And He entered again into the synagogue; and there was a man there which had a withered hand. And they watched Him, whether He would heal him on the sabbath day; that they might accuse Him. And He saith unto the man which had the withered hand,
“Stand forth.”
And He saith unto them,
“Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath days, or to do evil? To save life, or to kill?”
But they held their peace. And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man,
“Stretch forth thine hand.”
And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other. And the Pharisees went forth, and straightway took counsel with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Mark 3:1-6
The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were keeping their eyes on Jesus, just waiting like a hungry lion to pounce on their prey, and devour Him. Jesus was going about ministering to the people – preaching and teaching of the kingdom of heaven, healing the sick, the lame walked, and the dead were raised to life again.
The world has not changed much. The enemy is out to destroy Jesus and all those who love Him. Millions of dollars maybe billions is spent on decorating for remembering the birth of Jesus, and for giving gifts to one another.
Christmas is a fun time for most children, and some adults, and it should be; I know it is with my wife and I, and the rest of our family. Yet, there are others who are hurting, because they have lost a loved one to death; or they have lost a job and are currently unemployed; and maybe sickness in the family that takes the joy from their heart and life.
No matter what your situation is in life there is someone who cares about you and the circumstances of your life. He loves you. You can have joy again by trusting in Jesus who is the Christ of God, or you can choose to be one of those who are seeking to destroy Christ and all who follow Him. If you choose not to follow Him then you have chosen the other, and you are God’s enemy and in desperate trouble.
Choose to follow Jesus who died on the cross for you; He was buried, and He rose again.