Your Life #151

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”

What does faith look like? Mark 10:46-52 and Matthew 20:29-34 describe faith in action. Matthew’s account says there were two men; Mark’s account only named one, Bartimaeus. It is possible that Jesus encountered these two men both on his entry into Jericho and on the way out of Jericho. They were both blind. How did Bartimaeus express his faith?

1. He expressed a need. Mark 10:46-47 “a blind beggar named Bartimaeus ...was sitting by the road. When he heard that it was Jesus the Nazarene, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

2. He saw Jesus as the answer to his need and was persistent. Verse 48 “Son of David have mercy on me!” He repeated the cry of his heart to the one he knew could make a difference.

3. He responded to the call of Jesus. Verse 49 says “And Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him here.’” Jesus had interest in this man who expressed faith. He called to him to come to the source of the answer to his need.

4. He jumped at the opportunity for an answer. Verse 50 “And throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.” It appears that he was enthusiastic about expressing his faith.

5. He told Jesus what was needed. Verse 51 “What do you want Me to do for you?” “Rabboni, I want to regain my sight!” He didn’t just ask Jesus to be with him or guide him or bless him. He went to the heart of the matter. He was blind. He wanted to see. Faith gets specific.

6. He received the answer to his need. Verse 52 “Go, your faith has made you well. Immediately he received his sight and began following Him on the road.” Your part of faith is to receive. As you

believe you also receive.

7. He followed Jesus. Your ultimate expression of faith is a daily life of following Jesus Christ as your Savior, Lord, and Life. He was following down a road. The phrase means more than just a dirt path or a well-traveled road.

It is your life. It is God’s plan. It means you are traveling down your personal road of life in the ha

nds of God.

Do you walk by faith? Follow the example of Blind Bartimaeus. Let faith be your daily walk down the road of life.

___________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Wood's Canyon Lake, AZ

This is such a beautiful place in the Rim Country of Arizona. For those of you who have never visited the mountains of Arizona you are missing some of God's finest creation. For those of you in the Valley of the Sun, I remind you it is cool up here!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday we have the privilege of being a part of Grace Community Church's Family Campout. I will be speaking at the morning worship on Sunday.

We had a wonderful time celebrating Father's Day. The photo is all the "boys". Notice I am still a boy too.

Thank you for all your prayers. We continue to be blessed.God is good and has shown such grace and mercy. I really appreciate your encouraging emails. T

hanks for taking time to respond. ~ DGW