Failure

     The story of Mark is an encouraging and exhorting one.  John Mark, who wrote the gospel that portrays Jesus as the perfect servant, experienced for himself the trials, failures, and successes of serving God.
     Initially, he was obviously a young man of spiritual promise or Paul and Barnabas would not have chosen him for that arduous first missionary journey to begin with.  That he failed and disappointed Paul is biblical history.  He was, at one point in his young ministry, considered by Paul to be just like Demas--a forsaker of Christ and Christian service.
     The encouraging thing is that failure did not result in defeat.  When Barnabas wanted him to undergo the same type of difficult service, he was willing to go.  We know, of course, that Paul refused to take him a second time so that Mark and Barnabas went on a missionary journey of their own.
     Mark must have proven himself a faithful servant during that second opportunity.  He became in Paul's own words, a "fellow laborer."  Near Paul's death in his last letters, he asks that someone bring Mark to see him because Mark was profitable to the aging apostle's ministry.  The apostle Peter even considered Mark to "be a son."  The Spirit of God chose him to pen one of the gospels.
     What if the early church had given up on young Mark when he failed?  Worse yet, what if Mark had given up on himself and quit trying to serve his Lord and Savior?  Do you know someone in the Lord who has endured failure in his Christian walk?  Encourage him to step out again and follow his Lord.  Failed yourself?  Feel like quitting?  Be a Mark!  Get back whole-heartedly involved in the service of the Lord.