JESUS SPEAKING

             Then they brought him to Him.  And when he saw him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground.  So he asked his Father, “How long has this been happening to him?”  And he said, “From childhood.  And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him.  But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”  When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it:  “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”  Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.  And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.”  But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose (Mark 9: 20-28.)            

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                The Disciples were unable to cure this boy; Jesus arrived on the scene, and the boy’s Father was so desperate to have his son healed he begged Jesus to help him.  The Father had lived his entire life in fear; his son was being attacked by a demon, and the Man was helpless to do anything for his Son.  His tears revealed his level of desperation.  Faith is often revealed in moments of desperation.  The Father believed in his moment of despair that Jesus Christ could heal his son.  He had faith in the Lord.

                My journey with God didn’t begin with a strong faith in Jesus Christ.  Instead, it began when I realized that I needed a miracle.  There was an impassible and immovable obstacle which stood in my way.  I knew that many people had had their lives changed by Jesus Christ; I had heard so many testimonies of others being healed that in my time of desperation, I chose to go to the one person who could do the impossible.  So I began to read the bible, and to attend church, and to pray, and you know what…?  I found my miracle, and far more than that, I found the truth, and eternal life.  That obstacle that was in my way has been removed by the Lord Jesus Christ.  Today, when I go through some sort of trial, or I’m afraid, and anxious, my first course of action isn’t to call a friend, or to reach out to someone for advice or comfort.  Instead, I go off alone, often times for a walk, and I pray to God.  I let God know about my worries, and my struggles, and I look to him for comfort, guidance, and direction before I look to others.

                Today, many people are facing some impossible obstacle and they need a miracle.  Jesus Christ can give them that miracle, if they are desperate enough to believe that for God, “All things are possible to him who believes.”  When you struggle, when trials come your way, might I suggest that the first thing you do is take some time to pray, and to talk with God.  Go to him first in those moments of desperation, and if you believe, he will do the impossible for you.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, first we lift You up; You are an awesome and mighty God.  You are so full of truth and wisdom and we love You.  Help us Lord to make You the first person we turn to in times of trouble.  Give us a heart to believe; help us with our unbelief.  Also, give us a heart of love for others, and a compassion for those who are looking for the miracle that You might have in store for them.  Make us the kind of people that are not condemning of the lost, or those who are desperate, but fill us with Your love for them Father.  We love You Lord, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you. 

JESUS SPEAKING

             “No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  The lamp of the body is the eye.  Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light.  But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.  Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.  If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light” (Luke 11:  33-36.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

             Lamps in the days of Jesus were nothing like our lamps today.  Most lamps were round, hollow clay containers which were filled with oil.  One end of the wick was plunged in to the oil, while the lit end of the wick hung out of the side of the clay vessel.  The wick that came out from the oil was not the source of the flame; the source of the flame was the oil hidden inside of the lamp.  The body is like the hollow basin of the lamp, and the Holy Spirit is the oil that fills that basin. The flaming wick is visible, as are the eyes of every person.  The Holy Spirit fills up the body and pours out through the eyes, shining for the entire world to see.  God’s purpose is that others who see that light will be drawn toward it (sadly, many will choose to remain in darkness; they will be repulsed by the light.)

             When I first became a Christian, I remember looking in to certain people’s eyes and seeing something different; it was like looking in to crystal clear water; there was no turmoil, no waves of any kind; just a peace and a stillness.  Their eyes also seemed wider, and didn’t dart back and forth like other people’s eyes (and they blinked less.)  On the other side, I knew a man who was filled with evil; who was doing horrible things; his eyes were dull, and covered in a yellowish film (it wasn’t caused by anything biological, but spiritual.)  As he began to grow closer to God, that yellowish film began to fade away.  His eyes began to clear, his face began to warm, and a dead man began to live.  (If you have ever seen someone have a seizure, you’ll notice that their eyes go blank; the lights go out so to speak, even when their eyes are wide open.  This same type of thing happens to those who walk in darkness.  They might be walking around, working, saving money, shopping, etc. but they are not alive on the inside; they are hollow.  The eyes reveal whether or not a person is alive or dead on the inside.

