Verse: Mark 1:1-1:45

I am going to start today in Mark. Mark's writings tend to center around Jesus' role as a servant, and we can translate this to how we should act as servants ourselves. Jesus' sacrificed his life for us, the least we can do is donate some of our time and/or effort to God.
I myself am not a people person, I serve through labor, such as repairing homes, washing cars (for the Youth Group) and the like. You should learn what type of giver you are, and act accordingly.
Okay, on to the reading:
The first part describes John the Baptist and his work. He prophesied the coming of Jesus, describing him in glowing terms. Then comes the story of Jesus being baptized by John, and the approval of God, by means of a heavenly voice.
Mark doesn't go into detail about the tempting of Jesus by Satan, but that can be read here, and it will be covered eventually in this study.
Then we get to Jesus' Ministry in Galilee (Mark 1:16).
Jesus recruits four fishermen (Simon, Andrew, James, and John) to follow him, and they dropped their nets to follow him immediately. This is what Jesus asks of all mankind. To drop their nets, or whatever it is you do every day. What you do every day is that which makes you comfortable. If you never leave your comfort zone, you can never live, nor can God live through you. You must leave your little bubble in order to follow that which you truly beleive in. You can't do it from inside a shell. Part of being Christian is discussing your beliefs with others, whether to confirm your beliefs, learn more about other's beliefs, or to bring a new follower to Christ.
Then Jesus impresses the people with authoritive teachings, and drives out a demon. In doing this, gossip of Jesus' power and authority spread throughout the area.
In verse 1:38, Jesus makes a very interesting statement, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." Instead of staying, and fortifying his image, he decides to move on and begin again in a new town. In this action we can see Jesus making a decision to preach to as many people as possible, hoping that he says enough to plant the seeds of his preachings, rather than staying and making sure a few people fully understand what he wants to say. Perhaps he doesn't want to be known as the Son of God at this point, an arguement that is supported by these verses: 1:34 and 1:43-45. Now, instead of preaching to whatever masses were in town, he could only preach to those who came to see him. This was a setback in a way; the people who needed him most (those without interest in religion) did not care enough to go see him, and thus would not get the Word.