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What do you want? (Matthew 20:32) May 11, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – 2 Samuel 10-14

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 20:32
Jesus (taking the two blind men aside): What is it that you want, brothers?

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

In the Christian world, in fact in every religion, we talk a lot about the power of prayer. We hear lots of sermons on how important it is to commune with God. Jesus gave us an example prayer when His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. They recognized prayer was an important element of strength, even for the Son of God. He spent long hours with His Father making sure He stayed on the right path, renewing His strength, gaining wisdom, protecting Himself from His enemies.

Prayer is vital for the Christian. It’s an important discipline we must learn if we expect to remain a Christian. I don’t think we can maintain our relationship with God if we don’t talk to Him regularly. And that means a lot more than just at mealtime and at church on Sunday mornings. We need to really get in touch with God often.

But Jesus words today sparked in me an important lesson about prayer that we must learn early and remind ourselves often in our Christian walk. It’s easy for us start getting ritualistic in our prayer. We hear ministers or priests pray from the pulpit with community prayers that aim to touch an entire congregation and we think we should mimic those because, after all, they are our spiritual leaders, right?

So we go into our prayer time and ask God to bless our home or bless Aunt Suzie or bless Uncle Harry or bless our kids. Well what do we mean by that? We heard the pastor ask for God’s blessing and certainly it’s a good thing to ask for, but what is it and how do you know God has done something when we ask for Him to bless us? I think we’ve gotten into that habit because we’re afraid God won’t answer our prayers so we just ask something so general we can’t see an answer if it doesn’t go our way and then we won’t be disappointed. Maybe that’s why we started using such general rubbish in our prayers.

What do you think Jesus would have done if these two blind men had said, “Lord, we want your to bless us,” when Jesus asked this question? Do you think they would have received their sight? Maybe, but they might have gone away with a pat on the back and a word of encouragement. Blessed by Jesus. They might have found a better spot to beg after Jesus passed by and gained more income from their begging as people took pity on them. Blessed by Jesus.

I have to admit, I’m often guilty of just asking for blessings, not thinking about what it is I really want God to do for me or the person I’m praying for. I just ask God to bless. But when I do that, how do I know God has answered my prayer? Would the blind beggars know if Jesus gave them the increased income if they found a more generous crowd at a better spot? Would they know it was God who touched them if they just felt a little freer and happier after Jesus passed by?

God is so much bigger than that. He wants us to know that He is God. He wants us to realize that He is in the prayer answering business. He doesn’t always give us what we want, but He always answers our prayers. Sometimes with yes, sometimes with no, and sometimes with wait, not yet. But He always listen to our prayers and does something about them. But how does even He know what to do when we are so wishy-washy in our petitions? How can we give Him the credit when our requests are so nebulous that we don’t even know what we have asked?

I still like the old hymn, “Make Me a Blessing”, but what does it really mean? You have to get into the words. Do you remember them? The writer gets into the mission God gives of spreading the word and winning men to the kingdom, helping those in need. It’s all about working at the tasks God gives, helping others, and in so doing, being a blessing.

So what is it God wants us to do and what do we learn from Jesus’ words today?

I think He’s telling us to stop being wishy-washy about our conversations with Him. Think about what you need from God. Dig deep and stop playing around with the surface conversations and the generalized petitions that don’t mean anything to you or to God. Do you have a loved one that is lost? Do you pray specifically about that person by name every day? Do you ask God to put the right person in his path with the right message to introduce him to Jesus? Do you ask God to make her world fall apart until she is so broken by the realization of her sinful condition before a holy God that He is her only hope?

How do you pray? Do you get specific with God so you know He is the One who answered when you called on Him? Or do you just go around asking for blessings and grace and hope and let the world go on spinning around you? God wants to get involved in your life. And He wants you to know about it. Jesus asked, “So brothers, what is it you want?”

Do you have an answer for Him? Think about it. He wants to give it to you.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Don’t tell! (Matthew 9:30) February 21, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Romans 15-16

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:30
Jesus: Don’t tell anyone about this.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Do you wonder why Jesus didn’t want the blind men to tell about their healing? Why wouldn’t He want people to know He could do these miraculous things? Wouldn’t that solidify His position as the Son of God? Wouldn’t that help to secure His ministry in the world and increase His followers? Wouldn’t that help to build His church while He walked with us? Why ask these men to keep silent about their healing?

Of course, we know they didn’t, anymore than we could if something like this happened to us. Can you imagine what it would be like to suddenly see after years of stumbling around in darkness? Suddenly the lights come on and you can see in living color! You see all the beauty of the world around you. Just by the gentle touch of the Master’s hand, you suddenly receive your sight. Could you keep quiet about it? I don’t think I could any more than these two men.

But why the command in the first place? I think it might go back in part to what we talked about yesterday. Jesus was a busy man with an agenda. I wonder if in some ways He wanted to get to His work faster than the Father wanted and the Father worked to slow Him down by putting people in His path. Jesus knew His mission, don’t you think He wanted to get it done?

Maybe Jesus wanted to keep the men quiet so He could stay on His schedule as the Son of Man, Jesus rather than the Son of God, Jesus. I can’t imagine the struggle He had internally sometimes trying to get His tasks done from a heavenly perspective yet dreading each moment as well, knowing what the end game finally meant. But perhaps He wanted fewer interruptions as He headed toward His fate from His earthly side. Keep quiet, let Me get on with the task I’ve come to do. Don’t get the word of My healing spread too far because I’ll never get the time to do what I really came to do.

