Dear Explorer,
Read Mark 1:35-39
Do you think that Jesus' time of prayer and His decision on where to minister next were connected?
Why do you think that He stayed 2 days in Samaria teaching them after the woman at the well brought many new people to him, yet, here, He moved on after only 1 night of healing?
If you choose to follow God's direction for your life, you may be accused of being erratic or unorganized or inconsistent. Your life may look unplanned. One day you are headed one way, and the next you turn another way. Why? Because God is always at work around you and He needs you to be available to be where He needs you, when He needs you. We must trust Him to get us in the right place!
If you are going to follow Jesus you can't make hard, fast plans. You must stay available. You can only follow Him one step at a time.
Read Luke 4:42-44
What a busy life Jesus led! We see him in the synagogue one morning, healing Simon's mother-in-law, then at sunset people are bringing all kinds of sick people to him to heal. Look at Luke 4:42 – at daybreak the next morning, Jesus went out to a solitary place.
We've talked before about Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit constantly. Here we see Him taking time to really listen and talk with God. I think He was seeking direction from God. “Should I stay here and heal more people, or should I move on to other towns?” I believe that that quiet, solitary time with God was when the Holy Spirit told Him what to do next. We're told in this passage that Jesus was preaching for a while in Judea.
Jesus needed quiet to hear God clearly. It's important for you to take the time to listen to God. I hope you'll make that a habit and a priority in your life.
If you've never set up a “quiet time,” I suggest that you start with about 10 minutes. Spend a little time in prayer, a little time in worship, a little time in Bible study, and then set aside a few minutes to just listen to what God has to say.
I promise you that soon you'll want to increase that time spent with God!
Read Matthew 4:23-25
And
Read Mark 3:7-12
Jesus spent quite a bit of His ministry in non-Jewish towns and cities. When He says His Good News is for all people – He means it! It is not just for Jews! It is not just for Gentiles! It is to be offered to all people regardless of their race or religion!
In His service, dale
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