Watering Others

Well, here we go again. I am getting ready to do my morning reading when a song pops into my head - 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman. Listen to it (link at bottom). What are the first words you hear?

"Bless the Lord, O, my soul. O, my soul. Worship His Holy Name."

Okay, then I opened my Bible to Psalm 101 and begin my reading for the day. 101, 102 . . . Then I arrived at Psalm 103 . . . Guess what?

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; all that is within me, bless His holy name." - Psalm 103:1

Coinky dink? I don't think so. [Does this happen to you? I absolutely love it!]

So, how do I "worship His holy name?" I write stories. But I also take the text I am reading, or the song I am listening to, and apply it to the day I am about to embark on. The answer is also found in the song.

"The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me

Let me be singing when the evening comes"

So, the answer is to worship and praise God all day long, in whatever we do.

I therefore will sing this song in my head all day long as a reminder to myself.

But there's more to it than that. We are not here to bless ourselves, but to bless others.

Look at the watering can in the picture above. It's sole purpose is to serve and bless others. In so doing it will bless God by its very actions.

"Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered." - Proverbs 11:25

Who will you water today?

10,000 Reasons - Matt Redman 

Influencers

We all have "influencers" in our lives. Some people find them in their own household. A mom or dad, or maybe a brother or a sister. Other people turn to social media and are influenced there. Tiktok or YouTube or Instagram are their sources when seeking input into their lives. "Whatever turns you on," as my generation used to say.

Who are the "influencers" in YOUR life?

Before you answer that question, there needs to be a distinction between an "influencer," and a "teacher."

An influencer tries to get you to do or think  something, like in a Bud Lite commercial, while a teacher educates you in a certain way and shows you how you can accomplish something or instructs you in a certain area.

That's not to say that teachers can't influence us. They do. But the term "influencer" is a more modern day thing, and lately, more derogatory.

One of my teachers died on Thursday - Voddie Baucham. I first learned of Voddie's teaching and wisdom at a No Regrets Men's conference in the Milwaukee area. I was impressed with his speaking eloquence. He was also very knowledgeable about his usual topic - the Word of God.

My favorite sermon of his that comes to mind is about the nature and character of Jesus. There's a snippet of it below. In it he commented about certain churches and pastors who have strayed from God's Word and have begun teaching about Jesus in ways that are untrue. False teachers, the Bible calls them.

Voddie Baucham has "influenced" my life but only because he speaks the truth found in the Bible. He does not offer "opinions."

I will miss my brother in Christ, this gifted teacher of God's Word. Thank you for your teaching and for your example. Well done, good and faithful servant.

Needy Jesus - Voddie Baucham

I Thought I Knew You

Do you remember going to Sunday School? What was that like for you? I can remember making a mosaic picture of a cross out of old vinyl floor tiles that my mom and dad had cut up. I remember pictures of Jesus on the wall in the classroom, and the 12 apostles.

I can remember singing songs like 'Jesus Loves Me, This I Know' and 'Jesus Loves The Little Children.' But that's about it. No doctrine whatsoever.

My next "religious" childhood memories were of confirmation class in high school. We met once a week and talked about stuff. I don't remember what. I remember memorizing a bunch of things so I could "graduate' and get out of it. But that was about it.

I don't remember hearing The Good News about Jesus at all, the 'Romans Road' of salvation, or my need for a savior. There was no connection, no real meaning, no knowledge of who Jesus really was, why He had to die, or ANY essential truths of the Christian faith.

It reminds me of a line from an old Beatles song from their Rubber Soul album (link at bottom).

"I thought I knew you. What did I know."

Ain't that the truth! There's a lot of that going around. And the key really isn't us knowing Jesus, it's Him knowing us.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²²On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" - Matthew 7:21-23

How do we know then that Jesus knows us? The Holy Spirit dwells IN us, and Jesus KNOWS whether or not that is true. It's like another line from that same Beatles song . . .

"You don't look different but you have changed."

And another . . .

"You're not the same."

Have you been "changed" after your encounter with Jesus? You should not be "the same."

I'm Looking Through You - The Beatles

Approaching The Mountain

"Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.” - Exodus 19:13

That was an instruction from God to Moses for the Israelites. So, what does it mean, other than the obvious?

I have highlighted a few key words to examine.

