Saturday 16 Aug 2014

August 16: Mark 1:1-8

Key Verse: Mark 1:4
John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.

Devotion:
John the Baptist was given a role by God and that was to fulfil the promise of the prophet Isaiah who had said that there would be one who came to prepare people for the coming of Jesus Christ. He obeyed God and did what was required by God. To many people this would not have seemed like a normal thing to do, to go out into the wilderness to preach about asking for forgiveness and giving up the old life and taking on the new life with God. Why should he be asked to do that when there were synagogues in towns? To escape from the old life and allow the new life to blossom!

If we do want to be able to change the way we live life with Christ then we should be willing to give up the old life and move to this new life. I know that I have struggled with this in my past because I could not understand why I should have to move away from all that I had until it struck me that all that I had was keeping me away from getting to know God better. It was my old life that continually took me away from being with God in the way that He wanted instead of the way that I wanted it to happen.

John took people out of their normal lives into a place where people would only have God for protection. This was what God did to the people when Moses led them out of Egypt; He told Moses which way to go through the desert so that the people would be separated from their old lives, the lives they felt comfortable in and into a strange situation. If you want to be able to be with God then maybe it is time for you to go to a strange place where you will be alone with God.

It is not necessarily about being alone in the desert like Jesus was when Satan tempted Him, but may well be you just getting away from what you call home and being with other people who want to be with God as well. It may well be that you have to give up normal home comforts so that you can get to know what God wants in your life instead of what you want in your life. Trust God, He knows what He is doing!

Points to Ponder:
Are you ready to listen?

Will you listen to life or to God?