Devotionals

Compel

Introduction

This devotional is meant to encourage Christ followers to be hold in their faith and highlights the fact that Jesus makes us uncommon from the rest of our society. His love for us should compel us to step out in faith as a result of that love. While there are many examples in the Bible of how Jesus helps us to be better followers of Him, we're going to focus on Acts 4 and Mark 5. First, let's take a look at how Jesus can make us courageous, uncommon, and more like Him.

Jesus makes us courageous. In Acts 4:3 and 4:20, it can be noted that Peter and John are able to have courage through Jesus. Acts 4:3 tell us that "They (the high priests) seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day." Later on, verse 20 tells us shows us the courage of these two disciples. "As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." When we are bold in our faith and take risks, Jesus gives us courage.
‭‭
Jesus also makes us uncommon. In Acts 4, Peter and John were thrown into jail for preaching that resurrection was possible in the name of Jesus. When they were asked a question, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and told the high priests that it was indeed Jesus' power that helped him and John raise someone from the dead (Acts 4:8-12). Acts 4:13 says, "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

What does this mean? The high priests knew that there was no way Peter could've said what he said without traveling with Jesus. That being said, Jesus made Peter and John uncommon. Later on in Acts 4:21-22, a forty year old man was miraculously healed by Peter and John. While this may not seem that uncommon, forty years old was a long life for someone who lived back in biblical times. Why is this important? Most people are more willing to save someone younger who still has a lot of their life left to live. It is uncommon to heal someone who is about to die. You may think, 'What's the point?', but the disciples knew better. How can we be like the disciples if we're not willing to be uncommon?

Jesus also makes us Christ-like, or more like Him. The more we follow Jesus, the more we become like Him. Not physically, of course, but spiritually and mentally. For this reason, we should pray more boldly. It can be easy to go through the motions and live life as if it goes on forever. Sometimes we forget that we're not guaranteed tomorrow and so we live our lives ordinarily. My prayer for all of us who believe in Jesus is to accept challenges as they come and see them as opportunities. In fact, don't be afraid to be bold and ask God to give you situations that will help to strengthen your faith.

For the last part of this devotional, I want to tell you about a story about a man and his dying daughter in Mark 5:21-43. I won't go through the full story but I will point out a couple of key verses. Let's look at Mark 5:24-29. At this point in the story, a man (his name was Jairus) asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter.

"So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering."
‭‭
Do you ever feel like Jairus? His twelve-year old daughter was dying, and Jesus stopped to help a woman with bleeding problems. He (Jairus) was probably thinking, "Come on, Jesus! We don't have all day!" He knew that Jesus had the power to heal his daughter, but what he probably didn't realize was that he needed patience. Waiting is a human heart problem. It's hard to wait for something you know is coming. It's right out of reach, and it's frustrating.

To end the story, Jairus' daughter died. People were screaming and crying because this little girl had died, yet when Jesus heard them, he told them that the girl was simply asleep. Then he spoke two words that basically meant 'get up!' and sure enough, the girl awoke. God wants to know that even if we don't get what we've asked for that we'll still walk with Him.

It can be hard to be bold in our faith and to trust God's plan for our lives. No matter what you're going through, just remember that seasons change. If you're going through a rough spot in life, know that it will get better. I don't know how or when, but in time things will be better. On the flip side, be grateful if you don't have too much crazy stuff going on in your life. We all have trials and struggles, but it's important to remember that we can use our weaknesses as strengths to reach other people and show them the love of God. I hope you have an amazing day!