Finding Your Desert.

Last night my small group met and we discussed what the desert scene in the Gospels looked like. We are investing our time in the book of Mark chapter 1:1-13, and we discussed and noticed the following.

• The desert is crucial to Jesus' spiritual journey and is represented throughout the rest Mark.
• Jesus' baptism and his being thrown in the desert mirrors the Hebrews when they were delivered from Egypt through the Red Sea and then sent into the desert for forty years.
• Mark is the only gospel that discusses John the Baptist's clothing and what he ate.
• Jesus was tempted directly by Satan in the desert.

The question that we where trying to answer was; What does the desert represent and how does it fit into our lives as Christ followers.

Our conclusion was that the desert was crucial to Jesus' intimate relationship with God. Jesus was connecting with God while he fasted. We also see that Jesus was tempted directly by Satan and equated this with two things.

1. Jesus was purely human and was tempted just like us.
2. While Jesus is trying to connect with God in an intimate way Satan is directly attacking him.

This reality that Jesus sought out in the desert is crucially important to our realities. This holy intimacy marks Christ's strong connection to God the Father. This desert scene needs to be sought out in our lives as well.

The reason I say this is because we can not truly know Jesus unless we know his Word. I know it sounds simple and even slightly dull, but it is the truth. Jesus' life is found in His message to us. His story is important and needs to become apart of us so that we can live it out more fully. If we are not seeking out desert time to become intimately connected in His Word and in conversation with Him how are we going to imitate Him?

If we don't invest in his life on a daily basis imitating him is impossible. Community Christian Church is doing a series called Eat This Book. This last week the message was about fresh is the best. The idea that the Bible is supposed to be fresh to us and become a part of us not only individually but in community as well.

Our relationship with Christ is personal but it's not private and we are called to be apart of God's great story in community. We are in need of scripture, for when we are apart of it, it will become who we are and will become apart of us.

Have you found your desert yet?