Fri.’s Devo - The Power

Read: Matthew 9-10
Today we have Matthew’s account of his own calling to follow Jesus. Jesus made it very simple for his disciples. He told them to follow him and he showed them what to do to be his disciple. They watched him forgive sins, heal the sick, cast out demons, open blind eyes and raise the dead. Then he gave them power and sent them out on their own and told them to do the same. Jesus gave us this same power in Acts 1 and 2. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. And, he has sent us out to do the same thing. We can only do this if we have the power of the Holy Spirit and to get it we only have to ask.
After Jesus had done a great miracle for someone he always asked them not to tell who did it. How different that is from what we do. We see God move in our ministry and we promote ourselves so everyone will come see what “we” can do. Jesus was always trying to stay in the background so he could move easier and not get swept away by pride and fame. The only trouble was that what he had was so extraordinary that the people couldn’t keep quiet. They were his promoters, not himself.
We have seen so many people start out humbly with a gift and once the crowd recognized their talent they exalted them to a status no one could measure up to. I read an interview the other day about Justin Beeber who is now a professing Christian and he said that they tried to make him bad. He says that he has returned to his Christian roots and seems to be sincere. We as his brothers and sisters need to pray for him to be surrounded with people that will disciple him and help him grow in his faith. What a testimony he could be for Jesus. Jesus said, that it was the sick that needed a physician and that is who he targeted.
Lord, help us to go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and do the works that You did.