Devotional Thoughts

Matthew 8:18-22    " Now when Jesus saw great multitudes about him, he gave commandment to depart unto the other side.  And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.   And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."   As related in verse sixteen of this chapter, on the evening of His visit to Peter’s house, many came to Him to be healed of all sorts of ailments. Luke records this same event in this manner, “and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.” The point is that Jesus did not simply step to the door of the house, look out at the crowd, and declare, “You are all healed.” He touched each individual and He healed them individu...

Matthew 8:14-17     " And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever.  And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.  When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."   We do not get many glimpses into the lives of the disciples. The focus is on Jesus, and it should be. However, we also need to realize that His disciples when He was here on earth were not a group of “super” Christians. They were everyday men and women with everyday existences made extraordinary by the presence of Jesus. It appears that Peter owned a home. Historically, this was uncommon for fishermen in that day. They were generally not well-off economi...

Matthew 8:10-13    " When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.   And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.   But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour."   In the tenth verse above, Jesus is talking about the faith of the Gentile centurion who had come seeking healing for his servant. The word translated as marvelled could mean to “wonder” (to be surprised at something), but it could also mean to “admire (see Strong’s). Knowing that Jesus was verily man and verily God, it is far more likely that Jesus was speaking in admiration (or ...

Matthew 8:5-10    " And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,  And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.   The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.   When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." A centurion was an officer in the Roman army. He was most likely a Gentile and, therefore, outside the law covenant that God had made with Jews. Even before Jesus had completely torn down the middle wall of partition between Jew and...

Ephesians 6:11    "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."  Ephesians 6:14-17    "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  (15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  (16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" Let me start by saying that if we do not put on the full armour, we will find ourselves falling down or constantly running away. Satan is constantly "... as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." Therefore we must be on guard and aware of our surroundings. We hear much today about strengthening the core of our body, or the middle part of our body. Most of our strength originates from that area...

Matthew 8:1-4    " When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.  And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them."   It struck me this morning as I read these scriptures that it always seems easy to follow Jesus when we are coming from a “mountain top” experience. When we have been lifted up by the Holy Spirit to hear and understand the words of our Lord, it is a time of great rejoicing and encouragement in our lives. We find ourselves feeling revived and energized to declare like Peter did, “Lord, we will lay down our lives for you (John 13:37)!” As they came down from the mountain on that o...