April 21st, 20

APRIL 21,   Follow Me

Our readings today are I Samuel 24, Psalm 57, 58, I Chronicles 8, and Matthew 8.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

This leper had a question.  Is God willing? Is God willing to reach out his hands with compassion, touch me, and make me clean?  I imagine you might have this same question. I think everyone has this question. The Roman officer, the crowds lined up outside of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house, all the sick and demon-possessed from the town, that were there, -they all had that question.   We all want to know whether God cares and is willing to reach out and touch us. It’s a fair question. But an answer to that question requires a willingness on our part, to enter into a relationship with God, with some measure of trust.

We have to bring our question to him.  We can have that question but never really bring it to him.  We can harbor it inside because we’re angry, afraid of the answer, or afraid of no answer.  The only way to have a satisfactory answer is to trust him enough to approach him with our honest questions.  What is your question? Do you want to know whether God will reach out and do something about it? Trust him enough to bring your question to him.  

Jesus has a question for us, too.  He wants to know if we plan on following him.  Do you want to follow him and enter into a relationship with him, or do you just want to be healed,  relieved of your trouble and go on with your life, without him? That too, is a fair question. It’s not that God is unwilling to do anything for us until we are willing to follow him.  He’s not like that. He loves us even when we don’t love him. He loved us even when we are sinners. But it is a fair question, especially in light of the abuses God takes by those who think he is cruel when they don’t get what they want from Him when they want it.   Jesus says, Follow me, now. So many, in the reading today, have excuses. They’re not ready to enter into a relationship with God.

I believe Jesus is ready to step into your life with healing and help.  It might, or might not, be the physical healing, now, that you want. But there’s always healing with Him.  You can count on that. Are you willing to enter into a relationship with Him? Are you willing to Follow Him in this life. – not just try to drag Him around with you whenever you feel the need for him?  That’s a fair question, too. He invites us to do that, through His Word, and he offers that Living Word to us every day.

You are loved!