God Speaks
Jesus Performs Several Miracles and Teaches about Faith and Following Him
Verse of the Day: So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:28 NIV 2011) [These chapters and the rest of the Gospels demonstrate that Jesus, the Son of Man, is Lord with authority over disease, nature, demons, sin and religious practices, even the Ten Commandments–the Sabbath.]
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We Respond
Matthew 8
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Matthew 8:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
1. Jesus of Nazareth is God in a human body. This is demonstrated by the miracles He performed as recorded in this chapter.
2. All people are under some authority (specifically the LORD’s). This is what the Roman centurion acknowledged when asked Jesus to heal his servant.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Matthew 8?
Dear Father God, thank you for sending the Son of Man into the world to show us how great and compassionate You are. After preaching to the large crowd on the mountainside, Jesus, You dealt individually with an unclean but humble leper. With a word, You cleansed him and sent him on a mission. Next, You demonstrated Your authority over sickness by healing the servant of a centurion, a man You commended for his great faith and his understanding of Your authority. You fulfilled scripture by taking up our infirmities (casting evil spirits from the demonized) and by healing all of the sick (like Peter’s mother-in-law). You taught that following and learning from You will mean totally depending on the Father, perhaps even forgoing “normal” living arrangements and family life. You want me to trust You in the midst of the fiercest storms of life. As I do, You will calm them and/or me. When You demonstrate Your authority over demons that are afflicting people, other people will not understand and will fearfully oppose You. Help me to trust, obey, and praise You in all of these situations. Thank You, LORD, that by Your amazing grace, You have delegated Jesus’ great authority to all believers (myself included) for the benefit of the expansion of Your Kingdom. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Matthew 8?
- I will praise and thank God for at least five ways He has been great and compassionate in my life this week.
- I will thank God for cleansing me and setting me free from sin habits or addictions, even or especially if He is still in the process of doing so.
- I will proclaim Jesus’ authority to heal over ____ (a specific family member, friend, fellow church member, or stranger).
- I will look in scripture for three examples of the authority God has given me in Christ.
Mark 2
Reflection: Jesus both healed and forgave the paralyzed man after his friends took extraordinary measures to get him to Jesus. Jesus called a hated tax collector (Levi, aka Matthew) to follow Him. Jesus went to his house and ate with him and his friends. Jesus didn’t follow all the rules of the Pharisees because He was doing something new and better. Rules like the Sabbath were meant to help people (to rest and to connect with God and other people) and not to restrict or hinder them.
Prayer: Lord, may I (like the friends of the paralyzed man), in faith, work with others to bring those in need to You so that You may heal their bodies, their souls (mind, will and emotions), and their spirits. Thank You that You have come to call sinners (like me) to repentance and faith. Help me to put away my old ways and participate in the new things You are doing. Please be Lord of all my life, not just of the Sabbath (the religious part). AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will (individually or with others) help someone in physical need to get to the help they need. (Ask God to show you someone specific.)
- I will (individually or with others) help someone in need of forgiveness to get to Jesus since He has made the way for them to be forgiven. (Ask God to show you someone specific.)
- I will befriend a person others might reject. I will tell them about my best friend Jesus. (Ask God to show you someone specific.)
- I will set aside my old, natural way of doing or saying something and take up Jesus’s new way of living for God and/or others.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.