Christ wants not nibblers
of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible, by faith in the omnipotence,
fidelity and wisdom of the Almighty Savior who gave the command. Is there a
wall in our path? By our God we will leap over it! Are there lions and
scorpions in our way? We will trample them under our feet! Does a mountain bar
our way? Saying, ‘Be thou removed and cast into the sea,’ we will march on! Soldiers
of Jesus, never surrender!—C. T. Studd
*
Jesus left there and
went to his hometown … When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the
synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed … “Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t
this Mary’s son?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “Only in
his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without
honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick
people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith (Mark 6:1–6 NIV).
Have you ever wondered why
some churches and people experience the power of God on a greater level than
others? Why some people seem to be magnetic for miracles and the extraordinary,
while others only ever hear about them?
There are a lot of reasons,
but I believe this passage gives us one huge aspect of the answer.
At this point in His
ministry, Jesus was on a roll. In fact, in this chapter of Mark we pick up in
the middle of a regional speaking tour, and Jesus was practically packing out
coliseums with people who came to hear Him and be healed by Him. You would
expect Him to be able to roll into His hometown and do even greater things. But
that’s not what happens. Instead, all He can do is heal a common cold.
Why does the Bible say Jesus couldn’t do miracles? Not wouldn’t, but couldn’t?
When you read the above passage,
it’s pretty clear. The miracle-working power of Jesus wasn’t limited
because His ability subsided. But because they did not believe. And their
unbelief was tied directly to what they saw, and they didn’t see much.
Their exposure to
Jesus was great. But … their experience of Him was limited. That’s why
He was amazed at their lack of faith. And that’s why His power was limited.
God is powerful everywhere.
He’s powerful on every continent in every time zone. He has the ability to
change lives anywhere you go.
The determining factor in
the activity of God in our churches and in our lives isn’t even who Jesus is.
Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
It really comes down to
this:
It’s not who He is,
it’s how we see Him.
These people saw Him as a
carpenter. That’s what they got. Others had seen Him as someone capable of
miracles. That’s what they got.
The same principle is true
today.
If you see Jesus as a good
teacher, that’s what you’re going to get.
If you see Him as someone
who used to move in power, that’s what you’re going to get.
If you see Him as someone
who still moves in power, that’s what you’re going to get.
Jesus’ infinite
miracle-working power hasn’t changed. It’s still the same, yesterday, today,
and forever. What can change today is how you choose to see how that power is
available to you. And what can then change is how much you will witness that
power flowing through your life.—Steven Furtick
*
We naturally gravitate toward what is familiar. Once we find a place to sit, we’ll sit there every time. Once we find a favorite dish, we’ll stop trying new things on the menu. Once we get into a routine, it’s next to impossible to get out of it. As the old adage put it: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Or can you?
Most of us live most of our
lives in the land of the familiar. We never cross the border into the
land of unfamiliarity. Why? Because unfamiliarity is full of
uncertainty. We know that is where life’s greatest discoveries are to be
made, but we don’t dare cross the bridge of risk.
Here’s how it plays out
spiritually. God moves in a profound way and we don’t know what to do, so we do
what we’ve always done. We return to the land of familiarity. We quickly
sing a song or pray a prayer. Is there anything wrong with that? No. But that
is the land of the familiar. Maybe God wants to give you a new song, a
new vision, a new gift.
Remember what it says about
Abraham? “He went even though he didn’t know where he was going.” He ventured
into unfamiliar territory. No map. Just a compass. Most Christians want a
map, but God gives us a compass. His name is the Holy Spirit. He
points us and prompts us and stirs us. He is the voice behind us saying, “This
is the way, walk in it.” And He always leads toward the land of unfamiliarity.
But we don’t want to have to rely on hearing His voice, so we settle for the
land of the familiar. And that is where most of us die. We die of familiarity. We’re
buried in the land of familiarity.
If you want to experience
God in a new way, you can’t keep doing the same old thing.
“Behold, the former things
have come to pass. New things I now declare.”1—Mark Batterson
*
The Christian life is best
lived dangerously. Playing it safe won’t yield much fruit. People who risk
friendships or jobs or, even worse, their own lives for the sake of the Gospel
will get the most results. Living the faith well—“fighting the good
fight”—requires strict discipline, self-denial, and a willingness to expose
oneself to danger. This is where trust comes in. God may not deliver you from
suffering right away, but He will sustain you and ultimately reward you. And
the knowledge that you have risked all for His sake will exhilarate you.—Brad
Locke
*
You have to find something
that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break
through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If
you don’t have that kind of feeling for what it is you’re doing, you’ll stop at
the first giant hurdle.—George Lucas
*
If you are not willing to
risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.—Jim Rohn
*
To every man there comes in
his lifetime that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder
and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to him and fitted to
his talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified
for the work which could be his finest hour.—Sir Winston Churchill
1 Isaiah 42:9.