December 31 2018

Throw it Aside


Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.” And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. Mark 10: 46-52

Blind Bartimaeus can teach us many lessons about persistence and being clear about what you need.  But this morning I want to talk about what he does when Jesus calls out to him.  
When Jesus commanded him to be called, the crowd passed along the message (the same crowd that a moment ago was telling him to be quiet – crowds can be fickle!).  
As Bartimaeus rises to meet Jesus he throws aside his garment.  
Why does he do this? 
Perhaps this garment represented for Bartimaeus his life of begging.  
And he, believing that his encounter with Jesus would change his status, threw off that garment in faith.
Perhaps Bartimaeus didn’t know what Jesus would ask him to do, so wanting to be prepared and unencumbered, he choose to throw off the garment before he got to Jesus. 
Whatever the reason, Bartimaeus appears to be “all in” when Jesus calls out to him.  
We too need to be ready to be “all in” as we prepare to encounter Jesus in this New Year.  
What do we need to throw off as the New Year arrives?  
What are we holding on to that identifies us in a particular way; in a way that we hope to see changed? 
What are we holding on to that might cause us to be caught up and unable to move in the way Jesus is calling us to move? 
Blind Bartimaeus was prepared and expectant for his encounter with Jesus.  
Are we prepared and expectant for our encounter with Jesus in this New Year? 
Throw off that garment!

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December 30 2018

Into the Unknown



Now the LORD had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.
I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
Genesis 12:1-4
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” But Abram said, “Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15:1-6
Abraham trusted the Lord.  
He moved away from his home on God’s word that He would bring him to a “land that I will show you”.  
Not even a land that I am showing you now, but that I will show you as you move out in faith.  
Later on Abraham again trusted the Lord, this time for an heir.  
Even though he and Sarah were past child bearing age, He believed the Lord’s promise that they would have a son.  
What is the Lord asking you to believe right now as you begin to move into a New Year? 
Is He asking you to step out in faith, to take the first step, believing that He will show you the land where He will take you as you begin to move? 
Is He asking you to believe that He will do something in your life that looks impossible in the natural?  
God can and will take the unknown and those things that are dead and lifeless in your life and turn them into miraculous answers to prayer and direction for your life! 
Be an Abraham today – step out in faith, trust what the Lord is telling you and move out into the New Year in faith!

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December 29 2018

Into the Wilderness

However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. Luke 5:15-16
Jesus was busy.  
The multitudes pressed in close to him for healing. 
The more he healed, the more they came.  
What did He do?  
He withdrew into the wilderness and prayed.  
What should we be doing in our busiest times?  
Setting aside our prayer time until we have more time?  
No! 
If Jesus required to go into the wilderness to pray as the multitudes pressed in, then surely we need to go into the wilderness to pray when life gets busy.  
Think about the one thing you wouldn’t think about missing each day – maybe it is your meals, your sleep, your coffee, your work……. 
Now, consider why you won’t miss that thing.  
That’s why it is so important to you and what helps you to commit to it regardless of what else is going on.  
Now, begin to think about the fact that prayer is EVEN more important than that important thing.  Should you be missing it?  
No! 
Prayer needs to find a place of supreme importance in our life.  
When it does, we like Jesus, will learn to withdraw into the wilderness and pray.  
And when we begin to do that we will be much better equipped to deal with the busyness that surrounds us.

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