^{Mark 1:7} : Blog Through the Bible Project


And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.  


We live in an age of scrambling for scraps of attention or notoriety. For 15 minutes of fame.


In this world of ours, how refreshing is the message of John the Baptist. 


He does not exalt himself; his message is not about himself; he points to someone greater than himself.


Being in love with Jesus, focusing on Jesus frees one from excessive focus on oneself. 


The work I do–blogging and writing–is a form of communication. It needs attention and readers to be successful communication. But how blessed to do it quietly and peacefully, my eyes on Jesus, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.


Oh Jesus, help me to retain my focus on you through my day. 

 
Mark 1 4-5
 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.


It was the chairos time, the right time for John the Baptist to emerge to public notice, with an urgent message, which had to be shared. And so, despite everything against him, he spoke his message of hope. He was outspoken, to the point that he lost his life for telling the truth about those in power. 


Would the wilderness–solitude, no human companionship 


none of the works of art, civilization, learning, the absence of 


iron sharpening iron, an absence of everything but you and 


God–be considered a suitable training ground for the 


development of a unique voice, which has something real, 


and of urgency to say to the world?


Apparently, it was. Because he was flowing with God’s purposes, and God’s spirit was on him, what he said–repent, and you will be forgiven, someone greater than me is coming–was spot on, and spoke to the people.


And look at his diet. Locusts and wild honey. Protein and natural sugars. Not balanced. But that did not prevent his fulfilling God’s call on his life.


Sometimes, one needs to clear the decks to do what God has called us to do. To go into the desert, figuratively speaking, into silence, solitude and quietness.


To simplify one’s meals and cooking to clear time and space to hear God and to do what he has called you to do.


I am not going to go on a locust and wild honey diet, but I am going to try to eat very simply for a while–partly to lose weight and be fitter, but also to create time and space to hear the word of God more clearly.


Locusts and wild honey–simple food for a season to be able to hear and speak words from God more clearly. 
  

Mark 1:4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.


Sins that one acknowledges and repents of are forgiven.


I’ve heard it said that the longest 18 inches in the world are from the head to the heart. The forgiveness of sins hasn’t yet completely made it there for me.


Here Reverend Lesley tells the story of how the fact of the forgiveness of sins made it from her head to her heart, and transformed her.

‘..when Jesus died on the cross he said the words ‘it is finished’. These words were often used on grocery bills when people paid their tab. In other words Jesus said ‘it is paid for in full’. Now, imagine all of your sins listed like a grocery bill. All your sins, the ones that you feel are forgivable and the ones that you are so ashamed of, all of them, even the ones you dare not breathe.’

‘..now, imagine Jesus stamping the bill with a seal and on the seal are the words ‘paid for in full’.

Mark 1:4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.


Sins that one acknowledges and repents of are forgiven.


I’ve heard it said that the longest 18 inches in the world are from the head to the heart. The forgiveness of sins hasn’t yet completely made it there for me.


Here Reverend Lesley tells the story of how the fact of the forgiveness of sins made it from her head to her heart, and transformed her.

‘..when Jesus died on the cross he said the words ‘it is finished’. These words were often used on grocery bills when people paid their tab. In other words Jesus said ‘it is paid for in full’. Now, imagine all of your sins listed like a grocery bill. All your sins, the ones that you feel are forgivable and the ones that you are so ashamed of, all of them, even the ones you dare not breathe.’

‘..now, imagine Jesus stamping the bill with a seal and on the seal are the words ‘paid for in full’.