Scripture

“I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralysed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home.”

Observation

Jesus goes back across the lake to his own town. Some people bring a paralysed man to Him. He tells the man that his sins are forgiven.

Some of the religious leaders complain that Jesus is speaking blasphemy, and thinks that He is God.

To prove them wrong, Jesus then tells the paralysed man to stand up and walk. The man is healed.

Application

Is it easier to offer healing or forgiveness?

Death in the world is caused by sin. Jesus dealt with this on the cross, and therefore healing is a part of the blessing of the new Covenant.

Later, after the resurrection, Jesus would say to his disciples, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

We must step out confidently and offer both forgiveness and healing to the people we know.

Prayer

Lord, you have given your people tremendous authority and power. Please help me to walk in the grace and power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Scripture
The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him.”

Observation
Jesus and the disciples go across the lake. A fierce storm strikes the lake, threatening to sink the boat, but Jesus is sleeping through it. They wake Him, asking Him to save them.

Jesus gets up and rebuked the wind and waves. Suddenly everything is calm, and the disciples are amazed.

On the other side of the lake, they meet two men who are possessed by many demons. The demons scream at Jesus, acknowledging Him as the Son of God. They beg to be sent into a nearby heard of pigs. Jesus sends them out, and the pigs throw themselves into the water.

Application
Jesus is truly the Son of God. Even the demons acknowledge this. The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ power, but the demons knew exactly who He was, and the power that He could wield against them.

Jesus has power over the most extreme storms. With a word He commands the winds and waves to be still.

Jesus has power over the strongest and most crippling of demons. One word from the Lord and they must flee.

Whatever opposition we face in our walk with Jesus, He is the one who overcomes.

Prayer
Thank you Jesus for the assurance of your victory. Lord, please calm the storms of my life and cast out the demons that afflict me. Amen.

Scripture

When Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.

Observation

Jesus goes to Peter’s house, where Peter’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Jesus touches her hand, and the fever leaves her. She gets up and prepares a meal for him.

Many people are brought to Jesus. He casts out all the evil spirits and heals all the sick.

A teacher of the law promises to follow Jesus wherever he goes. Another person wants to follow Jesus, but must bury his father first. Jesus tells him to let the dead bury their own dead, and to follow him now.

Application

A touch from the Lord is all it takes to be healed by Jesus. It is amazing how little it takes for Jesus to heal a person.

I struggle with this because I see so little evidence of the same quality of healing.

Matthew tells us that Jesus cast out demons with a simple command and healed all the sick people.

We need to learn a simple faith that takes God at His word. If Jesus has truly passed on his authority to us, His disciples, then surely we have the same authority to heal as He had.

It is time to touch the hands those who have a fever and command healing in the name of Jesus/

Prayer

Thank you Lord for your power power to heal. Help me to trust you and to know that you are sill in the healing ministry. Amen.

Scripture

“This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”

Observation

Jesus and the crowd go down the mountain, where a leper asks Jesus to heal him.

Jesus reaches out and touches him and then commands the man, “Be healed.” Jesus then tells the man not to tell anyone, but instead to go to the priest for examination and make the offering required by the law of Moses.

Application

We should all have a testimony about Jesus that we can share in public, that is with our family and friends. For this man, the testimony was to obey the law of Moses for cleansed lepers. No doubt he would get to tell the priest about Jesus.

The man born blind had a very simple testimony, “I once was blind but now I see.”

What has Jesus done in your life?

How does that work out in everyday living?

Your salvation should change your words, your deeds, your reactions, and your interests. This does not necessarily happen immediately, but faith in Jesus does bring great changes in our lives .

One touch from the Lord changed this man’s life forever. One touch from the Lord will change your life forever.

Prayer

Lord, I thank you for the power of the name of Jesus. You are still changing lives. Please make my life what you want it to be. Amen.

Scripture

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.”

Observation

If we listen to Jesus and follow His instructions, we will be wise. This is like someone who builds a house on solid rock. Even when storms come and flood waters rise, it will stand firm.

A person who he hears Jesus’ teaching and does not follow it is like the person who builds a house on sand. This house collapses when the weather turns nasty.

Application

To have a life that prospers and stands resilient in the storms that beset us, we need to build it on the solid foundation of obedience to Christ.

So many people build their lives on bad foundations – like feelings, security, family, human ideology or philosophy and so on. These things are not strong enough to withstand the crises and problems that are inevitable. It is no wonder that marriages are fragile, that society is fractured, and people have no sense of direction.

