MY
DAILY COVENANT WITH GOD DEVOTIONAL
Devotion
for Sunday March 19, 2017
Topic:
Retreat For Progress
Text:
Mark 1:35
Severally, Jesus went out alone to
pray in the wilderness. It was a time of personal reflection for Him. He uses
the period to assess what He did earlier and make a project on ways to improve.
He was always in constant prayer with the Father during His earthly ministry.
Mark recorded three of these times of prayer: (1) after the successful ministry
in Capernaum with the healing of many sick and demon-possessed people; (2)
after the miracle of feeding more than five thousand people (Mark 6:46); (3) in
Gethsemane, just prior to His arrest, trial, and crucifixion (Mark 14:32-42).
What did Jesus pray about? His
prayers may have focused on fulfilling His mission. Fame, being a celebrity or
an icon is a temptation in itself, for it can threaten us to turn away from our
mission. This may be what Jesus tried to forestall by taking time to retreat.
This helped Him to focus on His task and gain strength for that. He had a
mission to fulfil which was death on the cross to accomplish salvation.
If we want to make progress in our
spiritual lives, we must as a matter of priority set out times for retreat. It
may be as you go for a walk, your personal quiet time, or anywhere you choose.
This will help you to assess the way you lived in the previous day (if you hold
your retreat in the morning) and ways to live as you go forth into the world
that day. As you do that you will observe your faults, your strength and your
weakness. This will help you to avoid some previous mistakes and to make
substantial progress in your endeavours and in your spiritual life.
Action: Make plans
for a regular personal retreat and work conscientiously with your plan. Look
for the book RETREAT FOR SPIRITUAL PROGRESS by Zachariah Fomum. It will help
you a lot.
Memory
verse: Mark
1 verse 35
Prayer: Grant me the
grace, O Lord, to always make our time to have personal fellowship with you in
a bid to make spiritual progress.
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