On Rounds with Jesus

Tag: bible

  • The one who came back

    The one who came back

    Scripture reading: Luke 17:11-19

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    Sometimes work becomes so overwhelming that we begin to treat our clients as though we are doing them a favour, when in reality we have been placed there to serve them. Perhaps that explains why one client returned to thank me for simply doing my job.

    I had not done anything extraordinary. I listened to her complaints, examined her, ordered a few laboratory tests to review later, and discussed what her condition might be—just as I had done for many others that day. Yet sometime later she returned simply to say, “Thank you.”

    Perhaps she appreciated the care she received, care she might not have been used to. But even if such care was expected, why hadn’t the others said thank you?

    In today’s Scripture, Jesus passes between Samaria and Galilee and enters a village where ten lepers meet Him. Standing at a distance, they cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” These men were helpless and hopeless. Their disease not only ravaged their bodies but also made them outcasts from society. Separated from family, community, and worship, their lives were marked by isolation and suffering.

    Moved by their plea, Jesus healed them and instructed them to go and show themselves to the priests, as required by the Law of Moses (Leviticus 13–14). The priests would examine them and declare them clean so they could return to society.

    Overjoyed, the ten men hurried off. But one stopped and turned back. While the others continued ahead, this man returned, “praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks” (Luke 17:15–16).

    Even more striking, the one who returned was a Samaritan, a people many Jews despised. Jesus remarked with surprise that although ten had been healed, only one returned to give thanks and glorify God.

    Do you see yourself in the grateful leper, or among the nine who never returned?

    We often pray to ask God for what we need, and rightly so. Jesus encouraged us to ask the Father (Matthew 7:7–11). Yet we frequently move from one request to another without pausing to thank Him for what He has already done.

    The fact that you are alive today, that you are healthy, that you were able to eat, or that you woke up this morning is not accidental. These are all expressions of the grace and mercy of God. Yet when we begin to treat such blessings as expected, gratitude quietly fades.

    Jesus did not withhold healing from the nine who failed to thank Him, but He did highlight their lack of gratitude (Luke 17:18). All ten were physically healed, yet His final words to the Samaritan suggest something more: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (Luke 17:19).

    It seems this man received more than physical cleansing: he experienced spiritual wholeness.

    When we pause to acknowledge the Giver and not just the gifts, we honour the Lord and experience the deeper blessing that grows from a grateful heart.

    Let us pray

    1. Pray, thanking God for all he has done for you – the good and the not-so-good. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Pray that God will give you a heart that remembers to thank Him for His daily mercies and blessings.
    2. Pray that the Lord will open your eyes to recognise His hand in both the big and the ordinary provisions of life, that He will guard your heart from becoming like the nine lepers who received blessings but never returned to give thanks.
    3. Ask that your words, attitudes, and actions will continually honour God for what He has done in your life.
    4. Pray that your faith in Christ will lead not only to receiving His gifts, but to a deeper relationship with Him and true spiritual wholeness.

    Amen.

    Thank you for joining us for today’s encouragement. If this message blessed you, kindly share it with someone who may also be encouraged by it.

    Until next time, stay blessed.

  • Immunity

    Immunity

    Scripture reading: John 8:31-36

    You can listen to this devotional via Spotify or YouTube.

    Immunity is the ability of the body to recognise, resist, and eliminate harmful organisms or substances such as bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins. In simple terms, immunity is the body’s defence system against disease. This immunity can be innate—the natural immunity one is born with—or acquired, that is, immunity that develops after exposure to a pathogen.

    Acquired immunity can be active or passive. Active immunity occurs when the body produces its own antibodies through natural infection or vaccination. An example is the immunity one gains after recovering from chickenpox. Passive immunity, on the other hand, is immunity derived from antibodies received from another source. An example is the administration of Rho(D) Immune Globulin to prevent rhesus isoimmunization, as we discussed in last week’s devotional, “Sensitisation.”

    The truth is that the Christian is not entirely immune from sin. Even after salvation, believers still struggle with sin. We will not be completely free from it until we die or until Jesus returns. Yet becoming a Christian results in a changed life (2 Corinthians 5:17). When a person accepts Jesus as Lord and Saviour, he becomes a new creation. He moves from a kingdom where, by virtue of his sinful nature, he could not help but sin, into a new domain where he is clothed with Christ. Christ becomes his righteousness. In that sense, Christ becomes his new innate immunity by virtue of the new birth.

    Instead of producing the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19–21), the believer begins to display the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23), as the indwelling Holy Spirit increasingly takes control of his life. This transformation does not occur instantly, but it does occur progressively. The old nature begins to lose its dominance. The flesh begins to die.

    Along the way, the believer also develops something like acquired immunity—a growing resistance to sin. Through conscious striving, repentance, and sensitivity to the Spirit’s guidance, he learns to keep sinful acts at bay. If a person claims to believe yet shows no evidence of a changed life, it raises serious questions about the genuineness of his faith.

    And sometimes, the believer may still fall. But he does not remain in the dirt. That fall often strengthens his resolve to rise again and continue pressing forward. In that sense, each failure, met with repentance, builds a kind of active immunity against repeating the same sin.

    The difference between a sinning unbeliever and a sinning believer is this: one loves his sin, while the other hates it.

    The believer who stumbles regrets it, confesses it, and longs never to repeat it. He seeks God’s grace and power to avoid it in the future. He does not ask how much he can sin and still be considered a Christian. Rather, he asks how he can avoid even the appearance of sin.

    The believer may stumble, but he does not settle in sin. Grace lifts him, repentance cleanses him, and the Spirit strengthens him. Over time, the soul that walks with Christ becomes increasingly resistant to the very sins that once mastered it.

    Just as the body develops immunity to resist disease, the believer must develop a growing resistance to sin. The goal is not to see how close we can live to sin, but how far we can live from it. A healthy spiritual life is one that increasingly rejects what once infected it.

    To conclude, let us reflect on this question: If I truly belong to Christ, do I see evidence that my desires, attitudes, and actions are gradually being transformed?

    Let us pray. Heavenly Father, thank You for the new life we have in Christ. Help us to grow in our resistance to sin and to walk daily in the power of Your Spirit. When we stumble, grant us hearts that quickly repent and return to You. Shape our lives so that we increasingly love righteousness and hate sin. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

    Thank you for joining us for today’s encouragement. If this message blessed you, kindly share it with someone who may also be encouraged by it.

    Until next time, stay blessed.

  • Stone or bread

    Stone or bread

    In clinical practice, patients often come with expectations, preferences, or even self-diagnoses. A client may ask for a particular test, drug, or procedure. But as a clinician, you know that their request may not always be in their best interest. Your role is to listen with compassion, then guide them toward what is safe, effective, and ultimately for their good—even if it’s different from what they initially wanted.

    Parents deal with something similar. My toddler loves to pick up things—some safe, some harmful. She may cry, protest, or throw a tantrum when I take away what she wants, but part of my role as a parent is to know what is truly good for her. I will never hand her something that would hurt her, no matter how hard she pleads. Love sometimes means saying no.

    This is the heart of Matthew 7:7–11. Jesus tells us to ask, seek, and knock—and assures us that our Father in heaven will answer. But like toddlers with their parents, or patients with their clinicians, we don’t always know what is best for us. God, however, does. God, in His wisdom, sometimes says no or wait, not because He is withholding good from us, but because He is protecting us from harm or preparing us for something better. He is the Father who never gives a stone when we ask for bread, or a snake when we ask for fish. He may not always give us exactly what we want, but He always gives us what is good.

    So whether in parenting, in medicine, or in our walk with God, love is not about granting every request—it is about providing what brings life, growth, and true blessing. And we can trust that our heavenly Father, far wiser and kinder than any earthly parent or clinician, will always do just that.

    Applications

    1. Trust God’s wisdom – When God answers differently than we expected, remind yourself that His love always seeks your good.
    2. Practice discernment in prayer – Instead of only asking for what you want, also pray: “Lord, give me what You know is best.”
    3. Patience in waiting – Just as a child eventually sees why the parent withheld something, we too may only understand God’s “no” in hindsight.

    Reflections

    • Can I recall a time when God did not give me what I prayed for, but later I saw it was for my good?
    • In what ways do I need to trust His wisdom more deeply right now?
    • How can I model God’s loving discernment in how I guide others under my care?

    Let us pray

    Heavenly Father, thank You for being wiser than my desires and more loving than my understanding. Forgive me when I confuse Your no or wait for neglect. Teach me to trust that You always give good gifts, even when they look different from what I asked for. Help me reflect Your wisdom and love in the way I guide others—whether as a parent, a professional, or a friend. May my life bear witness to the truth that You are a good Father who gives not stones or snakes, but bread and fish. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

  • Going the extra mile

    Going the extra mile

    Scripture reading: Matthew 5:38-42

    When a client recalls a great experience in the hospital, it usually does not entail receiving the most sophisticated treatment or procedures. Most often, it’s about that doctor who took an extra minute to listen, or that nurse who went beyond duty to reassure them. The memory is usually about the “extra mile” — the gentle, unexpected brush of kindness.

    “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.” (Matthew 5:41)

    In Jesus’ time, under Roman law, soldiers could compel ordinary people to carry their burdens for one mile. This was burdensome, humiliating, and deeply resented by the Jewish people. Yet Jesus flips this around: instead of resisting or doing the bare minimum, He teaches His followers to voluntarily exceed expectations — to surprise even the oppressor with generosity.

    Reflections

    • Radical Love in Action – True love doesn’t only do what is required; it goes beyond duty into grace.
    • Breaking the Cycle of Resentment – Rather than retaliating, Jesus calls us to disarm hostility with kindness.
    • Living Differently – As children of God, we are called to stand out from the world in humility and service.
    • Inner Freedom – By choosing to go further willingly, we master our response instead of remaining victims of compulsion.

    Application Today

    • At Work – Don’t just do the minimum your boss expects—add value willingly.
    • In Relationships – Extend forgiveness, patience, and kindness even when others may not “deserve” it.
    • In Service – Help people beyond what they ask, showing Christ’s love in practical ways.

    Let’s pray

    Heavenly Father, thank You for the example of Jesus, who showed us what it means to love beyond duty and serve with joy. Too often, we stop at the bare minimum, giving only what is required. Lord, teach us to walk the second mile — in our work, in our homes, and in every relationship.

    Help us to turn burdens into opportunities, insults into kindness, and demands into chances to reveal Your grace. Fill our hearts with the freedom that comes from choosing love over resentment.

    May every “extra step” we take reflect Your generous love and draw others closer to You. Strengthen us to live differently, to shine Your light in a world that desperately needs it.

    In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.