The Touch of Faith

Mark 5:24-34 And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him. And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.

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Twelve Years. Twelve years she had suffered this sickness, this plague that drained her strength, resources, and courage. The doctors had tried everything. Treatments of the era included horrible potions with anything from fly dung to human remains in them, as well as 'cures' such as breathing sulfur and pitch smoke for long periods of time. Whether or not this woman tried these things, we don't know--however, she had "suffered many things of many physicians". So whatever cures she had tried were painful and difficult. And expensive. She had literally impoverished herself in hopes of relief...and still she continued to grow worse. Without money, nothing more could be done. 

In Leviticus the Bible talks about how a woman with this type of ailment was to be handled--it was very similar to a leper. Not only was she herself unclean, but anyone who touched her was as well. Even more specifically, if she touched something, no one else could touch that thing without becoming ritually unclean. If she had a house at all, no one would dare to enter it. When she went out, she would be shunned and avoided religiously. If she accidentally defiled someone or something, there would be angry and hurtful words, I'm sure. 

For twelve years she was alone with her pain. Friends and family had long ago moved on with their lives without her. She had no property or savings to at least buy what comfort she could...she had spent everything. Despair had closed in around her.

And then she heard of Jesus.

Maybe some neighbors were talking outside her door one day. Maybe she was carefully slipping through the marketplace and overheard a snatch of conversation. Perhaps, (and I like to imagine that this was the case), some remaining friend remembered her pain and misery, and risked taking a trip to her house to tell her! Whatever the case, she heard of this prophet, this man who many said was the very Son of God--the promised Messiah. And even though she had suffered so much at the hands of the doctors, and given up hope that they could help her, somehow she knew that this was different. Hope flooded her heart--and not just hope, but certainty. She believed with all her heart that Jesus could heal her! Perhaps she knew the prophecies of the Scriptures, and the stories of Jesus confirmed in her heart the belief that He truly was the Messiah. He was her only hope!

She set out to find Jesus. It wasn't hard to do, as half the surrounding country was pressing in on Him from all directions. Can you imagine how much faith it took for her to enter that crowd? For twelve years, she had avoided all human contact...and she was going to step into a throng of humanity and push through it in order to get to Christ. If there were any in the crowd who knew her, they may have even shouted or thrown stones at her. She was so determined, that none of it mattered--she HAD to snatch this one chance given to her! When she finally reached Him, she had no thought of speaking to Him. Why would the Son of God want to talk to an unclean woman like her? She simply wanted to touch the very edge of His clothes; and in her heart, she knew that would be enough. That He was able to heal her with one touch. 

Her world stood still for a moment. The shouts and cries of the people around her became a muted rumble. She could see his mantle ahead, and her hand as she reached as far as she could through the teeming bodies around her. With the tips of her fingers, she brushed the fabric's edge. And in that instant, her life was irrevocably changed. The throbbing pain had filled her body for so long that she couldn't remember what it was to be free of it...and suddenly she was. It vanished in a single moment. Her heart suddenly felt light and free, and bursting with joy and relief--the plague was gone!

And then through the crowd she heard His voice. Somehow she knew that it was Jesus, and He was speaking to her. The thought of going to Him in front of this crowd and telling Him what she had done made her heart thump and her mouth go dry. Had she stolen her healing? Would He take it away? Trembling, she weakly made her way to the break in the crowd where He stood. Falling to her knees before Him, the words poured out. All the hurt and fear, brokenness and heartbreak, that had been bottled up for years. And Jesus understood. With one word, He pronounced His immeasurable love and grace to her. Daughter. She looked into His eyes, and the ancient wisdom and love she saw there forever changed her. "Go in peace," He said, and she felt as if nothing but peace could ever enter her heart again! Through faith in the Messiah, she was not only set free from the physical pain that had darkened her life, but Oh, so much more--she was eternally redeemed. The light of Christ's perfect compassion had reached even her...a poor, lowly, and unclean woman. 

