Daily devotion

The Sabbath Rest For Healing

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And a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Matthew 12:10

Call me old fashioned, but I hate to shop on Sundays! On the rare occasions when we do go out to a store for something vital, I am saddened to see that now it looks to be the busiest shopping day of the week. Of course, we weren’t any holier back in the day when almost everything was shut down on Sunday, but it gave us a taste of something that I believe the Lord meant for it to be. In this 21st century world of rushing about, 365 days a year, it is more important than ever to remember that what some of us still call, “The Lord’s Day”, remains a wonderful though overlooked blessing. There are a variety of opinions on the matter, but I believe that understanding how we can keep the Sabbath, begins by seeing how Jesus acted on that day. One thing we find over and over in the gospels is that He took special delight in choosing it for healing. This usually got Him in trouble with the Pharisees and in today’s verse, when they heatedly argued with Him about it, Jesus responded by saying –

“It is lawful to do good on the Sabbath” Matthew 12:12.  

In other words, God didn’t mean for the day of rest to simply be a day for ceasing all activity. We see that for Jesus, the Sabbath was a day for miraculous restoration. At the finish of creation, God’s assessment of His work was,

“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good…” Genesis 1:31 

But when we look around our world, even the rosiest of the rosiest views, is that not all is good any longer. In fact, there is incredible pain, suffering, sin and loss. The breath of life that God once breathed into Adam’s nostrils seems to have been replaced by an evil wind of warfare and hatred that is sweeping across our world. The good news is that Jesus came to give us the healing breath of life again. But for us to experience God’s Sabbath healing, we must learn to rest as Jesus did. After all, He brought more healing to a Samaritan woman’s heart and ultimately to her village when He rested by a well, than His disciples did while busily going into town to buy food. God has given us His special day, whether the world remembers that it is special or not. Now He waits to see if we will use it just for ourselves, or to share the living water of His healing with the people who are all around us who desperately need the rest that only God can give.

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What Will we Miss Today?

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments 
And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Luke 7:37-38 NIV

As with many of you, I have been struck by the revival at Asbury University as well as around the nation. The simple exuberance and humility of the mostly young people there has touched my heart and it reminds me of this story that Luke tells in his gospel. Sadly, I feel a lot more like Simon this morning than the woman and wonder what has happened to my heart. You see, Simon asked Jesus to his house, thinking that Jesus would be impressed by the invitation, much like I head off to church on Sunday mornings. Though Simon wasn’t one of those plotting to kill Jesus, he did have some serious reservations about what Jesus was teaching. The encouraging thing to me is that in spite of Simon’s shortcomings, Jesus accepted his invitation. But that day turned out to be a lot different than Simon had expected.

Simon’s problem was that he thought that he was in control of how things ought to go, much like I feel when the church service flows according to my expectations. But just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, a strange woman showed up at his door. She just came in uninvited and began washing Jesus’ feet. That unsettled Simon much as an altar full of weeping people upends our schedule. A lot like me, Simon defined his faith by his doing things to impress God, yet all the while remaining in control. But the faith of this woman was about more than just giving Jesus a seat at the table. Her faith saw Jesus for who He truly was! Think of all that Simon missed that day. He could have been one of those few throughout all of history who had washed Jesus’ feet, anointed His head with oil and given Him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, Simon contented himself by just inviting Jesus over for a visit. Is all that our Sunday services are anymore? Are we just inviting God to stop by for an hour? Or are we like that sinful woman whom Simon was very uncomfortable with? Will we receive something that Simon did not? Will we go off to lunch unchanged, or will we go home forgiven, blessed and at peace? Simon stuck to his plans but missed out on all that Jesus could have done for him. Let’s not miss our opportunity as Jesus is passing by today. Let’s not just spend our time trying to impress God. Instead, why don’t we wash the feet of the least of those who God puts in our path, pour oil on the wounds of those around us and give Jesus a kiss and worship Him for all that He has done?