Hearing the Call Acts 6:4

God has issued some dramatic calls to service. Moses heard His voice from a burning bush (Ex. 3). Isaiah saw a vision of heaven’s throne room (Isa. 6). However, a spectacle is the exception rather than the rule. For most who follow the Lord to the mission field, His call is a persistent tug on the heart. It is a whisper in their spirit asking, “How will they know God unless someone tells them?” (Rom. 10:14).

It’s better if the Lord doesn’t have to use drama to get our attention. Consider stubborn Saul who needed a serious talking to and temporary blindness to get him on the mission field (Acts 26:13-18). I know I’d rather hear the Lord’s still small voice!

People can try to ignore the heart tug, block the ever-present question with activity, or satisfy it by giving money rather than themselves. Some outright say no. But the call persists. God’s will is set and His plan is steadfast. Though we may run, we can’t escape His call to obey (Jonah 1:1; 3:1).

The road of obedience will certainly be marked with challenges. But difficulty is part of any life—at home or abroad, in mission work or a traditional job. Thankfully, the rewards of serving are greater than any hardship. Remember that Jesus promised Peter a hundred-fold return on his investment in the kingdom (Mark 10:28-30).

Carrying the gospel is a great opportunity to serve God. What better way to thank Him for saving us and writing our name in the Book of Life than to share that experience with others. If the Lord’s still small voice is calling you, say yes and see what amazing, life-changing work He can do through you.

Where is Your Hope?

My hope is from him.

Psalms 62:5

It is the believer’s privilege to use this language. If he is looking for anything from the world, it is a poor hope indeed. But if he looks to God for the supply of his needs, whether temporal or spiritual blessings, his hope will not be in vain. He may constantly draw from the bank of faith and get his need supplied out of the riches of God’s loving-kindness. I know this: I would rather have God for my banker than all the Rothschilds.

My Lord never fails to honor His promises; and when we bring them to His throne, He never sends them back unanswered. Therefore I will wait only at His door, for He always opens it with the hand of abundant grace. At this hour I will turn to Him afresh.

But we have “hope” beyond this life. We will die soon; and still our “hope is from him.” May we not expect that when we face illness He will send angels to carry us to His bosom? We believe that when the pulse is faint and the heart is weak, some angelic messenger shall stand and look with loving eyes upon us and whisper, “Come away!” As we approach the heavenly gate, we expect to hear the welcome invitation, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”¹ We are expecting harps of gold and crowns of glory; we are hoping soon to be among the company of shining ones before the throne; we are looking forward and longing for the time when we shall be like our glorious Lord–for “We shall see him as he is.”²

Then if these are your hopes, O my soul, live for God; live with the desire and resolve to glorify Him from whose grace in your election, redemption, and calling you safely “hope” for the coming glory.
¹Matthew 25:34 ²1 John 3:2

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The Missionary Question Romans 10:11-15

At every missions conference hosted by my church, I give God the same message I’ve been repeating since my early 20s: “I’m available, Lord. I’ll go to foreign fields if you say so.” Until He tells me to pack my bags, I’m going to keep on sending others to work among unbelievers in distant and even remote lands.

Paul asked a series of rhetorical questions in Romans 10 that can be summed up like this: How will the world hear about Jesus if you do nothing? God uses Christians to spread the word that His salvation plan is available to all. He put us in families and communities and nations so we will mingle and share what we know. But some believers are called to carry the gospel farther than others. Those who stay behind are to offer prayer and resources for those who travel.

If you’re shaking your head and thinking, Mission work isn’t where my heart is, I have news for you: Every believer is called to missions as either a goer or a sender. That call comes in dramatic ways for some, but for most of us, it is simply a biblical principle to be followed (Matt. 28:19). What’s missing for those who don’t have a “heart” for such work is passion. Christians who share and go and send are often excited about God’s message for unbelievers—and it’s possible for you to become more enthusiastic too.

I challenge you to ask the Lord, “Am I open to going anywhere You send me?” Our roots in a community should be sunk only as deep as God wills. If you aren’t called to go, then choose to be a sender. Offer your prayers, your money, and anything else that will help to put others on the mission field.

