Posted on Jun 14, 2022 in Devotional | Tags: forgiveness, God's love, God's mercy, healing, love, Matthew 8, mercy, salvation
He Touched Me
Matthew 8:1-4 –
When he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 Right away a man with leprosy came up and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”3 Reaching out his hand, Jesus touched him, saying, “I am willing; be made clean.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 Then Jesus told him, “See that you don’t tell anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
Matthew 8:1-4 is a powerful story, for it is my own. I too heard of this Jesus, I too followed him and listened to his teachings, and I too knew I was sick and unable to be well save for his will in my life. Then Jesus did more and abundantly more for me than I was worthy of: he touched me.
He did not have to do that, for I was unclean. He gently caressed my soul and at that very moment, I was made clean. Not of my ability, but by submission to His. And like the leper, I too have desired to speak and tell of that experience since Jesus did touch me- and I have not been silent since.
Written by: Bill Crawford
June 2022
Posted on Nov 4, 2017 in Devotional | Tags: deliverance, God's love, joy, love, pain, Psalm 30, suffering
Psalm 30:4, 5 – Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning.
This is such a great passage of scripture because it details the greatness of God’s love for His children. First, David tells us, God’s anger
“is but for a moment.” What a great truth so easily overlooked in our world of selfishness. While man holds grudges and seeks revenge on those who have wronged him, the God of all creation desires to show mercy, grace, and forgiveness. While God’s anger is always justified, He does not delight in it. He is not an angry cosmic killjoy sitting upon the throne waiting for the tiniest of offenses so He can exercise justice. If that were the case, the world would have ended long ago. The Bible clearly teaches us,
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (
2 Peter 3:9)
