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Word of Hope Daily Devotions
		March 13 A Willing Man
	Mark 10:46-52 And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging.  And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.  And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.  And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.  And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight.  And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.
	Jesus had heard the cry of Bartimaeus. He had stopped and called him to come. Can you imagine? It was more than he could ever hope for. Now to Bartimaeus the one important thing he owned was his garment or coat. As a beggar it was no doubt the most valuable thing that he had. It covered him. It kept him warm. It gave him security. It was probably old and tattered but it was his. In fact, it was probably the only thing that was his. But we read that when He knew Jesus had called him, he cast off [threw away] his coat, got up and went to Jesus. Does this seem unusual that he had to remove his coat? I believe that Bartimaeus wanted to be free from any weight or encumbrance that would hold him back from getting to Jesus. Perhaps he thought he would get entangled in it as he walked to where Jesus was? And I’m not sure he walked. I think he ran! Whatever, his reasoning, Bartimaeus was willing to lay down the most valuable thing he owned in order to get to Jesus. He had no assurance that it would be there to pick up afterwards. But I believe he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he would never again need to wear that beggar’s coat. Many of us wear a valuable garment. And though it is often heavy we use it as a security and a covering. It may be a coat of fear, a coat of doubt, a coat of pride, or a coat of self-sufficiency. What ever it is, we often use it to cover our pain, to cover our hurt, to cover our doubts and fears, to cover our despair. There are many things that our coat can be covering. In a false sense we actually use it to keep us secure, when in fact it covers our insecurities. But the question is… “Are you willing to cast it off and come to Jesus? Are you willing to uncover whatever your real need is and let Jesus heal you? Are you willing to throw aside whatever you consider valuable to you in exchange for what Jesus can give you?” Don’t allow your garment to hinder you or hide your need. Jesus is calling you. Quickly! Throw aside your garment, get up and go to Jesus know matter what the cost. He desires to meet your need today! Prayer Suggestion: Jesus, I hear you calling me this very moment to come. I throw aside the coat that I have used to cover up my needs. However valuable it may be to me, You are more valuable. I cast it aside right now so that it will not hinder me as I am coming to you. Back to March