READ Mark 1
Jesus begins His ministry of miracles and preaching and calls His first disciples.

INSIGHT
Mark writes that after Jesus’ baptism the Spirit impels Him to go out into the wilderness, where He is tempted by Satan. The next 40 days are enormously difficult for Jesus. It is not true that if you follow God’s will, you will have a life of ease. Often, the way of God involves circumstances in which we must trust in the Lord and draw on His truth and strength. Jesus was the God-man. Yet His life on this earth was filled with trials He had to endure. And we should expect to encounter trials during our sojourning in this world, but we can endure if we draw strength from the One who has paved the way for us.

PRAYER
Offer your praise to the Lord who transforms us through His Word:
I lift my eyes to you,
the one enthroned in heaven.  
Like a servant’s eyes on his master’s hand,
like a servant girl’s eyes on her mistress’s hand,
so our eyes are on the Lord our God
Until he shows us favor (Psalm 123:1-2).

Pause for personal praise and thanksgiving. As you seek to keep your life free from sin, pray this confession to the Lord:
Be gracious to me, God,
according to your faithful love;
according to your abundant compassion,
blot out my rebellion.  
Completely wash away my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.  
For I am conscious of my rebellion,
and my sin is always before me
(Psalm 51:1-3).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pause to pray this affirmation to the Lord:
“My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, pray for:

• Greater insight into the teachings of Scripture
• The hungry in your community and around the world
• Your activities for the day

Offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
The Lord will send his faithful love by day;  
his song will be with me in the night —
a prayer to the God of my life (Psalm 42:8).