10 - Leaving the old lifestyle behind.
Mark 10:
46. Then they came to Jericho. And as He went out of Jericho with His disciples
and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the
road begging.
47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out
and say, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48. Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, "Son of
David, have mercy on me!"
49. So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the
blind man, saying to him, "Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you."
50. And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.
51. And Jesus answered and said to him, "What do you want Me to do for you?"
The blind man said to Him, "Rabboni, that I may receive my sight."
52. Then Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your faith has made you well."
And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.
NKJV
Bartimaeus passed several tests in seeking to meet with Jesus:
First, he overcame the temptation to give in to those who warned him to be
quiet. Instead, he cried out even more loudly.
Secondly, when he had secured the attention of Jesus, he overcame the
temptation to expect that Jesus would have pity on his "helpless" condition
and come over to him and show pity for his needs.
Bartimaeus understood that he had to get up and walk away from that kind of
mindset, because evidently, this Jesus was not even going to acknowledge his
"helpless" blindness in any way.
The next test he passed was that he got his priorities right.
When Jesus asked, "What do you want Me to do for you?", Jesus was in fact asking,
"Bartimaeus, what really is the deepest desire of your heart?"
"Bartimaeus, do you really want to leave the 'I'm-a-blind-beggar-feel-sorry-for-me'
lifestyle behind?"
"Bartimaeus, do you know that if I restore your sight, that your whole approach
to life and people will have to change?"
Bartimaeus had the right answer.
He had evidently weighed this question beforehand in his heart and he knew
he had to break all ties with helplessness and begging, if he were to ask
Jesus to restore his sight.
Are you prepared for the lifestyle changes the Lord Jesus will make in your
life when you ask him to help you?
Prayer:
Father, I have determined in my heart that I will walk with You and I will
learn the new attitudes and mindsets that will make You comfortable in my life,
in Jesus' name I pray,
Amen.
A new reading in this series is available every day!
See you tomorrow, God willing, and be blessed in all you do today!
Sol Wise.
InChurch?? | Faith | Love | Jacob | Rich | Grace
