She Found a Way

       The Savior was on His way to the house of Jairus.  He had asked Jesus -- begged Jesus -- to come to his house.  Jairus had a young daughter at the point of death.  Something else happened on the way.  (Mark 5 and Luke 8)
      As usual Christ was surrounded by the multitudes.  They seemed to throng Him everywhere He went.  There was a lady in the crowd.  She had suffered from a "flow of blood" (a hemorrhage)  for 12 years.  The woman had seen  many doctors and none could help her.  She saw the man moving down the street.  That must be the man they call Jesus.  She had heard about all the wonderful things He had done. 
       Oh how she wished she could get close to Him.  Perhaps Jesus would have mercy on her.  Perhaps He would heal her as He had healed so many others.  
       Can you imagine 12 years of bleeding?  I can't even begin to!  How weak and tired she must have felt.  Think about what her life must have been like.  Her condition probably left her unable to do any kind of normal activities.  
       Not only was this poor woman physically ill, but under Jewish law she was considered unclean.  Leviticus chapters 12 through 15 give instructions regarding uncleanness.  For one thing an unclean person was not allowed to worship in the temple.  That means she was not able to participate in one of the defining activities of Jewish life.  How isolated she must have felt!
       So here she was watching Jesus walk through the town.  The crowd was thick around Him.  She was probably weak from her illness; but somehow she found the strength to push through the multitude.  
      I can only imagine what her thoughts might have been in those moments.  She had to get to Jesus.  She just knew He would heal her if only she could speak to Him.  Perhaps the closer she got the more difficult it was to maneuver.  I'm sure others wanted to be close to Him too.  
     Finally she thought, "if I touch even His garments, I will be made well."  She had that much faith.  She knew Jesus had the power to heal her -- even if she couldn't get close enough to ask Him personally.  Touching His clothes would be enough - and she wouldn't impede His progress.  
      Oh how she yearned for healing!  Finally, she was close enough - not to speak to Him.  Jesus would never hear her over the others who swarmed around Him.  But He was within her reach so she reached out and touched his garments.  Immediately she was healed!!  She knew it instantly.  She could feel it.  Can you imagine the relief she must have felt?
      Jesus knew it too.  He felt the power leave His body.  He asked "Who touched my clothes?"  Jesus being the Son of God already knew who had touched Him.  He wasn't asking because He didn't know.  Christ was asking to give her an opening to approach Him.  
      The poor woman was afraid.  She knew she had been unclean when she touched His clothes.  She probably feared a reproach from the Savior; after all she was unclean and had dared to touch Him.  
      She came trembling and fell before Him confessing all.  She told Jesus the whole story -- right there in front of everyone -- including the fact she was now healed.  The harsh words she half expected to hear never came.  Instead Christ told her to "Be of good cheer.  Your faith has made you well.  Go in peace" (Luke 8:48 NKJV).
     Her faith had made her well!  What beautiful words for her to hear!!  See it all boils down to this.  She heard about Christ.  She believed in His power to heal.  But what she believed would not do her one whit of good if she simply stood there and watched Him walk on by.  She knew that.
      So what did she do?  She sought Him out.  She went to Him.  No matter how many people were between them - no matter how weak she was -- or how frightened she might have been - she had to go to Jesus.  She knew she had to act on her beliefs and she did.  She made it to Him!  It was not easy - but it was oh so worth it!!
       Jesus didn't promise the way would be easy.  Actually He said it would be pretty tough.  But He did promise to be with us if we only followed Him - obeyed Him.  We have to remember faith is an action word.  The poor woman who had been sick for 12 years had to act on her faith.  So do we.
      So many verses come to my mind right now; but I know I can't go on forever.  I leave you with two passages. 
      Hebrews 11:6 - "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

      "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who to in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it?" 
                                                                          (Matthew 7:13-14)
     
    We have to be seeking -- we have to look to find.   
     What are we looking for ?  

Christ above all things, 
Robin Whitley 

The Poor in Spirit

          I knew someone who exemplified Matthew 5:3.

