It's hard to image a more chilling end to a sinner's confrontation with Jesus- The Savior turning His back and leaving- for good. But Scripture proves such an end is possible. The 1st century's religious, political and secular leaders continually rejected Jesus despite ample, indisputable evidence of His divine power and authority. After their repeated rejections, Jesus abandoned them to their unbelief. -And He left them, and- departed.- Mark 8-13 -NKJV- By contrast, Jesus' first disciples left the safe shore of prevailing worldviews concerning Jesus and got into a boat with Him. Alone with His chosen ones, Jesus patiently, but sharply, rebuked their own failure to grasp the significance of Who He is - despite all they'd experienced with Him. To be effective, disciples, too, must be helped away from the dullness of heart brought on by preoccupation with earthly concerns.

Trust is merely a concept until it's tested. That's why our Lord tenderly, yet relentlessly, leads us into circumstances that require trust in Him. Each new test is lovingly designed to train us toward a deeper trust in His sufficiency as we serve Him. Like us, Jesus' first disciples were slow to lean fully on Christ's sufficiency- -How are we supposed to find enough food to feed them out here in the wilderness-- Mark 8-4 -NLT- Sound familiar- That's basically the same question they'd asked Jesus a short time earlier, before He miraculously turned a few loaves and fish into a banquet for thousands. But now, a different crowd in a different place stood before them - and the disciples once again needed to experienced Christ's sufficiency.

True faith in Christ is bold, humble, persistent, obedient. Jesus gladly receives all who come to Him this way. -Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven.- Matthew 5-3 -NKJV- What do you suppose it means to be poor in spirit- This Sunday, we-ll consider the faith of a woman whose little girl was tormented by a demon. To Jesus- disciples, she must have seemed the least likely to receive grace from the Master. She lived in a pagan land, likely grew up worshipping false gods, and - most important to them - she was not Jewish. Neither Mark, nor Matthew, even name the woman in their gospels. It is not her identity that matters to us, but the nature of the faith she expressed to Jesus. -For this statement you may go your way- the demon has left your daughter.- Mark 7-29 -NKJV-