Healing Through Faith and Love

Mark 8:22-26

Did Jesus really need to put saliva on the eyes of the man in order to heal him from blindness? Some healing Jesus did was through touch. Other times Jesus never even saw the person he healed and still other restorations occurred after Jesus’ cloak was touched by an ailing individual.

The common thread throughout all the healing of Jesus is obviously Jesus himself, but two other components were always present as well; Agape Love and Faith. 

Agape, meaning the highest form of love. The type of Love our God offers us-unconditional. 

Faith in every instance was sincerely present within someone involved.

In order for healing to take place, faith that it can happen need not be within the receiver, but must dwell in someone who is praying for and believing in the healing power of God. That was true then, and still is today. 

Perhaps the physical cures in the Bible occurred to guide people into relationship with God, but it was about total healing of the mind and soul, not just the body. 

Please consider that the same power to facilitate God’s healing lives in us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is here for all, to be used as a vehicle to heal. We need each other. We can do God’s work for one another right here. Right now!

The Same Power  by Jeremy Camp

Read/Listen to Mark 8: 22-26

Hunger to Connect With the Will of God

John 4:28-38

The Greek language distinguishes at least four different ways the word love is used. Today I would like to speak of two of them, phileo love and agape love. Simply stated:

phileo is love that reciprocates

                      agape is love given whether the love is returned or not        

unconditional love

As Jesus walked the earth agape love is just what he demonstrated at all times. That is the only way to live a sinless life as Jesus did. Though his disciples followed Jesus and loved him, they struggled like we do to offer agape love 24/7.

How do we enhance our ability to offer agape love? I assert that feeding ourselves and being fed spiritual food is the only way; opening our hearts to the moving of the Holy Spirit and immersing ourselves in His Word. Then we will hunger to connect with the will of God.

When the disciples spoke to Jesus about needing to eat, in John 4:32,34  his reply was;

                                      “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.                                                 My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” 

Jesus’ words referred to being on a mission that took precedence over any human need. A goal so important, nothing could interrupt it. A passion of the greatest depth.

This encounter, though far more intense, is similar to the role of a parent with an inconsolable baby. The infant is their focus, despite anything else, including their own hunger. The unconditional love they feel for their child takes priority over any want or desire they may have, and their heart is centered on the comfort and peace of their precious, innocent child.

God loves all of his children with agape love as Jesus validated while he was here on earth. The woman at the well, who sinned time and again, the people who condemned him as he spread the word, and those who beat and nailed him to the cross, were loved. Jesus begged the Lord to forgive them as he was in excruciating pain and agony. That is agape love.

Agape Love is what God gives us.

Agape Love is what God asks of us.

Read/Listen to John 4:28-38

Love One Another - 1 John 3:11-24

Many books of the Bible give us the instruction to love each other and 1 John is no different. "This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another." (1 John 3:11)  Just what does that look like?  How can we love someone we do not even know?  We are also to love our enemies; again, how do we do that?  I can tell you that we cannot on our own, but God can.  When I am in a situation where I am struggling to be civil to someone, only God can change my heart.

For instance, the rude clerk in the store this morning did not conjure up feelings of affection from me.  What should I have done? Pray... "God, you know what is going on in her life, give me a heart to smile at her."

What about the drunk driver who snubbed out the life of a loved one; how can we love them? Again, we can't without God's help. With divorce so prevalent how do we maintain a loving relationship with a former spouse?  Getting the idea?  I believe one reason Scripture addresses the act of loving one another so often is because it is not easy to do and we need the reminder that God is there to help us with our heart attitudes.

We can be confident that God knows our hearts and He can soften them. "And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us." (1 John 3:23).  Remember, love is a choice.

Read the 1 John 3:11-24 text here.

Getting A Dose Of My Own Medicine- Luke 6:27-36

Today’s passage is difficult for me to put into practice. “But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”

I totally appreciate the way it begins, “To you who are willing to listen…” Luke knows that the words coming next will not go down easy, so he is preparing the reader. He is asking, are we willing to listen? Luke knows that it goes against human nature to, “do good to those who hate you.” I would much rather steer clear of those who hate me. Avoid those who curse me and get even with those who hurt me.

Why is God making such a request? Isn’t it enough to reach out to the lost who, mean us no harm?

I looked up the word hate; “To show extreme hostility toward”. Think about that, every time we sin we are being hostile toward God. I don’t know about you but I sin A LOT. So I guess you could say I show extreme hostility toward God. I oppose Him with each sin. It’s as if I am saying I know better.

Next I looked to curse. One definition read, "to blaspheme which means to speak impiously or irreverently of (God or sacred things), to speak evil of; slander; abuse." I know that my words do not always bless God, most of the time my words focus on myself rather than my heavenly father. When I take credit away from God, both directly and indirectly, through my words, I am being irreverent.

Lastly is the word hurt, I didn’t need to look that one up, I can already see how the previous definitions show ways I hurt God, yet He does not hold it against me. Rather he died for me. All of my sins nailed Jesus to the cross yet he did not go to the cross reluctantly, he went lovingly. And all he asks is that we show others the same love and grace.

Read today's passage at Biblegateway Luke 6:27-36

Acts 1:15-26

We have just spent seven weeks walking with Jesus and his disciples, learning about love.  Not just any love, but the unconditional LOVE Jesus has for us.  During these past weeks we have walked difficult paths where sin lurked in the shadows of Corinth.  We heard warnings about sexual immorality, idol worship, and other inappropriate behaviors.

Love, was the underlying theme on this journey.  God loves us even though we behave poorly.  Jesus loved his disciples, even when they deserted him or denied they knew him.  We witnessed the ultimate love Jesus displayed by his sacrifice and death on the cross.

Now we find Jesus is has been taken up into Heaven, leaving His followers behind.  Peter is the leader and he recognizes the need to replace Judas.  He also knew it was important the person be part of the contingent that was with Jesus from the beginning.
 
Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)

Jesus fulfilled His promise to send His Holy Spirit to teach and guide them and us.  We will be spending the coming weeks leading up to Pentecost, learning about the Holy Spirit and the impact He has on our lives as Christians.

Read all the text for today here at Biblegateway.