Being Like Jesus #002

WEEK 2: Read Mark 1:9-13

FOCUS: Meditate on the passage and write down your thoughts and observations OR do a S.O.A.P. study and select one verse to focus upon.

SHARE: This is a 412teens community group discussion. Please be let your voice be heard by posting one or more of the following in the comments below. (We will respond to every submission!)

  1. Share your own response to the passage or the study above.
  2. OR share a part of your S.O.A.P. study. It can be one part of all of it—whatever you feel comfortable doing.
  3. OR share your answer(s) to these questions: Which of Jesus' character traits stood out to you in this passage? How can you practice this Christlike trait in your own life?
BIBLE STUDY TIPS
  • Learn how to do a S.O.A.P. Bible Study HERE.
  • Use BibleRef.com to get the full context of specfic verses.
  • Search 412teens.org or GotQuestions.org for specific terms.
  • Use the comments on each page to SHARE your own discoveries, thoughts, and answers about the passage. Be a part of the discussion by responding to others' comments too!
Read Cat's #002 S.O.A.P. study after you share yours!

Scripture: "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him." —Mark 1:12-13 [FULL CONTEXT]

Observation: Immediately after Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit compels Him to seek isolation in the desert, and Jesus is immediately exposed to adversity. He didn't shy away from the command of the Spirit, knowing full well He would be tempted by a fallen angel and living among wild animals. Jesus willingly and bravely entered the next forty days of loneliness and hardship without question.

This reminds me of when I first became a Christian. Almost immediately after I'd accepted Christ, the man who was discipling me said, "Now, you need to know that Satan is going to come after you." It was a shocking thing to say to someone who had just accepted this new faith, but it makes so much sense. The same thing happened to Jesus!

Application: Jesus showed us bravery by going out into the desert alone to face temptations and hardship. God asks us to be brave too, and we don't need to fear because God is always with us (Luke 12:7).

God doesn't promise to keep us from hardships. Instead, He promises that all things will work together for our ultimate "good" (Romans 8:28). That "good" can look a lot of different ways though, and sometimes it looks like adversity, hardship, and persecution.

But I do believe that all hardship comes down to affecting our spiritual growth. After all, Romans 8:18 says we ought to "consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Who knows what an act bravery will lead to in the future?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for the example of bravery we see in Jesus. Help me to be brave in the face of adversity and temptation. Remind me that you are with me always and that whatever the outcome, it will be for my good—no matter what that looks like. Amen.

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