Blind—With an Incredible Imagination!

ALL – Psalm 113:1-114:8
ALL – Proverbs 15:15-17
OT – 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15
NT – John 9:1-41

Interesting passage for the day: Then Jesus told him, “I have come into the world to give sight to those who are spiritually blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.” – John 9:39, The Living Bible

Thought: How do blind people get along in life? With help, right? People care for them and guide them. Of course, they want to grow toward independence; they don’t want to always rely on other people. So they learn independence, but that independence comes as those who are blind learn to walk with guidance from a dog or a special cane, and as they learn lifestyle patterns that guide them through familiar steps at home and in their neighborhoods. They still need and depend on guidance—and they take the steps to get the guidance they need.

What if a blind person was unwilling to receive guidance? What if she insisted on making her own way all the time? What if a blind person imagined she could see and simply tried to go and do whatever her imagination suggested? A blind person following only his imagination would hurt himself terribly!

Jesus came to heal the blind—not just the physically blind, but the spiritually blind. But some of us spiritually blind people imagine we can see without Jesus’ healing.

Question: In what ways do you imagine you don’t need Jesus—even when Jesus is offering to help you?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Trust That’s Real

ALL – Psalm 105:16-36
ALL – Proverbs 14:26-27
OT – Ruth 2:1-4:22
NT – John 4:43-54

Interesting passage for the day: Then Jesus told him, “Go back home. Your son is healed!” And the man believed Jesus and started home. – John 4:50, The Living Bible

Thought: If my son was dying, I wouldn’t rest until the doctor had seen him. I wouldn’t be satisfied until my son had been treated, until his condition had stabilized, until I could see that the doctor actually was saving his life. The story of this man is amazing! He left his son at home and went to call for Jesus’ help. And when Jesus didn’t say, “Sure, I’m on my way,” this man didn’t complain. When Jesus said, “Go back home. Your son is healed,” this man didn’t question Him. This man believed Jesus. And how do we know that he believed Jesus? He simply went back home. He obeyed, even though he had not yet seen the truth of Jesus’ words. He believed Jesus was trustworthy, and he obeyed.

Question: How quickly do we obey Jesus? How often do we procrastinate until we’ve made sure we’ll be taken care of, rather than just trusting Him?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

Forgiveness or Healing – Which is Better?

ALL – Psalm 65:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 11:23
OT – Numbers 33:40-35:34
NT – Luke 5:12-28

When I began to work at Toccoa Falls College as an Application Coordinator in the Admissions Office, my supervisor was already a very sick lady. She had been battling cancer. Courageously. She was a Christian, and her trust was in her Lord Jesus Christ. She had found forgiveness of her sins through Him. But now she was sick, and growing more sick. And she wanted to be healed. We prayed for her to be healed.

Often when we read about Jesus’ ministry to the sick or disabled, we hear Him say, “I am willing to heal you. Rise and walk,” or something along those lines. We get used to those words. We find them to be extremely comforting. Jesus seems to put such a priority on healing people’s sick bodies. We know Jesus cares.

But in Luke we read the story of a paralyzed man. His friends had to work extra hard to bring him to Jesus. Jesus was inside a house, and they couldn’t even approach Jesus because of how crowded the place was. Their creative solution? This paralyzed man’s friends lowered him on his mat through a hole they made in the roof of the house! Obviously they were hoping for healing.

But Jesus’ first words to this paralyzed man weren’t, “Be healed.” Instead, Luke records this:

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven!” – Luke 5:20, The Living Bible

Jesus first words to the man were not healing, but forgiveness. It is only after some religious leaders challenge Jesus’ authority to forgive sins that Jesus turns to heal the man. The way the story reads, Jesus actually heals the paralyzed man more as evidence of His own authority to forgive sins than anything else. But finally the paralyzed man hears the words from Jesus’ lips:

Pick up your stretcher and go on home, for you are healed! – Luke 5:25, The Living Bible

The response?

And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat and went home praising God! – Luke 5:26, The Living Bible

Our attention is usually drawn to the fact that this man was healed. That’s what impresses us: the reality that he jumped to his feet, picked up his mat and went home. But what about the last two words in Luke 5:26, “praising God.” Do we notice those? Perhaps the man was praising God merely for his healing. But what if those two words are meant to indicate that his relationship with God had been healed? What if the fact that he was praising God had more to do with Jesus’ words, “Your sins are forgiven,” than His words, “You are healed”?

Which is better? Forgiveness? Or healing? A restored relationship with God or a restored body? If you say “healing,” what makes it better? If you say “forgiveness,” do you really believe that? Seriously? How often do we thank God for His forgiveness?

The Rest of the Week's Readings:
March 23, 2010

ALL – Psalm 66:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 11:24-26
OT – Numbers 36:1-Deuteronomy 1:46
NT – Luke 5:29-6:11

March 24, 2010

ALL – Psalm 67:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 11:27
OT – Deuteronomy 2:1-3:29
NT – Luke 6:12-38

March 25, 2010

ALL – Psalm 68:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 11:28
OT – Deuteronomy 4:1-49
NT – Luke 6:39-7:10

March 26, 2010

ALL – Psalm 68:19-35
ALL – Proverbs 11:29-31
OT – Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25
NT – Luke 7:11-35

March 27, 2010

ALL – Psalm 69:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 12:1
OT – Deuteronomy 7:1-8:20
NT – Luke 7:36-8:3

March 28, 2010

ALL – Psalm 69:19-36
ALL – Proverbs 12:2-3
OT – Deuteronomy 9:1-10:22
NT – Luke 8:4-21

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.

How Sick Are You?

ALL – Psalm 10:16-18
ALL – Proverbs 3:9-10
OT – Genesis 26:17-27:46
NT – Matthew 9:1-17

We hate going to the doctor. At least, many of us do. We’ll moan, groan, and walk around the house in our pajamas for a week. We’ll let our spouses serve us breakfast in bed, tuck us into bed, set us up in front of the TV with a remote and a bowl of chicken soup, and treat us—in general—like babies. But we won’t go to the doctor. And we sometimes despise people who do. “They’re always sick!” “They can’t take care of themselves.” “They’re hypochondriacs!”

When the Pharisees saw Jesus surrounded by “notorious swindlers,” as the Living Bible puts it, they couldn’t understand why Jesus would have anything to do with such people (Matt. 9:10-11). They had failed to discern that the Christ would come as a doctor, healing the spiritually sick. In response to their question about why Jesus associated with low-lifes, He said:

Because people who are well don’t need a doctor! It’s the sick people who do! – Matthew 9:12

The Pharisees were like those of us who get sick, but refuse to see a doctor. Instead, they were trying to tell the Doctor how to run His practice. Jesus wasn’t diverted by them at all. He continued to minister to the spiritually sick and to heal them.

Have you realized how sick you are? Have you come to Jesus for healing?

To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.