The Gaither song, “He Touched Me,” reveals one of Christ’s primary healing methods … the touch. An infirmed woman reached out and touched Jesus and was healed. Jesus would often touch the sick and make them immediately well.

The touch is still viable. Elders are instructed to lay hands on the sick and “They shall recover.” I often find myself using the word “touch” when I pray for those I love. I say, “Lord, touch ________.'”

The expression, “God’s hand is upon him” is used to denote divine endorsement upon a life and ministry.

Our hands can and should be used as conductors of God’s power and our love. We can communicate so much through a loving, appropriate touch.

READ/HEAR: Mark 4,5

When Jesus would miraculously heal someone, He would often command them to tell no one. He was more concerned about a natural interest than a PR campaign. Why did they seek Him out? Because He worked miracles and taught as “One having authority.” He was a real contrast to the way many leaders today think promotion should be done.

He spent His free time in prayer with His Heavenly Father. No doubt, His prayer time synced Him up with His Father’s wishes, not necessarily to gain more power than was already resident in Him.

We would be wise to spend time in God’s presence aligning our will with His. He taught us to pray, “Thy will be done” … not ours.

READ/HEAR: Mark 1-3

We can get selective with what teachings we obey, and then conveniently overlook the ones that don’t align with our self-serving nature. Jesus specifically instructed His Disciples to teach converts to “Obey everything I have commanded you.”

If we love Christ, we comply. He said, “He that HAS My Commandments and KEEPS them, He’s the one that (truly) loves Me.”

Pastor Larry Lea often said, “Read the red (the words of Christ) and pray for the power.”

It bears repeating, we should cyclically read the Sermon on the Mount where we find the greatest concentration of Christ’s teachings. We shall be doers of the Word and not only hearers.

READ?HEAR: Matt. 28

Willingly, Christ relinquished His life to the plot the religious leaders contrived to remove Him from their dominion. There was such a contrast and tension between God’s Son, His power, and the established pseudo-piety of that day. He didn’t defend Himself. He didn’t even answer their question-traps. He was thereby putting His fate into the hands of His Heavenly Father. His display of trust was exemplary to us.

His Spirit lives within us. We too can find repose and rest in this same trust as we navigate this life. Our lives are not in the hand of our persecutors … our lives are in God’s Hands and His alone. We need not fear. He promised, “I will NEVER leave you or forsake you.”

READ/HEAR: Matt. 27

As Jesus and His disciples were praying in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His crucifixion, He became very emotional because He knew what was coming. Obviously, He carried a heavy prayer burden. He declared, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow even to the point of death.”

Hannah was caught acting like a drunken woman as she wept before the Lord, emotionally pleading with God for a child.

David said, “When my heart is overwhelmed …”

When life becomes messy and painful, it’s healthy and necessary to cry out to the Lord in our anguish. We are in good company.

READ/HEAR: Matt. 26

Of all the things we can do while we have this life, Jesus draws specific attention to a handful in Matt. 25. They are:

• Feed the hungry
• Give drink to the thirsty
• Give refuge to the stranger
• Clothe the naked
• Visit the sick
• Visit those in prison

In the judgement to come, those who participated in these activities will have done them to the Lord Himself … “You have done these unto Me.” [Matt. 25:40b]

While we are yet alive, we would be very wise to begin engaging in these very consequential activities. We won’t regret it.

READ/HEAR: Matt. 23-25

When Jesus walked through the temple, He launched into action against the merchants profiting from money exchange and selling doves for offerings. He overthrew their tables and drove them out like unwanted leeches. He declared “My Father’s House is a house of prayer.”

It would interesting to witness Jesus walking through contemporary churches in the U.S. today. What would He be pleased with and what would He object to? Obviously, prayer is an activity that should be a priority. Not to be critical of the efforts being made to bring people closer to God, many contemporary Christian leaders would do well to note the priority He placed on prayer and put more of their focus upon it.

The older I get, the more I see prayer as a necessary priority for contemporary Christians.

READ/HEAR: Matt. 20,21

One of Christ’s consistent themes was that of showing mercy and granting forgiveness. He was reflecting the heart of His Heavenly Father, Who is the Ultimate Forgiver. So critical is forgiveness to God that He will shut up His forgiveness to us if we fail to forgive one another. (70×7)

Grace is getting what you don’t deserve … mercy is not getting what you DO deserve. We are called to show mercy to others. Jesus said we reap mercy if we sow it … the merciful shall obtain mercy.

In our dealings with family, neighbors, co-workers, church friends etc. we should be exemplary in our display of mercy.

When you close your eyes and think, is there someone you have been harsh and unmerciful to? Forgive them immediately and plan acts of mercy.

READ/HEAR: Matt. 18,19

When Jesus told His disciples of the suffering He would experience, Peter rebuked Him by saying, “Never, Lord. This shall not happen to You.”

On that point, Jesus made a distinction between God’s concerns and human concerns.  He implied that it was God’s will that He suffer. Humans don’t want suffering. The suffering of Christ would pave the way for our salvation, our healing, our forgiveness.

God;s path may include suffering, but it will yield His ETERNAL RESULTS and benefits. Christ Jesus will be with you each step of the way. It’s a narrow way, but leads to eternal life.

READ/HEAR: Matt. 16,17

When challenged by the religious leaders from Jerusalem on why His disciples ate without washing their hands, He declared, ” It isn’t what enters a man through his mouth that defiles him … it’s what comes out ie. he reveals his heart’s condition by the words he speaks.”

The intellectual diet we feed on impacts our thinking and thereby our heart. Consistently feeding upon God’s Word … reading every day … is the best heart food we can find.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to Your Word. [Ps. 119:9]

READ/HEAR: Matt. 14,15