What would it look like for you to ask Jesus for what you wanted and needed unashamed of your request and undeterred by what those around you say?
What are you missing out on from Jesus because you've allowed other to silence your request?
These are two questions I was left wrestling with after reading of Jesus restoring sight to a blind beggar in Luke 18:35-43. There was a blind beggar sitting by the roadside when he heard that Jesus was passing by. The blind man cried out for Jesus to have mercy on hi. People rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he continued to call out to Jesus. Jesus stopped and asked what he wanted. Jesus then restored the sight of the blind man and he began to follow Jesus.
This blind man, whose name isn't given, knew what he needed and he knew Jesus could bring it. When he had the opportunity he cried out to Jesus for it. Even when others tried to get him to be quiet, he kept asking. And the result was getting what he asked for. The result was a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
The blind man received his sight because he refused to let others silence him. He continued to make his request for mercy known and it resulted in a life-changing encounter with Jesus.
What life-changing encounter with Jesus are you missing out on because you've allowed others to silence you request?
It's a sobering question to reflect on. Not to cause us regret, but to challenge us to stop listening to those who try to silence us.
Will you start asking Jesus again for the request you have that others have silenced?
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mercy. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Saturday, August 22, 2015
The Marks of a Follower of God
As a kid at summer camp, we used to sing a lot of songs that were passages of Scripture.One these songs came from Micah 6:8, which says,
"He has shown you, O Man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
Every time I read that verse, the song from summer camp starts in my head again. It's definitely helped me to remember this one.
When I read this verse in Micah recently, I started thinking about what it says. Thirty-one words that contain some simple truths about how we should live as Christians today. Three phrases that define what we should be about.
Act justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with God.
Much of the detail of what we do flows out of these three things. No, they're not exhaustive, but if we did these three things, we'd be living lives that were in greater alignment with the life Jesus calls His followers to, than if we're always trying to do it on our own.
Act Justly
We live in a world filled with injustice, but in the midst of it we're told to act justly. If we want to change the injustices of our world, it begins with us and with the things we do everyday.
We should be fair and honest in all our interactions. We should be willing to speak up on behalf of those being treated unjustly, who often cannot speak for themselves.
Love Mercy
Mercy means that we haven't received what we deserved for what we did. Jesus showed us mercy when He took the punishment for our sin instead of us.
It's pretty easy to love mercy when we're on the receiving end of it. But, that's only a partial picture of what it means to love mercy. When we love mercy, we also show it to others. As we have received mercy, we need to give it to others.
Walk Humbly with God
We need to follow where God leads us. That means we need to have the humility to admit we don't know it all ourselves. We have to admit that God knows best and following Him is our best choice.
"He has shown you, O Man, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God."
Every time I read that verse, the song from summer camp starts in my head again. It's definitely helped me to remember this one.
When I read this verse in Micah recently, I started thinking about what it says. Thirty-one words that contain some simple truths about how we should live as Christians today. Three phrases that define what we should be about.
Act justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with God.
Much of the detail of what we do flows out of these three things. No, they're not exhaustive, but if we did these three things, we'd be living lives that were in greater alignment with the life Jesus calls His followers to, than if we're always trying to do it on our own.
Act Justly
We live in a world filled with injustice, but in the midst of it we're told to act justly. If we want to change the injustices of our world, it begins with us and with the things we do everyday.
We should be fair and honest in all our interactions. We should be willing to speak up on behalf of those being treated unjustly, who often cannot speak for themselves.
Love Mercy
Mercy means that we haven't received what we deserved for what we did. Jesus showed us mercy when He took the punishment for our sin instead of us.
It's pretty easy to love mercy when we're on the receiving end of it. But, that's only a partial picture of what it means to love mercy. When we love mercy, we also show it to others. As we have received mercy, we need to give it to others.
Walk Humbly with God
We need to follow where God leads us. That means we need to have the humility to admit we don't know it all ourselves. We have to admit that God knows best and following Him is our best choice.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Five Minute Friday: Mercy
It's Five Minute Friday again. Joining in with everyone over at Lisa-Jo Baker's blog for five minutes of writing on the given word. The rules are simple: write for five minutes, no editing or overthinking, then share your work. Today's word is "mercy."
Sitting on a bench on the sidewalk. I see you walking down the street toward me.
I wonder if you are the one who will offer mercy - who will offer some kindness.
But then you notice me.
Your pace quickens. Something on your phone is suddenly of ultimate importance.
Just like everyone else, you rush by and don't notice me.
. . .
I'm sitting on the grass in the park - minding my own business this time.
I don't even notice you approach me, until your shadow casts shade over me.
Looking up I realize that you're not here to be kind. You're here to judge me again.
. . .
But the truth is neither of you know my story. And neither of you care to learn it as you walk past. You see the way I look and make assumptions about me and about my story.
. . .
Jesus offered mercy to the people in need He passed by.
He healed lepers - outcasts of society.
He spoke to a Samaritan woman - a woman from a race most Jews avoided.
He healed blind men, paralyzed men, those possessed by demons.
Mercy was a part of every day, every moment of Jesus' life. He knew the importance of offering mercy and He modelled it for us.
If mercy is so important, then why do we have such a difficult time with it? Why do we find it so difficult to offer mercy - to offer kindness and help - to those we run into who are in need?
Sitting on a bench on the sidewalk. I see you walking down the street toward me.
I wonder if you are the one who will offer mercy - who will offer some kindness.
But then you notice me.
Your pace quickens. Something on your phone is suddenly of ultimate importance.
Just like everyone else, you rush by and don't notice me.
. . .
I'm sitting on the grass in the park - minding my own business this time.
I don't even notice you approach me, until your shadow casts shade over me.
Looking up I realize that you're not here to be kind. You're here to judge me again.
. . .
But the truth is neither of you know my story. And neither of you care to learn it as you walk past. You see the way I look and make assumptions about me and about my story.
. . .
Jesus offered mercy to the people in need He passed by.
He healed lepers - outcasts of society.
He spoke to a Samaritan woman - a woman from a race most Jews avoided.
He healed blind men, paralyzed men, those possessed by demons.
Mercy was a part of every day, every moment of Jesus' life. He knew the importance of offering mercy and He modelled it for us.
If mercy is so important, then why do we have such a difficult time with it? Why do we find it so difficult to offer mercy - to offer kindness and help - to those we run into who are in need?
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