Only - the Israelites were strictly prohibited from approaching the mountain on any normal day. Only when they heard the ram's horn. Why? That's where God appeared. It was therefore holy. The punishment for anything unclean touching the holy mountain was death.

"And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death." - Exodus 19:12

Alright then. Touching the mountain is NOT going to happen. Unless, of course,  someone blows a ram's horn.

Ram's Horn - that's called a shofar.  An ancient musical horn traditionally blown on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year - aka Feast of Trumpets) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement).

Rosh Hashanah celebrates the day that God created Adam and Eve. This year it begins at sunset on September 22 (tomorrow) and ends at sunset September 24.

Yom Kippur begins October 1 and ends October 2. It is the holiest day of the year.

A Long Blast - this is called 'tekiah.' There is usually a long blast followed by three short blasts (shevarim) and then another long blast (teruah). This last blast represents God hearing and answering our prayers.

The Mountain - this is where God resided when He came to earth back then.

Why am I telling you all of this? Rosh Hashanah is this coming Tuesday. Jesus said we "will not know the day or the hour of His coming." But He WILL come back. And He's right, I don't know the day or the hour. No one does. But I REALLY think it's going to be during Rosh Hashanah. Which year? I have no idea.

But look at all the events taking place in the world right now. Would the Lord remove His children from this evil BEFORE He punishes this world? He put Noah on the Ark before the flood didn't He?

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 5:52

Whenever the Lord returns we who believe will become changed. Physically changed. I'm not sure what that will be like or what we will look like but we will hear the shofar and we will get to approach the holy mountain! AND we will get to see Jesus!!

The Feast of Trumpets Song

Psalm 22

Everyone has heard of Psalm 23, right? "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want," and so on. But Psalm 22 should sound pretty familiar as well . . .

"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" (v1)

Yeeees, those are the very words that Jesus spoke on the cross, just before He died. They were His "father" David's words, a thousand years before the crucifixion.

As one continues to read this Psalm it will soon become very apparent that this entire chapter, written by King David, was about Jesus. It depicts Him was on the cross, dying for all of us. David wrote what God placed on his heart.

I encourage you to read the entire chapter and see how many New Testament verses you can find. There are several.

Psalm 22

But the one phrase I want to talk about today is found in verses19-21

"¹⁹But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me.

²⁰Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen."

David isn't talking about animals here. He is referring to people who act like these animals. He's not talking about fuzzy little puppies when he mentions "the dogs." Back in David's time, dogs were mostly vicious feral scavengers.

In David's day these "animals" in Psalm 22 were probably referring to Saul and his army, and the Philistines. In Jesus' day they were the Pharisees and the Romans, AND even the Gentiles. Yep. You and me.

"²⁵The woman (a Canaanite woman - a Gentile) came and knelt before him (Jesus). “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.” - Matthew 15:25-27

So, who are "the dogs" of today? Hamas? Hezbollah? Russia? Unbelievers? Charlie Kirk's shooter? Could be. Yet even these would be welcomed by Jesus if they repented and came to Him on their knees.

To learn more about these dogs and what all of this means, click on the link below. It's short.

The Power of The Dog - GotQuestions.org

A Turning Point?

Am I the only one who thinks that Charlie Kirk's organization's name - Turning Point USA - is prophetic in nature? I don't think so. Look at the arrow in their logo. It's turning 180°! And to the right!! His recent assassination HAS to become a turning point for our country, and us as individuals, or this nation is doomed to destruction.

"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." - Ecclesiastes 10:3

There was a prayer request made on the floor of the House last week - a prayer for Charlie Kirk's family. Yet many not only refused to pray but audibly voiced their decent. What's wrong with praying for someone's family?

The Utah governor gave an update the day after Charlie's death. In it he praised the people of his state noting that there was no rioting, or looting, or setting buildings on fire as a result of Kirk's murder. Interesting. Why do you think those things didn't happen? 🤔

This incident needs to become a "turning point" - a repentance. Repentance literally means turning one's life around. Merriam Webster describes it this way:

Repentance - "the action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings."

And what does 'repent' mean? "To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life. To feel regret or contrition. To change one's mind."

"Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:3

If you are reading this, and are pleased that Charlie Kirk died, it is YOU who needs to repent.

"Oh, you're just a fascist. A white supremacist."

