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Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. Mark 1:41-42 (NLT)
His body was racked with pain. His disease had progressed to the point where his fingers were nothing but nubs. The stench of rotting flesh hovered around him like a cloud. He was repulsive to look at and even those who loved him the most could no longer stand to be near him. Leprosy, at this time, was considered a sure sign of sin and, as a result, even the religious community rejected him. He was alone, rejected and without hope.
Then Jesus came. We aren’t told what made him stop at the man’s voice. We only know that when Jesus looked on him He was moved with compassion, not disgust. The man had nothing to offer Jesus. There was no chance of him ‘cleaning up his act’ for God. Yet in his misery Jesus was moved with compassion.
Nothing has changed. Today Jesus still looks at those of us who are hopeless, sinful and rebellious human beings. We have nothing to offer Him. No matter how much we try to be good, we end up being bad. No matter how hard we try to live a good life, things still seem to fall apart.
Our leprosy may not be physical. It may be financial or relational or emotional. We may suffer from the consequences of our own actions, or the results of other people who mean to do us harm.
How you got where you are isn’t important and getting yourself out isn’t possible. There are no membership requirements. Like the leper, Jesus looks at you with compassion. He doesn’t just see your plight, He is moved to compassion. That’s active, not passive. All you have to do is ask.
Jesus loves you. He isn’t interested in what you can bring to the table. He’s only interested in seeing you healed and restored.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I look at my life and confess to you that I am not worthy of the healing you have offered me. There are so many times I still try to do things on my own. So many times I do what I want when I know it’s wrong. So many times I make stupid mistakes. Please forgive me and give me your healing touch. I claim the promise that in You, no matter what I’ve done in the past, I can be clean. Amen
Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10
Growing up in a pastor’s family, our table always seemed to have at least one guest for every meal. Sometimes it was just one of our childhood friends, other times it was extended family or ‘special guests’ from the church.
Regardless of whom the extra plate belonged to at our table, one rule was supreme. Company first. Period. The reason for that rule was summed up in one word: honor. The honor we gave to our guests really had nothing to do with their status or social standing. It was a choice we made as a family (under the direction of our parents) to make sure that people who sat at our table were special. There were no signs, no special announcements, no expectations. In fact, most people probably didn’t give it a second thought, but we did. We kids learned a valuable lesson in honor and respect.
During Old Testament times God instituted many rules and regulations to direct worship. One of them was that the Israelites were to give the first part of the harvest to Him. In the culture of that day, first things held a tremendous amount of significance. The first-born son (sorry ladies) was given special privileges and a larger part of the inheritance. The first part of the harvest was also considered of special significance.
It’s no surprise then, that God required the people to set aside the most important part of their lives to Him. He was to hold first place in their lives. The harvest symbolized everything that was important in the life of the Jew.
Today, because of Jesus death and resurrection, we live in by Grace. The laws and regulations of the Old Testament have been fulfilled by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus! There are no more laws, no actions, no activities or rituals that will move God to give us special treatment. Because of Jesus we have all the honor, love and forgiveness God has to offer.
However, it’s still important to realize that we can, and should do things that will show honor to our Father in Heaven for all that He has done for us. Even though we may struggle with addictions, health issues or relational difficulties, we still have Jesus. We still have the power of the Holy Spirit within us. We still have the promise of Heaven.
As a point of honor we should consider our giving to God an act of worship. Every penny we earn is really Gods’ anyway. Giving to Him first is one way we can proclaim that He is Lord of every aspect of our lives. It’s amazing how our giving with a right attitude can make the money go further.
Some people teach that everyone should tithe 10% of their earnings to God. While I believe there are some who can do that, and that God will bless us more as we give more, God looks more on the attitude of our giving more than the amount of our gift.
This may sound strange, but the next time you sit down to pay the bills, before you begin to worry be there won’t be enough money to cover the stack of papers before you, thank your Heavenly Father for what He has given you. Make the first check you write out a check to your local church or ministry you support. Remember, it’s the attitude behind the gift that is the most important. Then, trust the one who holds the wealth of the universe in His hands. Financial worries abound in our time. But our Father desires to show us His blessing as we honor Him.
