What Jesus Prioritized
by Bro. James Scott
05/16/2023
Mark 1:31-38 - “And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
A While back Rebekah and I saw a video that illustrated the importance of priorities. A man placed a jar on a table. He then dumped a bag of golf balls inside of the jar. On each golf ball, he had different things written down. For example, he wrote spouse, children, walk with God, etc. He then asked the audience if the jar was full. After asking the question, he poured pebbles into the jar. The pebbles filled in a lot of the space in between the golf balls. These pebbles represent things in our lives that have a decent amount of importance. For example, money, our car, our house, etc. And once again, he asked the question, “Is the jar full?” To finish it off, he then pours a bag of sand into the jar. The sand represents all the little things that are not very important in our lives. For example, watching a movie, playing sports, etc.
The lesson in the illustration is this: If we put the golf balls in first, then the pebbles, and the sand last, we will have enough space for everything. But if we put the sand in first, then the pebbles, and the golf balls last, we won’t be able to fit all the golf balls inside the jar. Therefore, it is important to prioritize the most important things in our lives. When we do not, the important things get left out.
As Christians, there are many things that God wants us to prioritize. However, those things tend to be left out. In Mark 1, we get a glimpse into what Jesus found to be a priority. Jesus has just come from the synagogue where He taught and cast out an unclean spirit. He is now in Peter's house. Peters’ mother-in-law lay sick and they asked Jesus to come and heal her, and He did. In the next few verses, you see three things that Jesus prioritized. If Jesus thought these things were important enough to prioritize, we should do the same.
1. Jesus Prioritized People
vs. 34, “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.”
2. Jesus Prioritized Prayer
vs. 35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
3. Jesus Prioritized Preaching
vs. 38, “And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
As Christians, we need to ask ourselves these questions:
Do we prioritize these things in our lives?
Do we find ourselves trying hard to serve others like Jesus did?
Do we find ourselves prioritizing prayer time?
Lastly, do we prioritize getting the gospel to a lost soul?
Today, let's do our best to prioritize the things that Jesus prioritized.
05/16/2023
Mark 1:31-38 - “And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that were diseased, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. And Simon and they that were with him followed after him. And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee. And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
A While back Rebekah and I saw a video that illustrated the importance of priorities. A man placed a jar on a table. He then dumped a bag of golf balls inside of the jar. On each golf ball, he had different things written down. For example, he wrote spouse, children, walk with God, etc. He then asked the audience if the jar was full. After asking the question, he poured pebbles into the jar. The pebbles filled in a lot of the space in between the golf balls. These pebbles represent things in our lives that have a decent amount of importance. For example, money, our car, our house, etc. And once again, he asked the question, “Is the jar full?” To finish it off, he then pours a bag of sand into the jar. The sand represents all the little things that are not very important in our lives. For example, watching a movie, playing sports, etc.
The lesson in the illustration is this: If we put the golf balls in first, then the pebbles, and the sand last, we will have enough space for everything. But if we put the sand in first, then the pebbles, and the golf balls last, we won’t be able to fit all the golf balls inside the jar. Therefore, it is important to prioritize the most important things in our lives. When we do not, the important things get left out.
As Christians, there are many things that God wants us to prioritize. However, those things tend to be left out. In Mark 1, we get a glimpse into what Jesus found to be a priority. Jesus has just come from the synagogue where He taught and cast out an unclean spirit. He is now in Peter's house. Peters’ mother-in-law lay sick and they asked Jesus to come and heal her, and He did. In the next few verses, you see three things that Jesus prioritized. If Jesus thought these things were important enough to prioritize, we should do the same.
1. Jesus Prioritized People
vs. 34, “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.”
2. Jesus Prioritized Prayer
vs. 35, “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
3. Jesus Prioritized Preaching
vs. 38, “And he said unto them, Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also: for therefore came I forth.”
As Christians, we need to ask ourselves these questions:
Do we prioritize these things in our lives?
Do we find ourselves trying hard to serve others like Jesus did?
Do we find ourselves prioritizing prayer time?
Lastly, do we prioritize getting the gospel to a lost soul?
Today, let's do our best to prioritize the things that Jesus prioritized.
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