October 10 ~ Luke 8:49-56
While he was still talking, someone
from the leader’s house came up and told him, “Your daughter died. No
need now to bother the Teacher.”
Jesus overheard and said, “Don’t
be upset. Just trust me and everything will be all right.” Going into
the house, he wouldn’t let anyone enter with him except Peter, John,
James, and the child’s parents.
Everyone was crying and carrying
on over her. Jesus said, “Don’t cry. She didn’t die; she’s sleeping.”
They laughed at him. They knew she was dead.
Then Jesus, gripping
her hand, called, “My dear child, get up.” She was up in an instant, up
and breathing again! He told them to give her something to eat. Her
parents were ecstatic, but Jesus warned them to keep quiet. “Don’t tell a
soul what happened in this room.”
Scripture
quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs,
CO. All rights reserved.
- “When pigs fly!”
- “That will never happen!”
- “Fat chance!”
- “I’ll believe it when I see it!”
- “No way!”
These
are just a few of the phrases we utter about a myriad of situations and
circumstances - skeptics and cynics that we are. I could almost hear
this girl’s father, Jairus, speaking these things to Jesus and His
disciples. His daughter was dead already. He and everyone else knew
it. Yet after Jesus and the disciples went in to see her, she emerged
alive, well...and hungry!
There are a lot of thoughts on why
Jesus warned everyone not to speak of what had happened. People would
probably not have believed them in the first place...and those who were
convinced would probably assume that witchcraft or some sort of sorcery
was involved - and come after Jesus and His followers. Jesus knew that
this was not “His time” to be apprehended...that there was still work to
be done...miracles to be performed...lessons to be taught. And while we
are called to share the Good News of Jesus...we’ve never been
commissioned to brag.
There are several lessons for us in this
passage. The first seems pretty obvious – nothing is impossible with
Jesus. Now I don’t mean to imply that He is going to bring our loved
ones back to life when they pass from this earth. But He surely could
if it fit into His plans. The bigger “take-away” from these verses
seems to be that we are not to underestimate the power of Jesus to do
anything and everything. We are to be less skeptical and cynical...and
more positive and optimistic. We are to trust that God is in full
control...and we are to walk in this confidence.
When we receive
word that things are bad...when we hear about dire circumstances, a bad
diagnosis, or some sort of trial or tragedy...we are not to wring our
hands and throw a pity party. We are to seek Jesus...to “follow Him
into the room” and watch and listen as He works...then emerge with the
confidence that He is handling the situation. Remember the story of
David in 2 Samuel 12:22-23, where he answers those who question why he
emerged from his chambers after the death of his baby with Bathsheba.
People are appalled that he is dressed and hungry – and actually sits
down to eat a meal. “While the child was alive,” he tells them, “I
fasted and wept, thinking God might have mercy on me and the child
would live. But now that he’s dead, why fast? Can I bring him back now? I
can go to him, but he can’t come to me.”
The lesson for us is
that we have a job to do...we are to trust in God and believe in His
wisdom and healing power – in all situations. We are to “follow Jesus
into the room” and serve Him as He works in our lives and the lives of
others. Then we are to step out into the world and live with confidence
and assurance. We don’t need to brag...we shouldn’t need to be
constantly announcing to those around us that we are Christians – and we
certainly should never imply that God has given us special treatment or
that we are better than anyone else. It is one thing to say, “God has
done amazing things in my life”...but it is quite another to act as if
you did anything special to merit these blessings – or that you are “all
that and a bag of chips!”
What God has done for us, He will
gladly do for any and all who trust in Him. Jesus died on the cross
that we might all be raised from the death of our sins. The sad thing
is that a lot of us still don’t fully believe this. We underestimate
God’s healing power...His desire to rescue us...His incredible,
unconditional and unending love for us. So like Jairus and his friends,
we essentially say, “It’s too late” or “I have serious doubts.”
Hear
this...it is never too late with God. As long as you draw breath,
there is opportunity to be healed and restored through Jesus Christ.
Will you trust Him do work in your life? Will you “emerge from the
room”...alive, healed and hungry? Isn’t it time you did just that?
©2014 Debbie Robus
1 Thessalonians 5:11-14
That’s why you must encourage and help each other, just as you are already doing.
