Posted by: Jo | September 7, 2012

Our Hope is in You, Lord

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure….” (Hebrews 6:19)

imageWhen I was younger I once attended a church where the choir leader and the only musician was the Rector’s wife. She couldn’t be called the organist as the only musical instrument the church possessed was an old piano, long past its prime, but the way she approached her task with undisguised enthusiasm was something to be admired. One of her favourite hymns to play was, “Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?”, and if I close my eyes I can see her wildly hitting the keys and coaxing music from what looked like to us and an impossible old relic, and as her voice, also little past its prime, rose to a crescendo a wonderful feeling pervaded the congregation. We knew she could answer that question with as much enthusiasm as she was pounding that keyboard. She knew the answer to the storms of life was that anchor of hope in the Lord.

The word, hope, has lost a lot of its original meaning in today’s society and is sometimes used in a negative way e.g. “I hope that doesn’t mean something terrible is about to happen” or, “I hope we can trust that to be true” etc. People have diminished the real sense of the word to a joking rejoinder, “Here’s hoping!”

Scripture has quite a different way of looking at the word and when coupled with the name of the Lord, it embodies total strength, unswerving trust, supreme confidence, no signs of “perhaps” to undermine its power. The psalmists knew that reminding themselves of that hope drew them out of worry, took away the fear of the unknown, steadying them to face with confidence what lay ahead.

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will not be shaken” (Psalm 62:5-6)

imageIn a world constantly beset with worry, doubt and fear of the future we need to go back to God’s word and to anchor ourselves in the wonderful promise that indeed there is something unchanging, something to be relied on, a rock to cling to. We can trust that what is in store for us has been planned and carefully overseen by a loving heavenly Father.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

In the New Testament we learn that this “hope” has now become a person and this beautiful culmination of Isaiah‘s prophesy is the Lord Jesus Christ himself;

“And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will spring up, one who will rise to rule over nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.”” (Romans 15:12)

One of the definitions of the word hope in the imagedictionary is; desire combined with expectation. I feel this fits a beautiful approach to Jesus. When our true desires are centred on him we can confidently hope in him not with doubts, not trusting in “luck” like the world, not with fingers crossed, but with calm acceptance that he is the anchor who will hold us fast whatever storms is raging around us. A modern version of what “hope” is in found in this hymn.

My hope is in you, Lord

all the day long

I won’t be shaken by

drought or storm

A peace that passes

understanding is my song

and I sing

my hope is in you, Lord.

And Paul sums up a beautiful blessing for all of us to hold tightly to,

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

Related articles

3 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Hebrews, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms, Romans | Tags: ,

Posted by: Jo | August 31, 2012

Jesus, the Overcomer of Death

Face to Face with Jesus Part 10 of 10

…Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” (John 11:44)

imageToday in our final series on coming face to face with Jesus, we witness the ultimate messianic sign in the dramatic and awe inspiring miracle of a man, Lazarus, on the command of Jesus, walking forth from the tomb after being dead for four days and then coming face to face with Jesus, his Saviour. We also learn deep theological truths about who Jesus really is and the hope we all have in eventually living with him in eternity. We also get a glimpse of the human side of Jesus as he weeps for not only the death of Lazarus, but for the sorrow death brings in its wake for all mankind.

This story is given supreme importance in John’s gospel and is faithfully recorded for all future generations, not just as an astounding miracle, but as a deep revelation of the work of Christ and as a compelling question we all need to answer for ourselves.

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25 – 26)

The story is found in John 11:1 – 44

During this story we become aware of great spiritual growth in two of the persons who have been close to Jesus during his ministry on earth. The first is Thomas. When Jesus tells the disciples that Lazarus is not asleep , but dead, the most unlikely one, Thomas, suddenly shows great devotion and courage and completely trusting Jesus cries out to the other disciples,

“ .. Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16)

A wonderful example for us to be brave enough to step out in faith and follow Jesus even if we are not sure what lies ahead.

imageThe other person exhibiting a much closer awareness as to who Jesus is was Martha. We have an impression of Martha from a previous episode (Luke 10:41), as a very down to earth person worried about the basics of life, but here we see a woman of great faith as she tells Jesus that even though her brother was dead, she is certain that God would grant Jesus anything he asked,

“But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.” (John 11:22)

Another wonderful example for us to believe completely in the power of seeking the Father through his son, Jesus.

