Month: April 2024

Today for our Devotional I have written about the time that Jesus asks his disciples whether they knew who he really is. The Scripture is Matthew 16:13-20:

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” Jesus asked.
“Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. [18] And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. [19] I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
[20] Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.

This reading is filled with many great teachings, but for today I call to your attention only two.

1. The Great Question
   In verse 15, Jesus asks His disciples a critical question: “Who do you say I am?” This moment is more than just curiosity; it’s a test of conviction in the midst of misunderstanding. Recognizing Jesus’ true identity was not only advantageous to the disciples but also necessary. Their path would be filled with persecution, trials, and even execution. Only a strong, unchanging awareness of Jesus as the Son of God could anchor them and make every sacrifice worthwhile. This insight turns hardships into victories, proving that knowing Jesus is the foundation of strong faith.
2. The Promise of the Coming Church.
   In verse 18, Jesus declares, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.”
   To understand what Jesus is saying, we must know what the word Hades means. Hades is not what we think of as hell where wicked people go. It is a word that refers to death, the abode of the dead, or the grave. Here, Jesus assures his disciples that even though they will kill him, his kingdom, the church will come to fulfillment. It’s remarkable that the church which was so important to Jesus is not deemed to be irrelevant.

Lonnie Davis

Our Devotional today is about Jesus healing a blind man.
We begin today with a reading of Mark 8:22-26

[22] When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. [23] So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
[24] The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”
[25] Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. [26] Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”

From today’s reading there are three great lessons:

1. Jesus can help us in ways we do not expect.
   He placed his hands on the blind man’s eyes and asked, “Can you see anything?” When the man said that he could not see clearly, Jesus touched him a second time.
   Seeing this I wondered why Jesus needed to touch him twice. Did he fail with his first touch? The answer is no, he didn’t fail. Jesus chose a different way to heal that we might not have expected. Jesus The second touching was a part of the process he chose. With the second touch Jesus was demonstrating that He could heal any way he wanted. We should never box God in. Ask what we want and leave it to God to decide how.
2. Jesus meets us where we are.
   In verses 22 and 23, the blind man came to Jesus, not Jesus going to him. Jesus led the blind man out of the village, showing that He is willing to meet us in our unique circumstances and walk with us through the healing process.
3. Healing can be a gradual process.
   Sometimes we expect God to work according to our schedule and in the ways we expect. The blind man’s sight was not restored instantly; similarly, our spiritual growth and healing may occur in stages as we continue to seek Jesus.

This story is more than just about a blind man who was made to see; it is the story of how Jesus can help us in ways we might never expect.
Lonnie Davis

Our Devotional today is about Jesus healing a blind man.
We begin today with a reading of Mark 8:22-26

[22] When they arrived at Bethsaida, some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. [23] So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. Then He spit on the man’s eyes and placed His hands on him. “Can you see anything?” He asked.
[24] The man looked up and said, “I can see the people, but they look like trees walking around.”
[25] Once again Jesus placed His hands on the man’s eyes, and when he opened them his sight was restored, and he could see everything clearly. [26] Jesus sent him home and said, “Do not go back into the village.”

From today’s reading there are three great lessons:

1. Jesus can help us in ways we do not expect.

He placed his hands on the blind man’s eyes and asked, “Can you see anything?” When the man said that he could not see clearly, Jesus touched him a second time.
Seeing this I wondered why Jesus needed to touch him twice. Did he fail with his first touch? The answer is no, he didn’t fail. Jesus chose a different way to heal that we might not have expected. Jesus The second touching was a part of the process he chose. With the second touch Jesus was demonstrating that He could heal any way he wanted. We should never box God in. Ask what we want and leave it to God to decide the how.

2. Jesus meets us where we are.

In verses 22 and 23, the blind man came to Jesus, not Jesus going to him. Jesus led the blind man out of the village, showing that He is willing to meet us in our unique circumstances and walk with us through the healing process.

3. Healing can be a gradual process.

Sometimes, we expect God to work on our time schedule and in the ways we expect. The blind man’s sight was not restored instantly; similarly, our spiritual growth and healing may occur in stages as we continue to seek Jesus.

This story is more than just about a blind man who was made to see; it is the story of how Jesus can help us in ways we might never expect.
Lonnie Davis