The other day, I noticed that a friend had posted a quote from Helen Keller.
Coincidentally, my favorite quote was also spoken by Helen Keller.
"It is a terrible thing to see and have no vision. - Helen Keller
Helen was both blind and deaf and overcame challenges that most of us, thankfully, will never have to overcome.
I have always found that quote a constant source of inspiration. Helen Keller did not have perfect sight. In truth, she had no sight at all.
Helen Keller did have tremendous vision.
I was reminded of this when my personal Bible study found me in the tenth chapter of the book of Mark and I read the account of Jesus healing a blind beggar.
Mark 10:46 (NET) - They came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus, a blind beggar was sitting by the road.
What a pitiful picture Scripture paints for us. Here sits Bartimaeus by the road heading out of the city begging because he cannot see.
Mark 10:47 (NET) - When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Bartimaeus may have been blind, but here he exhibits tremendous vision. He did not refer to Jesus as the Son of Mary or the carpenter’s Son as others who lacked vision had. He referred to Him as Son of David. Bartimaeus recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy.
Mark 10:48 (NET) - Many scolded him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
In spite of the protests of others, Bartimaeus would not be denied. I cannot help but notice that in this verse he does not even use the name Jesus. Bartimaeus calls Him Son of David as if to say, "I know who you really are. Please help me!"
Mark 10:49-50 (NET) - Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man and said to him, "Have courage! Get up! He is calling you." He threw off his cloak, jumped up and came to Jesus.
These verses speak volumes to me.
Notice that the blind beggar had to call on Jesus more than once. Notice as well that it was not Jesus that went to the blind beggar, but the blind beggar that went to Jesus.
Sometimes, we have to call on Jesus more than once. Just as one can sense the urgency in the man’s second calling of Jesus, our call for salvation must have the same sense of urgency and convey our dependence on Him.
We must be prepared to call on Him more than once just as Bartimaeus did, if necessary. We must also be prepared to leave our places of comfort and go to Him.
Mark 10:51 (NET) - Then Jesus said to him, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "Rabbi, let me see again."
Jesus did not ask this question for His own benefit. Jesus already knew both the man’s plight and what the man wanted from Him.
Mark 10:52 (NET) - Jesus said to him, "Go, your faith has healed you." Immediately he regained his sight and followed Him on the road.
So, Bartimaeus had his sight restored.
Think about that for a minute. One minute you are blind and the next you can see. Under any circumstances, that would be an extraordinary event filled with sensory overload.
In this case, it was even more remarkable because the very first thing he ever saw was Jesus.
What a sight that must have been to a man who was previously blind.
I also cannot help but notice that his restored sight did not eclipse his vision.
Jesus said, "Go" yet Bartimaeus chose to follow Him.
Calling upon Jesus is just the first step.
Going to Jesus is the second.
Then comes the hard part. We must be willing to follow Jesus.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 29, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, August 5, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Biblical Showdown
One of the passages of scripture that I have always found extremely exciting is 1 Kings Chapter 18.
I recently taught an adult class one evening and the lesson plan revolved around this very chapter.
It opens with God sending Elijah to King Ahab during the third year of a drought and famine.
At the same time, King Ahab summons Obadiah who was the palace supervisor and a devout follower of the Lord. Between them, they were to survey the kingdom looking for any remaining grazing areas for the horses and mules.
The two set out in separate directions and Obadiah encounters the prophet Elijah and falls facedown on the ground before him.
Elijah instructs Obadiah to return to King Ahab and to tell the king that he has returned.
Obadiah hesitates and explains that were he to do this and were Elijah to be carried away by the Lord, then Ahab would execute him.
Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him on his way back to King Ahab.
When Ahab meets Elijah, he blames Elijah for both the drought and famine.
1 Kings 18:17 (NET) - When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on all Israel?"
Elijah quickly and succinctly sets the record straight.
1 Kings 18:18 (NET) - Elijah replied, "I have not brought disaster on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the LORD’s commandments and following the Baals."
Elijah then instructs the king to send out messengers and have all Israel assemble at Mount Carmel along with the prophets of Baal and Asherah. The king complies.
The people and false prophets assemble and Elijah addresses the people.
1 Kings 18:21 (NET) - Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow Him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word.
The silence of the people proved Elijah’s point. They truly were paralyzed by indecision.
Then, Elijah issued a challenge. 450 prophets of Baal versus Elijah in a winner take all challenge.
Identical sacrifices were to be prepared. The prophets of Baal would call upon their god and Elijah would call upon the LORD. The god who sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice would be the one and only true god.
The prophets of Baal invoked his name from morning until noon and received no answer.
