How Desperate ARE You...

Back in 1993 The Steeles had our very first Number One song.  It was a song God allowed me to write about the biblical character known as Blind Bartimaeus.  He is a very interesting man to study…at least to me anyway.  What does the Bible tell us about him?  First that he was a desperate man.  Most of us hate the feeling that comes from desperation.  Many great things though are born of desperate situations.  Would Abraham Lincoln have ever run for or even been elected President of the United States if he hadn’t LOST so many (and there were a bunch of them) OTHER elections? Colonel Sanders (of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame) amounted to nothing until he was well into his 60’s…old, desperate and running out of time.  Seven times at the bankruptcy court.  You don’t think THAT will make you desperate?  Yet Walt Disney was there seven times when he doodled on a piece of paper an image he had in his head of a Mouse named Mickey and old Walt would never be bankrupt again.  Let your desperation push you to the edge of reason.  Try something new, exciting and different.  You’re already desperate…what’s the worst that can happen to you?  Take a chance.  Make an investment.  Leave excuses behind and go forward today!
 
Yeah Bartimaeus was desperate.  He was blind.  He couldn’t see…anything!  He was sightless.  He took his desperation and turned it into a crazy plan.  He meant to get the attention of the most famous man in town…Jesus Christ.  Now Bart couldn’t see (not a lick) but he was a blue ribbon winning hollerer.  He could out yell anybody he knew and THAT is how a desperate man developed a plan to get the attention of the Savior of the World.  Of course we know (don’t we) that Jeremiah 33:3 says all we have to do to get His attention is to “call unto me…and I will show you great and mighty things that you don’t even know!”  Doesn’t even have to be loud…just call.  He probably would have never done it because he didn’t want to embarrass himself…but remember…he’s now driven by desperation and desperation will make you do a LOT of things you might NEVER do without it!  You know like walk down an aisle…kneel at an altar, go to church… maybe make friends with a preacher!!
 
OK so he (driven by desperation) born of blindness starts screaming.  Jesus…Son of David…Have mercy on me!!  Over and over again…and again he keeps yelling.  He’s blind and now he’s begging!  Jesus give me something YOU have the power to give that I don’t have!  THAT’S quintessential BEGGING!  But he’s not just blind and begging…scripture says he’s beside the highway!  All this behavior is taking place in full view of everybody!  He isn’t like Nicodemas who came (trying to keep his visit secret) at night.  No this guy is too desperate to be bothered by what others thought of him.  It’s now or never!  See he wasn’t just beside the highway yelling like a mad man he was also beside himself at the idea that Jesus…the one he had heard so much about was passing the same place where he was.  You might say THIS was his fried chicken, Mickey Mouse, Presidential moment and he was just desperate enough NOT to miss it!!  It’s a pretty desperate thought how close you are to dying without Christ.  No second chances…no other way…no other hope!   I believe Bartimaeus’ advice to you would be to jump up, act a fool, overcome your pride and do a little calling out to Jesus yourself.  Romans 3:23 says For ALL (yes you too) have sinned and come short of the glory of God.  The time is now.  You’re not only desperate…you’re more desperate than you think you are.

Jeff

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