Friday 9 Jul 2021

July 9: Matthew 9:9-13
 
Key Verse: Matthew 9:12
On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but those who are ill.
 
Devotion:
How do you feel when your prayers are not answered in the way you want them to be answered? Do you get upset if your prayers are not answered? How often do you pray for yourself, and how often do you pray for others? Just some of the important questions we need to come to terms with when we look at prayers and how and when God answers them!
 
But there is another side to things and that is the selfishness or selflessness of ourselves and our prayers! Jesus had no problem going to Matthew and calling him to be a disciple; whereas the people around Him thought this was a terrible travesty because Matthew was a tax collector who had got more out of people than they should have paid – that is how they made their money (much like debt collectors nowadays who get more out of people than the person or company sold the debt for)
 
Some will say it’s business. Some will say it’s wrong. What God looks at is the heart of the person on each side of the debt. He looks at the person who owes the money to see if they will own up to their debt. He looks at the integrity of the person collecting the money. His focus is not on the money, but the honesty and humbleness and mercy of the people concerned.
 
When the people around Him complained about Him eating with the ‘sinners’ Jesus turned things around and said these were the very people who needed to get to know God more than the honest and upright people because they were furthest away from the truth to start with. God wants us to serve on a level playing field where we all know the rules and try to obey them!
 
Points to Ponder:
Do you pray for good people?
 
Will you pray for someone you consider to be bad?