Really? I'm a Christian.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:43-45

If Charlie Kirk's killer repented while in prison, Charlie himself would want to be the first in line to congratulate him.

I pray therefore for those in our world who hated Charlie Kirk and refused to pray for THEIR enemies. In the end, THEY are the ones who will perish. So says the Lord our God. Charlie Kirk is alive and well and with Jesus right now. Who then is the victor?

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:55

The Lone Apple

I don't know about where you live, but we had a warm spell in January or February with temperatures in the 50's for about a week. Trees started to bud actually. Then it froze, hard. As a result, we lost one tree in our front yard and our apple tree in the back yard is on its last legs.

Still, despite all the dropping leaves (it's still summer) our apple tree has managed to produce one single apple. Normally, we get at least a dozen or so. My wife likes to make apple crisp and applesauce with the fruit. Not with just one lone apple.😭

Think about that kittle apple for a moment though. One lone apple from a dying tree. This is an example for all of us.

When we reach the end of our lives, will we still be producing fruit? Or will we simply dry up and die? Hard to say at this point. But consider what cost these trees their very lives.

They were just going along, living life, just like they always have done. Until they were tempted into "waking up" by a premature spring. The buds, their "new life," were vulnerable and tender. When faced with a trial, the colder temperatures, they began to fade.

Are you going through a tough time right now? Don't let the change in your emotional seasons effect your faith in God. He's the only thing that can truly save you.

Our one tree has given up and has died. But our little apple tree is still producing fruit, even though it has struggled to do so. It will be interesting to see how many apples God blesses it with at this time next year.

To finish up, my wife brought this 'lone apple' into our house last week. Soon it will be joined by other apples from a different orchard and it's joy with be complete.

What fruit will you bear today?

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them." - Matthew 7 - 16-20

God's Timing

I was feeling pretty low after Charlie Kirk got shot. I loved that guy like a brother, which he was, and still is. A brother in Christ.

The Packers were playing on Thursday Night Football but I didn't feel like watching. How can anyone be cheering at a time like this? I just don't get it.

So, I got up out of my living room chair and went down to my basement office. Time to read God's Word. Only tonight it wasn't helping. 2nd Chronicles is a conglomeration of kings not doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord. I've had enough of 'disobedient kings' on the news lately.

Feeling kind of numb, I was just sitting there, mourning for a light that had gone out, when my phone lit up. It was a message from a friend. Actually, it was a prayer that was sent to me. Ya know . . . that was exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it.

Has that ever happened to you? Can you sense when someone close to you might need a friend? Do you reach out to others when you think that they could be hurting in some way?

Here's an even deeper question. Do you think that God, seeing our needs, prompts the Holy Spirit to deliver a messages of hope through an intermediary? I sure do.

God's Holy Spirit prompts us to do and say things for our good and for God's glory.

"Do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you will say." - Luke 12:11-12

It seems to me that you and I need to be wary of the thoughts the come into our minds. We think they come from our OWN brains, but really we are also subjected to what Satan whispers into our ears and what God leads us to believe. Just remember this:

"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come." - John 16:13

We really need to be that person who picks up the phone and calls someone because suddenly, for some unknown reason, a concerning thought pops into our head. Send a text, make a call, say 'Hi' to someone on the street. It might just be exactly what that person needed to hear.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." - Matthew 5:14-16

A Dickens of a Day

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair..."

That the opening sentence of Charles Dickens' classic 1859 novel about the French revolution - The Tale of Two Cities. It is also a perfect open for what happened on Wednesday.

First, a funeral. Believe it or not, that was the best thing about that day. The ceremony was held at my former church so there were many familiar faces in the building. And lots of hugs as well. An incredible amount! And lengthy!

When I got in my car to leave, I checked my phone. And that's when 'the worst of times' began. That's when I first learned that Charlie Kirk had been shot.

Let's go back to Dickens for a moment. His opening sentence contains the words 'Light' and 'Darkness.' I take that to be biblical in nature. Good vs Evil, Satan vs "The King of Kings and Lord of Lords' (Revelation 21). There is truly a spiritual battle going on in this world.

"Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?" - 2 Corinthians 6:14

And now to 'The Revolution.' It seems to me that Charlie's assassination could be the beginning of a second revolution in this once great nation of ours. And just in time for our 250th birthday too. I fear that it may even be bloodier that the first one.

