"His Outstretched Hand Is Always Enough"

But Simon's wife's mother lay sick with fever, and the told her at once. So He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and immediately the fever left her. And she served them. Mark 1:30-31

Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing, be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:3

But when the crowd was put outside, He went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went out into all the land. Matthew 9:25-26

Then the Spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, "He is dead." But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and He arose. Mxark 9:26-27

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Matthew 14:30-32

And brought Israel from among them,for His mercy endures forever; With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever. Psalm 136:11-12

BEHOLD, THE LORD'S HAND IS NOT SHORTENED, THAT IT CANNOT SAVE; NOR HIS EAR HEAVY THAT IT CANNOT HEAR. Isaiah 59:2

Whatever the need, deliverance, sickness, disease, death, and a lack of faith were all dealt with by His touch. Remember the kingdom of heaven is ... at hand!  And He is always within reach!

Always Learning

Apollos smiled at the man he had been talking to and clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at the couple that had been patiently waiting in the wings. Apollos studied the short, thin man and the elegant woman beside him. He recognized them. He smiled a greeting. "Hello," he said.

"Hello," the thin man smiled warmly. "I am Aquila, and this is my wife, Priscilla. Could we talk to you?"

"Of course."

Aquila motioned for Apollos to follow them. They navigated threw the throngs of people to a dimly lit, private alcove. Apollos hadn't even known this area existed in the little house.

Aquila started. "You are certainly an eloquent man, and competent in the Scriptures."

"We can tell that you've been instructed in the way of the Lord," Priscilla added. "You speak quite accurately about Jesus."

Apollos beamed, feeling pride in his knowledge of the Lord.

"However," Priscilla continued, then hesitated. The words seemed caught in her throat.

Aquila filled in for his wife. "We must explain the way of God more accurately to you. As fellow Christians, we feel it is our duty to help one another."

Apollos felt chest fallen. Hadn't they just said he was knowledgeable? That he spoke accurately? Why did he need to learn more?

There was a check in his spirit. They were always learning. Was he really so arrogant to think that he had learned all there was to know about God? He almost laughed at the thought. He smiled slightly. "Please, tell me."

Based on Acts 18:24-28

"Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus." Acts 18:24-28

What I saw in this section was a man who was greatly anointed by God. A man who had great understanding of God and His Word. A man who boldly preached God's message.

A man who still had more to learn.

A man who knew that, wasn't offended by that, and learned.

I think we get into this mindset that we will one day know all the things. But we won't. We will always have more to learn. Even our pastors, mentors, and parents have more to learn. We are always learning, always growing. It's laughable to think that we won't be wrong about some things or that we don't need a better understanding of God.
   

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning." Proverbs 9:9

Who will you be? Will you be like Apollos, a man who knew he still had so much to learn about God's Word? Or will you be the person who says in their heart, "I already know it all"?

   

"Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance." Proverbs 1:5

V. Joy Palmer

If God Wills

"Please stay," the man pleaded.

Paul shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't."

Another man turned his piercing blue eyes onto him. "What are you going to do then? What are your plans since you insist on leaving us?"

Judging by their expressions, Paul didn't think they were going to like the truth. "Whatever God wills."

They all spoke at once. "What?" Some of the Jews sounded quite angry, angry that Paul would leave without a commitment already in place. Others were confused. They wanted him to stay and teach them. Together their roar demanded an answer.

"I go where the Lord wants me to go, when He wants me to go. Sometimes I don't know what He wants me to do, but I trust in His plans for me." Paul met the gaze of each person in the room, sharing in their sorrow, their conviction, their hope. "I will return to you if God wills."

Acts 18:19-21

"And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. But on taking leave of them he said, 'I will return to you if God wills,' and he set sail from Ephesus."
Acts 18:19-21

I liked Paul's response to the uncertainty of the future. He didn't try to plan. He just put it in God's hands. "I will return to you if God wills."

If God wills.

Sometimes the uncertainty we face in this life is overwhelming. Gut-wrenching. Confusing. Sometimes it is all we can do to stay afloat in this sea of uncertainty. We try to plan our steps as best we can, only to have our carefully laid plans be destroyed.

I'm a planner. When my plans are derailed, I despise it with every fiber of my being. But I'm not The Planner. God makes plans for me.

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

So now, my plan is to stop planning. If God wills, then my plans may be apart of His plans. If not, I know the plans He has in store will be even better. I plan to go with His plans.

V. Joy Palmer.

"Your One Of His"

Psalm 103:1-5

Bless the Lord, O my soul;

And all that is within me,

Bless His holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget not all His benefits:

Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

   Now one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

   So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? We're there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" Luke 17:15-18

I find it interesting that the leper that comes back to praise Him was a Samaritan and the foreigner of the bunch. This is the point that Jesus makes! The others, who weren't foreigners, but considered children of God, took their healing for granted and didn't take the time to appreciate the One who took the time to heal them.

