Shout Louder

As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by. ”He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.

Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

This passage is found in Luke 18:35-43. A friend of mine in Korea blogged about this passage and it really caught my interest. Here we see a blind beggar. It's a double disadvantage of blindness and being a beggar all his life.

When this man hears that Jesus is coming, he calls out as loud as he can to get the attention of Jesus. He is stopped, but he does not give up. He shouts out louder! As he gets the attention of Jesus, his forever wish is granted, to see. Jesus mentions that it was his "faith" that healed him.

It is interesting to note that a man who could not see called out to Jesus. What about the rest? It must have been easier for the healthier people to spot the Savior, yet most kept quiet. They just tended to what they do and just observed, but not called out to Jesus. And I wonder which side is blind, spiritually. It was probably the necessity to be healed that made the blind man "see" Jesus.

How do we look to Jesus? Are we blind spiritually? Do we take things for granted? Jesus is in our lives and I pray that we get to see and accept Him in our lives and may we be changed toward His goodness.

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Prayer of Jabez

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. 1Chronicles 4:10

The prayer above is called the 'Prayer of Jabez.' Regarding this man Jabez, this is all we know of him. Nowhere else is Jabez mentioned in the Bible, yet his prayer has become so well known. You can notice how short this prayer was, but there was assurance and full dependence upon the Lord. At first glance, it seems like he was asking God for just wealth, but as you look more carefully into it, you can notice that he was asking for God to be with Him. To Jabez, being with God was more important than anything. Jabez also asks for evil to be away from him. He knew how dangerous and tempting evil can be. Also the nature of evil is completely against the nature of God!

God wants to be with us, yet there are so many things out there that hinder us from being with Him. We should pray the prayer of Jabez, and like the way God had granted Jabez his request, may God be able to listen to us as well.

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A Thousand Offerings

“Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar.” 1 Kings 3:4.

Wow! Can you believe that? A thousand burnt offerings!!!! 1 Kings 3 describes when Solomon becomes king of Israel and God shows up in his dream. This is where Solomon receives wisdom from God, thus becoming the wisest man that has ever lived. This Solomon, when he became king, offered 1000 offerings. That's a lot of bulls. This signifies that Solomon gave everything.

I have a friend who is a pastor/musician that was inspired by this very verse. Reading this, he decided to offer 1000 offerings in his way by starting to write 1000 songs for God. I don't know if he meant it literally or that he will write songs for God only the rest of his life, but that became his goal. He wanted to lift up God in this way. I have listened to his album and they were amazing.

What are your 1000 offerings to God? What is your dedication to God? We may not be as rich or wise as Solomon, or even my friend. But God doesn't worry about that. He wants your heart, your commitment. Wouldn't it be great to give God your all? And I am sure God will bless you just the way He blessed Solomon!

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