From a busy schedule perspective, I think that argument could fit well, the crowds always surrounded Him wanting healing, release from demons, help with their problems. As soon as He reached the outskirts of any village, the word had already spread and Jesus was flocked with those who wanted His help. And by the curious who wanted to see a miracle.

But I really think Jesus didn’t want the blind men to tell because if we’re going to follow Jesus, it can’t be for the miracles He can do for us. Yes, He wants us to ask Him for His help when we need it. Yes, He tells us to ask Him and He hears our prayers. Yes, He acts on our behalf and gives us good gifts as a good father would. But if that’s why we follow Him, our following will fail. We will hit a bump in the road and suddenly we will find our faith gone.

Jesus doesn’t want us to follow Him because of the things He can give us. He wants us to follow Him because He is God and that’s enough. If we ever lose sight of the fact that He is God and we are not, we’ve missed it. There is a God-sized hole in us that only He can fill. He created us to worship Him. All the rest of creation worships Him, but He gives us a choice. We try so hard to fill that void with everything but Him. It doesn’t work. Nothing fits that space in us but Him.

So maybe, just maybe Jesus didn’t want the blind men to tell anyone how their healing took place, because he wanted people to listen to His words, not watch His miracles. He wanted people to understand their need for forgiveness instead of coming for all their other temporal needs on this world. He wanted them to see the spiritual warfare they battled instead of the Roman occupation that clouded their daily conversation. Jesus wanted them to understand the Kingdom of God instead of their self-serving kingdom of self-righteousness.

Don’t tell anyone about the healing, tell them about grace. Don’t tell anyone about feeding five thousand. Tell them about forgiveness. Don’t tell anyone about miracles in your life. Tell them about love. Tell them about mercy. Tell them about Peace. Tell them about the relationship God has with you and allows you to have with others because of His spirit in you. Tell others about the transformation He makes in your life, not the temporal fixes to earthly problems.

Don’t tell about the unimportant. Tell them about what really matters. Tell them about your new life in Christ and how He can make a change in them, too. 

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

What’s your answer? (Matthew 9:28-29) February 20, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Matthew 20-22

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 9:28-29
Jesus: Do you believe that I am able to do this?
Blind Men: Yes, Lord.
Jesus (touching their eyes): According to your faith, it will be done to you.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Matthew records for us another story of healing. Two blind men follow Jesus and beg Him for mercy. Once again, an interesting thing happens that we should note at the very first of the story. Here it is: Jesus goes to the men’s house. I think we sometimes get the impression that Jesus was a wandering homeless nomad with nothing on His calendar and just flitted from place to place. We get the idea that He had no place to be or nothing to do. No agenda to keep. No schedule to meet. We get the idea He could do whatever He pleased and had all the time in the world to stop and do all these things at a whim.

I think that’s the wrong impression. If we could go back in time. I think we would find that Jesus was a very busy man. I think we would find His calendar was very full. I expect His agenda would match that of most successful executives. Jesus knew what His Father sent Him to do and even at an early age, He told His parents He had to get at it, remember. I don’t think getting to His Father’s business meant lazily roaming around the countryside.

I expect Jesus always had a schedule to keep and places to go. I expect He always headed to meet someone in particular or set off to particular places for specific tasks to perform at the direction of His father. I imagine His disciples had to set a pretty good pace to keep up with Him when He set out on those Judean hillsides because He was in a hurry to get to the next meeting place or the next appointment on His agenda.

But the thing that was very different about Jesus as a man was that He understood people were more important than agendas. Relationships were more important than calendars. Meeding human needs was more important than success. So He let people interrupt His schedule as He did the woman with the bleeding disease. As He did with the official whose daughter died. As He did with these two blind men. So Jesus does with us, when we call His name.

So Jesus stopped His journey. He went to their house. He saw where they lived. They invited Him inside. An important point. Remember Revelation 3:20? “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door…” These guys let Him in and He did a marvelous thing for them. Oh wait, He just sat down and made Himself at home. He didn’t do anything.

These two blind men wanted a miracle and all He did was go home with them and eat their food as He sat on the couch and ate. I sometimes wonder what the rest of the conversation was like with the two men. Surely, on the journey to their house and as they invited Him in to sit and with the nature of Jewish hospitality there was much more said than recorded in Matthew. I’m sure it was more than pleasantries about the weather or the latest sports team scores. Jesus probably talked about more than gossip in the Roman entertainment industry or the latest fashion hitting the streets of Jerusalem.

I expect as Jesus entered the blind men’s house, He asked lots of questions that caused them to think. And I expect they had few satisfactory answers. I expect He also pointed those questions at the crowds that followed and those questions caused some of the pious in the crowd to shrink into their pious shrouds in shame as He saw through their sham of self-righteousness.

As the two men finally sat across from Jesus in their home, though, Jesus got to the critical question Matthew records for us. “Do you believe I am able do this? Do you believe I can bring back your sight? Do you believe I can make new eyes for you?” The two men answered in the affirmative.

Then Jesus touched their eyes and like the woman in the crowd who touched His garment, Jesus said to these men, “According to your faith, it will be done to you.” No faith, no healing. No faith, no sight. No faith, no miracle. But with faith, all things are possible.

We go back to our discussion of a couple of days ago, what has changed since the days Jesus walked with us on the earth? What has changed since the days of the early church? He hasn’t. The Father hasn’t. His holy Spirit hasn’t. His love and desire to meet our needs hasn’t changed. What has changed in our world that we don’t see these miracles today? We must answer the question Jesus posed to these two blind men. Do you believe I am able to do this? What’s your answer?

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.