Victory Out of Defeat 

A Sunday School lesson. Mark chapter 9.

     When we find ourselves defeated, we can turn to God for victory and discover where we went wrong. 

     This is when Jesus told the disciples, If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. If your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. 

     These words always puzzled me. But, I get the message: It is better to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. It is better to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. It is better to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell.  

     Mark wrote, "Everyone will be salted with fire." 

     Jesus said, Salt is good (unless it loses its saltiness). 

     I was salted with fire. My children were hurting, and I couldn't do anything about it. I could have gone down any of several destructive roads. Instead, I (a deacon and Sunday School teacher) took the path of prayer, asking, even demanding (be careful) that Jesus explain himself. Night after night after night.  

     He didn't change the circumstance, right then, but after some 10 weeks of fire his Spirit suddenly flooded my soul for three happy weeks. I changed my password to "victory."  

          Jimmy