Lent, pt. 17

If you are new to this blog, you can click here to catch up on this Lent series. Thanks!

The woman with a bleeding disorder is finally going to get to Jesus.

Her pain made her desperate.

The problem created disillusionment.

The people distracted her.

And her pursuit is because of her determination.

She has pressed on for so long. She has fought her way through the crowd. The pain has been endured long enough.

She was determined! Nothing was going to stop her any longer.


I go back to the phrase…“when she heard about Jesus…”

The English word ‘heard’ is more than just hearing a sound. It is properly hearing, then listening, and then acting on what has been heard. Our word acoustics comes from this Greek word, akouo.

The next word, ‘about’, means all-around (on every side); encompassing. Our word perimeter comes from this Greek word, peri.

Roughly 25 years ago, I remember hearing the Minnesota Orchestra play music written and directed by John Williams. Some of the titles are pretty famous; Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones, and Star Wars, to name a few. This picture is of Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis.

orchestra hall

The sound filled the great hall and completely surrounded the audience. That night, I ‘heard about’ this great music. To this day, it is still some of my favorite music.

Our woman from the story ‘heard about’ Jesus and she was hooked. She would not relent in her pursuit until she had him.

She was in Pursuit because of her Determination.

Right now, in your life and mine, what are we pursuing? Are we determined like the woman was?

Tomorrow will conclude this mini-series from Mark 5.

Come back and see the Product of this encounter.

What do you want?

My kids are funny. They each get an allowance so they generally have cash on hand. If we are at a store, they might ask if they can have something. We, in turn, say to them, “Did you bring your money?” It has helped with the begging and whining that kids at so good at doing.

What makes them funny is what they really want. My daughter craves candy.

candy

And my son, a Playstation 4.

ps4

In fact, we all desire something. That is just the way we are made. So while my kids are saving their dollars for candy or a PS4, what are you desiring?

But this post is not about what we want.

The Word – longing

The Worth – More than my kids wanting their things. More than my dog wanting cheese popcorn. More than my wife and I desiring a healthy marriage or strong family. More than anything us mere mortals could possibly want is the fact that God wants us more.

He is longing to be with us. He yearns for a relationship with us. He craves our company.

Simply put, he loves us.

I chose the word longing for 3 reasons.

  1. It starts with the letter L
  2. It gives a sense of something desired but not yet obtained.
  3. It also implies that action must be taken.

God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden of Eden. He walked with them. I tend to be literal in my thinking about that scene.

What would that have looked like? Did God take a physical form? Did He speak in a regular voice?

But then the fruit was taken and eaten. The relationship was broken. And ever since then, God has been longing to walk with us again.

He desires us. Sure, we can have communion with Him now but with sin still in the picture, perfection is still not possible.

But God took action. He did something about His longing.

Desire drives decisions.

Pursuit proves passion.

He made a way for us to come back to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 gives more detail on God taking action to make things right again.

Ultimately, the rapture will occur and we will be united once again! 1 Thessalonians 4.

God loves us so much! Even as I type the words, I feel like that statement does not encompass God’s love enough! He is longing to walk and talk with us.

And because He first loved us, we can love Him in return.

He took action so we can take action.

The Work – You might ask, “How do I take action?”

Ask God for help. Read your Bible. Then act on it. Do something about what God tells you.

take-action

God loves you and the Bible tells you so. That is a fact.

Do one thing today that reflects this truth.

 

 

 

WHY?!?!

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why…?”

why 1

It seems pretty common that people ask this question. We all like answers. It is good to be informed. But there is another perspective on why someone would ask that question. Motivation.

Let me compare two sentences.

“Why is the sky blue?” vs. “Why do I go to church?”

Do you see the difference? The first question deals with facts and information. Those are great questions. Learning is good.

The second one, however, deals with motivation.

I am thoroughly convinced that a person will make time for what is important to them.

This weekend I have been challenged to seek God more than I have been. In response, I have been asking my self, “Why?”


 

Why do I not read my Bible more often?

Why can I only pray for a few minutes without getting distracted?

Why do I attend church?

Why do I…?

Why?


 

God desires me to know Him more. The Holy Spirit is a constant companion throughout my day. Jesus died for me.

Why do I do what I do? If I can sum it up in a sentence…

“I do what I do to bring glory to God.”

why

What are you asking yourself today?