Becoming Love: If We Start at Finish, Where Do We End? (Part 1)Sample

Day One – Healing the Leper

Do you sometimes feel like a burden to God or others?

Today, we are looking at how Jesus became love to a leper.

Jesus had withdrawn from Jerusalem and was on his way to preach in Galilee due to public opposition.

A leper approached Him and said, “If you are willing, you can heal me.” Scripture tells us Jesus was moved with compassion – he said, “I am willing. Be clean.”

Then Jesus asks the man, “Please don’t tell anyone what happened here.” But how do you keep quiet about such an amazing thing – he spread the wonderful news of his healing everywhere he went!

The result? Jesus could no longer preach publicly in cities. He had to wait for people to gather around him outside city limits.

Let’s take note of a few things in this portion of Scripture:

• The leper was untouchable and unclean. Also, he approached Jesus in an untimely moment and yet Jesus became love for Him.
• Jesus knew what it would cost Him – according to Jewish custom, he would be deemed unclean, making it impossible for him to minister publicly. But this didn’t put Jesus off - He prioritised the leper’s need above His own.

See, before the foundation of the world, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit chose to identify with the welfare of humanity, and in this specific instance, we see how the Father is willing to even sacrifice the urgency and effectiveness of the ministry of Jesus in order to tend to the needs of one of His children. That is the extent of the Father’s love for us!

Won’t you take a moment somewhere in your day to connect to the Father’s love for you and where you embrace His love for you?