Morning Devotion January 20,
2024
Biblical Reference Mark
1:14-20
·
In what season of life are you right now? What
have you been doing?
·
If someone intervenes to you while you are doing
something or you are in such a season of your life, would lend your ear and pay
attention?
Read Mark 1:14-20
In the passage that we read,
there is a place called Galilee where Jesus went and proclaimed the good news
of God, for the time was fulfilled and there is a need to repent and believe in
the good news for the Kingdom of God is near.
What do you think are the
Galileans doing when Jesus was proclaiming?
The Galileans are doing their
daily routine and their lifestyles and livelihoods. For example, fishing. In
verse 16 says, “Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother casting a net into the sea- for they were fishermen.”
What is the relevance of
this in our lives?
The message of our devotion
today is that Jesus has a call to all the people while doing their personal
things. And when Jesus calls, there is a need for our response.
What was the call?
In verse 17 says, “And Jesus said
to them, follow me and I will make you fish for people.”
Every person matters to God and there is a
call for discipleship. A discipleship has something to do with a person's
repentance and belief on Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again for
one’s salvation.
Three years ago,
when I was about to enroll for the second semester of my first year in the
College of Nursing, God called me to his ministry.
Florence
Nightingale was the founder of Modern Nursing. She heard a call from God to
help those wounded soldiers from the war. While I was studying the nursing
theory, there was a question in my mind, I asked the Lord, “Am I here for the
physical nurturing of people or you are calling me for spiritual nursing?”
During my
personal devotion, the answer that I received from God is found in James 4:15
“Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this
or that.”
I believe that
it is the will of God for me to become part of his ministry. Besides becoming a
full-time deaconess, there is a great call for all those who believe in God for
discipleship.
What would be the response?
It would be an immediate
response of Obedience. And obedience requires self-denial.
In verse 18 says
“And immediately they left their nets and followed him. Verse 19 says “As
he went little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who
were in their boat mending the nets.” Verse 20 says, “Immediately he
called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.”
Simon, Andrew, James, John, and the like
surrendered their lives to Jesus. They left their old lives to follow Jesus,
they obey and deny themselves for the sake of the call.
Mark 8:34 “He
called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, If any want to become my
followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Obedience with
self-denial can be a challenge for all of us. But we can be sure that it's all
worth it to follow Jesus and do God’s will.
Before, I had
believed that when I pursue nursing it would be a great help for me to provide
for my family. But God made me realize that His will and plan are far greater
and better than mine.
I quit nursing
and shifted to the deaconess program even though some people said that it was a
loss of opportunity. But our Almighty God assured me in Mark 8:35 “For those
who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my
sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
We have nothing to boast about us
being here today, but we are to testify on our call for discipleship so that
the Good News will be proclaimed, and many will come to repentance and believe
in Jesus Christ.
And our response to God's call
will always be obedience with self-denial.
Let us take up our cross daily
and follow Jesus completely.
Prayer of
Obedience in Psalms
Pslam 119:57-58
57The Lord is my
portion;
I promise to keep
your word.
58 I implore your
favor with all my heart;
be gracious to me
according to your promise.
Psalm 23
The Divine
Shepherd
A Psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside
still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in
right paths
for his name’s
sake.
4 Even though I
walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil,
for you are with
me;
your rod and your
staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a
table before me
in the presence of
my enemies;
you anoint my head
with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness
and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my
life,
and I shall dwell
in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
AMEN.
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