What Can I Do?

Last week we learned that Jesus entered the synagogue where none 
of the religious recognized him and the one person who did recognize 
Jesus was the man with the unclean spirit. Sadly in the year 2006, 
many in the church around the world still do not recognize Jesus in 
their presence unless they are seriously ill or in a crisis. 

This week we continue the journey with Jesus.

Mark 1:29-34

And immediately Jesus left the synagogue, and entered 
the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 
Now Simon’s mother in-law (Take note, this is Simon 
Peter and he is the only disciple who is mentioned in the 
Bible to be married) Simon’s mother in-law lay sick with a 
fever, and immediately they told Jesus of her. And Jesus 
came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the 
fever left her; and she served them. That evening, at 
sundown, they brought to Jesus all who were sick or 
possessed with demons. And Jesus healed many who 
were sick with various diseases, and cast out many 
demons; and Jesus would not permit the demons to 
speak, because the demons knew Jesus.

Lets look at Mark 1:31:

And Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her 
up, and the fever left her and she served them.

Fever, to the naked eye is a high temperature but the American 
Heritage Dictionary defines fever as:
“1.) Abnormally high body temperatures. 
2.) A disease characterized by abnormally high body 
temperatures. 
3.) A condition of heightened activity or excitement; ferment; 
agitation: a fever of anticipation. 
4.) A contagious, usually short-lived enthusiasm or eagerness.”

Mark 1:30

Now Simon’s mother in-law lay sick with a condition of heightened 
activity or excitement; ferment; agitation: a fever of anticipation. A 
contagious, usually short-lived enthusiasm or eagerness, and 
immediately they told Jesus of her. And Jesus came and took her by 
the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

How many of us spend our lives with a fever brought on by heightened
activity or excitement? I remember the child of God who needed some
rest and relaxation because they had so much ferment. We spent time 
together talking while they were in the Cardiac Care Unit and then 
when they were transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. 

How many of us spend our lives in ferment, with agitation over what 
they have done to me, who do they think they are anyway? HOW 
DARE THEY! In turn this condition of fever becomes contagious and 
then we wonder why nobody wants to be around us?

KNOCK, KNOCK! WHOSE THERE? Baby Owl! BABY OWL WHO?
Baby Owl sees you next time and baby owl won’t see you next time!

Reality is nobody can make you mad unless you give them permission 
to! And if one hangs with the wrong people after awhile they’ll start to 
rub off on you!! So often in our lives we get so caught up in our fever 
that we forget that God the Father is always there and he knows our 
demons. 

Matthew 14:14b:

And Jesus had compassion on them and healed their 
sick. 

Mark 1:32-34

That evening, at sundown they brought to Jesus all who 
were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city 
was gathered together (that is what community does) 
and the whole city was gathered together about the door. 
And Jesus healed many who were sick with various 
diseases, and cast out many demons; and Jesus would 
not permit the demons to speak, because the demons 
knew Jesus.

As we gather in worship the person beside you may not be the 
person you think you know, for they may have demons on the inside, 
agitations, anxiety, anticipation, a contagious usually short-lived 
enthusiasm or eagerness. While the world sees a human the real 
human hides within. Hides inside thinking nobody knows and I am 
afraid to be honest for what if they don’t accept the real me? 

The fever within us is the devil eating us alive on the inside, paralyzing 
our ability to feel, to smile, to laugh. To know that we are human, for 
after awhile we begin to feel like a piece of meat that isn’t worth much.

The child of God worked hard to provide for their family, to be a 
spouse, a parent, a partner and a friend, to do that which is right. But 
it seemed like nothing they did was ever right for they were always 
in competition with that of this world. And the fever crippled them 
emotionally, physically, spiritually, and took away their sense to feel
for another, let alone for them self. Until eventually they hit rock 
bottom emotionally and had nothing more to give unto them self, let 
alone a relationship. 

