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Showing posts from August, 2016

An Opposing Storm

Mark 4:35-41 – “On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.    And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”   In verse 35 Jesus leaves the multitude to make a journey to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.   This crossing is the beginning of a new assignment. He had an appointment on the other side in the country of the Gadarenes. When Jesus begins this journey He encounters an opposing storm.   Verse 37 reads, “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already f

He Cried Out All the More

Mark 10:46-52 – “Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging.    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!”    Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”    So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”             This is the story of a blind man who sat by the roadside begging for a living.  His life had no purpose.  He lived only to survive.  He was blind, destitute, and reduced to a life of dependence on the generosity of others.  On this day things would be different.  He was about to experience a radical change in his life.             On this day Jesus was coming to His city.  As Jesus made His way into the city a multitude surrounde

When Desperation Becomes Determination

2 Chronicles 16:9 – “ For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…..” God is searching throughout the land for a place where He can deposit His glory.  What is He looking for?  He is searching for desperation.  He is looking for a people so hungry that they want Him more than they want anything else.  Jesus made this promise in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.”  The God we love and serve longs to pour out His Spirit. Jesus gave us a glimpse of God’s heart in Luke 19:10, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  He is still searching for those who are lost.  God desires for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).  We will experience an outpouring of God’s Spirit in our city and region when we are desperate for Him. In Revelation 3:14-22 Jesus rebuke

Mind the Gap Between the Train and the Platform

Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares  us,  and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”             On a recent ministry trip to London, England we frequently used the Tube, London’s Underground Transportation, to travel throughout the city.   At each stop when the train came into the station an announcement was made to “ mind the gap between the train and the platform .”   This iconic phrase is synonymous with London and is found in throughout the city on t-shirts, memorabilia, and sold as souvenirs.             To mind the gap means to watch your step. As believers we have to watch our steps.   Hebrews 12:1 in the New Living Translation reads, “Let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” We must mind the gap.