Then with supreme confidence she answers his question as to who he is,

“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who was to come into the world.” (John 11:27)

When Jesus arrives at the grave site we have the most poignant picture of the deep love the Saviour has for his people. His tears flow as he absorbs the pain death brings about, not just for Lazarus and his family, but for all of us, and knows that he himself will experience that pain so that we may live.

Imagine the joy of Lazarus when he hears the voice he loves calling him to come out of the cave and then to feel the grave clothes falling to the ground and then finally his eyes uncovered to behold, face to face, his Saviour.

imageEach one of these face to face occurrences that we have read over the last ten weeks have been recorded purposely for us to take note and as we finish this series it is good to reread God’s word and place ourselves in the stories and to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the message for us personally and this is our promise to keep close to our hearts until it is fulfilled;

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation22:4)

1 Comment

Posted in Comfort, Face to Face with Jesus, John, Revelation | Tags: , ,

Posted by: Jo | August 24, 2012

Healed Both Body and Soul

Face to Face with Jesus Part 9 of 10

“Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19)

imageBeing different from those around us can sometimes build up barriers, but can also break down barriers, as having a common affliction can draw people together. This is apparent in our story today as a group of ten come face to face with Jesus. Their common affliction is the dreaded disease, leprosy, and the custom of the day was to ban all lepers from mixing in any way with those free of the disease. This group is unusual because one of them is a Samaritan, a race despised by the Jews, and normally the other nine lepers would never have dreamt of associating with him. As we witness this incredible story, we get a glimpse of how wide and deep are the Saviour’s love for mankind.

Their story is found in Luke 17:11 -19

We are immediately aware of the horror these men are living with, as even though they long to come into Jesus’ presence, by law they must stay a distance away from him. Sadly today many of our society are also made to feel that they too are unworthy to be counted as Jesus’ friends for all sorts of different reasons. We have to be very careful that we do not make that assumption about others who are different from us in their need for our Saviour. As they are forced to stay far away, the men in our story need to cry out in loud voices, begging Jesus to have pity upon them. Jesus surprises us, as he often does, by his answer. Instead of immediately healing them he tells them to go and show themselves to the priests. Jewish law was very strict about diseases and the men would have been seen as unclean until the priests declared them free of this painful skin disease so, as these desperate men are willing to try anything, the ten of them obey Jesus and set off to see the priests. Imagine their surprise that as they are walking away their skin is restored; the dreaded disease has disappeared! Then the story takes a startling turn; only one of them stops in his tracks, runs back to Jesus and with a loud voice praises God and falls at Jesus’image feet thanking him. What a beautiful picture is captured in this moment. The gracious Saviour and the grateful man healed, restored and made whole again. This is the very essence of this story and an everlasting reminder of what true salvation represents. We suddenly grasp the difference between this man and the other nine. The other nine were only interested in the actual healing, not bothering to discover who the healer was. A sobering thought for us to remember in our own lives, so that we do not get caught up in concentrating on what the Lord can do for us instead of spending more time with him thanking him, absorbing his beautiful nature and getting to know him more intimately. Jesus acknowledges the man’s gratitude and reminds those around him that this man is a foreigner, a wonderful glimpse of how far and wide is the Saviour’s love, and then speaks these words,

“And he said unto him, “Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole.”” (Luke 17:19) (KJV)

imageI like the KJV’s version of this verse as it uses the word “whole”. We too are incomplete until we too kneel before the Lord and accept his forgiveness and his healing and hear him whisper to us those same life giving words,

You have been made whole by my love and forgiveness.