Charlie Kirk was loved and respected by many, at both ends of the political spectrum. But not everyone loved what he was doing. From what I have seen so far, this was a well-planned and "executed' killing.

Charlie Kirk was, and still is, a Christian. Charlie is with the Lord right now, but those of us who are still alive on this planet are entering into a new phase of this Right vs Left battle. Things have now become changed.

Let's go back and look at Jesus' crucifixion. The disciples all scattered at Jesus' arrest, but after his resurrection, they all went to their death defending Him and preaching the Gospel like never before.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days and months. But I know one thing for sure; in the end, our Lord and Savior will be glorified.

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. Test and prove what pleases the Lord. Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them." - Ephesians 5:8-11

Give Thanks

Oh, what a way to wake up in the morning - with a song on the heart and words of praise on the lips! It makes me imagine what heaven will be like, singing praise and worship songs to God.

The mother of a friend of mine died recently. Of course, the family was sad. They will miss her dearly. But there was also great rejoicing, because she knew the Lord and iswith Him today.

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 5:8

Sadly, that is something the lost will never experience.

I mentioned waking up with a song on my heart, the words playing on repeat in my soul. I don't mind that at all. It's a wonderful thing and I thank God, "with a grateful heart."

Give thanks with a grateful heart

give thanks to the Holy One

give thanks, because he’s given

Jesus Christ, his Son

And now let the weak say I am strong

Let the poor say I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us

Give thanks,

Give thanks

I can only imagine what it will be like, to be in the presence of the Lord. But I CAN tell you this: I can hardly wait. It is not a conscious effort on my part to sing these sings, but a joyful outpouring of the Holy Spirit to God The Father.

"I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. ²I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. ³Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His Name together." - Psalm 34:1-3

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

Give Thanks - Gaither

The Thief In The Night

"For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night." - 1 Thessalonians 5:2

This "thief in the night" wording in the Bible is not just a one time thing. It appears several other times in the Bible as well. Matthew 24:42-44, 2 Peter 3:10, Revelation 16:15, Revelation 3:3, Luke 12:40, etc.

Why is this concept repeated so many times? And each time it refers to the time of the end. Today though we will just be examining the suddenness and unexpectedness of this "thief in the night" event.

If we think about a thief breaking into our home, what characteristics of that event would we find? Secretive, sneaky, no warning, not prearranged, "in the night" (less visible). You get the idea.

And BOOM! It will happen just that fast. Paul tells the church in Corinth than it will happen in "the twinkling on an eye," implying great suddenness. There will be no warning and it will happen so quickly that there won't be time to do anything or to say, "Hey, wait for me!" Nope. Too late.

Can you understand the frustration of believers then, when they try to tell others about these things and the people just don't want to hear them? It's incredibly frustrating. Why? Because we love them. And we don't want to see them miss out on one of the most wonderful things that will ever happen on this Earth. God rescuing his children from the coming wrath.

One day soon that "thief," and He is in no way a criminal, will come and "steal away" all those who believe in Him. And none of them, NONE, will be sorry to leave this place.

"Maranatha" is an Aramaic phrase that is found only once in the Bible, in 1st Corinthians 16:22. It means "the Lord is coming" or "Come, O Lord."

Maranatha! Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!

This question remains: Are you ready?

The Unknown God

There are stories about Jesus appearing in dreams and people becoming saved as a result. How wonderful! To go to sleep as an unrepentant sinner and wake up healed, forgiven, and saved. None of that is OUR doing, but His.

The problem with dreams though is that they quickly fade. Unless someone writes it down upon waking . . .

Have you ever received a spider bite? At least that's what I am assuming it to be. It was itching like crazy at 3am so I got up to put some ointment on it. It didn't help. It was still itching as I sat in my living room chair . . . and fell back asleep . . .

Suddenly, I was walking through a big church and I was quickly becoming aware that I was all alone, in a crowd of busily talking people. Why is no one talking to ME? Where is the love I heard so much about?

So, I sat down, dejected. Why is no one talking to ME? I walked around some more. Nothing. Lots of activity, but no conversation. So I sat down again, alone.

That's when she sat down next to me and, placing her hand on my leg, compassionately asked, "What's wrong?"

"No one's talking to me. No one, except for you."