The Storm of God’s Wrath

. . . The wrath to come.     Matthew 3:7

It is pleasant to pass over a country after a storm has spent itself–to smell the freshness of the herbs after the rain has passed away, and to note the drops while they glisten like purest diamonds in the sunlight.

That is the position of a Christian. He is going through a land where the storm has spent itself upon His Savior’s head, and if there be a few drops of sorrow falling, they distill from clouds of mercy, and Jesus cheers him by the assurance that they are not for his destruction.

But how terrible it is to witness the approach of a tempest–to note the forewarnings of the storm; to mark the birds of heaven as they droop their wings; to see the cattle as they lay their heads low in terror; to discern the face of the sky as it grows black, and to find the sun obscured, and the heavens angry and frowning! How terrible to await the dread advance of a hurricane, to wait in terrible apprehension till the wind rushes forth in fury, tearing up trees from their roots, forcing rocks from their pedestals, and hurling down all the dwelling-places of man!

And yet, sinner, this is your present position. No hot drops have fallen as yet, but a shower of fire is coming. No terrible winds howl around you, but God’s tempest is gathering its dread artillery. So far the water-floods are dammed up by mercy, but the floodgates will soon be opened: The thunderbolts of God are still in His storehouse, the tempest is coming, and how awful will that moment be when God, robed in vengeance, shall march forth in fury!

Where, where, where, O sinner, will you hide your head, or where will you run to? May the hand of mercy lead you now to Christ! He is freely set before you in the Gospel: His pierced side is the place of shelter. You know your need of Him; believe in Him, cast yourself upon Him, and then the fury shall be past forever

Our Missionary Mission Acts 13:1-4

Paul and Barnabas set the standard for the church’s mission work when they obeyed God’s call to go forth. The local body of believers—those left behind to share Christ with neighbors and friends—equipped the men for their journey. They did so for the same reasons that apply today:

1. The spiritual condition of mankind. Romans 1:21-32 describes this sinful world. Unchecked sin leads people down a slippery slope toward a depraved conscience and, ultimately, a darkened mind that cannot perceive what is right. Every unbelieving person is sliding on that treacherous path.

2. God’s spiritual provision. The Father responded to mankind’s plight with grace: He sent His only Son Jesus Christ to save the world. On the cross, Christ bore the sin of every person—living, no longer alive, and yet to be born. The offer of salvation is for all; God’s grace is blind to race, creed, and color (Rom. 10:12). Those who believe in Jesus are forgiven their sin, and they will spend eternity with the Lord.

3. The commission from Jesus Christ. Acts 1:8 says we receive the Holy Spirit so we may bear effective witness to those who need salvation. Notice that we don’t simply begin at home and work steadily outward. People everywhere are waiting for the Good News. The word is to be carried far and fast.

The purpose of the church is to worship and witness. Some will go and some will send, but all are called to the work of spreading the gospel. This is not a suggestion; it is a command (Matt. 28:19). Believers living in God’s will are all to be involved in missionary work.

Showers of Blessing

I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.

Ezekiel 34:26

Here is sovereign mercy–“I will send down the showers in their season.” Is it not sovereign, divine mercy? For who can say, “I will send down showers” except God? There is only one voice that can speak to the clouds and bid them send the rain. “Who sends down the rain upon the earth? Who scatters the showers upon the green herb? Do not I, the Lord?” So grace is the gift of God and is not to be created by man.

It is also needed grace. What would the ground do without showers? You may break the clods, you may sow your seeds, but what can you do without the rain? Just as absolutely needful is the divine blessing; you work in vain until God then bestows the shower and sends salvation down.

Then, it is plenteous grace. “I will send down the showers.” It does not say, “I will send down drops,” but “showers.” So it is with grace. If God gives a blessing, He usually gives it in such a measure that there is not room enough to receive it. Plenteous grace! We need plenteous grace to keep us humble, to make us prayerful, to make us holy; plenteous grace to make us zealous, to preserve us through this life, and at last to land us in heaven. We cannot do without saturating showers of grace.

