Faith & Love: A One Year Bible Reading Plan - Part 3Sample

Today we're reflecting on Mark chapter 1.

The author wastes no time in describing the immediate personal impact of Jesus’s ministry in the lives of people. From the first disciples and their response to the calling of Jesus to the crowds whose hearts were touched by Jesus’s teaching because his words were filled with authority and truth, not religion! A demon-possessed man and a leper are healed, and this was just the beginning. But the most astonishing story of life change for mankind is captured in the words of John the Baptist in Mark 1:8 (MSG):

“I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out”.

John the Baptist says: “real inner change does not happen through the confession of sin only but when God’s perspective of you is revealed”, and this happens when you are baptized by the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ. This is exactly what Jesus demonstrates through His own baptism:

Mark 1:10-11 (MSG) The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.

Where John the Baptist’s ministry made one aware of sin, Jesus’ ministry brought identity and a deep understanding of the Father’s love. In Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit, we can live by the same proclamation that the Father made over Jesus.

What would your thoughts, priorities, decisions and actions look like if you lived with this one personal conviction – that you are His son/daughter, chosen and marked by God’s love?