MORNING DEVOTION- "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
Scripture Reading: Luke 5:12-16
From the very beginning of His earthly ministry Jesus began to transform the lives of everyone He touched. Multitudes of people were drawn to Jesus everywhere He went, and were receiving healing for their sicknesses and diseases (reference Luke 4:38-40). Jesus, who had been sent into the world as an act of indescribable and unimaginable love from the heavenly Father, could not help but express that love in tangible ways to everyone He came in contact with.
The news of Jesus was spreading quickly, however many thought of Him as only a miracle worker or a healer. Truly He had come to heal them, but His concern was for more than just their temporal physical needs. Jesus' mission was much greater. He had been sent to redeem mankind from their sins and restore them to a right relationship with the Father. He knew He had limited time to accomplish His work, and to prepare a people who would proclaim His message after He was gone. The news of Jesus' power to heal drew large crowds everywhere He went, and this was beginning to hinder His ability to minister and teach the good news of the kingdom of God. He wanted people to come to Him for the spiritual healing He had to offer, and not just for the physical healing He was capable of. "Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places" (Mark 1:45b).
Jesus had come to display the glory of the Father and to complete His work. While His ability to heal displayed His divine power, it was not quite time for Him to be fully revealed. It wouldn't be long before the people would recognize Jesus as their Savior, but not as the Father intended; instead, they were looking for a deliverer who would rescue them from Roman oppression. This was not the kingdom He had come to establish. The work He came to do would greatly improve the quality of their lives, as He would ultimately deliver them from the oppression of a far greater enemy. The people were desperate for healing, they began to show up in droves to be near the One who could meet their present physical needs, "so He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed" (Luke 5:16, NKJV). It was here, in the quiet place of prayer, away from crowds, where Jesus received the strength and peace He needed for each day. His prayer life demonstrated how absolutely dependent He was upon the Father. and how vital it was that He listen to only One voice, despite all the demanding cries of the people. He would let nothing deter Him from His love relationship with the Father, nor hinder Him from sharing that extraordinary love in the way it would be most beneficial to the people. "For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).
Heavenly Father,
. There are so many people around us who are hurting
and need healing on so many levels.
There are days when the burdens can be so overwhelming.
Help us to respond affirmatively to Your call to meet You in that secret place of prayer each day
so we can lay these needs at Your feet, and in the stillness and quiet of our prayer closet listen to Your tender and compassionate voice as You give us the direction we need
to do the work You've called us to do. Teach us, Lord Jesus, to pray down the blessing, healing,
strength, and provision for those You've placed in our path that will best fulfill
Your purposes for their lives. Protect us from getting in the way of the
work You have purposed for them, because we may think we know what is
best for their lives; and help us to be obedient at the moment You
require us to act on their behalf.
Thank You for being our help and shield, our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
We praise You that we are never powerless or helpless when
we come to You in prayer.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
We are surrounded by a world of people desperately needing help, healing, and salvation. As people of prayer, our hearts are filled with compassion to help others, just as Jesus' was, but we may feel constrained by limited time and resources. Prayer was Jesus' secret weapon to meeting the needs of the multitude while still remaining on mission; and it is ours too! The Lord has placed each of us in our own circle of influence, and has burdened our hearts to meet specific needs through our various giftings, ministries, and resources. May we pray for His wisdom and discernment to know how to best help those He has connected our lives and ministries with. Let us pray for a deeper understanding of His heart, and how He desires to reach them in the way that will achieve His higher purposes for their lives, testify to His incredible goodness, and ultimately bring glory to God. At times we may feel powerless or penniless to help those we desperately desire to reach, but if we are willing to take the time to bring them before the Lord in prayer we can be assured that the Lord will provide for them exactly what they need. As we pray for the very real physical needs of the people all around us, let us not forget that we have all the power, authority, and resources of heaven at our disposal to meet their greater spiritual need.
AFTERNOON DEVOTION -"Evening, and morning, and noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17, KJV).
