Tuesday 2-26-08 "Hope with Passion"

Greetings Internet Campus,

Sorry about yesterday...I was ready to write the devotional but ended up with a high fever and an internet connection failure....I hope that you took that time to reflect on the teaching from this last weekend about hope.

Today we're going to dig in to point one:

For HOPE to HAPPEN … Courage fueled by Passion

Mark 2:1-3 (NLT2): “When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that He was back home. 2Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat.”

I love this passage of scripture... I can just picture the scene, can you? Jesus inside and a quintet of risk-takers outside... The team knew they had to get the paralyzed man inside
but when they showed up to the scene, it was sold out. No room at all. Jesus was teaching to a packed house. They had two options...stay outside and hope for the room to clear OR find a way in.

It was courageous for them to even try this. It took real faith to carry a paralyzed man to Jesus in the hopes that something could be done. What was it, do you think, that fueled their fire? Why did they keep going? Why didn't they just turn around and carry the paralytic back to where he came from when they saw the crowd? Easy. It was their passion. They were passionate about Jesus' power. Their faith in Christ's healing power was much stronger than the apparent obstacles.

How about you this morning? When was the last time you decided that, no matter what, you were going to trust in Jesus' power 100%? To keep moving forward courageously regardless of what the circumstances looked like. To be truly passionate about the promises of Christ over the picture that the world paints....that's the challenge.

Write it Down: In your journal, write down the last problem that you gave completely to God. Why did you do it? What did it take for you to take the problem back? Pray for the courage to stay passionate about Christ's power in your life regardless of circumstance.

I'm praying for your courage and passion for Christ,
Pastor Brian