LESSONS FROM THE LEPERS: OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL, 28 APRIL 2018

MEMORISE:
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. Matthew 21:22 

READ: Luke 17: 11-19
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.

12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,

16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?

18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

MESSAGE:
The faith of the ten lepers in today’s Bible text can best be described as practical faith. They cried to Jesus for healing and He told them to go and show themselves to the priest to certify their cleansing. These lepers immediately proceeded as Jesus directed, even though the physical manifestation of their cleansing was not apparent. 

This is a classical demonstration of faith. Whether they came back to say “thank you” to Jesus or not is another subject of discussion. For you to better understand the practical faith demonstrated by these lepers, you need to read Leviticus chapter 14 which describes the painstaking process of certifying the cleansing of lepers. 

There are other examples of practical faith which can teach us some vital lessons on faith that works. Take for instance the servants at the wedding in Cana of Galilee (John 2:1-9). These servants were commanded by Jesus Christ to take the water they had put in water pots by themselves to the master of ceremony as wine to be served to guests. It took practical faith to for them to obey this instruction. 

The fact that they knew all about the water that was poured into the water pot should have denied them the faith that was needed to receive this miracle of supernatural provision. However, they obeyed because they remembered the instruction of Jesus’ mother when she said to them in John 2:5b

 “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

Beloved, do you desire a miracle? You need to demonstrate the practical faith that exalts the Almighty God. The lepers in today’s story went ahead to show themselves to the priest because the Great healer told them to do so. What is the Lord telling you to do so that you can have your financial breakthrough? Are you doing it? Are you paying your tithes and offering? Are you honoring God with your first fruit and engaging in other forms of continuous giving (Luke 6:38)? 

The Bible also says that we should pray without ceasing because it is when we ask that we will receive. Obeying such divine instructions as these demonstrate our faith in the God who gave these instructions, and He honors our faith by doing what only Him can do in our lives. 

There are many times the Almighty God would ask me to do things that are very ridiculous by human standards, but I have learnt that unless I keep on doing the ridiculous, there is no way I can experience miraculous which my knowledge of mathematics can never do for me. This is why I have been living a miraculous life daily, and it shall continue to be so till I see my Master in glory. My prayer is that the practical faith that you need to experience the miraculous will be given to you today in Jesus’ Name.

KEY POINT:

Doing the ridiculous in obedience to the Lord’s instruction will always yield the miraculous. 

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 1-2; Hebrews 5:11-6:20

AUTHOR: PASTOR E. A. ADEBOYE 

HYMN 10: MY FAITH LOOKS UP TO THEE.
1. My faith looks up to Thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary,
Savior divine!
Now hear me while I pray,
Take all my guilt away,
Oh, let me from this day
Be wholly Thine!

2. May Thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart,
My zeal inspire!
As Thou hast died for me,
Oh, may my love to Thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

3. While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be Thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From Thee aside.

4. When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll;
Blest Savior, then in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh, bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!