Do Not Stop Shouting

“And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.” – Mk. 10:47 KJV

Do Not Stop Shouting 15052020

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The scripture today is the story of Bartimaeus the son of Timaeus who was not just blind, but was also a beggar. Although he was blind and begging, he was still very smart. Smart enough to know what to do, when to do it and how to go about doing it.

In that location where he was, there is the possibility that several dignitaries would have also gone past him but this was a different dignitary. Although he could not see the person, he could sense it and once he confirmed that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he started the effort to make sure his voice was heard. First opportunity to see the character of this beggar showed when in his determination not to allow the opportunity to slip away as he started shouting for mercy from Jesus Christ even when some people in the crowd tried to shout him down. He refused to allow them distract him as he focused on his mission.

Jesus eventually heard his voice, asked that he be brought near and the second character of note of this beggar was revealed. The Bible records that he removed his garments and the greatest of the shocks came when he was asked his heart’s desire. Being a beggar one would have thought that he will be asking for money but not on this occasion. This time he pleaded for the restoration of his sight, a request that was promptly granted by Jesus Christ.

With all these going on there is no doubt that there would have been people in the crowd whose challenge was definitely more than that of this blind man but they were more comfortable with the role of spectators. Such people will tell the story of all that happened from the beginning to the end but they will never have a personal testimony to share.

Many Christians today complain of how their association with Jesus Christ has brought them little or nothing. They need to ask if they are not part of the crowd in the story above. Such people play only three major roles non of which can ever make them have personal testimonies.
1. They have records of every event and every member of the Christian group they belong to.

2. They are very good at judging others as to who is it is not worthy to belong to the group.

3. They help to give the group the picture of a big church.

There can be no positive effect of Jesus on the life of these group of Christians and if you belong here, you should know already the source of the stagnant nature of your life.

For Christ to have a positive impact on your life, you will have to behave like the blind man in the following manner:

1. Even though you have two functional eyes, decide to be blind in Church. It means that you should mind your business at all times.

2. Decide to be deaf to everything that supposed church members may be saying. As earlier discussed, it should be obvious to you by now that not everyone following Christ come because they want to solve personal challenges.

3. Decide to be selectively dumb. You should not bother responding to every comment or accusation. Just guard your tongue wisely and use it purely for productive things that meet your aspirations and goals.

4. Be humble and remove every garment (character) that can constitute a hindrance for Jesus accepting you.

5. Get your priorities right and go straight to the point without beating around the bush. You cannot afford to be confused in the place of prayer.

There is no doubt that if you stick to the above points, then just like Bartimaeus, your testimony is just around the corner as there is every assurance that God will perfect you and grant all the request you present in such state. Amen.