Obviously, these ten lepers knew who Jesus was and were familiar with His ministry and the miracles He was performing. They called Him Master, acknowledging who He was…not asking to be healed, but rather appealing to His compassion & love for the marginalized and social outcasts of the time. But instead of healing them immediately, Jesus tested their faith by instructing them to go and show themselves to the Priest. Now, they could of indignantly balked, being offended and angry that Jesus had not healed them instantaneously…but they obeyed His command. And it says that as they went, they were healed. The next thing that happened was very telling, for only one leper returned to give thanks. Only one came back to express gratitude, only one recognized God’s mercy and blessings in his life. And Jesus was quick to see this, especially since the only one that had come back was a Samaritan. Jesus then said to the man, “Your faith has made you well.” …restoring him totally, not only physically, but spiritually as well.
Month: October 2025
John 2:11 ” This, the first of His miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.”
This pivotal verse describes Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine at a wedding in Cana…and the start of His public ministry. For within this small group of friends, neighbors, and family, Jesus made Himself known to them. Allowing them to see with their own eyes His Divinity, majesty, and power. It tells us that on witnessing this miracle, His disciples put their faith in Him. But just a few verses later, Jesus is in Jerusalem performing miracles before large crowds. But the difference was, while His disciples put their faith in HIM, the crowds only believed in His NAME. (John 2:23-24) In other words, they only believed in His character, activity, and place in God’s purpose because of what they saw. This is why it says Jesus would not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men and their superficial nature, true intentions, and desire for entertainment rather than saving faith.
II Corinthians 10:5 ” And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
For every wayward thought…every worldly concept of the mind…every daydream and fantasy, Jesus demands unquestionable obedience. For in this passage, Paul stresses the difference between the wisdom of the world and the spiritual wisdom of the Cross. He warns of being deceived by the wisdom/passions of the world, (I Corinthians 1:18-2:16, I Peter 4:2, I John 2:15-17) and that we can no longer love worldly or fleshly wisdom and Him at the same time. But rather, we need to break the bonds of every worldly idea, motive, desire, and decision and bring them all under the Will of God.
Hebrews 4:12 ” For the Word of God judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Regardless of how long you’ve been a Christian, everyday there are private, unsaid thoughts that swirl in your mind…some, that can honestly have you saying, “Where did that come from?” These musings are not only judged by God, but also the rationale and intent behind them. For every intention we have is either good or bad…thus, every underlying reason, ambition, and goal is scrutinized by God Who looks at our hearts. And I Corinthians 14:25 says just that… God’s Word lays bare the secrets of our heart. So with each thought, we need to be asking ourselves if our motives are in the right place…all the while acknowledging that God already knows what hides in our heart.
Hebrews 3:1 ” Fix your thoughts on Jesus.”
We’d be very foolish to think we could hide our thoughts from God…in fact, Psalm 94:11 tells us otherwise that, “The Lord knows the thoughts of man.” But we still find it difficult to wrangle our wayward thoughts by ourselves. Fixing your thoughts on Jesus means to consider carefully, contemplate thoroughly, and comprehend accurately His example. It calls you to focus intently on Jesus…centering your heart and mind on Him, Who is the ultimate example and source of your faith. By fixing your thoughts on Jesus, life’s distractions and challenges are weighed on the scale of eternity and thus quickly lose their importance. So when it comes to your thoughts, remember this…where your mind goes, so does your attitudes, words, and choices…therefore shaping your life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Psalm 94:1-2 ” O Lord, the God Who avenges, O God Who avenges, shine forth. Rise up O Judge of the earth; pay back to the proud what they deserve.”
Romans 12:19 reminds us that we should never act on our desire to “get even”, for vengeance belongs to God, Who will right all wrongs in His perfect judgment and timing. For God is the only righteous judge of all, and as James 5:9 warns all, is the judge standing at the door… soon to return. Thus as Believers, our mindset cannot be on vengeance or retaliation, but rather on the focus of Psalm 31:23, “Love the Lord, all you His saints! The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.”
Galatians 1:3-5 ” Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the Will of our God and Father, to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
We think the world is evil today, but it was just as wicked when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. But he also wants us to know today that we too have been delivered from “this present evil age” to “the age to come” (Ephesians 1:21) through the shed blood of Jesus. Paul starts this passage with two very important words…grace and peace. Grace is an undeserved act of kindness, and Paul uses this word more often than any other New Testament writer, all the while giving it immense theological significance. It refers to all that God has given us in Christ…nothing of which we’ve earned or can ever repay. Grace rescues us that we may then have the reassurance of peace…referring to our relationship with God through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, “this present evil age” will continue until Jesus returns, but we can possess the grace and peace to withstand it.
Proverbs 21:8 ” The way of the guilty is devious, but the conduct of the innocent is upright.”
This Proverb, as well as Proverbs 2:12-15, show the contrast between walking on the path of light or darkness. When men leave the straight path, they walk in darkness, delight in doing wrong, and rejoice in the perverseness of evil. This crooked path then makes them quarrelsome, ill tempered, and deceitful. Their words are those of rebellion and apostasy as they strife to twist the truth with half-lies. And if we’re not careful, we can be sucked into their dishonesty and hate. But we have the protective power of Godly wisdom, and it will deliver us from evil men as we do what is right in the sight of the Lord with integrity, honesty, and discretion.
Hebrews 5:11-14 ” We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teaching, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s Word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
The author of Hebrews is chastising Jewish Believers for their weak faith. He is frustrated with their spiritual condition of still needing basis and elementary principles instead of progressing on to deeper truths. His exhortation focuses on the dangers of failing to strive for spiritual maturity, and instead settling for spiritual laziness. I recently heard that only 11% of Born Again, Bible Believing Christian’s are reading their Bibles daily, so it’s not surprising that most of us prefer milk over solid food…it’s easier. Spiritual growth isn’t automatic, and nor is it just an intellectual exercise for others to do for our benefit. Spiritual maturity requires intentional effort and practice…an engagement and application of God’s Word on a regular basis…which leads to spiritual discernment, and obedience. For we’ll never obey what we don’t know or take the initiative to learn.
Romans 8:6 ” The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”
The Holy Spirit indwells the Believer, working to bring about a more righteous life and heart. He comforts, guides, convicts, admonishes, and teaches. The Holy Spirit warns us with conviction…attempting to convince us that what we’re deliberating about may not in our best interest…but He doesn’t control our final decision. That’s called Free Will…the right to choose according to our desires at the moment. Thus in the end, we have the choice to whether follow the Holy Spirit and have peace, or select our fleshly preference and experience unrest.
Safetypinlove 