Hello there. As you may have noticed I haven't posted anything in a loooong time. I think it's been like 3 months, but I'm too lazy to look and figure it out.
What have I been up to? No good! Other than that, I've been working...a lot. Some departmental changes have rearranged several meetings so that they start at 5pm. That makes for several mandatory 11-12 hour days a week. Not fun. I've been adjusting to that, and starting to think about ministry and my plan for the future again. No real thoughts to declare there...but I just thought I'd vaguely tell whoever reads this that tidbit of information.
I did actually just want to post about a thought I had from the Word, or as JR Woodward likes to call it, the Sacred Text.
Mark writes:
And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them." But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.Mark 1:40-45 ESV
A few observations:
Lepers were people the Jews traditionally avoided like the plague, because lepers were sick. You didn't talk to a leper, you didn't hang out with a leper. Lepers usually formed their own bands and lived away from cities. You definately didn't touch a leper. However, Jesus did. This despised and sickly outcast came and put himself at Jesus' feet. When was the last time you saw anyone put themselves at anyone else's feet? Can you imagine a coworker getting on their knee's in front of you, or anyone else? My heart breaks when it says Jesus was "moved with pity". The NIV says Jesus had compassion on him. I can picture Jesus' face soften as his heart breaks for this needy man. Then he touches him, and heals. Now, this is the part that strikes me. Jesus then tells him not to tell anyone, but go make the traditional cleansing rites. Of course, Jesus has to know full well what the guy is going to do. Just like he knows what you and I are going to do: exactly what he told us not to do. Jesus knew the guy was going to tell everybody, and his ministry would be affected as a result, yet he still healed him. And he still told him not to tell anyone. Jesus does the exact same thing for each of us every day: he gives us the benefit of the doubt. Knowing what we're going to do, Jesus treats us and approaches us as if we are going to obey him. He's never telling himself, "Well...Dan's not going to do what I want him to anyway, so I'll just not bless him or help him."
Christ always gives us the benefit of the doubt. Always. And that's exactly why we keep on coming back, because Christ doesn't give up on us, and he always gives us the option to succeed. We just have to obey.