Tag: jesus

Mark 7:24-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            There are many times in our lives when not much happens until something becomes urgent.  A doctor, a preacher, or financial planner can tell us something until they are blue in the face, but it will not mean much without a profound inner sense that some sort of change needs to occur – that the way things are isn’t going to cut it any longer.
 
            Today’s Gospel lesson is a story of urgency.  Here is a Gentile Canaanite woman, a person who is about as far from God as one can get in the ancient world.  She was not concerned about appearances, etiquette, or any pretense to hide her pain; she cared about her daughter getting healed of her suffering.  So, she sought Jesus.  And the woman believed that Jesus was the answer to her daughter’s situation.  It was the dogged belief (pun intended) that Jesus will deliver.
 
            Grace is bestowed only to the humble that recognize the urgency of needing Jesus.  It is bestowed only in God’s good timing – not ours.  The real muster of a genuine faith is exemplified by a willingness to beg, and is demonstrated with perseverance in the face of the slimmest of odds.  A superficial reading of the story might lead us to think that Jesus’ initial response to the woman was elitist and aloof.  It seems to me that a better way of looking at it is that our faith will be tested to prove its authenticity.
 
            The woman displayed a raw, real, and persistent faith – the very faith that Jesus commended.  It makes me wonder how urgent I am in prayer.  I wonder what would happen if I prayed for one lost neighbor or relative every day with the same urgent persistence as the woman; or, if I begged God without giving up to heal my grandson’s epilepsy; or, if I persevered in prayer for revival.  Perhaps the real enemy of the Christian life is mediocrity and a false sense of acceptance that all is just fine the way it is – kind of like the Pharisees.
 

 

            Healing God, you are the hope of the church and of all who look to you in faith.  Please turn the world, and my world, upside-down with spiritual power that heals people of disease, depression, and demonic influence so that the kingdom of God breaks into all of life and does its transforming work in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Luke 4:38-44

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            One of the most fundamental truths about the person of Jesus is that he healed all kinds of people.  Even people who know very little about the historical Jesus know that he was a guy who brought healing to people while he was here on this earth.  For many Christians, the fact that Christ healed people is almost a “ho-hum” moment because we are so familiar with the Gospel stories about him doing the supernatural.  Yet, like with most Scripture stories we encounter, we really need to slow down a bit and let the story sink in:  “Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.”
 
            Every one of them, Jesus healed.  There apparently was no disease, no infirmity, no sickness, no malady, and no situation that was too much for Jesus.  He healed every one of them.  Each and every person, without exception, no matter the problem, was healed by Jesus.  What is more, please notice how they came to Jesus:  All those who had any who were sick brought them to Jesus.  That is, it was the family, the friends, and the neighbors of the sick persons who brought them to Jesus for healing.
 
            We are not to simply exhort sick and infirmed people to look to Jesus for healing.  We are to bring them to Jesus ourselves.  Perhaps one of the main reasons we are not seeing more healing and new life in the Western church is because we are not bringing the needy to Jesus.  Maybe it is our lack of faith and action, and not the sick person’s that prevents healing from being realized.  Methinks that a profound dearth and lack of prayer for others might be at the core of all the physical, mental, and spiritual sickness that abounds.  Let us bring people to Jesus, and let him heal every one of them.
 

 

            Healing God, there is no problem you cannot rectify and no disease you cannot overcome.  I bring all those with cancer, chronic illness, and debilitating depression to you now, in Jesus’ name.  Let the healing come in whatever form you choose to bring it.  Amen.

Luke 11:14-23

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Watching the Green Bay Packers on television does not make one a professional football player.  Sitting in church does not mean someone is a Christian.  In responding to some critics among him about doing the work of casting out demons, Jesus summarized his actions and the actions of others in this way:  “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.”
 
            Jesus was all about the kingdom of God breaking-in to this fallen world and transforming everything.  That meant the kingdom of darkness was going to be pushed back.  Participating with Jesus in his kingdom enterprise is a watershed test of whether someone is genuinely following God or not.  There are a million armchair quarterbacks who will freely give their advice and opinion about how things should have gone and what those playing ought to be doing.  Jesus was and is calling people out to get off their butts and follow him.  Only watching him is to be against him, not for him.
 
            Faith is not a checklist of beliefs to adhere, but a dynamic living participation with Jesus in his plans and purposes for the world.  Leave the critical spirit, haughty attitude, and selfish expectations in the stands.  Get on the playing field.  To simply have our hands in our pockets is to actually work against Jesus.  Are you willing to gather with Jesus?  How does God want to you to serve?  Are you only a fan of Jesus?  Do you play armchair preacher on Monday morning?  The kingdom of God has come upon us.  Allow that reality to sink deep into our lives.
 

 

            Mighty God, Jesus is the strong man who has bound Satan and is ushering in a new kingdom.  Let me be a part of what you are doing in this world so that my faith is confirmed, strengthened, and used for your purposes.  Amen.

Luke 11:33-36

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            At first glance this verse seems a bit weird:  “Your eye is the lamp of the body.  When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness.”  Huh?  Well, we need to keep in mind that Jesus the Jew communicated in distinctly Jewish ways.  Speech was often expressed in metaphors and word pictures.  In other words, the word “body” serves as a way of saying “life” and the word “eye” represents our contemporary word “goal.”  So, then, let’s restate the verse:  “Your goals determine the direction of your life.  When your goals are good, your entire life is healthy, but when your goals are bad it messes up your life.”
 
            Ah, now we get the gist.  Our goals, whether stated or unstated, set the focus and direction of our lives.  If the orientation of our lives is the pursuit of selfish gain and temporary satisfaction, then we will move in that direction and it will not end well.  But, conversely, if our goals are toward God and the accomplishment of His will, then we will be light for the world.  It’s all a matter of focus and where we set our attention.
 
            Therefore, goal setting is an important thing to do.  We are to be careful, deliberate, and sensitive to the ways of Jesus when doing so.  What are your goals for this year?  Take some time to write them out.  Then, think through an intentional pathway of realizing them.  Finally, ask for the agency of the Holy Spirit to help you accomplish them.  If this seems like a daunting task, begin with just one goal and follow it through to its realization.  It is true that if we aim at nothing, we will hit our target every time.
 

 

            Loving Lord Jesus, help me to set my life’s gaze on the living and doing of your teaching.  Enable me to set godly and worthy goals, and grant me the power to see them realized through your Holy Spirit.  Amen.