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Dust particles stick in his nostrils and his throat, causing a constant cough. Dirt, imperceptible to him, accumulates between his toes and under his fingernails.

His garment looks like an old, shabby rag, needing a good washing and mending.
Why? Because he sits in the dirt on the side of the road.

Darkness surrounds him, even in the hot, noonday sun. He is blind. He is a beggar.

Bartimaeus is his name, but he is usually called more unpleasant things.

He begs for coins, any coins, just to buy some bread.
An occasional mite plinks in his meager cup.
Gratefulness is always offered to his benefactor.

People pass by. Their gestures and stifled laughs go undetected.
If he could see them, they would be a rushing blur of avoidance.

Hunched over with dejection, he sits in the grime, day after day, his soul shriveling a little more with each sundown.

“Alms? Alms for the poor?” he cries out each morning, awaiting a response. His voice slowly grows softer by evening, as a sea of discouragement drowns his plea.

What’s that sound? cupping his hand to his ear. It’s growing louder and closer. He’s puzzled. “What is that commotion?” he asks someone nearby.

“It’s Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth passing by.”

Jesus? I know that name. The One in the prophecies. They say He’ll rule from the throne of David. Isn’t He the One I hear Who heals? I need to...

“JE-SUS,” he yells. “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Shhh! Be quiet!” some reprimand him.

But their stern warnings only spur him to cry louder, “SON OF DAVID! HAVE MERCY ON ME!”

The footsteps halt.

What’s happening?

“Bring him to me,” commands the authoritative voice.

“Be of good cheer!” the men say. “Take courage! Get up! Jesus is calling you.” Strong hands grip his arms but Bartimaeus jumps up. Yanking off his old, pauper’s garment, he throws it aside. He walks definitely in Jesus’ direction.

“What do you desire Me to do for you?” asks Jesus.

Can this be true? I stand before Jesus? “Please, Rabboni!” he begs, for he knows no other way. Four small words loom large in his heart and catapult off the end of his tongue, “I want to see!”

“Receive your sight; it is given to you, for your faith has saved you,” declares Jesus.

Immediately, the familiar darkness dissipates and unfamiliar light fills his eyes. Shielding his eyes from the brilliance of the sun, what does he see? Jesus! Before him stands a crownless King with gentle, loving eyes, crinkled up in pleasure.

He falls to his knees in gratitude. Gratefulness is an understatement! With a myriad of visuals before him, a rush of exhilaration then triggers unrestrained jumping.

“I can see! I can see! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!” All those in the entourage rejoice in praise with him.

He “saw” his chance and he seized it. His darkness dissipated. And the Light of the world flooded his heart and soul.

He left his squatter’s residence, his beggar’s perch. Never to return. For from that day, he became a companion of Jesus, following Him on His journey.

I once was blind. I sat in the dirt on the side of the world, my filthy, old garment needing to be cleansed, my life needing to be mended. Darkness surrounded me. I was a beggar of life. My soul shriveled a little more with each sundown.

Then, Jesus of Nazareth passed by one day. Standing before Him, I heard Him say, “What do you desire Me to do for you?”

“Lord, I want to see!”

He said, “My grace is sufficient for you. Receive your sight. Your faith has saved you.”

After falling to my knees in gratitude, I yanked off my dirty rag of unrighteousness and threw it aside. I received my sight and the robe of righteousness. The darkness dissipated; His Light filled my heart and soul.

And His eyes crinkled up with pleasure.

Unrestrained gratefulness is the order of every day. I can see! I can see! Thank You, Lord! Thank You!

I am His companion. I follow Him, day after day, glorifying Him and giving Him praise.

Amazing grace! How sweet the soundThat saved a wretch like me!I once was lost, but now am found;Was blind, but now I see.’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,And grace my fears relieved;How precious did that grace appearThe hour I first believed!~~~
I once was blind...but now I see!



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Reflections of His Grace

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photo courtesy of INSPIKS
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt. 5:10 NKJV
The Living Bible states that verse this way, “Happy are those who are persecuted because they are good, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

Happy? Happy? How happy are we when we try to live righteous, upstanding lives and get berated for it? What puny vapors compared to the persecution others around the world suffer.

But scripture says you’ll be happy. You’ll be blessed. You’ll be rewarded. It is hard to imagine, isn’t it? But that is what the Word says. Let’s see…

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” (Matt. 5:10-12 NLT)

Jesus told the disciples, “Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave isn’t greater than his master!’ So since they persecuted Me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to Me, they would listen to you! The people of the world will persecute you because you belong to Me, for they don’t know God who sent Me.” (John 15:20-21 TLB)

Does scripture say that persecution will end? No. We cannot escape it, as Paul said, “Yes, and those who decide to please Christ Jesus by living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate Him.” (2 Tim. 3:12 TLB)

Rarely was Paul not persecuted. He continued to live with it shadowing his life. He wrote the Philippians, “For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for Him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.” (Phil. 1:29-30 NLT)

And remember that when they persecute you, they persecute Jesus.