Personal Reflection

How can we be more tolerant of those who may be different from us, but who are earnestly seeking Jesus?

Next week is the last in this series and features probably the most dramatic face to face story in the New Testament as a dead man emerges from the grave and comes face to face with Jesus.

1 Comment

Posted in Challenge, Face to Face with Jesus, Luke | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Jo | August 17, 2012

Overcoming Unbelief

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 8 of 10)

“If you can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23)

imageTwo very dramatic stories unfold today as we watch two people, a man and a young boy, come face to face with Jesus and see him overcome the power of Satan to inflict misery on mankind. The first man is a pitiful sight tormented by many conflicting impulses which he cannot control and consequently is denied the joy of living a normal life. The young boy in the next story appears to have some form of violent fits which bring much heart ache for his family and of course he also is being denied a normal life.

The first man’s story is found in Luke 8:26 – 39

The first interesting fact we learn about this man was that he was waiting on the shore to meet Jesus, in spite of all the hideous forces trying to destroy him, there was deep inside within him that desire to meet his Saviour and it was this desire that defeated all of Satan’s power over the man. A wonderful lesson to remember for us is that Satan is never able to destroy our desire for Jesus if we are prepared to seek Jesus as our Saviour. The evil spirits immediately recognise who Jesus is and know they are no longer able to control the man and give up any fight in the presence of Jesus. There are many conflicting theories as to why the spirits asked Jesus to send them into the pigs, but the end result of the pigs being sent crazy by the demons was a very graphic picture of what can happen when evil is let loose to roam at will. The incredible outcome of this story is the beautiful picture of our tormented man now, sitting at Jesus feet, dressed and in his right mind.

“…When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid” (Luke 8:35)

imageIt is interesting that dramatic healing actually made the people afraid and perhaps many nowadays still are frightened of healings that come from the Holy Spirit. Our healed man begs to go with Jesus, but Jesus sends him away with a command that applies to us as well.

“Return home and tell how much God has done for you…” (Luke 8:39)

The young boy’s story is found in Mark 9:14 – 29

Any parent who has experienced a very sick child with any sort of illness will immediately relate to this father’s agony. We learn he has already taken the boy to Jesus’ disciples who are unable to help and instead are involved in arguments about the law. How sad that sometimes this is the case today when we see denominations quibbling about doctrine instead of spending more time in prayer. Jesus rebukes the disciples and reminds them to hold fast to their belief and tells them to bring the boy to him. Another reminder for us is that prayer should not be the last avenue, but be the first. The following scenario is such a sweet example of how many of us approach the Lord, hesitantly, with the same words the father uses.

“…But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us” (Mark 9:22)

Jesus challenges the father by repeating his words “If you can?” and challenges him again to have belief in his power. The father’s reply is one of my favourite verses and I have cried it out many times in my life when I have been facing frightening situations.

“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24)

imageWe do not hear Jesus say “Sorry not enough faith” but instead witness a loving understanding of mankind’s weakness and I think acknowledging the man’s honesty, and with all his power banishes the evil spirit from the boy. We are not told of the father’s reaction, but we can imagine the joy of seeing his son healed and we can also imagine how the man’s faith has been strengthened. This healing was a powerful lesson for the disciples as well as for us. When we cry to have our belief strengthened the Lord is very willing to help us stand firm on our faith.

Personal Reflection

Does reading of Jesus’ compassion towards the father in our story, even with his faltering faith, help you in those times of doubt in your own life?

Next week we glimpse how wide and deep is the Lord’s compassion as we witness two more dramatic healings

Related articles

2 Comments

Posted in Comfort, Face to Face with Jesus, Luke, Mark | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Jo | August 10, 2012

Once I was Blind, But Now I See

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 7 of 10)

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” (Psalm 119:18)

imageThe hymn, “Amazing Grace” is probably one of the most loved of all hymns and the words speak volumes to our souls.

