Very Early In the Morning...

One of the key points about Jesus' ministry was His prayer time with His heavenly Father.  We read in Mark 1:35  "Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray." (NLT) In the NIV we read, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went to a solitary place, where he prayed." (NIV)  Jesus' day started EARLY and IN PRAYER.  As followers of Jesus our days must start with prayer.  Otherwise, the tone for the day will be set with a direction based in the world.  Jesus was (and is!) the Son of God, and yet He found it necessary to start the day -- very early with His Heavenly Father.  As we read on in the text we find that Simon and the other disciples came and offered Jesus the world's agenda---"Everyone is looking for you!"  You bet they were!  Jesus had healed the sick, cast out demons and taught with an authority that none of them had ever experienced the day before.  Everyone wanted more of that.  Undoubtedly, they would have established a "megachurch" in Capernaum, and people could have come from miles around to experience Jesus' amazing teaching and miracles.

But Jesus had prayed.  Jesus had listened and shared with His Heavenly Father, so when the crowd said, "We want some more of that, Jesus!"  Jesus said, "Let's go somewhere else, to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also.  That's why I have come."  Jesus remembered His mission--to share the gospel throughout Israel, to equip the disciples, to die on the cross.  While a megachurch in Capernaum would have drawn many, that was NOT Jesus' purpose in coming.  He remembered His purpose, because He got up early and focused on His Heavenly Father--FIRST.  We would all do well, whatever time we rise to do the same.  After all, the only way to put Jesus first--is to PUT JESUS FIRST!