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Daily Recharge
Mal Fletcher
Not For Sale...
24 April 2024
Matthew 12:38-39 ?Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you." He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign... "'(NIV)
If Jesus were here today, television reporters would be hard pressed to find any footage of his miracles to play on the evening news. He would never perform for the camera; he'd refuse to perform miracles for the sensation of it, or to satisfy curiosity. If he were here today, he would never print a business card or hire a publicist to advertise his miracle abilities. His miracles would be performed in response to human needs and he would never grandstand on the back of someone else's suffering. If Jesus were here today, he would refuse to perform miracles for money, or to make a living from them, because he'd see his miracles as acts of God, to be held in awe. In our time, there are many so-called gurus of this religion or that, who make a tidy living from pedalling their supposed powers. They think nothing of exploiting the wounds of others, or playing on the desperation of the weak, to build an audience or bring in a dollar or two. With a mercenary spirit, they trade off the plight of the needy. That's about as far removed from the spirit of Jesus as you can get! We need to exercise great faith, not only in respect of our own needs, but also in response to the pain of others. We need to see miracles in our lives and those of other people, not so that we can gain a reputation for ourselves, or to build ourselves ?a ministry'. We're not on this earth to make a name for ourselves, but to make God famous! We need to pray, preach and believe for miracles with the purest of motives, because that's what Jesus' would be doing, if he were here to today.
Prayer: 'Jesus, help me to keep my motives right. I don't really want fame or wealth. The bottom line is this: I want to make God's name great, I want to achieve great things not for my own vanity, but for your glory.'
© Mal Fletcher 2003-2004
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