Devotional for the week: Love lifted me

Thoughts For the Day
LOVE LIFTED ME. November 9 to 15, 2009
Read Matthew 8 and 9
Except when otherwise indicated “Scripture is taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
(Note: We are quoting extensively from William Barclay for 2 reasons: first, he is really good as a scholar. Second, to remind us that there are resources out there that can prove to be quite helpful to us)
LOVE LIFTED ME (Hymn):
Chorus:
Love lifted me! Love lifted me! When nothing else could help Love lifted me!
2nd Stanza:
All my heart to Him I give, ever to Him I’ll cling
In His blessèd presence live, ever His praises sing,
Love so mighty and so true, merits my soul’s best songs,
Faithful, loving service too, to Him belongs.
The Lord’s Promise: John 14:13 "And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 "If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.

MONDAY: “LORD , IF YOU ARE WILLING, YOU CAN MAKE ME CLEAN.”
Matt 8:1 And when He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. 2 And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 And He stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, "See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and present the offering that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them."
“IN the ancient world leprosy was the most terrible of all diseases. E. W. G. Masterson writes: “No other disease reduces a human being for so many years to so hideous a wreck.” It might begin with little nodules which go on to ulcerate. The ulcers develop a foul discharge; the eyebrows fall out; the eyes become staring; the vocal chords become ulcerated, and the voice becomes hoarse, and the breath wheezes. The hands and feet always ulcerate. Slowly the sufferer becomes a mass of ulcerated growths. The average course of that kind of leprosy is nine years, and it ends in mental decay, coma and ultimately death. Leprosy might begin with the loss of all sensation in some part of the body; the nerve trunks are affected; the muscles waste away; the tendons contract until the hands are like claws. There follows ulceration of the hands and feet. Then comes the progressive loss of fingers and toes, until in the end a whole hand or a whole foot may drop off. The duration of that kind of leprosy is anything from twenty to thirty years. It is a kind of terrible progressive death in which a man dies by inches.”(William Barclay. Commentary on Matthew).
I do not now if you have become a “living dead”; somebody who is alive but is treated like a dead man and looks at life like a dead man (no hope, no future). Other than death itself, leprosy was THE ENEMY then since it “kills” a person even before he actually dies. Leprosy then was so invasive, so destructive, so merciless, so devastating that a man was required to warn others that he had it. He must shout: “unclean, unclean” at the approach of others. What is your “leprosy” now? Learn from the Leper in the story. The Lord loves you and His love can lift you. Tell Him: “ Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean.” It’s a way of saying, “the right to ask is not mine but it will be my privilege to receive your blessing.” What are you waiting for?


TUESDAY. “LORD, JUST SAY THE WORD”
Matthew 8:5 And when He had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, entreating Him, 6 and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering great pain." 7 And He said to him, "I will come and heal him." 8 But the centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 "For I, too, am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes, and to another, 'Come!' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it." 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled, and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 "And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. " 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; let it be done to you as you have believed." And the servant was healed that very hour.
“The centurions were the backbone of the army. In Roman legion there were 6, 000 men; the legion was divided into sixty centuries, each containing 100 men, and in command of each century there was a centurion. These centurions were the long-service, regular soldiers of the Roman army. They were responsible for the discipline of the regiment, and they were the cement which held the army together. In peace and in war alike the morale of the Roman army depended on them. In his description of the Roman army Polybius describes what a centurion should be: “They must not be so much venturesome seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at their posts.” The centurions were the finest men in the Roman army.
It is interesting to note that every centurion mentioned in the New Testament is mentioned with honor. There was the centurion who recognized Jesus on the Cross as the Son of God; there was Cornelius, the first Gentile convert to the Christian Church; there was the centurion who suddenly discovered that Paul was a Roman citizen, and who rescued him from the fury of the rioting mob; there was the centurion who was informed that the Jews had planned to murder Paul between Jerusalem and Caesarea, and who took steps to foil their plans; there was the centurion whom Felix ordered to look after Paul; there was the centurion accompanying Paul on his last journey to Rome, who treated him with every courtesy, and accepted him as leader when the storm stuck the ship (Matthew 27:54 Acts 10:22; 22; 26; 23; 17; 23; 24:23; 27:43).” (Barclay on Matthew)
The Centurion in the story was more than just a good man. His attitude towards the slave was extraordinary. This kindness is only possible for a man who has the love of God in his heart. Under Roman Law, the slave was not really a person but an object or a thing and is usually treated as such. The slave was nothing but the Centurion grieved for his servant. I believe the story is included in the Bible because this man exhibited the kind of love that the Savior has for us. We are like that slaves, nothing and deserve nothing as far as the law is concerned. But there is someone who cares. The Centurion understood the truth. All that the Lord Jesus had to do was say the word. The Centurion says: “Lord just say the word.” Today, you can certainly talk to the Lord and say: “Lord, just say the word in my favor. I shall be blessed.”


