(Read Mat 8:1-15)
This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. Shortly after selecting his 12 disciples, of which Simon Peter was one, Jesus preached the famous Sermon on the Mount. Afterwards Jesus healed a man of leprosy. I am sure the disciples were amazed. There was no cure for leprosy, so seeing Jesus heal a man from an incurable disease must have helped the disciples be at peace with their decision to leave everything behind to follow Jesus. After the episode with the leper Jesus had an encounter with a Roman Centurion. Although Jews were supposed to be subservient to the Romans, because the Romans were in control, this particular Roman seemed to submit to Jesus’ authority. Once again, this must have been an eye-opener for the newly recruited disciples. Jesus simply spoke a WORD of healing and the Roman Commander left excited to find his servant healed back at home.
After of all this the group decided to go to Peter’s house for dinner. However, they arrived to the news that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. This was no issue for Jesus. Jesus simply walked over to her, touched her hand and the fever immediately left. In no time she was up on her feet fixing dinner for Peter and his friends.
I would venture to say that most believers think prayer, healing, miracles, and the such are reserved for what they would consider “big” issues: cancer, AIDS, or other terminal illnesses. But God is as much interested in removing a headache as He is in removing cancer. Anything that is keeping us from walking in the fullness of our assignment is an issue and God is more than willing to release His power to remove it. Jesus had just healed leprosy and a man who was incapacitated, and when He saw Peter’s mother-in-law laid up in bed because of a fever He saw her issue no different than the others. Jesus healed her. Not because Peter asked, not because the woman begged, but simply because He came to destroy the works of the devil. Jesus came to stop anything the devil started. And Jesus was always moved with compassion. Jesus could have simply spoken her healing and commanded the fever to leave, but Jesus touched her hand, as if to bring her peace with the healing. Her fever left her body as quickly as His hand left her skin.
What was Peter’s mother-in-law’s reaction to her healing? Did she fall down and worship Jesus? Did she get up and run to church to give God praise? No. She got up and made dinner. She realized she was now fully capable of doing what she would have been doing if she were not hindered and as soon as she was able, she got busy doing just that – she took care of the her guests, like any honorable person would.
So what does this mean to you today? This message is more about Jesus and Peter’s mother-in-law than it is about Peter, but we can surely learn a few things from them.
- God wants you to maximize the purpose and potential He placed in you before the world began.
- There are no little issues with God. He is as interested in healing a headache or a fever as He is in healing cancer.
- God’s power is available to you, by His grace, for every hindrance to be removed.
- You were not saved to sit, you were saved to serve.
- Although we call what we do at church “service,” we don’t really go to church to serve. We go to church worship. We should leave the church to serve.
- God wants us healed, healthy, blessed, and prosperous; so we can “serve” him by making a difference in a dying and decaying world.
- Like Peter’s mother-in-law (or as I like to say, mother-in-love), we must all seek to do all that God has blessed us to do. Don’t sit down on your abilities. Get up and pursue God’s best, seek to change the world, by God’s grace and with your faith.
- Take a moment to think about something, or more than one thing, God has graced you to do, but you are failing to do? Now repent, receive forgiveness, forgive yourself, and make a decision to start today! You will never experience Godly success by being lazy.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. You made plans for me before the world began. You made those plans by Your unearned and amazing grace. You then placed Your grace IN me to maximize my purpose and potential. But You won’t force me to be blessed. I will never become the man/woman You birthed me to be if I am lazy. I declare that I am not. I am not saved to sit, I have been saved to serve, and I am determined to serve You and humanity all the days of my life. I go to church to worship, I leave the church to serve. I am a world changer, difference maker, and a climate shifter. I am a conduit of supernatural power, an emissary of love, and a vessel of light! I receive healing and breakthrough from everything that has ever held me back. I declare that I am healed, healthy, blessed and prosperous in every area of my life. I enter every day determined to make the most of the life You have given me Lord! You and me Father, together, we will change the world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
