Friday... What we give to God does make a difference.

Matthew 8:2 (AMP), "And a leper came to Him and bowed down to Him, saying, 'Lord, if you are willing, You are able to make me clean (well).'"

Friday... What we give to God does make a difference.

Now there was this big crowd and Jesus had given to them a very important sermon and he had finished but there was a man who had leprosy who believe that Jesus could heal him but he wasn't sure that he would want to. I mean, the man was a leper. Matthew 8:2 (AMP) says, "And a leper came to Him and bowed down to Him, saying, 'Lord, if you are willing, You are able to make me clean (well).'"

Yes, we may believe that God has the ability but we're not always sure that he has the desire. And a leper could feel that way and we also in our situation could feel that way. Our belief in God's ability sometimes doesn't go far enough. Yes, we know that he can do it but does he want to. We give ourselves that inch so we don't look bad if it doesn't happen.

But another way to look at this is that it is important for God to be willing. He sees everything from his point of view. Yes, it is important for us to believe he can but also to trust him to do what is best. To trust his willingness.

Well verse 3 says, "Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, 'I am willing; be cleaned."

Now could it be that there are things in our life where we need God but we don't ask because we don't believe it is his will when what he wants is for us to ask and trust him to do what is best. Yes, what we give to God does make a difference and what we don't give also makes a difference.

So go ahead and ask, "Lord, if you are willing, You are able to make me clean (well)." And give him the chance to say, "I am willing; be cleaned."

Now another guy came to Jesus with another response. Verses 5-7 (NLT) says, "When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with him, 'Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.' Jesus said, 'I will come and heal him." Now here this man believed he could do it and Jesus was willing but there was a problem.

Verse 8 says, "But the officer said, 'Lord, I am unworthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed." What the man felt made a difference and verse 10 says, "When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, 'I tell you the truth, I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel.'" and verse 13 says, "Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, 'Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened.' And the young servant was healed that same hour."

Now there is a humility in there that makes a difference. And that feeling of unworthiness had a power of faith that God honored. This guy didn't need to be the center he just needed to be the channel of faith. And God honors that. He really does.

Yes, what we give to God does make a difference in his response. "I am willing; be cleaned." "Go back home. Because you believed, it has happened." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Friday... We have this hope of expectancy.

Psalm 5:3 (NLT), "Listen to my voice in the morning Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly." Friday... We have this hope of expectancy. Now David found a great way to start his day. He says in Psalm 5:1-3 (NLT), "O LORD, hear me as I pray." And that is a great place to start. It really is. Morning sunrise He goes on, "Listen to my cry for help, my King, my God, for I pray to no one but you." And that is so important. We don't try to pump ourselves up by ourself. No, we pray to no one but you, God, my LORD, my King. Now this relationship with God is so, so very important. And then David says, "Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you" And that is so great. And then he says, "and wait expectantly." Yes, we have this hope of expectancy. We are experienced. That is what a relationship with God and a moment by moment connection does. It makes a difference in our daily wa...

Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true.

Psalm 12:6 (NLT), "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." Friday... Yes, we can know this to be true. Maybe this is what you want to say in this day in which we live. Psalm 12:1-2 (MSG) says, "Quick, I need your helping hand! The last decent person just went down, all the friends I depend on gone. Everyone talks in lie language; lies slide off their oily lips. They doubletalk with forked tongues." Do you ever feel that way?" Have you found that to be true? Well David the writer of this Psalm continues and says in verse 6 something to encourage us, to lift us up, to give us hope. Psalm 12:6 (NLT) says, "The Lord's promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over." The Message Paraphrase says verses 6-8 this way, "God's words are pure words, pure silver words refined seven times in the fires of his word-kiln, pure on earth as well as in heaven, God, keep ...

Friday... So what is it that you really fear?

1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT), "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." Friday... So what is it that you really fear? Yes, fear holds us back. It seems to take hold of us so that we can't even really enjoy living. Now I have found that one of the best ways to handle fear is to solve the problem of what we fear. Let's say that death is what we really fear. Everyday we wake up afraid to get up because we are afraid to do anything because we are afraid to die. And that is so understandable. Now I have found the solution to fearing death. I have through faith taken care of my fear to die. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT) says, "But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." Verse 22 (CEV) says, "Adam brought death to all of us, and Christ will bring life to all of us." Death was not God's plan. Adam was created for an eternal life but he and his partner, Eve blew it and sin a...

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