A Witness to the World
Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
Mark 1:41 (NKJV)
A leper approached Jesus, begging Him to heal him and expressing faith in His ability to do so. Jesus, feeling compassion, reached out and touched the leper, saying He was willing to heal him. Instantly, the leprosy vanished from the man. Jesus instructed him sternly not to tell anyone but to show himself to the priest and follow the required cleansing rituals.
One encounter with Jesus and this man is now able to move freely again in society. He can go to church. He can be around friends. He can see family. But the only remaining thing he has yet to do before enjoying any of these things is to go be examined by the priest in Jerusalem.
That priest would examine his body and ask him some pointed questions. And after examination, he would have to conclude and declare that the leper has been healed. This man would then excitedly and no doubt gratefully rush to bring an offering in obedience to the law of Moses.
Can you all imagine how simple the former leper’s answers were when he appeared before the priest and how confounded the priest must have been?
“How were you healed of leprosy?”
“Jesus healed me.”
“And how did He heal you?”
“Sir, He just touched me. He made a declaration and all I can tell you is that my leprosy immediately dissipated.”
“You mean to tell me you ran into this man Jesus, and all He did was touch you and you were healed?”
“Yep. No magic tricks. No ointment splashed. No incantations uttered. I went to Jesus. I asked Him if He was willing. He said that He was, He touched me, and I was clean.”
The priest would then have to acknowledge that Jesus no doubt has spiritual power because this man was previously covered with leprosy and now there is no evidence of it. And it really does prove that what Jesus does for us—the changes He affects in us, the healing He extends to us, the power He transfers to us—is no doubt for our benefit, but never without also being a witness to others of His authenticity, His power, and His goodness.
How Are We Treating Jesus?
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.
Psalm 24:3-4 (NKJV)
Jesus is not in our lives to be pushed around by our urgencies. And while He may respond to them, while He may minister to us in them, He teaches us that He is extremely intentional about how He is to be treated.
Jesus has emotionality when it comes to us. He can be angered by us. He can be blessed by us. He is acquainted with our grief. He has emotionality.
We live in a climate and culture where everybody views and interprets and sifts religion on what Jesus offers to us, how the Lord treats us. But have you ever considered that while the Lord is so good to us, we have an expectation by Him of how He also wants to be treated?
For example, Psalm 24 asks and answers: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.” In Matthew 16, Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Psalm 100 instructs us to “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” The Lord is specific in how He is to be treated by us.
Matthew 9 tells of two blind men who cried out to Jesus for healing, but He made them follow Him into a house and asked them about their faith before He healed them. It’s almost as if He is saying to them, “I could have healed you on the road. I could have healed you before your first expression to me. But I wanted it to be clear that I am not pushed and manipulated by human urgency. I moved by divine synchronicity. And there are some things that I do because it has to fit within God's timing, and it has to fit within the pedagogy that I am dispensing to your life.”
Jesus is extremely intentional about how He is to be treated. It matters how He is approached. It matters how He is viewed. It matters how He is responded to.
He Cares
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18 (NIV)
How many people are living with realities that are making them want to react adversely or respond without surrender to the Holy Spirit?
How many people are making decisions out of their pain, striking back at people because they’re so fatigued of being struck, giving up on divine assignments because of opposition and difficulty?
How many people want to walk away from opportunities and possibilities because of anger and disappointment?
How many people want to settle back into what is not good for them, never has been, and never will be?
How many people are thinking about defeating, depleting, and draining things, not realizing that things are about to change?
Jesus teaches us that when these realities bump up in our lives and grip us tight, and you are on your way to bury your dreams, your goals, your aspirations, and your energy, He is saying to you, “Child of God, not just yet. You’ve got to wait on Me. I’m a God who can turn things around. I can make things happen.”
Jesus is sensitive to our pain and our losses. In fact, you are so loved by God, that when your heart is broken, it affects Him. He feels so deeply about:
- what you feel
- what you’re experiencing
- what you’re managing
- what you’re trying to survive
- what you’re stewarding
- what you’re trying to juggle
- how you’re trying to sift it all
- and what you’re trying to recover from
He doesn’t leave us out in the cold and anguish. He comes alongside us and meets us in our pain. What an amazing God He is.
Living in the Spirit
“The joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV)
As we submit to the presence and the influence of the Holy Spirit, it doesn’t mean that we won’t have to face challenges or fight giants or overcome obstacles or deal with opposition in any way. But it does mean that in not one of those areas does the enemy get to decide our choices. The enemy does not get to decide how we manage the stewardship of our responses to life’s circumstances.
When we live in Jesus, we live convicted that He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be whole. He wants us to be well. He wants us to be productive. He wants us to have the joy of the Lord as our inner strength.
The enemy doesn’t get to decide my choices. He can shape weapons, and he can release them. He can toxify environments. He can invade the mind and try to crush the heart. He can infect my exchanges with other people. He can entice people to betray me. But I have to make the choice as to whether I forgive or seek revenge, whether I surrender to anger or decide to dispense grace and mercy.
And here’s the point: Jesus says, “Child of God, I’ve established My kingdom inside of you. And because the kingdom lives inside of you, you are more than a conqueror. I am with you. And Me with you is more than the world against you. Don’t say what you cannot do, because in Me, you can do all things.”
Isn’t that amazing to think about? Doesn’t that fill your praise? Doesn’t it deepen your love? And doesn’t it make you want to express it? Each of us is loved so much by Jesus that He will respond to our needs and give us His joy and a peace that surpasses understanding.
Staying Steady
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58 (NKJV)
One of the key lessons of the Christian life is learning to live steady.
Praying with patience, asking for endurance, disciplined for the long haul, resilient and defiant, hopeful, trusting, faithful, and determined—we must learn to live steady.
Our focus should not be on attempting everything with speed and strength, but with steadiness. Not everything fast, but attempt everything faithful.
This is the discipline that we have to nurture because we are all in the race of life and no one is exempt from it. It’s not strength that determines the quality of our finish. It’s not speed either. Both of those things can be halted, hindered, or hampered.
But I tell you, it is hard to still the steps or destroy the vision of a child of God who is determined to stay steady even if the ground shakes beneath them or the enemy tries to block them. It’s hard to defeat a determined disciple when endurance is the offering they bring to their human pursuits.
There’s something about the commitment to living steady that helps us to cross the bridge that separates our plans from God’s providence. You will make more progress. You will accomplish more. You will achieve more. You will become what is more enriched and vibrant and complete and robust.
I’m not denying that it’s possible to nurture strength and develop speed, but staying steady is the crucial component for finishing well:
- Waking up every day to honor your spiritual gifts and to glorify your sovereign God.
- Treating people with grace and mercy in your everyday exchanges.
- Not being so quick to become angry or easily pushed to a place of wrath.
- Speaking the truth in love.
- Taming the spiritual tongue.
- Leaning on empathy and compassion.
- Trusting God with all your heart.
- Forgiving others because you can’t forget that you are forgiven.
- Opening doors for people because every door you open for them pushes you into the next tier of opportunity and potential.
We all have learned that speed and strength and wisdom and cleverness and skill can help, but they don’t guarantee success. The secret lies in staying steady.
