DEVOTION - TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2012

DEVOTION, TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2012

“Able to approach”

BY

PASTOR BOB COY

They came to Him from every direction. Mark 1:45 (NKJV)

If anyone could have walked through this world as an intimidating figure, it was Jesus. Let’s not forget, He actually created this world along with the rest of the universe (John 1:3). The Bible even goes so far as to tell us that all of this was created for Him (Colossians 1:16)! As the Son of God, He possessed all power, all authority, and all wisdom. He was without peer, counterpart, or rival.

And yet, when we read the scriptures that recount His life, we find anything but an intimidating figure. Instead, the so-called “nobodies” of that cultural context felt free to approach Him and even make demands of Him.

Women, who were considered to be second-class citizens in ancient Palestine, came to Jesus and asked that He lay hands on and bless their little children (Matthew 19:13). Even further out from the center of prestige, a Gentile woman, someone most Jews wouldn’t so much as acknowledge, came to Jesus and implored Him to heal her demon-possessed daughter (Matthew 15:22). And barely clinging to the very lowest rung of the social ladder were lepers, who were considered the walking dead. Yet even they felt free to make their way to Jesus (Luke 17:12).

What gave these people the sense of security and safety to approach a person as powerful as the Lord? It was the fact that He was approachable. Jesus projected a sense of acceptance and mercy that people picked up on, even those accustomed to being turned aside and rejected. They were comfortable in His presence, and they took refuge in it.

So if the Creator of all things was approachable like that, we need to follow suit. People shouldn’t be threatened or intimidated by us. We should project the same sense of acceptance and mercy to everyone we encounter. They should be able to approach us, and they shouldn’t hesitate to come to us in their time of need.