LEPROSY

By Rick Mathes

Matthew 8:2 And behold, a leper came to Him, and bowed down to Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”

Leprosy, alcoholism, drug addiction, promiscuous sex, love of money has this in common: the more you have of them the less you have of you. They own you and will devour you one small piece at a time until there’s no life within you. You are a dean man looking for a place to be buried. It’s like sin is spiritual leprosy. It runs deep and it is all invasive: every part of your body. It gnaws at all that is left until death closes your eyes and the worms begin their banquet.

Leprosy, as sin, is a living death that plants its roots deeply and with your permission consumes all that was good within you. The alcohol and drugs separate you from all that was good within. They slowly destroy your spiritual cells so slowly you don’t even notice it until you are fatally sick and your vitality is gone for Jesus. It is in this loathsome condition you cry out, “Lord save me!”

You are putrid to look at as you crawl under the rock with those of like kind: those creepy, slimy vermin of sinfulness trying not to be noticed. When you and your associates are mutually infected there is a curious fellowship formed of miasma and spiritual defecation rotting on your weakening legs. The incurables convince you that there is no hope as you continue to wander further from Him in the colony of the unholy: the living dead succumbing to that fatal attraction, sin.

Larn from the leper to have a boldly face the disease humbly before the Great Physician. Don’t join those of like sicknesses draw you into their horror stories. Crawl to Him in the dust of our forefathers and those martyrs whose blood brought the cure.

You can be confident He will forgive you. The question is: will you receive forgiveness from Him and be guilt free? The proof of this glorious transaction is, “Have you become forgiven?” Well?

Are you believing and submissive? Then you have been make clean!