It is Never Too Late~

Greetings and blessings to all J

Mark 5:35 While He was still talking to her, messengers arrived from Jairus’ home with the news that it was too late – his daughter was dead and there was no point in Jesus’ coming now.

As the woman with the bleeding problem was making her way toward Jesus, He was actually on His way toward Jairus’ house to deal with his very sick little girl. And the next thing we know about this precious child is the verse above.

Wow oh wow oh wow oh wow!

Jairus was sure he had done the right thing in seeking out Christ in the first place, in putting his faith and trust in Him, but then suddenly Jesus stops to talk to someone else. To help someone else. To do a miracle for someone else. And in the process, Jairus’ little girl dies.

To the run-of-the-mill person, the messengers were right on target: “No point in Jesus coming now.”

But you and I are not run-of-the-mill kind of people. We are faith-filled! We are the kind of folks who understand verse 36: But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.”

I get chills every time I read those words: “Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.”

No matter what situation we face, we must ignore our detractors and invite Jesus to come anyway. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE!

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Help us to ignore anyone who doesn’t see the point in inviting You into our lives. You have everything we need, and we trust You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN~

Your God Will Be My God~

Greetings:)

 

Yesterday we were left wondering what it was that Naomi did that caused Ruth's unwavering devotion to her.

 

As a widowed woman in a starving, foreign land you can bet that it wasn't because she had any money. And even though Naomi's name means pleasant, it wasn't necessarily because she was a joy to be around. Keep in mind that she lost her husband and her two sons, one of which was Ruth's husband. At one point Naomi even says that her name should be changed to "Mara," which means bitter.

 

So what was it? The answer is found in a portion of yesterday's passage:

 

Ruth 1:17..."You God will be my God."

 

Something about the way Naomi lived her life as a believer in the middle of a pagan nation really ministered to Ruth. Sure, some of us can fake it for a little while. But 10 years? That's how long Ruth was married to Naomi's son before his passing. If Naomi were a hypocrite Ruth would have seen it at some point. But nope. Naomi was a consistent follower of the God of Israel. And one of His greatest commandments is to love thy neighbor as thyself.

 

It may not have been easy considering that Naomi's children married outside the faith. It was actually strictly forbidden for Israelites to marry Moabites, but Naomi's son married Ruth anyway and Naomi, rather than criticize and condemn, consistently modeled what God wants us all to do--to love and accept.

 

She lived her faith day in/day out, and it was contagious. Through all the ups and downs her belief in God sustained her and made an impact on Ruth. There is no way Naomi could have ever known the magnitude of the consequences that her faith-filled life would ultimately have on history, but we will. (More on that as the DEVOs progress). But for today let us think about the impact we have on others--particularly those in our closest circles. Are we living out our faith? Do we model God's love? Are others drawn to God because we are pointing the way? Do others want to be around us because we are kind or do they avoid us because we are critical?

 

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, You are our God, and we want others to know it. Your Word teaches that when we love You it positively impacts us because others want to hang out with us. In Jesus' name, AMEN~