Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1-8 (day five) “And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I”.
John the Baptist is countercultural. From Mark’s writing, it’s fairly easy to see and recognize. The clothes (camel hair). The diet (locusts). The setting for his ministry (wilderness). His message (repentance). There is one more countercultural aspect of John that caught my heart and mind. His perspective. Let me explain.
I have spent over 30 years in youth ministry. As I have taught and counseled teenagers, there have been themes that have consistently bubbled up. One of those was to press back against instant gratification. Think longer and deeper about mission, priorities, actions, and purpose. The phrase I used was to think, act, and plan “eternally”. As I watched them grow up and move into adulthood, I’ve come to believe is that instant gratification is not just a youth problem. It’s a human heart problem. Yet in Mark chapter one, we find a man in his 30’s who doesn’t seem to have this problem. “After me”. Faith, ministry, and the purposes of God are wiser, deeper, and longer than ME. This eternal perspective changes everything. The way we encourage and challenge others. The way we witness. The way we parent. The way we serve. The way we love.
We would all do well to think about eternal things with eternal timing in mind. John the Baptist did.
Scott, thank you for your wise counsel. You have been such a positive influence in lives of FBCSA youth throughout the years. As a parent, I am thankful.