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Luke 15:17-21 - "But when he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! 18'I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men."' 20 "So he got up and came to his father…. 21 "And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' NASU
He chose to leave his father's estate. He chose to squander his inheritance in a distant land. He chose to learn lessons at the School of Hard Knocks. He chose to make one poor decision after another and then it happened. He woke up. He had an "aha" moment. He came to his senses. He did some quick deducing of the facts and came to this conclusion: My father's hired servants have it better than I do. If you are suffering because of poor choices you have made in the past. Here is a novel idea: Come To Your Senses and Own Your Mistakes.
How many times have you done something wrong and kept it to yourself until finally you just had to confess it? Once the deed is confessed a great feeling of relief comes over us and we say to ourselves, "I don't know why I didn't do that sooner." There is a remedy for a guilty conscience and it is called "confession" of your mistakes.
What about you? Have you made some mistakes that you need to own? Is there a person you need to confess your mistakes to or maybe you simply need to confess your sins to God?
The father said it this way, 'Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' NASU So have you made some poor choices in your life? Then join the club. Do you need a second chance? Yeah, we all do. Then let me suggest you follow the plan of the prodigal son by coming to your senses, going to the person you need to see and make the confession that will bring about the healing you so desperately need. If that person is deceased or you don't know where the person you offended is then ask God to forgive you. By making the confession you will open up your life to forgiveness and a time of celebration. Think About These: There's more hope for a confessed sinner than a conceited saint. Few things in life are more difficult for some of us than admitting a mistake. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago
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1 Thes. 5:11, 14 - Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing...We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. NASU
(If you're interested in going to Thessaloniki, Greece I am hosting a trip there. It is Journeys of Paul in Greece and will take place April 11-21, 2024 simply email me and I will send you a brochure with all the info you need.) "Encourage one another and encourage the fainthearted," Paul says. There isn't a person alive who doesn't benefit from encouragement.
After the exchange of greetings between the coaches and a few questions back and forth, Mike said that Coach Shula leaned in and whispered words he would never forget. Coach Shula said, "Listen, Mike. I need you in training camp in July, on the field and ready to go. We're going all the way this year." Coach Westhoff recovered from his bone cancer and was on the field at the training camp ready to go. The encouragement that Coach Shula gave him was all the encouragement he needed. Mike would further say, "Coach Shula treated me the way I could be, not the way I was."
Proverbs 12:18 - "… But the tongue of the wise brings healing. NASU We all like to believe we possess some wisdom. According to this Proverb a wise person uses his tongue to bring healing. One of the best ways to help someone heal is to bless them with some words of encouragement. I am sure you know someone today that needs to hear some encouraging words from you. Think About These: A pat on the back, though only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, is miles ahead in results. The best thing to do behind a person's back is to pat it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 8:1-3 - When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. NASU
It is now time for Jesus not to preach anymore but to put into action what He has preached.
Below are some of the lessons that Jesus had just finished teaching His followers. They were to be the light of the world and to let their lights shine. Matt. 5:14-16 - "You are the light of the world.... Let your light shine,… and glorify your Father who is in heaven." NASU When Jesus heals this leper He will have displayed His good works and glorified His Heavenly Father exactly like He told His followers. The leper is asking, seeking and knocking on the Lord's door, and He has already said if you will do those three things, the door will be opened to you. Matt. 7:7-8 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. NASU You will notice Jesus teaches a lesson on how we are to treat people. We are to treat them the same way we want to be treated. Matt. 7:12 - "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets." NASU Can you hear the followers murmuring in the background? What murmuring? The murmuring, "It's a leper. Is He going to help a leper?" It was believed by many that you were cursed with leprosy from God because of something evil you had done. Now a leper is coming to Jesus to be healed. Jesus taught them to treat people the way you want to be treated. He didn't say unless they are Babylonians, Moabites, or lepers. Jesus is close to the end of His message when He says, in Matt. 7:17-20 - "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit …"So then, you will know them by their fruits." NASU When Jesus heals this leper He is letting them know He is a good tree and He will bear good fruit.
Yet, the leper knew enough to come to Jesus for help. When you pray you need to be like this leper. You need to come to Jesus and inform Him that He can heal you from whatever problem you are carrying in life, if He so desires. You don't want to miss what the leper said to Jesus. "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." The leper had faith that Jesus could heal him and he wasn't afraid to say it (Heb. 11:6). If you want results in your prayer life come with faith believing that if it is the Lord's will your prayer will be answered the way you desire. Think About These: Prayer doesn't need proof, it needs practice. If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt. 8:5-10 - And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented." Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion said, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.
"For I also 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." 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."
A centurion worked for the hated Roman Empire. He was in charge of or had authority over 100 men and this is where his name "centurion" or "100" derives. He was one who had sworn allegiance to the Roman Empire and he would do exactly as he was commanded. He was given the authority to put down any type of uprising by any means necessary. If you have read anything about the Jewish people in Jesus' day they always had a plot in action to overthrow the hated Roman Government. One famous Jewish insurrectionist was Barabbas. Mark 15:7 - The man named Barabbas had been imprisoned with the insurrectionists who had committed murder in the insurrection. NASU He was the one who was released by Pilate and then they crucified Jesus.
But if you really want to talk about him may I suggest you talk about his GREAT faith. Jesus said, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel." He didn't have faith, he had GREAT faith.
Second, he understood "his sinfulness". He said to Jesus, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof,…" I am pretty sure some of the most horrific sins this man had committed came rushing into his guilty conscience. He was so moved with guilt he tells the Lord that he was not worthy to have him come to his house.
He does have all authority and it says this about Him in Matt.28:18 - And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth..." He doesn't possess some authority. He possesses all authority and not just here on earth but in Heaven as well. Secondly, we must comprehend our own sinfulness. The Israelites who stood there and couldn't understand how Jesus could heal a leper and help a centurion's servant didn't understand their own sins. They were focused on the sins of others. You will never have amazing faith until you understand what Jesus did for you in regard to your sinfulness. You will never have a great faith when all you do is look at others and how sinful they are. If we really want to look at a sinner all we have to do is look into a mirror. How will we arrive at having great faith? This will happen when we truly understand Jesus' authority and our sinfulness. Think About These: Faith doesn't demand miracles, but it often accomplishes them. Doubt makes mountains. Faith moves mountains. Faith helps us walk fearlessly, run confidently, and live victoriously. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word |
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