Reading your Bible for Today July 27

July 27: Luke 4:23-30

KJV Key Verse: Luke 4:27
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.

Devotion:
Leprosy was a disease people thought was a punishment from God for sins being offended. It was and still is a horrible disease which means you have to stay away from the rest of society, not being able to enjoy the things everyone else can do. We all do tend to call out to God when things are not going the way we want, and knowing God can heal but people are not being healed does cause doubt in many peoples’ minds.

Just like many parents, God does not want to listen to us cry – He would rather pick us up and comfort us than allow us to continue crying for help. And just like kids, we only cry when trouble has hit us and not when it still lies ahead. Just like kids, we accept the comfort and then run off and do something else without thanking our comforter and quite often without taking heed of the warning of danger we probably have just been given! We even turn against our comforter when they try to get us to avoid danger ahead thinking they are preventing us from enjoying ourselves!

Later, Luke tells us about ten lepers who are healed by Jesus and also the reaction of those lepers. When God does do something in our lives we are not as quick to thank Him for what He has done than we are to complain when He does not do what we want Him to.

Far too often we all accept the fact God is here and we all expect Him to do things for us and with us in a manner we like or accept. When God wants to improve the situation He may not be doing it the way we want Him to. Don’t be surprised to find God is working in so many ways behind the scenes. Don’t be surprised when you friends turn against you just because God has done something for you and not for them. We are, after all, a very selfish society. Always share with others what God does in your life. It will encourage more than it will disrupt.

Points to Ponder:
Do you get down when God is slow to answer prayers?

Are you expecting God to work to your own rules?