Again, it is seasonable grace. “I will cause the shower to come down in their season.” What is your season this morning? Is it the season of drought? Then that is the season for showers. Is it a season of great heaviness and black clouds? Then that is the season for showers. “As your days, so shall your strength be.”¹

And here is a varied blessing. “I will give you showers of blessing.” The word is in the plural. All kinds of blessings God will send. All God’s blessings go together, like links in a golden chain. If He gives converting grace, He will also give comforting grace. He will send “showers of blessing.” Look up today, O parched plant, and open your leaves and flowers for a heavenly watering.
¹Deuteronomy 33:25

Walking Wisely Ephesians 5:15-17

When Paul exhorts us to walk wisely, he gives three instructions to help us make godly choices. First, he says to
“be careful how you walk” (Eph. 5:15). Because we live in a morally corrupt society, we must be vigilant about the way we think and act. Unless we deliberately choose to guard ourselves, we will simply do what comes naturally and go along with cultural influences.

Next, in verse 16, the apostle instructs us to make the most of our time. The Lord has entrusted each of us with 24 hours per day and various opportunities to participate in His plans for us. But so often we are tempted to squander our time and energy on our own pursuits without a thought of what our heavenly Father may have in mind for us.

In verse 17, Paul lays out the final exhortation: to “understand what the will of the Lord is.” In its broadest sense, God’s will for us is that we would each become the person He created us to be and do the work He planned for us to accomplish (Eph. 2:10). Knowing this, we should look at every decision with consideration of whether our choice will further or hinder our heavenly Father’s purposes for us. To live thoughtlessly outside of His will is foolish.

The Lord wants us to walk wisely so that we can enjoy all the marvelous benefits that He’s promised in His Word and longs to give us. Wasted opportunities and time misspent can never be reclaimed. Let’s commit to make our lives count for Christ instead of merely living for ourselves.

He Promises You

I will never leave you.    Hebrews 13:5

No promise is for private application. Whatever God has said to one saint, He has said to all. When He opens a well for one, it is that all may drink. When He opens a granary-door to give out food, there may be one starving man who is the reason for it being opened, but all hungry saints may come and feed too. Whether He gave the word to Abraham or to Moses matters not, believer; He has given it to you as one of the covenanted seed.

There is not a high blessing too lofty for you, nor a wide mercy too extensive for you. Lift up your eyes now to the north and to the south, to the east and to the west, for all this is yours. Climb to the mountaintop, and view the utmost limits of the divine promise, for the land is all your own. There is not a brook of living water of which you may not drink. If the land flows with milk and honey, eat the honey and drink the milk, for both are yours. Be bold to believe, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

In this promise, God gives His people everything. “I will never leave you.” Then no attribute of God can cease to be engaged for us. Is He mighty? He will show Himself strong on behalf of them that trust Him. Is He love? Then with loving-kindness will He have mercy upon us. Whatever attributes may compose the character of Deity, every one of them to its fullest extent shall be engaged on your side.

To summarize, there is nothing you can want, there is nothing you can ask for, there is nothing you can need in time or in eternity, there is nothing living, nothing dying, there is nothing in this world, nothing in the next world, there is nothing now, nothing at the resurrection-morning, nothing in heaven that is not contained in this text–“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The Foundation of Wisdom Proverbs 9:7-12

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10). Initially, the connection between these two concepts may be difficult to grasp: How can fearing God make us wise?

First, we need to understand what it means to fear the Lord. This term is used to describe an awesome reverence for God that moves us to acknowledge Him as the sovereign ruler of heaven and earth, submit to His will, and walk in obedience. The result of such a response will be the acquisition of wisdom.

Those who commit themselves to living for God’s purposes rather than their own will gain greater understanding of Him. The Holy Spirit will enable them to see circumstances and people from His divine perspective. This kind of wisdom reaches beyond human perception and gives us discernment to make decisions that fit into the Lord’s plans for our lives. Knowing that He always works for our best interests, we are empowered to walk confidently through both good and bad times.

But those who reject God’s instructions dishonor Him with their refusal to acknowledge His right to rule their lives. It’s foolish to rebel against His authority and think you can ever win. Those who won’t fear God will never know real wisdom.

What is your attitude toward the Lord? If you truly reverence Him, you will listen for His directions and heed His warnings. A desire to honor and please Him will motivate you to turn from evil and seek to live in obedience. And the result will be wisdom beyond human understanding.

The Mightly One

His bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob.

Genesis 49:24

The strength that God gives to His Josephs is real strength; it is not a boasted valor, a fiction, a thing of which men talk but which ends in smoke; it is true–divine strength.

