February 12th, 2024
Monday, February 12th
Unexplainable Joy
By: Pastor Amie
Matthew 8:1-17
8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”[b]
Do you read passages like these and think of them as stories or testimonies? I assure you, to the man with leprosy this is not merely a cool part of a really long narrative. This moment is his life and this moment changed his life. Forever. The man whose servant was paralyzed, didn’t walk back into the house, and casually proclaim, “Cool experience. Glad you’re feeling better.” Peter’s mother in-law, the demon-possessed people who now walk with a clear mind are radically different than they were before this moment with Jesus.
When we stop seeing the awesomeness of our God in every word on every page, we fall complacent to His power! His ability! His might! God becomes something we experience with our mind, but we fail to experience Him with our hearts!
Today, reread these stories as if the people within them are telling you themselves. Picture the scene, imagine the smells, hear the unexplainable joy that comes after the healing. This is their testimony.
How GREAT is our God!
Unexplainable Joy
By: Pastor Amie
Matthew 8:1-17
8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
5 When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”
7 Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”
8 The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that moment.
14 When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.
16 When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.”[b]
Do you read passages like these and think of them as stories or testimonies? I assure you, to the man with leprosy this is not merely a cool part of a really long narrative. This moment is his life and this moment changed his life. Forever. The man whose servant was paralyzed, didn’t walk back into the house, and casually proclaim, “Cool experience. Glad you’re feeling better.” Peter’s mother in-law, the demon-possessed people who now walk with a clear mind are radically different than they were before this moment with Jesus.
When we stop seeing the awesomeness of our God in every word on every page, we fall complacent to His power! His ability! His might! God becomes something we experience with our mind, but we fail to experience Him with our hearts!
Today, reread these stories as if the people within them are telling you themselves. Picture the scene, imagine the smells, hear the unexplainable joy that comes after the healing. This is their testimony.
How GREAT is our God!
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