Elijah then began to taunt them.
1 Kings 18:27 (NET) - At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god, he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment, or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened."
I believe that Elijah was doing more than trying to make the prophets of Baal look foolish by mocking them. I believe this was also an attempt at making an indecisive people feel a bit foolish for following them in the first place.
The prophets of Baal continued their invocation of Baal throughout the afternoon and inflicted self mutilation in a vain attempt to appease a non-existent god.
Toward evening, Elijah took twelve stones representing the twelve tribes and constructed a new altar.
He then dug a deep trench around the altar. He then arranged the wood and placed the sacrifice on the wood.
He then gave the command that the sacrifice and wood be drenched three times with water thus filling the trench.
Elijah then prayed to the LORD. That prayer was answered.
1 Kings 18:38-39 (NET) - Then fire from the LORD fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, "The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true God!"
In an over the top display, the LORD clearly showed the people both His absolute power and absolute sovereignty. A people paralyzed by indecision were paralyzed no more.
The false prophets were then seized and executed and the chapter concludes with Elijah praying for rain, thus ending the drought.
Even today, many are equally paralyzed with indecision. God tells us clearly in scripture both who He is and what He expects. He demands priority status in our lives. Any time we elevate the importance of a person or thing above God, we displace Him from the position He both deserves and indeed demands.
Putting God first will help us prioritize everything else in life.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 15, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, July 22, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
I recently taught an adult class one evening and the lesson plan revolved around this very chapter.
It opens with God sending Elijah to King Ahab during the third year of a drought and famine.
At the same time, King Ahab summons Obadiah who was the palace supervisor and a devout follower of the Lord. Between them, they were to survey the kingdom looking for any remaining grazing areas for the horses and mules.
The two set out in separate directions and Obadiah encounters the prophet Elijah and falls facedown on the ground before him.
Elijah instructs Obadiah to return to King Ahab and to tell the king that he has returned.
Obadiah hesitates and explains that were he to do this and were Elijah to be carried away by the Lord, then Ahab would execute him.
Elijah reassures Obadiah and sends him on his way back to King Ahab.
When Ahab meets Elijah, he blames Elijah for both the drought and famine.
1 Kings 18:17 (NET) - When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is it really you, the one who brings disaster on all Israel?"
Elijah quickly and succinctly sets the record straight.
1 Kings 18:18 (NET) - Elijah replied, "I have not brought disaster on Israel. But you and your father’s dynasty have, by abandoning the LORD’s commandments and following the Baals."
Elijah then instructs the king to send out messengers and have all Israel assemble at Mount Carmel along with the prophets of Baal and Asherah. The king complies.
The people and false prophets assemble and Elijah addresses the people.
1 Kings 18:21 (NET) - Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow Him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word.
The silence of the people proved Elijah’s point. They truly were paralyzed by indecision.
Then, Elijah issued a challenge. 450 prophets of Baal versus Elijah in a winner take all challenge.
Identical sacrifices were to be prepared. The prophets of Baal would call upon their god and Elijah would call upon the LORD. The god who sent fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice would be the one and only true god.
The prophets of Baal invoked his name from morning until noon and received no answer.
Elijah then began to taunt them.
1 Kings 18:27 (NET) - At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god, he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment, or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened."
I believe that Elijah was doing more than trying to make the prophets of Baal look foolish by mocking them. I believe this was also an attempt at making an indecisive people feel a bit foolish for following them in the first place.
The prophets of Baal continued their invocation of Baal throughout the afternoon and inflicted self mutilation in a vain attempt to appease a non-existent god.
Toward evening, Elijah took twelve stones representing the twelve tribes and constructed a new altar.
He then dug a deep trench around the altar. He then arranged the wood and placed the sacrifice on the wood.
He then gave the command that the sacrifice and wood be drenched three times with water thus filling the trench.
Elijah then prayed to the LORD. That prayer was answered.
1 Kings 18:38-39 (NET) - Then fire from the LORD fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, "The LORD is the true God! The LORD is the true God!"
In an over the top display, the LORD clearly showed the people both His absolute power and absolute sovereignty. A people paralyzed by indecision were paralyzed no more.
The false prophets were then seized and executed and the chapter concludes with Elijah praying for rain, thus ending the drought.
Even today, many are equally paralyzed with indecision. God tells us clearly in scripture both who He is and what He expects. He demands priority status in our lives. Any time we elevate the importance of a person or thing above God, we displace Him from the position He both deserves and indeed demands.
Putting God first will help us prioritize everything else in life.
Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, July 15, 2011.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, July 22, 2011.
Schedule subject to change.
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