewal. Because those who need Him will keep coming…because the hope of Jesus is a powerful force. So Jesus’s disciples have to take care of themselves and stay intentionally connected to the Father so that they can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Mark 6:55 They ran throughout that whole region and carried the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. 

Lord, Thank You for the lessons You provide, even when we have a difficult time understanding. Help me to be intentional about reconnecting with You and renewing Your Spirit within me. Draw me closer. Amen.

Mark 6:56 And wherever he went—into villages, towns or countryside—they placed the sick in the marketplaces. They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.

Have a blessed day.

Mark 6:47 Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. 

One of the big things that strikes me in this passage is that even though Jesus sent the disciples ahead and stayed back to pray, He knew what was going on with them. He knew they were straining at the oars because the wind was against them. I feel certain that He knew they were afraid, which is why he went out on the lake to them.

Mark 6:48 He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them…. 

What I don’t understand is that little bit in verse 48, “He was about to pass by them….” Why was He going to pass by them? Did He need an invitation to stop? Should His presence–walking on the lake, no less–have been enough to quell their fear? He was so acutely aware of their distress that He walked out to them. I struggle with the rationale behind “He was about to pass by them….”

Mark 6:49 …but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out… 

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand. Help me not to get lost in those things. What I know is that You love Your children fiercely, that You know what’s going on with us, that You come to us, are with us when we struggle. Be with me as I ponder the things that I don’t understand. Give me wisdom and guidance. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Mark 6:50 …because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 

Have a blessed day.

Mark 6:38 “How many loaves do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” When they found out, they said, “Five—and two fish.”

What struck me as I read today’s scripture was one tiny adjective in verse 39: green (see below). While the disciples are fretting about how in the world they are going to feed all these people, the narrator (in 31 out of 32 translations on BibleHub.com) describes the grass that Jesus directed them to have people sit on as green.

Mark 6:39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 

It is such a small detail, but it speaks to the goodness and provision of God. Five thousand men plus women and children have been tromping all over that grass and it’s still green? God provides. Five thousand men plus women and children and two little fishies and five loaves of bread? God provides. All those daily things that I worry and fret over? God provides.

Mark 6:40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. 

Lord, Thank You for reminding me of your love and provision through one tiny little adjective. Just like You can keep the grass green under all those feet, just like You can feed the masses with so little, You can take care of any need, any worry, that I have. I just have to trust You with it, lay it at Your feet, leave it there. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Mark 6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. 

Have a blessed day.