Reflection: 2 to 8 Jan 2011
“Blessed Sabbath!” if you are reading this on Saturday. (:
Where’s the Bible Chapter today?
Well… it’s not here today cause it is a 5 Day a Week Bible Reading plan … remember?
The Weekends are for us to either catch up with our reading or to take the time to reflect on what you have read during the week. And hopefully share with everyone.
So every weekend, the Bible blog is free for you to share something by leaving a comment below. You can share your favourite Bible verse in the 5 chapters that you have read…. or the deepest lesson you have learned during the week… or simply just share a personal testimony.
Let me share mine first 🙂
If I never knew Jesus before and my first introduction to Him is from the 1st 5 chapters of Mark, I will say that my impression of Him is of someone who knows the real needs of man and meets those needs.
I tried counting all the miracles He performed in just this 5 chapters and I sort of just stopped. So many isn’t it? Demon possessd healed. Paralytic healed. Withered hand healed. Fever healed. Leprosy healed. Flow of blood healed. Even the dead – resurrected! And in every single case… there was a desperate need for the healing touch, comfort and mercy of Jesus.
It reminded me of 2 Sundays ago. I was already feeling a little uneasy in the stomach before dinner. However, my family and I still went out and had a delicious meal. But immediately after the meal, I felt as though someone was poking a sharp knife into my stomach and twisting it.
Thinking I had over-eaten, I got home and snuck into bed… hoping that by resting I would be ok soon.
But the pain kept on coming. And it became worse and worse. Finally, a couple of hours later, I could not take it anymore and told my wife that I was suffering. She insisted that I go to the doctor and she accompanied me there.
The diagnosis was eiher I had stomach viral infection or food poisoning. As I walked (ok… felt like I was crawling as I was bent over in pain) home from the clinic, I broke out into cold sweat and the pain was very very bad. I just could not wait to get to bed to rest.
But as I walked, I remembered praying in my heart at that time telling Jesus that I really could not take the pain anymore and asked for His mercy. Then something wonderful happened.
Suddenly all the pain in the stomach and uncomfortable feeling disappeared! It was as if someone just switched off the ‘pain’ machine. My cold sweat stopped. I was no longer hunched over in pain. I was completely free from suffering! And I had not even taken any medication yet!
I could not quite believe it and did not tell my wife yet. I got home and went to bed. But after 30 min of trying to sleep and failing, I went out of the bedroom and told my wife that I was completely well now! I even watched football after that (:
God has been merciful. And at my point of greatest and desperate need at that time… He heard my prayers… even if it was not one made on bended knees.
But that is the Jesus I believe and love. He knows my needs and will take care of me. Because He can… but most of all, because He loves me.
Thank you Jesus for reminding me of this again as I read through what You did in Mark 1 to 5. Just as it was before, You continue to do what’s best.
3 Comments
PS
🙁 i m at a loss as to how to summarise my reflection the way biblereadingcompanion can. Plainly, re-reading Mark 1 to 5 in a go gives this:
When John the Baptist came, he preached a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
He also preached that “there comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.”
“I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptized you with the Holy Spirit.”
John the Baptist believed that he had received power from God. He believed that he was mighty and Lord Jesus was mightier. Indeed Lord Jesus has power (Mark 5:30)
Do we in TJC today believe that we are mighty? Lord Jesus empowers us. Do we empower ourselves? Or are we still fleshly weaklings?
When John baptized Jesus, the Spirit descended upon Jesus(Him) like a dove.
Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Who saw the Spirit descending? Jesus, “, He saw” (Mark 1:10)
Who heard the voice? Jesus, “You are My beloved Son…” (Mark 1:11)
God’s testimony was made to Lord Jesus and for Lord Jesus.
And bec Lord Jesus receives the Holy Spirit, He knows that He can forgive sins. Indeed, He baptises with the Holy Spirit.
locked garden
Dear fellow bible readers,
The last time my family tried to read bible together, we read illustrated children bible. However, we went “idle” since mid last year and although we only finished 3/4 of the book.
This year, I decided to pick up the spiritual habit. And after only five days, last sabbath I got a “surprise” from God. He gave me three opportunities to serve Him. Of course “my flesh”, were filled with doubts and questions. But as I am writing this, I remember two things, “Jesus will make (me)” and “The other side of pride is pride”.
So I guess, to summarize…
Reading His word, just like the goodness of sunlight to the plants, will make us grow and bear fruits. And they that sow in tears, shall reap in joy.
Biblereader
Last Saturday was my teaching duty. In the morning I had a migraine and painful neck. It was probably caused due to wrong sleeping posture. I did not manage to attend the morning service. When I reached church I was still feeling pain and weak. My voice level was way below what was needed to teach. However thank God during the 2pm prayer I asked Jesus to give me the strength to be able to teach. Amazingly, during the prayer I felt filled with the Holy Spirit and suddenly I had strength! Not only that the bad headache and neckache left. I really thank God that I could carry out the lesson in the end