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I want to welcome you to Day 2 of our look together through Mark chapter 3 in
Daily Drive Time Devotions. We're going to focus on verses 7 to 12 today, which
are very much what I would call day in the life of Jesus' verses. They sort of
show you the kinds of things that Jesus had to walk through on a daily basis.

And as I read these verses for you to begin our day today, listen for what you
and I can learn about living the life that God has given us to live through the
example of Jesus Christ. Mark chapter 3 verses 7 to 12. Jesus withdrew with his
disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed.

When they heard all that he was doing, many people came to him from Judea,
Jerusalem, and Umia, and the regions around Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon.
Because of the crowd, Jesus told his disciples to have a small boat ready for
him, to keep the people from crowding him, for he healed many, so that those
with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the evil spirits saw
him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the son of God.

" But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was. What can you and I take
from these verses? Just what was happening in the life of Jesus?

They help us to understand some vital truths about the ministry of Jesus. In
fact, if you want to understand what Jesus came to do, you must understand
what's going on in these verses. There may be a few things here that may just
scratch your head.

Why would Jesus do it that way? When you understand what's going on in these
verses, you understand the depth and the purpose and the focus of the ministry
of Jesus. And you and I can also draw some things out in our own life that help
us to see how to live the life that God's given us to live.

Four things we're going to take a look at in these verses. Number one, Jesus
withdrew with his disciples. That's the first thing that happens here in verse
seven.

He often would do this. He would get away from the crowd and go away with his
disciples. Now, why would he do that?

Because of the purpose of his ministry. Jesus came to save all, but he also came
to train twelve. That was his focus.

We're going to talk more about that tomorrow, but he focused on that because he
knew that these twelve would have to carry the message on after his
resurrection. So he focused on training them. Even though everybody in his life
had a need, Jesus still focused on getting away with the disciples because he
knew that that would meet the greatest need in the end.

That was his life priority. As we walk through this, there are questions for my
life, for your life. And the question here is, am I living my life priority?

There are so many other plans that people have for your life, but what about
God's plan for your life? There are so many little things I can get involved in
every day, but what about living out God's plan for your life? What is your life
priority?

Does it have to do with your family? Does it have to do with some ministry? Does
it have to do with your example before others of integrity and God's love and
will in your life?

What is your life priority? First, you've got to come to an answer of that. And
if you've never dealt with that question, I would suggest this to you.

Your life priority is all about the stewardship of the gifts that God has given
you and serving others with those gifts. That's a focus of the life priority
that every believer in Jesus Christ has. And you've got to take the time to
focus that life priority.

Am I living my life priority? A second thing that happened in the life of Jesus
in these verses is a large crowd followed. He tried to get away with his
disciples, but then a large crowd followed.

If you read carefully through the Gospels, you find that Jesus was constantly
interrupted in his plans. Now, they didn't have newspapers in that day, but by
word of mouth, the news about Jesus had carried quickly throughout all of
Israel. Have you heard about what Jesus did, they would all say?

Did you hear about this healing? Did you hear about what he said the other day?
Did you hear about him feeding the 5,000?

And because of that, people from all these different regions we just read about,
they came from all over to see Jesus. There were so many there, there's a word
that's used here, they were crowding him. And that word for crowding that's used
in verse 9, it literally is the same word that's used for the crushing of
grapes.

So many people crowding in so tightly that it would crush the breath even out of
you. That's why Jesus had to get into a boat to teach them. He was constantly
interrupted.

And when Jesus was interrupted, he didn't say to people, "Hey, I came to train
the Twelve. You've got to get out of here. I've got a better plan, a deeper
focus.

" No, he dealt with the interruptions. And then he went on with his plan. In
fact, many times he even was able to weave the interruptions into his plan.

One time when he got away to train the Twelve, so many people gathered, they
didn't have anything to eat. So he fed the 5,000. But he fed them through the
hands of the disciples.

And he trained the disciples even as he was doing that miracle for the people.
Now, if Jesus, who's perfect, was interrupted in living out God's plan, that
means I'm going to be interrupted in living out God's plan. Sometimes we have a
plan for living out God's plan, which means I can never be interrupted.

There is no such thing. For one thing, you have relationships with other people.
And relationships mean you're going to be interrupted.

Relationships do not happen on your schedule and timetable. You're going to be
interrupted with this person's need, and this person's question, and this
person's illness, and this person's difficulty. Interruptions happen in life.

Jesus was able to deal with interruptions and then keep living out God's plan.
So here are the questions from my life, for your life, in the example of Jesus.
Am I expecting and allowing for interruptions in living out God's plan?

If you have a plan for God's plan, which doesn't include the reality of
interruptions, it's a bad plan. It's not going to work. Am I expecting and even
allowing for interruptions?

Am I seeing how God even uses the interruptions at times in the living out of
His plan? And am I, after the interruption, am I refocusing on God's plan after
I've lived through, after I've worked through that interruption? When you look
at the life of Jesus, it's such an incredible encouragement for living the life
that God has given us to live.

I know how frustrating interruptions can be. They're frustrating to all of us.
But they're not there to frustrate God's plan in your life.

They're there to keep you focused on people. They're there to keep you humble.
They're there to remind you that God's plan is greater than your plan.

