His name was Bartimaeus and he was a blind beggar who encountered Jesus. He heard the crowd talking about Jesus coming toward him. So he began to shout for Jesus to have mercy on him. Maybe he had heard of the miracles Jesus had performed on others. Or perhaps he had heard the talk that he was the Son of God come to earth and he was hoping to be healed from his blindness.

But it was not very proper for a blind beggar to be shouting at Jesus. Many in the crowd told him to be quiet. Until Jesus called for him to approach. Then the message changed. All of a sudden, the crowd was cheering for him, urging him to get up and go to Jesus. One minute you are being told to shut up and the next you are getting a standing ovation. Mixed messages.

And that is why you cannot let your decision about Jesus be based on what everyone else thinks. Not the culture around you, not your friends, or not even your family. The decision to follow Jesus has to be a personal one. Some people will try to discourage you. They will try to keep you from radically following Jesus. Ignore them.

Others will cheer your decision, but you cannot decide to follow Jesus based on what others think. Do not follow Jesus because some will congratulate you or because you think some will like you if you do. Follow Jesus because you believe in him and in his message.

As for Bartimaeus, he went to Jesus. He was healed from his blindness because of his faith in Jesus, and he spent the rest of his days following Jesus as one of his disciples. He did that for himself because he believed.

So do not make a decision about Jesus based on everyone else and their opinion.

Think for yourself.
Answer this one question for yourself: do I believe in Jesus? If you do, I would be honored to help you know what comes next. Write to me at steve@hopeforlife.org or visit our HopeForLife.org website.

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