Essentials for a Miracle:using what you have

A careful search through Scriptures will reveal that almost everyone who got a miracle was involved. God loves to work for and through us. Several examples abound both in the Old and New Testament but one of my favourite examples is the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10:46-52.

Now they came to Jericho .As He went out of Jericho with his disciple, and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus sat by the road begging”

So Jesus had come into Jericho and was going out of Jericho. Chances are that a miracle crusade had perhaps taken place in Jericho. Bartimaeus could not be part of that miracle service as he was incapacitated to an extent by his blindness.  So the first time we meet him in Scriptures he is sat begging at a strategic position, on the road with the likelihood of a lot of pedestrians and commuters whose bowels of compassion would be touched when they saw him. Although he could not see them, he knew this location was guaranteed to bring him  maximum income .It may have been more convenient for him to beg at his house but he knew that He could not rise beyond the level of what he was exposed to and who he saw him. He exercised the law of good positioning.

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”

Secondly he heard. Bartimaeus was only blind but not deaf. He heard about Jesus. This means he was inquisitive enough to ask questions and intelligent enough to find out about the ministry of Jesus. Although he did not have a Facebook or Twitter account yet he followed Jesus closely by word of mouth. For him to have received an answer, it meant that he asked other people and was patient enough to listen for the answers and gather facts. Bartimaeus was not into self-pity or so sour that he could not talk to other people. He must have had the kind of personality that made people converse with him.

Thirdly, he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth which meant he was specific in his questions. There were many people called Jesus during that time but Bartimaeus was well acquainted with current affairs to know that this Jesus was the one from Nazareth.

Fourthly he began to cry out. Several years of begging had given Bartimaeus the kind of tone and pitch of voice that could arouse attention and sympathy. It was a voice that followed passer-by’s who did not drop any contribution into his plate sometimes. This sometimes made some of them return and put a contribution into his plate. He had perfected the art of crying and shouting while begging that it was easy for him to use his loud voice this time and it sounded above the voice of the crowd following Jesus and the several others who wanted his attention.

Fifthly, we see that Bartimaeus had done a background check on Jesus. He had checked his ancestry and was correct. He had a knowledge that set his CV apart from those of the others who wanted Jesus’s attention. He cried out “Jesus, Son of David”.

Sixthly, what he  cried out was “have mercy on me”. He was strategic in his plea. He knew the character of Jesus and in modern terms, we would say he had read up about the company properly. David, an ancestor of Jesus was a man acquainted with mercy and that Jesus  also delights to show mercy .This specific cry for mercy put the nail on the head.

“Then many warned him to be quiet ; but he cried out all the more, ”Son of David, have mercy on me!”

Seventhly, he was a man of determination and purpose. The crowd warned him to be quiet but he cried out all the more. He was not easily discouraged and his inner vision allowed him to pursue his dreams inspite of the obstacles. We see that this persistent cry paid off as the next verse records that Jesus stood still and commanded that he should be called (verse 49).

Interestingly enough , the crowd who told him to be quiet were the same people who told him to be of good cheer and to rise and meet Jesus(verse 49) . Bartimaeus was a man of discernment. He knew when to listen to people .He listened enough to know about the Jesus he had not seen and what he could do and he knew when to turn a deaf ear to distractors.

Ninthly, after he was called, he threw aside his garments. He shook off the beggarly clothes and refused to be defined by his past. He did not allow his history to become a deterrent to his destiny(verse 50).

So Jesus answered and said to him,”What do you want me to do for you?”

Tenthly, Bartimaeus did not have a bad attitude at his apparent boss, he was humble enough to still say his need no matter how obvious it was. It is important to appreciate the depth of knowledge he had acquired about Jesus by noting that when he finally approaches Jesus , he calls him another name “Rabboni” meaning teacher.

Finally, Jesus told him to go his way as his faith had made him well and immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road(verse 52). He did not stop after obtaining a miracle. Now his circumstances had changed, it was possible for him to now follow Jesus personally.

 We see that on the way to getting his miracle, Bartimaeus used what he had. Amongst his several talents were  a loud sonorous voice, being a good communicator, ability to use strategic positioning to mention a few. Loss of physical sight and being at the mercy of others did not hamper his inward vision .

We can all look around ourselves and search inwardly to harness the gifts and talents we already have as we wait to receive what only God can do and give. We can start from what we have.

