“Jesus, If You Can”

Jesus, If You Can Devotional Reading June 2, 2023

“And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us. Jesus said to him, ‘If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.'” —Mark 9:22-23

Our greatest battle in life is Faith versus Feelings! We have embraced and adopted the worldview of do-it-yourself. Because of self-reliance, our measure of faith has not grown or developed. Many Christians have stopped praying for God’s Divine guidance and help in their routine duties of life. It’s not until a life-changing event that we get on our knees and cry out for God’s help.

Words of Faith, Fear, and Doubt—”But if You can do anything”

Yes, the child’s father had heard of a man and His disciples who could heal. After the disciples failed to heal the young boy because of their faithlessness, the father used all the courage he had to approach Jesus. The disciples’ failure left the man feeling unsure of Jesus’ spiritual power to heal. Yet, he took the risk in front of a crowd of people to ask Jesus if He could heal his son.

In His earthly life, Jesus always exhibited His true love and compassion to those in need. Some biblical translations mislead us to believe that Jesus scolded the child’s father with the response “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Jesus asked.” Those condescending words would never be spoken by our Loving Savior!

Our faith in God is being attacked every day. The spiritual warfare that we face includes the misrepresentation of God as punitive—always ready to punish humanity. We know that the fallen angel, Lucifer who is now Satan is responsible for the lies regarding God. Our faith has diminished because we failed to learn of God’s character which is evident throughout the Bible.

Even so, do not let worldviews, your feelings, the opinions of others, the presenting circumstances, or the lack of Scriptural knowledge cause disbelief in the love and power of Jesus Christ!

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.…” — Matthew 11:28-29

Jesus knows the weaknesses of our hearts and characters. He is aware of the self-reliance and fears that prevent us from coming to Him immediately when we face overwhelming challenges. Yet, He tells us the only way His Divine power can provide absolute resolution to the trials and sorrows we face.

The story of the child with symptoms of epilepsy and his father who decided to courageously approach Jesus with the little faith he had teaches us that when we put our unbelief aside and approach God in prayer, supernatural results happen even though our faith is weak. Our prayers must be spoken in faith, “Jesus, I know You can.”

In Revelation, the Apostle John reveals to us the Character and Majestic Power of Christ: “And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hell and of Death.'” —Revelation 1:18-19

Who else but Jesus can reassure us that His power is so great that He overcame death? And who else but Jesus would die for all of humanity including those who despise, disobey, and have no faith in Him?

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” With finite understanding, we will never fully comprehend the POWER and Love that Christ has for us. Still, every day we can make the intentional commitment to embrace and verbalize Jesus’ love, be intentional with our faith, and believe His Holy Words.

Prayer: God, we are distracted by the many worldviews that are diminishing our faith in Your power and love for us. We commit to faithfully believing in Your loving character and Your unlimited power. Jesus, we love You. Thank You for Your love, grace, and mercies. In Jesus’ Loving Name, Amen.

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