I Am Willing!

In today’s text, I was struck by Jesus’ response to a man who asked Him for healing. This man had leprosy, a disease that all of society dreaded. In fact, to prevent the disease from spreading, those infected with it were excluded from society, often living in leper colonies. It was as though they were the walking dead. They were cut off from their former lives. There was no known cure. If someone came within hearing distance of you, according to the law of Moses, you had to cry out unclean. Everyone avoided you. 

Jesus, however, did something very unusual when this leper approached Him. A man with leprosy came and knelt in front of Jesus, begging to be healed. “If you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean,” he said. Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” (Mark 1:40–41, NLT) The only one who could help this man did because He was willing! Jesus touched him! The words, “I am willing,” were life to this man. 

What a picture of redemption! You and I are infected with the dreaded disease of sin. We are the walking dead, spiritually speaking. In our sins, we are cut off from the one who is life, living in the giant leper colony of the world. Yet, what does the Bible say about God’s response to this situation? And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (Ephesians 2:4–6, ESV)

God was willing! Believer, are you rejoicing that you are now alive unto God, that God lives in you by His spirit, and that you are no longer the walking dead? That you have been translated from this leper colony of the world to being seated with Christ in heavenly places—a position that God was willing to give you? That you now have life and have it more abundantly? May we rejoice today in these words, “I am willing!”

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3.

For It Is Written!

As I have read the Bible chronologically this year, a theme keeps resurfacing: God is in control! We see this again in the early years of Jesus’ life. Jesus is not yet two years old, and men of great influence are coming to worship him, triggering massive insecurity in Herod. So what’s an insecure Herod to do? He seeks to kill this “King of the Jews.” 

One of the phrases that stood out to me in today’s reading is found in Matthew, And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: (Matthew 2:4–5, NKJV) Several times throughout the reading (Matthew 2:15, 17), we see references to fulfillment of what the prophets had written. In other words, God has not hidden from plain sight what He would do to thwart the evil intentions of Herod. Even though God’s plan was not a secret, Herod couldn’t thwart God!

What a comforting thought that even those who plan, connive, and rage against God with their ungodly plans, God is not moved by such posturing. His eternal purpose is still right on track. And what is this eternal purpose at the moment? Notice, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. (Ephesians 3:10–12, ESV)

Believers, you and I are part of something mortal man cannot stop. God is still in control, and He has purposed that His wisdom be displayed for all to see through His church. The very gates of Hell cannot prevent this. So what’s a believer to do? It is time to rejoice in our God and His purpose! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20–21, KJV)

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 2; Luke 2:39-52.

A Discreet Situation!

Today, we come across one of the most significant events in the Bible—the birth of Jesus. While this story is familiar to most, the character of Joseph stood out to me. He is engaged to Mary, but Mary is found to be with a child. As you can imagine, this was beyond awkward for them both. Mary has a far-fetched story about how this happened, and Joseph isn’t buying it. He hears her, but he decides to divorce her. Culturally, for Joseph and Mary, their engagement was as strong as marriage, and to break it off was considered divorce. 

But Joseph is not a knee-jerk-reaction kind of person. He is not vengeful. He is not even so concerned about how he feels betrayed as much as humiliation and potential death for Mary. Keep in mind that adultery in their day was punished by stoning. Notice Joseph’s reaction. Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. (Matthew 1:18–19, ESV)

As I considered Joseph’s character, two thoughts came to mind: not everything is as it seems, and discretion is a valuable virtue. We see this in the following two verses. He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him. (Proverbs 18:13, KJV) Discretion shall preserve thee, Understanding shall keep thee: (Proverbs 2:11, KJV) Because Joseph had discretion, he had time to hear the whole matter. Sure, he heard Mary’s side of the story, but he hadn’t heard God’s side. How easy it is to go public with opinion and judgment! Yet, discretion was of great value in helping to preserve this situation. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:20, NKJV)

Is this a good pattern to follow? Imagine what would not be on FaceBook and other social media platforms if we practiced this discretion. Imagine how many situations could be saved or preserved if we simply didn’t send that text. In our culture of instant everything, where it is easy to tell the whole world whatever comes to mind, discretion is needed now more than ever.

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Matthew 1; Luke 2:1-38.

God at Work in the Mundane!

Today, I turned the page and began reading through the New Testament in my chronological Bible reading plan. Yesterday was Malachi; today is Luke and John. About four hundred years pass between the end of Malachi and the New Testament. These are usually called the silent years. No vision or prophet from the Lord is recorded for our reading. 

On top of that, the Jews are tired. They have lived under the rule of Babylon and Persia for centuries, and now Rome. When we turn the page from the Old Testament to the New, nothing feels new for these Jews—it is just another typical day for ordinary people living under a repressive regime. When will their prophesied King come? 

But something is different. The angel Gabriel appears to Zachariah and Mary, announcing two miraculous pregnancies. John and Jesus are soon to be on the way! Just like that, we slip into the New Testament, and almost no one notices. Eventually, Zachariah’s wife, Elizabeth, and Mary meet and notice the joy between them. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” (Luke 1:42–45, NLT)

As I thought about this, I was reminded that God’s big movements often start in small, hidden, and quiet ways among ordinary people. Even the birth of Jesus was in a small town of no significance. What an encouragement for the tired and weary who live commonly and are of ordinary means. God is at work in your life and mine. As believers, let us learn to rejoice in the mundane and the ordinary—often the epicenter of the plan God unfolds over time. 

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Luke 1; John 1:1-14.

He Is Worth It!

Malachi means “my messenger.” As we open Malachi this morning, we see God is sending a message to His people living in Jerusalem. Over time, these returned exiles have strayed, and Malachi’s message deals with God’s six disputes with His people. One of these disputes is seen in Malachi three: “You have said terrible things about me,” says the Lord. “But you say, ‘What do you mean? What have we said against you?’ “You have said, ‘What’s the use of serving God? What have we gained by obeying his commands or by trying to show the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we are sorry for our sins? (Malachi 3:13–14, NLT)

Wow! After all the goodness God has shown His people, they concluded it doesn’t pay to love God! God has been reduced to a deposit on their bank statement, and the amount wasn’t enough to cause them to bother with loving God. This would be like having a child, and the child’s relationship with you, the parent, is judged based on the size of the allowance you give to this child. In other words, they will only love you if it is lucrative and worth their time. Interestingly, the people of God have become so hardened in their hearts that when Malachi raises the issue, they are surprised that God should accuse them—what evidence does God have to justify this charge against them? Ouch!

None of us is that far off from doing the same thing. Our relationship with God can become blessing-oriented instead of love-based. We can become focused on what we think God should give us. We can focus on the wicked prospering and the righteous suffering. Before long, we can become blind to what Christ has done to redeem us and make us His own. Believers, let’s love God! Let’s seek His kingdom first! Let’s rejoice that He has adopted us into His family! Let’s love God—He is worth it!

Thank you for joining me as I read and journal chronologically through the Bible! This devotional reflection comes from Malachi 1-4.