Sunday 7 Dec 2014

December 7: Mark 1:1-8

Key Verse: Mark 1:3
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’”

Devotion:
Have you ever gone into a place or gathering and tried to teach something totally alien to the people there? That was one of the challenges we first had to face when at university, to stand up in front of a few hundred people and talk about something they don’t know about. We each had to pick a subject that was not mainstream and to talk for 5 minutes… Nerve-racking or what!

John had been given the task of going into the people who believed the Torah and who obeyed the rules and regulations written down for the religion and yet were not prepared to trust in this human man coming forward as God. They had built themselves up into such a state that they would not want to believe that a simple man, son of a carpenter, would come to be their Saviour. This was what John had to talk about and what he had to convince the people of – to take away their prejudices and move forward with the truth.

How would you go about trying to convince the people in authority they had actually got things wrong and they needed to repent! They were the ones telling people what was right and wrong at the time! You see, we get caught up in our own ways and in our own ideas. We bury the truth behind years of talk and no action. When the action should be starting we find we have a huge hill of junk that needs to be shifted out the way before we can start doing anything. John had to start that movement!

This Gospel starts by telling it how it is and not by trying to pacify anyone or give a history of events or anything – just tell it like it is. This is what God wants us to be doing; telling it like it is and not trying to give the best story we can to make people happen and content. God will be the one to bring Joy and peace into their lives when they accept the truth and walk with Him. Trust God and fall in line.

Points to Ponder:
Are you telling it like it is?

Does God see the truth through you?