WEDNESDAY. “ LORD, YOUR TOUCH IS MORE THAN ENOUGH”
Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus had come to Peter's home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and waited on Him.
“On this occasion Peter’s wife’s mother was ill with a fever. There were three kinds of fever which were common in Palestine. There was a fever which was called Malta fever, and which was marked by weakness, anemia and wasting away, and which lasted for months, and often ended in a decline which finished in death. There was what was called intermittent fever, which may well have been very like typhoid fever. And above all there was malaria. In the regions where the Jordan River entered and left the Sea of Galilee there was marshy ground; there the malarial mosquitoes bred and flourished, and both Capernaum and Tiberias were areas where malaria was very prevalent. It was often accompanied by jaundice and ague, and was a most wretched and miserable experience for the sufferer from it. It was most likely malaria from which Peter’s wife’s mother was suffering.” (Barclay on Matthew)
The focus of the story is not really on the marital status of Peter (he was married) but the need of this lady who was Peter’s mother-in-law. She was not well, stricken by fever. Just before this, the Lord healed the slave of the Centurion by a word. In this case, no spoken word is recorded. The Lord did not speak but He gently touched the stricken woman. She got healed.
Have you ever wondered about the touch of the Lord? Some people believed they have felt the touch of the Lord. I know I have. It is an experience that is really beyond explanation. You can ask Him today: “Lord, Your touch will be more than enough for me.” But don’t forget the rest of the story. The one who got healed got up and served the Lord. Be ready to be blessed with the Lord’s touch but be ready to serve also.

THURSDAY. “LORD CAST THE SPIRIT OUT AND CARRY AWAY MY ILLNESS”
Matthew 8:16 And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill 17 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases."
Demons are fallen angels and are sometimes called evil spirit. In the Bible, demons are recorded as having some kind of a power that enabled them to enter and inhabit a human body. Sometimes, the presence of the demon makes a person quite sick. But, take a quick look at the text again. Did you notice the time of the day when this healing and deliverance took place? It says in the evening. Why? Wouldn’t it be better for this even to have taken earlier during the day? William Barclay has a beautiful explanation. He says:
“AS we have already seen, Mark’s account of this series of incidents makes it clear that they happened on the Sabbath day (Mark 1:21–34). That explains why this scene happened late in the day, at the evening time. According to the Sabbath Law, which forbade all work on the Sabbath day, it was illegal to heal on the Sabbath. Steps could be taken to prevent a person from getting any worse, but no steps might be taken to make him any better. The general law was that on the Sabbath medical attention might only be given to those whose lives were actually in danger. Further, it was illegal to carry a burden on the Sabbath day, and a burden was anything which weighed more than two dried figs. It was, therefore, illegal to carry a sick person from place to place on a stretcher or in one’s arms or on one’s shoulders, for to do so would have been to carry a burden. Officially the Sabbath ended when two stars could be seen in the sky, for there were no clocks to tell the time in those days. That is why the crowd in Capernaum waited until the evening time to come to Jesus for the healing which they knew he could give. (Barclay on Matthew)
But, as look at the story again, note the focus: It’s not really the sick but the Savior. Matthew 8:16 And when evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill 17 in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "He Himself took our infirmities, and carried away our diseases."
He can (and would love to) speak against something that is afflicting you and He is able (and He would love to) to carry your burdens away from you. Is there something that is afflicting you? Is there something heavy in your life that You want to be carried away from you? You can talk to the Lord and say: “ Lord, please speak against my affliction and please carry away from me my burdens.”

