Jun 30 2025

Today's Bible Verse

And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

Today's Bible study

In Luke 10, Jesus sends the apostles to the places where He would soon visit. He tells them to heal people who are sick and announce that the Kingdom of God is near. This means a distinctive feature of the Kingdom of God is wholeness; healing is a sign that the Kingdom is coming. Today, we will talk about what this verse means and how it applies to our lives today.

Why do you think Jesus wanted the disciples to prepare the way for Him by healing people? There are many possible explanations, but perhaps we can consider what healing says about Jesus. It indicates that He cared about people and didn't want them to suffer. It also suggests that there is no place for sickness in His perfect kingdom. Finally, it shows the future toward which the Kingdom of God was aimed—a kingdom of wholeness and vitality. Healing people beforehand teaches them what God is like; it gives them visual proof that He is good and loves them.

Jesus did not come, however, to offer primarily physical healing—He was interested in spiritual healing above all. This is one of the reasons why He often asked people He healed to not tell others; He wanted to focus on spiritual healing. This tells us that our need for spiritual healing is greater than our need for physical healing. As much as we would love to be in whole, perfect bodies, our souls have much deeper needs.

Today, if you are praying for healing, rest in the fact that the Lord has already met your greatest need—for spiritual healing. He can also heal your physical body, but if for some reason He does not, He will give you the strength and grace to endure.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for being a God of healing. Thank you for having a kingdom where no sickness or brokenness has any place. Please heal me of the brokenness in my body and my mind. Thank you, Lord, for your great love for me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Jun 29 2025

Yesterday's Bible Verse

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots. :

Yesterday's Bible study

In this verse in Luke, Jesus prays to the Lord from the cross. Even though their sins were great, Jesus asked that the men who had tortured him be pardoned. Today, we will think about the grace that Jesus showed these soldiers and compare it with the grace that He has shown us.

Jesus had nails driven into His wrists and feet; he hung on the cross, which He had carried through Jerusalem, by His own bones. The soldiers who did this to Him watched Him suffering and dying with disinterest, gambling for His clothing at His feet. The disinterest was not mutual, however. When Jesus looked upon them, He asked the Lord to forgive them. He did not want to die without knowing that His executors had been pardoned.

In the same way, the Lord has looked upon us with mercy. He does not count the many ways that we have sinned against Him; instead, He looks at us and offers Himself as payment for our sin. Indeed, there is no sin too severe to be pardoned. These men killed the Son of God. If they could be pardoned, so can we. All our sins are forgiven when we call upon the name of Jesus.

This verse reminds us how much the Lord loves to forgive. He does not desire for anyone to be separated from Him. Jesus showed us this reality when He died on the cross for us.

Sometimes, we think about Jesus as a victim. He was a victim of Judas's betrayal, jealous and unrighteous Pharisees, and an apathetic Roman official Pilate. Or was He? Jesus says in Matthew 26 that He could call down angels to rescue Him from the cross. He willingly submitted Himself to the "cup" when He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus was no victim—He knew exactly what He was doing when He carried His cross. He had a specific purpose in mind: final forgiveness for you and me forever, making it possible for us to have a relationship with Him. Because of His death on the cross, even those who nailed Him to it—and you and I—were forgiven.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you so much for your great forgiveness. Help me to remember the forgiveness I've received and to forgive those who have wounded me. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

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