Barbara's Blog

"You have heard me say to you, 'I am going away....' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father.'"
John 14:28

Recommended Reading
John 14:15-18

When Charles Spurgeon was 57, his body collapsed from exhaustion. He was England's leading preacher, and he had worked himself almost to death. He and his wife, Susannah, left London for the South of France, hoping the milder climate would restore his health. Instead, the famous British preacher died an hour before midnight on January 31, 1892, at the hotel Beau Rivage. As Susannah wandered through the olive groves and rose-covered terraces, seeking comfort, the words of Jesus came to her mind: "If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to the Father.'" It was though Charles was still speaking to her, and her understanding of Charles' joy in heaven helped banish her own grief and sorrow.

Every verse in the Bible is there for a purpose. We never know when a particular truth will renew us. It's the Word of God that makes us wise unto salvation, and it's the Scripture that imparts daily strength for daily needs.

What word does the Lord have for you today?

The Bible
Book of Mark
Chapter 10
Verses: 46-52

(Red words means Jesus is speaking them)

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his
disciples, together with a large crowd, were
leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is,
the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside
begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of
Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of
David, have mercy on me!"
Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet,
but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have
mercy on me!"
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called to the blind man, "Cheer Up!
On your feet! He's calling you." Throwing his
cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to
Jesus.
"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus
asked him.
The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you."
Immediately he received his sight and followed
Jesus along the road.

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.
3 John 2

Recommended Reading
3 John 1:1-4

Millions of people worldwide suffer from debilitating diseases like Parkinson's disease, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. And no one can truly understand the frustrations of these illnesses unless they are personally affected by them. Yet many of these individuals are so thankful for the health they do have, while others who aren't plagued with a life-altering disease take good health for granted.

In writing to his friend, Gaius, the apostle John said, "I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

Perhaps you've heard people pray, "Lord, we thank You that we are as well as we are." None of us is in perfect physical shape; all of us are subject to illness. In heaven we'll be perfectly whole. But here on earth let's thank God that we are as well as we are, and rejoice that in Christ we can enjoy abundant living in body, mind, and soul.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
James 1:2

Recommended Reading
1 Peter 1:3-7

Many things about the kingdom of God seem odd to those who are not its citizens. Kingdom citizens gain by giving, live by dying, and become great by becoming least. But perhaps the greatest oddity in the kingdom of God is when Christians find joy in pain and suffering. There is something unnatural about rejoicing in the midst of trials.

But a clarification must be made. The Bible says we are to give thanks "in everything," not "for everything." The Bible is transrational, not irrational; it represents thinking at a higher level, not a lower level. "In" the experience of trials and trouble, joy can still be found because we know that every experience has a purpose and place in God's plan for our lives. Who would not find joy in having his faith proved to be genuine? Peter writes that trials and suffering come for that very reason: to prove that the faith we cling to is the real thing (1 Peter 1:6-7). In such revelation and confirmation is found true joy.

If you are experiencing a painful moment in your life right now, you don't have to fake having joy "for" the pain. Your joy is to be in the knowledge that God is in control and your faith in Him is unshakeable.

I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.
Psalm 119:15

Recommended Reading
Psalm 1:1-3

The American Heritage Dictionary says to meditate is to "reflect on; contemplate." How did such a simple idea become so scary to most Christians today? It's because of the influence of Eastern religions that use meditating on a specific word or thought as a way to empty the mind; to move beyond object-oriented thinking to a deeper state of awareness or reality. Ironically, in Scripture, meditation is always focused on something or Someone—a filling of the mind, not an emptying.

In the Old Testament we find Scripture to be the most consistent object of meditation (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; 119:48). But Old Testament saints meditated on God (Psalm 63:6) and His majesty (Psalm 145:5), the works of God (Psalm 77:12), and God's name (Malachi 3:16). And in the New Testament we are exhorted to meditate on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, and of good report (Philippians 4:8), as well as on sound doctrine and the spiritual gifts of God (1 Timothy 4:15-16). Psalm 1:1-3 perhaps says it best: the primary characteristic of a godly person is that he or she meditates "day and night" on "the law of the Lord."

The more we contemplate the truth of God, the more our lives will reflect the Author of that truth.