23 Jan 13: Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute and Casts Out Demons and/ Our Future Glory

**Read Matthew 9:27-38  and Romans 8:18-27

I. Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute and Casts Out Demons
-In Matthew 9:27-38, Jesus did three more miracles: healed the blind, healed the mute, and casted out demons.  Unlike previous miracles, Jesus did not heal the two blind men instantly.  He waited to see where their heart and faith is.  They knew that Jesus was the "son of David", the savior, and the messiah and they came to Him to get their sight back.  But after crying out to Him, Jesus tested and asked them if they believe Jesus can heal them in which they answered, "Yes Lord".  Sometimes, we call on God for help and blessings but we don't show how badly we want it.  After a couple of prayers or a week, a month, or even a year, we give up on the Lord and abandon our faith.  If it seems like God is working slow to answer our prayers, maybe He is just testing our faith to make our faith stronger just like the blind men.  Keep trusting in God and if it is His will, He will grant all your prayers in His time.

-  After the healing of the blind men, other citizens brought Jesus a demon-possessed, mute man.  Jesus healed the man and casted out the demons and because of this, most of the people of Israel were amazed.  But with all the chatter of this miraculous healer going around, the so called experts of the "Book of God", were the first ones to shut Him down and even accused Jesus of being the ruler of the demons.  Sometimes, we have so called religious people and groups that accused Christians of spreading the wrong message.  For some odd reason, "Born Again" Christians have a bad reputation, not just to other religions  but also to our fellow believers.  They make fun of our ways and ridicule the way we preach, worship, and share the Gospel.  We need to Pray to God for strength and guidance so we can continue our walk with the Lord.  We should not listen to their mockery and instead pray to God that He will send us and them the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, ears, and hearts so we can all discern the true meaning of God's messages.  

II. Our Future Glory

- In Romans 8:18-27, Paul tells us not to be stressed with our lives here on earth.  Right now, we might not be where we want to be, but these sacrifices are nothing compared to the reward we'll get when we enter the Kingdom of God.  All these trials that we face are just temporary and we are always reminded that we might be living in this world right now, but we are not from this world and the time will come that we will join our Father in heaven and live a glorious, stress-free life.  And if we are down and we think that there's no other solution for our problems, we need to reach out to our loving Father.  We, as believers and followers of Christ, are not left to our own resources to cope with problems. Even if we do not know what to say when we pray,  the Holy Spirit is always with us, putting words in our mouth.  The spirit guides us and prays with and for us.  So when we are facing difficulties, let us bring our requests to God with the help of the Holy Sprit, in the Name of Jesus Christ and trust that God will always do what is best.

III. Proverbs for Today/4:14-19
14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,
And do not walk in the way of evil.
15 Avoid it, do not travel on it;
Turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they do not sleep unless they have done evil;
And their sleep is taken away unless they make someone fall.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
18 But the path of the just is like the shining sun,[a]
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
19 The way of the wicked is like darkness;
They do not know what makes them stumble.

IV. Additional Old Testament Reading

Genesis 46-47 and Psalms 19