The Lord alone satisfies the longing heart. Oh, if it were only that easy. We were created with longings and so much of life is avoiding sinful longings and fighting the disappointment we find in the lesser longings that never truly satisfy. We need to constantly rehearse the source of all true satisfaction, both in the fallen world today and the perfect one yet to come. May our hearts find their ultimate satisfaction in Christ the Redeemer!

Jesus has been teaching the disciples and the crowd, revealing who He is to them, yet they have not had spiritual eyes to see. Now, on the verge of entering Jerusalem, days away from the cross, His healing of blind Bartimaeus clearly demonstrates the heart of true discipleship. We are forced to consider the character of all true disciples who clearly see and understand what it means to follow Jesus.

Asking for the right thing makes all the difference in personal discipleship, church unity, and Kingdom impact. Pride and selfishness ask for others to do what we want them to do, while denying yourself kind of living asks how we can serve each other. Jesus, the greatest man to ever live, was also the greatest servant of all time. In fact, the whole reason He left heaven and came to our dirty planet was not to be served, but to serve … and give His life so that we might live!