Luke 5:21-26 (NIV)
21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God.26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”
Reflection:
The Greek word aphiemi, translated “forgiven,” means to leave or let go, to give up a debt, to send away from oneself. It is in forgiveness that broken relationships are renewed despite the wrongs that have been done. But the wrong or act does not go away, it cannot be erased or changed. Not so with God! The notion of aphiemi goes way beyond human forgiveness - it is the ultimate forgiveness that only the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive our sins. Believers are so forgiven that, in God’s eyes, it as if they had never sinned.
This is the forgiveness the paralyzed man received from Jesus. Then the Pharisees and religious scholars of the time were abuzz, whispering and gossipping in their hearts false accusations that Jesus was speaking blasphemy. You see, they did not recognize who Jesus really was! But Jesus throws down a challenge, asking them which is easier, to forgive or to heal? This is to show them who He really was, and what authority He has been given. To the amazement of everyone, they see the paralyzed man stand before them at the simple command of Jesus to get up. Can you imagine witnessing such a scene? And the result (the only proper response) of seeing God work miracles in their midst - to stand in awe, to watch in amazement, and to give praise to God!
Responding to the Transmission:
We have all received and seen others receive incredible healing among us, both physical and spiritual. And we have all been healed because we have been forgiven. Let us respond today in praise and worship of our God, for we are bearing witness to the awesomeness of our Lord, the one who is working miracles in our midst.
]]>1 Timothy 6:17-20 (NIV)
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge
Reflection:
What would you choose to put your hope in - wealth that is uncertain or in God, who abundantly give us all that we need, and so much more? The answer seems so obvious, yet at times we have to be reminded again and again that it is God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. God has poured out His generosity towards us and we ought to live a life that is rich towards God. We can live this out practically by generously sharing what we have received with others and do good to all those around us. What a wonderful way to live this life as we store up treasures in heaven. Let’s take hold of the life that is truly life.
Response:
We have been abundantly blessed by our Father in heaven. Let’s pray that we will recognize more and more that God is the provider of all things and ask for His help to live our lives generously to those around us.
]]>Luke 12:35-40 (NIV)
35 “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Reflection:
Any day, any second now, the Lord could return. But, are we ready? Are we eagerly awaiting His return, ready to open the door and usher Him in? Or, are we so wrapped up in the things of this life that we only have time for God on the weekends and holidays? However, because we have experienced God’s awesome love and grace in our lives, we are able to set all of that other stuff aside and live lives that are fully desiring what He has for us. He has given us a new perspective and a new way to see things. Therefore, may we always be ready and eager for His return.
Response:
Let’s pray that we would always have hearts that are ready to encounter the Lord at any moment. Just as servants wait for their master, may we joyfully and expectantly wait for the One who has richly blessed us, and therefore live lives that are ready for His return.
]]>Psalm 103:1-5 (NIV)
Of David
1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Reflection:
“Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits…!” You can almost feel the deep sense of joy and gratitude that the psalmist is trying to express with every single word. He doesn’t want to praise God on just a superficial level, but with all of who he is, and from the deepest places of his heart. Likewise, when we see and know the wonderful things that God has done for us, we too are to erupt with this sense of joyful life of consuming praise. Not merely worshipping with God with small compartments of our lives, but with every single thing. This does not only cover our physical being but everything that our lives touch: work, school, family, etc. He is the One who has forgiven us of every terrible thing we have ever done, and He healed the diseases that plagued our lives for so long. How else could we respond, but to give all of who we are? Let’s praise the Lord!
Response:
God truly is the One who has worked through the many situations that we have gone through in this life in order to bring us into a life of knowing Him. Therefore, after a time of reflecting on the things He has rescued you from, spend some time praising Him and declaring what He has done. This can be with a simple song, a short prayer, or even a poem, but whatever it is let’s do it with all of our hearts and richly offer up our lives again. Praise the Lord!
]]>Luke 12:22-31 (NIV)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Reflection:
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin was a famous song from the 80’s that enjoyed a long run as a one hit wonder. As the title suggests, the song tells its listeners not to focus on the negative things in life, and instead smile and be positive. Yet, we know from our own life experience that sometimes simply putting on a happy face and forgetting about our troubles doesn’t make them go away. In fact, purposefully trying to place our mind somewhere else instead of taking care of the matter at hand can actually make things much worse. At the other extreme, if we just set our eyes on our troubles, and get lost in trying to find a solution, then we can also become paralyzed to the point where other things start to slip and fall apart. So what are we to do?