Why does Joseph stand against temptation? Because God enables him. There is nothing that we can do without the power of God. All true strength comes from “the Mighty One of Jacob.” Notice in what a blessedly familiar way God gives this strength to Joseph–“His arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob.” God is represented as putting His hands on Joseph’s hands, placing His arms on Joseph’s arms. Just as a father teaches his children, so the Lord teaches them that fear Him. He puts His arms upon them. Marvelous condescension! God Almighty, Eternal, Omnipotent, stoops from His throne and lays His hand upon the child’s hand, stretching His arm upon the arm of Joseph, that he may be made strong!

This strength was also covenant strength, for it is ascribed to “the Mighty One of Jacob.” Now, wherever you read of the God of Jacob in the Bible, you should remember the covenant with Jacob. Christians love to think of God’s covenant. All the power, all the grace, all the blessings, all the mercies, all the comforts, all the things we have flow to us from the fountainhead, through the covenant. If there were no covenant, then we should fail indeed; for all grace proceeds from it, as light and heat from the sun. No angels ascend or descend except by the ladder that Jacob saw, at the top of which stood a covenant God. Christian, it may be that the archers have sorely grieved you and shot at you and wounded you, but still your bow remains unmoved. Be sure, then, to ascribe all the glory to Jacob’s God.

A Divine Guarantee Matthew 6:31-34

Today’s passage contains one of the most amazing promises in all of Scripture. If we truly believed it and lived accordingly, our lives would be transformed, and worry would lose its grip on us. Yet if we keep seeking our security in the things the world values—bank accounts, stable jobs, and a strong national and global economy—we will be filled with anxiety at every fluctuation.

Instead, why not take God up on His guarantee in Matthew 6:33? Make Him your number one priority, seeking both His kingdom (His rule over you) and His righteousness (His transformation of you). What that means is obeying His instructions and submitting to whatever He uses to transform your character, whether it be hardship, suffering, or ease. What I’m talking about is not a sinless life but, rather, the desire to live in God’s will and become increasingly like Christ.

When we make a commitment toward that goal, the Lord promises to take full responsibility for providing whatever we need. Now, this doesn’t mean that He will give us everything we ask for, but aren’t you grateful that He doesn’t? Just think back to some of the foolish things you’ve requested in the past. He alone knows what our true needs are.

The spiritual benefits of living in God’s will are amazing, but our loving Father doesn’t stop there—He commits to provide for our physical needs as well. So even though each day has its own trouble (v. 34), you can rest in the faithfulness of the Father and trust Him to keep His Word.

. . . For he has said . . .

Hebrews 13:5

If we can only grasp these words by faith, we have an all-conquering weapon in our hand. What doubt will not be slain by this two-edged sword? What fear is there that shall not fall smitten with a deadly wound before this arrow from the bow of God’s covenant? Will not the distresses of life and the pangs of death, will not the internal corruptions and the external snares, will not the trials from above and the temptations from beneath all seem but light afflictions when we can hide ourselves beneath the bulwark of “he has said”?

Yes; whether for delight in peace or for strength in our conflict, “he has said” must be our daily resort. And this may teach us the extreme value of searching the Scriptures. There may be a promise in the Word that would exactly fit your case, but you may not know of it, and therefore you miss its comfort. You are like prisoners in a dungeon, and there may be one key in the bunch that would unlock the door, and you might be free; but if you will not look for it, you may remain a prisoner still, though liberty is so near at hand. There may be a potent medicine in the great pharmacy of Scripture, and you may yet continue sick unless you will examine and search the Scriptures to discover what “he has said.”

Should you not, besides reading the Bible, store your memories richly with the promises of God? You can recollect the sayings of great men; you treasure up the names, stats and skills of your favorite sport team. You know all about the movie stars lives, the directors and special effects experts in Hollywood.  So should you not also be proficient in your knowledge of the Word of God, so that you may be able to quote it readily in solving a difficulty or overthrowing a doubt?

Since “he has said” is the source of all wisdom and the fountain of all comfort, let it dwell in you richly, as “a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”¹ In this way you will grow healthy, strong, and happy in the divine life.
¹John 4:14

Big Anxieties, Little Faith Matthew 6:25-30

Stressful situations come in a variety of forms and intensities, and in this earthly existence, we will never be totally free of them. However, the important issue is, What are we going to do with our anxiety? If we let it dominate, fretfulness can become a way of life. But if we believe what the Bible says about God and His care for us, we will experience an awesome liberation from worry.

