What Do You Want Me To Do For You?

Matthew 10:46-52

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”  48 And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50 And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51 And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52 And Jesus said to him,“Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Jesus on the way.

Jesus asked such a simple question and He already knew the answer.  Everyone in the crowd knew the answer.  It was as plain as the nose on the man’s face.  If he could have seen his nose he would have agreed.  Here is where it diverts from the expected path, because Jesus wasn’t looking for the obvious answer He was looking for the conversation.  Jesus wanted a relational conversation.  He knew what was needed, but He wanted to hear the man ask for it and to trust.  When Jesus calls, trust is involved.  And not just any old trust, but a trust founded on a belief.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says; “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.  6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  There is a level of trust here that allows Bartimaeus to show his own needs, wants, desires and aspirations.  But, Jesus as always, wanted to get to the heart and soul of the moment and He wanted those around to see and believe.  Jesus wanted witnesses to the exchange between Him and this blind beggar and for those there to witness the man’s trust.  Jesus uses every moment to the fullest.

Now, Bartimaeus wore a beggar’s cloak, yet when Jesus called him he threw it off.  You would think he knew he wasn’t going to need it any more.  There is a level of trust shown there.  Beggars wore cloaks that signified their position in society as a beggar.  So everyone knew Bartimaeus as a beggar.  I’m sure it didn’t hurt that he was blind.  That was probably a dead give away.  But listen again to what it says, “throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus”.  He seriously knew what he was expecting from Jesus.  He put his trust right out there and that is something that Jesus wants from us.  Jesus wants us to trust Him and trust that he knows what is best for us.  Bartimaeus trusted that Jesus could and would heal him if he just asked.  It must have had something to do with his position along the road.  He had heard things about Jesus and wanted the opportunity to speak with Him.  Now here’s his opportunity and what does Jesus do, but ask him an obvious question.  It might have even been the question that Bartimaeus was hoping to hear.

Everyday Jesus asks us that same question… “What do you want me to do for you?”  You wake up in the morning and right there before you is a brand new fresh day.  Unopened, clean, untouched and ready to be used by you.  So Jesus asks you “What do you want me to do for you?”  He knows you so well, yet He wants you to tell Him.  To talk to Him.  To converse with Him.  To trust Him.  To have a relational conversation with Him.  You know the kind I’m talking about.  The kind you have with a friend, a spouse, a neighbor (without the gossip), a family member even.  He longs to hear from you.  Talk to Him in prayer, but not with the usual corporate prayer, but more conversational.  Not the “Lord take care of this”, “please help me with this”, “heal so and so of that”, “thank you for the other thing”.  But more like, “Lord today was hard, it really took me by surprise I really am thankful you were there with me”, or “you know Jesus I had a fun time today with my family.  Keep them safe on the road”.  Conversational like with a friend.  One of the most notable conversations was in John chapter 3.  Nicodemus and Jesus.  They talked and listened and Nicodemus learned.  Petitions are one thing, but relational conversations are another.  Relational conversations build, dare I say it, intimacy.  They build closeness. They build understanding.  They build relationships.  It’s not possible to have a petition only conversation with someone all the time.  That becomes an all take (the petition or request) and no give.  One sided.  One can’t very well keep or have any friends if that’s how you treat them.  No..., conversations are meant by sheer definition to be relational.  One definition of conversation is “association or social discussion; intimate acquaintance”.  That sounds to me like a relational conversation.  

For us to build a relationship the conversation has to be relational.  You need to relate to the other person to build a closeness and an intimacy.  That means we need to take our prayer time from petition time (wants, needs, etc) to a more relational time (how are you, I’m fine, here’s what happened in my day, what’s been going on with you?).  Still asking for needs and and requests for others, but in a more conversational way.  With more interaction with Jesus like you are talking to a friend.  This type of conversation will bring a closeness and intimacy like you’ve never known.   It builds TRUST and it builds CONNECTION and it builds a path of conversation that strengthens the bond between those speaking.  Being interested in Jesus and allowing Him to be interested in you will create a friendship and a relationship that will strengthen and grow.

Jesus wants relationships with each and everyone of us.  He wants us to trust that He knows what is good for us.  It’s important for growing and learning more about Him.  So What Do You Want Jesus To Do For You Today?  What can you tell Him about how things are going and how you are doing that will start the conversation off and get a trusting relationship started in a whole new way?  Open up to Him and share with Him your feelings and your fears.  Talk to Him like He is your friend and family member, because He is!  Take the time to build your relationship with Jesus in conversational prayer time!

