SCRIPTURE:
"Now after John was
arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God and
saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near:,
repent, and believe in the good news.'" (Mark 1:14-15, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus?
Actions
of Jesus:
1. Coming to Galilee after John was arrested.
2. Proclaiming the Good News of God!
I asked myself what were the sayings of Jesus?
Sayings
of Jesus:
1. The time is fulfilled.
2. The kingdom of God has come near.
3. Repent and believe the Good News.
Interpretations:
Why are the actions of Jesus significant?
It is interesting to know that Jesus
came to Galilee after overcoming every temptation thrown by Satan at Him
and after John, the Baptist was arrested so that He can proclaim the Good News.
We need to remember that
John, the Baptist was the one who was proclaiming the Good News and preparing the way
of the Lord. John also lets people know that there is more to the
concept of baptism than being 'baptized in water'.
John realizes that he is just a messenger and there will come One who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit. John was preparing the people for a
transition. He did not want people to regard him highly as opposed to
the One who was to come. God allowed John to prepare the way and when
John's time would come to an end, the people could be prepared for the
transition. (Mark 1:1-8)
When John was arrested, there was a
vacancy in the ministry area pertaining to
'proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins'
and 'baptizing those that repented with water' (Mk 1:4-5).
Jesus finally came to preach in
Galilee after John's arrest. Jesus said, 'the time
is fulfilled'. This could refer to what John was proclaiming
especially about the 'One who would come'. Jesus came to accomplish all
that John was proclaiming. Jesus knows the perfect timing when things
need to be done.
I asked myself, what do you think is the most important saying
of Jesus and why?
I think the most important saying of
Jesus is 'The Kingdom of God has come near:,
repent and believe in the good news.' Jesus wanted people to turn
away from sin that was hindering them from being close to God.
This is what repentance is.
It is also interesting to realize
that Jesus does not say, 'The Kingdom of God has come near:, believe in
the good news.' but says 'repent and believe in the good news'.
(To be continued....)
Implications:
I saw different
implications for my own life. I decided to focus on timing. I should
wait on Jesus’ timing for things in my life.
There is an awesome
promise that has helped me a lot.
“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will
soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will
walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
I ask you now dear friend,
how do you handle the T.I.M.E given to you?
Dear friend, many times in life we may feel
rushed to do this and that: 'find a boy or girl friend quickly, get
married, get a job, finish the degree, etc. Things need to get done but
there is a timing for everything.
Jesus set an example
for us. Jesus did not rush in to preach the Good News but waited for the
appropriate timing. Only when John was arrested did Jesus come to
proclaim the Good News.
From Jesus we can learn that there
is a time for everything. Jesus loves you so much and wants you to rely
upon Him even when you feel rushed to get things done. It would be more
beneficial and fruitful when we allow our lives to follow God's perfect
timing for us whether it involves relationships, academics, career,
ministry, etc.
Don't be discouraged if something
you want is not coming to you right away because God knows what you need
and will provide it for you. You are His precious child and He will take
care of you.
“For
I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD , "plans to prosper
you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah
29:11)
Friend, maybe there is something in
the Bible that is hard for you to follow. God wants you to still believe
in His Good News because the Good News of Christ has the power to change
any life.
When we are willing to repent and believe in the Good News,
the Lord will take care of the rest. Whatever your desires are in, don't
give up but take it to the Lord in prayer and seek Him always. He loves
you friend! Yes, He does!
It has been almost 7 years since I have not directly worked with a Christian
fellowship to do ministry on campus. I miss it so much! But, the Lord
has used these years to help me grow in Him and show me new things.
He has given me a wonderful job serving students on campus where I
work as a floor manager full-time. He has also given me a newspaper to
run online to reach thousands each month. He has allowed me to take classes for
free through the company where I also have opportunities to reach out to students with the
love of Christ.
In the past semesters, I was able to prepare sample
final exams and share it with the class through the website. Students
emailed me how beneficial it was for them and they also got to read
God's Word which was embedded within the exam and changed each time they loaded the questions to
prepare!
I am so thankful that the Lord has used me through the
Pittsburgh Standard to help students in their walk with the Lord,
through my job, through my classes, and through facebook.
Even though I have not worked with a fellowship on campus, it was put
upon my heart to have a religious section called EXPRESSIONS in the
paper. In that section, I have shared what I have learned from my Quiet
Times with the Lord.
I
was so touched when a student came up to me and told me during the
activities fair how much those devotional times I shared meant to her.
She told me they became a major part of why she became saved and
born-again. My heart was so excited because the Lord has used this paper
as an instrument to save a soul. Now she is an integral part of her
church after she graduated from Pitt.
I share this with you because there are times the Lord could remove you
from one area because He wants to use you in another area to bless you
and others. Don't resist it but hold on to the Lord and you will be
holding on to hope!
Sometimes the removal comes because of our own sin because we have
not repented of our wrongdoing but continue to engage in it whether it
be pride, being stubborn, etc but even through those situations our Lord
is so gracious and merciful.
Hearing the students testimony not only blessed me but encouraged me very much.
Sometimes things happen in our lives that we don't expect but our Lord
and Savior has more wonderful things planned for us than we can imagine.
