Read: Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22; Psalm 69:19-36; Proverbs 12:2-3
It is so interesting to hear God tell the children of Israel that he was not giving the land because they deserved, it because they didn’t. God was giving them the land because the inhabitants were so evil and he wanted someone else to occupy the land and because he had promised that land to Abraham and his descendants.
God reminded them of how angry he got when they rebelled and made the golden calf. He had wanted to destroy them and erase their name from under heaven but Moses interceded for them. Moses fasted for 40 days and nights praying for mercy for them.
Then Moses reminded them of all the times they made God angry: at the rock when they wanted water, when they complained of no meat and God sent quail, or when the Kohath family wanted to take over the priesthood and the leadership from Moses.
They had broken all of the Ten Commandments just like Moses did when he broke the first copy. Moses went back up to God and he gave him another chance. This was their second chance to obey and he was begging them to change their stubborn hearts and fear God. Moses tried to tell them that God was a good loving god and he is the only God. He had done great things for them and was worthy of their worship.
In Luke we learn that we are to pay attention to what we hear and how we hear it. The seed is God’s word and he scatters it everywhere. The soil is our heart and the condition of our heart determines how we process the seed. The chances of the seed bearing fruit also is contingent on where we are. If we are in the broad pathway we are walking on the broad road that leads to destruction so no wonder that Satan doesn’t steal that seed. The rocky soil is the road with stumbling stones all in it. That is a heart that has not rid itself of offenses but it full of unforgiveness. Rocks stand for words and our hearts can get so full of all the words people have said to us or about us or that we have said about ourselves. These rocks need to be removed so that the seed can have room to go deep enough for roots. The third soil is full of thorns. Thorns are curses, bitter roots and hatred. All of these things lead us to look to what others have, and want their stuff and their life. This eventually leads to strife and murder. The seed is crowded out of this heart.
The good soil is the heart that is honest and has not let the world consume it. That heart will be able to hold the seed and allow it to grow. Our Proverbs says it well: “the godly have deep roots.”
The result of the seed growing is that they will produce photosynthesis which is light! They will nourish anyone who comes in contact with them.
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Friday, March 27, 2020
Fri.’s Devo - By Faith
Read: Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20; Luke7:36-8:3; Psalm 69:1-18; Proverbs 12:1
In the Old Testament the pagan people represented demonic spirits that we fight in the spirit. There were seven nations that the Israelites were to face in the promised land. They were the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They stood for fear, fornication, witchcraft, idolatry, envy, liars, and hate. Those are the enemies that we are to make ho treaties with and show no mercy to. They will lead us away from the Lord and we will end up worshipping another god that will destroy us.
God warned his people that these nations were a trap that would snare them. He told them not to be afraid of those nations because God is a great and awesome God. He would drive them out ahead of them little by little, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for them. He promised to throw their enemies into complete confusion until they were destroyed. They were to erase their names from the face of the earth.
That is exactly how God cleans out our enemies -little by little. God works on us issue by issue, memory by memory. There is no instant deliverance or 12 step program and then you are free from all your demons. God brings up memories as we can handle them. Then we have to forgive, ask for forgiveness and repent. It is a life-time process. There are great rewards along the way!
In Luke, Jesus is at the home of one of the Pharisees named Simon. If Simon had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, he would have washed his feet, greeted him with a kiss and anointed his head with oil. Instead, a prostitute had to show him the way to salvation. She understood that Jesus was the Messiah, so her sins were forgiven and her faith saved her.
There are many people who want to know about God but only the humble and repentant will be saved.
In the Old Testament the pagan people represented demonic spirits that we fight in the spirit. There were seven nations that the Israelites were to face in the promised land. They were the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They stood for fear, fornication, witchcraft, idolatry, envy, liars, and hate. Those are the enemies that we are to make ho treaties with and show no mercy to. They will lead us away from the Lord and we will end up worshipping another god that will destroy us.
God warned his people that these nations were a trap that would snare them. He told them not to be afraid of those nations because God is a great and awesome God. He would drive them out ahead of them little by little, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for them. He promised to throw their enemies into complete confusion until they were destroyed. They were to erase their names from the face of the earth.
