What an incredible message this past Sunday from Pastor Judah Smith. I went back and read the passage he preached from (Mark 5) and had a few thoughts I wanted to share with you.
The Woman Spent ALL SHE HAD to get well
This is what happens when we chase after other solutions for satisfaction. This woman had a problem that disconnected her from a relationship with God and she felt perpetually empty, exhausted, and spent! Yet for 12 years she sought out solution after solution after solution in things that would satisfy for a season but left her feeling even more empty. Until she met Jesus . . .
I’ve heard it said that sin will take you further than you wanted to go, make you stay longer that you wanted to stay, and make you pay more than you wanted to pay. The only source that can satisfy the longings of our soul is the person of Jesus! I can promise you, there are people in your life that are seeking for satisfaction everywhere other than Jesus. My heart for us as a church is to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to introduce them to the person of Jesus! If you get them to our Easter service this Sunday, they will hear about the only person that will fill that void in their soul. I believe Jesus wants to change lives and eternities forever this Sunday!
Jesus was more concerned with her HEART than just her PHYSICAL HEALING
The woman was concerned about her immediate physical healing. Jesus had more concerns for her than that. He has more concerns for us than just getting us out of the immediate pressure we feel. He has more concerns for us than just pulling us out of the situation that troubles us. He has more concerns for us than just fixing the circumstance we’ve found ourselves in. He wants our HEART to be whole. He wants us to learn peace and contentment in any situation. He wants to heal our soul FIRST. Everything else we do flows from that place. He knows that if our SOUL is healed, everything we do, say and experience will be life-giving.
This is why Jesus will often leave you in situations that are uncomfortable. This is why He’ll let us feel the pressure of life mounting. It doesn’t mean He’s abandoned you, it means He is ACTIVE where you can’t see Him. People will tell you that God will never put on you more than you can handle. BULL! If that were true, Jesus would have never gone to the cross! NO ONE CAN HANDLE WHAT HE WENT THROUGH! God will allow us to feel overwhelmed so that we learn to trust our SAVIOR through it all, rather than putting our hope in our SITUATION or CIRCUMSTANCE or OURSELVES!
Jesus didn’t let busyness or the demands of others distract him from the ONE
I know, I know. You’re busy. Everyone’s busy. This is the new cliche response to “How are you?” . . . “I’m busy.” But I can promise you, none of us have more on our plate than Jesus. Think about this:
(1) He had THOUSANDS of people following him around . . . EVERY DAY!
(2) He had HUNDREDS of sick people that begged him for healing
(3) Kids lined up to sit on his lap
(4) His disciples could NEVER get it right so he continually had to pull them aside in the conference room and straighten them up
(5) The assignment He was to solve the brokenness of the world!
I don’t care how busy any of our days, weeks, or seasons are, Jesus holds the trump card to busyness. However, even in the midst of His busyness he NEVER overlooked THE ONE. He was very aware of the individuals that God put in his path. He was very intentional to look people in their eyes, treat them like a human being that was loved by God, and do whatever he could to meet their need.
This week, in the midst of the busyness of work and planning Easter egg hunts for the kids PLEASE don’t forget that God has put ONE person in your daily path that He wants you to introduce Him to. There is ONE person at work, or on your ball team, or at your school, or in your cross-fit class, or in your neighborhood that Jesus wants you to bring to Easter Service!
Let’s invite, church, and watch Jesus change lives!!
- Davey Blackburn
Davey Blackburn is the lead pastor of Resonate Church. You can find him on Twitter at @daveyblackburn.