Being before Doing
In Mark Chapter 1, we see Jesus in many places that we can practically relate to. Jesus is baptized. He faces temptation of huge proportions. He calls out to some men to "come follow." We see Jesus face evil spirits and prevail. Next, he is healing many people as he goes. We see him touch a man that no one else will even look at. We see he is left at the end of the chapter facing a lonely place. But, most notably, we see Jesus in a solitary place praying.
We are followers of Christ. That means the goal is that we become more and more like Him. As a result, we also will sometimes face temptation, hear a calling, see great healing in God’s presence, be left out in lonely places, and need to find a consistent, solitary, place to go pray.
To become like Jesus is not natural, it is supernatural. Others around us may not understand us. And we certainly will face interruptions and challenges from others if we leave the crowd to follow and find Jesus in the solitary, lonely place. There will be those who challenge us just as Jesus’ disciples challenged him.
Notice who is leading the charge to find Jesus? Peter! I love Peter because I get him. Peter leads his companions (possibly Andrew, James, John Phillip, and Nathanael), to go find Jesus. When they spot Him, they don’t ask, “Hey, can we pray with you?” or “Will you teach us to pray?” or “Can we join you in the solitary place?” or “What are you doing?” or “Why are you here?” NO! They exclaim, “Everyone is looking for you!” Really? Everyone in the world? Really? I think they just didn’t get the need for prayer. I think honestly, we don’t get it many times. Maybe they were so fired up because they needed Jesus to keep “doing” and just didn’t get his “being” in prayer. I love to serve. How about you? I love to do, do, do, and do some more, but I have learned that all "do" and no "be" equals burnout. Let’s talk about the “Do” Vs. “Be” scenario for a while…
Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he could pray."
To be thirsty for God, to be saturated with His very Word, and live passionately requires prayer. Solitary place praying is not done darting in and out of God’s presence. This kind of praying brings a deep, filling satisfaction to every corner of our lives. With a thirst for God, comes a passion for God. But before there can be thirst or passion, there must be intentionality. For intentionality, there must be conviction. For conviction, there must be the Word of God and Prayer!
You see, we must learn to “be” before we will “do” anything of kingdom value. It is in “be”ing that we then begin the “do”ing. We must sit down and “be” before the Lord. We must allow Him to search us, know us, and cleanse us. We must “be” before we can “do.” It is natural to do things for God; it is supernatural to “be” with God in His presence.
Live it out:
We are followers of Christ. That means the goal is that we become more and more like Him. As a result, we also will sometimes face temptation, hear a calling, see great healing in God’s presence, be left out in lonely places, and need to find a consistent, solitary, place to go pray.
To become like Jesus is not natural, it is supernatural. Others around us may not understand us. And we certainly will face interruptions and challenges from others if we leave the crowd to follow and find Jesus in the solitary, lonely place. There will be those who challenge us just as Jesus’ disciples challenged him.
Notice who is leading the charge to find Jesus? Peter! I love Peter because I get him. Peter leads his companions (possibly Andrew, James, John Phillip, and Nathanael), to go find Jesus. When they spot Him, they don’t ask, “Hey, can we pray with you?” or “Will you teach us to pray?” or “Can we join you in the solitary place?” or “What are you doing?” or “Why are you here?” NO! They exclaim, “Everyone is looking for you!” Really? Everyone in the world? Really? I think they just didn’t get the need for prayer. I think honestly, we don’t get it many times. Maybe they were so fired up because they needed Jesus to keep “doing” and just didn’t get his “being” in prayer. I love to serve. How about you? I love to do, do, do, and do some more, but I have learned that all "do" and no "be" equals burnout. Let’s talk about the “Do” Vs. “Be” scenario for a while…
Mark 1:35 says, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where he could pray."
To be thirsty for God, to be saturated with His very Word, and live passionately requires prayer. Solitary place praying is not done darting in and out of God’s presence. This kind of praying brings a deep, filling satisfaction to every corner of our lives. With a thirst for God, comes a passion for God. But before there can be thirst or passion, there must be intentionality. For intentionality, there must be conviction. For conviction, there must be the Word of God and Prayer!
You see, we must learn to “be” before we will “do” anything of kingdom value. It is in “be”ing that we then begin the “do”ing. We must sit down and “be” before the Lord. We must allow Him to search us, know us, and cleanse us. We must “be” before we can “do.” It is natural to do things for God; it is supernatural to “be” with God in His presence.
Live it out:
- Get UP! Jesus was intentional to go to His solitary place to be alone with God.
- Get Real! We must be willing to deal with our sin specifically if we want to be in the presence of God and receive His peace and power.
- Get Focused! Jesus didn't let the influence or need to please people ever affect Him. He lived on a focused mission only to please His Father. How much time do I waste worrying about pleasing others? How many times do I miss God altogether because I listen to the crowd around me?
- Get Doing! After really being before the Lord and hearing from Him, then and only then am I ready to get going and do mighty things for His glory and in His power!
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