Yours in Him,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

 

A Necessary Survival Skill

“Whatever your hand findeth to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going” Ecclesiastes 9:10 NKJV

 A friend of mine attended her church recently and noticed a young girl whom she knew selling cupcakes. Being a friendly person, she approached her to inquire why she was selling cakes and was told by the girl that it was because she had been fired by her dad. She had been hired by her father to assist her younger brother to do his homework but on the said fateful day, she was not paying enough attention and then her brother scored zero in his homework. My friend approached the girl’s dad who confirmed the story which she narrated to me.

I appreciated the dynamics exhibited in the father-daughter relationship especially   the work ethics the father was instilling in his child at such an early age and the fact that she was held responsible for her negligence   but what was most admirable to me is the fact that this child thought of another way of making money .She did not stop or wallow in self-pity because her usual source of income stopped. Rather she invested in another plan .It is one thing to bake cakes and another to sell them .She certainly harnessed certain skills that may have been lying dormant and developed new ones in the process. She exhibited the quality of adaptability which is necessary for survival at all levels.

Adaptability is defined as “the ability to change or be changed to fit changing circumstances .In most job descriptions, it is usually listed as an essential quality and usually referred to as flexibility. Conceivably, you have encountered the unpleasantness of working with someone who is rigid and perhaps in our own lives, there may be a need for us to be more pliable not only at work but in our homes. This may involve going for update courses, and further training to be able to perform more effectively. It may entail caring enough to ask the other person what they need now rather than giving them what they used to need.

 Are we flexible enough? Is it possible that that we are experiencing difficulties in some areas or relationships and not yielding the best because we are yet to make the necessary change? Is there a need to change the services we offer to meet the new needs of the consumers. Even the church can change some methods without changing the message like Paul who became all things to all men to win some (1 Corinthians 9:19).

On a regular basis, we should take stock of all we  are doing  with a view to effecting  any necessary changes as the situation demands to ensure maximum effectiveness. This adaptability is what will keep us relevant not only in the market place but in our various relationships especially as we seek to be witnesses.

Rich in Good Works

“He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing”. (Ephesians 2:10)The Message.

“For we are his masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them”. (Ephesians 2:10)NKJV.

“Let them do good, that they be rich in good works……”(1 Timothy 6:18)NKJV.

Another area we are admonished to be rich is in” good works”. Good works can simply be referred to as good things, doing good generally is good works. Even Jesus did good works (John 10:32).   Our Christian witness will be much helped if we can just be good to others.

Love for God and man should be our motive as we do these good works so that we can receive a reward eventually (Hebrews 10:24) which comes from God (1 Corinthians 15:58).Wrong or impure motives may make it difficult to maintain good works as discouragement may set in (Galatians 6:2). When we do good to others, we actually show that we honour the God in whose image they have been made, in short what we do to people is counted as what we do to God ( Matthew 25:31-43; 1 John 4:12.).The Word of God equips us to do every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

 There are several ways we can do good; acts of kindness, loyalty to employers (1 Samuel 19:4),bringing up children, being hospitable to strangers(1 Timothy 5:10), fighting the cause of the oppressed, checking on an elderly neighbour, visiting the sick or those in prison .

However these good works  should not be confused as prerequisite for salvation. It is by grace we have been saved (Ephesians 2:5,8).Even Cornelius who was a very good man with kind  neighbourly acts  was still instructed to send for Peter to show him the way of salvation(Acts 10:1-8).Rather  good works are the evidence in our lives that we have been changed(Titus 3:14).

It is the  plan, purpose and will of God for us to do good works. (Ephesians 2:10). By our good works, we fulfill our role as lights in this world and bring honour and glory to God (Matthew 5:16, Romans 2:10). It also silences false accusers (1 Peter 2:12). Our good works will outlive us, even as Tabitha’s good works caused the widows to send for Peter when she died. She was brought back to life! (Acts 9:36-41).

God is the one whose Spirit enables us to do good works (Philippians 2:13).Doing good is not an option for a Christian neither should we let our emotions deter us from doing good. (Titus 2:7). We have been redeemed to be energetic in good works  (Titus 3:8 MSG),which we should maintain for we are made beautiful by doing them(1 Timothy 2:10 MSG). Let us seek daily to do good to someone else. Sometimes it may be as little as a smile or a compliment.

   Grace Tom-Lawyer

Rich in the Word 2

 Although the inscription I saw on some of  the door posts in my new neighbourhood as a teenager was “Read your Bible everyday Joshua 1:8 “,I realized on going to read the verse that it was the word “meditate” that was used. For the word to dwell richly, we need to move a step beyond reading to meditating. Meditation makes us candidates for good success (Joshua 1:8, Psalms 1:1-3 ). Merely reading the word gives information but it is in the meditation of it that truth is revealed to set us free (John 8:32). To meditate simply means “to ponder over” and if you have ever worried about anything like me, the art of meditation is not foreign.

