Matt 8

Healing the Leper
Matt 8:1-3, "When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy."

Healing the Centurion's Servant
Matt 8:5-7, "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "My servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly." Jesus said to him. "Shall I come and heal him?"

Like the Leper we know God can, but we question if He will. And His answer is always, "Yes, I am willing." Most Christian's don't doubt God's ability to act on their behalf they just question His willingness to do so.

Also, what was the greater miracle? Jesus healing the leper or him touching the leper?

The next story following this one in Matthew's Gospel has Jesus asking the question, "Shall I come and heal him?" Indeed He is very willing....even to the point of asking us, "Do you want My help?" He is waiting to be asked.

Matt 7, Transference

Matt 7:9-11 "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Jesus is addressing prayer in these verses but He is also addressing what kind of father we believe God to be. Is He good? Does He have my best interest in mind? Does God like me? And Christ answers, "Yes, Yes, Yes, you can trust your Heavenly Father."

Often times in moments of crises our subconscious thoughts about God come out. I know mine do. We may feel like telling God off because we think He hasn't treated us right or He hasn't fulfilled our expectations of what He should do or what He should be like. But in these verses Jesus addresses our view of God. God is not out to screw with us. God is out to Free us. He is looking out for our best interests.

Facing Temptation, Matt 4

In Matt 4 we read about Christ's temptation at the hands of Satan. These three temptations lie at the heart of all temptations that we face as believers.

From this passage we learn that most temptation comes when we are in a weakened state, i.e. lonely, angry, tired, hungry.

The first temptation was an attempt to get Jesus to turn stones into bread. On a universal level this was a temptation to get his needs met in ways other than God's.

The second temptation was a test to get Jesus to throw himself off of the temple. On a deeper level this was a test to control God rather than to trust Him and His ways. We do the same thing when we bargain with God in our prayers, or try to fix people instead of loving them and letting God work His grace in their lives.

The third temptation was when Satan offered Jesus all the kingdom's of the world just for worshipping him. This was a temptation to avoid suffering. Had Christ accepted Satan's offer He would not have had to go to the cross.

In short, We are tempted like Christ to:
1. Get our legitimate needs met in an illegitimate way,
2. Use God for our own ends,
3. Do the right thing at the wrong time in the wrong way and to take short cuts doing it.

Matt 6, Psalms 37

Matt 6:25-34 could be paraphrased this way, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, or how you'll pay your bills, who you'll marry or what career you'll choose...look at creation even life that isn't made in our Father's image is taken care of by Him. So don't anxiously worry about the necessities of your life. Don't be like the world running around after these things for our Father knows what we need them. But seek first His way of doing things and being made into the image of His Son and all these things we'll be given to you as well."

These two verses sound a lot alike and they both teach the same spiritual lesson.

Psalms 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Matt 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things we be given to you as well."

God wants our energy spent on being confirmed into the image of Christ and enjoying Him. Somehow when we do this He provides what we need....even what we don't need, but desire. In short, God's way of meeting our cares is to seek His way of doing things and put His ways ahead of our own.