Faith amid desperation is the story that unfolds in Mark 5:24-29. We encounter two powerful stories woven together—Jairus’ dying daughter and a woman who had suffered from bleeding for twelve long years. As Jesus walked through the crowd on His way to Jairus’ home, the suffering woman quietly approached Him from behind. She believed that …
Have you ever thought about how interruptions can be a blessing? In our world, we don’t often think of life’s interruptions as gifts, but they often are. Our prayers interrupt God. Yet He welcomes them like a mother responding to her infant. Often, God uses interruptions in our lives to bring wholeness to our lives …
Jesus welcomes the hurting to make us whole. This reveals Jesus’ love, which introduces us to a moment of deep desperation and powerful faith. Mark 5:22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet.[1]Jairus was a respected religious leader, a man of status …
Spiritual blindness of the heart is not a physical problem, but a spiritual one. Many people see the world clearly yet fail to recognize their deep need for God. In Luke 8:30–35 we encounter a man whose life was completely broken. Forces he could not overcome possessed and isolated him. Luke 8: 30 Jesus demanded, “What …
When the crowd observed Jesus heal the paralytic, they were in awe of God. Mark 2: 12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” [1] How would you react after seeing a miracle …
The Jewish leadership began questioning Jesus after He forgave a paralyzed man. He went on to show them that He had the authority to forgive. Mark 2: 8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man …
The teachers of the religious law had a resistant mindset. They had come to check out this popular new teacher. There were stories of healing and fresh teaching from a previously unknown rabbi. Jesus was beginning His ministry and was very popular with the common people. He had returned to His home base of Capernaum …
Faith that leads to wholeness is a story repeated throughout the Scriptures. Faith is essential to life, not just for eternity, but for transformation today. Scripture tells us in Ephesians 2:20 that Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone. He is the foundation upon which everything else is built. True wholeness is not built on feelings, …
Wholeness starts with forgiveness since our most important need is to be forgiven. Jesus came into this world to die for our sins and restore us to God. While we need food, water, and shelter to survive physically, nothing compares to our spiritual need. Without forgiveness, we remain separated from the very One who created …
Being made whole in Jesus through life’s obstacles is not the path most of us want to go down. In God’s plan for our lives, obstacles can be times of testing that help us become better people. Perhaps as you read this, there is a major obstruction in your life that you are trying to …