Weekend Speaker: Ben Sigman
Theme: Not Afraid - A High Impact Church
Read: Luke 7:11-17, John 2:1-11, Hebrews 13:8
Think: Do you believe in miracles? Did Jesus really heal the sick and raise the dead? (see Luke 7:11-17) Did he really walk on water? Did he really turn water into wine (John 2:1-11), as we heard last weekend in Pastor Ben’s message? Does God perform miracles today?
If you say you don't believe in miracles, you're not alone. The May 1, 2000, issue of Newsweek carried a poll that stated 84 percent of American adults said they believe that God performs miracles and 48 percent claimed to have witnessed one. That means 16% said they didn't believe in miracles. Where do you stand?
A miracle is defined as physical events that defy the laws of nature. I believe in miracles because I’m in the 48 percent that has witnessed them in my life. As Pastor Ben said “Jesus uses ordinary things for extraordinary purposes”.
I woke up one day many years ago with a 101-degree fever and pain in my groin. I went to the doctor of course and was admitted to the hospital for cancer surgery that day. By the time I was checked into the hospital my fever was gone and there was never an explanation of why I would have had a fever except that that miracle saved my life.
Many years later, I developed a very strange worm-like growth on my nose and went to the doctor to have it checked. He said, “Oh, that’ s nothing but this lump by your eye should be biopsied”. A skin cancer was removed that could have grown tentacles around my eyeball thanks to the weird skin tag on my nose.
In the Luke passage noted above, Jesus traveled to Nain, a city only mentioned this once in the Bible. Miracles can happen in the most unlikely places and as in the wedding feast, at the most unlikely times. I think we need to be available to miracles. The people that Pastor Ben told us are coming need miracles.
Do: Do a self-assessment on where you stand on miracles. Write down the miracles you have witnessed. Open your mind to the possibilities and seek out the compassion as Jesus had for the widow in today’s reading of Luke 7.
Pray: Father God, the Bible says that You perform miracles and that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Prepare me to be available to Your miracles in my life and in the lives of those who are coming to Timberlake, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.