The Life and Ministry of Jesus
For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. Mark 3:10–12
Jesus understands this! And he understands the pressured treadmill upon which most of us race day in and day out. He knows what it is like when the traffic light turns green and the car behind you immediately begins to honk.
But more specifically, he understands the pressures which we feel when we try to reach out to others as he did. He knows that when you really care about others, you open yourself to troubles virtually incomprehensible to those who do not care. He understands that those who stand with him are assaulted by a demonized culture which tries to gain mastery. He understands the pressures of a life of faith. 1
Personal Encouragement
Perhaps that is the hardest things of ministry. You lay your life down for others, and they walk over you. You sacrifice when they party, you prepare when they play, you live the truth out before them with much grace, and they lie to others about you. But I am grateful that He uses all this to make us more like Him. He uses our pressures for His purposes.
My strength is made perfect in weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:9
The finish line is not now, it’s then; and sadly, many have stopped running.
A Prayer
Lord, thank You for the providing Your eternal perspective to my worldly thinking.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.