This devotional was given on Easter Sunday April 5, 2015 at New Beginnings Community Church at the Easter Morning Breakfast.

Strong Faith

Mark 10:46-52  Bartimaeus (a blind man) receives his sight by faith.

Jesus healed many people in his Ministry.  Many we know about from the accounts of the Bible, but there are so many more that we don't know.  Bartimaeus in this section heard Jesus was coming and called out more than once that Jesus the Son of David would have mercy on him.  Jesus used many different ways to heal people, but this one needed no more than a few words.  Do you know why?  Here is why.  Jesus says to Bartimaeus, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."  At that point Bartimaeus is healed immediately and follows Jesus.  Bartimaeus faith was all that was needed besides Jesus allowing him to be healed.  Bartimaeus knew that Jesus could and would heal him if he just asked.  He had heard the word going around about Jesus and he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that when he could get his attention he would ask for healing.  That is why he through off his cloak.  It was his beggars cloaks and he wouldn't need it any more after that.  Jesus healed Bartimaeus on the basis of Bartimaeus own faith.  Nothing else was needed.  So how strong is your faith?

I don't mean to say you can have anything and everything you want by your faith.  What I'm saying is that we need to have strong faith so that we can find the Will of God in our lives.  What we believe and have faith in has to be strong enough so that we can know that it will happen if it's in God's will.

Jesus vs. Christ

This might seem odd, but I feel that society/satan/the world are trying to minimize Jesus.  If you really think about it we know for a fact that his name is Jesus.  J-E-S-U-S!  It's not Christ, which is his title, and His last name is not Christ.  We honor Jesus at this time of the year by taking an old pagan holiday and Christianizing it and calling it Christmas.  Mass for the Christ.  It's a mass for the only Savior (Christ), Messiah of the world.  It's His title, not a part of His name.  It would be like calling me Marc Network Administrator.  Or calling me Network Administrator.  We do give people honorary titles, do show respect sometimes, like boss, chief, chef, mother, father, pastor, brother, sister, friend, but why do we not call them by their title all the time.  We have names and sometimes we take the time to not use people's names so much to the point that we forget their real name.

We are slowly replacing Jesus with Christ in a lot of our speech.  We say "come to know Christ", "Christ came to set us free", "the only way to heaven is through Christ", and many other ways.  It just feels like we are trying to cover up Jesus with a title so we don't say His name any more.  The only way it's said no a ways is with irreverence or as a curse or in a derogatory way.  We can't seem to keep Jesus in Christmas, because we are to busy trying to keep "Christ" in Christmas.  Jesus is the reason for the season, not Christ.  We took Jesus out of Christmas before we got into trying to take "Christ" out of Christmas and wishing everyone a Happy Holiday.  You can keep Christ out of Christmas for all I care.  I want to keep Jesus in Christmas and keep it that way.  I will continue to say Merry Christmas, because this is the reason we have Dec. 25th.   It's not about Boxing day or Kwanzaa, both are not as old as Christmas which dates back to 336AD.  We are talking about the opportunity to celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World and we bicker about His title more than what the day is about.  Atheists want to remove it from the calendar along with Easter.  What are they so afraid of?  That's it right and they are wrong?  You can't remove the celebrations to fix your feelings.  It will always be there no matter what and it will always be the only way to be free and live.  Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life.  There is no other way.  The sooner you learn that and live by it the better.

My point is just this.  Jesus is the person to worship.  The one who is part of the great Three In One of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Not His title of Savior, Messiah or Christ.  We are here to show the Love of Jesus, not Christ.  We are Brothers and Sisters of Jesus, Children of the Living God.  Why can't we use his name with respect instead of degradation?  It's with respect that we call others by their name.  We need to do the same with Jesus and not keep using His title.

Strong Foundations

Foundations are very important.  They are important in relationships and in buildings and in everything we do.  In life and in work, in learning and in growing, in striving and in changing, in loving and in teaching, if we do not have a firm foundation to work with then we have an unsure place to put our feet.  It makes for a very unstable place to work from.  The bible speaks on this very topic.  Think about what Jesus had to say on the theme.  He talked about just following His teachings and being set on a firm foundation.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.
²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.
²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.
²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

How easy it is for many people in this world to tout that the thing to do is this, or the thing to do is that, or something else entirely.  We are constantly bombarded by all the things we should or should not do according to one person or another.  Why do people have to come up with the newest and greatest way to live and act?  Why not just follow and live by what Jesus taught, by what the Bible teaches all through out its writings.  Think about what it means to be built or to build on a solid foundation.  It means that we, in the Christian sense, are hearers, doers and followers of the Word.  The inspired creation of God.  All we are asked to to is hear, do and follow or act.  Be obedient to the Word and be a practicing follower of the Word.  The Bible sums up everything we need to know, everything we need to live and yet we try so hard to dissect it and rehash it into something else and to make up our own ideas about what we should be doing.

