And immediately . . .
Read through the book of Mark and this phrase jumps out – “and immediately.”
After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist “immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12).
When Jesus called Simon and Andrew to follow Him, “they immediately left their nets and followed Him” (Mark 1:18).
“Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught” (Mark 1:21).
Jesus healed a man of an unclean spirit “and immediately His fame spread throughout all the region around Galilee” (Mark 1:28).
Jesus healed Simon’s mother-in-law “and immediately the fever left her. And she served them” (Mark 1:31).
After Jesus spoke to heal a leper “immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed” (Mark 1:42).
That’s just the first chapter. Read through the book of Mark and that word will reoccur throughout. There is a sense of action, or constant movement, of power, of urgency. After I read through the book of Mark I meditated on this word and thought about how I might apply it to my own life. There are actions we can (and should) do immediately. When someone asks us to pray, why wait? We can pray for them immediately, right then and there, whether on the phone or in person. When we are asked to serve, why wait? We can serve Jesus immediately. If we are called on to give, why wait? Why not give immediately? If God brings someone our way who is curious about Him, why wait to share the good news?
Do you have other examples of actions we as believers should do immediately? Please share!
Thank you for the beautiful reminder that should sometimes act immediately.