That is exactly how God cleans out our enemies -little by little. God works on us issue by issue, memory by memory. There is no instant deliverance or 12 step program and then you are free from all your demons. God brings up memories as we can handle them. Then we have to forgive, ask for forgiveness and repent. It is a life-time process. There are great rewards along the way!
In Luke, Jesus is at the home of one of the Pharisees named Simon. If Simon had believed that Jesus was the Messiah, he would have washed his feet, greeted him with a kiss and anointed his head with oil. Instead, a prostitute had to show him the way to salvation. She understood that Jesus was the Messiah, so her sins were forgiven and her faith saved her.
There are many people who want to know about God but only the humble and repentant will be saved.
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Thurs.’s Devo- God’s Ways
Read: Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31
Moses wanted to read to them the ten commandments that God had given to them on Mount Sinai when he spoke to them “face to face”. This was the event when God betrothed Israel to himself. Rejecting these commandments would cause a penalty on the parents and the entire family, even to the third and fourth generation. Those who loved and obeyed them would be rewarded with God’s lavish love for a thousand of their generations.
Moses reminded them of God’s display of power on that first Pentecost when he first gave them his marriage contract - the Ten Commandments to his people. He wrote them on stone tablets.
Moses told them over and over that if they obeyed his commandments when they came into the land that God had promised them, they would be blessed with many children. They would be given land with prosperous cities they didn’t build. Their houses would be stocked with goods they did not produce. They would draw water from wells they didn’t dig and eat from vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant. When they became prosperous they were not to forget God.
In Luke, Jesus brought resurrection life to a young boy in the middle of his funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus’ heart overflowed with compassion. I wonder if he wasn’t thinking of his own mother and how she would feel about his death.
Jesus walked over and touched the coffin which would have made him unclean, then he talked to the dead boy and told him to wake up. Can you imagine the shock when the boy immediately sat up and spoke? Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
John the Baptist was in prison and had preached that the Messiah would set the prisoner free. I’m sure he was wondering why Jesus hadn’t come and “set him free”. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was indeed the Messiah. Jesus told them to tell John all the miracles he WAS doing. Jesus then made the statement: “Blessed is he who is not offended in me.” In other words…Jesus was prompting John to focus on the things he was doing instead of the one thing he wasn’t doing. God’s ways are not our ways, but his are always the best. This is a great reminder to us to remember all the wonderful things God has done for us and to trust him with the one thing we are still waiting on.
When Jesus had finished preaching, the crowd and even the tax collectors agreed that God’s way was right. They could receive Jesus’ words because they had received John’s baptism. The Pharisees couldn’t receive Jesus’ words because they hadn’t received John’s baptism. We have to humble ourselves and repent before we can be saved.
Lord, thank you for your perfect ways! We submit our lives to your plan especially when we don’t understand it.
Moses wanted to read to them the ten commandments that God had given to them on Mount Sinai when he spoke to them “face to face”. This was the event when God betrothed Israel to himself. Rejecting these commandments would cause a penalty on the parents and the entire family, even to the third and fourth generation. Those who loved and obeyed them would be rewarded with God’s lavish love for a thousand of their generations.
Moses reminded them of God’s display of power on that first Pentecost when he first gave them his marriage contract - the Ten Commandments to his people. He wrote them on stone tablets.
Moses told them over and over that if they obeyed his commandments when they came into the land that God had promised them, they would be blessed with many children. They would be given land with prosperous cities they didn’t build. Their houses would be stocked with goods they did not produce. They would draw water from wells they didn’t dig and eat from vineyards and olive trees they didn’t plant. When they became prosperous they were not to forget God.
In Luke, Jesus brought resurrection life to a young boy in the middle of his funeral. He was the only son of a widow. Jesus’ heart overflowed with compassion. I wonder if he wasn’t thinking of his own mother and how she would feel about his death.
Jesus walked over and touched the coffin which would have made him unclean, then he talked to the dead boy and told him to wake up. Can you imagine the shock when the boy immediately sat up and spoke? Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
John the Baptist was in prison and had preached that the Messiah would set the prisoner free. I’m sure he was wondering why Jesus hadn’t come and “set him free”. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was indeed the Messiah. Jesus told them to tell John all the miracles he WAS doing. Jesus then made the statement: “Blessed is he who is not offended in me.” In other words…Jesus was prompting John to focus on the things he was doing instead of the one thing he wasn’t doing. God’s ways are not our ways, but his are always the best. This is a great reminder to us to remember all the wonderful things God has done for us and to trust him with the one thing we are still waiting on.