“I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind, but now I see.”,

These words from the hymn, sum up the very essence of what the two men in our story this week, experienced when they came face to face with Jesus. Blindness was a curse in more ways than one in Jesus’ time on earth. Firstly the Jews erroneously believed that some sort of sin had caused this blindness and consequently those blind were ostracised by the general public. Secondly there was no government funding or help in any way so those who were blind were forced to beg for a living. The two men are blessed with an out pouring of amazing grace from a compassionate Saviour who not only gives them back their sight, but restores their dignity and today he is still ready and waiting to do the same for those who seek him.

The first man’s story is found in Mark 10:46 – 52

We are actually told the man’s name and find out he is Bartimaeus and has placed himself in a convenient exit from the city to be able to beg from travellers coming and going. He obviously had heard of Jesus and when he hears that he is going to pass by he calls out loudly, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”(Mark 10:47) He uses what is known as a messianic title, meaning that he is recognising that Jesus is the long awaited messiah. The crowd are horrified at his behaviour and try to stop this , in their eyes, unworthy beggar from annoying Jesus, but Jesus calls him to him and Bartimaeus in his eagerness to come into Jesus presence throws off and leaves behind what is his most precious possession, his cloak, and meets his Saviour. (We are reminded of how the woman at the well also abandoned her water jar, her precious possession, to tell others of her joy.)image

Bartimaeus answers boldly when Jesus asks him what he wants and is rewarded with the gift of sight and joyfully follows Jesus. As in so many other healings we again we hear Jesus say, “…Your faith has healed you.” ( Mark 10:52 ) Beautiful lessons for us in this story. Bartimaeus was not deterred by the naysayers in the crowd. He knew he needed to find Jesus. He knew he needed to ask for healing. He knew the next best thing was to follow Jesus. He did all three!

The second man’s story is found in John 9:1 – 41

We do not know this man’s name, but a whole chapter in the gospel of John is devoted to his story. This man has been born blind with all the drawbacks of this affliction and he too has been forced to beg for a living and carries the same stigma of those around him believing he or his parent’s sin brought this upon him. This time the story is different from that of Bartimaeus as Jesus seeks this man out and without being asked graciously draws the man to him and to the surprise of the onlookers uses his saliva and dirt from the ground to place on the man’s eyes. The man is involved in his healing by following Jesus’ direction to wash in the Pool of Siloam. Often we too have to trust the Lord and follow what he has planned for us to do. The man is still ignorant of who Jesus is, but slowly we follow his walk of faith as he first grasps his name “…the man they call Jesus” (John 9:11) then that he is a prophet” The man replied, “He is a prophet. “ (John 9:17) then that Jesus was filled with God’s power, “If this man was not from God, he could do nothing” (John 9:33) then the wonderful break imagethrough as Jesus reveals who he is, “Then the man said, “I believe”, and he worshiped him.” (John 9:38). This is a wonderful example of a steady progression of faith and to the fact that we all come to faith in different ways. For Bartimaeus it was an immediate recognition of who Jesus was. For the man in our story it was more of a journey and our loving Heavenly Father is more than willing to welcome us with open arms in any way we come to him.

Personal Reflection

What is it about these two stories that fills you with joy?

Next week we witness Jesus overcoming the power of Satan, to inflict misery on men, as he heals a demon possessed man and a boy tormented by a demon.

Related articles

3 Comments

Posted in Encourage, Face to Face with Jesus, John, Mark, Psalms | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | August 3, 2012

What Holds Us Back?

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 6 of 10)

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)

imageWe, who live in North America, are well aware of the insidious power that wealth can wield in our society and today we witness its effect on two men, with vastly different backgrounds, who come face to face with Jesus. The first encounter is with a young wealthy ruler and for him to be so wealthy at a young age, probably meant that he had come from a rich and successful family and had never lacked for anything in his whole life. The second man, Zacchaeus, on the other hand had clawed his way to wealth by cheating his fellow Jews during his collecting of taxes for the hated Roman occupiers of Israel and is probably enjoying wealth for the first time. The two men have very different reactions when they meet Jesus.

