What will you decide?

A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

“You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ “

But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”  Mark 5:24-34

I’ve always loved this story.  In particular the faith of the woman who knew she only needed to get close to Jesus.  Just a simple touch would change her life.

What are you doing today to seek Jesus?

Do you believe so much that all you need to do is touch His cloak?

 

Today when reading this account, something new struck me.

She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.

How many times do we do this?  Suffer greatly under the care of others… spending all we have… and keep going back for more… until we have nothing left?

I’m done going to others for only what Jesus can offer.

 

But even as I say that, a new day looms and I’ll have to decide once more if I take the world, or if I take Him.

What will you decide?

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Can faith really heal?

Monday’s post Heart for Worship stirred up conversation between a friend and I about faith and healing. Here’s part of her reply (by the way, she heard the same message I heard):

Heart of Worship…thanks for your words. I walked away from worship today wondering if [Pastor] Marc really believes that healing is so related to faith (a nasty line to draw) and then i read your words..” We all are broken people. And God can use each of us in our own weakness… God’s light shines best when we admit our brokenness and come to Him with a humble heart”  God grant this for Jesus sake, that we come to Him and help shine His light all over the earth.

After reading her response via facebook I was a bit worried that other people might have thought my preacher-hubby implied in his message that all you needed to have was faith in order to be healed.  But that wasn’t his intention.  The intention was to get us away from striving to be significant and to find how Christ works best in our weakness.  (if this isn’t true, oh sweet husband of mine, please comment below!)

I opened my Bible to Matthew 17 where the disciples could not heal a child with demon possesion.  Jesus did and scolded them for having such little faith.  Here’s the passage:

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” 

“O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. 

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Now, if you are like me, you believe the Bible to be true.

However, do you believe these words to be true for YOU?  That if YOU had faith as small as a mustard seed YOU could move a mountain?

hmmm… read more of my thoughts on this subject at ExemplifyOnline.com.  Look for the title “Oh me of little faith”.

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What’s on Your Mind ~ Mark 1:40-45

To begin please read Mark 1:40-45.

What strikes you about this passage?

• is it the healing itself?
• the sick man’s faith?
• Jesus’ response “I am willing”?

Recently, my pastor spoke on this passage.  As a response I wrote this devotion.  However, I saved my absolute favorite reflection for today’s What’s on Your Mind.

Let’ s look at Mark 1:43-45 again.

Jesus sent him [the healed man] away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places.

The healing COST Jesus.  It cost Jesus His freedom.  He had to stay away from the people He came to be with.  That must have been a struggle.  Although, we see in the Bible where Jesus goes off to a solitary place to commune with His Father, here we see Him lonely.  People now wanted the power that Jesus offered – not the person – not a relationship.  I’m sure that burdened His soul.

It’s amazing to me that Jesus, the Son of God, experienced loneliness.  Have you ever been lonely?  Then you know that it seems like NO ONE understands, or no one cares.  Yet, here we see Jesus, given all authority on heaven and earth, feel loneliness in His core being.

Here I find comfort.  Jesus understands.  He’s been there.  Hebrews 4:14-16 says:

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

How about you?  What’s on Your Mind?  Can’t wait to read your thoughts. Please either leave your thoughts or let us know you have a post up in the comment section.

(Tomorrow, The Kettle Club!)

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The touch of Jesus

This weekend’s sermon led me to write this post:

 

By the way, there is still time to participate in this week’s blog carnival!

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