CHEER UP, COME ON; HE IS CALLING YOU!
There was a blind man who sat by the road side along the path that led from the town of Jericho to the city of Jerusalem. He sat there begging alms of passersby, hoping just to get daily sustenance at the mercies of the people that made their way from Jericho to worship and transact business at Jerusalem. As a blind man, he had several limitations; he could not move freely by himself without the assistance of kind neighbors. He had no hopes to make any achievements in life since he could see nothing around him. Being born in an age unlike ours where blind people can attend specialized institutions and get an education, this man called Bartimaeus Timaeus had no such opportunity.
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In Mark 10:46-52, we read the story of this man. He could do nothing more than beg to survive. He must have resigned to fate and could not anticipate any difference in his life until the day of death. But a day came that Bartimaeus heard that a certain man had come to Jericho and was healing the sick and delivering the oppressed. Sitting by the road side, he could hear people passing by discussing with excitement the many miracles they had witnessed. He heard them say this man’s name, Jesus Christ, and talk so highly of Him as being the Son of David, the Son of God and the Messiah. He began to wonder if he could by any chance get to meet this man, but he would have to convince his assistants to lead him into the busy town of Jericho in search of this man. He tried to persuade his assistants but they would not believe him so he sat still and resumed his begging.
Then something happened, suddenly he heard the sound of a crowd of people approaching from Jericho and he asked to know what was happening. His sad face was lit up with a glow of hope as he was told Jesus Christ was approaching thronged by a great crowd of people. He wondered if he could ever get noticed by such a great man, nonetheless he would not give up without a try. When the crowd reached him, he shouted with all his strength, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” He could barely hear himself amidst the boisterous and busy crowd, but he determined to shout louder again and again, and finally he heard the crowd come to a halt, and once again he screamed, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Immediately Jesus Christ commanded that he be called and brought to Him. This was the day he had never thought he would have, a day he had the invitation of the Son of God, the great healer and miracle worker. O how great those words resounded in his ears when the people who stood by him told him “Cheer up, come on, He is calling you”. That day, at his prompt response to Jesus Christ’s call, a great change happened in his life; he received a miraculous healing and recovered his sight instantly. Praise the Lord!
Dear friend, your story may resemble that of Bartimaeus, the blind man. You may have found yourself in a situation of hopelessness. It may be you have suffered several setbacks in life and many of your efforts at life’s endeavours have met with frustrations and failures. It may be that your body has come under attack of sicknesses and diseases which medical experts have declared incurable. Maybe it is that your family which you laboured so hard to build is falling apart and the relationship between you and your wife or husband seem irreparably damaged. Yours may be several defeats in the struggle against an addiction that has brought you nothing but pain and losses though it promised pleasure. You may be hooked on hard and illicit drugs and it has seemed impossible to be free because the therapies have been of no help. You have been overwhelmed and overcome by sinful habits, and though you dislike what you do, yet you cannot do otherwise. Year after year, you have made resolutions to quit smoking, to break up with alcohol and strong drinks, to close the door on the mistress or man you keep for extramarital affairs against your spouse’s knowledge, to throw anger out of your life, and a host of other resolutions you failed to keep.
You have found yourself helpless and hopeless. Like Peter, James and John with other fishermen who had toiled all through the night trying to catch fish at the lake of Gennasaret but caught nothing (Luke 5:1-11), you have failed at your career, business or education, and everything is down on the ground. It may be that the hordes of hell are let loose over you and your mind is in great turmoil and you can barely get sleep to your eyes. Your dreams are nothing but nightmares and it seems you are caged in with no way out.
Whatever is the situation of your life, today as on that blessed day Bartimaeus recovered his sight, Jesus Christ is not only passing by but standing just by you with arms wide spread out beckoning on you to come. Those arms took the cruel piercing of nails that were driven into His wrist because of your sins. The love He has for you is beyond compare. It was for you He suffered pain so you will have peace. His body was striped with whips so you would receive healing (Isaiah 53:1-12). With that great love, He who died for you, rose again and ascended to heaven to be your mediator before God, beckons you to come to Him.
“Come to me” He says, “all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11: 28-29). You have today the invitation of the Son of God, the express image of God, one with the Father. You have the invitation of no less a one but the creator of the universe; He who fills heaven and earth, He whose excellence and majesty transcends time and eternity. He is not a man limited in wisdom and ability, He is the all-knowing and all-powerful God. He is the one that changes times and seasons (Daniel 2:20-21). He has transformed countless lives in the past and in the present. He who healed blind Bartimaeus also gave a miraculous breakthrough and a great catch of fish to Peter, James and John together with other fishermen at the lake of Gennasaret when they had toiled all night and exhausted all knowledge and ability but caught nothing (Luke 5:1-11). That same God beckons on you today and has offered to wipe your tears and turn around your life and situations. Never doubt it, He is quite capable and I testify because He has done it for me. He has picked me from the gutters and has seated me in gracious estate and I am so certain yours will be no different, but all you have to do is to believe in Him and respond to His call today.
Jesus Christ wants to give you today more than what you can ask for. He wants to give you abundant life. He wants to give you a new life. he wants to wipe away your sins, bring you out from the hell-bound road of sin and give you a fresh start on the heavenly road. He wants to give you blessings that will last beyond this world. He wants to give you something more than money; something all the money of this world cannot buy – peace for your soul, peace with God. He has paid all the price to reconcile you with God, your maker (Romans 5:10, Colossians1:21). He invites you today to be joint heir with Him and inherit the glorious eternal home of the saints.
Will you come to Him today? Will you come in penitence to the foot of the cross and cry out like a condemned sinner, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”? Will you ask Him to wash you spotlessly clean of all your sins with the precious blood He shed for you at Calvary? O come to Jesus Christ with your load of sin and throw it down at the foot of the cross. This is what Bartimaeus did on that day he came to Jesus. He immediately threw off his cloak as He ran to Jesus (Mark 10:50). Will you throw off your cloak of sins? Will you throw off that cloak of malice, envy, jealousy, anger, fornication, adultery, drunkenness, witchcraft and occultism, rebellion, stealing and fraud, and all other abominable acts? Jesus Christ will have mercy on you today for He will not condemn you nor cast you away if you will come to Him with a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:17, John 6:37). You must be born again before you can see the kingdom of God, experience the majesty of God in this world and enter into heaven at the end of your life in this world (John 3:3).
Cheer up friend, there is help for you in Jesus Christ. That burden you have laboured under for so many years will soon become a story you will tell to others to show forth the glory of God’s amazing power. Your hopelessness will become a message to this generation and the generations to come. Your test will become a great testimony because the almighty God shall change your story.
Cheer up friend, and call on the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer today. He is right there where you are and is asking you “What do you want me to do for you?” Tell it to Him in prayer right now. Tell Him to fix your broken life. Tell Him to heal your diseased body. Tell Him to break the power of that addiction in your life. Tell it to Jesus whatever it may be and trust Him to do it. He will do it and you will testify about it. First, begin by telling Him to forgive you of your sins. Tell Him to save your soul. Tell Him to be the Lord of your life from today. Tell Him to write your name in the book of life in heaven. He will save you and you shall see a great change in your life from now on. Cheer up brother, cheer up sister, Jesus calls you today to do you good. Come and enter into His amazing joy.
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