And they're there to keep you focused on faith so that you can keep returning to
God's plan. Jesus withdrew with His disciples. That's a reminder that I need to
live out God's priority.

He was followed by a large crowd. That's a reminder that I have to allow for
interruption and then get back to God's plan. And then a third thing happened in
these verses.

It often happened in the ministry of Jesus. Evil spirits saw Him. In these
verses, whenever the evil spirits saw Him, in verse 11, they fell down and
recognized Him as the Son of God.

They knew He was Lord. The Bible says that even the demons believe and tremble.
Now that doesn't mean that they have faith in Jesus.

That just means they believe in who He is, but they're still not choosing to
trust in Him. This was God in flesh walking the earth. As spiritual beings, the
demons knew that, and so they fell down before Him.

Now in a minute, we're going to look at what Jesus had to say about them not
telling anyone who He was. But even before we look at that, just the fact that
the demons were there, that the spiritual reality of evil was present and is
made clear to us in the Gospels is a reminder to me, to you, of something very
important about God's plan. Am I recognizing that I'm in a spiritual battle as I
live out God's plan?

We live in a world that sees things very materially, and we have our strategies
and our ways and our plans. And when things don't work out, and I do this just
as well as you, I always think, "Well, maybe it's something about my strategy.
Maybe it's something about the way I plan.

" And we look for the physical, material reasons why things aren't working like
we want them to work. We should. That's a good thing to do.

But while doing that, you and I also need to focus on the fact that we're living
out a spiritual life that God has given to us, and that there is a spiritual
reality of evil in this world, and that the evil one doesn't want you to live
out that good life. You're in a battle. You're in a battle.

Now, don't be afraid in that battle. Greater is He who is in you than He who is
in the world. We're going to be victorious in the battle.

But to not recognize that I'm in a spiritual battle means I don't use the
spiritual weapons that I have, the weapons of faith and of prayer and of
righteousness and of trust in God. If you try to fight all of your battles just
using your scheduling tools, just using your reasoning powers, you're not going
to win when it comes to spiritual battles. You've got to use spiritual weapons
when it comes to spiritual battles.

Are you recognizing that you're living in a spiritual battle as you live out
God's plan? Are you talking to God about His plan? Are you asking for faith?

Are you recognizing that even though there is evil, God is greater and He's
going to work even in the midst of the evil? And then a fourth thing happens
that to me is a reminder of how you and I live out God's plan as well in the
life of Jesus in these verses. He says something to those demons.

He says, "Don't tell anyone who I am. " Why did He say this? Well, for one
reason, He didn't want testimonies about Him coming from demons.

That didn't make any sense at all. But there's a deeper reason here. Because
demons were not the only ones to whom Jesus said this.

You might remember in reading through the Gospels that He also says it to
several people whom He heals. Don't tell anyone about this. Don't tell anyone
who I am.

Jesus knew His purpose. And we saw at the beginning of this chapter that the
more the news of Jesus's power got out, the more determined the religious
leaders were to kill Him. It was not yet time for Jesus to go to the cross.

And He knew if this news got out too quickly, the timetable for Him going to the
cross would be accelerated. He knew God's plan, but He also understood God's
timetable. And so He told these demons not to tell and He told people not to
tell.

Here's the question for me and for you in God's plan in these verses. Am I
trusting God for His timetable in His plan? Now, I recognize that you and I
aren't Jesus.

And Jesus had a very clear understanding of God's timetable. You and I, we often
don't have quite as clear an understanding of God's timetable. And the only way
I know it is by when God opens doors and when He doesn't allow doors to be
opened.

And sometimes I think it's my fault that the door wasn't open, but the truth of
the matter is when God wants to open a door, He will open a door. If I don't go
through it, somebody else will, but He'll open that door. So the question is, am
I trusting God for His timetable with His plan?

If it's my plan, then it's all about my timetable, but it's not my plan that I
want to live out in life. It is His plan. There are things in your life right
now, my life too, where I wish it were happening more quickly.

I wish it would have happened maybe even years ago. Are you trusting God for His
timetable and His plan? He knows when you're going to be ready.

He knows when the people are going to be ready. He knows when the right time for
that ministry, that service to be done is. Trust Him with His timetable.

Recognize that you're living in a spiritual battle as you live out God's plan.
Allow for the reality of interruptions in living out God's plan, and then keep
your focus on God's plan in the midst of it all. Let's talk to God about that
right now for a few minutes as we close this day together.

And just in prayer, just ask God these questions. Jesus, am I focusing on your
plan right now? If I'm not, help me to focus.

If I am, help me to rejoice. Jesus, am I allowing for interruptions? I'm
frustrated right now.

I ask you for peace and help me to realize how you can use the interruptions.
Jesus, am I recognizing that I'm in a spiritual battle as I live out your plan?
In that spiritual battle right now, I ask for spiritual strength, the strength
of your spirit in my life.

And Jesus, am I trusting you for your timetable? It's so hard to be patient.
It's so hard to wait, but I do know that you know the right time.

And when the right time comes, I pray you'd give me the faith to act, to move
ahead as quickly as you are asking. Help me to trust you for your timing in your
plan. In Jesus' name I pray this, amen.

Well join us tomorrow. We're going to look at some exciting truths that grow out
of Jesus' calling of the twelve apostles.