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Why did God leave us one tale after another of wounded lives being restored?  It isn’t to tell us what Jesus did.  It’s to tell us what Jesus does.  Paul says in Romans 15:4, “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us.  The Scripture gives us patience and encouragement so that we can have hope.”

Reflect on your own journey.  What was it like before you met Christ?  And share your story; not with everyone necessarily, but with someone.  Your honest portrayal of your past may be the courage for another’s future.  But don’t just depict the past.  Depict the present.  Describe his touch and the difference Jesus has made in your life.  He’s not finished with you yet!   Ah, but look how far you’ve come!  What God begins, God completes.  The God who spoke still speaks.  The God who forgave still forgives.  He still moves stones.

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Paul writes in Romans 3:10, “There is no one who always does what is right, not even one.”  And he adds, “All have sinned and are not good enough for God’s glory.”  Then how do you go to heaven?

The two criminals being crucified with Jesus mocked him.  But Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they are doing.”  Then one thief began to defend Jesus saying, “We are punished justly, getting what we deserve, but this man has done nothing wrong.” The core of the gospel in one sentence—through the mouth of a crook.  Then the thief asks, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

What right does he have to beg for forgiveness?  The same right you have.  We, like the thief, hear the voice of grace.  Today you will be with me in my kingdom.

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By the time Jesus arrived in Bethany, Lazarus had been dead for four days.  John 11:21 says that Martha confronted Jesus, saying, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”  Hurt and disappointment.  When we face death, our definition of God is challenged.  Which, in turn, challenges our faith.

Why is it that we interpret the presence of death as the absence of God?  As a result, we get angry or resentful when God doesn’t answer our prayers for healing. It’s distressing that this view of God has no place for death.  Jesus didn’t raise the dead for the sake of the dead, but for the sake of the living.  The same voice that awakened the corpse of Lazarus will speak again.  The earth and the sea will give up their dead.  There will be no more death.  Jesus made sure of that.

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The Bible says in Matthew 1:24 that “Joseph did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do.” I wonder what Joseph was thinking while Jesus was being born?  Was a stable in Bethlehem what he had in mind?

You’ve probably stood where Joseph stood when things haven’t turned out like you thought they would—maybe outside an emergency room or on the manicured grass of a cemetery.  When you wondered why does God do what he does.  Joseph didn’t let confusion disrupt his obedience.  He shut down his business, packed up his family, and even went to another country.  Why?  Because that’s what God said to do.  Because Joseph obeyed, God used him to change the world.  He does the same with us.  Be a modern day Joseph.  God will use you to bring Jesus into the world.

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We can’t see the future.  It’s one limitation we all share.  In Mark Chapter 5 we read about Jairus, the leader of the synagogue.  The Jairus we see in this story was a desperate father begging for Jesus to heal his daughter.  His meeting with Jesus was interrupted by a message from home– “Your daughter is dead.”  But Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

Faith sometimes begins by ignoring what people say.  We have a choice to live by the facts or see by faith.  Jairus opted for faith and Jesus.  Mark it down!  God knows you and I are blind.  He knows living by faith and not by sight doesn’t come naturally.  And I think that’s one reason he raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.  Not for her sake—she was better off in heaven.  But for our sake—to teach us that heaven sees when we trust.

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Jesus found him in a cemetery, and his story is in the fifth chapter of Mark.  As Jesus stepped out of a boat, a demon-possessed man stormed out of a cave.  The demons begged to be sent into a herd of pigs.  Jesus consented, and 2000 demon-possessed pigs threw themselves into the sea.

The people begged Jesus to leave their area.  Why?  Fear of change.  But before Jesus left, he told the man freed from demons to “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he has had mercy on you.” That was the commissioning of the first missionary sent to people who dismissed Jesus.  Christ still sends messages to the unworthy.  And he still uses the unworthy as messengers.

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The first miracle of Jesus was at a wedding—no small event.  For several days, there was gift-giving, speechmaking, food-eating, and wine-drinking.   Hospitality was a sacred duty  The absence of wine was a social embarrassment.  Mary asks her son to help, and he tells her that his “time has not yet come.” But he changed his plan to meet the needs of his friends.