Do you sometimes doubt whether our heavenly Father really cares about the ordinary things that cause you anxiety? After all, He’s got the entire universe to run, and your issues are so small in comparison. Consider how inconsequential birds and flowers are, yet Jesus says that the Father cares for them (Matt. 6:26). Don’t you think you are worth much more to Him than they are?

At times we let ourselves get all worked up and stressed out because we’re trying to change something that is beyond our control. Just as no one can add a single day to the length of his life, so there are some situations that we are powerless to alter. But the sovereign Ruler of the universe loves us and holds everything in His hands—including our stressful and seemingly out-of-control situations. Therefore, we have no reason to fret or fear.

Perhaps the biggest reason we worry is because we don’t trust the Lord. Anxiety is no more than unbelief. The Bible is filled with God’s promises to provide, but so often we doubt that He will. If you can trust Him for your eternal security, can’t you also trust Him for your earthly needs?

The Forerunner of Mercy

Thus says the Lord God: this also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them.

Ezekiel 36:37

Prayer is the forerunner of mercy. Turn to sacred history, and you will find that scarcely ever did a great mercy come to this world unheralded by supplication. You have found this true in your own personal experience. God has given you many an unsolicited favor, but still great prayer has always been the prelude of great mercy with you.

When you first found peace through the blood of the cross, you had been praying much and earnestly interceding with God that He would remove your doubts and deliver you from your distresses. Your assurance was the result of prayer. When at any time you have had high and rapturous joys, you have been obliged to look upon them as answers to your prayers. When you have had great deliverances out of sore troubles and mighty help in great dangers, you have been able to say, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”¹

Prayer is always the preface to blessing. It goes before the blessing as the blessing’s shadow. When the sunlight of God’s mercies rises upon our necessities, it casts the shadow of prayer far down upon the plain. Or, to use another illustration, when God piles up a hill of mercies, He Himself shines behind them, and He casts on our spirits the shadow of prayer, so that we may rest confident, if we are much in prayer, that our pleadings are the shadows of mercy.

Prayer is thus connected with the blessing to show us the value of it. If we had the blessings without asking for them, we should think them common things; but prayer makes our mercies more precious than diamonds. The things we ask for are precious, but we do not realize their preciousness until we have sought them earnestly.

Prayer makes the darken’d cloud withdraw;
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith and love;
Brings every blessing from above.
¹Psalm 34:4

The Spirit’s Work Acts 2:38-39

There is an abundance of failure in the community of faith today. Sadly, it’s all too common to find believers who aren’t living as Scripture teaches—and they are missing out on the joy and peace that Jesus promised. The reason? When followers of Christ don’t recognize the need to live in the Spirit, they attempt to push through each day in their own strength.

On Pentecost, God’s Spirit came to indwell believers. He is a gift, blessing us in many ways. Let’s consider some of the works He does. The Holy Spirit . . .

• Convicts our hearts of sin so that we can repent and be right with God (John 16:8).

• Regenerates us. We are new beings, alive in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17).

• Seals us forever as a child of the Almighty (Eph. 1:13). We don’t ever have to fear the loss of our salvation.

• Teaches, guides, counsels, and empowers us throughout life (John 14:26). Left to our own devices, we confuse truth with deception, but God brings clarity.

• Gifts and enables us to do the work God has planned for us (Eph. 2:10; for a list of spiritual gifts, see also 1 Cor. 12).

• Bears fruit through us (Gal. 5:22-23). As we are obedient to what God calls us to do, we get to watch Him work in mighty ways.

All these benefits are available to everyone who follows Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, we too often bypass all of these by attempting to live in our own meager strength. The Christian life is this: Christ living His life in and through us by the power of the Holy Spirit of the living God.

Why Do I Face Trials?

Let me know why you contend against me.

Job 10:2

Perhaps, weary soul, the Lord is doing this to develop your graces. There are some of your graces that would never be discovered if it were not for your trials. Do you not know that your faith never looks as good in summer as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glowworm, showing but little light unless it is surrounded by darkness. Hope itself is like a star–not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity.