Thankfully, God’s Word addresses this very point. We are not to be oblivious to our real issues in life nor are we to forget everything else and just stay on that one matter. Rather, Jesus encourages us to trust in God, and remember that He is the One that cares for us and will provide everything we need. Just as the flowers of the field are wonderfully dressed, and the birds of the air are fully cared for, so too are those that trust in God and choose to worship Him with all that they have. It is in trusting in God’s total care for us that we are able to give our all for His Kingdom and enjoy all the blessings that He has for us.
Response:
Let’s pray that we would not worry and overly invest our time, lives and resources trying to prepare for every single thing that may come up. Instead, let’s turn to the One that knows even the smallest of our needs, and ask that rather than living a life of constant worry and frustration that we would spend our time and energy trusting God and living the life that He has called us to.
]]>Luke 12:13-21 (NIV)
13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
Reflection:
The first thought the rich man had when he discovered that his wealth had drastically increased, was about how he could keep and preserve it. For him, security was all about trusting in the material things of this life. He thought he would have many years ahead of him to enjoy his wealth in ease and comfort, but it turned out that his life was ending that night. He could have been rich in his love for God, but he left God out and dreamed only to keep his riches for himself. Where the man could have used his wealth to bless others, he built new barns to store his grain. In the end it was all for nothing. All of his plotting and planning only gave him the false sense of security that things of this life can bring. May we not be so focused on the riches of this world so that we block God out of our lives, and the calling He has over our lives.
Response:
Let’s pray that we would not be consumed by our worldly wealth and ambitions. Instead, let’s ask for God to open our eyes to see that He is the only One that we can trust in for the security and comfort our hearts are so hungry for.
]]>Luke 4:14-21 (NIV)
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Reflection:
When Jesus proclaimed that the “year of the Lord’s favor” was upon them, the people wondered what He meant. Was He referring to the “year of Jubilee”? But everyone knew that it was not that special year which occurred every fifty years. No, it was not the time to leave their farmlands unattended, so that the destitute can pick the fruits. It was neither the time for the homeless who lost their land to get it back, nor for the slaves to gain their freedom. It certainly was not the time for the poor to have their debts cancelled. So how could Jesus announce that this was the “year of the Lord’s favor?” While it was not the year of Jubilee, Jesus was bringing God’s favor in a new way - restoration, healing and salvation. He was the good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, healing for the sick, and much more. Greater than the year of Jubilee, it was a declaration that Jesus, the true Jubilee, the favor of God had come.
Response:
The year of the Lord’s favor is upon us today. His salvation, healing and freedom have not decreased. We can continue to increase in our worship because His proclamations continue to be fulfilled in our hearing. How else can we respond to this great news? Let’s praise and thank God for pouring out His favor upon us, and let’s pray and ask Him to increase His salvation, healing and freedom among us.
]]>Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Reflection:
Sabbath presents many dimensions to us. On the one hand, it is a reflective remembrance of all that God has done in the past to bring us into His salvation story. On the other hand, it is a future hope of the everlasting and perfect rest that we will one day share with our almighty Father God. But it is also a powerful present-day reality that we can experience through faith in Jesus Christ. These words are the very words of our Lord Jesus who invites us to come and lay down all of our weariness and burdens. These words are His promise that we will find real rest for our souls. How we receive this rest is to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and we are to learn from Him. We can do this because He Himself is our real rest.
Response:
Believing in His gentle and humble heart, let’s come before Him with one specific burden that has been in your heart. With faith and trust, let’s offer up this burden to Him and trust that He will give us the kind of true rest that our souls really need.
]]>Genesis 2:1-3 (NIV);
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Deuteronomy 5:12-15 (NIV)
12 “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. 15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
Luke 6:8-10 (NIV)
8 But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. 9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored.
Reflection:
“Beep…beep…beep.” Most of us wake up every morning with the sound of an alarm clock beeping in our ears. It reminds us to get up and get ready for the day. In a similar way, the Sabbath was a reminder of all that God had done for the Israelites. With each Sabbath, they remembered how God created the world and rested on the seventh day, and how with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, how He rescued them from slavery and sustained them in the wilderness. But when Jesus came on the scene, it was no longer just a remembrance, but it became an experience. He healed. He restored. He rescued. And when He healed, it was a sign that God was still rescuing and saving with His mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Although it appeared like Jesus was breaking the Sabbath, He was actually observing it but in a deeper way and perfectly fulfilling its original intent to bring the ultimate rest for His people.
Response:
How do we remember all the things God has done in our lives? We remember as we experience, we experience as we remember, and we do this over and over. We believe that the same arm that stretched out to save us in the past reaches out to us to heal and restore us now. Let’s bring to God all of the areas of our lives that need healing whether physical, emotional or spiritual. Let’s believe in His power that heals us and trust that God’s hand is mighty for us.
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