I want to draw a parallel with this story. Before coming to Christ, are we not all like this woman? Sick with sin and guilt, unclean in the eyes of God, destined for an eternity of suffering. We have nothing. We try so many things for relief: entertainment, sensual pleasure, wealth, friends...and yet none of it can fix our core problem of sin. In fact, we only grow worse and worse, sinking deeper and deeper. The way of the transgressor is hard; even though we might pretend to have perfect lives, (even deceiving our own selves many times), there is an utter emptiness deep within that never goes away. 

And then, somehow, we hear of One called Jesus. Maybe we've heard the story hundreds of times, and it suddenly hits us. Maybe it's the first time we've ever been told. But in that moment, we have a decision to make that will forever change us. Do we reach out in faith for the hem of Christ's garment, knowing we have no power to heal ourselves? Or do we turn away, putting it off for another day--even though that day very well may never come? If we choose to trust Christ, all it takes is one simple act of crying out to Him. He asks for nothing in return. In fact, if we try to offer payment, it simply shows that we still don't understand His grace. There were many others in the crowd that touched Jesus that day. Just look at the disciples' response to His question, "Who touched me?". What was different about this woman's touch? It was a touch of faith. A touch of desperation. She knew that if Christ couldn't save her, no one else could. And in His infinite mercy, He DID save her!! And He can save us as well. 

I find it fascinating that in the entire New Testament, this is the only time when Jesus Christ bestows the term "Daughter" on a specific person. Look it up, and see if you can find another instance...I couldn't. This fact is so precious to me. The term "daughter" speaks volumes of the love and compassion that He had for her. I believe there must have been a specific reason that He said that to her. After so many years of being rejected, He was showing her that her faith was accepted before God. She was adopted into His family. She was loved. I am loved. You are loved.  

If you are reading this and have never come to Christ for salvation, I want to plead with you to let go of whatever is holding you back and come to Him. The Bible says that whoever comes to Him, He will in NO WISE (never ever!) cast out. He is waiting for you to reach out to Him in faith. He wants to save you. Please, don't keep looking for healing in other places. Come to the One who is able to save to the uttermost. One act of faith is all it takes. 
Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Feeling The Joys and Sorrows

Romans 12:15  Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Ok, so I have posted about this verse before, and with a very similar topic line. (You can read that post here.)  I just thought it was important enough to reiterate. :) 

Empathy. An often misunderstood and misused word. A lot of people think that empathy and sympathy are one and the same, but just because they sound similar does not mean they are the same thing! That's like thinking that bricks and sticks are the same because they have some of the same letters. ;) Here is a story to illustrate the difference between the two. 

Once upon a time, a hedgehog was walking through the woods, feeling very down in the dumps. She was crying as she walked along, so much so that she missed the hole in front of her in the path! She tumbled in and landed with a plop. This of course made her day a whole lot brighter. Not. Along came a squirrel, carrying a new rope ladder for his tree house, and seeing her crying in the hole, looked sadly down upon her. "Ooh, that looks really dark and scary down there!", the squirrel said. "You must be super sad to be crying like that...I feel so bad for you! Want a sandwich, or a lollipop maybe? No? K, well, I'll be seeing you...Hope things clear up soon!" Shaking his head, the squirrel continued down the path. Soon, a chipmunk arrived on the scene, also carrying a new rope ladder. Instead of gazing sorrowfully into the gap, he let down the ladder, and descended to the floor of the hole. He sat down next the hedgehog. "It's dark and scary down here.", he said, his eyes filling with tears at her distress. "I can see that it's been a very hard day for you. The ladder is over there when you need it, but I'm going to stay with you until you're ready."

This is just a silly story, and probably not the clearest illustration either, but do you see the difference? Sympathy looks at the suffering of others with sadness. Empathy is having the suffering of others in your own heart! Feeling their pain, so to speak. Not just giving condolences or a clap on the back and walking off. 

This verse about rejoicing with those who rejoice, and weeping with those who weep, is one that is short but packs a punch. Do we do this as much as we should? I think a lot of times we are afraid of showing a lot of emotion (whether joy or sorrow), for fear of being thought overly sensitive or babyish. And while we do need to be careful not to let emotions rule us, I think there are way too many people who are not willing to empathize with others like the Bible commands. 