When Jesus had finished preaching, the crowd and even the tax collectors agreed that God’s way was right. They could receive Jesus’ words because they had received John’s baptism. The Pharisees couldn’t receive Jesus’ words because they hadn’t received John’s baptism. We have to humble ourselves and repent before we can be saved.
Lord, thank you for your perfect ways! We submit our lives to your plan especially when we don’t understand it.
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Wed.’s Devo - Our Graven Image
Read: Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Luke 6:39-7:10; Psalm 68:1-18; Proverbs 11:28
I have to remind myself that Moses is talking to the children who had stood at Mt. Sinai and were probably scared to death as they felt the earth quake and saw the lightning and thunder and the fire on top of the mountain. They had heard the voice of God speak out loud. It had to have made a lasting impression on them. Although, they were quite forgetful as we all are.
God told them that his laws were so wise and fair that other nations would be amazed. Our Founding Fathers of America wrote our Constitution based on the laws of the Bible. We are looked at with envy by the people of other nations. Right now we are in a battle to protect our freedoms and laws. There are laws that we have added that need to be eradicated, but God is raising up lawmakers who are doing that very thing. We need to pray that they prevail.
God was very specific about them not making a graven image to represent him. In Hebrews 1:3, the writter of Hebrews wrote that Jesus was the “express image” of God’s person. “Express image” means a graven copy. Jesus was the graven image of God. He did not want them to make something they thought he would look like because they would never make something to look like Jesus. God didn’t want them to have any preconceived notions of what Jesus would look like so they wouldn’t miss him when he came. Sadly, many did miss him when he came because they had images in their head and Jesus did not match their images. We are guilty of doing the same thing when we imaging what God should do in our lives. When he doesn’t do it our way, we get discouraged and it affects our faith. God wants us to totally trust him because we can not imagine his great plan. His ways are beyond our imagination.
Moses tried to imprint on their minds and hearts how special they were that God would chose them, reveal himself to them and personally deliver them from their bondage and give them a new land of their own. Isn’t that the perfect picture of what God has done for us! He reminded them that God was in heaven and on earth and there is no other god than him. All they had to do was to obey his commands and they would have a good long life.
In Luke, Jesus told his disciples that they would never be greater than him but they could be like him. What a great promise! Jesus went on to explain that we grow fruit from allowing Jesus to change our hearts. Fruit grows from our heart. Then he demonstrated it.
There was a Roman officer who had good fruit in his heart. He sent some respected Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal his slave who was sick. He even sent news to Jesus that he was not worthy of a visit to his house, but if he would send healing by his word, it would be enough. Jesus marveled at his faith and sent his word and the slave was healed. This man had a heart of compassion and faith.
Lord, help us to have a heart full of fruit. Thank you for delivering us out of our bondage and giving us freedom.
I have to remind myself that Moses is talking to the children who had stood at Mt. Sinai and were probably scared to death as they felt the earth quake and saw the lightning and thunder and the fire on top of the mountain. They had heard the voice of God speak out loud. It had to have made a lasting impression on them. Although, they were quite forgetful as we all are.
God told them that his laws were so wise and fair that other nations would be amazed. Our Founding Fathers of America wrote our Constitution based on the laws of the Bible. We are looked at with envy by the people of other nations. Right now we are in a battle to protect our freedoms and laws. There are laws that we have added that need to be eradicated, but God is raising up lawmakers who are doing that very thing. We need to pray that they prevail.
God was very specific about them not making a graven image to represent him. In Hebrews 1:3, the writter of Hebrews wrote that Jesus was the “express image” of God’s person. “Express image” means a graven copy. Jesus was the graven image of God. He did not want them to make something they thought he would look like because they would never make something to look like Jesus. God didn’t want them to have any preconceived notions of what Jesus would look like so they wouldn’t miss him when he came. Sadly, many did miss him when he came because they had images in their head and Jesus did not match their images. We are guilty of doing the same thing when we imaging what God should do in our lives. When he doesn’t do it our way, we get discouraged and it affects our faith. God wants us to totally trust him because we can not imagine his great plan. His ways are beyond our imagination.
