Mark 1:14-20 - Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the Gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel." Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed Him. And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed Him.
Jesus started preaching very openly after John went to prison; I wonder how much that frustrated King Herod? If he thought to put an end to the Gospel message, it didn't happen. Jesus carried on where John left off, and even more; and He identified twelve disciples to help Him in the work.
And it didn't stop there, of course. The twelve disciples handed off the message to others, who passed it to others, and finally it came to us, today. What is this message, that's so important God would go to all that trouble to keep it going?
It's the message of Jesus, God Himself who became a human being. It's the message of how God came down from heaven to rescue human beings from the power of sin, death, and the devil. How did He do it? Not by force. He did it by laying down His own innocent life on the cross in our place, and giving us His own goodness, innocence, and holiness in return. He did it by rising from the dead, never to die again—and now He shares that victory over death with us as well.
Because Jesus rose, we too will rise. That's a message worth passing on!
WE PRAY: Lord Jesus, help me to pass on Your message to others. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What are important messages besides the Gospel that people have entrusted you with?
2. How did you pass them along?
3. How do you know that the Gospel message is true and worth believing?
Today's Bible Readings: Job 25-27 Matthew 12:24-50
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