Passage of the Day:
While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” they said. “Why bother the teacher anymore?” 36 Overhearing[c] what they said, Jesus told him, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” 37 He did not let anyone follow him except Peter, James and John the brother of James. 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw a commotion, with people crying and wailing loudly. 39 He went in and said to them, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep.” 40 But they laughed at him. After he put them all out, he took the child’s father and mother and the disciples who were with him, and went in where the child was. 41 He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42 Immediately the girl stood up and began to walk around (she was twelve years old). At this they were completely astonished, Mark 5:35-42.
Reflection:
The first 6 individuals who Jesus came to heal were not facing a life and death situation. One was paralyzed, blind, a leper, mute, spiritual inflicted and battling a fever. On his way to heal the daughter of a synagogue leader, Jesus is distracted by a woman also seeking healing. Upon hearing the news that this little girl was dead, Jesus continued walking to Jairus’ house. Upon arriving, Jesus removes all the doubters from Jairus’ home, entering this girl’s room with His inner circle and the girl’s parents. While not as dramatic as raising Lazarus from the dead, this 12-year-old girl immediately gets up after Jesus speaks. This act of faith astonished all who witnessed this girl pass away, now alive and ticking.
Prayerful Action:
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty, John 6:35.
Setting Clear Boundaries to Live By:
Life altering events tend to awaken souls. One of my friends in college was hit by a car while riding a motorcycle. My friend was thrown nearly 100 feet, nearly becoming impaled on a steel fence. With a slight twist in his body, my friend landed on grass on the other side of this fence, walking away unscathed. This near miss served as a spiritual wakeup call, pouring his heart out to me later that day. As Jesus speaks in the above passage, true life comes from accepting Jesus into your heart. Yet, you can’t just stop there like many Christians do, you need to keep going by striving to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised, John 10:10. Setting aside time daily for God ensures that your faith will become stagnant. This is living.
Song of the Day:
Every year I find myself drifting away from God, finding other things in life to fill my time. This complacency usually continues until an event happens to wake me up. May today’s devotion serve as a wakeup call to live your life for Jesus.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 