Moses tried to imprint on their minds and hearts how special they were that God would chose them, reveal himself to them and personally deliver them from their bondage and give them a new land of their own. Isn’t that the perfect picture of what God has done for us! He reminded them that God was in heaven and on earth and there is no other god than him. All they had to do was to obey his commands and they would have a good long life.
In Luke, Jesus told his disciples that they would never be greater than him but they could be like him. What a great promise! Jesus went on to explain that we grow fruit from allowing Jesus to change our hearts. Fruit grows from our heart. Then he demonstrated it.
There was a Roman officer who had good fruit in his heart. He sent some respected Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal his slave who was sick. He even sent news to Jesus that he was not worthy of a visit to his house, but if he would send healing by his word, it would be enough. Jesus marveled at his faith and sent his word and the slave was healed. This man had a heart of compassion and faith.
Lord, help us to have a heart full of fruit. Thank you for delivering us out of our bondage and giving us freedom.
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Tues.’s Devo - God’s Ways
Read: Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29; Luke 6:12-38; Psalm 67:1-7; Proverbs 11:27
It is interesting to realize that God gave land to other nations as well as Israel. Israel was to respect their opponent’s land and pay them to pass through their land. They were not to take any land that God didn’t give them. God had destroyed the Rephaites so that the Ammonites could have their land. He also helped the Ammonites occupy the land of the Horites. God owns the land and he decides who can live and where they can live.
If a nation refused to let Israel pass through their land, then they had to get God’s permission to destroy them or go around them. God let them destroy King Og of Bashan and The king of Sihon and take their land because they refused to let Israel pass through their land.
Moses begged God to let him cross over and see the promised land but God would not budge. He told Moses he could climb Pisgah Peak and from there he would be able to see it. Joshua would be the one to lead them over the Jordan into their land.
I wonder if Jesus needed sleep. He spent many nights praying and then spent the whole day ministering to the people. His food came from doing the will of his Father and his energy came from the same source. Jesus gave his famous sermon from the mount explaining the ways of God which are contrary to man’s. Those who suffer now will laugh later. Those who are rich now, will be poor later. What he was saying was the ones who follow him will receive their reward in abundance when their lives are over. Those who want everything now and feed their flesh will suffer in eternity. Our enemies are not flesh and blood so if we are kind to our enemies we will be imitating God who is compassionate to all.
Lord, may we have your compassion and walk in kindness and forgiveness.
It is interesting to realize that God gave land to other nations as well as Israel. Israel was to respect their opponent’s land and pay them to pass through their land. They were not to take any land that God didn’t give them. God had destroyed the Rephaites so that the Ammonites could have their land. He also helped the Ammonites occupy the land of the Horites. God owns the land and he decides who can live and where they can live.
If a nation refused to let Israel pass through their land, then they had to get God’s permission to destroy them or go around them. God let them destroy King Og of Bashan and The king of Sihon and take their land because they refused to let Israel pass through their land.
Moses begged God to let him cross over and see the promised land but God would not budge. He told Moses he could climb Pisgah Peak and from there he would be able to see it. Joshua would be the one to lead them over the Jordan into their land.
I wonder if Jesus needed sleep. He spent many nights praying and then spent the whole day ministering to the people. His food came from doing the will of his Father and his energy came from the same source. Jesus gave his famous sermon from the mount explaining the ways of God which are contrary to man’s. Those who suffer now will laugh later. Those who are rich now, will be poor later. What he was saying was the ones who follow him will receive their reward in abundance when their lives are over. Those who want everything now and feed their flesh will suffer in eternity. Our enemies are not flesh and blood so if we are kind to our enemies we will be imitating God who is compassionate to all.
Lord, may we have your compassion and walk in kindness and forgiveness.
Monday, March 23, 2020
Mon.’s Devo - God’s Government
Read: Numbers 36:1; Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29-6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26
The land was to stay in the tribes first laid out, so if a daughter owned property, she must marry someone from her own tribe to keep the property in that tribe. Land was not to be altered.
