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“Seeking Out Lord Inspires Today All, Remembering Yeshua!"(S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!" Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.” (Mark 1:35-39, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what were the actions of Jesus!
I learned that ‘very early in the morning, while it was still dark’ Jesus did 4 things:

  1. Jesus got up.

  2. Jesus left the house.

  3. Jesus went out to a solitary place.

  4. Jesus prayed.

 Observations/Interpretations:

I asked myself the significance of each point?

Point 1: Jesus got up
I asked myself why is it significant that ‘very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up’ is mentioned!
I found this very significant because this happened after Jesus spent so much time healing people with various diseases the night before. Yet, Jesus still gets up very early in the morning. He does not let the night before interfere with what He wanted to do and needed to do. He did not cling to the bed for extra doses of sleep. Not only does Jesus get up but gets up 'very early in the morning while it was still dark' and  does something else which is evident by point 2.

Point 2: Jesus left the house
I asked myself why it is significant that Jesus left the house?
It is very possible that Jesus was still staying in Simon and Andrew’s house where He had fellowship with them, healed Peter’s mother-in-law, and healed people who came to the door with various diseases. The house could have been packed with Simon and Andrew’s family and guests including Jesus. I believe Jesus does not want to disturb any of them so He leaves the house. We do find another reason why Jesus leaves the house which is evident in points 3 & 4.

Point 3&4: Jesus went out to a solitary place where He prayed.
I asked myself why Jesus wanted to go to a solitary place?
Jesus wanted some privacy so He could pray. The house setting was not going to do because there were many people in the house still sleeping. Waiting for people to get up was not also going to be feasible because then Jesus would not have had privacy to bring His requests before the Father. But this way, Jesus started out His day spending time alone with the Father without any disturbances. For that to happen, Jesus sacrificed His sleep and got up while it was still dark. Jesus exhibited qualities of sacrifice early on.

As Jesus is praying in a solitary place, something else is happening back at the house later. This is evident by v.36.

“Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!’” (Mark 1:36, NIV)

There are two things that Simon and his companions do

  1. They went to look for Jesus.

  2. When they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!”

Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of each statement?

 Statement 1: They went to look for Jesus.

If they went to look for Jesus, this tells me that Jesus was not nearby where he could be easily located and disturbed. Jesus wanted that private time alone with the Father. It is also possible that they all slept for awhile after Jesus left because now everyone is awake and doing something which is evident by statement 2.

Statement 2: When they found him, they exclaimed: ‘Everyone is looking for you!”

Eventually, Simon and his companions found Jesus and exclaimed that everyone was looking for Him. This also tells me that Jesus might have spent a lot of time in prayer and it took sometime for them to find Jesus. The amount of time they slept after Jesus left the house and the amount of time it took to find Jesus can give us the idea how much time Jesus spent with the Father that morning. If everyone was looking for Jesus then it was a time where most of them were already up. That’s a lot of time Jesus spent in a solitary place very early in the morning before daybreak!

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life as I studied this passage. The most important thing I learned is the importance of solitary time with the Lord to spend in His Word and prayer. Praying God’s Word and spending time in God’s Word can give me new insights on what the Lord wants me to do that day rather than going my own way.

I ask you now dear friends, how do you find S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time with  the Lord?
Dear friend, when my sweet wife Chandraleela was in India and Saudi Arabia, she would make it a priority to get up at 3:00 a.m. in the morning as much as she could even if she slept really late so she could spend solitary time with Jesus reading His Word, meditating on His Word, and talking to the Lord about whatever was on her heart. She did this to give priority to the Lord Jesus without having interruptions. I was really touched by her commitment to the Lord to give Him that kind of time even after she worked a 12 hr shift each day.

When we were in India as a family, my mommy would get up at 4:30 a.m. just so she could have that solitary time with the Lord Jesus before my beloved dad, who is with the Lord right now, got up. She did that so she did not have to sacrifice family time with my dad and also to take care of us. When we got up, breakfast was ready for us. It did not matter when my mommy went to sleep, she would still get up before daybreak to give the Lord Jesus first place. Even to this day, my mommy gets up before daybreak to give the Lord Jesus the first hours of the new day as much as she can.

It has never been easy for my wife or my mommy to get up sacrificing sleep but they have done it for the Lord and so has the Lord done it for Father God. It motivates me to want to do the same thing.

But, more than getting up early in morning, the key is finding a place of solitude without distractions to spend time with the Lord. Usually, it is the morning that helps us do that. I learned from this passage the importance of solitary time with Father God. When we spend time alone with Father God without any distractions, He reveals to us what He wants us to do and we know we can be guided in His footsteps. That is so exciting to know! Yes, we can friend! Oh yes, we can!

Friend, the important thing is time with the Lord in solitariness and not whether it is in the morning, noon, or at night. For Jesus it worked best to have solitary time early in the morning but for you it maybe in the evening or afternoon. Choose a time and give that time to the Lord without any distractions which means having your cell phone turned off or any other distractions.

