Matthew Eight

Verse: "A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, 'Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.'  Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.  'I am willing,' he said. 'Be clean!'  Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy."  - Matthew 8:2-3

Observation: A man had great faith that he could be healed by Jesus... if Jesus was willing.  Jesus reaches out, healing the man instantly.  I think a few things can be gleaned from this verse. First, Jesus does not have to do anything.  He is God in human form and is therefore perfect.  We are sinners and don't deserve anything, really... which leads me to the next point.  Jesus is willing and graciously heals the man.  So even though Jesus does not have to do anything, he does because he loves us, he is gracious, and he is merciful.  We truly serve a loving God... and all that he asks is that we accept him and have faith in him.

Application:  I think the take home on this one is just as I described above... to remember that Jesus is gracious and loving.  All we have to do is ask for forgiveness (to be cleaned) and he will grant our request.  The verse says that immediately the man was cleansed.  He can do the same for us if we just have faith, give it over to him, and ask.

Prayer:  Allow me to let go of the things I shouldn't hold on to so that I can be cleansed of my "leprosy."  Thank you for your grace and for loving me despite all of my flaws and weaknesses.