It should have taken the Israelites 11 days to travel from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but instead it took them 40 years because of their lack of faith.
God’s plan of government was that Moses was their leader and judge were appointed to help him settle the disputes of the people. Moses and the judges were to be God’s representatives down on earth. That is what we are suppose to be. Our existence on the earth should bring justice and right government. When the Body of Christ is functioning as it should, there should be peace in the land. We are suppose to be affecting and governing our society. We have a real enemy who uses intimidation and fear to keep us from doing that but we need to rise up in our Spirits, be fearless and bring righteousness to our generation.
In Luke, Jesus couldn’t please the Pharisees. They got mad that he chose to eat with sinners and tax collectors instead of them. They got mad that he didn’t fast regularly like John the Baptist did. Jesus explained that he ate with the sinners because they understood that they needed a savior. The Pharisees thought they were righteous because of all their pious works. Their self-righteousness kept them from being able to enter into God’s kingdom. Jesus explained this in the story of the new cloth and the new wineskins. They had to be born again and new to be able to hold the new thing God was doing on the earth. Instead, the teachers of the law refused to change.
Jesus healed the man with the deformed hand on the Sabbath and they were irate. They called it “work”. One of the reasons they got so mad about Jesus’ miracles was that these deformed people bribed the Pharisee’s to bring their offering to the Lord because the law states that no deformed person could offer an offering to the Lord. Once Jesus healed them, there was no need to bribe the Pharisees any more. The priesthood had become so corrupt and cold. In spite of the majority, there were a few priests who were genuine in their search for the Messiah and they would eventually come to believe.
Lord, help us to not be deceived by our preconceived ideas about You and how you work. We lay down our ways to follow your’s. Give us your thoughts and renew our hearts.
The land was to stay in the tribes first laid out, so if a daughter owned property, she must marry someone from her own tribe to keep the property in that tribe. Land was not to be altered.
It should have taken the Israelites 11 days to travel from Mt. Sinai to the promised land but instead it took them 40 years because of their lack of faith.
God’s plan of government was that Moses was their leader and judge were appointed to help him settle the disputes of the people. Moses and the judges were to be God’s representatives down on earth. That is what we are suppose to be. Our existence on the earth should bring justice and right government. When the Body of Christ is functioning as it should, there should be peace in the land. We are suppose to be affecting and governing our society. We have a real enemy who uses intimidation and fear to keep us from doing that but we need to rise up in our Spirits, be fearless and bring righteousness to our generation.
In Luke, Jesus couldn’t please the Pharisees. They got mad that he chose to eat with sinners and tax collectors instead of them. They got mad that he didn’t fast regularly like John the Baptist did. Jesus explained that he ate with the sinners because they understood that they needed a savior. The Pharisees thought they were righteous because of all their pious works. Their self-righteousness kept them from being able to enter into God’s kingdom. Jesus explained this in the story of the new cloth and the new wineskins. They had to be born again and new to be able to hold the new thing God was doing on the earth. Instead, the teachers of the law refused to change.
Jesus healed the man with the deformed hand on the Sabbath and they were irate. They called it “work”. One of the reasons they got so mad about Jesus’ miracles was that these deformed people bribed the Pharisee’s to bring their offering to the Lord because the law states that no deformed person could offer an offering to the Lord. Once Jesus healed them, there was no need to bribe the Pharisees any more. The priesthood had become so corrupt and cold. In spite of the majority, there were a few priests who were genuine in their search for the Messiah and they would eventually come to believe.
Lord, help us to not be deceived by our preconceived ideas about You and how you work. We lay down our ways to follow your’s. Give us your thoughts and renew our hearts.
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Sun.’s Devo - God is in Control!
Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34; Luke 5:12-28; Psalm 65:1-13; Proverbs 11:23
The king of Arad in Canaan heard that the people of Israel ere approaching his land. The Israelites continued journeying till they came to the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. God told Moses to tell them that when they crossed over they were to drive out all the people living there and destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. If they didn’t it would be a thorn in their side and splinters to their eyes.
The land was to be distributed according to the number of people. God gave them the borders of their land and told them to set up towns within every tribe for the Levites. Their town would include 2,000 cubits or 1,500 feet of land outside their walls for pasture. That is the same distance that the ark had to have between it and the people when it was carried (Joshua 3:4).
