The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."
(Mark 1:1, 14, 15 ESV)
This starts my study of the gospel of Mark. I love the urgency and simplicity of this gospel. The author by the Holy Spirit records just the bare details of what Jesus did from the beginning of his ministry. Often it doesn't even give details on what he taught instead giving primarily what he taught through his actions.
I want to focus on two important points this gospel makes:
1
This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ. God continued his work in the beginning of the church as the good news became reality for the first believers. Now the Gospel continues to come to life in us bringing us from sin and death to new life. The gospel is not history it is living and active. Jesus has done the work but now he is at work in us as the gospel transforms us.
2
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Now.
And also in its fullness of heaven it is
Urgently coming!
So what do we do?
The same thing Jesus called from the beginning of his ministry:
Repent and believe the gospel
For repentance is a lifestyle not a single moment decision or action. And to truly repent and turn to God and change means believing and living the gospel as Jesus forgives, transforms and redeems us and our sin.
There are constantly ways I sin in action and sin in believing lies that are against the gospel.
The devil is at work to pull us from God. Yet God is near and far more powerful. If only I invite God in through repentance and prayer then God will save me and even through hard things refine me.
God help me hear the gospel truth to counter the lies I am hearing and struggling with now about my loneliness and about my worth. I am struggling to feel my purpose or even in remembering my purpose I feel I am not doing a good job in ministry and personal faith. So I let myself feel unworthy or useless and lost. God remind me of my identity as your beloved son despite my sin and imperfection. God remind me I am not alone with you and the body of believers around me you have blessed me with. Lord I want to repent of my sin in action and believing lies. Help me believe the gospel.
Lord I want to seek you passionately in your word and in prayer but I have not been. I confess this and ask that you help rekindle this passion. I want to desperately and always seek you and rely on you Lord. You are my only hope and you are faithful!
Amen
Well I think God answered these prayers. And ouch having our idols crushed hurts really bad. It makes it feel like it isn't worth giving them up to God. But I am sure God has bigger plans and in time I might see the good he has through the pain. I was thinking today about the difference between idols and other sins. I think idols are things we set our hopes and identity in. For me God crushed my success and relationship idols. I just feel a mild ache and numbness mixed with twisting pain in my heart. God I feel utterly lost now. Please help me to turn and repent and feel your grace and hope. You are my only hope.
ReplyDeleteAmen
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
ReplyDelete(1 Peter 1:3-9 ESV)
I want to remember the great value of faith even in the hard times. As God refines me and my faith I want to remember that our faith and growth in faith are of far greater worth than anything else. For that is really the only thing that lasts because it is eternal unlike all other things.
God thank you for this pain and I pray my faith would grow and I would depend on you more because of this pain.