Tag: impossible
Only believe!
Scripture reading for February 14: Mark 5
“Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” And He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and Jesus saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. And when He had entered, He said to them, “Why are you making a commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him. But He put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with Him and went in where the child was. Taking her by the hand He said to her, “Talitha Cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” And immediately the girl got up and began walking . .” Mark 5:36-42
Jesus confronted all kinds of sickness, demon possession, and now even death of a twelve year old child. This child was the daughter of the synagogue ruler. This ruler had come to Jesus pleading for His healing intervention. On the way, Jesus was interrupted by a woman who touched His garment and was healed. Then a messenger from the synagogue ruler’s household came with word that the child had already died. Jesus firmly instructed the ruler not to be afraid but to believe. Jesus took with Him only His inner circle of disciples and upon arriving, found the usual wailing and grief. He tried quieting the crowd by telling them that the girl was only asleep. This brought derisive laughter. All were put out except mother, father, and the three trusted disciples.
Contrary to the sentiment of the crowd of mourners, Jesus’ world view saw restoration and healing in response to believing faith. Contrary to those who laughed, Jesus calmly took the child by the hand and commanded her to arise. Immediately, (a term loved by Mark!) the girl arose and began to walk! Great joy filled the house where moments before there was grief and mourning. With those who by faith believe, nothing is impossible! Seeing from Jesus’ perspective brings vision for resurrection from death!
Have you ever been confronted with a situation that looked hopeless even though you had asked Jesus for help? What did the battle inside between fear and faith feel like? Have you ever had to remove yourself from those around you that refuse to act in faith?
Prayer: Father God, forgive me for not always taking impossible situations to You and instead giving way to fear. Help me to be an encourager of faith and not a hindrance or a mocker. Let me walk with Jesus each day into impossible situations and see immediate victory in response to prayer and declaration! Amen.
Jesus teaches an impossibility!
Scripture reading for October 25: Luke 16-18
“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” “The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.” Luke 16:13-14
Jesus spoke very plainly: “You cannot serve both God and Money.” In Christian circles today, there is a popular variation of the Gospel called the “prosperity” teaching. This teaching says that God wants you to be rich in order to use your riches as a testimony to the world of the blessings of God’s kingdom. Now God’s Word does proclaim blessing on God’s people for obedience and faith. Those who walked in faith were often blessed and obtained great wealth in this world. But God is more concerned about our hearts. He said it is impossible to serve two masters.
The Pharisees had a teaching very similar to this prosperity message of today. They taught that God’s blessing was on the rich and that if a person was poor, he was under a curse. This had some scriptural truth to it from Deuteronomy 28 and other places in the Old Testament. However, Jesus came to help them see things in a different light. He told a story about a rich man and a poor beggar named Lazarus. These two real people lived on earth and both died. At death there was a great reversal. The rich man ended up in the torment of Hell. The poor beggar, Lazarus, ended up in Abraham’s bosom, a place of comfort and blessing. They could see each other but were separated by a great gulf. (Luke 16:22-26)
This in itself struck at the hearts of those who loved “money”! Jesus went on to tell about the conversation in the underworld between this rich man and Father Abraham. The rich man asked to have Lazarus come and bring a drop of water to comfort him in his torment. This request was refused. It was impossible! This rich man then asked about sending Lazarus back to earth to warn his five brothers so that they would not end up in Hell. This request was also denied. The Law and Prophets provided all the warning that God was offering to them.
We have this Word from Jesus today to warn us as well! He has risen from the dead and is speaking to us with an unchanging Word. Pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness, not money! Beware of the spirit of the Pharisees, who loved money. Beware of those who preach a false prosperity gospel! It is impossible to serve Jesus and money!