For the next 14 days I will be posting excerpts about 'FAITH', taken from the book of Mark (Just Jesus). The bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Let's feed faith. This story is amazing and builds my faith. Humanly speaking, the woman had nothing left. Her only option was God. She knew that Jesus could do it for her. All she had to do was touch Him. Imagine this scene as you read. A multitude of people (that's a lot) pressing on Jesus, following Him, hoping for something. Mark 5:21, 24-34 Faith knows God is God. When she heard about Jesus, she came … and touched His garment. This woman had heard about Jesus and knew who He was:
QUESTION? How does this impact you? Is there a situation in your own life that needs to realize that God is truly the only answer to it? Remember: Faith is active trust. It is sure of what it hopes for and feeds on the very word and presence of the living God. “Daughter, your faith has made you well.” Mark 5:34 What is faith? Well, I know that the dictionary doesn’t say this, but I will venture to say that faith is a verb. It is not static. It runs to and hears and knows God; declares & acts on His purposes and links our humanity with His endless possibilities. Faith is active trust. It is an act of the will. Jesus loves faith! In fact, He rejoiced over the faith that those who followed Him displayed. (see Luke 10:17-24) God loves faith and moves to action when He sees & hears it in action. So much hinges on our faith. Sometimes I wonder if we’ve made it sound so mystical that it has lost its substance (Hebrews 11:1). Scripture tells us that faith can be seen, that you can hear it and be moved by it. Jesus often remarks that He was moved to act on someone’s behalf because of “their faith”. My faith is not reliant on someone else' faith. It may be encouraged & spurred on by someone else, but it will always be accountable to me. Jesus was always mentoring, teaching and prodding His followers to learn. They would ask Him to feed the crowd and He would ask them what they had to contribute (Mark 6:37). He said that faith was like a mustard seed in Mark 4:30-32, that when it was planted it would grow into something others could benefit from. So, was faith the seed or was faith in the knowing of what the seed could become? The seed was just a seed but faith saw the potential of that tiny seed and planted it in the ground! Faith is active trust. It is not passive, but it does not need attention. It is sure of what it hopes for and feeds on the very Word and presence of God, growing into maturity. Excerpt from "Just Jesus" - thoughts from the book of Mark. Click here for the full lesson. “... and they came to Him from every direction.” Mark 1:45 Jesus was becoming famous without having a personal marketing manager, website or TV sponsor. He had no newspapers or billboards to display His stuff… just people who could not contain themselves. Jesus told them not to tell but how could they not?! He comes on to the public scene as an unknown after living a fairly quiet, unobserved life, gets baptized by John and then it all begins. There was a report that after He was baptized, the sky parted and something like a dove landed on Him. Some people even claimed that the voice of God was heard to be telling Him how pleased He was with His ‘Son’. (Mark 1:10-11) No one saw Him for over a month (Mark 1:12-13) and then there were reports of Him teaching in the synagogues and preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand. (Mark 1:14-15) He started to gather a group of men to work with Him (Mark 1:16-20) and people were being healed and set free from demons. Everywhere He went, He preached and spoke with an astounding authority. (Mark 1:21-28) Everywhere He went, people were looking for Him. His fame had spread widely throughout the region of Galilee. (Mark 1:28, 37) It was God’s Time! Jesus was out of the box and out of the shoot (rodeo shoot, race track gate). He had finally come forward knowing that it was the right time to do so, but surprisingly (to others) nothing was happening quietly or without provoking a response. He had a job to do and declared it openly. “And He said to them, Let us be going on into the neighboring country towns that I may preach there also; for that is why I came out.” Mark 1:38 Ever been in a transition zone? I have and am again. The question is, will I view it as intrusion or adventure? I have heard the word 'transition' so often the past few years, that I am starting to view it as a swear word!! What? This is transition, again? I don’t know if it’s become an excuse or if it is actual reality but whatever the case, it seems to be an unavoidable plight ... or adventure. It depends on how you look at it. Life is transition. A baby displays it almost daily, and then children are in constant flux as their bodies stretch and form and their minds grow and expand into maturity. Ah, that’s where it’s supposed to stop, eh? …at maturity. Ha! Well, I’m 48 and I’m still not quite sure if I am mature; you know, settled down, wise & correct, knowing exactly what I was made for and where I am headed. For example, in the past few years I have had a change in job, church home, mom status (as in graduated to Nana), body (I’ll leave it at that!), ministry opportunities, etc. And, by no means are these all negative! They just represent significant shifts that have pulled me out of some very comfortable spots; sometimes spots that I felt I had found my niche in! Anyway, enough of me!! I don’t know if this sounds familiar to you, but the reality in the western world is that ‘change’ is very much a part of our lives and more so all the time. How do I cope? I would say that my greatest pursuit over the past while has been simply to find the ‘rest’ of God. The demands and pace of life are often too hard to carry. You see, Jesus keeps pulling us back to Himself. He wants us to live in His pace and promises rest for our souls if we do that. He promises that if we seek Him first, all of the stuff of life will be taken care of (Matthew 11:28-30; Matthew 6:33) Here are some verses that have been speaking to me lately; ones that were so familiar to me that I seemed to have forgotten about them: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, Lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Actually, the whole chapter (Proverbs 3) is well worth digesting as it serves us a good reminder of how to be happy in life. You’ll have to ignore the heading though if you’re past 30, at least the one in my Bible, as it says ‘Guidance for the Young’. But hey, even though my body is aging, my spirit isn’t. It is eternal. May God keep me young enough to always trust & lean on Him. May God always remind me of the things that I learned when I was young.
Ah, maybe that’s why there are so many ‘transitions’… cov·e·nant (kv-nnt)n.1. A binding agreement; a compact. See Synonyms at bargain.2. Law a. A formal sealed agreement or contract.b. A suit to recover damages for violation of such a contract.3. In the Bible, God's promise to the human race.v. cov·e·nant·ed, cov·e·nant·ing, cov·e·nants v.tr. To promise by or as if by a covenant.v.intr. To enter into a covenant. Last night, in a Bible lesson, the word 'covenant' came up. Interesting ... old word. It struck a deep cord in me. There are legal covenants and spiritual ones. Legal covenants are those that we sign in contract - a marriage license being the most obvious. A spiritual covenant is not necessarily made by the ink of a pen, but is possibly just as binding. My word is a signature. When I promise something to myself or someone else, I am making a commitment or a vow. I know this sounds like strong language, but think of it. What are some of the most hurtful things that you have experienced in life? Are they not through promises broken, love broken, trust and loyalties broken? Even though untimely deaths are the hardest things in life to bear, (trust me, I know) the next in my mind would be the tearing apart of great relationships. On the other hand, what are some of the most satisfying and rewarding experiences? For me, I would have to say that they are the long term relationships that I have. Love proven through just about everything imaginable! From the capital C kind of covenant (marriage) to the small 'c' kind (brothers, sisters, friends) all are important and all should reflect the image of God. With that in mind, my heart aches to see the church of Christ moving in covenant with one another - in true, selfless unity. Honouring Jesus together, honouring one another in all our differences of style and culture; celebrating the One who covenanted with us to be his family forever. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. John 17:21 New Living Translation (NLT) My husband once said that this is the one, still unanswered prayer of Jesus. This aught not to be so. Because God covenanted with Abraham and with his seed -- that would be the church worldwide - I do as well. Will you join me? Let's pray for the capital 'C' church to have 'C' covenant relationship - all for the cause of Christ Jesus! Lord God, may your will be accomplished on earth as it is in heaven! Amen! Since we have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven ... (see Colossians 3:1-4) I don't know if it's age or just increasing desire. I may be getting tired of the faults in my human nature or I might just be wanting to see some of the people I love, who have gone before me, again ... I'm not sure. All I know, is that the reality of heaven is much stronger today in me. My hunger for it and to see Jesus, grows increasingly. I am so excited for the day that all sin is gone! My heart jumps when I imagine the first time I see God. My breathe is taken away with the thought. I don't know how I'll be able to utter a sound, but I know I will want to :) I'll want to sing something new; something that does not have an ending but simply changes direction as my eyes and my heart envelope the greatness and beauty that I am beholding. Does this hunger render me useless here on earth? Absolutely NOT! Actually, I find that my heart is stirred so deeply that I am moved out of my self sufficiency and awakened from my sleep. I am compelled by what I hope for. Compelled to taste as much of His presence here and to lead others to Him, to show them the water of life, the fountain of eternity, the healer of souls. The reality of heaven gives me purpose for earth. Jesus said to ask God for His kingdom to come, for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. So be it, Lord! Until we get to come to you. (see also 1 Corinthians 15:43-46) Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah" Mark 8:29 (NLT) I had just listened to a challenging sermon on the fear of God. If I am to fear God rightly - out of respect, honour and love - then I need to know Him. Hearsay is not enough. Something inside of me must engage with who He truly is. So, I got to thinking ... I've respected & honoured others before; my husband, my granny, Billy Graham, the Queen. Now, I haven't (obviously) had relationship with all of these, but I have held them all in high regard. But maybe this is about more, more about living and dieing. Who would I live for? Who would I die for? Or even, who would I allow to live with me and give me life? Who would I allow to give me advice and guidance, so much so, that if they said so, I would do so. Hmm, this hits a much deeper chord, doesn't it? We are now in the territory of the "me" - the territory of rights. This is where fear dwells, both the healthy and scary kind. If I do not know who God is (who He says He is and has proven Himself to be) I will never fear Him rightly. I may panic (wrong fear) when He tries to enter "my spot" or just be indifferent - not being aware of His presence and understanding His intentions. I can look to my past, but I cannot lean on it |
Inquiring MINDS
Please inquire for the word of the LORD today. 1 Kings 22:5
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