HaveFaithInGod | Kristi's Morning Devotional

June 24, 2026June 24, 2026

Then Jesus Came

Last night when I went to bed a song rose in my heart.

One sat alone beside the highway begging,
His eyes were blind, the light he could not see;
He clutched his rags and shivered in the shadows,
Then Jesus came and bade his darkness flee.

When Jesus comes the tempter’s pow’r is broken;
When Jesus comes the tears are wiped away.
He takes the gloom and fills the life with glory,
For all is changed when Jesus comes to stay.

So men today have found the Savior able,
They could not conquer passion, lust and sin;
Their broken hearts had left them sad and lonely,
Then Jesus came and dwelt, Himself, within. (Then Jesus Came)

I spent my next several moments wondering what it would be like to have a conversation with the blind man, the leper and a paralyzed man I had read about so many times in the Bible. Their lives had been filled with desperation and hopelessness.

But God! Each man had an encounter with Christ.

The blind man: “…a blind beggar named Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, was sitting by the road. ⁴⁷When he heard that Jesus from Nazareth ⌞was passing by⌟, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” ⁴⁸The people told him to be quiet… ⁴⁹Jesus stopped and said, “Call him!” They called the blind man and told him, “Cheer up! Get up! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰The blind man threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

⁵¹Jesus asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Teacher, I want to see again.” ⁵²Jesus told him, “Go, your faith has made you well.” At once he could see again, and he followed Jesus on the road.” Mark 10:46-52 GW

The leper: “Jesus came down from the hill, and a large crowd followed him. ²Then a man sick with leprosy came to him. The man bowed down before Jesus and said, “Lord, you have the power to heal me if you want.” ³Jesus touched the man. He said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” Immediately the man was healed from his leprosy.” Matthew 8:1-3 ERV

The paralyzed man: “Four men came to him carrying a paralyzed man. ⁴Since they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof over the place where Jesus was. Then they lowered the cot on which the paralyzed man was lying. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”… ¹⁰I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹“I’m telling you to get up, pick up your cot, and go home!” Mark 2:1-11 GW

If you could talk with these men, what would you ask? How do you think they would respond?

John the Baptist, when he was in prison, sent his disciples “to ask Jesus, ‘Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?’ ⁴Jesus answered John’s disciples, ‘Go back, and tell John what you hear and see: ⁵Blind people see again, lame people are walking, those with skin diseases are made clean, deaf people hear again, dead people are brought back to life, and poor people hear the Good News. ⁶Whoever doesn’t lose his faith in me is indeed blessed.” Matthew 11:3-6 GW

The answer: Then Jesus Came and everything changed. Today, the answer is the same.

October 13, 2024October 13, 2024

Making Claims

Have you ever had to make an insurance claim? You know, you’ve been in an accident or perhaps had damage to your home or had something stolen.

You call the insurance company to report the loss. They send out a claims adjuster, he writes an estimate of damage done and then it’s filed with the company, and you wait for restitution and/or the repair to your property.

We had to file a claim on our home and one of our vehicles once because of a hailstorm. It was a lengthy process. That was the thought as I was reading this morning in Mark.

“Then so many of them came to the house that there wasn’t even standing room left in front of the door. Jesus was still teaching ³when four people came up, carrying a man on a mat because he could not walk. ⁴But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof above him and let the man down in front of everyone.

⁵When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the man, “My friend, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶Some of the teachers of the Law of Moses were sitting there. They started wondering, ⁷“Why would he say such a thing? He must think he is God! Only God can forgive sins.”

⁸At once, Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, “Why are you thinking such things? ⁹Is it easier for me to tell this man his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home? ¹⁰I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.” So Jesus said to the man, ¹¹“Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.”

¹²The man got right up. He picked up his mat and went out while everyone watched in amazement. They praised God and said, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:2-12 CEV

That particular damage to the house could certainly be listed as “an act of God”.

These four friends wanted to bring this man to Jesus, so they just picked up his bed and carried him through the streets to the house where Jesus was. Not being able to get in because of the crowd, they carried him to the roof and made a hole in it.