The young ruler’s story is found in Mark 10:17 -23

Perhaps the first inkling we have about this young man is that he is realising something is missing, in what most outsiders looking at him would think is a perfect life, and this draws him to seek out Jesus. How often do we see the same scenario played out in others’ lives around us? Deep within us is that need to meet our Saviour and how often do we see others begin that search and then falter. We see the young man begin by justifying himself, in the way he has kept the commandments, but when we look closely at the commandments Jesus asks him about, we see the most important one has not been mentioned;

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)

Jesus immediately recognises what has taken first place in the young ruler’s life, the young man has allowed his wealth to supersede his love for the Heavenly Father, and Jesus challenges him to first recognise it and then haveimage the courage to remove the obstacle that is preventing him from a full relationship with Jesus. Wealth in itself is not the problem; it is how the young man has let it rule his life to the point of overshadowing his love for God. The verse I love in this passage precedes what Jesus asks him to do;

“Jesus looked at him and loved him….” (Mark 10:21)

Jesus understands just how difficult the obstacles are in our lives and is always ready to help us overcome them.

Zacchaeus’ story is found in Luke 19:1 -10

Zacchaeus, just like the rich young ruler, is also drawn to find out who this Jesus is, but his approach is a very different one. He doesn’t want a close encounter with this Jesus and he wants to keep the distance between them so, as he is short, he climbs a tree for a better view. He is only too aware of his own shortcomings and is not full of self-righteousness like our other character, so imagine his surprise when Jesus stops at the very tree he is in and invites himself for dinner at Zaccheaus’ house. Here our story changes so dramatically from the first one. Without hesitation this happens;

“So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.” (Luke 19:6)

imageOn spending time with Jesus, Zacchaeus is suddenly aware of the obstacles in his own life and willingly wants to get rid of that wealth if it is to endanger his relationship with Jesus. It is good to note that Jesus did not ask him to do that, but choosing to be with Jesus opened his eyes to look honestly at his dishonest dealings and made him want to put things right. Jesus is delighted with his actions and welcomes him as a true son.

Personal Reflection

Spending time with Jesus can also make us aware of what might have crept into our lives that is taking priority in our thinking and actions and we may want to ask ourselves if anything is holding us back from that close walk with him. What can we learn from these two stories?

Next week we will witness a wonderful messianic sign as Jesus heals two blind men.

1 Comment

Posted in Challenge, Encourage, Face to Face with Jesus, Jeremiah, Luke, Mark

Posted by: Jo | July 27, 2012

The Gift of Living Water

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 5 of 10)

“..If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10)

imageComing from a hot and often in parts, a very dry country, I grew up always being aware of the importance of water. You gain a whole lot of respect for those in other countries where water supplies are at a premium. The lady who comes face to face with Jesus in our first story today knew only too well the importance of water, but when Jesus talks to her about “living” water she is puzzled. Jesus constantly surprises us by going against a lot of the taboos of the culture he was living in, and his chatting to the two ladies recorded in our stories today was quite out of the ordinary. The first lady is a Samaritan, a group despised by the Jews because they had allowed the worship of other gods to taint the worship of the one true God. The second lady is a Gentile whom the Jews believed was not part of the chosen race. By talking to these two, Jesus demonstrates a beautiful lesson for us all in the area of discrimination in any form; colour/race/gender/creed/caste

The first story is found in John 4:4 – 26…

We get a tiny glimpse of who this lady is in the fact that she was coming to draw water in the heat of the day; perhaps she was ashamed of her life style and was avoiding the other women from the village who chose cooler times to gather their water. Jesus initiates the conversation. Perhaps this is a reminder to all of us that Jesus often initiates conversations with us, but sometimes the raucous voices of the world blot out his words and we fail to hear him.image Jesus again surprises us by asking the woman to do something for him. Does the same thing happen when Jesus asks us, are we like the woman, questioning, or with excuses before willingly obeying him? Jesus wants to meet this woman because he has a beautiful gift to offer her He also offers us this beautiful gift, but again like the woman we have to get to know him and realise and acknowledge who he is so we can be blessed by that living water. When she starts to realise who he is even her precious water jar is left behind in her hurry to tell others the good news.

