10th. September. 2020. Daily Devotion
Matthew 8:1-4
When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him.
2 A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. ‘I am willing,’ he said. ‘Be clean!’ Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.
4 Then Jesus said to him, ‘See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.’
Oh, the power of a godly touch. Haven’t you known it? The doctor who treated you, or the teacher who dried your tears? Was there a hand holding yours at a funeral? Another on your shoulder during a trial? A handshake of welcome at a new job? …
Can’t we offer the same?
Many already do. Some of you have the master touch of the Physician himself. You use your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters, dialling phones, baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch. The challenge for us is how to express the same action safely in this difficult time
But others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be …
Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake?
~ from Just Like Jesus
Prayer for the Morning
Dear Jesus, help me to be good and happy all this day. Make me faithful in my work and fair in my play. Show me how to do some kind act today. Bless my relatives, friends, and all who minister in my church fellowship, and help me to show my love for them, and for all I encounter, and especially for You, this and every day of my life. Amen.
Prayer for Purpose
“This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad.”
Sometimes it is difficult to pray that wonderful prayer.
That may be true for many of us during this time
of isolation and fear of the virus.
Yet I know, Lord, that you have a special purpose for me today.
Give me the peaceful confidence
that everything works together for my good.
Despite problems today, is a gift that I can share in some way. Amen.
Lord we remember that after the Resurrection
your disciples spent time isolated in the upper room.
They felt the loss of your presence.
They were afraid of what they could not control.
Sometimes we feel like that because of the virus
and its social distancing.
For many of us it is a time of loneliness.
Help us to have the confidence
that you are with us during this time of trial.
Lord you are our strength.
Renew your spirit among us.
Amen.
Meditation
“All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired.”
~ Martin Luther