PRAYER: Father, I thank you for the fact that you know my needs better than anyone else. You know all about the debts I owe and the struggles I’m facing. I confess that some of this debt is my own desire to have things. Some of my struggles are beyond my control. I hereby offer this gift to You in order to show you the Honor you deserve. Empower me to trust you for my needs. In the name of Jesus, my Lord, Amen.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7
There are times in life when you just feel like ‘enough is enough’. People say ‘God will never give us more than we can handle’ but there are times when each of us have looked towards Heaven and said “Really? Isn’t this enough? I can’t take it anymore. Maybe YOU think I can handle this. I don’t’.
The ‘human’ tendency in each of us is to take matters in our own hands. We may not verbalize it to anyone, but deep inside us there’s this voice that says we are on our own. God either doesn’t exist, doesn’t care, or is just too removed from my situation to know what to do.
It’s a normal thing to do and God understands that. After all, He created us in His image. He created us to think on our own and to make decisions based on what we know and not on instinct. So, in the midst of our turmoil we seek our own answers. We may turn to revenge and call it justice. We may attempt so cope with the pain with drugs, alcohol, new relationships or even religious practices. But none of those will work and we find ourselves in the same turmoil.
In Psalm 20 the Psalmist offers up a prayer for those of us who have suffered the wounds of physical, emotional or spiritual abuse. His prayer for us is that in the midst of our darkest hour when anger and hate and revenge seem the only way out, that we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
The Psalmist doesn’t tell us to trust His power or look at His works and trust those. The power is in the name. Horses and chariots were items most people considered to be unbeatable in battle. They were swift and dangerous. While Jesus walked on earth many were healed simply by calling on His name. Life is hard. Tragedies come. People and churches and spiritual leaders fail. Family and friends will hurt you and abandon you in the time of your deepest need. But God is there. He desperately wants to walk with you through whatever life throws at you.
Call on His name. Talk to Him about your hurt. Release the pain and burden into His hands and ask Him to bear your load. That’s what He is there for. He loves you and it doesn’t matter if what you are going through is the result of your own choices or the actions of other people. His concern is about you.
Nothing anyone can do to you, no physical or political or even evil spirits can harm you when you call on the name of the Lord your God. Jesus is waiting to hear from you.
PRAYER: Dear God. I’m calling on you today. The trials and struggles that lay ahead of me seem insurmountable. I’ve been beaten up, battered and bruised. You say to call on you instead of calling on physical things like horses and chariots so I’m doing that. I need to feel Your presence in my life today. Empower me by Your Spirit to trust in you because I’m not sure I can do that on my own. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) Ephesians 5:8-9
No one would blame you for bumping into things in the dark. You can’t see where you are going. You don’t see obstacles in your path. You make choices and decisions based on what you know.
Sometimes, if you are in familiar surroundings, you can do pretty well walking in the dark. You remember where the obstacles were and can plan accordingly. But even then, your chances of miscalculating are great. We can end up in places we never thought we’d be if we rely on our instincts in the dark.
Perhaps the Apostle Paul was thinking of the times he wandered in the dark when he wrote these words to the church in Ephesus. He may have been reminded of the times he’d escaped with his life, or the times sitting in the dark, wet, smelly prisons. Darkness was no stranger to Paul.
Paul also knew the warmth and safety of light. Light enables us to steer clear of obstacles. Light enables us to make clear, rational decisions. Light keeps us from being deceived by the shadows that lurk when darkness surrounds us.
Paul says, “Now we are children of light”. That means things are different now. We can’t be blamed for the actions we did in the dark. We didn’t know better. But now. Now we can see. The mistakes of our past, the poor decisions we made in the darkness are behind us. In another letter Paul says “I set aside those things in my past and press on.” What he is saying is that when he was in darkness he did things that now he regrets. But he’d been forgiven. He was free. He was in the light.
As a Christ-follower we no longer need to regret the things of our past. Because of Jesus love and forgiveness we can come to Him and ask forgiveness. Then, moving on in the light, we can trust Him to guide us into making decisions that are better for us and those around us.
Don’t let the shadows of your dark past continue to haunt you. Because of Jesus we can now walk in the light!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, I thank you that because of you I can walk in the light. While I was in darkness there were so many people I hurt. So many things I regret. So many stupid decsions I made that I still have scars from. Forgive me for those choices. Enable me, through your Spirit, to walk boldly in the light. Remove the shadows of my past from me so I can live free in you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 