Jesus is willing

I love this simple request of Jesus:

A man with leprosy came and knelt before Jesus and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Matt 8:2

Having heard of Jesus’ wonder working power, the man basically said, “Jesus, I know you can heal me, but will you?”

Now, in some ways, this is the most honest prayer we will ever pray. Isn't that all we can ever say in our suffering? When we come to Jesus with our problems, our illnesses, our concerns, “Lord, I know you can, I just don’t know if it is your will.”

But at a deeper level this request was tainted with the man’s own experience and cultural baggage. It grew out of a world that forced him to feel estranged from God and isolated from community. He must have worried that Jesus wouldn't have the time, or interest, to enter his world. In other words, he didn’t question Jesus’ ability, but his willingness. He knew Jesus was able, he just didn’t know if he was available.

Sometimes it is easier to believe in God's power than in his mercy.

It was then that Jesus did something absolutely startling. Those who were close enough to see would have been horrified. He touched the man. He probably hadn’t been touched in years. And Jesus said, “I am willing.”

Never doubt that Jesus is willing. Jesus is ready to touch your life today.

The Only Question on Life’s Final Exam

It seems to me that there are a lot of endeavors that people pour their energy into, work on, and get consumed by, that won’t really matter a whole lot from Heaven’s hindsight. It is as if we are cramming for the wrong question on life’s final exam. For example, none of these questions will be on it:

· How hard did you work?
· How much money did you make?
· What was your GPA?
· How many people did you impress?
· How high did you climb up the corporate ladder?
· How many friends did you have on Facebook?

But there is one question. One question that matters supremely. And Jesus poses that question in Matt 16:15.

“What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say I am?” (Matt 16:15)

Now, if you’ve ever been to Sunday School, probably somewhere rattling around your brain is Peter’s concise and profound answer, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matt 16:16). And because of that, many people feel like they are well prepared to nail that question, if it is ever posed at heaven’s gate.

But here’s a different twist on it. What if the final exam is an essay question?

Here’s what I mean. Some people treat Jesus’ query as if it were a fill-in-the-blank question. As if an intellectual endorsement of Jesus’ true identity is all that is required. But what if what Jesus really longs for is a growing, daily experience of learning who He is? And discovering all He wants to be to you every day?

Now, gratefully, I am convinced that the person who embraces Jesus, even on his deathbed, with just a glimpse of who Jesus is as Savior and Lord, will be welcomed into Heaven. But how much better to spend a lifetime getting to know Him? How much better to resist pursuing answers to question that don’t matter, and to daily seek to answer life’s most important question, “Who do you say that I am … today?”

How does God work through me?

The Bible clearly says that God works through His people, but how? How exactly does He do that? Do I just “Let go, and let God”? Or do I sweat it out hoping the Lord is somehow going to bless my efforts?

I had a catamaran for a few years during college. I worked hard on that boat, painting it, varnishing the wooden mast, getting it ready to sail. Here is something that all sailors know. They know that they don’t make the sailboat move through the water. Unless the wind blows, they are not going anywhere. They clearly understand that all they do is harness the wind.

But they also know that the harder the wind blows, the harder they work, trimming the sails, holding firm the rudder. Get this: it is not their energy that moves the sailboat, nevertheless their labor is required.

To be honest, something in me wishes being used by God was meant to be easy. There’s a part of me that hopes having God work through me would be effortless. Then I remember what Paul said:

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. -- Col 1.29

Notice how Paul understood the blend between his labor and God’s. Paul said, “I labor” but it is with “God’s energy.” He also added, “I struggle” but it is “God who powerfully works.” And the terms Paul chooses to describe his own efforts referred to the kind of work that left a person weary, beat, and even to the point of exhaustion.

In other words, Paul did not teach a “light-switch” theology that believes we just flip some switch and let God shine through us. Paul didn’t teach we should be passive and let God takes over. No, he poured all his energy into the lives of others, knowing that through his endeavors God was at work.

When the wind of the Spirit blows in your life, get on board and give it all you’ve got. God will work through you.