Today’s Reading: Esther 3; Esther 4; Esther 5; Esther 6; Esther 7; Esther 8; Luke 18
Scripture: Luke 18
35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by."
38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"...
Observation: People told the blind man to be quiet. They didn't like the shouting -- it was embarrassing to be around a person who was causing a scene. But the blind man didn't listen -- he shouted even more. He was an old yeller. :) And because he yelled and shouted, Jesus came to him and he received his sight.
Application: Most people don't care about others getting a healing, or deliverance, or miracle. They want quiet. They want not to be bothered -- especially by religious fanatics who make too much noise about "what should be kept a private matter." But like the blind man, I need to not be dissuaded by the crowd. If I want something from God, then I have to be willing to be intense and radical to get it. Crowd pleasing does not result in miracles.
Prayer: Lord, help me to be a God pleaser and not a crowd pleaser. I want to not care about public opinion but to be as intense as necessary to get Your attention and move heaven on my behalf. Help me to be bolder as I get older.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
1 comment:
Perseverance is a much more rare character quality today than it used to be. We live in a world of "instant" everything that tends to engender an impatience in us if things don't happen for us immediately. As a Christian, learning to persevere never goes out of style and so it becomes something "counter-culture" that we need to develop in our lives.
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