Encouragement for you Today:
Mark 1:35-45:
35 Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. 36 Later Simon and the others went out to find him. 37 When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”
38 But Jesus replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” 39 So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.
41 Moved with compassion,[i] Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” 42 Instantly the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed. 43 Then Jesus sent him on his way with a stern warning: 44 “Don’t tell anyone about this. Instead, go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy.[j] This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
45 But the man went and spread the word, proclaiming to everyone what had happened. As a result, large crowds soon surrounded Jesus, and he couldn’t publicly enter a town anywhere. He had to stay out in the secluded places, but people from everywhere kept coming to him.
Prayer is Important:
Jesus made prayer His top priority. As a Christian, I need to pray and make it my top priority. I’ve gotten into reading the Bible daily and it’s become part of my routine, but I’m not that great at remembering to pray. I’m going to make prayer, even if it’s not that long, part of my daily routine, and not just praying over lunch and dinner.
Since prayer is just talking to God, it doesn’t have to be fancy, but it does have to be respectful since God isn’t a vending machine and prayer isn’t dollars or quarters.
Jesus is willing to heal You:
A lot of people who are Christians believe in healing, but sometimes they think that God’s too busy for them. Jesus is willing to heal us, but we have to ask Him too. He can’t give us the desires of our heart if we don’t ask Him for it.
Listen to what Jesus says:
The leper was healed, but he did not do what Jesus asked him to by not telling anyone. It’s a very strange passage in the Bible because we’re so used to hearing people tell the stories where Jesus tells the person to go and tell other people the good news. We don’t know what happened to the leper, but it’s an important scripture because sometimes Jesus will tell us not to say things.
I do hope you found this blog entry encouraging to you. I’ll try to write more encouraging blog posts in the future! Have a great day and God bless you!
