No Friendship or Romance Is Worth Your Soul

No Friendship or Romance

Is Worth Your Soul

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READ Mark 2:1-28

SITUATION Jesus' power over illness and evil spirits quickly became exciting news to the people around him. They came to him from everywhere looking for help.

OBSERVATION Jesus offers hope, healing, and new life to all who come to him in faith.

INSPIRATION I'll never forget Steven, I met him in St. Louis. His twenty-three years had been hard on him, his arm scarred from the needle and his wrist scarred from the knife. His pride was his fist and his weakness was his girl.

But his girlfriend would have none of it. Oh, she would listen politely and would be very sweet, but her heart was gripped by darkness. Any changes Steve made would be quickly muffled as she would craftily maneuver him back into his old habits. She was the last thing between him and the Kingdom. We begged him to leave her. He was trying to put new wine into an old wineskin.

He wrestled for days trying to decide what to do. Finally he reached a conclusion. He couldn't leave her.

The last time I saw Steve he wept . . . uncontrollably. I held big, tough, macho Steve in my arms. The prophecy of Jesus was true. But putting his new wine into an old skin, it was lost.

. . . No friendship or romance is worth your soul . Repentance means change. And change means purging your heart of anything that can't coexist with Christ.

You can't put new life into an old lifestyle. The inevitable tragedy occurs. The new life is lost. (From On the Anvil by Max Lucado © (Tyndale House, 1985, 2008)

APPLICATION Do you need a big change to put your life on course? Boldly put your life in Christ's hands and let God do a miracle!

EXPLORATION Bringing People to Jesus for Miracles-- Matthew 4:24; 8::16; Mark 9:17-20; Luke 5:18-19.

The Devotional Bible - Experiencing The Heart of Jesus - Max Lucado General Editor, Thomas Nelson Publishers