“Master, I want to see again.”
When reading the story of the blind man who wouldn’t stop crying out to Jesus until he was heard, I was struck by his request: “Master, I want to see again.”
My heart immediately cried out those words to the Father: I want to see again! I get so distracted by this world! I want to tear off the blinders of the business of life, the noisiness of life, the distractions of life and of fear- fear of the aging process, fear of the feeling of not being of use, fear of the disturbing effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia that I see in my mother-in-law, the fear of losing loved-ones, the fear of bombers in public places, and the list goes on! I want to ‘see’ again. See with fresh new eyes the goodness of the Lord, the workings of the Lord; I want to see anew in His Word.
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“Master, I want to see again.”
When reading the story of the blind man who wouldn’t stop crying out to Jesus until he was heard, I was struck by his request: “Master, I want to see again.”
My heart immediately cried out those words to the Father: I want to see again! I get so distracted by this world! I want to tear off the blinders of the business of life, the noisiness of life, the distractions of life and of fear- fear of the aging process, fear of the feeling of not being of use, fear of the disturbing effects of Alzheimer’s and Dementia that I see in my mother-in-law, the fear of losing loved-ones, the fear of bombers in public places, and the list goes on! I want to ‘see’ again. See with fresh new eyes the goodness of the Lord, the workings of the Lord; I want to see anew in His Word.
When I read the words of the blind man, I picture Him out of breath. He has been sitting on the side of the road, probably very hot, thirsty and feeling pretty much abandoned. Those with Jesus told him to be quiet, but he wouldn’t stop. Can you imagine? Have you ever cried out in earnest, trying to get someone’s attention in a crowd? Then Jesus heard him and told some of the men to bring him over and He asks him, what do you want? I think the blind man probably had to take a deep breath, and a deep sigh, before saying; I just want to see again! He must have been able to see before. I find, on this journey through life, that there are times that I can ‘see’ and times when I quit paying attention or get so busy or so worried that I can’t see anything. Today , this day, I want to see again! Every day I want to see again! I don’t want to miss anything the Lord has for me!
Lord, create a clean heart in me this day; renew a right spirit within me! Help me to keep my eyes fixed on You! Help me to ‘see’. Amen!
“He came to the outskirts of Jericho. A blind man was sitting beside the road asking for handouts. When he heard the rustle of the crowd, he asked what was going on. They told him, “Jesus the Nazarene is going by.” He yelled, “Jesus! Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Those ahead of Jesus told the man to shut up, but he only yelled all the louder, “Son of David! Mercy, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered him to be brought over. When he had come near, Jesus asked, “What do you want from me?” He said, “Master, I want to see again.” Jesus said, “Go ahead—see again! Your faith has saved and healed you!” The healing was instant: He looked up, seeing—and then followed Jesus, glorifying God. Everyone in the street joined in, shouting praise to God.” Luke 18:35-43 MSG
See it at YouVersion.com: http://bible.us/97/luk.18.35.msg
The Killing of Innocents
The terrorists would say there are none innocent, everyone is guilty.
Ironically – That is what the Lord says in a sense- all have sinned!
But what we need is a Savior – NOT a terrorist!
We need the One who can transform us from the inside out! Not one who maim’s from the outside, leaving people cold and dead on the inside.
We need the One who says “love your neighbor” not “blow up you neighbor”.
The One who values life, Who considers it priceless, not one who counts the number of lives it has destroyed.
We need the One who said “bring the children to me”, not someone who takes away their childhood by way of death or destruction.
We need the One Who will hold us secure during times of good and times of trouble, not someone who will sacrifice us all for the sake of a call.
We need the One Who gives us hope and peace today and eternity tomorrow: Not one who strikes fear in the hearts of mankind, believing that murder and death will somehow redeem!
We need the One Who says “come to me all who are weary and need rest” not one who walks away, fleeing the destruction he’s pouring on others or destroying himself in the process.
That One is Jesus!
On The Journey … Valerie
Relax! I’ve Got This!
“Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.
