Down the hot, dusty Jericho Road, leaving with his disciples and a host of followers thronging around him, Jesus was trying to move on from Jericho. Farther down the road two blind men (probably beggars) were sitting by the wayside. Wondering what all the commotion was about, they inquired about what was happening.

“I think it’s the man they call Jesus—that unorthodox religious fellow,” they heard someone say. “They say he goes against many of our religious traditions and the leaders hate him because of it. But he also heals people of all sorts of ills. It will be great to hear him. He’s coming this way.”

The blind beggars knew all about Jesus but they’d never “seen” him this close before. “Now’s our chance,” they said to each other. Somehow they knew that this might be their only chance to ever come anywhere near this man they call Jesus. He would be passing right by them.

As the crowd neared them and they sensed that Jesus was somewhere near, they yelled at the top of their voice, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

The crowd rebuked them and tried to shut them up, but with dignity thrown to the wind, they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”

And Jesus stood still! Amazing words. Amazing action. The Son of God stood still.

Imagine it! The winds and the waves couldn’t stop Jesus. The crowds couldn’t block him. The Roman soldiers had no power over him without his permission. King Herod failed to have him killed when he was just a baby. And the religious leaders couldn’t silence him. But the cry of two blind, lonely beggars caused the Son of God to stop dead in his tracks. And listen!

And Jesus called to them, saying, “What do you want me to do for you?”

“Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.”

And Jesus, being moved with compassion, touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

“Lord, have mercy on me,” is one cry that God always hears and for which Jesus always stands still and listens, and says to you and me through his Word, “What do you want me to do for you?”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that two blind beggars had the power to stop you and you had the power to heal them. Help me to see my deepest need and confess this to you. Have mercy on me and forgive all my sins, and grant to me the healing of my wounded soul and the gift of eternal life. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer just as you heard and answered the cry of the two blind me. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

NOTE: For further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: How to Be Sure: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Matthew 20:29-30 (NIV).

Can you imagine it? Jesus was in church (synagogue) and he noticed a man who had a withered hand—and the religious leaders watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal this man on what they considered to be “the Lord’s Day”—a day in which people were not to do any unnecessary work. Jesus was angry at them because of their hardness of heart. But he healed the man anyhow, and lo and behold the religious Pharisees planned how they could kill him; Jesus, that is!

And why was Jesus so angry at these bigots? It was because of their non-feeling, stubborn, theologically rigid, cold, hard hearts. Because of this, they loved their ridiculous man-made rules more than they loved people—or God.

For some strange reason, people who are theologically rigid have deceived themselves into believing that their rigidity is a form of spirituality, when in fact, it is a symptom of emotional rigidity, which in turn, is a form of denial (self-deception). This in turn leaves them with a hard, non-feeling, cold heart! They are out of touch with their own reality (their true inner feelings and motives), and being out of touch with their own feelings, are insensitive to everybody else’s. They also tend to be authoritarian and dogmatic.

Sadly, those who are rigid in their personality don’t know or admit that they are rigid. What they also fail to realize is that people who are rigid, dogmatic and authoritarian, are riddled with self-doubts, are insecure, and fearful—and, living in denial, they seek to hide their insecurities behind a phony mask of super-spiritual superiority.

While Jesus was the supreme example of genuine authority and always spoke with authority, he was never an authoritarian. And while he was also the supreme example of Truth, he was never dogmatic about it.

Furthermore, God is not into rules, religion, or rigidity! He is into growth, recovery, wholeness and loving relationships—not only for us to have with him, but also with others and our own selves.

So be very much aware of any religion that is based on rules, religiosity, and rigidity—it is not of God no matter how appealing or plausible it may appear to be. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty—not rigidity!²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from self-deception, denial and theological rigidity. Help me to always be honest with you and myself so that I will always be real, genuine and authentic in all that I say and do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 3:4-6 (NIV).

2. See 2 Corinthians 3:17.

I have read how, in days of yesteryear, people used ice-houses in order to preserve their food. I heard how one man lost his pocket watch while working in one of these ice-houses. He searched diligently for it raking through all the sawdust on the floor—but without success. Fellow workers also failed to find it.