Afflictions are often the black foils in which God sets the jewels of His children’s graces, to make them shine brighter. It was only a little while ago that on your knees you were saying, “Lord, I fear I have no faith. Let me know that I have faith.” Were you not really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials? For how can you know that you have faith until your faith is exercised? Depend upon it–God often sends us trials so that our graces may be discovered and that we may be convinced of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery; real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials.

God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains His soldiers not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and subjecting them to forced marches and hard service. He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers, and climb mountains, and walk many long miles with heavy backpacks of sorrow. Well, Christian, may this not account for the troubles through which you are passing? Is the Lord bringing out your graces and making them grow? Is it for this reason He contends with you?

Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet,
Lay me low, and keep me there

The Power of the Holy Spirit Luke 24:44-53

The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.

You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words “I think I can.” By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That’s a nice children’s story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.

Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you’re a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment.

Obedience to Christ is too difficult for anyone relying on his own strength. And discerning what to do in every situation is far too complicated for a fleshly mind. For some reason, though, Christians often try to live life by depending on their own energy and reasoning. Defeat and failure are unavoidable without His power in our lives.

Do you recognize your need for the Lord? Begin each day confessing your dependence upon Him. Ask to be filled with His Spirit so that all you think, do, and say will be an overflow from Him. Then trust Him to work in mighty ways through you. Watch what almighty God can do.

Dwelling in God’s Presence

Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

Genesis 25:11

Hagar had once found deliverance there, and Ishmael had drunk from the water so graciously revealed by the God who lives and sees the sons of men; but that was a merely casual visit, such as unbelievers pay to the Lord in times of need, when it suits them. They cry to Him in trouble but forsake Him in prosperity. Isaac dwelt there and made the well of the living and all-seeing God his constant source of supply.

The usual tenor of a man’s life, the dwelling of his soul, is the true test of his state. Perhaps the providential visitation experienced by Hagar struck Isaac’s mind and led him to revere the place. Its mystical name endeared it to him; his frequent musings at its brim at evening made him familiar with the well. Meeting Rebecca there had made his spirit feel at home near the spot; but best of all, the fact that there he enjoyed fellowship with the living God had made him select that hallowed ground for his dwelling.

Let us learn to live in the presence of the living God; let us ask the Holy Spirit that this day, and every other day, we may sense, “God, You see me.” May the Lord be as a well to us, delightful, comforting, unfailing, springing up unto eternal life. The bottle of the creature cracks and dries up, but the well of the Creator never fails; happy is he who dwells at the well and as a result has abundant and constant supplies at hand.

The Lord has been a sure helper to others: His name is Shaddai, God All-sufficient. Our hearts have often had most delightful communion with Him; through Him our soul has found her glorious Husband, the Lord Jesus; and in Him this day we live and move and have our being. Let us, then, dwell in closest fellowship with Him. Glorious Lord, constrain us, that we may never leave You but dwell by the well of the living God.

The Touch That Transforms Matthew 19:13-15

There are many types of touch—such as the encouraging pat on the back, the comforting hug, and a parent’s loving squeeze. Each conveys something unique and can communicate powerfully.

No matter what the situation was, Jesus knew just how to touch people—sometimes with His hand but always with His heart. Consider how lives were affected by coming in contact with Him. For instance, in today’s reading, Jesus called the children to Himself, placed His hand upon those little ones, and blessed them.

With His physical touch, the Savior also cured many illnesses. Peter’s mother-in-law was immediately better when Jesus placed His hand on hers (Matt. 8:14-15). Later, when soldiers and religious leaders came to arrest Christ, Peter struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his ear. The Lord, however, lovingly reached out and healed the injury (Luke 22:50-51).

Other times, Jesus used words to impact people. For example, when He told Lazarus to come out of the grave, the dead man arose (John 11:43-44). Christ also healed a paralytic by speaking to him (Matt. 9:6). And the Samaritan woman’s life was transformed through a mere conversation with the Savior (John 4:7-29). She felt His heart even though there was no physical touch.

God touches us today as well. We can’t experience Him physically hugging us or placing a hand of blessing upon our heads, but His Word, His Spirit, and His truth move us in the depths of our being. Jesus feels our pain and moves us, giving us salvation and transforming our lives.