Praise the Lord for this new day the Lord has given us as His gift, that we
might live, love, and serve. This is the day He has made. We will rejoice and
celebrate and glorify His Name. When life becomes burdensome and overwhelming
may we be reminded of the promise and the claim of Jesus, "My yoke is easy and
my burden is light." In the Gospel according to Mark ,Jesus our Lord is the
Master who is on the move. He came to Galilee proclaiming, "The Time is
fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the Gospel". The
Kingdom of God had come in the person of Jesus Christ. He is in control. In Mark
1 Jesus went to the synagogue where he cast out demons from a man. He touched a
leper and makes him whole. He announced forgiveness of sins to the man who was
paralyzed. The man was made whole. Jesus' authority equips us to live in this
world with boldness and zeal. Filled with compassion, Jesus touched the
untouchable and cured the incurable. The Lord has also drafted us to be in His
mission to offer and proclaim His forgiveness and His grace
Tim
Brown, a pastor in Clovis, California, talks about his life experience in Jesus
and because of Jesus. He was having lunch in McDonald’s with his daughter and
mother-in-law, enjoying a pleasant conversation, when a man, along with his wife
and children, plopped down at a nearby table. The man had, in the past, hurt
Pastor Tim, wounding him badly. They faked pleasantries and exchanged hellos,
but Tim could feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of what that man had
done to him. He was surprised that he still felt so much hurt. Pastor Tim and
his family gobbled down their food and, on the way out of the restaurant, Tim
overheard his “enemy” and his wife arguing because neither had any money to
purchase the food they had ordered. Their three kids were screaming for their
Happy Meals. The couple was embarrassed. Pastor Tim’s first thought was, “Praise
God, there is justice in this world. He deserves every bit of embarrassment he's
feeling, and I'm so glad I got to see this.”
Then God spoke to Tim
about the text he had read that morning. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be
careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far
as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my
friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to
avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry,
feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink” (Romans
12:17-20).
Tim knew he had a choice to make. He could either obey
God or bask in his bitterness. Somewhat reluctantly, Tim chose to obey. He
reached into his wallet, pulled out $20, and gave it to this man who had been
his enemy. “Have lunch on me,” Tim said with tears in his eyes, as God healed
him from years of pain. (Tim Brown, Clovis, California;
www.PreachingToday.com)
There are people who deserve what they have
coming to them. They are suffering because of their own poor choices. Even so,
Jesus wants to reach out to them through us. He wants to forgive their sin and
heal their pain.
Jesus the Risen One offers us release from our sin
and its pain. "Come to Jesus and live".
In
Christ,
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