Empathy is not just feeling others' suffering, though...it's feeling their joy, too! What is wrong with laughing and rejoicing with someone who just got good news or had something wonderful happen? For goodness' sake, if you can't do that, you need to loosen up a little! Or a lot, actually! ;) There have been times that I have been super excited about something, and couldn't wait to tell someone I loved. And then when I told them, it was kind of...meh. They were glad for me, but it didn't really mean anything to them. Okay, I get it if my passion is not your thing. That's fine! Everyone is different, which is wonderful. However, if I am passionate about something, you could try to have the slightest bit of joy with me about it! ;) Maybe I am just getting on a soapbox here, but my point is that we need to quit being such fuddy-duddy stick in the muds that we can't empathize with those around us. As an old pastor friend of ours used to say:

"Y'all look like you've done been baptized in pickle juice!!"

Let's get rid of the pickle juice, ok? :) The next time someone needs you, don't just offer them a sandwich and move on. Get down in that dark place with them. Cry with them. Laugh with them. Pray that God will give you the words and ability to be a Christlike friend to that person. God will bless you for it! 

I hope you all have a good week! Is it snowy where you live? We have about 6 inches here, and it is gorgeous!!! :) I'm dreaming of a white Christmas... ;)

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Male and Female...Born That Way After All! (Guest Post)

Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."

Matthew 19:4, 12 "And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, [...] For there are some eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it."

Today I am excited to have another guest post! I haven't done a guest post in some time, so I am grateful to my wonderful dad (Papa ;) for guest posting today. This topic is very important to me, and is something that is usually either grossly mis-taught, or worse, not talked about at all in many of today's churches. The hatred of action and words that flow out of many of today's Christians concerning this matter should be a cause of great shame. If you want to know more about anything talked about in this post, please contact me (mkmcdpiano@gmail.com) or go to Born That Way or Josh Agan for more information. This Page, (Also written by my dad) goes into more detail as well. 

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There is a lot of emphasis today upon the subject of "transgender people." Proponents of transgenderism, the homosexual lifestyle, and the "transgender community" make it clear that they do not agree with the biblical definition of marriage, male, female, and other terms used in the Bible that violate their beliefs concerning these issues. How should a Christian respond? What should our mindset be? As Bible believers, we state that the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice. Do we use it to guide our thoughts and words in relation to these topics?

It is clear from Scripture that God created us male and female. Organizations like Glaad (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) try to tell us that sex (the classification of people as male or female) is something that is assigned at birth and is based upon the physical characteristics of the infant. They then state that it is actually a combination of many different factors (hormones, chromosomes, etc.). However, we merely recognize sex at birth not assign it at that time. A baby, from the time of conception, is male or female. Psalm 139:14-16 tells us that God knew ALL of our members (even those related to our sex) when we were still in the womb, and that we grew according to the plan that God had for our bodies (our DNA). The very fabric of our being establishes who we are, whether male or female.

Many though, do not feel they "fit" society's definition of a male or female, so they must be a homosexual or a transgender. What they do not understand, and what most Christians do not understand, is that society's definition is not God's definition. To be a male does not mean that one will have an intimate desire for women, and to be a female does not mean that one will have a desire to be a wife and mother. Not everyone will possess a desire (in an intimate manner) for the opposite sex. God has created some without that desire. The Bible describes them as eunuchs "so born from their mother's womb" (Matthew 19:12).

When one is born without this desire, it does not mean that they have a desire for the same sex, but our current culture automatically declares it an either/or situation. The Bible describes homosexual desires as unnatural and inconvenient (Romans 1). 

Believers attempt to force society's definition upon others as well, and when someone feels "different," and acts "different," we look down our noses at them. Generally not accepted by believers, these souls find acceptance with open arms by the gay community. We have allowed the world, with its depraved mentality, to define the terms. And we wonder why the battle for society (and for our children, who are entering the gay community at an alarming rate) seems to have a bleak future.
Those created by God without sexual desire are in a position to serve Him in a very special way, without the "distraction” that those desires create. We need to recognize the special gifts God has given to each of us, utilize those gifts, and allow these individuals to serve in the capacity they were intended. Let us recognize God's created order of male and female, but not put a worldly definition upon what those terms mean. Above all, be thankful for how He created you, and fulfill that role in a godly, Christ-honoring way.

