'healing' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Matthew 9:18-26…“Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, ‘Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well.’ And instantly the woman was made well.” vs. 22 As Jesus had traveled through Galilee’s villages and towns in the course of his ministry he had developed a reputation as a healer. When word went out that he was in the area large crowds gathered, often to hear him speak, but also for the ill to receive his healing touch. And when that…
Daily Devotions
Matthew 9:9-13…“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up and followed him.” vs. 9 There is a painting in the Contarelli Chapel in Rome by the Italian master, Caravaggio, called “The Calling of St Matthew.” It shows Jesus, having entered a room, standing and pointing with an outstretched arm at one of five shadowy figures sitting at a table counting money.…
Daily Devotions
Hosea 5:15-6:3…“Come, let us return to the LORD; for it is he who has torn, and he will heal us; he has struck down, and he will bind us up.” vs. 1 Hosea was a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 8th century B.C.E. It was a time of turmoil and intrigue, with Israel having allied itself with Syria against Judah. While both Israel and Judah claimed a connection to the Lord, neither seems to have taken…
Daily Devotions
1 Corinthians 12:3b-11…“To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” vs. 7 Paul’s words to the Corinthians undermine one of the basic assumptions of contemporary Christianity, namely, that we engage in spiritual practices for the sake of strengthening our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. That sounds good and it speaks to our love of individualism as a national creed. But it wasn’t Paul’s vision of the Church. His phrase “for the common good” implies that…
Daily Devotions
John 9:1-12…“The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’” vss.8-9 In John’s story the people had gotten used to the blind man sitting and begging in the street. They saw him every day, and they were comfortable with his…
Daily Devotions
Psalm 23…“He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” vss. 2-3 While some folks love being a leader, there is probably even greater delight in having a leader! The psalmist made no bones about it. The Lord was his shepherd and he didn’t have a care in the world. His leader took care of all his material and spiritual needs,…
Daily Devotions
Romans 5:12-19… “For just as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” vs 19 While we may not agree with Paul’s interpretation of Genesis 3, we have to rejoice in the way he uses the story to proclaim the gospel of grace. His logic is impeccable. As in Adam the many were made sinners, in Jesus Christ the many are made righteous. He recognized that…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 49:5-7… “He says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’” vs. 6 As the prophet considered the mission of Israel he had come to believe that the Lord had a larger vision for his Servant. He tells the people…
Daily Devotions
Isaiah 63:7-9… “I will recount the gracious deeds of the Lord, the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, because of all that the Lord has done for us, and the great favour to the house of Israel that he has shown them according to his mercy, according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” vs. 7 When the people returned from exile in Babylon they found that the land of their dreams had been devastated. The walls of Jerusalem had been…
Daily Devotions
For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by Romans 3:21-28 One of the great universal truths is that the world is both good and broken, and every human experiences this through their entire lives. Paul described this brokenness as sin, a falling short of the glory of sin, and he told the Romans that all people are sinners. This is one teaching of Paul that we…
Daily Devotions
Then he said to him, ‘Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.’” vs. 19 Luke 17:15-19 Sometimes the details in the gospel’s healing stories are important. In this instance we note that Jesus never touched the lepers. Nor does he offer any prayer for their healing. He simply told them to go and show themselves to the priests which was the standard prescription in the book of Leviticus for dealing with any kind of…
Daily Devotions
As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’” vss. 12-13 Luke 17:11-14 There were several skin diseases endemic to the Holy Land, and those who suffered from them were known by the generic term “lepers.” It was believed that these diseases were spread by contact, and so anyone with a rash of any kind was considered contagious and subject to quarantine. Lepers evidently traveled in groups…