healing

A Lukewarm Christian

“These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” – Revelation 3:14-16 Have you ever taken a drink of coffee that was room temperature or left a cold bottle of water sitting in your car on a warm day, only to find it tepid and tasting like bath water? If you answered yes, then you know the disappointment it is to your senses. Being lukewarm isn’t especially desirable when it comes to liquid, and interestingly, it’s not good for our spiritual lives either. In fact, this is why Jesus reprimanded the Church at Laodicea. Because they were neither hot nor cold, He threatened to spit

June 19, 2021 1 Comment

A Healing Christian

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” – Isaiah 58:11 Yesterday, we talked about the ancient city of Laodicea and how, though it was a center of trade and commerce, it didn’t have any clean water. We also learned that Colossae, to the north, was home to a crisp and rejuvenating mountain spring that was a source of refreshing to the inhabitants of the region. Today, I want to talk about yet another place that provided hydration for the Laodiceans, and how it gives us greater understanding of Jesus’ letter to the church there. Called Hierapolis, this ancient town was located on hot springs just four miles to the south. Today, it’s in the region of Pamukkale in Turkey, and its bubbly-white, mineral-rich

June 18, 2021 No Comments

Purification

“While we wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” – Titus 2:13,14 Yesterday, we began a discussion about three properties of salt that made it especially valuable in the ancient world and what they teach us about being the salt of the earth today. While we learned that the first function of this important mineral was preservation, the second was purification. Have you ever gone swimming in the ocean with a cut or an open sore on your skin? If so, I can almost guarantee that you remember the sting of the salt water on your wound. However, you may also recall that when you looked at it a

June 14, 2021 No Comments

The Salt of the Earth

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” – Matthew 5:13 What does it mean to be the salt of the earth? As we consider our response to this question, we can easily lose the significance of the analogy because we don’t understand the historical context. Unlike today, when salt is cheap and common, there was a time when it was considered precious and valuable. In fact, 800 years before Jesus, there was a town in Italy that had its own salt mine. Because that mine was so important, they built a road to it called the Via Salaria (which means view of salt), and it became the first in a network of roads that would ultimately comprise the Roman Empire, one

June 12, 2021 No Comments

Careless Toward Convention

“When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’ So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.’” – Luke 19:5,6 Yesterday, we learned about a stubby tax collector named Zacchaeus and how he went to great lengths to see Jesus. Today, I want to examine the Lord’s unconventional response to his effort. Though he was a member of a hated and immoral profession and was held in low esteem because of his short stature, Jesus stopped right under the tree into which he had climbed. Rather than reprimand or judge him, He instructed him to come down, because He was going over to his house that very day! This was shocking not only because of who he was, but also because Jews typically didn’t invite themselves to the home of another, especially one who

May 27, 2021 No Comments

Touching the Untouchable

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.’” – Matthew 8:2,3 Yesterday, we talked about living as Christ-followers who have pierced hands that are willing to touch the untouchable, just like He did. For the next few days, I want to talk about four specific groups of people Jesus opened His heart to who were considered the least touchable, and what each one teaches us about being His disciples today. First of all (and I’ve taught on this a lot), He extended His hand to a man with leprosy. Now to understand just how ostracized members of this infirmed population were, it’s important to remember that every Jewish boy had the entire Torah, or

May 21, 2021 No Comments

The Hands of Christ

“Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” – Luke 24:39 It’s interesting how much we can learn about people by looking at their hands. Whether they’re wrinkled, tough, well-manicured, or scarred, they tell a story if we choose to pay attention. Yet no matter how young, old, or worn our physical hands are, as disciples of Jesus, our palms are spiritually pierced. Because our Savior was wounded for our healing, as we follow in His footsteps and seek to lead with His heart, we take on His scars, and His sacrifice inspires us to touch the untouchable. In fact, when we study the ministry of our Lord, His healing virtue is nearly always imparted through physical contact. Though His words spoke the universe into existence, when He touched people,

May 20, 2021 No Comments

Love the Least Likely

“When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.” – Matthew 8:1-3 One of the most powerful things Jesus did after He started His earthly ministry was to touch a man with leprosy. In the culture of His day, lepers were outcasts, and everywhere they went, they were required to announce their presence by shouting “unclean” so that others were warned and could scatter. Furthermore, in many regions, those diagnosed as leprous were required to leave their homes and families to be isolated from everyone they knew, lest they spread the illness to them. Banished to a life of separation and obscurity, the disease

April 17, 2021 2 Comments

Simply Praise

“My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.” – Psalm 71:8 As we conclude our discussion about the power of words, I want to offer one final piece of advice — when you don’t know what to say, simply praise. We can never go wrong with worshiping God, and when it’s the last thing our emotions say to do, that’s when it’s most important to do it. Even if things around us spiral out of control, healing comes as we turn our full attention to the One who is in control. He is the Beginning and the End, and because He never shifts or changes, He is always worthy of praise. He is powerful, majestic, and incomprehensibly glorious, yet He is full of love and compassion. So much does He adore us that He reconciled us to Himself while we were hopelessly lost in a

April 1, 2021 1 Comment

Words Come Back

“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?” – James 3:9-11 Yesterday, we talked about the power of being an encourager and about how speaking words of life can unlock the image of God in others. However, if we’re honest, we don’t always feel like being positive, kind, and affirming. After all, life is hard, and it’s easy to wonder at the end of the day, what’s in it for me? Well today, I want to answer that question. In the ancient world, there was a prevailing belief that if you blessed someone, a little bit of that blessing splashed back on you. Conversely, if you

March 28, 2021 No Comments

A Lukewarm Christian

A Healing Christian

Purification

The Salt of the Earth

Careless Toward Convention

Touching the Untouchable

The Hands of Christ

Love the Least Likely

Simply Praise

Words Come Back

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