[RE]FOCUS Day 27
Week 4: Renewing
Day 6: Love for a Woman
By Pastor Chad Wright
READ:
Luke 13:16-17 “And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” As He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by Him.
Jesus had a passion to be kind and caring toward people suffering around Him. In the background of the devotion text, the synagogue was a place for men to worship. There was a place off to the side for the women and children, but the two did not mix. This lady should not have even been in the same part of the synagogue with Jesus and the other men, but she went when Jesus saw her and called her. Why? Maybe she thought, “I have been ill for many years. This new rabbi is not like the others. He seems to care. The other people accuse me of having a sin or something that caused this condition. I have heard that Jesus does not accuse but heals. Blind men, a woman who was bleeding for years, so maybe He might heal me. I am going to give it a try.” She very quietly walks over to the other side. Stays in the shadows. But Jesus sees her and says: “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” He touched her and immediately she was made straight. Her response was to praise God!
Have you ever wondered why Jesus only healed a few people in the Bible? Why not everyone? Some have been turned off to religion wondering why after much prayer they are not healed. I have learned over the years that healing comes in many ways. For some, the healing is letting go of the hurt, the shame, or not accepting their situation; then the healing peace of Christ enters. The miracle of Jesus is that He heals broken and guilt-laden hearts for all who turn to Him. This new life is a relationship with Christ that daily allows us to accept and to be free and comfortable in our own skin. All of us at one point or another wish to be free from something. We pray, we beg, we try anything, but then reality sinks in. Jesus our Savior is with us. We pray for the strength to live each day with the peace, comfort and strength of Jesus Christ to lead the way! Healing comes in many forms, and it just might be the ability to live with the reality of life and then to be comfortable walking with Jesus.
PRAY:
Dear Lord, thank You for your care and compassion. Forgive my sins. Heal my diseases. If You decide to allow me to face health problems, remind me that I am not alone. You love me and are with me. Amen.
LIVE:
When have you placed “what you know” above a person God made, honoring what was written but dishonoring the person for whom it was written? How do we refocus?