“Savior's Healing Always Restores Everyone!
(S.H.A.R.E)”
Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher
"People were bringing little children
to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the
little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom
of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who
will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never
enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on
them and blessed them." (Mark 10:13-16, NIV)
APPROACH QUESTION:
What do you do with Jesus?
OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what were the people
doing?
People were bringing little children to
Jesus to have him touch them!
I asked myself what did the disciples do?
The disciples rebuked them!
I asked myself what was Jesus' reaction to
the disciples actions?
1. When Jesus saw this, He was
indignant.
2. Jesus said to them, "Let the
children come to me."
3. Jesus said to them, "Do not hinder
them."
4. Jesus said to them, "For the Kingdom
of God belongs to such as these."
5. Jesus said to them, "I tell you the
truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a little
child will never enter it."
6. Jesus took the children in His arms.
7. Jesus put His hands on them and
blessed them!
Today, I decided to look at what the
disciples did!
INTERPRETATION:
I asked myself why did the disciples
rebuke the people?
I believe the disciples thought what they were discussing with Jesus
was more important than being interrupted by the people especially
for the sake of little children. Jesus was talking to them about
divorce and the implications of it and now the disciples felt their
time was being interrupted. In essence, they felt they were more
important to be considered by the Lord than the people & the
children.
IMPLICATIONS:
I asked myself what are the
implications for my own life?
I cannot box Jesus into a corner just for myself because Jesus must
be shared with all.
I ask you now dear friend why share Jesus
with others in life?
Dear friend, Jesus did not come to be served but to seek and save
the lost. At the time the disciples rebuked the people for bringing
the little children to Jesus, I don't think they grasped that
concept. Jesus needs to be shared with others because they are lost
and need of a Savior. Sometimes they don't even know they are lost
until someone shares Christ with them.
Many months ago, a pastor had said to me,
"Why do you always carry your Bible
with you wherever you go, you should have the Word of God in your
heart?" Then yesterday at a restaurant,
the same question was asked of me!
I told the pastor and my friends who
inquired about that, that I always carry my Bible with me so I get
to share the Word of God with strangers who ask me questions in
random places such as bus stops, buses, etc when they see that I
read the Bible. It is an opportunity to share the Word of God
to a world that is lost and dying.
One day I was at the bus stop when a drunk
young man asked me how to get to Shadyside?
I told him he was on the wrong side of the street and none of the
buses from this street go to Shadyside. He insisted he was on the
right side. I did not want to argue with him so I sat down and
started reading the Bible. Then, he comes to me and says,
'So, I see you are reading the Bible, my favorite book of the Bible
is Revelation, what about you?'
I told him one of my favorite passages from
the Bible among many is from Proverbs 23:29-35 which he got to learn
about. It says, "Whose heart is filled
with anguish and sorrow? Who is always fighting and quarreling? Who
is the man with bloodshot eyes and many wounds? It is the one who
spends long hours in the taverns, trying out new mixtures. Don't let
the sparkle and the smooth taste of strong wine deceive you. For in
the end it bites like a poisonous serpent; it stings like an adder.
You will see hallucinations and have delirium tremens, and you will
say foolish, silly things that would embarrass you no end when
sober. You will stagger like a sailor tossed at sea, clinging to a
swaying mast. And afterwards you will say, "I didn't even know it
when they beat me up.....Let's go and have another drink!"
He was totally amazed that this was in the
Bible and started telling me that's what he experienced when he got
drunk including getting beat up, black outs, etc. I then got the
opportunity to talk to him more about the Bible. I shared with
him even before Psychology books talked about the negative effects
of alcohol, the Bible already revealed the dangers of getting drunk.
He gave me his number to follow up on him, gave me a big hug, and
then decided to go across the street to 5th Ave telling me that he
was on the wrong side.
This opportunity came because I had the
Bible with me and was reading it. I don't force Christ on people but
wait for divine appointments from the Lord. Recently, I was
interrupted in the bus by a middle-aged man while I was reading my
Bible. He said, 'Oh, you are reading the Bible?' I told him, 'Yeah'.
"Can I ask you some questions?"
"I said sure!"
He asked me all kinds of questions and I
started sharing with him about prophecy, about Jesus, about how the
Word of God from the Old Testament and New Testament fits well
together, etc. For days we would have conversations in the bus for
10 minutes until I got off. One day I found out through an employee
that man was asking for me and missed me because he had not seen me
on the bus anymore. Unfortunately, due to work I could not make that
bus all the time :(
The bottom line is having my Bible with me
and reading it gave opportunities to share the Word of God with
others. If I had just hidden it in my heart which I also do, others
would not have had the opportunity to ask me questions.
My personal opinion is that as followers of
Christ we should always carry our Bibles and also memorize God's
Word into our hearts.
I got to share Jesus with those who felt
lost, those who had a lot of questions, etc in the hopes of bringing
them to Christ. This meant being interrupted and being ready for
interruptions. I have to ask the Lord for that patience.
We need to share Christ with others knowing
the world is lost and dying. Only Christ can bring about redemption.
Pastor Ed told a story to the kids and
adults during the Sunday bilingual service at Pittsburgh Chinese
Church-Oakland regarding a Korean cartoon character named Doggy Poo.
I hope to use this story to make different analogies about our own
lives changing the analogy a bit. The analogy is not necessarily
full-proof but I hope to make the point.
Doggy Poo was born from a dog + food it
ate. When he was born, he was very smelly and no one wanted to
befriend him or use him because of the stench of smell. He felt
discarded to the side with no hope and just wished someone would
take him to be used. He calls on a cleaner he sees. Then a cleaner
comes by to take this stench to a Gardener. This Gardner instead of
flushing Doggy Poo away, he touches Doggy Poo and molds him to be
used to blossom a beautiful garden for only the Gardner could do
that.