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”” (John 4:28)

What a good lesson for us. Earthly possessions mean nothing when we are offered the priceless gift of knowing our Saviour and then we see the woman, no longer bowed down by shame, sharing the good news with others, we know that we too have the words of life to share with others.

The second lady’s story is found in Matthew 15:21 – 28…

Just like Jairus (the desperate father in our previous posting) this lady is consumed with fear and worry about a precious child. We have noticed this in several of our face to face stories that desperation will often override all barriers of custom/ behaviour/self-awareness. This lady is a Canaanite, a Gentile, who no self-respecting Jew would be seen talking to, and yet she seeks out Jesus and calls him “Lord, Son of David” and begs for his mercy.

imageAt first we are surprised that Jesus does not answer her and the disciples just see her as someone annoying. We need to look closely at the disciples’ behaviour to be careful in pre-judging those who are seeking Jesus. Perhaps when we ask Jesus to intervene there is also a waiting time for our prayers to be answered. The lady’s persistence pays off and Jesus tests her with his next two answers, which is another lesson for us. How serious are we about our requests to him? The most compelling part of this story is how humble this mother becomes in front of Jesus. How humble are we in our prayer life? Again as we have seen in other stories the woman’s faith brings about the answer to her prayer.

Personal Reflection

Which of these two stories do you relate to the most? What can we learn from these two face to face encounters?

Next week we meet two wealthy men from vastly different backgrounds and watch as they meet Jesus.

1 Comment

Posted in Encourage, Face to Face with Jesus, Inspiration, John, Matthew | Tags: , ,

Posted by: Jo | July 13, 2012

Banishing Fear in Our Lives

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 4 of 10)

“ .. Don’t be afraid; just believe” (Mark 5:36)

imageOur story today begins with a crowd scene. I have never been comfortable being surrounded by mobs of people, being short in stature, I always begin to panic when I can only see bodies in front of me and if I’m unable to see where I am going I imagine just slipping underneath everybody and nobody noticing. So I have great admiration for the lady in our story who braved a crowd of people, driven to desperation by a long history of problem bleeding, in her quest to reach Jesus. Equally desperate is a panic stricken Father who also struggles through the crowd hoping against hope that Jesus can heal his dying daughter.

Their story is found in Mark 5:21 – 43….

The father, Jairus a ruler in the synagogue, is the first to reach Jesus. We are startled to see him fall at Jesus’ feet. This is a man who commands respect in the Jewish community and yet we see him lose all sense of his own dignity as he implores Jesus to come and place his healing hands on his daughter. What a beautiful example of selfless parent love, only his daughter was of supreme importance at that moment. Perhaps we have felt that same terror of realising we are in a situation completely out of our control and yet Jairus’ words to Jesus are confident ones, confident that Jesus can bring about healing and then imagine his joy as Jesus turns to go with him.

Meanwhile our exhausted lady reaches Jesus, but she is too timid to speak to him, knowing firstly she is a woman and then secondly because of her condition, considered to be unclean, so she tentatively touches his cloak. imageImmediately she realises something amazing has taken place in her body, at the same time she is filled with fear as Jesus calls her to his side, but Jesus’ incredible gift to her is not only healing, but the gift of peace, fear now banished.

“…Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” (Mark 5:34)

The story now takes a dramatic turn. Jairus hears the worst news a parent could hear. He is told his precious daughter has died. Jesus ignores the messengers and turns to Jairus and utters some of his most endearing words to not only Jairus, but to all of us who have come on after,

“…Don’t be afraid; just believe” (Mark 5:36)

Several months ago I was conducting a Bible study with a group and this was the passage we were studying. That evening one of our members had a very scary experience with her heart wildly beating and had to go immediately to the nearest emergency. Panic overtook her as she listened to the doctors deciding what they would do. When they all left the room briefly, suddenly into her mind came the beautiful verse we had all just read in the morning, “Don’t be afraid; just believe” She began to repeat these words over and over to herself and slowly she felt her heart return to its regular beat and when the doctors returned they were amazed to find her quite relaxed and her heart normal. They had no explanation why this was so, but she did.