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Thank you again to my dad for writing today's guest post. :) He is such a Godly example to me in my Christian walk. I hope you all have a blessed week filled with service to The Lord!

Mykaela

Sunday Snippets: Do You Really See Them?

Romans 12:15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

Empathy. Compassion. Sincerity. These are all attributes that most people have to at least some degree, but many squelch these character traits as being uncool, un-manly, and just not something you should strive after. You should be tough and strong, and never show your true heart, never let anyone see you cry. You're bigger than that! 

Seriously?

I get so sick and tired of this mindset, honestly. It's ridiculous and foolish on so many levels...not to mention the fact that it is downright contrary to Scripture. Do you know what the opposite of empathy is? I had to look it up: it's apathy. Wow! Everyone knows what apathy is; an attitude of not caring at all, being coldly detached, and not having any interest in something. So tell me something...when in Scripture do you see our Saviour, Jesus Christ, with an attitude of apathy? Anyone? I can't think of one example. Not one!!

But compassion and empathy? Caring deeply about others and their pain? Wow, I could list dozens! The woman at the well, Jairus' daughter, the woman with the issue of blood, the many lepers and blind men He healed over the course of His ministry, Lazarus, Martha, Mary, the disciples...Jesus' life was a shining, living example of caring for others! 

What about us? When a friend comes to us with heartbreak over a trial or valley they are facing, do we simply listen blandly with a yawn, thinking about the game later on tonight? Or is our heart touched and grieved by their pain? When we hear a story on the news about a family that lost a small child in an accident, is it just another news story that we skim over and humph at? Heaven forbid we actually take 10 seconds to pray that the family of that child will be drawn to Christ through this tragedy. Um, no...that's way too weird. I mean, we don't need to go too far with this whole compassion thing. Well, what if that was your little sister that was there playing with dolls one day, and gone forever from your life on the next? We don't like to think about things like that, and yet it happens every day. Just because it's not you today, doesn't mean it couldn't be. 

I just finished a book about a girl, 17 years old, who was captured in 2014 by ISIS. She went through the most hellish experiences you could ever imagine...the fact that she is alive today is only by the hand of God. Last year, she escaped them, along with a handful of other girls who had been enslaved. She and what's left of her family were able to get to Germany and start a new life. Guess what, though? In all of that, this girl, Farida, does not believe in Jesus Christ. She is Yazidi, and worships Melek Taus, the Peacock Angel. She prays every day to the sun when it comes up, because the sun gives life to everything on earth, according to their belief system. She was raised in this faith. I cannot personally imagine going through what she did without the sustaining power of God within me. I believe God must have saved her life and allowed her to escape for a reason, and now I am praying that He would send someone in Germany to her to tell her the glorious truth of the Gospel. This is a real girl that is hiding out somewhere for fear of her life! She only escaped about a year and a half ago--I promise you she is still haunted by the horrors she has experienced, and will be for the rest of her life. But I think sometimes we tend to detach ourselves with the thought that "this happened so far away, it has nothing to do with me". Well, it actually does. And even if you can't personally reach out to someone in distress, you can pray for them. You can truly see them through the eyes of Christ instead of looking past them and their unimportant problems.

Let's not get so caught up in being strong that we can never be vulnerable with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Let's not forget to have compassion on those around us, both saved and unsaved. If they have Christ, lift them up and edify them. If they don't, find some way to tell them, or pray for someone to be sent. Let's stop being so intensely self focused and start trying to step into someone else's shoes for once. To feel their pain. To cry with them. To pray for and with them. To do what Christ, the compassionate Saviour, would do if He were here. Believe me, I know that sometimes it can be hard to know what to say or do for someone who is hurting! But sometimes just being there for them is enough. Just listening with an open and loving heart, and caring. Caring deeply. And loving them like Jesus would.
Mykaela