i was reading this morning in mark 1 when Jesus starts his ministry and he’s in Capernaum on a sabbath day. some possessed dude comes up and calls him out, to which he quickly shuts the demon up and casts him out of the man. the part of this story that amazes me is the peoples reaction. they respond with amazement. not over the situation, but over the fact that Jesus teaches with AUTHORITY!
what had they been listening to? where they content listening to it? i mean Jesus is at the temple when this all goes down, he’s in the middle of a bunch of people who have been around the torah and listened to it’s teaching time and time again. they weren’t dummies, but when they saw the power demonstrated through the teachings of Jesus they were amazed.
i feel to often in my own journey through the Holy Scriptures i lose sight of the power and authority that it has in my life and when spoken out loud. if i’m supposed to be like Jesus, i’ve gotta understand that i’m preaching from the same Word and it still has that same authority that it had when Jesus was teaching from it! do people look on in amazement at the Word of God when i teach (not look on in amazement at the teacher…huge difference!)? God’s Words to us bring joy, blessing, peace, redemption, security, power, encouragement…are people receiving that?!
Lord allow me to be a teacher who’s excited about your Word and people are drawn more into their relationship with you and your passion for them. Will they desire to meet with you through your Word to see the blessings and love you have for them…
Posted by Jimmy Donaruma on 11/13/08 and filed in Uncategorized.
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What do you do when you realize there is so much more happening around you than what you see in your own little world?
“Why do I have to do it? This just isn’t what I want to do today.” Do you ever feel that way? Not really seeing the purpose behind something, and instead of obediently doing what you have been asked to do, you grumble and complain and try to make up excuses as to why you are too busy. Sometimes I think we need a glimpse of the bigger picture. I know it may be different for everyone, but what is the main thing? I think we would all agree that Jesus was here to bring glory to the Father by meeting the needs of those around Him, teaching us, by His example to do the same. I get caught up in all I think is important but sometimes forget what is really important. We have a myriad of people volunteering and serving in Children’s Ministry from week to week. And I want to encourage you to continue sowing those eternal seeds into the soil of children’s hearts. You may not always see the fruit right away, but one day you’ll know…when you see the face of a young man or woman whose appearance is somehow familiar, but who was much younger in your memory…who once sat in a seat in your classroom, or perhaps crawled under the table while you tried to read a Bible story, or maybe even escaped out of the classroom door when you turned your back…but now she is being sent out to the mission field or he is passing an offering basket or maybe teaching a class of his or her own…then you’ll know that the seeds you sowed (some of them even in tears) were not sown in vain, but they produced a harvest of fruit that will continue to multiply even beyond your own lifetime. I will continue to keep myself in check, sometimes failing, but always remembering that eternity is at stake in the lives of every man, woman, and child who I come in contact with. I may not know or even see the result of my obedience or act of kindness but that really doesn’t matter when I keep my eyes on the Author and Perfector of my faith. Be blessed!
Posted by John Federer on 11/01/08 and filed in Uncategorized.
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