# 13 - The Book of Mark - Lifted Up to Lift Others

 Mark 1: 29-31

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andres, with James and John.

But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of fever, and anon they tell him of her.  

And he came and took her by the hand, and lifter her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

After a miraculous experience in the synagogue, Jesus, Peter, Andrew, James, and John went to Simon Peter's house.  It was customary to have the meal right after the service.  Not much has changed.  But Peter's mother-in-law was sick with fever.  You know how fever makes you feel; pretty sickly and weak.  Perhaps it was not a good time to bring visitors for the big meal.  

When they told Jesus about her, He immediately went to help.  That's Jesus. He might have been tired. He might have been hungry. But there was a real need and Jesus went to fill it.  If I want to be more like Jesus, I might consider just what Jesus did.  He put himself and His own claimant needs aside to help someone in need.

Jesus spoke and acted "with authority." He didn't do any smoke burning or mutter endless streams of incantations.  He simply "came and took her by the hand and lifted her up."  The fever left her.

The world can be a feverish place.  There are so many sick with their own brand of fevers.  I have been one of those myself.  There is so much fever in and within our lives that our lives "lay sick."  God has a plan and a purpose for the work He wants us to do but we lay sick with our respective fever.  We can't seem cure ourselves.  All we seem capable of doing is laying there and sweat it out.  Nothing gets better.  We need Jesus to take us by the hand and lift us up.  His touch, His power can lift us up out of our beds, heal our fevers, and put us on solid footing to go with the journey He set us  upon.  

Peter's mother-in-law was lifted up and healed to minister.  So are we.  Each time Jesus takes our feverish hand and soothes our souls, it isn't just so we can have a "feel good" moment with Jesus.  We are lifted up to lift others up.  We are saved so that we might serve the one who saved us, in whose name I pray, Amen


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