Brothers and sisters,
Happy Monday to all! It was wonderful to be with all of you yesterday. We shared in the Lord’s Supper to remember Jesus and we gloried in Him as our Redeemer. From Mark 8 we thought about seeing Jesus with clearer and clearer spiritual vision. As we grow in our understanding of Jesus through the Word of God, we will see Him better and better. We all can have wrong ideas and concepts about Jesus because of our cultural or personal perspective. Just as Jesus healed the blind man with a multi-step approach, our vision of Jesus can become clearer. Just as the disciples in a multi-step process grew in their understanding of Jesus mission to serve, ransom, and redeem mankind, we too can keep growing in our understanding of Jesus’ call to serve Him and others. We can grow in that understanding as we deny ourselves, take up our crosses (God’s agenda for our individual lives instead of our own agenda for ourselves), and follow Jesus. We all need to pray that we will see God through His Word as He truly is. Are we allowing Jesus to help us see Him better and better so we will understand Him “more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly?” Jesus continually works in the life of His followers to help them know Him and His ways better and better.
Remember to keep praying continually for each other. None of us know fully the burdens our brothers and sisters in Christ might be carrying.
Love being your pastor!
Bob Ray, Pastor, East Madison Baptist Church