    Her name was Angie.  I don't know why exactly, but I've thought about her all week.  Maybe it's because I've been studying the beatitudes from Matthew Chapter 5.  Maybe it's because she was bright and beautiful - or because I loved to hear her pray.  It could be the combination of all of these.  One thing I know for sure - she had a powerful impact on my life.  
      Angie was a Christian woman who was part of our prayer group.  Like so many people, she lived through  many tough times.  She saw a lot of the ugly side of life.  Perhaps her bad experiences are what led her to make costly decisions.  She didn't try to hide any of that.  In fact she was quite honest about it.  Maybe that is part of why I loved her so much.  
      In spite of all this, Angie was mostly a happy person.  Her entrance into the prayer group revitalized us.  She helped us understand how grateful we should be and how loving God is.  Yes, as rough as her life had been - as terrible as things were for at times - Angie still saw the goodness of God.  What an encouragement she was to us as she prayed for protection from evil and temptation - begging for the safekeeping of our souls!
     The devil is so strong and he fights hard for those who belong to God.  Let us never think we are immune to his tactics.  May we never become so arrogant as to think the devil can't get to any of us.  At a weak point in Angie's life she made contact with some old friends and fell back into a worldly lifestyle.  
      We lost touch with our sister for about two years.  Yet we never stopped thinking about her and we NEVER stopped praying for her.  She reached a low point.  I guess one could say she "came to herself" much like the lost son did as he fed the swine in  Luke 15.  Angie reached out to the church.  She wrote a letter asking for forgiveness.  
      Then she reached out to one of us -- who straightway shared with all of us.  We knew God forgave Angie as soon as she asked.  God loves us all and He wants is to be with us; but we have to want that too.  We visited her and witnessed her transformation.  We saw her humble spirit and knew all she wanted now was to serve and obey God.
     Angie began to work for the Lord once again.  She talked to others about Christ at every opportunity.  She helped convert at least two women to Christianity.  She endured the consequences of her misdeeds yet she rejoiced in her service to the Father.  
     She never once made excuses for herself.  She didn't try to hide from her sins.  Yet Angie glowed with happiness!  She rejoiced in God's forgiveness.  Angie remembered where she had been - but she also knew where she was going!  She knew who she once was without Christ and who she became with Him.  
      "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  ..... And such were some of you.  But you were washed, but your were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." 
(I Corinthians 6:9a, 11 NKJV)
      The thing is all of us ought to be like Angie.  We should understand we are nothing without God.  We should all remember we've been.  Angie's misdeeds weren't any more or less worse than any of the rest of ours.  All sin is missing the mark.  Any sin separates us from God.  None of us are any better than the rest of us.  And none of us are safe from the danger of temptation and sin.  
      Angie knew this.  Perhaps it is why she encouraged everyone she knew.  Maybe this is the reason she talked to so many people about Jesus.  She knew how easy it was to fall away.  She also knew the joy of forgiveness.  Her happiness was as full as the woman in Luke 15 who found the lost coin.  
      The prayer group was only able to meet with our precious sister one more time before she unexpectedly left this world.  It was such a precious and wonderful time.  Once again, she revitalized us.  She made us feel loved and happy at the very time we were trying to make sure she knew how much we loved her.  We were so happy to be with her once again. 
       As we were leaving that night, Angie looked at me and said, "Robin - I'm never going back to my old life."  I knew she meant it.  I will never forget the determination in her eyes -- the resolve in her voice.  
       I loved Angie for many reasons -- too many to tell really -- but one of those reasons is because she helped me remember where I would be without God.  She helped me realize how thankful I was for His mercy and grace.  Her joy was contagious and through her I realized I should never forget that joy.  

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

for theirs in the kingdom of heaven"

                                                                       (Matthew 5:3)

Christ above all things, 

Robin 

     
     

Dust In The Wind

        Do you know the song "Dust in the Wind" by Kansas?
I heard it on the way to work the other day.  I have always liked this soulful tune.  It has been around a long time and listening as a teenager I never thought about the deeper meaning of the words.  I guess one reason is, like many teens,  I had the feeling I would live forever.    
      This time as I listened it was almost like hearing it for the first time.  It suddenly struck me how biblical the words are.  I've never done this before and I know it will add to the length of this post, but for a point of reference, here are the lyrics (with credits posted at the end)

Dust in the Wind Kansas

I close my eyes, only for a moment
And the moment's gone
All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Dust in the wind
All they are is dust in the wind

Same old song, just a drop of water
In an endless sea
All we do crumbles to the ground
Though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

Oh, ho, ho

Now, don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind -- All we are is dust in the wind [2]

Dust in the wind --Everything is dust in the wind [x2]
The wind

Songwriters: Kerry Livgren / Kerry A Livgren
Dust in the Wind lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

      Perhaps reading the words help us see how similar these thoughts are to scripture.   God man made from dust.  From an eternal standpoint our physical lives are very short.  Time moves swiftly and moments we would love to hold on to -- those special times we wish would last forever -- leave us way too quickly.  

     I once heard my Dad compare years to weeks.  The older I become the more I understand these sentiments.  As in the song, we close our eyes and the moment is gone.  It seems a little sad, I know.  But we must remember our Heavenly Father knows this all too well.  

      "As a father shows compassion to his children, 

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him,

for He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field;  for the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place knows it no more but the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him and His righteousness to children's children,"  (Psalm 103: 13-17 ESV).  

      This beautiful passage gives us comfort as we realize how much our Father loves and cares for us.  He longs to be with those who fear (reverence) Him.  God has compassion for us -- so much so that He gave His only Son for us.  

      We must remember we are eternal beings with an earthly body.  Our time on earth will not last forever; in that sense we really are dust in the wind.  Yet our souls will live on.  If we follow the path of righteousness by loving and obeying our Savior our eternal home will be heaven.  Then we will be able to hold onto our happy moments.   Our joy will be everlasting!! 

      The second verse of the song says we are "just a drop of water in an endless sea."  Yes sometimes we all feel this way -- small and inconspicuous.  This is when we must remember the words of Christ from Luke 12:6-7 -- "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered.   Fear not; for you are of more value than many sparrows."

      On the other hand, sometimes we feel self-important and fail to see "all we do crumbles to the ground."  The truth is nothing we build or do is permanent.  Remember the tower of Babel from Genesis 11?  We should take a lesson from that story.  

     Becoming too proud of our accomplishments - failing to give God the glory for what we do often leads to disaster.  Our lights are supposed to shine for Him -- not for ourselves.  Remember "unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalm 127:1)  

      Finally, the third verse of this song becomes a reminder of God's greatness.  "Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky.  All your money won't another minute buy."   The rich farmer who planned to tear down barns and build bigger ones certainly learned the truth of those words.  His soul was required of him that very night!!  We must keep in mind "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof.." (Psalm 24:1a)

      Honestly,  even the earth and sky won't last forever.  One day this world will end.  God's Word tells us it is so.  The good news is if we are His -- He will know us and claim us for His own.   

      So the song "Dust in the Wind" does not make me sad.  Yes, it is a reminder we are here only for a short time and yes, we are weak and frail and it's true money won't buy time.  But the song also reminds me of God's greatness and goodness.  How wonderful that He cares so much about us!  How awesome it is that we matter to Christ!  

      Yes, the world will one day end.  The best news though -- the very best news is if we love Him enough to obey Him -- "but according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells"  (2 Peter 3:13).

Christ above all things, 

Robin Whitley