Mark 1

Jesus called out, "Follow me!"
So Simon and Andrew left their nets.
They didn't "need" to change their career and livelihood.
But something about this opportunity was intriguing to them.
They watch as this Rabbi Jesus preached the Word of God with authority.
It was almost as if He was the Word in the flesh.
He preached and casted out demons.
A man that drives out demons?
This news was drawing in crowds.
When He was done they left.
But He did not confine his ministry to a building.
It continued in people's homes.
It continued in people's hearts.
Simon's mother-in-law laid sick in bed with a fever.
They told Jesus of her condition.
"She's sick," that's all they said.
What would they gain from telling Jesus? 
Did they hope he would heal her? 
Were they too afraid to ask him to do so?
Or maybe they told Jesus to stay away and not get sick.
Nonetheless Jesus knew their hearts
He knew their unspoken prayers.
So
He went by her.
He took her by the hand and helped her up.
He healed her.

Jesus heals.
But did you also know that He takes you by the hand to help you up?
This was the Messiah, Son of God, Word in the flesh.
Jesus didn't "need" to help her get up.
He could've healed her without being by her side.
But He did it anyways.
He went beyond healing a sickness. 
He healed the sickness of the soul.
He did not just raise her up from bed,
He raised her spirit too.
She rose and served.
She wasted no time to prepare a meal for them.
A meal she didn't "need" to make.
But how could she resist serving
from a heart of love and gratitude?



Jesus, Son of God, came down here on Earth.
He didn't "need" to live among us.
He didn't "need" to die for our sins.
But His heart yearned for us.
Although we give Him nothing in return.
We are His everything.
He wants to be with us.
He saw you and said, "I need to be with you."
So a sacrifice was "needed."

So how do I respond?
To continue to remember how much I need Jesus,
and how He fulfills every need.
But I know my sinful nature will twist my mind
And twist my priorities.
I think I need to be like the world.
I think I need to be perfect.
I think I need to have control.
Or I think I don't need God.

But I need a Savior.
I need to focus on the truth.
The truth is: I am needy.

Jesus grabs us by the hand.
And heals us from our sickness of sin.
How can we stay
lying in bed?


We get up and serve.
Our "small" acts that meet people's need.
We don't need to be a comfort to someone.
We don't need to invite a stranger to our home.
We don't need to serve the poor.
We don't need to go outside our comfort zone.
Which are all true if we were selfish
But the needy know what they've been saved from.
The needy know the sickness of the soul.
This small act might be all they need for someone to see their need for God.

See your neediness
And see how this Jesus, Messiah, Son of God will meet you hand in hand 
to meet your needs and those around you.




Huh... did I accidentally make a chiasm? Maybe not the whole thing, but it does begin with the calling of disciples and ends with what we're called to do as disciples. Anyways, I did not "need" to write this whole thing (haha, get it). Mark 1:30-31 was the verse that changed my view on Jesus. This small action of Jesus helping her up was so impactful me. I understood Jesus to be Lord, Savior, Messiah, but now I saw Him truly as Love. As I was reflecting on this verse I wanted to see what happened beforehand, so I wrote my thoughts on those verses and then this whole thing came to be. I just wanted to reflect on the verse that I read during my Bible studies out of nostalgia, but the Spirit said, "You're going to write all your thoughts." I don't even know what this is. It's not a poem. Should I just call it open thoughts? Haha.
God continues to amaze me how His word is alive and active. This verse that impacted me 5 years ago continues to impact me and even more.

Picture taken on a walk at Hilton. I didn't "need" to go on a walk, but at the end of it I realized how much I needed it