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"If God Only Loved Me, He Would Do This Thing for Me"
When you witness someone receiving a blessing from God does it cause you to rejoice over their enormous gain? Or do you think to yourself, "I sure wished He would do something like that for me." Our text that we will be reading today will show a man that wished for Jesus to do something for him; however, he did not believe He would actually really do it. Let's read this and then explore some revelatory truths from this passage of Scripture.
Matthew 8:1-3 (NLT)
1 Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside.
2 Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. "Lord," the man said, "if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean."
3 Jesus reached out and touched him. "I am willing," he said. "Be healed!" And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
This leper within our story had no doubt seen Jesus perform many miracles but from a distance of course, because it was not lawful for him to be near people that were whole. However, he knew Jesus could heal and do things that no other man could possibly do because he had watched from afar. However, he just was not very confident or sure that Jesus would do it on his behalf. He believed in the power of God because he saw it being manifested in others and probably heard of the many testimonies. Nonetheless, the leper was confident in the power of God to do the impossible, but the leper did not have confidence in God's love toward him.
Maybe some of you reading this today are like the leper in our text, having no problem believing in what God is capable of doing through His great power. But you ponder on the idea that He may not want to do anything in your case. I hope you will consider the Lord's response to this leper and settle this once and for all times.  |
When Life Doesn't Make Since
Have you ever asked yourself this question, what is going on when nothing makes since anymore? I have to admit I have had more than one of those days to say the least. I find myself questioning the decisions I might have made the day before and wondering where I went wrong. The truth is all of us will face times of uncertainty. Peter spoke about it in the book of James.
1 Peter 4:12
Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you.13 Instead, be very glad-for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.
We need to understand that we live in a fallen world but we serve a living God. God has equipped us for our journey through this earth. When we put our hope and trust in Him we will not be disappointed. Troubling times are here, but do not allow yourself to be overcome with fear and doubt.
Proverbs 3:5
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
Leaning has the sense of putting your whole weight on something, resting on and trusting in that person or thing. When we have an important decision to make, we sometimes feel that we can't trust anyone - not even God. But God knows what is best for us. He is a better judge of what we want than even we are! We must trust him completely in every choice we make. We should not omit careful thinking or belittle our God-given ability to reason; but we should not trust our own ideas to the exclusion of all others. We must not be wise in our own eyes. We should always be willing to listen to and be corrected by God's Word and wise counselors. Bring your decisions to God in prayer; use the Bible as your guide; and then follow God's leading. He will make your paths straight by both guiding and protecting you.
Today is full of opportunities; don't waste it thinking about what you didn't do yesterday.
Begin your day in prayer and in the Word; and know that God will help you to understand where you are, and show you where you are going. |
