When people are real about how difficult it is to change themselves, no matter how hard they try, it can be helpful to remember that God is the agent and power behind any lasting change in us.
Pay attention. Watch closely. How is the Trinity bringing about a Kingdom life in you?
As a community, we will pray through the book of Mark in 2014 and notice how Jesus interacts with his Father, with the Holy Spirit, and with others. We will watch how he transforms hopeless, helpless, brokenhearted, sick, hungry and imprisoned people and situations. He is willing to form an utterly new and radical Kingdom life within us. Let’s join him.
Mark 1:1-8 The Message
The good news of Jesus Christ—the Message!—begins here, following to the letter the scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
Watch closely: I’m sending my preacher ahead of you;
He’ll make the road smooth for you.
Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!
4-6 John the Baptizer appeared in the wild, preaching a baptism of life-change that leads to forgiveness of sins. People thronged to him from Judea and Jerusalem and, as they confessed their sins, were baptized by him in the Jordan River into a changed life. John wore a camel-hair habit, tied at the waist with a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild field honey.
7-8 As he preached he said, “The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will change your life. I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out.”
For Reflection and Prayer:
Lord, what are you pointing at for me in this passage?
How is my heart being spoken to at this moment?
Where might this word intersect with my life right now?
What change do I long for God’s Spirit to work in me?