This meditation should be done daily as our spiritual bodies need to be fed and digest food daily like our physical bodies (Deuteronomy 8:3). In the wilderness, manna fell daily for the children of Israel. We can also ensure that we pass the rich heritage of the Word of God to our children as the Israelites were asked to do In the Old testament, parents  were admonished not only to have the word in their heart but to teach it diligently to their children when they sit in the house, walk by the way ,lie down and when they rise up(Deuteronomy 6:6—8,11:19).This sounds like  more work is expected than just the weekly Sunday School lesson The word of God was to be practically ingrained into their daily lives. They were even asked to write it on their door post (Deuteronomy 6:9).My new neighbours then did not know how obedience to the door posts instruction changed my life.

It is important that it is the Word of God that is dwelling richly in us. We should not allow the words of men or their writings have more cognizance than the Word of God in our lives. We are however  more likely to fall into error unknowingly  if all our scriptural commentaries, devotional books and sermons are from one source and we do not pay the same attention to the multi-faceted gifts in the body of Christ in general. A maturing and balanced Christian is one who can appreciate truth and revelation from others beyond their own little Christian clique (1 Corinthians 3).

There are several earthly and eternal benefits which abound  when we become rich in God’s word. These include salvation (James 1:21), deliverance (Psalms 107:20), healing (Proverbs 4:21-22), revival (Psalms 19;25, 49-51,107,154),sanctification(Psalms 119:9-11). direction (Psalms 119:105),  and growth(1 Peter 2:2).As we dwell in God’s Word,  our lives are enriched and produce more fruit(John 15:5-8). Spending time in God’s word enables us to know Him more. The more of him we know, the richer our experience and the deeper our intimacy (Psalms 42:7, Hosea 6:3). The more of the light we receive from the word of God and practice(James 1:22), the more we can reflect and become lights in our world (Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 3:18) and  rightly divide the Word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

Be rich in God’s Word,

Grace Tom-Lawyer

Rich in the Word

Growing up as a child in a Christian home, I knew the importance of scriptures but did not know that they were supposed to be read daily until we moved into a new neighbourhood. I noticed that several door posts had an inscription “Read your Bible everyday Joshua 1:8” when I took a walk around. On getting home, I   checked the scripture which confirmed that daily Bible reading is not a suggestion. It was a revelation.

Another area we can all be rich in is in the Word of God. In Paul’s admonition to the Colossians, he urged them to “..LET the word of Christ dwell richly…”(Colossians  3:16).Almost all translations begin this verse with “let “which means to allow. There is a responsibility on us all to make room for the Word of God to be deposited in our spirits, not in a fleeting manner but as a matter of permanent abode. 

 We cannot be rich in the Word of God if we do not read and study it. This usually involves effort especially to establish as part of our daily routine in a time that best suits us and meets us alert. It may involve a rearrangement of our timetables and a sure word of prophecy is that it is not going to just happen until we make it a priority.

 Having a pen and notebook ready as we read God’s word with an expectation that He will speak to us moves the experience from just being a religious activity. This will also help us to remember the things we have learnt. There are various Bible study plans or devotionals we can prayerfully choose and follow.

Although there are   benefits in using these devotionals, it is imperative that these   do not totally replace personal Bible study. Neither should we follow these devotionals or Bible reading plans so rigidly that there is no room for the Holy Spirit’s leading to tarry on a verse(s)  or passage when He chooses to unveil  more truth beyond commentary notes. We should not allow  guilt and condemnation prevent us  from continuing to read the Bible when we fall short of our reading plans.

To become rich in the Word also involves attendance at meetings where the Word is taught (Hebrews 13:25). While it is important that notes are taken, these should be cross checked so as to be referred to and read from time to time. The Berean Christians were deemed as more noble because they checked scriptures for themselves even after the teachings of Apostle Paul (Acts 17:11).

The riches in God’s word will not be fully realized if there is selective reading. Neither can we be truly rich in the Word of God if we fail to feed our souls with a balanced diet from all of it. Paul told Timothy that all scripture is given by God and   is profitable. (2 Timothy 3:16) Both the Old and New Testament should be read and studied so as to prevent spiritual malnutrition!

Be rich in the Word

Grace Tom-Lawyer