Mark 5:25-26
Open your eyes, and you will quickly see “brokenness” all around you. It’s everywhere. When I was a youth pastor many years ago now, I saw it in ways that I wish I hadn’t seen. From uninvolved to addiction-filled parents, families were broken. From pleasure-seeking to identity-confused students, kids were broken. It was a mess, but make no mistake, God is greater than the messes that we tend to see or even make ourselves. We can be 100% sure of that.
Fast forward several years later, and I am currently in a blessed season of life where, by God’s amazing grace, I am getting to watch some of those former broken students now becoming committed disciples of Jesus. What changed? THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL over time in their lives!
The story in our sermon for this week speaks of that same desperation that I saw all those years ago. A woman who was “far from Jesus” was about to get “closer to Jesus.” She had a seemingly incurable condition that caused her to bleed constantly. It seems that it was some type of menstrual or uterine physical condition. What you must realize is that this physical condition also affected her spiritual condition. Because of her “blood disorder,” she was ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27) which excluded her from almost all social contact including Temple worship.
What happened next is a reminder of how important faith is in our lives. This “unclean” woman TOUCHED JESUS, which was a big “no no” in Jewish culture. Why you might ask? Because according to the Mosaic Law if someone who was “ceremonically unclean” touched someone else, in that moment, that “touched person” became “unclean.” Most people would have been incredibly angry with this woman. Not Jesus. In fact, he praised her bold faith. She stepped out in faith hoping beyond hope that Jesus would compassionately heal her, and that is exactly what Jesus did. He is so kind and gracious to us…despite us.
I recently had a conversation with a guy who I am growing to really love. He is desperate for God in his life. He is struggling in his marriage, and if things don’t drastically change, he is about to lose his wife. He knows this, and he is working to make the necessary changes. He texted me a couple of weeks ago right before I was going to preach at our 9:00 AM gathering in Flint. I quickly called him, and he proceeded to tell me that God is opening up doors, especially in his wife’s life. There is hope.
I love to see God work in people’s lives. I love when someone “hits rock bottom,” and there is nowhere to go but up…as long as they look to Jesus. The truth is that many people don’t even see their need for salvation until desperation hits in their lives. Something that we should always be thankful for is when “God gets our attention” when we need him. He can change anyone’s life if that person is willing to repent of his or her sins and turn his or her life fully over to God for his purposes.
Two questions: HOW DESPERATE ARE YOU FOR GOD RIGHT NOW? DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS DESPERATE FOR GOD RIGHT NOW? Each of us is most likely affected by at least one of these questions right now. Let’s be desperate for God in our lives. Let’s be involved in people’s lives who are desperate for God. What a privilege. The Gospel changes everything. Make no mistake: this woman’s whole life was changed because of her faith in Jesus. From desperation to a disciple, PRAISE OUR INCREDIBLE GOD!
Fast forward several years later, and I am currently in a blessed season of life where, by God’s amazing grace, I am getting to watch some of those former broken students now becoming committed disciples of Jesus. What changed? THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL over time in their lives!
The story in our sermon for this week speaks of that same desperation that I saw all those years ago. A woman who was “far from Jesus” was about to get “closer to Jesus.” She had a seemingly incurable condition that caused her to bleed constantly. It seems that it was some type of menstrual or uterine physical condition. What you must realize is that this physical condition also affected her spiritual condition. Because of her “blood disorder,” she was ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27) which excluded her from almost all social contact including Temple worship.
What happened next is a reminder of how important faith is in our lives. This “unclean” woman TOUCHED JESUS, which was a big “no no” in Jewish culture. Why you might ask? Because according to the Mosaic Law if someone who was “ceremonically unclean” touched someone else, in that moment, that “touched person” became “unclean.” Most people would have been incredibly angry with this woman. Not Jesus. In fact, he praised her bold faith. She stepped out in faith hoping beyond hope that Jesus would compassionately heal her, and that is exactly what Jesus did. He is so kind and gracious to us…despite us.
I recently had a conversation with a guy who I am growing to really love. He is desperate for God in his life. He is struggling in his marriage, and if things don’t drastically change, he is about to lose his wife. He knows this, and he is working to make the necessary changes. He texted me a couple of weeks ago right before I was going to preach at our 9:00 AM gathering in Flint. I quickly called him, and he proceeded to tell me that God is opening up doors, especially in his wife’s life. There is hope.
I love to see God work in people’s lives. I love when someone “hits rock bottom,” and there is nowhere to go but up…as long as they look to Jesus. The truth is that many people don’t even see their need for salvation until desperation hits in their lives. Something that we should always be thankful for is when “God gets our attention” when we need him. He can change anyone’s life if that person is willing to repent of his or her sins and turn his or her life fully over to God for his purposes.
Two questions: HOW DESPERATE ARE YOU FOR GOD RIGHT NOW? DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS DESPERATE FOR GOD RIGHT NOW? Each of us is most likely affected by at least one of these questions right now. Let’s be desperate for God in our lives. Let’s be involved in people’s lives who are desperate for God. What a privilege. The Gospel changes everything. Make no mistake: this woman’s whole life was changed because of her faith in Jesus. From desperation to a disciple, PRAISE OUR INCREDIBLE GOD!
Posted in Devotional