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December 14, 2010
Jesus ... Mission Possible
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Greetings!
It's Christmas Time! Merry Christmas!
The season of parties, events, programs and shopping is upon us.
Thus, it is the season to be careful. The busyness and business of Christmas can get overwhelming if we let it. Still, through the craziness remember what Christmas is about ... Jesus as Lord and King.
In my devotional reading, I came across a favorite story of Jesus healing a man's son. In the story, the disciples had been attempting to heal a boy but it wasn't working. The religious leaders of the day were arguing with the disciples when Jesus comes on the scene. On heaven's cue, Jesus interrupts and engages.
I am so thankful that we have a God that is still in the business of interrupting and engaging fallen humanity. It's true, we have a redeemer that loves us so much He interrupts our world to deliver His. He is so amazing that He, despite our sin and apathy, exchanges His Kingdom for ours. That is really what Christmas is about ... Jesus coming to save us from ourselves. |
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Believe the Possibilities in Christ
14 When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. 15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.16 "What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. 17 A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." 19 "You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." 20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?" "From childhood," he answered. 22 "It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." 23 "'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for one who believes." 24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"
~ Mark 9:14-24 ~ |
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Jesus ... Mission Possible
Whenever I read this story I am encouraged by Jesus. You see, Jesus always meets us at our time of need with His perfect plan. In this story, the boy is possessed, the father faithful, the disciples weak, and the religious elite joyful in ridicule. Jesus shows up and sets everyone straight! Sounds like Christmas!
There are so many aspects of life that you will never decipher. The questions we mull over on a daily basis are never-ending. Why ...? When ...? Who ...? What ...? Where ...? These questions are distractions to the real issue of faith and belief. Do we trust God to allow Him to mess with our hearts? Do we trust God for the mundane and miraculous? Do we trust God to see the miraculous in what we think is mundane?
The father in the story is an honest man simply seeking God. Yes, he has a need but note that Jesus isn't caught off guard by his need. What Jesus disliked about the situation was the actions of his disciples. When Jesus tells the father "everything is possible for one who believes", He wasn't simply speaking to the father. No, He was also discipling His team. He was engaging their belief system.
Christmas is a celebration of Jesus interrupting sinful earth to redeem sinful man. He came as a baby and began to engage a lost and dying world. Now, He has left us with the Holy Spirit that continues to interrupt and engage. We, like His disciples in the story, simply need to engage faith and believe that Jesus can do what He states. We can't just read about Jesus. We need to know Jesus and believe the promises He made.
This week, allow the God of Christmas to interrupt and engage you. Challenge your belief and faith. Are you trusting the Godhead of Christmas with your entire life or are there small spaces where unbelief has been left unattended? If so, Christmas is a wonderful time to sit with the God of Wonder. Allow the King of Kings to interrupt and engage your faith. Lastly, believe! Believe in the God of Christmas not as a fairy-tale but as the rescue mission Heaven conceived and initiated with a baby! Clear the cobwebs of faith and the clutter of unbelief and grow and witness the Kingdom come! |
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For King and Kingdom,
Randy Martin |
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