Talitha Cumi!

In the 5th chapter of Mark, a story is told of a man named Jairus who invited Jesus to his house to heal his dying daughter. Jesus agreed to his request, but on the way, they were met by a group of people who had been with the child. This is what they said to Jairus: “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?”

Jesus ignored the comment and responded with five powerful words: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” He then walked past the naysayers and entered the house where friends and family were weeping over the loss of the child. He assured them the child would recover, but they laughed in His face. This time, rather than ignoring the doubters, He put them out of the room and went to the girl with only her parents and His three closest disciples by His side. He then took her hand and uttered the words, “Talitha Cumi,” which means, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” Immediately she arose and was reunited with her parents.

Sometimes things in our lives appear to be dead. It may be a treasured dream, a relationship or aspiration. Don’t be fooled by appearances; as long as the Lord is in the picture, what seems dead may yet live. There may arrive a day when it’s time to give up, but until that day comes, remain in hope and remain in faith. Jesus is Lord of all and He specializes in the impossible.

When the doubters come; ignore them. If you can’t ignore them then get away from them. This is also true of your own doubtful thoughts. Learn to recognize and dismiss them; learn to change the channel. Remember Jesus’ words: “Do not be afraid; only believe.” And when the doubters tell you that your hope is dead, say boldly, “Talitha Cumi– My dream lives!”

You Can't Force a Harvest!

Hey friends; it is easy to get discouraged when you plant something and it doesn’t seem to grow (at least on our schedule). I was reading the Parable of The Growing Seed in Mark 4:26-29 today. It gave me a lot of encouragement and I’d like to pass it on to you.

The parable is only three verses long. It states, “The Kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

We all scatter seed at one time or another. It may be a financial investment, a new venture, or perhaps someone who we mentor or befriend. We scatter our seed and in due time we expect a harvest. When that harvest is delayed we are prone to discouragement and frustration, but this parable reminds us that is silly.

In the parable, the farmer scatters his seed and then he sleeps by night and rises by day (trusting that God’s Laws will take over and his seed will grow). He himself does not know “how” the seed will grow because that is God’s work. He just scatters and then rests. He doesn’t worry over the seed, nag the seed or try and force the seed to grow; he just scatters his seed, continues being a farmer and trusts God’s process. Then the earth does its part and yields a crop – first the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. When the grain is fully ripe, the farmer’s only work is to collect his harvest.

We can learn from this. When our harvest doesn’t seem to be happening, it is important that we dig in with stubborn faith and trust in God’s process. No one really knows what makes plants grow. Throw in some soil, sunlight, water and minerals and “something happens” that yield a crop. That is God’s business. That is the part that we would like to control, but we can’t. The only wise response is to wait expectantly and to trust that our seed is taking root – that God is providing everything to bring it to full maturity. When your grain is fully ripe, your harvest will surely come.

Image by rbcgrain.com

A House Divided Cannot Stand!

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” Mark 3:24-25

I was having some time alone with God when I came across the verse above and it made me stop and think. You know how it is. You can hear a particular scripture dozens of times with little impact and then other times it hits you right between the eyes. This was one of those occasions, when the truth of the statement came crashing home.
I realized that many times we are our own worst enemies. We get stuck (or at least feel stuck) because we are divided internally. Our desires, beliefs, decisions, words and actions are not in alignment and so we are like a house divided – we go nowhere. We can only make real progress in life when these elements line up together and with God.

For example, if you desire to honor God with your life, but then you believe the cost is too high, then you are a house divided. Or if you make a decision to follow God but then your words and actions are contrary, then you are also treading water. The Bible says that a double-minded man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Let me share a framework with you that I learned from Pastor Brian Houston of Hillsong Church in Australia to achieve what you want in life. First, understand that your decisions must line up with the desire God put in your heart. Desire and decision must flow in the same direction. You can’t desire a great business, for example, and can’t get out of bed. Because if so, your decision doesn't line up with your desire. Life is about decisions.

Next, you must be prepared to sacrifice for whatever it is you desire. Will you pay the price? In all matters of achievement, you must be willing to count the cost. You must be prepared to sacrifice what you are now for what you could become. Then you must take action! You can’t wait for the play to come to you – you’ve got to go to where the ball is. Notice the greatest athletes of all time. Do they stand around and wait for the action to come to them? Of course not, they constantly take action – they move to the ball.

Finally, be patient. Achievement always calls for endurance. In the Bible, the ones who inherit God’s promises are the ones who endure. God is faithful – He keeps His covenant for a thousand generations. God is for you. He desires that you fulfill the dreams He placed in your heart. It is time to stop the self-sabotage. Make a decision today in the direction of your God-given dreams and desires. Count the cost and then take some action, even baby, mustard seed-sized steps. Then just be patient and wait on the Lord. Once you are aligned with Him, it’s just a matter of time to receive your blessing!

Stop and quietly think about that today.