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In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. 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 1:9-15)
Dear one, I trust you and yours had a great weekend and found time to spend with God. This is an important week as on Wednesday many Christians will mark the start of their Lenten Journey. Tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday, or "Fat Tuesday" when many will eat to their heart's content the very things they may be giving up for Lent, and for some reason pancakes take the top of the list for many. I invite us to prepare our hearts, minds, and spirits for a time of devotion with the Lord as you read this.
Jesus' start in public ministry according to Mark's gospel is marked by presenting Himself for baptism by John in the Jordan River. The response to John's invitation by the least likely of people, namely the Jews, was incredible. Baptism as a washing away of sins had been invented and reserved for those who were not born Jewish, so to have so many Jews line up to have their sins washed away confirmed that the time was just right for Jesus to begin His ministry. Any undertaking, especially a positive answer to God's invitation to be in ministry begins with surrender, and that's just what Jesus does. He presents Himself as wanting to completely identify with what God offered to all people. And to confirm the rightness of that decision, as Jesus emerges from the water God speaks from the Heavens, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with You I am well pleased." And true to His obedience to God, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus to the wilderness for prayer and fasting. A second undertaking by those wanting to be faithful and fruitful to God should be undergirded by prayer and fasting. Many will fast in their own way during this time of year, mostly by giving up something special to them; fasting though should be the giving up of something vital and replacing it with something spiritual. If you're going to give up a meal each day as your fast, that time you would have spent eating should be spent praying or reading your Bible or a devotional book. The emphasis is that true nourishment and nurture comes from God.
After forty days and nights in the wilderness, Jesus was waited on by angels, who took care of His hunger and rest. Now Jesus was ready and He begins with the same sermon John, who is now under arrest, preached: "The time if fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the Good News." It spoke the truth, we need to repent, or turn away from our sins. We turn them over to God and let God cast them into the deepest part of the sea as the prophet Micah said. And we know that as Revelation 21:1 says the day is coming when the sea will be no more. After repentance comes belief and from belief comes service to God and to others.
Friend, if you have felt God nudging you to do something special for Him, begin by surrendering. The fight is over, God has won, we surrender ourselves in obedience to Him. Next, we begin a fervent life of prayer and fasting, worship, study and growing knowledge of what God offers to us to strengthen us. And then, we respond to the Spirit's leading as He guides us out into the world where the needs are real and awaiting our presence.
PRAYER: Loving God, pour out Your Holy Spirit on me. Let me rejoice in knowing that I matter and I count in the work You have for me to do. Guide me to faithfulness and fruitfulness. I surrender to You and await the guiding of Your Holy Spirit; this I pray in Christ Jesus' precious and powerful name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. How will you show your surrender to God today?
Eradio Valverde
PRAYER REQUESTS & UPDATES: Please offer prayers of comfort for Dane and Maria Sullivan who lost a loved one this weekend. Please pray for those affected by the flu. Over 60 deaths have occurred in Dallas alone because of this flu. Please keep yourselves safe by washing your hands often.
For those in the Gonzales area, my Heaven class will be offered twice on Wednesday: 11 am for those wishing to participate in the Lenten services and at 12:10 for those who work and cannot get there earlier. Please spread the word as our class is getting interesting and exciting. Please ready chapter 11 for this week. Pray for all who are studying God's Word today!
