Editors note: The devotionals that appear from this month on will be taken from the summer archives because I want to go over the Gospel of Mark from the beginning.. It is possible they will have updates and will be highlighted in pink.

Quiet Times: (Psalm 28,  Proverbs 28,, and Mark 3:1-6)

"He is my strength, my shield from every danger. I trusted in him, and he helped me. Joy rises in my heart until I burst out in songs of praise to him." (Psalm 28:7, TLB)

"A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance." (Proverbs 28:13, TLB)

^“Another time he went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." (Mark 3:1-3, NIV)

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. (Mark 3:4, NIV)

 “He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” (3:5-6, NIV)

Observations:

I asked myself who are all the characters involved?

1. Man

2. Jesus

3. Synagogue attendees

4. Pharisees

5. Herodians

I asked myself what role each of them played?

Character 1: Man

1. A man with a shriveled hand was in the synagogue.

2. The disabled man was requested to stand up in front of everyone.

3. The disabled man was used as an example to ask people a question.

4. The disabled man was requested to stretch out his hand.

5. The disabled man obeyed and stretched out his hand.

6. The disabled man became a testimony to his complete healing!

Character 2: Jesus

Character 3: Synagogue Attendees

Characters 4 & 5: Pharisees and Herodians

Interpretations:

I decided to focus on what I can learn about the character of Jesus.

Right after Jesus had spoken to the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath and how He is even Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus uses the opportunity at another time to show the Sabbath should be used for good.

Wherever Jesus is, He is very attentive to people's needs. This is evidenced by Jesus noticing the man with the shriveled hand when He went into the synagogue. Once Jesus noticed a need, Jesus acted on it by asking the disabled man to stand in front of the synagogue.

It was the Sabbath but people had a different notion of what people could and could not do on the Sabbath. Jesus used the man as an example to teach them all that it is good to do good things on the Sabbath such as healing. Jesus was also angry and deeply distressed because the Pharisees were indignant to the needs of the people. Jesus wanted people’s needs to be taken care of.

Application/Implications:

I saw important implications for my own life. This passage made me realize how attentive Jesus is to the needs of people. Jesus could have walked right into the synagogue and given His sermon or sat down but instead He notices a need and acts on it. It is a need of a person in the synagogue. This reminded me of the needs in the church. Jesus notices the needs of people in His church. He will act upon them in His good timing. He notices my needs even before I could mention them. That is so awesome to know! I am so excited and my heart leaps into thanksgiving.

This also is a lesson for me that I should be aware of the needs of those around me and act on them. 

I ask you now dear friend, what are your needs?

Dear friend, it is awesome to know that Jesus notices your needs when you are at church worshipping, when you are at home, when you are at work, when you are at school, etc. In His timing, He will meet those needs. Yes, He will! I know He will. You can be a testimony to those around you as Jesus meets your needs just as the man with the shriveled hand became a testimony to those around Him.

We can also meet the needs of others by our actions even as Jesus notices our needs. 

Few months ago, Jesus noticed the need of my mommy. She had gone out with my dad and when she came home, her right eye was bothering her because a some small object had gone into her right eye and did not come out. She could not use her eyes properly because every time she moved her right eye, there would be a needle like pain because whatever went into the eye was pricking at the eye.

I prayed with my mommy for her healing and reminded the Lord what an awesome Great Physician He has been for us and how He had brought all of us through the years of infancy too. I knew if Jesus said the word from Heaven, “Be Healed”, my mom's eye would be healed.

Hours went by and morning became evening. We knew Jesus had His timing and kept praying and believing for healing. My mom told me the words of Jesus have not reached her eye yet but we believed Jesus could if He chose too. While praying, I felt we should watch the 700 Club program and we did.

We prayed for Jesus' will and the strength to bear the outcome. My mom came back shouting, “Praise the Lord, Ramesh my eye has been healed.”

My mom had gone to take a shower and told me she kept praying and praising the Lord through the pain. The Lord spoke the word and my mommy’s eye was healed. This healing means so much to me now as I have done this devotional time.

Jesus knows our needs and will meet them in His timing. Depend on Him and do not give up. His ways are not our ways but His ways have a reason behind them for our good.

More than anything, He notices the condition of our soul and wants to heal us. He died to bring you and me into His Eternal Kingdom. He shed His blood for you and me friend. Yes, He did. He came back to life to save us, delivering us from the virus known as sin. He has the antidote but won’t force it upon us. He waits for us to receive the antidote for the virus known as sin.

Won’t you take it my friend? He knows we need it and offers it to us to give us new life.

May we know that He is all we need and depend on Him forever more! Amen!

"Nurturing Emmanuel Emancipates Daily Souls!"(N.E.E.D.S)/”What are your needs?”

Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for noticing the man with the shriveled hand in the synagogue and healing him on the Sabbath. I thank you how attentive you are to peoples needs including our own. Thank you for healing my mommy. Help us Oh Lord to be attentive to the needs of people around us as we learn from your example. Oh Lord, you know what the needs that people are facing. You know their sorrows and their pain. Come Lord Jesus and please intervene. I thank you Jesus that you do. You did not bring us this far to leave us. You did not build your home in us to move away. Thank you so much Jesus. We know your timing is not ours so help us to keep the faith and be dependent on you. Draw us closer to you and never let us go. Thank you for dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. We are sorry for our sin and ask you for your healing. Thank you for noticing our sin and going to the cross to pay for our sin so we can be set free. We acknowledge you as our Lord and Personal Savior. Please be our Lord and Personal Savior Jesus. I thank you for being our Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus you have heard our prayer and answered us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart.

Friend, you may feel something or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!

Get yourself involved in a campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord. They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me know!

If you need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Fall of October 2005, you can email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

Next Devotional:
What is your I.M.P.A.C.T?

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