“As a person reads through the Bible,” Stan commented one morning while we waited for Ricky to bring our breakfast, “there are a lot of stories about how Jesus healed various people.”
“Yeah,” I replied, “that seems to have been a big part of what Jesus did before He went to the cross to heal for eternal purposes everyone who believes.”
“You’re right,” Stan said, “and there’s one particular story of healing that is an important lesson for my faith walk.”
“Which one is that?” I asked.
“It’s when Jesus went to Peter’s house and found that Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed,” Stan said.
“So Peter was married,” I commented.
“Seems so,” Stan replied. “Unless there’s something I don’t understand, I think that’s how a person gets a mother-in law! But that’s not the important part of the story.”
“What is the important part?” I asked.
“It’s what she did after Jesus healed her,” Stan said.
“After He healed her? What’d she do?”
“She got up and began to wait on Jesus,” Stan replied. “And it’s supposed to be the same for me, you, and for everyone else.”
“In what way?”
“When I became a Christian by accepting the finished work of Christ on the cross, I was healed of my eternal separation from God. Because I accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life with Him in eternity when it is time, I was moved to get up, wait on Jesus, and to serve God while He keeps me on this side of eternity.”
“That sounds kind of like discipleship,” I commented.
“How so?” Stan asked.
“Well,” I replied, “the getting up to serve is like denying the self-centered notion of just wanting to serve myself. And then there’s the taking-up part, where serving God is doing what He has for me to take up. And, of course, there’s the third step of following Him after I have denied self and taken up what there is for me to take up.”
“Sounds about right,” Stan said. “As well, I think that’s what God intends for each person who is a part of His church. Once we have been healed from our eternal separation from God, we are to get up and serve Him as disciples.”
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Bible verses to consider:
And when Jesus had come to Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she arose, and began to wait on Him. Matthew 8:14-15.
And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” Luke 9:23-24.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for healing me of my separation from you when I accepted your free and gracious provision of the finished work of Christ Jesus on the cross. Thank you for healing me so that I have the opportunity to get up and serve you. I confess that there are too many times when I do not choose to serve you while you leave me on this side of eternity. Please forgive the foolishness of not serving you with the life you have given me to live. Please help me in following every step of your lead so I do, in fact, serve you as a disciple however, wherever, and whenever you want. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you accepted God’s free and gracious healing for eternal purposes so you know you will spend eternity with Him when it is time? If no, why don’t you want to be healed in that way? If you are a Christian who has been healed of your eternal separation from God, how are you doing with serving Him on this side of eternity? As well as you would like? As well as He would like? If you sense the need for change in how you serve God as a disciple, how is that going to happen? Is that what you want? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 