Don’t Lose Your Focus on God
Mark 1:32-34
Jesus was mobbed by the crowds. Because He taught with authority and healed those who were possessed by an unclean or evil spirit. The crowds all sought him out. The passage tells us that the entire city was at his doorstep. The crowds came to Jesus with their brokenness and said, "Fix me." People who were sick, hopeless, and desperate came to Jesus because he offered a glimmer of hope in a hopeless world.
The demanding crowds came because they wanted something. And, of course, there may have been some people who did not come to capture a new vision for life. They did not come to seek the kingdom of God. They came only for physical healing and not spiritual healing. They came because Jesus had what they wanted most. He had what they could not find by themselves -- health of mind and body.
There are many people who only seek God during a crisis. Psalm 107:6 says, “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses.” For every 1 prayer of thanksgiving, there are ten prayers of demands and requests. God often hears the words, "Lord, get me out of this mess, and I'll serve you the rest of my life." Have you made a prayer like this before? Those who never pray to God when the sun is shining, always begin to pray when the storm clouds come, and when the cold winds of adversity blow. For most people, religion is like a "crisis affair." Those who rebuke God, often cry out “Oh my God, save me” when crisis happens. The remarkable thing is: regardless of how or when we come to Him -- God is there!
But, dear children of God, we must live our lives continuously seeking God’s face. Today we are going to meditate about: making sure we do not lose our lives to the ways of the world. When we go to large amusement parks or malls, our parents will tell us to hold their hands. Why? Because we can be easily swept away by the crowd. Just as we can be easily swept away by the busy ways of this world, and forget to seek God until our times of crisis. Through this passage, Jesus sets an example of how to maintain our focus on God.
Understanding The Nature of God’s Power
Now, there are several important factors in this passage. First, Jesus did not allow the demands of the crowd to determine the nature and purpose of His ministry. The next morning after healing many people and casting out demons, Jesus prayed in a solitary place. Read with me in Mark 1:35, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” When the crowds began to gather, Jesus was nowhere to be found, His disciples came looking for him. Finally they found him and they reported to Him: "Everyone is searching for you." They felt that it was Jesus' responsibility to comply and fulfill the wishes of the crowd.
This is the same mistake many of us can make. Too often we convince ourselves that God will always comply with all our demands. But, sometimes, the demands of the crowd and the demands of God can differ. When you focus on your needs before the needs of God, this can become one of the most damaging shortcomings in your Christian life. God and the gospel are so much more. God needs us to meditate on His word, share His word, and pray. We must seek spiritual healing and nourishment just as much as we seek physical healing.
Therefore, secondly, Jesus calls upon His children and disciples to match their healing demand with faith. Jesus once told the leper who was healed, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19). God calls on us to have faith, and we show faith in God through prayer. Jesus shows us as an example of faith in the power of prayer from the passage. When Jesus was going to meet the demands of His people, He first had to meet with the Father. When He was going to speak meaningfully with the people, He had to first allow the Father to speak to Him. Prayer does not do the task for us, however, it strengthens us for the task to be done.
So, firstly God calls us to focus on our spiritual needs just as much as our physical needs. We may need a physical healing, but God needs our hearts. Therefore, as Christians, we must seek God even in good times. Secondly, God wants us to show faith through prayer. It is through faith that God provides us with healing. (Mark 11:22, Luke 1:37, John 14:13) This is the nature of God’s power. God’s power seeks your heart and calls for your faith. But this can only be accomplished when you give time for God. Many people in this generation are extremely busy. We have school, extra curricular activities, college, exams, work, and families. But, are you making time for God?
Are We Busy Doing The Wrong Things?
In the movie Bridge Over the River Kwai, the British officer is so busy and so consumed by the bridge he builds that he forgets his responsibilities as an officer. He forgets the battle he is fighting, and the human lives for which he is responsible for. The purpose of his life at that moment was to lead his men, not defend his bridge. He became busy doing the wrong thing. We can easily get lost in our thoughts and the busyness of the world that we forget our true purpose in this world.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42.
In our busyness, are we the Christians that God intends for us to be? Are we busy doing the right things? What is the right thing? Our outward task is to hear, proclaim, teach, and spread the good news of God's love for all people in Jesus Christ. Our inward task is to pray, meditate, read the Word of God, and nourish our spiritual soul. We can be sometimes caught up in our school life, work life, and family life. From morning to evening, we are all running and busy with the troubles of life. But understand, even Jesus at times spend hours in solitude to pray to God. Jesus spent many days traveling to spread the gospel, but He always made time to solely spend time with God in prayer.
And I’m not talking about a 5 min family prayer. Meditate in the Word of God, pray whole-hearted on your knees, sing praises continuously, and live as an example of Christ. Many people can become so focused and busy with achieving goals and rewards on earth, that they forget no reward on earth will measure up to a reward in heaven. God placed us on this earth for HIS purpose. Do we all remember that? Or have you become too busy with school and work that you may have forgotten? How much time of your day are you giving to God?
Our Responsibility Is To God's Word
Christians are responsible to declare and spread the Word. Jesus asked us in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” Every morning when the sun comes up, a gazelle wakes up. He knows that he must outrun the fastest lion or he will be eaten. When the sun comes up, the lion wakes up. He knows that he must outrun the slowest gazelle, or he will starve. In the end it doesn't matter whether you are a lion or gazelle; when the sun comes up, you better be running. That is just how life is; a race and marathon. We run from sunup till sundown. Chasing and being chased by responsibilities and expectations. Little time is left after we deal with all of the demands from the workplace and school. And even that little time is eaten up by our community and family activities.
But, even when the sun goes down, the race still goes on. The clock is still running. This morning we woke up and came to the house of the Lord. Let this be a moment of withdrawal from the world. A time for you to catch your breath. A moment to reflect upon the bread, the body of Christ, and the cup, and the blood of Christ. Let God's love for you at this moment become visible, personal, close, and reassuring. Know that our responsibility to the Word of God is to spend time on doing His ministry. Spending time praying, spreading the gospel, taking time to go to church, and reading the scriptures is our responsibility. And Jesus lived as that example.
You have been placed on this earth for God’s purpose. Therefore, it is your responsibility to live for God’s purpose. It is your responsibility to nourish your spiritual soul with the Word of God, everyday. It is your responsibility to seek God everyday, and not only in times of trouble. It is your responsibility to come to church, and give one day of your busy life to God. It is your responsibility to declare, defend, and spread the Word of God. Are you like a crowd that only comes to God for physical healing, or do you seek spiritual nourishment as well? You are a Christian, do not push your Christian responsibilities for another day. The Apostle Paul says, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”- 1 Corinthians 9:16.
Conclusion
Have you ever been in a hurry and had to quickly button up a long overcoat with lots of buttons. When you were done buttoning, did you find out that the coat was uneven? What went wrong? I'll tell you what went wrong. When you did not get the first button into the right hole, the rest of the buttons were all out of sequence too. That is a parable about life. If the Lord is not the high and first priority in your life, then, like the overcoat, all the many other things in life will be out of order as well.
Jesus said it in the Sermon on the Mount: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33). Many people gathered before Jesus for healing, but God wants us to gather before Him every single day. Understand the nature of God’s power, do not let yourself be too busy for God, and take responsibility as a Christian to live a Christian life and to do His work. Amen.