Don't forget to be the one out of ten who takes the time to bless and praise Him for ALL He has done for you. Don't take Him or All His blessings for granted! 

Take the time to bless Him today BECAUSE Your one of His! 

   

"His Eyes Are On Us"

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerned of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eye of Him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13

I don't know about you but this is one of my favorite verses! I love that the word of God always, always, always speaks to my heart no matter what situation I find myself in. I love that every day, every time I draw near it speaks to me whatever I might need to hear!  It might be a word of encouragement, a message with a call to arms, a promise that offers hope. It might be message that inspires me to keep the faith or even a call to repentance but it always speaks the truth I need at that very moment and today as I was reading through Hebrews I realized the why. 

Why it's possible that the word always seems to know what I need to hear and if you look, the answer can be found in the very next verse. Did you see it? It's because He sees us in the here and now. We are not hidden from His sight ...ever! He knows what we are going through and what we need to hear. HE HAS THE PLAN IN PLACE AND HE SPEAKS TO THE NEED RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW. His Word speaks because He always has eyes on us. 'Out of sight ...out of mind' is not a concept He knows.  We are never alone or out of His sight, NOT EVER, and because He sees ... He speaks!

"...For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerned of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eye of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12-13

Focused On...?

Timothy's feet hurt. Truly hurt. They ached with a pain that Timothy had never experience in his life. Was it even possible to walk when you were in this much pain?

"Where are we going to stay?" Timothy glanced over at Silas.

"I don't know," Silas said, glancing over at him. "I'm trying not to worry about it."

Timothy was trying not to worry about it either.

His stomach groaned.

Great. Now he was worried about his lack of food.

They turned the corner, and stopped in their tracks. Dust billowed around them in a big, tan cloud, but that didn't block out the sight before them.

Paul stood in the middle of a group of people teaching them about Jesus. Someone had brought him a plate of food, but it sat off to the side, ignored. His face was beat red from the heat, but he didn't move to the shade. He was consumed with his task.

Timothy looked at Silas, and was a little relieved to see his own sheepish expression mirrored on Silas' face. Paul was occupied with the Word of God, focused on the important things. God was taking care of him. Maybe they should focus on the same thing instead of worrying.

Based on Acts 18:5

"When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus." Acts 18:5

I love this verse. I love what it means. Paul was so focused on the word, on serving God, and sharing the Gospel.  When other people arrived, they found Paul occupied with sharing God's word.

Most of us are totally focused. We know how to focus - on everything else! But on God? Do we know how to be totally focused on God?

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2

If I had moved to a strange new city, I would be focused on so many things. Where would I live? Where would I get the money to buy food? How will my family adjust to this new place? Where is the nearest bookstore?

What you're focused on when other people show up out of the blue, when you don't know they are watching you, shows a lot about your priorities. Paul's priority was the word. Lived and breathed it. What are you occupied with everyday? Is it God?

"Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth." Colossians 3:2

Occupy yourself with the things and The One above.

V. Joy Palmer

The Known God

The sun seemed to be hotter on top of the mountain. Thank God for the breeze that cooled and soothed him, making the sweat on his brow seem refreshing instead of sticky.

The hill seemed to stretch for miles above Athens. The esteemed leaders sat before him looking partly bemused, partly condescending. They spent all their time learning about and worshipping false gods, so Paul wasn't really surprised. He had seen an altar with the inscription, "To the unknown god." Paul knew that they were deceived, searching, and as a result, worshipping anything.

But today they would learn the truth.

Standing in the midst of the Areopagus, Paul took a deep breath. He felt the calming presence of the Holy Spirit as all the men trained their judging eyes on him.

Today they would meet the unknown God. Today they would stop saying unknown. Today they would learn that He wanted to know them.

Based on Acts 17:22-25

"So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: 'Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, "To the unknown god." What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. he God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, or is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.'"

Acts 17:22-25

These verses are so true for people today. They are so relatable and applicable.

You may be sitting there thinking, "Religious. I'm not religious. I worship no one!"

That's not really true.

You see, we were created to worship. Created to look to Something greater then ourselves. Created to love Him. The Lord God of Heaven, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit. But the god of this world, the enemy, tries to convince you otherwise. He convinces unsuspecting people to put their faith in false gods and religions, in science and evolution, in their own strengths, abilities, or god-ness. And we long to put our faith into something, anything. Whether we realize it or not, we all worship something.

Paul was telling the people to stop worshiping everything but the One who is responsible. God. He's the One our souls long for. Is the unknown God known to you? Do you worship something, anything, hoping it's The Real God?

The God of Heaven and Earth longs for you, too. The unknown God is here and waiting for you. He wants to be known by you.

V. Joy Palmer