“Has anyone by fussing before the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? If fussing can’t even do that, why fuss at all? … What I’m trying to do here is get you to relax, not be so preoccupied with getting so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Don’t be afraid of missing out. You’re my dearest friends!” http://bible.us/97/luk.12.15.msg
Trust Him! Whether you have a little, or have a lot. We are not defined by what we have but who we are in Him. Trust Him! And be generous in all areas of your life! He will take care of you! It’s a promise from the One who says, “You are my dearest friends.”
“Nuff said!”
On The Journey! Valerie
“Go and do likewise …”
Most folks are familiar with the story of the Good Samaritan where three different people crossed the path of the mugged and beaten traveler when he was down and out for the count. Two religious men and a man they both looked down on, the Samaritan. Jesus asks who was a ‘neighbor’ to the hurt man and of course the answer is – the Samaritan. Now the Samaritans did not believe all that differently than the men of Judah, just enough to split and become a new group. Sound familiar? They believed in the same God. Sigh…
The religious scholar answered Jesus correctly. “The one who showed pity and mercy”: another translation says “the one who treated him kindly.”
We are in desperate need of followers of Christ within the church body to remember Jesus’ answer here: “Go and do likewise.” Let’s purpose in our hearts to treat fellow believers with mercy, compassion, forgiveness, and kindness and caring. There is enough judgment and criticism coming from the world in general. Remember, they will know we are Christians by our love for another, not our condemnation of one another. (Jn13:35)
Luke 10:36, 37 AMP
“Which of these three do you think proved himself a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers? He answered, The one who showed pity and mercy to him. And Jesus said to him, Go and do likewise.”
See it at YouVersion.com:
Do You Feel Like An Outsider?
I love it when a plan comes together!
I love it when a plan comes together! Whether it’s a wedding, a trade show, a party, or a potluck supper! But what I really love is seeing the Lord working in someone’s life right before my very eyes. Right now, we, at Life Church, are watching the Lord do marvelous things and we are waiting with great anticipation to see what new plans He has in store for us!
This past week of reading through the New Testament in a year, we have been in the first few chapters of Luke and I can’t help but feel some of the excitement of Elizabeth and Mary when they each found out they were pregnant and that their pregnancies were part of God’s great destiny for mankind! Wow!!! Oh the wonder and excitement of it all! And these events lead us right up to why we celebrate Easter Week. I can’t help but think of the final unfolding of the lives of Mary’s son and Elizabeth’s son during this time. These two women let God be God in their lives! And because of the Lord’s great plan and His love for all of us, we have a reason to celebrate! Jesus is Risen: and Elizabeth’s son John? His death was not the end – he has eternity … as do we!
“And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant! Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” And Mary said, Yes, I see it all now: I’m the Lord’s maid, ready to serve. (Luke 1:36-38 MSG)
On The Journey … Valerie
“He was one who lived expectantly, on the lookout …”
Do You Know What Time It Is?
It is amazing how losing one hour of sleep can affect us! For many of us it has been a week that started with one less hour of sleep and for the most part, no one prepares in advance for that. We walk around exhausted for several days. It’s not like we didn’t know it was coming. It happens every year, but we still don’t try to prepare by maybe going to bed a little earlier the week or two ahead of time and getting up a little earlier each day so we don’t take such a hit with the whole hour!
I couldn’t help but think of that while reading Mark 13. Jesus tells us several times throughout this particular chapter to look, to see, to be on guard, to be alert and to watch! Generations have come and gone since these words were written, just as days and years go by with the time change and it is so easy to just forget about keeping our guard up and our eyes open. It is one thing to miss an hour sleep. It’s a whole other thing to miss the signs of the times or to be so calloused that we miss the Lord at work today.
Jesus says in Mark 13:23 “Be on your guard. I have told you everything ahead of time.” Mark 13:37 says, “What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
As we are preparing to celebrate Easter, let’s make a concerted effort to keep watch, keep our eyes open to what the Lord is up to in the times we live in.
On the Journey … Valerie
The Kingdom's Keeper 