My diary reads, 1/12 & 14, 1996.
I spent today with a lady who is a recovering alcoholic and a drug 
user, and at first she was rather stand offish with me. As the day 
progressed she warmed up and shared with me that her father was a 
doctor, an alcoholic, and that he stepped out in front of a car leaving 
every bone in his body crushed, thus death. At the age of 14 she 
turned to alcohol, drugs to numb the pain. Today she and her two 
other siblings, out of five, are in recovery. We both discussed how we 
have different diseases but from these diseases there are gifts that we 
can use to share with others. Today made a great impression on me 
and showed me how God’s gifts can bring people of different sexes, 
races, beliefs, diseases, together as one in His name.

Today the sermon in church was about forgiveness and the minister 
told how when he was 7 ½ years old his mother would not allow him 
to attend a Catholic school with his friends being his father was a 
Methodist minister, he never played with his Catholic friends again. 
While growing up his mother-spent time with him and before her 
death in 1973, she told him, “I will never see the year 2000 but you 
will because of your age. It is now 1996, and what my mother said is 
true, so true in what she said to me. And if its God’s will I will see the 
year 2000, and I pray that somehow I can forgive her. Forgive her for 
the hurt that has been with that little boy since I was 71/2. I cried at the 
end of the sermon for it rang home with me. I pray I can forgive. At 40 
years of age I am still a prisoner to the hurt I feel/felt growing up. I 
pray with all my heart that one day I can let go and be free, for it’s a 
burden that feels at times as though I am in shackles. When I have 
been hurt, badly hurt, my nature is that I wish no harm on that person 
but I do not forget and forgiving is difficult for me. As Rev. Orville 
Cruea once said to me, “Sometimes we cannot forgive as humans so 
we must turn it over to God and ask that he give forgiveness to the 
person who has hurt us, then walk away.” “I’m trying to walk away 
God, but sometimes those footsteps are awfully difficult.” 

If you ever wonder what can I do? Give it to God, whatever the fever
is that is bothering you give it to God and be free. For only then can 
you be a servant of God unto others. 

Mark 1:31

And Jesus came and took her by the hand and lifted her 
up, and the fever left her; and she served them.

The Greek word for compassion is “splanchnizomai,” and in the 
health profession one studies splanchnology which is the study of 
the gut. You see God has compassion for us and he feels the pain in 
our gut; God feels the limp of the crippled, the hurt of the diseased, 
the loneliness of the leper, the embarrassment of the sinful. Those 
feelings in our gut that the world cannot see but God not only knows 
they are there, God feels them…for God loves us.

I have prayed for you and God has spoken to me telling me some of 
You at this very moment are struggling, for you are not at peace. If 
you are not at peace then do as Jesus did, for only then can you go 
onto face another day and the emotions within you. 

Mark 1:35-39

And in the morning, a great while before day, Jesus rose, 
and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. And 
Simon and those who were with Jesus followed him, and 
they found him, and said to him, “Everyone is searching 
for you.” And Jesus said to them, “Let us go to the next 
towns, that I may preach there also; for that is why I came 
out.” And Jesus went throughout all Galilee, preaching 
in their synagogues and casting out demons. 

This moment, whatever demon is in you, whatever fever has taken 
Over your life pray to God to take it away so that you may be free and 
rise up. God came to earth in the form of human flesh, Jesus, who 
died on the cross at Calvary to rise from his tomb on the third day 
and ascend into heaven…. 

You, I, we, deserve to be free. Give that which is inside of you, that 
which has created a fever, to the Lord and be set free today. 

Let us pray,

Father God, What can I do, how can I live to show the world the treasure 
of Jesus? What will it take, what could I give so they can know the 
treasure He is? And if I can sing let my songs be full of His glory. 
If I can speak let my words be full of His grace. And if I should 
live or die, let me be found pursuing this prize. The one that 
alone satisfies, the treasure of Jesus. Psalm 57:1 Be 
merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in thee 
my soul takes refuge; in the shadows of thy wings 
I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction 
pass by. Thank you Father for being safety in 
the troubles in my life. Arms that one can 
turn to as a ship in the harbor, safe from 
all the storms out on the open seas of 
life. Father, at this moment I want to 
let go of those demons, the fever 
within me, and give it to you so 
that I may be free. Free to serve 
you, to once again have 
feelings, feelings within 
me for only then may 
I have healthy 
feelings for 
others.
Amen.



What Fever Is In Your Life?



02052006JWM



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