A boy who wanted to know what all the fuss was about went into the ice-house, closed the door, and before long he emerged with the watch.

“How did you do it?” the men asked.

“I closed the door,” the boy replied, “lay down with my ear in the sawdust on the floor, and kept very still. Soon I heard the watch ticking.”²

Many people ask, “Does God speak to people today?” And how would I know if God spoke to me?

Actually God speaks to us in a myriad of ways. But unless we stand still long enough and listen with our heart, we may never hear him. God may not speak in an audible voice but he “speaks” very specifically through his Word, the Bible. But we need to read and study it to get his message. And God “shouts” to us through creation. As his Word, the Bible, says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”³

God also speaks to us through various circumstances. Unfortunately, some of us don’t stop and listen until a crisis hits us and causes us to slow down and take stock of our life.

Basically, however, in life we see what we want to see, we hear what we want to hear, and we pay attention to what we want to pay attention. Hearing God’s voice is a choice. If we truly want to hear it, we will.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you have revealed yourself clearly to all of mankind especially through your Word, the Bible, and through your creation. Please help me to slow down and listen with my heart to what you are saying to me. Help me to not only hear, but also to obey. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 46:10 (NIV).

2. Story taken from “Directions” by James Hamilton.

Donald William Dotterer wrote, “Steven Jobs is the man who founded the enormously successful company called Apple Computer. Jobs decided that Mr. John Sculley was the man he needed to help him fulfill his dream of building a completely different kind of computer company, one which [Jobs dreamed] would make computers available to every person in the world. However, Mr. Sculley was comfortably and safely entrenched as president of the Pepsico Corporation, the makers of the soft drink Pepsi.

“In this position, John Sculley had achieved everything that a man could want: power, prestige, public recognition, an enormous salary and a secure future. The thought of a career change requiring a move to the West Coast frightened him. He was concerned about losing pensions and deferred compensation and the adjustment to living in California, in other words, ‘the pragmatic stuff that preoccupies the middle-aged.’

“John Sculley knew that he was safe at Pepsico. But he also knew that he had grown to dislike the competitive nature of the business. He also knew how bored he was. Steven Jobs at Apple Computer sensed this. And so he finally confronted his new friend with this pointed question. He said to John, ‘Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?’ That question penetrated deep into the heart and mind of John Sculley. It changed the course of his life. He therefore went to Apple Computer and helped it to grow into one of the most successful corporations in the world. Mr. Sculley’s life was changed because he took the risk and decided to invest. Was it a risk? Yes. But without it, there would be no reward.”²

I’m not suggesting that you should change your job (though some of you may need to), but I am asking, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life doing only what you are doing now, or do you want to help to truly change the world—one person at a time?”

You can. Here are a few of many simple ways you can do this:

First, make yourself available to God every day and ask him to use you to be as Jesus to every life you touch and that people seeing Jesus in you will want him for themselves.

Second, become involved in serving others through your local church or a fine voluntary organization and help make a difference in your local community.

Third, you can send copies of suitable Daily Encounters to friends and loved ones and share with them these non-preachy Christian messages that speak directly to their personal needs. Hundreds of people are being reached with the gospel and Christian message in this way and it, too, is helping to change the world—one person at a time.

Fourth, besides financially supporting your local church, help support faith organizations that are making a difference and those that are spreading the gospel. There are many such organizations that are dependent on the support of concerned Christians for their operation. And in your giving, please consider becoming a partner with ACTS International (publisher of Daily and Weekend Encounter) through your prayer and financial support and therein be a part of a work that is sending the gospel around the world via E-mail and the Internet every day of the year.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for Jesus, the Savior, the hope of lost mankind, and the only one who has the power to truly change the world. I am available—please guide me in how I can best invest my time, talents, and money in your work, and use me today and every day to be as Christ to every life I touch and therein help change the world in which I live—one person at a time. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 16:15 (TLB-NLT).

2. Donald William Dotterer, “Living the Easter Faith,” CSS Publishing Company, 1994. Cited on www.eSermons.com, 2002.