Day 148: Right Away

Mark 1:1-20; 2 Samuel 2:1-3:1; Daniel 1

When do hardships show up?  "Right away" Jesus went into the desert to battle it out with Satan.  Jesus had just been baptized, hadn't even totally dried yet, and God calls him to the desert to test his faith.  If we think that a life lived by Jesus' side is going to be easy and comfortable, just look at how quickly God put his son in the heat of the fire.

There is a theme that runs between these verses and the calling of the disciples.  "Right away" Jesus was tempted and he went, no questions asked.  He followed God's call, even though he knew it would be tough. When Jesus calls the disciples, "right then" they dropped their nets and went with him. Obedience to The Lord is not, "hm, well, I'll think about it for a while and then see, God, if you still want me to do that." No, real obedience is, "Ok, God." If we trust him like way say we do and like we sing in the worship songs, then we know God isn't going to lead us down the wrong path.  He may test us, as he did Jesus, but the point isn't to destroy us, it is to grow us and make us stronger.
That doesn't mean that Jesus was excited about going into the desert to have a throwdown with the devil, or that the disciples had some reservations as they left their boats. When God calls us to do something, we can be scared, but we cannot let our fear outweigh the Almighty's plan.

Abner anoints Ishbosheth, Saul's son, as king. He was not chosen by God and yet he is fulfilling a role ordained by The Lord.  I have a feeling that that won't end well for him.  It is important that we do not try to fill roles that God did not intend for us to do. For example, I wouldn't not make a good principal, so it would be silly for me to try to do that.

Then there's this story about Abner being chased by Asahel. Asahel pursued Abner "without looking to the right or the left" and it got him killed. Maybe he should not have pursued his enemy with such devotion. Perhaps he was so caught up in his anger that he could not stop to consider the consequences.  We need to be careful not to get caught up in our enemies or in revenge. Asahel shows us that it will only destroy us. Good lesson.

The Daniel fast. When people eat healthy, they will be stronger. I've been trying to figure out ways to eat healthier, particularly cutting out some of the sugar that I drink and eat. It's tough. I've gotten used to certain foods and flavors and replacing those with healthier alternatives is difficult (and sometimes expensive). But Daniel and his buddies remind me that giving up that stuff will only make me stronger and healthier. So, this weekend at the grocery store, I will make some changes.