Now for the tricky part. They had to let the man down through the hole and hope that he would drop in close to where Jesus was standing. The Bible doesn’t specify but the friends must have come prepare for every possible circumstance. Did they bring the tools that made the hole in the roof? How long did it take to deconstruct? How did they let him down into the house? Did they bring ropes that they tied to his bed?

However, they did it, it didn’t matter. What mattered was their faith in getting to Jesus? They made claim on Jesus’ ability to heal their friend. Jesus also made a claim. His claim was that the man’s sins had been forgiven. That one set the religious leaders on edge. They objected – they refused His claim.

Jesus produced the evidence that supported His claim. “Take up your bed and WALK”. The man had been crippled. How long, we don’t know. But there was power in the words Jesus spoke. Power to give strength to legs that hadn’t walked in quite some time. Power to refute the skeptic minds of the religious elite. Power to heal and forgive.

Claim filed and settled.

“But I trust you, Lord, and I claim you as my God. ¹⁵My life is in your hands. ” Psalm 31:14-15 CEV

We all need to make a claim. We claim the Father as our Lord and our God. We place our lives in His hands.

“Everything and everyone that the Father has given me will come to me, and I won’t turn any of them away.

³⁸I didn’t come from heaven to do what I want! I came to do what the Father wants me to do. He sent me, ³⁹and he wants to make certain that none of the ones he has given me will be lost. Instead, he wants me to raise them to life on the last day.” John 6:37-39 CEV

The claim we make on God’s love will certainly insure us against loss.

December 23, 2021December 23, 2021

God’s Good Will

It’s important when we read the Bible that we let what we are reading really penetrate our thoughts. Some of the stories we have heard for years and sad to say but after a while they fail to impact us – just one more time to hear it, one more time out of habit but without meaning.

As I told you yesterday, this year I took a new look at the story of Jesus’ birth from Luke 2. I prayed that the impact I received from Luke’s recording of the events would take on new life and meaning. I have not been disappointed.

“Mary was engaged to Joseph and traveled with him to Bethlehem. She was soon going to have a baby, ⁶and while they were there, ⁷she gave birth to her first-born son. She dressed him in baby clothes and laid him on a bed of hay, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep.” Luke 2:5-8 CEV

Many Christmas cards, movies and books show Mary & Joseph arriving at night. Knocking on the innkeeper’s door and being turned away because there was no room. That may be the way it happened but when I read the verses above, I get a different perspective.

The shepherds had the angels appear to them at night that is true, but by that time Mary had already given birth to Jesus. So, they must have arrived in Bethlehem earlier in the day or even the night before. They had time to “settle in” when the pains of labor started. Joseph had to help Mary and they prepared the stable as best they could for the inevitable.

The birth of God’s Son.

Since Bethlehem was crowded and the inn was full, those staying there would have needed to tend to their animals. Did they come to the stable, hear the commotion, feed their animals and quickly leave? Did anyone ask if they needed help? Although there were no birthing facilities, I’m sure it was not common to give birth in a stable.

Did Joseph have anyone to help him care for Mary following the birth? Did the Father send an angel, disguised as a midwife, to assist them? And then how much time did Mary have to rest and suckle her newborn before the shepherds arrived?

Yesterday, I asked Everyone, Who’s Everyone. This morning I got a little more insight into that as well. The angels didn’t give the shepherds a street location – they had to search for Him, and they found Him, laying in a manger. The everyone could have been the people the shepherds spoke to, asking if anyone knew where there was a new baby who had been born in a stable. Yes, possibly that was who the everyone was.

Life’s events were not turning out as Mary had planned but in all of it, she trusted the Lord.

“Nothing is impossible for God!” ³⁸Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant! Let it happen as you have said.” And the angel left her.” Luke 1:37-38 CEV

What is it that isn’t going according to your plans this year? Let me assure you that whatever detours life has been taking you on, trusting God with the circumstances will bring a course correction.

He is faithful and His plans are always for our ultimate good!