Mark 1

The Importance of Devotions

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.
Mark 1:35

Aiya, I got no time to do devotions la.
Wah, must wake up early to read the Bible arh, don't want la.
Sian leh, I so much things to do, still must do devotions, cannot la.
If I pray in the morning, I sure fall asleep one.
Morning I just wake up, how to do devotions?

We hear of many reasons and excuse why people don't do devotions. Many people give the reason of busyness as an excuse to not do devotions. But does busyness give us the right to not do devotions?

Of course not. We read in Mark 1:35 that Jesus woke up early to pray and seek God. He did His devotions in the morning. Jesus understood the importance of devotions. He understood the power of seeking God.

Jesus knew that there are many things waiting for Him to do, and because there were lots to be done, He had to spend time with God first. Time spent with God is to equip us with the necessary tools and abilities for the day ahead.

The reason for doing devotions in the morning could be summed up in the analogy given below. When we go to a concert, the musicians tune their instruments before the concert. No one tunes their instruments after the concert. Each day is like a concert. Doing devotions is like us tuning our instruments to prepare for the concert. That is why it is generally better to do our devotions in the morning.

As we think over Mark 1:35, let's think about the importance of devotions. Let's think about the power of seeking God. If Jesus who is God, needed to seek God and do His devotions, what about us, mere weak and frail men?