GETTING RID OF OUR TAGS
ENCOUNTERS WITH JESUS
«Large crowds followed Jesus as he came down the mountainside.
Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him.
‘Lord,’ the man said, ‘if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.’ Jesus reached out and touched him. ‘l am willing,’ he said. ‘Be healed!’ And instantly the leprosy disappeared’ (Matthew 8:1-3
We ‘ve gotten used to tags, but sometimes we’re not tagged in pictures, but rather with hurtful adjectives.
What would happen if we all walked around holding a sign with the tags other people have given us, or with those we sometimes assign ourselves? These tags may be partly true or may just be mirroring how others feel.
The man from today’s memory verse had on a very old tag that couldn’t ‘t be hidden behind a screen or a strategically designed profile. He had to yell, ‘(Unclean! Unclean!» just in case someone hadn’t yet «refreshed» their scope on his life.
In The Desire of Ages, we read that the lepers (‘dared not expect Jesus to do for them what He had never done for any man. There was one, however, in whose heart faith began to spring up» (ch. 27, p. 262).
One morning, he dared to venture out of his hiding place. We don’t know if he wore his best clothes, or whether he washed his face and combed his hair.
Would Jesus heal him? Would He curse him for his sins? Would He tell him to go away so He wouldn’t be contaminated? Would Jesus reject him like everyone else did? Would He look at him in disgust?
He approached with fear, yet stood at a distance. He heard Jesus and saw Him place His hands on the sick Maybe He was authentic after all..They exchanged two sentences that said it all and, in that instant, when the leprosy had visibly disappeared, Jesus yanked the invisible tag from the leper’s chest, silenced the desperate cries from his vocal chords and left a story to tell on his lips. Jesus doesn’t only work externally; he transforms identities, restores them, reunites isolated people, takes them out of their caves back to their homes. He turns a heap of rags into a person and a victim into a witness.
Today, you might be struggling with a tag, watching Jesus from a distance and wondering if He really can make you well. Take everything to Him. Let faith take root in your heart and allow Him to work a miracle in your life as well. He’s here, with the «Delete Tag)) icon, waiting for you to come to Him so He can click on it.
#YouthDevotional
#RadioJovenAdventista
#MeditacionesDiarias
Daily Devotions for Youth 2021
«TAGS TO MAKE YOU THINK
BY: CAROLINA RAMOS»
Collaborators: Misael Morillo
Radio Joven Adventista
Recetas Vegetarianas
