One day short of attaining three quarters of our goal of reading the whole New Testament to start our year off right! Wahoo! It is a good feeling to see success every day and I hope you are enjoying that same success with me and my church as we stay on track with reading God’s word.
Today, we read the first half of the book of Mark and I don’t know if you picked up on it like I did, but this book has a feel of being at a track meet and we’re running the 200 meter sprint. It’s not a short sprint, not a long sprint, but it is a sprint nonetheless. Wow, in my reading today, I got the feeling that Mark was writing at 90 words per minute (which would be fast for a typist). Anyway, even with the sense that Jesus couldn’t get through His earthly ministry fast enough, it was still a facinating read and one little line stuck out for me.
Here is what jumped out of the pages today for me.
Almost from the get go a text leaped out of the first few paragraphs of the book of Mark and got me to thinking. It said, “And when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!'” Nowhere to be found, with all the crowds, disciples and curiosity seekers searching for Him, the disciples, upon finding Jesus, tell Him, “Where have you been, don’t you know everyone is looking for you, c’mon!” Or something like that.
I get it. Everyone is looking for something in this life. I don’t care what you call it, whether it is self-awareness, god-consciousness, Atman, Brahman, Nirvana, heaven, self-reliance, health, wealth, family, love and lovers, extreme adrenalin rushes, solitude, connection, power, control or any other thing that captivates our focus and gives us direction; everyone is looking for something. We want to be satisfied, happy, content with our surroundings and in control of our future. We want it our way and go to great lengths to find a way to our way that is in harmony with our way or we say “No way,” to the ways presented to us. Way too much “way,” sorry.
And there is Jesus. I see Him sitting on a rock, looking at the rocky slopes of Galilee (I know what they look like, I’ve been there), listening to the birds, taking in the sun and enjoying, for a moment, a break from the seekers of “way.” Their way, the rules and regulations way, the strict food way, the wealth makes me good way, the “feed me today” way, the “heal me today” way (everyone of those healed eventually died), the get me out of this mess way, the leave me alone way, the I can do it by myself way, the every way, any way and no way, way of the human heart. And there is Jesus.
He is the answer. Some could see through their way to see the only way in Jesus. Some caught a glimpse of how it really is, even though they couldn’t understand it all. Jesus is it. He is the way. He is the answer to all questions. Really, everyone is looking for Jesus, they just don’t know it, won’t except it or can’t get over how simple that really is.
Everyone is looking for you, Lord…help us who know you to be honest in our answer for what is the only answer to all our seeking…Jesus.
I hope you keep on track in your reading. Don’t give up! Until tomorrow. Blessings!
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