Thought of the Day !!

O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?

                     Mark 9:19 (ESV)

This comes after Jesus has come down from the Mount of Transfiguration.  He’s met with a crowd of people arguing with his disciples.  They have been casting out demons, but this one boy is brought to them for which they have no success in exorcizing the demon.  By story’s end Jesus is frustrated with the lot because of their lack of faith, yet he heals the boy and teaches his disciples that this kind of demon can only be cast out with prayer.

The point that came to me this morning as I reread this passage is the fact that Jesus is irritated with the people.  Not only that, he comes out and tells them so.

Maybe we want to tell Jesus that he’s supposed to be loving.  He’s supposed to always have compassion and not get ugly with people.  But in doing so we would be telling God how to be God.  The fact is that Jesus is truly loving and compassionate.  But does He not have a right to be dissatisfied with us as well?  Does He not become irritated when our faith lacks for the thousandth time or our actions continue to deny our Christian claims?

I feel confident that Jesus is not happy when I continue in my selfish ways forgetting that the way of humility and faith is much better.  I’m convinced that Jesus could very well be thinking, “How long must I bear with Greg?”  But what I’m even more confident in is the fact that just like the crowd and the disciples in the story, He won’t leave me.  Instead He’ll continue to struggle with me to help me find the right faith, the right motives, the right love.  He will do that because He is a loving and compassionate God.  Thank you Jesus for that.

In the love of Christ,

greg