Stand up

Mark 3:3, "Jesus said the man with a shriveled hand ' stand up in front of everyone'.. It can be understood that he would have had this hand malfunctioning for many years. And like him there were many people with different kinds of sickness assembled in that small house hoping that Jesus would heal. We see our Lord pointing out that man in the crowd n asked him to stand up.
The Lord spoke to me through this passage that when we are also hoping that Jesus would heal us, he calls us to 'stand up'. I face a lot of my 'past' mocking at me, the very look at 'my shriveled hand' is making me feel that it is impossible for any sort of restoration, and the amount of loss i had incurred mounts up to great heights. Nevertheless we see our Lord Jesus bids him to stand up facing all these only to to prove that the impossible is possible and our Lord has the authority and power to forgive and heal, restore and sustain like we read in that passage "......his hand was COMPLETELY RESTORED "

inner heart attitude

Mar 12:1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
Mar 12:2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.

Friends! may the Lord help us to realise deep inside my heart and yours that all things are given to us by Him, maintained by Him and pruned by Him when we submit to Him and he expects the fruits of our labour to be submitted to Him.

...set up my face like FLINT

As the time approached for him to be taken up to the heaven, Jesus resolutely set out his face to go to Jerusalem..... -Luke 9:51. He knew what was ahead of him and he was determined to Finish the work. we read in Isaiah where it is profetically siad about Jesus. Because the sovereign LORD helps me, i will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like a FLINT and i know i will not be put to shame - Isaiah 50:7... Jesus did the will of God n walked in his life with joyful obedience. In fact we hear him cry out with joy "It is finished" (john 19). In anticipation of this moment, in His prayer, found in the seventeenth chapter of John, " I have Glorified You on earth. I have finished the work u gave me to to"...

Many a times we begin to do the will of the lord, but finds it difficult to complete it. But we see in Jesus this outstanding character of completing the task assigned to Him joyfully with reverence. How good will it be n how much pleased will the Lord be if we, His people can learn this from our saviour Jesus, that we will not be deflected but SET OUR FACE LIKE A FLINT FOR CHRIST. (The picture shows the flint which is used as arrow heads in those days!!)

family...

she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked, saying, I will that thou give me in a charger the head of John the Baptist ...Mark 6:25,... nothing better to expect! Herod may be a good man respecting John and actually may listen to John but it still remains the poison he brought inside his own family (which he very well knew was abhorred by the LORD) finally gave its fruit. He thought he can safely listen to John and herodias and manage his way through! But his sin found him out and destroyed him - made him guilty of John's blood. Can imagine wat a pain it would have been for him to live in a family with conflicting convictions. His sin produced a girl who hasted to kill a just soul. Lord teach me deep inside that my sins will always find me out!