Paul, the worst of all persecutors of Christians, tried desperately to destroy the church. One day, on the Damascus Road, he encountered a blinding light as the Lord surrounded him, and said, “‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, Whom you are persecuting.’” (Acts 9:4-5 NKJV)

In persecuting the Christians, Paul had persecuted the Lord Himself.

When persecution comes, remember what Peter said…

“Usually no one will hurt you for wanting to do good. But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it. Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way. Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good. Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong!” (1 Peter 3:13-17 TLB)

What did Paul tell the Roman Christians? “If someone mistreats you because you are a Christian, don’t curse him; pray that God will bless him.” (Rom. 12:14 TLB)

And the reward? The Kingdom of Heaven is yours!

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
after righteousness, for they will be filled.”
(Matt. 5:6 NIV)

Continuing in the beatitudes series…

Did you ever feel hungry or thirsty? Fainting? Tired? Need recharging? What did you do? More than likely, you nurtured yourself with food, water, rest, and whatever else your body needed.

David got hungry and thirsty. He said to the Lord, “My soul thirsts for You; my whole body longs for You in this parched and weary land where there is no water,” (Ps. 63:1b NLT) and “You constantly satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing.” (Ps. 145:16 TLB)

While in the wilderness, Israel hungered and thirsted, as David tells us, “Hungry and thirsty, they nearly died. ‘Lord, help!’ they cried in their trouble, and He rescued them from their distress.” (Ps. 107:5-6 NLT)

Just as it is possible to get weary physically, it is equally possible to get weary spiritually.

Jesus said, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again. Those believing in me will never thirst.” (John 6:35TLB) And “For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow from the inmost being of anyone who believes in me.” (John 7:38 TLB)

God “gives food to the hungry” (Ps. 146:7 NKJV) and “turns deserts into pools of water, the dry land into springs of water. He brings the hungry to settle there.” (Ps. 107:35-36 NLT) But the Lord’s offering of refreshing, spiritual bread and water, is not from without, but from within.

When you become tired from your journey and your weary soul shrivels up, feeling bone-dry, what do you do? When every last drop of spiritual vitality has evaporated, where do you go to fill that lack? Do you reach outside to the world to replenish yourself? Or do you seek solace within to refresh yourself with the Bread of Life and the Living Waters?

When you reach within to draw from the Lord, just as Elijah, He will lead you to drink of the Brook Cherith and command His wings servants to feed you. And when you hunger and thirst after the things of God, you will be filled.

That is God’s promise to you!

Part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount includes the beatitudes. In each one, a blessing is attached when we are…

* poor in spirit
* mournful
* meek
* hungry and thirsty for righteousness
* merciful
* pure in heart
* peacemakers
* persecuted

As has been said, these are be attitudes. We are to have these attitudes within us; we are to be before we can do. Many Christians try to do before they be. I know, bad grammar but correct theology.

After the beatitudes, Jesus says we are the salt of the earth and light of the world. This comes from within, from being righteous. But what is the extent of our being righteous? Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20 NIV)

The lack of the proper righteousness has an eternal downside. If the righteousness within us is not above the righteousness of those Jesus called “hypocrites,” then we will never peek inside heaven’s gate.

What is the blessing of the fourth beatitude? “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matt. 5:6 NKJV)

After years of doing, I had a lot to unlearn, for much that I did was not of eternal value. I had to reprogram my brain, my heart, and my spirit to first be. I hungered and thirsted after that righteousness and I was filled.

Scripture tells us many times to be something, such as followers, steadfast, separate, kind, thankful, or patient. Peter recaps God’s command from the Old Testament in 1 Peter 1:16 as the King James puts it, “Be ye holy; for I am holy.” He did not say to do holy but to be holy.

Matthew 5:48 says that we are to be perfect as the Father is perfect. I found a translation of this verse that I love. It’s in the Bible in Basic English, which says, “Be then complete in righteousness, even as your Father in heaven is complete.”

If we cannot be as the Word tells us first to be, then we certainly cannot do what the Word tells us to do and have it be of eternal value.

All our being emanates from the heart, for, as a twist on Proverbs 23:7, as one “thinks in his heart, so be he.”

Are you being or doing?