TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
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 prayed. Mark 1:35
Listen: Mark 1
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Jesus spent a lot of time praying. Although he had plenty to do, he regularly snuck away and found time to connect with his heavenly Father.
We are a distracted people. We allow our phones, work, and relationships to distract us and set the agenda for our lives. Jesus knew what it was like to have distractions and demands on him. The way he responds gives us a pattern to help us focus on God’s purpose for our lives. This pattern was intentional—he started his day early, limited the distractions and prayed.
As we think about Jesus’ prayer life this week, we may feel guilty about how little time we spend in prayer. We all probably have room to grow. But know that God doesn’t merely want us to pray a certain number of times a day. He wants a relationship with and has a plan for us. Not just a plan for where we should work, who we should date/marry, or how we should use our money. He has an even bigger plan. One to mold us a little each day more into the likeness of Jesus and use us to bless others around us.
This week, let’s humble ourselves before the Creator of the universe and focus on becoming more like him as we follow his purpose for our lives.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
As we head into this week of focused prayer, begin with a prayer of submission. With your hands open in front of you, pray something like this, “God may this week be yours. Help me to submit my agenda to yours and open my eyes to see how I can be more like you this week. Amen.”
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
