Following Jesus changes everything about our lives. As we see throughout this passage in Mark’s gospel, he does care about our day-to-day needs and wants—but he cares far more about our eternal, spiritual condition. Do we trust him to re-orient our desires?

As we begin a new series on the Gospel of Mark, we notice something right away. This reads very differently that the other gospels, even though all proclaim the Good News. Today we jump right in with accounts of Jesus’ baptism and his temptation in the wilderness. Those events have much to teach us about the heart of God.

Dr. Neely is the Vice President and Dean of Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School. He is the author of How to Overcome Worry: Experiencing the Peace of God in Every Situation and is featured in The Moody Handbook of Preaching.

The same courage that the Holy Spirit gave to ordinary people in the book of Acts is available to us ordinary people today. It’s based on solely upon knowing Jesus.

Busyness isn’t always bad, but it does not equal faithfulness. It can be an effort to earn approval – from other people or from God. And, it can rob us of peace and rest. Let’s look deeper into a familiar story from Luke’s gospel that shows us a better way.