The final beautiful ending of our story takes imageplace in Jairus’ home. When we picture that little girl’s bedroom being transformed from one of sadness and mourning, to joy and great rejoicing, we get a glimpse of the incredible promise for all of us who belong to the Lord. Imagine that little girl opening her eyes and being helped up by, the hand of Jesus, to new life. She came face to face with Jesus and that is the promise we can all look forward to when we go to join him. Fear is banished in the assurance of his everlasting love.

Personal Reflection

Both the woman who needed healing and Jairus were desperate and fearful, how does this story encourage you in any situation you are experiencing?

How can we banish fear from our lives by listening to Jesus’ words to the woman, “…Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”?

Next week we linger at the well in the heat of the day and meet another desperate parent.

5 Comments

Posted in Encourage, Face to Face with Jesus, Mark | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Jo | July 6, 2012

Total Forgiveness

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 3 of 10)

“They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.” (Revelation 22:4)

imageThis is the third week of looking deeply into the stories that involve people coming face to face with Jesus and today the encounter is between two persons from very different backgrounds and who have vastly different expectations of what this meeting will bring about. On the one hand we have Simon. Simon is very sure of himself, a member of the Pharisees who prides himself on keeping the law, an expert at pointing out to others where they fall short. On the other hand we have a woman who is described as having lived, “a sinful life” (probably a prostitute), a woman with no delusions about herself and who exhibits a clear understanding of her need for forgiveness.

Their story is found in Luke 7: 36 – 50

We are intrigued why this arrogant Pharisee would invite Jesus to dinner in the first place. Is it just curiosity? Perhaps to once for all prove Jesus to be a false prophet? Does he invite his friends so they can witness how he can belittle this upstart? Or does he in some way want to justify himself to Jesus and show what a good keeper of the law he is? Probably we have seen all these approaches still being evident in how Jesus is sought out today. We come across the curious, who sometimes just leave it at that, not bothering to spend time to discover his great love for them. We have come across the scoffers, who cannot believe who Jesus really is and want to tell others howimage deluded believers are, and we frequently come across the self-righteous who can quickly justify to everybody what a virtuous life they lead, so have no need for a Saviour.

The dinner party is suddenly interrupted by an uninvited guest and we marvel at the audacity of this woman, who in a time where women were not asked at all to eat with men and whose dubious life style would exclude her from any self-respecting company, suddenly appears on the scene. By her very actions we know she is not classified by the above approaches to Jesus. Here is a woman (who we probably think has already listened to Jesus’ and been aware of his loving compassion for all) breaking all cultural laws, flinging herself at Jesus feet and by her very actions, begging for forgiveness. Everything about this beautiful picture is saturated with love. The woman’s tears reveal how her heart has been touched by Jesus’ love. Her gratitude is bound up in her gift of the perfume, a loving extravagant gift, perhaps one she was saving for herself. Even her action of wiping Jesus’ feet with her hair, is a humble declaration of love. We cannot read this story and be untouched. We have a sudden urge to kneel down with her at our Master’s feet.

Simon and his guests are horrified and immediately jump to the conclusion that imageJesus cannot be the one every one is saying he is. Surely he should be condemning this sinner. His parable about the money lender brings a grudging reply from Simon, but his loving words,”…Your sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48) angers those present who would rather see the woman punished than forgiven. Imagine the effect those words had on the woman. Perhaps words she had heard long ago drifted back to her,

“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”

Psalm 145:18 – 19….Jesus’ last gift to the woman is to grant her peace,

“..Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:50

Total forgiveness means just that. Peace that passes all understanding.

Personal Reflection

What messages of love, forgiveness and tolerance can we take away from this story for our own lives?

