Jesus already knew what the blind Bartimaeus needed…so why did He ask what he wanted? The Greek word for “want” not only shows an exercise of the will…active determination, but also purpose…pressing on to action. Bartimaeus’s faith in this man Jesus grew from only hearing about Him and the miracles Jesus was performing, but this faith had grown to the point that he knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus could heal his blindness. Physical sight was restored in an instant, but spiritual sight was also restored as he accompanied Jesus and His disciples down the road.
Category: Daily Inspirational Devotional
Job 5:17 ” Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.”
Spankings are never fun… and when it’s the Lord wielding the switch, it can be down right miserable. As mere mortals in all our weaknesses and frailties, we stray often, and like unruly calves, need to be roped in…but hopefully this correction will result in education on our part. But it all hinges on whether we accept the reprove, or reject it and turn away from God. Spankings hurt for a little bit, but we must always keep in mind…”The Lord disciplines those He loves and punishes everyone He accepts as a son.” (Proverbs 3:11)
Jeremiah 1:5 ” Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…”
The Hebrew word for “formed” in this verse has a rather creative image of a potter with a lump of clay in front of him ready to create something beautiful. And as it is with us…the Lord saw us before we were created, before we were an unformed body… before we were even a little lump of cells… He knew us. The Lord not only knew us, but as Psalm 139:16 says,” All the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be.” We all are that lump of clay in front of the Master Potter, but He has in mind exactly what He’s going to be making…something unique, exquisite, and His.
Matthew 10: 42 ” And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward.”
Simple acts of kindness done for a stranger…opening a door, offering a friendly smile and a greeting, getting a glass of water, helping someone across a busy street…all things that only take a minute of our time, but may have lasting impact on the person receiving it. “Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” (Proverbs 14:31) If we call ourselves His children, these gestures of kindness are showing Jesus in a real and tangible way to the world around us. As it says so beautifully in Hebrews 6:10, “God remembers your work and love you have shown Him as you help His people.” Those simple acts of kindness you do are far from simple, and far from unimportant in The Lord’s sight.
Isaiah 65:1 ” I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me.”
We all have someone in our lives that we’ve been praying for…some for a very long time, that they would come to the Lord, or return back to relationship with Him. This Scripture should give you unbelievable hope, for it says that the Lord will actually make Himself known and disclose His Glory to them who have not even asked or sought after Him. He will establish Himself in those who haven’t even pursed Him. The Lord says “everyone who is called by My Name, whom I created for My glory, whom I formed and made.” Everyone is just that…everyone, so don’t be discouraged when you think your prayers aren’t being answered…God can move and orchestrate in people’s lives far beyond what we can imagine or see. He’s at work at this very moment manifesting Himself to them as only He can do.
Romans 1:25 ” They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.”
Today we are seduced and awed by technology and the dramatic leaps the world has made in the last 50 years…things that were stuff of futuristic movies not too long ago, are now commonplace in every household today. But have we moved so far away that we are forgetting who brought everything into existence in the first place? Are we now trusting in man-made things rather than the God who created man? “Do men make their own gods? Yes, but they are not gods!” (Jer. 16:20) False gods, worthless idols are just objects of mockery, and will do us no good when we try to serve them rather than the God who created everything.
II Chronicles 1:10 ” Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of Yours?”
From the very start, Solomon knew he would need God-inspired intelligence and insight to maintain law and order over the Israelite Nation. When the Lord appeared, Solomon wisely asked for spiritual perception and enlightenment. God was so pleased with his choices that He not only gave Solomon those gifts, but also wealth, riches, and honor…”Such as no King who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” Down through history Solomon was known for many things…but the wisdom God placed in his heart was, and still is, the most important.
Ephesians 1:17 ” I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
That you may know Him better…How many of us would raise our hand to have that? Paul prayed that the Lord would impart His Divine knowledge and reveal Himself fully to his friends in Ephesus…and in turn, they would be filled with depth of insight, and abounding in the knowledge of their Savior. So I ask you today, if you want that same kind of spiritual wisdom, ask the Lord to fill you with all understanding and insight in Him…so that you also may know Him better.
Proverbs 6: 9-11 ” How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest – and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like a armed man.”
There are several places in Proverbs that talk about lazy people who become poor through their lack of ambition and slothfulness…” Do not love sleep or you will grow poor.” When we don’t have motivation and drive, we become apathetic,and uncaring of ourselves and others around us… and this in turn affects all aspects of our personal and financial lives. This rather lyrical Proverb wants us to rise up, get moving, and persevere.
Joshua 1:8 ” Do not let this book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
Reading the Bible daily…why do we make every excuse known to man about why we can’t? The Lord not only wants us to read His Word daily, but He wants us to sit and think about how it relates to our life after we’re done reading. God wants us to reflect and contemplate what the scriptures are saying to us personally…and in doing so, the His plan for our life will be revealed with clarity and certainty.
Safetypinlove 