Tuesday, December 30, 2014

ACE #317: You Better Speak Up

Mark 3 
Jesus Heals on the Sabbath
Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there.Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”
Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.
As we know, Herod wanted to kill Jesus at birth because he knew that the birth of the Messiah, the King of the Jews, would somehow dethrone him. Jesus, now an adult, was still being dogged by the Herodians. The issue here is not whether healing on the Sabbath really mattered as much as the message in the silence of the crowd, which spoke volumes. Nobody spoke up!
Jesus asked them a direct question, but because of their stubborn hearts they couldn't receive or accept the miracle that was being performed right in front of their faces regardless of the Sabbath Day designation.
Perhaps the reason why our situations, our circumstances, our finances, and our relationships aren't shifting or changing is because we refuse to answer Jesus when He speaks to us directly…or maybe the miracle, or the solution, is right in front of our faces and we are too stubborn to receive it.

A stubborn heart will always keep the miracle from being manifested.  Stand in the presence of God, stretch out your hand, and be restored.

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