Clips

Major League Baseball scouts, college coaches, recruiting coordinators, and R&D departments place great value on analyzing video. They spend countless hours watching “clips” of potential prospects. They slow the film down, rewind key moments, and study tendencies and details—how a hitter loads in his approach and how his swing works; how a pitcher repeats his delivery; and how an infielder’s hands and feet work when fielding routine ground balls or making off-balance throws. These “clips” reveal more than raw talent; they show priorities, habits, and patterns. The “clips” never lie.

In a similar way, the “clips” of Jesus’ life that we read about in the Gospels reveal His patterns and priorities: “He got up early. He sought solitude. He prayed. He worshiped His Father.”

It wasn’t an afterthought or a leftover activity squeezed into His schedule. It was foundational. It was a priority. Before teaching, before healing, and before leading—Jesus worshiped.

Mark 1:35 gives us one of the clearest “clips” of Jesus’ priorities. Read it again. Lean into it. Chew on it. But don’t miss it.

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.”

If we claim to be disciples of Jesus, our lives ought to mirror the patterns and priorities of His life—not out of duty, but out of devotion. Disciples don’t just admire Jesus; they model what He modeled. The “clips” of our lives never lie—they only reveal.

Listen closely. Here is a question worth examining: If someone studied the “clips” of your life, what would they reveal? Would they show that you prioritize time with God, or that you only turn to Him when the pressure of life is on?

Discipleship means learning to order your life the same way Jesus ordered His—putting worship first, seeking the Father early, and letting everything else flow from that place.

Before the day gets loud. Before you click on your social media. Go to a solitary place and worship God. Spend time magnifying Him. He can’t wait to spend time with you. That’s where strength is formed, direction is given, priorities are set, and hope is established for your life.

Love God. Love People. Live Sent.