Day 2424 of the 7 day Bible verse challenge.


Luke 17:19 NIV

The power of faith is something that I think we often underestimate. It's more than simply believing in something. It's more than a hope that there is a God somewhere who might happen to hear a desperate prayer sent up in a time of panic or pain. Our faith has the power to not only change our circumstances but to completely change who we are and the entire trajectory of our lives. We seriously need to stop limiting that to something that we lean on only in an emergency.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the healing that’s found in Christ’s salvation because it’s something that all of us need more than we often care to admit. All of our lives have been damaged and possibly even destroyed by sin. We all bear the marks and carry the scars of poor choices and dumb mistakes. There isn’t a person alive who can claim they’re without sin, and therefore there isn’t a person alive who doesn’t need the healing that He offers.

Came across this one this morning and it’s a perfect example of what’s on my mind. Jesus has just healed 10 men who had leprosy. But only one comes back to praise Him and show His gratitude for being healed. Only one seems to appreciate that healing enough to stop what he’s doing, change his plans, and take the time to praise Jesus for what He had done for him. The rest just went on their way and we don’t know any more of their story. But this one man was clearly moved by what Christ had done and the healing that he received.

The guy didn’t just say to himself, “Ok, that’s better. Now where was I?” Well, he was suffering with leprosy and desperate for healing. So why go back to doing what he was doing? Why slide right back into the status quo as he had previously known it? His life had just been changed. His prayers had just been answered. This faith that he had held tightly finally brought about the cleansing that he had hoped for. That kind of thing should change everything! It should open our eyes to just how special our faith is, and how grateful we should be to have the opportunity to believe in such a loving Father.

But that’s often how we react to the healing, mercy, and blessings that we receive. We miss the part about being thankful and the understanding of what’s been done for us. We just go back to doing what we were doing without allowing God’s mercy and healing to alter the course of our lives as it should. It’s not simply about getting everything we want, everything we hope for in life. It isn’t just about doing and saying all the right things so that we can appease God for a moment so He will do something for us.

This faith is so much more than what we often see it as. It’s a door to a completely different way of living than what we’ve known before. It’s the forgiveness and removal of our sins and the shame that we are tired of carrying. It’s the chance to learn that there is a God who is more powerful than we can imagine that loves us more than we deserve. It’s a fresh start, a new beginning, a different perspective, a hope that is unshakable, a joy that is unending, and a peace that cannot be stolen. But we miss all of that when we only use faith to get what we want but don’t allow it to actually change us.

We need to stop this momentary appreciation that only leads right back to the same life we’ve been living. Even if we spent the rest of our lives praising God it wouldn’t be enough considering all He’s done for us. That fact should change everything! He has cleansed, healed, and forgiven all those who have faith in Him and humbly ask for His mercy. But why stop at letting that be a one-time thing? If we just go back to who we were before then all we’ve received is a tiny drop of what He has to offer.

But if we can understand the gravity of His grace and allow it to change who we are to the very deepest part of our souls then it’s only just the beginning of something completely new. We will never understand the depths of His love and mercy. But we can’t afford to stop on the shoreline and then head back inland. It’s time that we truly dive into all that God has to offer because we need every bit of it that we can get!

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