When the crowd observed Jesus heal the paralytic, they were in awe of God. Mark 2: 12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” [1] How would you react after seeing a miracle …
The Jewish leadership began questioning Jesus after He forgave a paralyzed man. He went on to show them that He had the authority to forgive. Mark 2: 8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man …
The teachers of the religious law had a resistant mindset. They had come to check out this popular new teacher. There were stories of healing and fresh teaching from a previously unknown rabbi. Jesus was beginning His ministry and was very popular with the common people. He had returned to His home base of Capernaum …
Faith that leads to wholeness is a story repeated throughout the Scriptures. Faith is essential to life, not just for eternity, but for transformation today. Scripture tells us in Ephesians 2:20 that Jesus Himself is the chief cornerstone. He is the foundation upon which everything else is built. True wholeness is not built on feelings, …
Wholeness starts with forgiveness since our most important need is to be forgiven. Jesus came into this world to die for our sins and restore us to God. While we need food, water, and shelter to survive physically, nothing compares to our spiritual need. Without forgiveness, we remain separated from the very One who created …
Being made whole in Jesus through life’s obstacles is not the path most of us want to go down. In God’s plan for our lives, obstacles can be times of testing that help us become better people. Perhaps as you read this, there is a major obstruction in your life that you are trying to …
Wholeness through divine intervention may not be our plan, but it is God’s. We may think we have our own path figured out, but the good news is the Lord always has a better one. His plans require divine intervention—and that intervention is always aimed at making us whole. We often think we know best …
When Zacchaeus met Jesus, he was restored and found a new life. As the chief tax collector in Jericho, he appeared to have it all, yet he may have felt empty inside. When he heard Jesus was passing by, he climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see Him. A spark of hope probably ignited as Jesus …
Zacchaeus demonstrated evidence of transformation that had happened in his heart as Jesus came to his house. Luke 19: 8 Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!” …
Overcoming societal judgment is challenging and requires God’s strength, as Zacchaeus’s story illustrates. We may like to think people’s critical comments don’t affect us, but they do. As Jesus entered the town of Jericho on His way to die for our sins, He encountered a man named Zacchaeus. He was so eager to see Him …