Filling In the Holes

February 15

(Luke 5:14 NIV) ““Then Jesus ordered him, "Don't tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them."

(Proverbs 14:8-9 NIV)  "The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception. {9} Fools mock at making amends for sin, but goodwill is found among the upright."

After Jesus healed the man with leprosy, He did something that may seem odd to us. He ordered the man to not tell anyone. Instead, the man was to go to the priest and do what it took to be certified as clean. Jesus wanted the priests to see what the mercy and the power of God can do. But He also wanted the former leper to be fully restored to society, and there were some earthly steps he needed to take. The same is true for us. There may be some earthly steps we need to take before we publicly proclaim our healing. After we have experienced the Master’s touch, it may take longer than we’d like to be restored. Jesus forgives sin instantaneously, but there may be some amends we need to make in order to restore our earthly relationships. Be patient. Take whatever steps are necessary to re-establish yourself. You can’t fill in a hole that took years to dig in just a few days. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day