This miracle tells us that what matters to you matters to God. You are his child.  So go ahead. Tell God what hurts.  He won’t turn you away or think it’s silly.  Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For our high priest is able to understand our weaknesses…Let us, then, feel very sure that we can come before God’s throne where there is grace.”  Does God care about the little things in our lives?  You better believe it.

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Peter did what he swore he wouldn’t do.  Three times the salt of Peter’s betrayal stung the wounds of the Messiah.  And he would never forget the look on Jesus’ face.  So Peter returned to Galilee.  Once again he had fished all night with no success.  And a voice from shores yells, “Try the other side!”  When John recognized Jesus, Peter swam to shore and stood in front of the friend he betrayed. For once, Peter was silent.  The moment was too holy for words.

What do you say at a moment such as this?  It’s just you and God.  You both know what you did.  And neither of you is proud of it.  What do you do? Consider doing what Peter did.  Stand still and wait—too repentant to speak, but too hopeful to leave.  He has come back.  Jesus invites you to try again.  This time, with him.

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Nicodemus was a Pharisee.  Pharisees measured spirituality by outer appearance, rules and standards. Legalism versus grace. The legalist looks at salvation as a wage earned on deeds done.  Grace sees salvation as a gift based on Christ’s death.

Jesus told Nicodemus, “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” Nicodemus had never heard such words, but they bore fruit.  We see him again in John 19:39-42, and this time he appears in the light of day.  He and Joseph of Arimathea claimed the body of Jesus and placed it in the tomb.  The one who had received the seed of grace now plants the greatest seed of all—Jesus, the seed of eternal life.

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Lovebursts.  We all have them.  Spontaneous affection.  Tender moments of radiant love.  They remind you about what matters.

Jesus had lovebursts…lots of them.  One of them happened when four men lowered their paralytic friend through a roof to reach Jesus.  And faith got God’s attention.  Mark 2:5 says, “When Jesus say the faith of these people, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven.’”

To heal the man’s body took a simple command.  To forgive the man’s sins took Jesus’ blood.  Jesus already knew the price of forgiveness.  But he offered it anyway.  Love burst his heart.  By the way, he hasn’t changed.  What happened then happens today. All of heaven must pause as another burst of love declares the only words that really do matter:  “Your sins are forgiven.”

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In the fifth chapter of John we find the story of an invalid.  He couldn’t walk.  He couldn’t work.  He couldn’t even get into the pool of Bethesda.  He was out of options.  But God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless.  Jesus told the man, “Stand up.  Pick up your mat and walk.”  And the man immediately obeyed.

I wish we would do that.  I wish we would take Jesus at his word.  What is this peculiar paralysis that confines us—this stubborn unwillingness to be healed?  When he says we’re forgiven, let’s unload the guilt.  When he says we’re valuable, let’s believe him.  When he says we’re provided for, let’s stop worrying.  When he says, “Stand up,” let’s do it.

Is this your story?  A gentle stranger has stepped into your hurting world and offered you a hand.  Now it’s up to you to take it.

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“If you can do anything for him, please have pity on us and help us.” This prayer in Mark 9:22 doesn’t sound courageous or confident.  It was the prayer of a desperate parent with a demon-possessed son in need of a miracle.

Most of our prayer lives could use a tune-up.  Some prayer lives lack consistency.  Others need sincerity.  And some honestly wonder if prayer makes a difference. We are tempted to wait to pray until we know how to pray.

Notice that Jesus responded to the man’s prayer. God is more moved by our hurt than our eloquence. Our prayers may be awkward.  Our attempts may be feeble.  But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.

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There is a line, a fine line, which once crossed can be fatal. It’s the line between disappointment and anger.  If you are nearing that line, I urge you not to cross it.

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy.  Never has been.  Never will be.  But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life, and he will get us through it.  Remember, disappointment is caused by unmet expectations.  And disappointment is cured by revamped expectations.

God is still in control.  Life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out.  They are simply a reason to sit tight. Next time you are disappointed, don’t panic.  Don’t jump out.  Don’t give up.  Just be patient and let God remind you he’s still in control.  It ain’t over till it’s over.

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The dawning of old age. Empty nest.  Bifocals. Everything hurts when you wake up. And what doesn’t hurt, doesn’t work. Regret can become a major pastime and may lead to rebellion against whatever ties you down.

