S) "35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. 36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was. 37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. 38 And he called out, saying, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' 39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying out all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!'"
Luke 18:35-39 (NASB)
O) Jesus healed untold numbers of people, with all sorts of diseases and afflictions. Each time a specific story is told, especially when it is told with detail, there are notable, searchable, discernible reasons. This particular blind beggar even has his name recorded (see Mark 10) in the Bible. There are a lot of elements that could probably be explored in this story, but I was immediately convicted by his perseverance. He simply would not be deterred. He would not allow anything to make him miss his opportunity with Jesus, so long as he could do anything about it. He was unconcerned with propriety. He did not care about being obnoxious. He was not going to sit idly by, while his hope walked passed him.
A) The unabashed nature that Bartimaeus displayed, first made me think of public acknowledgement of Jesus. Do I acknowledge my savior, unashamed to put my needs on display for all to see (and hear). But, as I really dwelt on this, I realized that this passage is as much about being unashamed as it is about seizing opportunity. That really made me start to think of all the ways I have an opportunity to worship, an opportunity to pray, even an opportunity to share the gospel... and I let it pass me by... I need to recognize opportunities, realizing their fleeting nature. I need to cry out in worship when I am in need. I need to publicly pronounce Jesus is my hope. Even in the face of being ostracized, I need to call out to Him just the same.
P) Father, You are my only hope and salvation. In Jesus, You provided everything I needed for life and life to the fullest. You are worthy of my praise, worthy of my devotion, worthy of my public pronouncement! Help me, not only to be more bold in sharing the gospel, but also in recognizing opportunities. Help me to see my own needs clearly, and to see how urgent those needs are. Help me to understand that there is no time to lose. In You, I know I will be satisfied. I know that intellectually, but help me to know it experientially. Open my eyes to see, and my ears to hear. Be glorified in my needs, and Your faithfulness to meet them. Let Your will be done. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment