Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I
can preach there also. That is why I have come (Mark 1:38).
In the first three chapters of Mark, I count at least five
times when the crowds nearly overwhelm Jesus and his disciples. Even avoiding
towns doesn’t provide a solution; the crowds find him anyway (1:45). Once four
men cut a hole in the roof to get their sick friend close enough for Jesus to
heal him (2:2). On another occasion, Jesus tells his disciples to have a boat
standing by and to keep the motor running… just in case (3:9). And yet another
time, people crowd into the dining room interrupting a short break in which
Jesus is trying to eat a meal (3:20).
On the Sabbath, while gathering at Peter’s house after
synagogue, Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever. Once the sun sets,
all the neighbors bring their sick and demon-possessed. Jesus works late into
the night, and the next day even before his prayers are completed, the lines
form again. Jesus’ response? Let us go somewhere else . . . so I can preach
there also. That is why I have come.
Without a clear sense of purpose, Jesus could have spent his
entire ministry like a ping pong ball bouncing from crisis to crisis. But Jesus
knew why he was there and he kept the main thing the main thing.
Do you know why you’re here? What’s God’s purpose for your
life?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Ask God for clarity
regarding your calling. There are lots of things you could do, probably more
than one thing you could do well; but what’s the one thing you must do – that
you could do with excellence?
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