We must determine in our hearts to follow Jesus in all things. Put God at the top of our list, love for family and friends (even our enemies) next, then we will go a long way to being successful and stable in all of our ways.

Many business people follow the principle of tithing even though they are not christians. God blesses these people because they are building on a solid foundation.

Build your life on Christ. Seek first God’s Kingdom and everything else will come to you.

Prayer

Lord, I want to build on the rock. Show me what I need to change in order to do this. Amen

Scripture

“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.”

Observation

We must be wary of false prophets who look like sheep, but are actually wolves. You can judge them by their fruit, like a tree is judged by its fruit. You can judge people by their actions.

Not everyone who calls Jesus “Lord, Lord ” will enter the kingdom of heaven. They will say they prophesied and cast out demons in Jesus’ name, but He will say,”Go away; I never knew you.”

Application

A false prophet is not somebody who sometimes gets a prediction wrong. A false prophet is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. That is, a false prophet is not really a servant of Christ, but a tool of the Devil.

Jesus tells us that we can judge such people by their fruit. The chief among these is whether they draw attention to themselves or to Jesus.

There are many people in various ministries who profit from their position. They are in ministry for selfish reasons – money, power or glory. Such people will do everything they can to promote themselves and to increase their own gains at the expense of the people they are supposedly ministering to.

A prophet who charges for his words, or who invites people of the opposite sex for private sessions, or who promotes their own ministry, is a wolf. Stay away from such a person.

Prayer

Lord, please give your church the discernment to tell the genuine prophets and pastors from those who come to devour the flock. Amen

Scripture

“But the gate way to life is very narrow, and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it. “

Observation

Keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking, and prayers will be answered. If sinful parents know how to give good things to their children, how much more will our heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask.

The way into God’s Kingdom is narrow, and only a few will find it. The road to hell is broad, and the gate is wide open to those who choose it.

Application

God loves us, and His perfect will would be that everyone should be saved. This verse reminds us that only a relatively small number of people will find the way to salvation.

For all of our optimism and celebration of revival and people being saved, it seems that a majority will always choose the way of damnation.

The choice is before us. On Good Friday we recall that Jesus is the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. But He leaves the choice to us – will we receive His forgiveness or will we continue on the highway to hell?

Jesus died to set us free from sin. It is up to us to say ” yes” to Him.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus for dying on the cross for me. Today I receive your free gift of salvation. Amen.

Scripture

“You will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging others is the standard by which you will be judged.”

Observation

We must not judge other people. That is up to the Lord. He will treat us the way we treat others and in the same way we judge others.

We should not judge others for a speck in their eye when we have a log in our own eye.

We should not waste holy things on people who are not holy and have no desire to be holy. Do not throw pearls to pigs.

Application

The Twitter age has turned out to be exceedingly judgemental and vindictive. People who make the greatest noise about tolerance and inclusion are themselves intolerant and hateful towards those who hold a different opinion to them.

Jesus says that we must not be like this. The way we treat others and the standard we judge others by is the way that God will judge us.

We are the forgiven ones. God gave us mercy when we did not deserve it. Therefore we should show mercy and love to those who do not deserve it from us. Yes, even those who have different opinions to us. That does not mean that we should celebrate sin or be afraid to contest ideas and ideologies. Jesus called out din and heresy when needed. But he also showed love to those who fell short.

Jesus calls us to be open hearted to those who sin, which is everybody. But we must not think that in doing this we have to condone sinful and destructive behaviours.

Prayer

Please help me, Lord, to not be judgemental to other people. Let your grace for forgiveness flow from me to others. Amen

Scripture

“Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

Observation

We should not worry about food and drink or clothes. Life is more than the physical body. The birds don’t plant or harvest, but they have enough to eat.

The wildflowers are closed more gloriously than Solomon was. They don’t work or make clothes, but God cares for them beautifully.

We should not worry about our physical needs. Instead we should seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness as our first priority. Then God will give us everything we need.

Application

We live in live in an age of anxiety. When people try to live their own lives and strive to provide for themselves everything they need, the result is is anxiety, stress, burnout.

We were not created to be self-sufficient, but to live in partnership with our Creator. When we stand proudly on our own two feet and declare, “I can I can do it myself “, then we set ourselves up for fear and anxiety.

This also this also brings a wrong focus in our lives. Rather than living at peace with God, and our neighbour, life becomes a competitive striving for survival.

Jesus tells jus to focus on what God wants from us. That will probably involve work of some sort, but it is living in confident assurance that God will provide abundantly for us.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for this for this reminder of your goodness. Please help me to trust you for all that I need all that I need. Amen