"I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen." (Luther's Morning Prayer)
Day 198 - (Today’s Bible readings: Ecclesiastes 12; Psalm 17; Matthew 9:32-10:4)
HEALED BUT STILL BLIND
And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about it.” But they went away and spread his fame through all that district. (Matthew 9:27-31 ESV)
The blind men receive the mercy they seek and they can see again. Can you imagine the overwhelming joy they must have experienced? There was only one thing Jesus expected of them in return; ‘Don’t tell anyone.’ Of course, we can understand how difficult that stern warning was. They couldn’t keep quiet about what the Lord had done for them.
We, too, have had our sight restored, our spiritual sight that is. The Holy Spirit has caused us to see that Jesus is our Savior and Lord. The result is that we poor miserable sinners have had all of our sins washed away and are promised eternal life in heaven. While Jesus told the formerly blind men not to tell anyone what He had done, He tells us just the opposite.
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)
The sad fact is that while many have been given the sight of faith, they are still blind to Christ’s command to share His story with others. May the Lord bless you today as you look for opportunities to share His love and His loving story with others.
Dearest Lord Jesus, thank You for healing my spiritual blindness and making me part of Your family. Please help me today to share You in some way with others. In Your saving name. Amen.
“See” you at the Communion table this morning!
Pastor David Paape
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), undergirds this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
Then scroll down to 2022 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!
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