             Today, some are full of The Spirit, and some are partially full, and others are completely empty.  How can we be filled?  We need only ask God daily for His Holy Spirit.  We can also take time to pray and to speak to God, by ourselves, or with others.  Reading the bible is another way to fill up our tanks so that the light of God shines out from us in to the lives of others.  Also, acting and behaving according to the teachings of the Lord is another necessity for our internal spiritual growth.  Every time you act selflessly, every time you give, every time you share with a stranger, every time you love others with a pure heart, you are being filled with more of His Spirit.  As God continues to fill you, others will see will see something different in your eyes.  They will see a peace, a clarity, a purity, and a hope welling up within you, and pouring out from you.  Be filled, and be a light for the Lord in this place.

             “Lord Heavenly Father, we lift You up as an awesome and mighty God, full of grace and peace, and mercy.  We ask that You fill us with those things as well.  Come in to our hearts and push out the darkness and fill us with Your light.  Help us to have eyes that are beacons of hope to others; eyes through which You can draw the lost to Yourself and to Your Son.  May our eyes show all of Your glory, and all of Your goodness.  Send the darkness out of hearts Lord for Your glory.  We love You Lord, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”

JESUS SPEAKING

                Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.  When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing by, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son!”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!”  And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                The oldest son in the Jewish faith was responsible for taking care of his mother.  Jesus, being the first of Mary’s children, was fulfilling his obligation when he gave his mother over in to John’s care.  The fifth commandment was to “Honor Your Father and Mother,” and he was being obedient even to the very end.  In his absolute agony, near death, he wasn’t focused on his own pain, or his own trials.  In torment, Jesus was still teaching the world what true self denial looked like; and true love for his mother.  [John was the disciple who was standing by; he was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, and it is a bit of a mystery as to why he did not flee with the rest of the disciples; some believe his Dad was one of the wealthiest men in the area, and therefore he had less fear of persecution from the Jews and Romans; although we can’t know for sure.  Ultimately, God ordained it so Jesus could fulfill his earthly obligations.]

                There was a time when the term ‘rest home’ wasn’t in the vocabulary of the average American.  The elderly weren’t put aside so their children could have more freedom and time to enjoy themselves.  Rather, children used to not feel obligated to care for their parents in old age, rather they felt privileged to do so.  Children would marry young, and often would grow old in their parents’ home.  The parents helped to steady the family, and would be able to help raise their grandchildren; a huge benefit in the home.  Somewhere along the way, in our culture (not all cultures), children began to despise their parents, and the elderly had a new phrase of their own, “I don’t want to be a burden on my children.”  Is it any wonder then that young children, not seeing the daily example of their parents honoring their grandparents, have begun to rebel horribly.

                Today, as Christians, we aren’t obligated to love our parents and to honor them, but we are privileged to be able to do so.  Anyone who can’t honor their earthly mother and Father, can’t possibly honor their Eternal Father.  What does it look like to honor our parents?  One of the best ways is to love them.  If you talk to your mother or father once every 6 months, something has gone terribly wrong.  Next, you must live properly yourself.  For example, if your parents don’t want you to get a tattoo, you shouldn’t get one.  If you have one, and it pleases your parents for you to have it removed, remove it.  If your parents don’t want you living with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you get married, you don’t do it.  If you’re doing drugs, or living a life that is destroying the body your parents worked so hard to feed, clothe, and protect, then the first step back toward honoring them is to stop those things that are destroying you.  Parents are to become more honored in our lives; they’re concerns and their desires for us are to be weighed very heavily and often times with greater authority than our concerns and desires.  When we begin to honor our parents, we can begin to Honor our Father in heaven.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You today and we honor You, and we lift You up.  You are awesome, powerful, full of truth, and worthy of praise.  We ask You lord, to help us to honor our parents, and our grandparents.  Help us Lord to keep Your command and to love them, and esteem them as more honorable than ourselves.  Give us opportunities to respect them, to obey them in matters that would adhere to your commandments.  Lord, if any of our lives are lived in a manner that is unpleasing to our parents, help us to can honor them by making those changes.  We love You Father, we thank You, and we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.