My friends, we ask you to be thoughtful of your leaders who work hard and tell you how to live for the Lord. Show them great respect and love because of their work. Try to get along with each other. My friends, we beg you to warn anyone who isn’t living right. Encourage anyone who feels left out, help all who are weak, and be patient with everyone.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Less than a week ago, Greg and I helplessly watched out our living room windows as a house located on the ridge across the river from us burned to the ground. I’m told that a family got out unscathed…but they lost everything. I believe it! The flames leapt above the treetops, and the fire seemed massive in size. Later that same morning, our community – and virtually the entire state – was crippled by a winter storm. We were blanketed with about 4 inches of sleet and ice that still remains evident in grassy and shady areas – and covered most roadways for days…leaving many unable to travel anywhere. Throughout this ordeal, our law enforcement officials…city, county and state road crews...power company linemen…and countless other emergency service and rescue personnel and government leaders worked around the clock to clear the mess, restore power and order…and reach those in dire need of aid and services.
On the heels of these challenges, there was a house fire in our community that left one person hospitalized with serious burns. Then this morning, as area schools began to re-open after the winter storm, a 54-year-old woman rear-ended a school bus when it stopped to pick up the fourth passenger of the day. The woman was killed…the infant riding in her mini-van and the driver and students on the bus were uninjured. Witnesses say it was truly a tragic scene.
To say that our law enforcement, fire department and emergency service and rescue personnel have been through the wringer in the last week would be an understatement. Some of these folks are friends of mine…others I don’t know at all. I hear positive talk about some…and not-so-good things about others. But at the end of the day, they have all been working hard for the people of my county and state…they have been risking their own lives, leaving their own families, withstanding sub-freezing temperatures and facing human suffering and tragedy that no one would wish on his/her own worst enemy. And for this, they deserve our respect and compassion…as well as our gratitude and prayers. More importantly, we are instructed in scripture to do this!
If we are going to call ourselves Christians, we simply must think about other people. We must encourage those who struggle or feel left out…we must help the weak and be patient with everyone. I reminded myself of the latter as I sat at my niece’s basketball game and listened to the roar of the fans for the opposing team when they took the lead. Those parents, family members and friends loved their kids and wanted the win just as badly as we did. It might be hard to stomach, but we were all truly in the same boat. I thought of this as a lady whizzed down a grocery aisle at Wal-Mart and almost “t-boned” me when I turned the corner. She was talking on her cell phone and not paying one bit of attention to where she was going. There was a time when I would probably have at least wanted to give her a piece of my mind – and a lecture on the dangers of “talking and driving”! Instead, I took a deep breath and smiled at her.
It really takes very little time and energy to stop and let someone know you care. You can drop them a private message on Facebook and tell them… or send them a text or e-mail. Here’s a novel idea… pick up the phone and actually talk to someone to tell them how much you are thinking of them or what they mean to you! When you walk into a restaurant and see a table filled with law enforcement officers or emergency services personnel – or a power company crew who is working in your area to get your electricity working again, walk over and thank them for their service. Tell them you appreciate how hard they work. It doesn’t matter whether you know this to be true of each one of them individually. The fact that you took time to thank them might be the incentive for those who are slacking off a bit to do better! People will generally rise to expectations!
Finally, it costs you virtually nothing to smile at others. Oh, you might use an extra facial muscle or two…but the results are so worth it! Give it a whirl and see what happens! Watch people respond in kind. Thank the clerk at the grocery store as he/she hands your receipt to you…and offer a “Have a good day!” Say this with a kind tone that indicates you are sincere, and watch their whole body language change. We are often so busy looking for the BIG acts of kindness and compassion we can perform that we forget about the simplest of actions…such as a smile, a compliment, or a heartfelt “Thanks so much!”
If I had included verse 10 from 1 Thessalonians 5, you would hear the Apostle Paul reminding us how Christ died for our sins…so that we could all live with Him someday. He didn’t do this just for you and me…he didn’t exclude law enforcement, government leaders, or the sanitation worker who never puts the lid back on your trash can when he collects your garbage. His love, grace, mercy, kindness, forgiveness – and salvation – is freely offered to everyone. We cannot directly save anyone, but we can offer them salvation in Jesus Christ…and we can demonstrate His qualities and character traits to others in His name.
If we really want to live for Jesus and carry His message to others…we must eagerly offer these things to everyone…not just a chosen few. Just how serious are you about serving Jesus and sharing His message?
©2014 Debbie Robus
