Gifted
Today’s Scripture Selection: Mark 10:1
“He called his twelve disciples and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”
The men that history now knows as “the Twelve” – Jesus’ hand-picked first followers – were extraordinarily gifted.
It wasn’t because they were just naturally so. As one author has put it, they were just twelve ordinary men.
But they were gifted just the same – because Jesus made it so.
And so, with heavenly authority, they were enabled to drive out the demonic and heal others – all in Jesus’ name.
Are the followers of Jesus today still gifted?
I think so.
We may not all be called to cast out demons or be used of God in some supernatural way.
But we are gifted – and called – to bring healing, just the same.
It may be in small, almost imperceptible ways. Or it may be in large, dramatic ways. But the goal and purpose remain the same – to bring God’s healing to a hurting world.
So, don’t be afraid to ask God two things.
- Ask God for healing when you need it yourself – and you may be surprised at the wonderful way he answers that call for help. A next door neighbor; a co-worker; a pastor or fellow church member; a trusted counselor; even a member of your own family – might be used of God to bring the very healing you need.
- Ask God to help you develop your own gift of “healing” – however God may choose to do that. You may find you are uniquely suited to help someone in a way you never thought possible.
Why? Because God is in the healing business – and I believe He is always at work doing that work – for, and through, us – if we let Him.
Prayer: Thank you God, for gifting us with both healing and the ability to heal. AMEN.
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. “Elpis” is the Greek word for “expectant hope.” He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors, and a member of Spiritual Directors International. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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