You don't have to be a High Achiever to desire success or accomplishment. Anyone whoever did anything worth while and stuck with it, is considered an Achiever. Jesus, the master teacher Himself gave us the formula in Matthew 24:13 for being successful in life. Abraham Lincoln once said, "Success is going from failure to failure, without losing your enthusiasm". Charles Lindberg concludes, "Success is not measured by what a man accomplishes, but by the opposition he encountered and the courage he maintained in his struggle against it".In a recent study from a well know University, a five year survey was done on some of the top 20 performers in this country in various fields, including a wide range of successful athletes, sculptors, mathematicians, physicians, teachers, musicians, actors, scholars and chief executives. This study also included an interview with the families and teachers of these celebrated high achievers to try and find out what the common key in their success was. What they discovered was, that the mere drive and determination, not talent led them to their success.
Imagine that! Just some plain old determination that fuels the will power of anyone that strikes out to do a thing and does not turn back! That reminds me of a woman in the Bible, whose faith was rewarded by her determination to have what she longed for, her health! In Mark chapter 5, "If I could just touch His clothes, I would be healed", that is what she told herself, this nameless bleeding woman who had traveled many miles, fueled by nothing but her faith.
She had a bold plan. According to the Mosaic Law, a woman who was ceremonially unclean wasn't allowed to touch anyone, let alone the Son of God, yet desperation calls for desperate things. For 12 long years she had had this problem with loosing blood and it was causing her to be physically sick and even socially unacceptable. The Bibles says that the physicians of her time were unable to relieve her suffering. She spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she only grew worse.
Most of us would have thrown ourselves in His path, begging Him to help us. Instead our bleeding sister quietly "came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak" Mark 5:27.
By law, her touch would have made Him unclean. By grace, just the opposite happened. "Immediately her bleeding stopped" Mark 5:29 says. Without a word, a look, or a touch from Jesus, she was made whole simply by believing He could heal her...and daring to act on that belief.
As her faith was rewarded her, she wasn't the only one who noticed. Jesus turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who touched my clothes?" Mark 5:30. At that point she and Jesus both knew that it had happened, her faith had healed her. Wow, how that scripture illustrates how sensitive Jesus is to our needs, that just a touch in faith to His garment will get His attention for us! How her heart must have pounded as she heard Him say, "Who touched me?". When the disciples pointed out to Jesus that there were many in the crowded street and everyone was touching and grabbing Him, Jesus kept looking around to see who it was that had touched Him with that kind of faith! He wasn't looking to accuse but to affirm.
The same faith that empowered her to stretch out her hand now, gave her the strength to step forward. She "fell at his feet and trembling with fear, told him the whole truth" Mark 5:33.
She risked everything, public humiliation, and maybe even possible punishment for her actions to explain her confession of faith to Jesus.
2 comments:
this is my prayer everyday...that my faith will grow stronger! Love you, DeeDee
seeing how JT goes back into surgery tomorrow (Wed.) this spoke to me and i plan on reading it to him. Love you Brenda.
Theresa
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