Growing old can be dangerous, so you need to be prepared. Luke 17:33 advises, “Whoever tries to keep his life safe will lose it, and the man who is prepared to lose his life will preserve it.”  The wisest are not the ones with the most years in their lives, but the most life in their years.

You can take the safe route, or you can hear the voice of God’s adventure.  Follow God’s impulses.  Adopt the child.  Move overseas.  Teach the class.  Change careers.  Make a difference. Your last chapters can be your best chapters.  God’s oldest have always been among his choicest.

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We don’t know her name, but we know her situation.  According to the 5th chapter of Mark, she “had been bleeding for twelve years.  She suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had; but instead of improving she was getting worse.” She was physically exhausted and socially ostracized.

She extended her arm through the crowd thinking, If only I can touch him.  When her dilemma met His dedication, a miracle occurred.  With that small, courageous gesture, she experienced Jesus’ tender power.

God’s help is near and always available, but it is only given to those who seek it.  Do something that demonstrates faith—radical, risk-taking faith.  God will respond.  He has never rejected a genuine gesture of faith.  Never.

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The tenth chapter of Luke describes the step-by-step process of the sweet becoming sour.  It’s the story of two sisters.  Martha has things to do.  Mary has thoughts to think.

Martha is having Jesus and friends over for dinner.  She’s literally serving Jesus.  But she makes a common, yet dangerous mistake.  Her work becomes more important than her Lord.  Martha’s heart sours with anxiety.  And worry makes her forget who’s in charge, and she bosses God around.

Jesus points out that “only one thing is important.  Mary has chosen it.” God is more pleased with the quiet attention of a sincere servant than the noisy service of a sour one.  A bad attitude spoils the gift we leave on the altar for God.  So guard your attitude.

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Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, had a task to do—Jesus’ body had to be prepared for burial.

Matthew 28:2 says, “At that time there was a strong earthquake.  An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb, and rolled the stone away from the entrance.”  Did the angel roll away the rock for Jesus?  Did God have to have help?  I don’t think so.  Then the angel says to the women,  “Come and see the place where his body was.”  The stone was moved—not so Jesus could come out, but so the women could see in!

Just when the road was too dark for Mary Magdalene and Mary, the angel glowed and the Savior showed, and they were forever changed.  The lesson?  Three words: Don’t give up!  God still sends angels and He still moves stones.

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Odds are, you probably have a difficult relative—someone you can’t talk to and can’t walk away from.  Did you know Jesus had a difficult family?  In fact, they were embarrassed by him.  Mark 3:21 tells us, “His family went to get him because they thought he was out of his mind.”

Notice that Jesus didn’t try to control his family’s behavior, nor did he let their behavior control his.  As long as you think you can control people’s behavior toward you, you are held in bondage by their opinions.

Let God give you what your family doesn’t.  We know that God affirmed Jesus as “my Son, whom I love, and I am very pleased with him.”  Jesus gave his relatives space, time, and grace.  And because he did, they changed.  One brother became an apostle, and others became missionaries.  So don’t lose heart.  God still changes families.

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Perhaps the best-known of Jesus’ parables is found in the fifteenth chapter of Luke—the story of the lost son.  It’s also the case of the elder brother.  While his brother sowed wild oats, he stayed home and sowed the crops.  But when the rebellious son returned, the father threw a party!  And the elder son sat outside and pouted.

Bitterness is its own prison.  You can choose to chain yourself to your hurt.  Or you put away your hurts and go to the party.  How does God deal with your bitter heart?  He reminds you that you still have your relationship with God. No one can take that. We are wise if we rise above our hurts.  For if we do, we’ll be present at the Father’s final celebration.  A party where no pouters will be present.

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Whether private or public, shame is always painful.  And unless you deal with it, it is permanent.  The eighth chapter of John tells us about a woman caught in the act of adultery.  It was really a trap to snag Jesus.  The woman was only the bait in the Pharisees’ game.  Jesus responded by writing in the sand and saying, “Anyone here who has never sinned can throw the first stone at her.”  Finally, Jesus and the woman are left alone and he said to her, “I also don’t judge you guilty.”

If you’ve ever wondered how God reacts when you fail, read these words and let them wash over your soul.  Jesus left a message—not in the sand, but on a cross.  Not with his hand, but with his blood.  His message has two words– Not guilty.

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