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:40-45
The account of the healing of the leper is recorded in three of the gospels (see also Matthew 8:1-4). There is much to be learned from this mans approach - he came helpless and powerless, bowing himself in humility before the One who he firmly believed had power to heal him. Jesus' response was one of tenderness and compassion. He touched the diseased man with His sinless perfection, and the affliction was immediately removed. Jesus then commanded him to not proclaim the message of his healing until he had first shown himself to the priest in Jerusalem. "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them" (v.44). Jesus had come to meet the needs of all the people. To those who would question His authority He sent the leper to offer a sacrifice as a witness of the authenticity of his healing. Jesus knew the opposition to His mission was growing just as quickly as the crowds that followed Him. There was still much work to be done and He didn't want anything hindering that work.
Jesus told the leper to not "tell" anyone, but to "show" himself to the priest. As His followers today, we are the visible representation of Christ to the world. Every day we have an opportunity to "show" the world the transformation power that has taken place in our own lives, by proclaiming the glory of God through the love we share with others. May we ask God to show us where our words have not been fully aligned with our actions, and be willing to repent and reform our ways. Let us pray and ask the Lord for greater opportunities to display His love to those in need so they will experience His healing touch. May we do so with the same tenderness and compassion our Lord showed to the man afflicted with leprosy, so the message of the gospel will be proclaimed with purity and power.
Heavenly Father,
Forgive us when the words we say
fail to match the things we do,
causing a hindrance to Your kingdom
rather than furthering it. Help our every word
and deed proclaim the glory of Your name.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
If we were forbidden to "tell" others of the wonderful love of God, how then would we "show" them? Much of the world has become disenchanted and disillusioned with the Church today, because they see people who call themselves "Christian" as being hypocritical and intolerant. As a result there is a growing hostility towards religion and religious freedom in America. This has led to the development of "hate crimes" laws and other legislation aimed at silencing Christians. "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:19-20). We have been called by God to "speak the truth in love" (reference Ephesians 4:15). We are to proclaim God's love to the world as we express His love-in-action to one another. We have been shown the mercy of God so that we might offer ourselves as "living sacrifices" to God, and become a living testimony to the world of His holiness, goodness and grace (reference Romans 12:1). There is no greater testimony of God's love than the love we show for one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). May we no longer conform to the pattern of the world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds (reference Romans 12:1-2) as we live according to the pattern that Jesus set forth for us - proclaiming His great message of love and salvation as we pray for one another and for the advancement of His kingdom in this world. Let us pray for boldness and courage among all believers despite rising hostility and religious persecution in our country. This afternoon, pray for those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected by the growing attacks on religious liberty in the public arena, the schoolhouse, churches and ministries, and the military. Let us also continue to pray fervently for the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage which will only further threaten our religious freedom. "Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them" (Luke 7:22).
EVENING MEDITATION -"...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2)
Scripture Reading: Psalm 19
This Psalm of David speaks of the perfect revelation of the Lord as His creative and eternal power is brought to light through the silent, but powerful, speech of the sky. Every day the heavens provide a wondrous revelation of the handiwork of God. They proclaim the glory of the Creator as the light of the sun makes its way from one end of the earth to another. As the sun begins to set on this day, let us take some time to meditate on this Psalm and be reminded, that, as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, our Bridegroom will soon be coming for His Bride. Let us, therefore, gaze upon His excellency, His infinite perfection, His sovereignty and dominion as we sit beneath the stars and pray to the One whose love is "higher than the heavens," and whose "faithfulness reaches to the skies" (Psalm 108:4) May we allow Him to purify and cleanse us through His Word and His tender touch, as He did the leper; and to teach us to obey His commands, realizing the urgency of the hour, so that we will be prepared and willing to proclaim the glorious message of His saving grace with our every word and deed. Pray for His light to radiate through you as you make your rounds tomorrow, so that the people around you would "see" (though they may not have ears to hear) your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (reference Matthew 5:16).