The conversation continued. I would say something and she would reply, inching closer and closer as we talked.

People began to stare. There were looks of disgust towards us and what was taking place in THEIR  church. But then the people disappeared and I was now talking with a man.

The conversation continued as it had with the woman. Still sitting in the same two chairs, in a row of chairs, in a church.

Then I awoke, and the itching from my spider bite was gone.

And then came this passage to mind from the Book of Acts:

"So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. ²³For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, ²⁵nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. ²⁶And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, ²⁷that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us, ²⁸for:

“‘In him we live and move and have our being.’" - Acts 17:22-28

Have you ever read The Song of Solomon (aka The Song of Songs)? It's the story of a romantic couple from a woman's perspective. But the book is really about a love relationship between believers and Jesus. The believers are the woman.

Are we as intimate with Jesus as we are with mere humans? We should be. Even more so. I'm not talking about anything sexual here. Rather, we should be opening up our hearts to Him and sharing everything with Him. Not just a prayer here and there, but everything.

I have no idea who the man and the woman were in that dream, but I got the message. We need to be sharing the love of Jesus, even with those in the church, but especially with those who are alone and hurting.

Forget about current world events and the human leaders of these earthly nations. "Preach Christ and Him crucified." - 1 Corinthians 2:2

And also this . . .

"Stop trusting in mere humans." - Isaiah 2:22

Trust in the Lord!" - Proverbs 3:5

FoTS - Self-Control

Well, here we are at the last Fruit of The Spirit listed in Galatians 5 - Self-Control. I hope you have enjoyed these brief Bible Studies as much I have enjoyed writing them. Self-Control is something we all could use more of, especially these days.

Here's a perfect example of self-control - blood sugar. When we eat too many carbs our blood sugar goes up. So does our weight. That's not good. But those carbs are SO good tasting! And there's the battle. Self-control is needed when we become tempted by those doughnuts and muffins.

But there is another kind of self control we need to keep in mind, beyond what tempts us in the bakery aisle at the local convenience store. Satan's temptations. He absolutely loves to tempt us away from following God.

Temptation is the cause of many a sin. We need spiritual self-control. Here's an example from our Lord, Jesus.

Jesus was tempted three times in the dessert by Satan. Each time Jesus refused and even rebuked Satan with scripture.

Adam and Eve are another example. A little more self-control on both of their parts and we wouldn't be in this mess we're in today.

We need spiritual self-control, and God's Holy Spirit provides it.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

That "way" is the Holy Spirit. And that's the real question regarding the fruits of Spirit. Is the Holy Spirit living in you?

Questions:

1. What is the biggest temptation facing you right now?
2. In what ways can you exhibit self-control?
3. The family is over and talking about Aunt Susan's drinking problem. What do YOU do?
4. James tells us that God will never tempt us (James 1:13) but He WILL test us (James 1:3). Is that test (temptation) something we can pass (self-control)?
5. When no one else was around, what is something you did that you wish you didn't?

Post-Op

God has blessed me with many friends in this life. I met with several of them this past week, two are recovering from recent surgeries. Both were more energetic than they were before their operations. Both were free from their previous ailments. Their smiles were bigger and their eyes were brighter.

Obviously, my friends were both glad they had made the decisions they did. Both were feeling far better than they had in the past. That got me thinking . . .

"And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” - Mark 12:16-17

Jesus, the great physician, spent a lot of time ministering to those who needed to hear His healing words. There are numerous examples of His physical healings in the Bible too, but they were just a fortaste of what Jesus REALLY was interested in - their SPIRITUAL healing.

"All I know is, I was blind and now I see," said the man born blind. He was speaking of his physical healing. But he is also an example of spiritual healing saying, "Lord, I believe," and he worshipped Jesus (John 9). We are all "blind" . . . until we meet Jesus.

I love ALL of my friends. And what do friends do? Do you remember the paralytic man whose friends tore a hole in the roof and lowered him down to Jesus? What did Jesus do? He forgave the man's sins. That was his primary need. THEN Jesus healed the physical.

"And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven." - Luke 5:20

Do you have someone in your life who is in need of spiritual healing? These days, it seems, there is an endless supply. Love someone enough today to tell them about the spiritual healing power of Jesus. He can absolutely change their lives. And their future eternity.