DECISION IS DESTINY (Part 2)
TEXT:
"And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging." (Mark 10 verse 46, King James Version)
Decision making is so vital because the decision you make determines your direction in life and your direction in life determines your destiny. I had said in part 1 of this series that "History will forgive you for making a wrong decision; but will never forgive you for not taking a decision when it mattered the most. What changes your life is not much learning, though education is important. What changes your life are the decisions you made ... and how you acted on them."
Today, we will be examining the case of blind Bartimaeus. He had been a beggar and that was his trade in stock. There was apparently no cure for his blindness and history had it that his primogenitor, that is, his father was equally blind. But somehow, he learned of Jesus' ability to heal blindness and that the same Jesus was passing right by him on the road to Jericho which had been the place he had always laid to beg for alms.
Two choices laid before blind Bartimaeus. Firstly, with all the volume of people going by, he could have made more money begging that day than he would have made in months. This was the day to hit the jackpot! Anyone could have thought that way.
The second choice that laid before blind Bartimaeus was to go for a change by seeking Jesus to heal him of his blindness and to give him a brand-new life, a life free from begging, an independent life where he could see to make it on his own and possibly, help others. This second choice would give him the opportunity to break away from that ignoble business of begging and to have a brand new life full of opportunities like the rest of the people around him. This second choice also had for him the opportunity of becoming a believer in Christ and by implication, to settle his eternity positively once and for all. Fortunately, this he chose to do!
Unlike what others would do, blind Bartimaeus wasn’t thinking about an opportunity to succeed in his beggarly existence; he was thinking of a brand-new life, a life free from shame and begging. To me, his choice was a good one. That beggarly life of blind Bartimaeus is the same as what satan has coerced very many people to live in. Another name for it is: “life without Christ”!
What choices are you making in life? Some of us are so occupied with continuing the status quo that we are missing the opportunity Jesus is offering us to change our lives! Are you so busy making a living that you don’t take time to have a relationship with Jesus, study the Word of God or to pray? Still, are you unable to go to church because of the demands of your business? To me, that would be like blind Bartimaeus not calling out to Jesus for his healing because of the great opportunity to beg and hit the jackpot on the day the Lord Jesus was going through the road to Jericho.
Dearly beloved, don’t let the demands of everyday life cause you to miss Jesus as He passes by you today. I tell you the truth and I lie not. All that you are or have outside of Jesus is equal to the blindness that once plagued blind Bartimaeus. Don't suffer the fate of those that struggled to gain the whole world and eventually suffered the loss of their souls.
Understand that not a pin from your earthly acquisitions will be able to go with you at death. Be wise! Don't be foolish! My counsel to you this morning is, like blind Bartimaeus, throw off all your beggarly clothes and receive the great opportunities (both temporal and eternal) that awaits you as a believer in Christ. That's a wise decision to make!
PRAYER:
Thank You Father for offering me Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I've made my choice today. I receive Jesus into my life and I deliberately choose to live the rest of my life for Him. So help me God!