FRIDAY. “LORD, I WILL FOLLOW YOU”
Mathew 8:18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side. 19 And a certain scribe came and said to Him, "Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go." 20 And Jesus said to him, "The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." 21 And another of the disciples said to Him, "Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father." 22 But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead."
Some people say that this section is not in synch with the rest of the stories in the chapter. That is because the chapter is mostly about miracles but this has nothing to do with a miracle. To answer this, in the first place, the fact that this chapter tells a lot miracle stroies does not have to say that only miraculous events will be covered by this section. The chapter is about the Lord and the people He has had interaction with. This section no longer deals with healing but attitude of people concerning the Lord. When we consider attitude as a major theme in this chapter, then everything falls into the right place: the attitude of the needy, the attitude of the sick, the attitude of the Centurion, the attitude of the Leper and now the attitude of some of those who had wanted to follow the Lord.
Two men expressed desire to follow the Lord. One, the scribe, was told of the extreme poverty that Jesus has had to go through so the scribe better be sure of what he wants to do. Another man wanted to follow but he wants to bury his father first. He was told to let the dead bury their own dead. There is no consensus as to what this statement means. Space and time would not let us discuss it here. I will at another time. But the point of the statement is this: do not let anything get between you and the Lord. If you have been called to serve, serve. If you have been asked by God to do something, carry out your task as an obedience. The point is this: obedience is prompt, punctual and persevering. You can talk to Him and say : “Lord, I will follow you and I will not let anything prevent me from obeying.”

SATURDAY- “LORD, SAVE US!”
Matthew 8:23 And when He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm in the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves; but He Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, "Save us, Lord; we are perishing!" 26 And He said to them, "Why are you timid, you men of little faith?" Then He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, "What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
“IN one sense this was a very ordinary scene on the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is small; it is only thirteen miles from north to south and eight miles from east to west at its widest. The Jordan valley makes a deep cleft in the surface of the earth, and the Sea of Galilee is part of that cleft. It is 680 feet below sea level. That gives it a climate which is warm and gracious, but it also creates dangers. On the west side there are hills with valleys and gullies; and, when a cold wind comes from the west, these valleys and gullies act like gigantic funnels. The wind, as it were, becomes compressed in them, and rushes down upon the lake with savage violence and with startling suddenness, so that the calm of one moment can become the raging storm of the next. The storms on the Sea of Galilee combine suddenness and violence in a unique way.” (Barclay on Matthew)
The story points out a very common and frightening experience in life. Everything seems to be calm and wonderful and then a storm hits us, sometimes completely unexpected in terms of its timing and ferocity. The Lord was with the disciples when they went through this storm. That, in fact is the lesson. The presence of the Lord pacifies the storm. Storms of any kind are terrible. They are specially frightening and threatening when relationships and even life are involved. When the Lord is present, the storm is pacified. Remember the old Sunday School song? “With Christ in my vessel I can smile at the storm.” There is nothing wrong in calling upon Him and saying: “Lord, save us” in reference to specific stormy situation that you are going through.

SUNDAY. “LORD, SET ME FREE!”
Matthew 8:28 And when He had come to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs; they were so exceedingly violent that no one could pass by that road. 29 And behold, they cried out, saying, "What do we have to do with You, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" 30 Now there was at a distance from them a herd of many swine feeding. 31 And the demons began to entreat Him, saying, "If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine." 32 And He said to them, "Begone!" And they came out, and went into the swine, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33 And the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city, and reported everything, including the incident of the demoniacs. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they entreated Him to depart from their region.
There are several ways of studying this passage. One is to engage in along and arduous research about the background and origin of demons. You can, I suppose, go into a deep study of the reality and identity of demons. There are many other ways of approaching this. Let me suggest an approach that is practical, correct and beneficial. Let’s start by finding out what the demons have done to the men; how the Lord dealt with the demons and how the people responded to the deliverance of the men who afflicted by the demons. Here it goes.
The demons took control of the men, either of their bodies or their faculties. The demons, however, recognize Jesus Christ quickly. In this way, demons are better than most men. Their spiritual insight is quite good. The Lord told them to leave and they left the men’s bodies. They transferred to the bodies of pigs nearby and the whole herd drowned in the water. The men of the city, realizing their loss, asked the Lord to leave their place. Lessons?
Demons are dangerous, don’t play with them and don’t join in their activities (Ouija board, spirit of the glass, etc.). Demons recognize spiritual identity so they should know you and they know that you are special to God so they should not touch you. Don’t be afraid, you are safe. When a person is demonized, the answer is deliverance or casting out the demon, not peer-group counseling. Here is our final lesson and very important. The men of the city were willing to have the demons afflict a person so long as their sources of income were not affected. What are giving up because of our attitude towards income? To prevent this problem, let us offer out bodies and everything that we have to the Lord for His use and His glory. And, the conclusion is this: there is nothing, big or small, that is beyond the power of the Lord. Call upon Him; He will save you.