Six cities of refuge had to be set up to try murder cases. If their was a witness and the man was guilty, then a close relative was the avenger of blood and his job was to kill the murderer. If he had no witness and he pled innocent, the community would investigate his case and if they believed he was innocent they would escort him to the city of refuge. There he would stay until the death of the high priest and then he could return to his land innocent. If he ever left the city before the death of the high priest, the avenger of blood was free to kill him.
This is a picture of what happened after death. If a man was righteous, he stayed in Sheol in a city of refuge. When Jesus, our High Priest, died, he descended into Sheol and led captivity captive. He released them from their chains and took them with him to heaven after his resurrection. Jesus was the first fruit to rise from the dead. Many people saw these resurrected people walking the streets of Jerusalem awaiting his rising (Matthew 27:51-53).
God explained that murder pollutes the land and no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder. Jesus became our scapegoat that took on himself the sin of murder so that we could be purified and our land could be purified.
In Luke, Jesus healed a man with an advanced case of leprosy. No one had ever been healed of leprosy except the captain of Syria. The Pharisees believed that one of the signs of the Messiah would be that he would heal a Jewish leper. That is why Jesus told him to present himself to the priest. It would be a sign to them that the Messiah had come. Of course, they were too blind to see past their jealousy and the fact that he wasn’t coming in the earth suit that they were expecting him to come in. God’s deliverers don’t always look like we want them to look. Great men of history have been adulterers, murderers, sinners and addicts, but God used them because they had what it took to be a leader and get his purposes done. God is in control of a nation, not the leader. The leader is his pawn and he choses the least likely candidates. May that wisdom help you in the days ahead. History books remember their accomplishments, not their blemishes.
Lord, help us to see through your eyes and not our own opinions. You are in total control!
The king of Arad in Canaan heard that the people of Israel ere approaching his land. The Israelites continued journeying till they came to the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River, across from Jericho. God told Moses to tell them that when they crossed over they were to drive out all the people living there and destroy all their carved and molten images and demolish all their pagan shrines. If they didn’t it would be a thorn in their side and splinters to their eyes.
The land was to be distributed according to the number of people. God gave them the borders of their land and told them to set up towns within every tribe for the Levites. Their town would include 2,000 cubits or 1,500 feet of land outside their walls for pasture. That is the same distance that the ark had to have between it and the people when it was carried (Joshua 3:4).
Six cities of refuge had to be set up to try murder cases. If their was a witness and the man was guilty, then a close relative was the avenger of blood and his job was to kill the murderer. If he had no witness and he pled innocent, the community would investigate his case and if they believed he was innocent they would escort him to the city of refuge. There he would stay until the death of the high priest and then he could return to his land innocent. If he ever left the city before the death of the high priest, the avenger of blood was free to kill him.
This is a picture of what happened after death. If a man was righteous, he stayed in Sheol in a city of refuge. When Jesus, our High Priest, died, he descended into Sheol and led captivity captive. He released them from their chains and took them with him to heaven after his resurrection. Jesus was the first fruit to rise from the dead. Many people saw these resurrected people walking the streets of Jerusalem awaiting his rising (Matthew 27:51-53).
God explained that murder pollutes the land and no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder. Jesus became our scapegoat that took on himself the sin of murder so that we could be purified and our land could be purified.
In Luke, Jesus healed a man with an advanced case of leprosy. No one had ever been healed of leprosy except the captain of Syria. The Pharisees believed that one of the signs of the Messiah would be that he would heal a Jewish leper. That is why Jesus told him to present himself to the priest. It would be a sign to them that the Messiah had come. Of course, they were too blind to see past their jealousy and the fact that he wasn’t coming in the earth suit that they were expecting him to come in. God’s deliverers don’t always look like we want them to look. Great men of history have been adulterers, murderers, sinners and addicts, but God used them because they had what it took to be a leader and get his purposes done. God is in control of a nation, not the leader. The leader is his pawn and he choses the least likely candidates. May that wisdom help you in the days ahead. History books remember their accomplishments, not their blemishes.
Lord, help us to see through your eyes and not our own opinions. You are in total control!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)