He even can bring us back to where we loved to be in. I wait on the Lord
regarding campus ministry but am thankful to the Lord where I am at now
too!
As many of you know, it has been hard on our family since my dad
passed away. It is still painful. My mom says, it was God's timing for him
to leave this earth no matter how painful it is for us. My mom is in a
lot of pain, sorrow, and grief but is so encouraged and comforted by the
Word of God especially reading through the Psalms. Reading through the
Psalms helps me too.
What comforts us is that we know our dad is in no more pain and is
having the time of his life with Jesus in eternity, for Jesus has become
my dad's Messiah too! This comforts my mom too. We cannot spend time
with our dad anymore but we can honor his memory by spending time with
the rest of our family and doing things that bring him honor.
Looking at the big picture, we all know that we do not control our
own time. Our time here on earth can end in a moment of time, when it is
time to leave. We do know the Lord is in control of time too and in His
timing He can make all things new. So what is important is how do we
spend the time we have been given here!
We can spend it satisfying our own desires and pleasures or use that
time to make others happy and bring them fulfillment as we point them to
the Lord Jesus Christ. You and I can do that. In reaching out to others
with the love of Christ, we will actually find our own fulfillment in
Christ.
My dad used his time for his family and always wanted to do things in
the best interest of all of us. We miss him so much. My dad's memorial
can be read at the right side bar to see how he used his time!
The people who were following John
and listening to his teachings must have been really sad when he got
arrested. They spent time with him and can no longer spend that time.
Where were they to go?
Who would reach out to them?
God knew the people
needed a Shepherd and sent Jesus Christ. The Lord wants to be your Good
Shepherd too! Knowing Jesus as our Lord and Personal Savior has been the
best thing that has happened to our family. We do not know where we
would have been without Jesus in our lives. Jesus' comfort and help
during this tribulation and trial has been enormous. His grace and
mercies give us joy amidst the sorrow. Yes, they do!
Jesus' coming is the best thing that happened to the disciples of John
too. Jesus is the
best person to intervene in your life because He can be your Lord and
Personal Savior and help you through as He is helping in our lives.
For Jesus alone can give us the power and transform our lives when we
turn to Him asking Him to take control of our lives. This means we need
to be willing to surrender our lives to Jesus knowing He alone can
rescue us from the bondage of sin and death.
Jesus came to proclaim the Good News so each of us can reach the
Father. The Good News is Jesus Christ and His intervention in this world
to save this world. Jesus also knew the perfect timing to die for all of
our sins that are past, present, and future nailing them to the cross.
Jesus shed His precious cleansing blood for you and me so when we turn
to Him His blood can be the antidote for the deadly virus known as sin.
That is exciting to know friend. I know it is exciting to me that Jesus
knew the exact timing when I would turn to Him. Jesus chose humanity
first when Jesus paid the price on the cross and gives humanity the
opportunity to come to Him. When Jesus absorbed the sins of humanity, He
absorbed humanity's wicked hearts too enabling them to come to Jesus.
I have done that friend and pray that you will do the same using the
time you have to give your lives over to the Creator of the Universe. We
all don't know when we will leave the earth so the time we have we need
to use it preciously because the time the Lord gives us is precious.
No matter what you are facing now,
know that the Lord feels your pain too. When you feel helpless, bring
even that before the Lord for He cares for you. Ask the Lord Jesus
to transform you by the power of the Holy Spirit and He will! In His perfect timing,
He will open the doors as you trust in Messiah everyday!
Lord knows what each one is going through and wants to comfort them
as He is doing in our family.
Yes, He does! Maybe you know someone who lost a loved one and are placed
in a strategic place to minister to them. Take that opportunity friend.
Let the Lord Jesus guide you and lead you!
"Let Him have
all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and
watching everything that concerns you." (1 Peter 5:7)
"Time Is Messiah's Eternity!" (T.I.M.E)/"How
do you handle the T.I.M.E given to you?"
Make this your prayer for
yourself and others and let the background song minister to you making
it also your prayer!
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we come
to you right now and bring our requests before thee. You Oh Lord know
the condition of our heart, you know the times we have sinned and
dishonored you. We come before you and ask you for your forgiveness.
Please cleanse us with your cleansing blood and we will be clean again.
Wash us and we will be whiter than snow. I thank you Jesus! Lord our
life can be so rushed at times. We want so many things when we want them
but I thank you Lord that you do not always give us what we want but you
do give us what we need. You know some of the wants we want are not good
for us and you keep them from us. Thanks for coming to proclaim the Good
News and set the captives free. We do repent of our sins and turn to you
for help and choose to believe in the Good News you offer. We give our
lives to thee. I pray Oh Lord that you would be with those that are not
feeling well and have so much on their mind. You alone can heal them and
restore them completely. We do know and believe you are a God of
miracles. Please intervene in your timing Oh Lord. We lay our requests
before thee and ask thee for your strength to help us get through the
times of pain and sorrow. I thank you Jesus! We trust in you the lives
of those who are hurting physically, emotionally, mentally, financially,
and spiritually. Thanks for hearing us and answering us! We leave to you
all our worries, cares, and needs. Thank you Jesus for always thinking
about us and watching everything that concerns us! In Your Name We
Pray Jesus! Amen!
