Miracles or Love
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and he healed them. Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed him.”
Today’s Text: Matthew 4:12-25 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
We live in a broken world still plagued by sickness and diseases, severe pain, demon possession, mental and psychological impairment and trauma, seizures, paralysis, crime, violence, war, death.
Like every believer (I think), I long to witness and personally experience the power of Jesus in my life to heal. I have prayed for the gift of healing, and I have prayed for people to be healed in Jesus’s name.
On occasion, my prayers have worked, but not always. Yet, in faith, I trust that the Lord hears every prayer and answers every prayer with, “Yes,” “No,” or “Not yet.” However the Lord chooses to answer my prayer, I trust that He works for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
But we should remember that the act of loving Christ is to obey His commands—especially the command to love one another (2 John 1:5-6).
Crowds follow for the miracles. Disciples follow to obey.
In the church, sometimes, it feels like we work hard to do everything but to love one another—especially when it comes to EGRs. EGRs are people who require an extra measure of grace because they are difficult to connect with (for whatever reason). Rather than loving them, we would rather build up systems and processes and structures and reasons to avoid being around them at all costs.
We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We all find it difficult to love people from the perspective of our eternal salvation. Perhaps, because of that, we are all EGRs to Christ.
It is nothing for Jesus to heal every sickness and disease. But will He heal our inability to love? Will He heal our inability to love when we get to heaven?
Loving those we do not want to love is the righteousness that we are being trained for in this life (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Father, You are Love, and You love us even though we are broken. You are sovereign, and You lead us to righteousness even in this broken world. It is our desire to obey You, Lord, to love others.. As we strive to obey, protect us from the evil one. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