1 Corinthians 3:10-11 (NLT)
¹⁰ Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
¹¹ For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.
 
Our business is not to build quickly, but to build upon a right foundation, and in a right spirit. Life is more than a mere competition as between man and man; it is not who can be done first, but who can work best; it is not who can rise highest in the shortest time, but who is working most patiently and lovingly in accordance with the designs of God.

—Joseph Parker

Not only do I not want to build on sinking sand, but I want a strong foundation to grow from.  I am starting to study the Bible more and to implant its words in my heart and mind.  So I can carry them with me.  I am going to try and listen to what the Bible has to say and apply it to my life.  We are put on this earth for a short time.  Maximum life span around 120 years, if you are blessed to live so long.  We are put here to learn how to live with each other and to grow in such a way as to be an example to those around us and our children.  I want to grow slowly and deliberately.  I want to build my foundation slowly and carefully.  I have started with Psalm 119 and have memorized the first stanza (8 verses).  I am taking a stand in my life and striving to grow and change and be what God wants me to be.  And that means listening, learning, following and doing.  So each day is a new start for me.  Each day is a new step for me.  Each day brings me one day closer to God and one day closer to being what God wants me to be.

All I am doing is living and learning and doing.  I am doing the best I can with what I have.  I am learning each day how to be and live and do.  I am living each day as it comes.  Just doing what I can with what I have.  Not anything more than that.  Taking the Bible with me and doing what I can to make the most of what it has to offer.  I am far from perfect, but I am just doing what I can with what I have and being who I am and allowing God to work in me.  That is all we are expected to do, follow God and allow Him to work in our lives.  So that is what I am doing.  That is all I need to do.  Stay uncomplicated and build on the strongest foundation in the world - Jesus Christ.

My Salvation . . . The Eyes of Jesus

Salvation in the Christian Faith is based upon the trust in the truth of the Cross and the Resurrection. I trust that what the Bible says about the Cross and the Resurrection, coupled with my faith is the truth about my salvation. Jesus sacrificed Himself for me and for everyone in an act that is once for all time.

We have that truth. I trust that truth. Jesus is my cornerstone, my rock, my firm foundation. Upon which I will build my house. My house being my life, my journey through life, my understanding of things around me and of things visible and invisible.

I want to share that first.  So that you may understand where I am coming from a little better.  Jesus ate with sinners and talked with everyone.

We as Christians have been developing an attitude toward others. We figure that if you call yourself a Christian and you swear, drink, smoke, than you are not really a Christian. But Jesus taught us that Christians come in all shapes, sizes and attitudes. We are really using our gift/curse of judging others, based on what we see and not on what God sees.

I am guilty of that and am trying to change that attitude in me. I am trying to be less judgmental and more understanding. I want there to be less of me and more of Jesus.

I want the Eyes and Mind of Jesus, so that I can see what GOD sees, not what I see.

Travels and Journeys

Hello,

Welcome to my blog and to what I hope will be a new step in my life and my Journey through life. I am hoping to pursue my commitment to God and Jesus and to soon develop a better understanding of God's will for my life as well as His wisdom for and in my life. I will hopefully start to share that with you as I learn. I am hoping that this will inspire me to learn more, to write more, to develop myself more and to grow more.

As J.R.R. Tolkien said in one of his books; "It's a dangerous business going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."

So I expect that this trip will be anything but easy. I look forward to seeing where I maybe "swept off to." It may even be a bit dangerous at times. We will just have to see where it leads and what is learned. So feel free to assist, enlighten, comment, and discuss the meaning of life with Jesus and all that it encompasses. I do not expect everyone to agree, but I think we can agree to disagree. I just ask that you be civil. This is not meant to offend, but to offer other views and allow other points of views to be expressed.

So....without further ado, welcome to the beginning. Look out world, I am chasing after understanding in Jesus and the Bible and the true "meaning of life, the universe and everything"!