Do you get a pang of pity for Simon who came so close to seeing Jesus face to face and did not recognise him as his Saviour?

What was clouding his vision?

Next week we mingle with the crowd around Jesus and witness a dramatic healing of a woman and then go with the disciples and be amazed as Jesus raises a little girl from the dead.

Related articles

1 Comment

Posted in Face to Face with Jesus, Luke, Psalms, Revelation | Tags: ,

Posted by: Jo | June 29, 2012

Move a Mountain

Face to Face with Jesus (Part 2 of 10)

“They will see his face and his name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:4)

imageWe are continuing to explore the recorded occurrences of where Jesus meets people face to face and the importance of these meetings and what they mean to us in our own spiritual walk and how they are relevant to our everyday life.

So, two fascinating encounters to delve into today. Two men with similar problems come face to face with Jesus. Both are unable to walk and have been reduced to relying on others for all their needs, but here the similarity ends. The first man is filled with self pity. The second man has such faithful friends that they overcome huge obstacles to bring their friend to Jesus. The first man does not even know who Jesus is. The second man is relying totally on his friends’ faith and yet they are both healed by their compassionate Saviour. Why are these two stories faithfully recorded for us and what is the message for us to absorb and to apply to our own lives?

The first man’s story is found in John 5:1 – 15.

The first puzzling question for us is why Jesus chose this particular man to speak to as we are told there were a great number of disabled people lying beside the pool that day. imagePerhaps the first insight we gain from this is that Jesus seeks us out at that very moment that we are ready to accept his healing touch. This man may have been at the lowest point of his life. Thirty eight years of hoping for healing from a mythical source had drained all his hope. He may have exhausted any avenues of help from family or friends. Jesus asks him, to our ears, a very strange question, “…Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6) We expect the man to reply with a resounding “YES!” but the yes is not forthcoming. He babbles a lame excuse about nobody helping him. How often we may have had excuses ready for why we are still in a situation that definitely needs the intervention of Jesus to heal it. Jesus really startles us with his next directive to the man,”… Get up! Pick up your mat and walk” (John 5:8) What a wonderful reminder for us. Healing of any kind from pain/sorrow/broken relationship/hurt feelings/rejection whatever is crippling us, needs first that coming into Jesus’ presence and then having the courage to take the first step ourselves, trusting in his promises and discarding that old mat we have been clinging to for so long.

The second man’s story is found in Luke 5:17 – 26

This story is a wonderful example of true friendship. What incredible friends this particular paralytic has. They know he needs to meet Jesus, but the obstacles are many. First of all he needs to be carried to go anywhere, but when they get to the imagehouse where Jesus is teaching the crowds block their way. Not daunted they climb on the roof of course, still having to carry their friend, and after all this have to remove tiles to lower their friend right at Jesus’ feet. Jesus again surprises us by what he says, after noting the great faith of the friends, he says to the man, “…Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20) We would assume his physical healing would come first, but Jesus knew exactly what the man needed to hear and physical healing follows. We may have friends we would love to bring into Jesus’ presence. This story of faith is a good one to reread over and over again when we seem to come against all sorts of barriers in getting them to Jesus. Our faith can be a rock for others until they hear for themselves, “Your sins are forgiven”. Another interesting message comes out of this story. When the crowd witness this amazing healing they are in awe, “Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God…” (Luke 5:26) This is the outcome all of us want to see. We do not hear the crowd praising those friends, but giving praise rightly so to the only One who could bring about this miracle.

Next week we are invited to dinner at a rich Pharisees‘ house, where we will see two vastly different reactions to being face to face with Jesus.

Personal Reflection

Which of these two stories touch you the most?

Is the Lord asking you to take that first step out of a crippling situation and trust him that you can make it?

Or has the Lord asked you to have faith that even though great obstacles are in the way, you can bring that friend to him?

image

Related articles

1 Comment

Posted in Ephesians, Face to Face with Jesus, John, Luke, Revelation | Tags: , , , ,

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories