While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
How Jesus Loved People
The life of a leper was one of isolation. The law demanded he live alone. His clothes were to be rent, his head bare, and wherever he went he was to announce his defiled condition to those around him by shouting, “Unclean, unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45-46)
There was also a law against others touching a leper. Most people would find it revolting anyway.
But Jesus reached out his hand, and touched him.
How to Love Like Jesus
A friend who does counseling once told me a patient of his came back to visit him a few years after her counseling sessions had ended. She was doing extremely well and credited my counselor friend with her improvement.
“What was it that made the difference?” he asked, “The wisdom I shared? My insights into your family life perhaps?”
“No,” she replied. “It was the hugs.”
A few years ago I read a fascinating article about the power of physical touch. Patients touched by their doctor perceived their visits to have lasted twice as long as patients who weren’t touched. Students who were touched by their teachers were twice as likely to volunteer in class. The human touch can ease depression. The human touch can improve relationships
In a Cal Berkley study, touches among NBA teammates were measured. Among all NBA teams who do you suppose touched the most? The top two were the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers — the last two NBA champions at the time of the study.
Interesting.
(To learn more see the New York Times article on touch)
I love living in the information age. I love email, and Facebook, and Twitter, and Youtube. I love it. I feel blessed to live in an age when all this is available. But I also know I can have a tendency to become immersed in what I’m doing on the computer or on my phone, to the exclusion of real life face to face interaction with human beings.
It puts me at risk of neglect for showing people love through touch.
And touching, appropriately of course, is one of the most effective ways of communicating love to others.
Imagine with me what Jesus’ touch must have meant to the leper from our story. Picture living in a society where it was illegal to touch a leper — illegal. Put yourself in the leper’s shoes and think what it would be like to shout out, “Unclean, unclean,” so people could stay clear of you, and completely avoid any possibility of touching you. It’s hard to think of someone who would crave the touch of another human more. Jesus didn’t have to touch anyone. He once said to a centurion, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant, who was no where near Jesus physically, was healed at that very moment. Jesus, the Son of God, had the power to heal without touching. But he nearly always chose to touch. Concerning this leper, disregarding the law of man, Jesus reached out and touched him. (Matthew 8:9-13)
I want to encourage you to get in the habit of physically touching those you love. And to be on the lookout for those who will be encouraged by your touch — you know who they are.
Jesus’ touch accomplished great things in the leper.
Your touch can accomplish great things too.
Love people like Jesus did.
Touch.
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Help, I’m Married to a Stranger: Genesis 49:29-31
Married to a Stranger
It’s impossible to know what your spouse will be like tomorrow, or next year, or next decade. Because life will change him, or her. Finishing school changes him. Age changes her. The hirings, and firings, and battles at work change him. Where she lives changes her. A loved one dying changes her. Having kids changes him. You can’t really know who you will be married to, in the future, because they’ll change.
It’s inevitable: at some point in your marriage, you’ll find you’re married to a stranger. It happens to every one of us.
It happened to Jacob right away. Read More
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Posted on March 23, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Genesis, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Marriage
Christian marriage, Genesis 4:9, Jacob and Leah, Jacob buried with Leah, Leah, Marriage counseling, Timothy Keller
Love Like Jesus–Encourage and Commend: Matthew 11:11
How Jesus Loved People
Jesus loved people by commending them publicly. Here in Matthew 11 we see Jesus commend John the Baptist publicly. Jesus commended the faith of the formerly blind Bartimaeus when he said, “Go, your faith has healed you.” (Mark 10:54) Jesus commended the woman who anointed his feet with perfume when he said, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Jesus commended Peter when Peter called him the Messiah, he said, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah…” (Matthew 16:17) And on, and on it goes.
Jesus commended people–often.
How to Love Like Jesus
Lighten up.
Encourage, commend, and even–dare I say it–compliment people. Do it today, just for today, focus on commending and encouraging.
Jesus did.
You can too.
[Image via Paul L Dineen, Creative Commons]
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Posted on March 16, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
commend, compliment, encourage, Love like Jesus, Matthew 11
The Redemptive Power of Connection: Genesis 50:7, 9, 11
What’s All The Fuss?
I was involved in a huge funeral once. Two friends died in the prime of life, in an ATV accident. They were firefighters and we had this huge procession through town with fire department vehicles. The streets were lined with well wishers. There were even helicopters flying overhead above the procession. One helicopter flew a giant American flag underneath. Another filmed the whole event in high def. Had my two friends been insurance salesmen none of that would have happened. It was their relationship with the fire department that resulted in such an ambitious funeral.
Jacob’s funeral was a much bigger deal than my friends’. Every single one of Pharaoh’s officials were there. Every dignitary from the nation of Egypt was there. All of Joseph’s family was there. Chariots and horsemen were even there. The funeral lasted a whole week. This thing was huge. When the people of Canaan saw it, it was easy to recognize someone very important had passed away. But why? Why was Jacob honored in such spectacular fashion? Read More
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Posted on March 2, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Marriage
Connection to Jesus Christ, Genesis 50, Jacob's funeral, Jesus and Joseph, Redemptive Power of Connection, Salvation
Slavery, Love, and the Garden of Eden–Genesis 2:8-9
The Garden
A little trivia to start: The Bible tells us that the land in which God’s garden is located is called Eden, however we are never actually given the name of the garden itself, only the name of the land in which it is located. But one thing’s for sure, the word Eden means delightful, and we do know from the Bible that without a doubt, whatever the name of the garden, God’s garden was a delightful place to live.
Notice that in the middle of His garden God puts both the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. “Why?” You may be asking. “Why include the forbidden tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, in the middle of the delightful garden? Why ruin a perfect place with a forbidden tree?” The answer is that God desired a meaningful relationship with Adam and Eve, and a meaningful relationship requires a choice.
Marriage and Slavery
Hadijatou Mani is a 24 year old woman from the Sahel region of Nigeria, on the Southern fringe of the Sahara. Hadijatou’s story is the story of someone who wasn’t given a choice. When she was just 12 years old she was sold to a man named Souleymane Naroua. When she was just 13 she was raped by her master and forced to bear his children. Read More
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Posted on February 2, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, Marriage
choice, Genesis 2, Hadijatou Mani, love, nigeria, slavery
Love Like Jesus–The Power of the Tongue
The Power of the Tongue
How Jesus Loved People
Jesus loved people by commending them for what they had going for them. Here on the mountainside He commends those who hunger for righteousness, and those who are merciful, and those pure in heart, and those who strive to make peace, and those wrongly persecuted because of their righteousness. Throughout the gospels we see Jesus commending and adding value to people. He commended Nathanael’s honesty when he said, “here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” He commended the promiscuous woman at the well when he said, “What you have just said is quite true.” He commended the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years when he said, “your faith has healed you.” (John 1:47, John 4:18, Matthew 9:22)
How to Love Like Jesus
I just read about a left-wing, lesbian, college professor Read More
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Posted on January 5, 2013 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Christian lesbian, encourage, Love like Jesus, Matthew 5, power of the tongue, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield, Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert, sermon on mount
Steve Jobs, Jesus, and Anger: Genesis 49:5-7
Read Genesis 49:1-28
Steve Jobs’ Anger at Apple
I love apple products. I bought an Apple IIC when they first came out (to this day I can say that was the best keyboard I ever set my fingers upon). I love my iPhone. I love to Face-time with my family when we’re away from each other. I even love Apple commercials, especially the one where the girl throws the hammer at the big screen with Big Brother talking. Steve Job’s penchant for perfection resulted in some amazing products and some incredible marketing. But he also had an anger problem.
In 1985 Jobs’ boss, John Sculley, who was then the CEO of Apple, decided to remove Jobs from his position as head of the Macintosh division. When Sculley gave Jobs the news, Read More
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Posted on December 6, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, Marriage
anger, anger management, Genesis 4:9, Jesus, Jesus anger, Jobs, Steve Jobs
Sex and Your Future–Trading Forty Five Minutes for 1,000 Years: Genesis 49:1-28
Jacob called for his sons and said: “Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.” Genesis 49:1
Living Life Like James Bond
I have a friend, Kent, whose life was a little bit like a James Bond movie–at least for a couple of years. When he was in his twenties, he used to deliver Top Secret documents to a government location he won’t permit me to disclose. He traveled with a Halliburton attache case handcuffed to his wrist. He carried a 45 Colt in a shoulder holster, and a 38 Smith and Wesson on his ankle for backup. He was a nice looking guy and, not surprisingly, women found his secret agent persona attractive. Several female flight attendants made themselves sexually available to him. He decided to take them up on their offers. He was married at the time.
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Posted on November 29, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, Marriage
Genesis 4:9, Reuben Bilhah, sex, sex and Bible
Love Like Jesus — Love With Loyalty: Matthew 12:1-2
How Jesus Loved People
“Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath,” the Pharisees said. Jesus’ disciples were under attack. Read More
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Posted on November 17, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Jesus, love, Love like Jesus, Loyal, Matthew 12
The Key to Blessing Your Family: Genesis 48:15-16
Read Genesis 48:15-16.
Jacob Blesses His Family
“May the God before whom my fathers
Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully,
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life to this day,
the Angel who has delivered me from all harm
—may he bless these boys.”
Genesis 48:15-16
How to Bless Your Family
An independent filmmaker told me a story recently about a shoot he did, here in Southern Oregon, just a few months ago. One day they were scheduled to film at the top of Mount Baldy in the Applegate Valley. It’s a very remote location, in fact, the director and his wife found themselves ten feet from a mountain lion a few weeks prior to the shoot, when they first scouted the area (fortunately the mountain lion fled).
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Posted on October 31, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Commentary, Bible Study, Genesis, Marriage
blessing family, Genesis 48, how do I bless family, Jacob blesses Ephraim, Jacob blesses Joseph
Love Like Jesus — Forgiveness and Paralysis: Matthew 9:1-7
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Then the man got up and went home.
Matthew 9:1-7
How Jesus Loved People
Jesus loved the paralytic by forgiving him.
How to Love Like Jesus
Years ago I was a one man information technology department for the fire department where I worked. My primary job was that of firefighter but in the evenings at the fire station, and on overtime down at headquarters, I would purchase computers, install software, and program databases.
As the de facto department expert, I often had co-workers ask me questions about their personal computer purchases. I remember one time my friend, Michael Milligan, asked me if he should buy a PC or a Mac. I explained (in a most eloquent manner) how the PC is less expensive, and how you can right click, and why it has more flexibility if you want to upgrade, and how there’s a bigger selection of software available.
Well Mike patiently listened, nodding to indicate his understanding and agreement.
Then he went out and bought a Mac.
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Posted on October 20, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Forgiveness, grudge, Jesus forgives sin, Jesus heals, Jesus heals paralytic, Love like Jesus, Matthew 9
Love Like Jesus — Touch: Luke 5:12-13
Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.
How Jesus Loved People
The life of a leper was one of isolation. The law demanded he live alone. His clothes were to be rent, his head bare, and wherever he went he was to announce his defiled condition to those around him by shouting, “Unclean, unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45-46)
There was also a law against others touching a leper. Most people would find it revolting anyway.
But Jesus reached out his hand, and touched him.
How to Love Like Jesus
A friend who does counseling once told me a patient of his came back to visit him a few years after her counseling sessions had ended. She was doing extremely well and credited my counselor friend with her improvement.
“What was it that made the difference?” he asked, “The wisdom I shared? My insights into your family life perhaps?”
“No,” she replied. “It was the hugs.”
A few years ago I read a fascinating article about the power of physical touch. Patients touched by their doctor perceived their visits to have lasted twice as long as patients who weren’t touched. Students who were touched by their teachers were twice as likely to volunteer in class. The human touch can ease depression. The human touch can improve relationships
In a Cal Berkley study, touches among NBA teammates were measured. Among all NBA teams who do you suppose touched the most? The top two were the Boston Celtics and the L.A. Lakers — the last two NBA champions at the time of the study.
Interesting.
(To learn more see the New York Times article on touch)
I love living in the information age. I love email, and Facebook, and Twitter, and Youtube. I love it. I feel blessed to live in an age when all this is available. But I also know I can have a tendency to become immersed in what I’m doing on the computer or on my phone, to the exclusion of real life face to face interaction with human beings.
It puts me at risk of neglect for showing people love through touch.
And touching, appropriately of course, is one of the most effective ways of communicating love to others.
Imagine with me what Jesus’ touch must have meant to the leper from our story. Picture living in a society where it was illegal to touch a leper — illegal. Put yourself in the leper’s shoes and think what it would be like to shout out, “Unclean, unclean,” so people could stay clear of you, and completely avoid any possibility of touching you. It’s hard to think of someone who would crave the touch of another human more. Jesus didn’t have to touch anyone. He once said to a centurion, “Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant, who was no where near Jesus physically, was healed at that very moment. Jesus, the Son of God, had the power to heal without touching. But he nearly always chose to touch. Concerning this leper, disregarding the law of man, Jesus reached out and touched him. (Matthew 8:9-13)
I want to encourage you to get in the habit of physically touching those you love. And to be on the lookout for those who will be encouraged by your touch — you know who they are.
Jesus’ touch accomplished great things in the leper.
Your touch can accomplish great things too.
Love people like Jesus did.
Touch.
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Posted on October 13, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, Marriage
Cal Berkley, Celtics, depression, Jesus Christ, Lakers, leper, lonely, Luke 5, Touch
More Important Than Your Marriage
More Important Than Your Marriage (Photo Credit: Christian Marriage Headquarters)
I just read a great article on marriage by Tim Keller. In it he quotes from John Tierney’s classic humor article Picky, Picky, Picky some of the reasons Tierney’s single friends ended relationships. (NY Times)
“She mispronounced ‘Goethe.’”
“How could I take him seriously after seeing The Road Less Traveled on his bookshelf?”
“If she would just lose seven pounds.”
“Sure, he’s a partner, but it’s not a big firm. And he wears those short black socks.”
“Well, it started out great … beautiful face, great body, nice smile. Everything was going fine—until she turned around.” He paused ominously and shook his head. ”… She had dirty elbows.”
Keller then proceeds to explain how the person who will fulfill us and completely accept us just as we are is never the person we marry, not for anyone. Wait around long enough and every marriage relationship winds up in the same place, a place where both husband and wife recognize they’re two flawed people who will each have to make changes and work at their relationship to make it worthwhile.
But why should we think marriage wouldn’t be hard work? Keller asks. Why should a baseball player think it wouldn’t be hard work to learn how to hit a curve ball? Why should a basketball player or a football player think it wouldn’t be hard work to make the playoffs? Or why should a writer think it wouldn’t be hard to write a great book?
Worthwhile things are hard work. Marriage is no different.
Perhaps, like many people, you’ve forgotten about a relationship more important than your marriage. Perhaps you’ve forgotten or neglected your relationship with your Creator.
That relationship can be hard work too.
Today your relationship with God is under constant assault by distractions: There’s sports, and travel, and work, and friends, and family — and then there are the screens. The screens are bombarding us with distraction like never before. There’s movie screens, and computer screens, and smartphone screens, and tablet screens, and TV screens. All of these distractions, most of which aren’t bad in and of themselves, are pulling on you, pulling you away from God. Sometimes it takes hard work to pull yourself away from all of these things to draw near to God. (James 4:8)
Go ahead, ask yourself, Am I treating God as I should? Am I honoring Him? Do I do that which I think will please Him? Do I live my life with the design to please Him? Is He ultimate in my life? And if I answer yes, does the way I invest my time, energy, and money reflect my answer?
Investing your time, energy, and money in God and your relationship with Him can be hard work at times. Just like a marriage you’ll have to make changes in yourself and you’ll have to work at your relationship with Christ to make it worthwhile.
But it’s worth it.
The return on investment is eternal.
You, and I, and every person has to ask, Do I believe I ought to love God with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my mind? (Matthew 22:37)
And if the answer is yes, then comes the hard question.
Am I doing so?
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Posted on June 12, 2012 by Kurt Bennett
Bible Study, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Marriage
love God, marriage, Tim Keller
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