Thursday, December 29, 2022
Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, Mark 1:23
But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with a fever, and they told Him about her at once.
Then He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; Mark 1:34a
WHO Jesus Will Lead Us To
When we follow Jesus wherever He leads us, we discover that He leads us not to another where but to a who. Jesus leads those who follow Him to touch the lives of people. The plights of men and women are constantly before us as the needs of ministry grow larger.
These first followers were led immediately to begin confronting and meeting critical needs in the lives of others when led by Jesus. A man with deep emotional needs, a woman almost dead with a fever and many with various troubles from life. If we fail to make people the business of Jesus we fail to follow our Leader. Being in the way with Jesus always leads to people.
Jesus as the Leader has a distinct purpose for each one He calls . . . "I will make you become fishers of men." He wants to make us see and feel for people as He does.
But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:36
Jim Cymbala, pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacles says, "You can measure your closeness to the Lord by your attitude toward men and women around you." Jesus "yearned" to touch people. He was passionately consumed with the needs of others and He leads whoever follows Him to also "yearn" to reach out to people in their plights.
We cannot wait to feel competent in doing the work of God. There are not enough Bible study classes, seminars or sermons to prepare us for what the Spirit of God will do in someone ready to be the hands and voice of Jesus in our world. Jesus says I will make you . . . I will cause you . . . to become fishers of men. He recognized that discipleship required stepping out and following. There is nothing that can equip us or train us like the experience of doing something.
As we follow Jesus, there is something we experience that we cannot reason with our minds or understand by study...the heart of Christ. Have you ever been with someone who seemed to exude compassion? The disciples were overwhelmed by the compassionate heart of their leader. He had the incredible ability to draw out of people their pain, despair or frustration. He saw in people what they could not see and led them to open their eyes to what was around them.
Are we ready to take the risk of falling in line behind Jesus? We may very well meet people far different than we have experienced before as we reach out to the world.
Scripture to Claim:
"... grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus." (Acts 4:29-30)
