Month: September 2020

Think About It…

In the Gospel accounts (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43), we read about Jesus who is on His way to Jerusalem and He’s passing through Jericho. Jesus has a multitude of people travelling with Him. As they pass through, there are two blind beggars that hear this commotion of the multitude and they inquire of it. They are told that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by, so they begin to cry out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us!!”. Of course, they are beggars, the most lowly of citizens, so they are warned to keep quiet. They refuse and continue to keep shouting all the more, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on us!!” Jesus hears their cries and stands still. He asks them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” They request that their eye sight be granted them. Jesus gives them their sight telling them that their faith has made them well. They then joined the multitude in following Jesus.

How does this apply to us today? We all have something that is plaguing us: SIN (Romans 3:23). Jesus has the power to remove that sin from us (Mark 16:16). What is it that’s keeping us from Jesus and what are we doing about it? For the two beggars it was the multitude of people that were between them and Jesus. What is it for us? It could be one thing, it could be a number of things. We need to identify whatever it is and we need to decide what we will do about it. The beggars shouted all the more! What will we do to overcome and access Jesus Christ? Think about it…

Victim Or Victor

Two movements of today are at odds with one another: Black Lives Matter and Blue Lives Matter. In several different places I’ve seen Black Lives Matter supporters hurl the argument that Blue Lives Matter isn’t an equal opposite to Black Lives Matter because being a police officer is a choice, whereas being born black is not a choice. While on the surface this statement is true, there’s a much deeper implication that you are automatically a victim because of the color of your skin. Is that true? I wonder, do all black people agree with this statement?

Have you ever considered Joseph? When he was a young man, his own brothers sought to kill him. Instead, they ended up selling him into slavery (Genesis 37:19-36). This was by no means Joseph’s choice and surely put him at a disadvantage. He was a victim of evil. What hostility and anger and hurt that must have produced within him. But he had a choice to make, didn’t he? He could choose what to do with his circumstances. He didn’t seek revenge and he didn’t play the victim. He became a trusted individual in the eyes of Pharaoh, and ended up saving the lives of many people from the famine in the land, including his brothers that sold him into slavery (Genesis 45:5).

We all are dealt certain circumstances in life, many of which we don’t choose for ourselves. We still have a choice to make in what we do under those circumstances. Do we lash out at others and place blame, burn down buildings, riot in the streets? Or do we seek the good that God has planned to come from our trials (Romans 8:28)?

What will you be when you are dealt unwanted circumstances? A victim? Or will you look to God, seek His righteousness, and be a victor?