The quality time is more important than the quantity of time spent but as any relationship, the more quality time we spend the more fruitful our own relationship with the Lord becomes!

May you make time in your schedule to spend time alone with Father God so He can guide you and lead you! Amen!

"Seeking Out Lord Inspires Today All, Remembering Yeshua!"(S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y)/"How do you give your S.O.L.I.T.A.R.Y time to the Lord?

Prayer:
Dear Jesus thank you so much for the example you have set for us. You did not let the night before cloud out your time with the Father very early in the morning. You got up and while it was still dark, went out to a solitary place to pray. During that time, thank you for the wisdom you received and shared those with Simon and his companions when they came to look for you. What you have shown me is the importance of a solitary time with you Lord regardless of when we have that time. I know if you did not have your solitary time in the morning it would have been difficult for you with everyone bombarding you. Help us Oh Lord not to make our hectic schedules as excuses for not spending time with you. Help us to always make time for you Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you again for the insights you can give us. Thank you for the power of your Word and your Spirit to guide us and lead us! Thank you for supplementing that with community of believers! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

"May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray the prayer below, meaning it in your heart.

 Prayer:
God I am a sinner. I am invaded by this deadliest virus. Many times I feel so guilty and yucky inside. I need forgiveness. I am so sorry for my sins. I have not obeyed you with my whole heart! I have gone my own way and done my own things. I still struggle with sin. I need you Jesus in my life so I can receive forgiveness and a new beginning. In the process, I can forgive others as you help me to. Thank you so much Jesus. I accept the antidote you have sent me. I believe Jesus you died for me and your cleansing blood will cleanse me from all my sins. You came back to life to save me. Thank you God I am set free, free from the bondage of sin. Hear my cry Oh Lord. I accept you Jesus into my heart. I make you my Lord and Personal Savior of my life. Thank you Father God for giving me Salvation. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and personal Savior! I can live a life of peace with you on my side. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! In your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN!  

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help!

No matter who you are, it is not ever too late to join a Bible-believing church or a college fellowship. I highly encourage each of you to come to Transformers Small Group on Friday nights at 7:00 p.m. and Oakland International Fellowship on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for prayer, 11:30 a.m. for worship, 10:30 a.m. for Sunday School, and 12:30 p.m. for fellowship lunch.

May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

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Previous Devotionals:

Mark 1:32-34: " Where Do You Need A.N.S.W.E.R.S in life?" By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, June 07, 2016, 08:33 a.m)

Mark 1:29-31: "Where Do You Need H.E.A.L.I.N.G in life?" By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, May 26, 2016, 07:27 a.m)

Mark 1:29-31: "When do you T.E.L.L others about Jesus?" By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, May 25, 2016, 08:03 a.m)

Mark 1:29-31: "Whose B.U.R.D.E.N.S do you bear?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, May 24, 2016, 10:24 a.m)

Mark 1:29-31: "How is your F.E.L.L.O.W.S.H.I.P after a church service?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, May 24, 2016, 10:13 a.m)

Mark 1:23-28: "What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Thurs, May 19, 2016, 8:32 a.m)

Mark 1:21-22: "Whose T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S do you actively listen to in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Wed, May 17, 2016, 08:45 a.m)

Mark 1:19-20: "How do you rate in the B.U.S.I.N.E.S.S of Jesus?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, May 17, 2016, 10:30 a.m)

Mark 1:19-20: "Without P.R.O.C.R.A.S.T.I.N.A.T.I.O.N what are you called to do?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, May 13, 2016, 08:11 a.m)

Mark 1:16-18: "How can you use your P.R.O.F.E.S.S.I.O.N to tell others about Jesus?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Fri, May 13, 2016, 08:11 a.m)

Mark 1:14-15: "What role does the word R.E.P.E.N.T play in your life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (Tues, May 10, 2016, 09:40 a.m)

Mark 1:14-15: "What is your view of T.I.M.I.N.G in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 1:12-13: "How do you handle T.E.M.P.T.A.T.I.O.N in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (May 06, 2016, 10:10 a.m)

Mark 1:12-13: "What determines your G.R.O.W.T.H in the Lord?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (May 05, 2016, 09:05 a.m)

Mark 1:9-11: "Who will you P.R.A.I.S.E publicly today in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (May 04, 2016, 09:03 a.m)

Mark 1:9: "What will you take a S.T.A.N.D for in life?"By  Ramesh C. Reddy (May 03, 2016, 09:25 a.m)

Mark 1:4-8: "Who do you P.O.I.N.T to in life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Oct 12, 14, 09:52 a.m.)

Mark 1:1-4: "How seriously do you T.E.S.T.I.F.Y about prophecy?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Oct 11, 14, 07:27 a.m.)

Mark 1:1: "Why bother yourself with the G.O.S.P.E.L when you see yourself as a good person anyway?" By Ramesh C. Reddy (Oct 04, 14, 09:34 a.m.)
 
   
 

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