Mark 3:3 (KJV)
And he saith unto the man which had the withered hand, Stand forth.
This man had no reason to expect to be healed that day. He was handicapped, had been that way for some time, and had no reason to believe his condition would change.
He was in the synagogue nonetheless.
I've never met a man who didn't have an excuse to stay away from regular worship. There is plenty to do outside the house of God. There is often no immediate or visible benefit to the worship of God. There may even be others in the congregation who belittle a person's handicap, and being around the healthy often serves only to remind the handicapped of their affliction.
But this man was there.
And that day, his life was permanently changed because he was there.
Jesus told him to stand forth. John Gill writes, "...partly to move commiseration upon the sight of the object; and to aggravate the hard heartedness of the Pharisees..."
Jesus made his condition obvious to everyone. He used the man as an object lesson, and then He did the most amazing thing.
He restored his hand whole.
It has never been the Lord's intention for those of us so burdened by the condition of our sin to remain hidden in the crowd, seated there, unseen. He calls us to stand out from the crowd—not in pride because of our condition, but in obedience to Him and in humble expectation of His help. He uses us to bring conviction to the obstinate and hope to those who recognize their need.
Stand forth!
Allow Christ to heal you, use you, and set you free.
#StandForth #Mark3v3 #FaithInChrist #JesusHeals #WalkWithGod
Don't Hide in the Crowd: Step Toward Christ
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