What Will You Do With Jesus?
This post originated from the radio program I’ve been doing for 15 years or more. It’s a Christian talk show and I have one of my closest friends as my co-host. He was out of town one morning for Christmas break and I had to do the show alone. As I was preparing that morning I read Mark 5. The story of the woman subject to bleeding has stuck with me for several weeks now.
To save you time looking up the story, I have pasted it here:
A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’” But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:24-34 NIV
The story prompted a thought that I shared that morning on the radio. What am I going to do with Jesus in the New Year? Here’s what came to me from this story.
1. Seek Jesus more passionately.
Once this woman heard of Jesus she began to track Him. She was a “Jesus groupie” of sorts. She knew Jesus was her only hope. That’s the way I want to pursue Him in the New Year.
2. Cling to Jesus more tightly.
It did not matter to the woman that she was not supposed to be in the crowd. Her physical condition should have kept her away, but she was willing to risk everything to “touch His garment”. I want that kind of commitment to Christ in the New Year.
3. Claim Jesus more readily.
When Jesus turned to look for the person who had touched him, the woman came forward. She could have left. She got what she wanted, but she was willing to declare her faith publicly. In 2009, I don’t want to miss opportunities to tell others about the faith I have in Jesus Christ!
4. Experience Jesus more expectedly.
The woman was healed! Her faith was rewarded. She went from being an embarrassment to the crowd to the star of the day. Honoring Christ comes with great reward. He blesses those who place their complete faith in Him. This year, I want to see Christ bigger than ever before. I expect to see Him magnified greatly, as I place my total trust and faith in Him and watch expectantly for His appearance in my life!
What are you going to do with Jesus in the New Year?
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