What is the connection between Doggy Poo
and us?
Friend, you and I became Doggy Poo from the
moment we entered this earth. It started with human + forbidden
fruit = sin of humanity. You and I have been born into sin. Because
of our sin, we have become a stench to those around us especially to
God. We have become broken and lonely with no one to take us in. If
that were the end, it would be a sad story. But as Doggy Poo, I come
across a Cleaner and call upon Him to come and use me in my
smelliness of sin. The Cleaner does not disappoint but comes to me.
He then cleanses the stench of sin with His precious cleansing
Blood. Now, instead of being covered in the stench smell of sin, I
am covered in the fragrance precious Blood of the Cleaner who
touches me with His loving touch. The Cleaner then takes me to the
Gardener to be used of the Gardener. I don't feel discarded anymore
but used by the Gardener after the Cleaner cleans me.
Friend, the Cleaner is Jesus Christ and the
Gardener is God.
When we are brought to the Savior in our
stench of sin, He will not discard us. When you bring others to the
Savior, He will not discard them. Jesus did not do that to the
paralytic but said to him, "Your sins
are forgiven" when the four friends
brought him.
Jesus wants to touch you where you are in
your sin and cleanse you completely to be used of the Gardener. Yes,
He does friend but for that to happen, you need to come to know
Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior who alone can free you. He
will free you from the brokenness you are facing that shows its face
in different ways. But the bottom line is, we cannot heal our own
brokenness. We need outside intervention and the Cleaner wants to
provide us that. Jesus is His Name and for your and my redemption He
came.
So, come as you are to the Savior with all
your brokenness and let Him heal you and touch you with His love.
Once you are touched and experience His love, you will have ample
reason to wants to share Jesus with others. Come to Him in your
brokenness and find healing so you can make that a reality in other
people's lives. Yes, you can!
There is nothing you or I can do as Doggy
Poo. There is really nothing we can offer in our stench of sin.
But, the Cleaner by His grace because of His love for us intervened.
It is not anything we can take credit for, for how can any good come
out of Doggy Poo by itself. The only way the Doggy Poo became useful
was because of outside intervention. In the same way, on our own we
cannot ever become righteousnes but we need the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ to impact our lives covering us in His precious blood
to give us new life and a new beginning. It can happen because Jesus
loves us so much that He paid the price for our redemption so He can
touch us by His grace. Thank you Jesus.
When you experience His love, bring others
to Jesus so they can experience Him too!
May you share Jesus knowing Savior's
Healing Always Restores Everyone!
"Savior's Healing Always Restores Everyone!
(S.H.A.R.E)/"Why S.H.A.R.E. Jesus with others?"
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I learned about how the disciples rebuked those people
who were bringing little children to you. They did not want to share
you with others but wanted to keep you for themselves it looked
like. Forgive us Oh Lord when we do the same. Help us to share you
with others and always make ourselves available to be used of you.
Thank you so much Jesus. Please Oh Lord forgive us and hear us.
Answer us Oh Lord for your honor and glory. Thanks so much Jesus. In
Your Name I Pray Jesus! Thank you for the opportunities you give us!
Amen
May you experience the POWER OF
CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your
life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the
film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes
to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to LIVE out your actions.
How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this
example one Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by GRACE you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your
Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the
Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!
May the Lord Jesus guide you in
His love leading you! Amen!
If you are reading this and do not
know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior and would like to invite Jesus
Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you
can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's
promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your
eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special
time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this
prayer, meaning it in your heart. You can invite the GREAT
PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.
Dear Jesus, I want
to be free. I don’t know everything about you. I still have a lot of
questions. What I do know is that you died on the cross for my sins.
When it comes to sin, I am a paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with
this deadly disease known as sin. I am not perfect but a sinner who
needs your cleansing blood to clean me of my sin. I confess to you
my sin and repent of my sin. I know you have forgiven me when you
died on the cross and shed your blood. I want to accept that
forgiveness. Thank you for shedding your cleansing precious blood
for me. You were nailed to the cross because of me. It is like I
actually held the hammer and pounded the nails. Thank you for
willingly dying for me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and
pain for me. Thank you for doing that to set me free. I come to the
cross and ask you for your healing in my life. Thank you for the
power of your love using your Blood to redeem all humanity that
comes to you. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give
us Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we
are. I love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I
come to you now and accept you into my heart. Please Jesus come into
my heart and make my heart your home. Give me a transfusion of
change. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the
rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus for coming into my
heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me
Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please
be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and
Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when
God looks at me, He now sees me covered in Your blood and His
judgment passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and
answered me. Thank you for being with me Lord and Personal Savior! Thank you for saving
me. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I now
belong to you and never need to be alone! You will always be with me
and have given me Salvation. Thank you that you have heard my
prayer and answered me! Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
May my spoken words
and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
No matter what you feel in your heart,
know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To
make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him
as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the
Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into
prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel
of John or Gospel of
Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord
show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to
help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches
the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our
crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But
beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but
there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.
As a professional, it is not too late to join a
church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this new year of 2010! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His
love now and forever! Amen!
Friend, if you have prayed this
prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and
all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may
feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your
new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave
you nor forsake you! Amen!
Spend time in His word and let the Lord
speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out
the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through.
Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church
fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be
part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the
Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in
Bible LIVE Eternally!
Feel free to email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com
if you want to meet to study the Bible,
pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My
number is 412-641-9426
"This is my
work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work
within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)
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