Observations/Interpretations:
I asked what is the significance of what the man did?
The man with leprosy could have accepted the way he was and joined a support group in the leper's colony for all those with leprosy. He could have even come to believe 'this is just the way i am' and there is nothing anyone can do about it. He could have even waited for someone to come to him to show him love. He could have easily been conditioned to accept his defeat in life because of all those who saw him as an untouchable who did not want to have anything to do with him. Yet, he does not do any of those but finds about someone who loves him so much just the way he is and actively seeks after Him.

I wondered was it possible that this leper heard about a rally towards Jesus  who spoke the Truth in love?

I even wondered if he looked at his own life and wanted what Jesus offered being willing to forsake the lepers colony for a redemptive colony?

What we can be sure of is that the man takes the initiative to find Jesus regardless of the baggage he was carrying and does 2 things:

1. He came to Jesus with the disease that made him feel like an outcast. (Skin falling off and blisters everywhere)

2. He fell on his knees and begged Jesus, ‘If you are willing, you can make me clean.’

Observations/Interpretations:
I asked myself why the leper used the words, ‘If you are willing’!
This tells me even if he went to different people including the religious leaders of the day seeking help to overcome his leprosy, they were not even willing to be near him or help him because they saw him as an untouchable. So, we can infer that he was not sure if Jesus was going to have anything to do with him too especially from the past bad experiences he may have had.

I asked myself what is the significance of knowing 'He came to Jesus'?
The leper did not remain in the leper colony satisfied with his condition using the leper colony as his support group to continue to live as an untouchable. Neither does he use the bad experiences he may have had with other people including religious leaders to prevent him from coming to Jesus because he knew there was something better out there no matter how much he felt shunned. So, he takes the daring step to go to Jesus, falling on his knees and begging Jesus, "If you are willing, you can make me clean". In essence, he knew what his leprosy had done to him and what an outcast he was to society but did not want to remain there, so he took the initiative leaving the leper's colony and support group there for the help he hoped Jesus could provide.

Observations:
I asked myself what were Jesus’ reactions towards the leper and the significance of each reaction?

1. Jesus was filled with compassion.
2. Jesus reached out his hand.
3. Jesus touched the man.
4. Jesus said, "I am willing"
5. Jesus said, "Be clean"

Point 1: Jesus was filled with compassion.
Jesus showed his compassion to the man who was sick and who wanted to be clean no matter how long he had leprosy or where he had been. Also, Jesus did not shun him but goes a step further and exhibits His compassion by the next action He takes:

Point 2: Jesus reaches out his hand.
It is important to remember what Jesus did was a result of the man acknowledging his condition before Jesus.

I asked myself why is it so significant that 'Jesus reaches out His Hand?'
Picture the person with leprosy whose skin was filled with spots and was falling off. Now picture it being a contagious disease that is spread by touch. No one would even come close to him but now Jesus reaches out His hand. This is so significant to me because by reaching out His hand, Jesus started the process of healing the man emotionally and psychologically. For the man's emotional and psychological wounds from the PAST were very deep. He basically had lost the loving touch of a family member, a friend, etc. We were made to be in relationships with one another beyond relationships that are just romantic. There are three types of love: Agape, Phileo, and Eros. This man needed the Agape and Phileo love and he had lost that because of his outcast status.  Yet, deep inside this man had to know even as an outcast to society that he was loved by One person who really mattered.  That is why he goes to Jesus. Jesus did not stop there by reaching out His hand but goes a step further.

Point 3: Jesus touched the man.
It is important to remember that Jesus was able to touch the man because the man with leprosy came to him without living in his condition in the leper's colony.

I asked myself what is the significance of knowing that 'Jesus touched the man'?
I believe when Jesus touched the man, at that point the man was healed spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, and mentally by the loving Hands of Jesus. Imagine how that would have made you feel if you were an outcast and no one touched you because of your condition and now Jesus touches you with His warmth of love. By touching the man in his sickness and disease, Jesus was letting him know that he is loved unconditionally regardless of the baggage of the past. For the man is  loved with all his scars, with all his wounds, with all his puss, with all his shame, with all his sin. It is not where the man has been that matters but where He will be because of the love of Christ. This process started because the man was not happy with his condition and knew something was wrong to even go to Jesus. Jesus is letting the man feel and know that he is valued as a person regardless of his disease. Wow! That is awesome to know! Jesus does not stop there after touching the man but gives him words he wanted to hear. This is evident by point 4.

Point 4: Jesus said, "I am willing"
I asked myself what is significance of Jesus saying, 'I am willing!?'

These are the words the man wanted to hear from Jesus and must have been ecstatic to hear them. Lepers were usually confined to a lepers colony and could not do a lot of things that healthy people were able to do including making a financial living. Now he knew he could be part of the community where Jesus walked because Jesus would help him become part of the community that he wanted too but could not before because of his condition. So Jesus acts! This is evident by point 5.

Point 5: Jesus said, "Be clean!"
I asked myself what is significance of Jesus saying, 'Be clean!'?

These are words that the man wanted to hear so he can join the community where Jesus walked. Now, immediately, the leprosy left him and he was cured!!!

Praise God! Amen! He was instantly healed spiritually, physically, emotionally, relationally, and mentally from the past trauma he faced after a personal encounter with Jesus.

Jesus became the LORD OF THE PAST for that man and helped him move forward. The wounds of yesterday were taken by Jesus and Jesus brought healing because Jesus can do anything. Thank you Jesus!

There is a wonderful song by Bob Bennett called 'Lord of the Past' you can find on YouTube.

Implications:
I asked myself why is the man's actions and Jesus' actions significant and it's implications for my own life?
The man with leprosy did not let ridicule confine himself to his condition and expect others to support him in his condition. The man did not even always think everyone hated him because he was an outcast and untouchable due to his condition. But, he wanted a way out of his condition. He did not also allow the bad experiences of his past to come in the way of receiving healing in the present and moving forward. It could have been easy for the man to have dwelled in the past and allowed his negative experiences and thinking to rule his life and given up. He did not but decided to take a risk and it paid off.

It is exciting to know what Jesus did for the leper He can do for us too when we have a personal encounter with Him. He waits for us to come to Him to clean us from the leprosy of sin we face. Yes, He does!

As a Christian, I am not exempt from the pain of sin that hurts me and causes hurt to others unless I come to Jesus and turn it over to Jesus, for Jesus is there to bring healing when I turn everything over to Him.

When I let JESUS become the Lord and Savior of my life, He will help me move forward to find His hope, help, and healing from any sin that captivates me and makes me a leper through His eyes. For a Holy God cannot allow His Holiness to be corrupted by our sin. So, only Jesus has the answer for me to help me overcome my sin  than any support group that supports me in my sin.

“This is what the LORD says— he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”- Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

The leper experienced that and so can we when we come to Jesus in our leprosy of sin and ask Him for his hope, help, and healing. It is interesting to me that the leper did not ask Jesus to support him in his leprosy and condition but wanted a way out from his leprosy and condition to which Jesus happily intervenes to help. Jesus will take the dragons in our life and defeat them too when we seek Him by the power of His love.

We too should not expect to support ourselves in our sin condition but should come to Jesus and ask Him to deliver us from our sin condition so we are no longer seen as a leper through the eyes of the Lord.

As long as sin controls us and we give into sin even creating support groups and community for our sin, we will continue to be trapped and seen as lepers in the eyes of God. But when we have a desire and pain to let go of our leprosy, the Lord will intervene in His compassion and bring healing into our lives from being a leper of sin. Thank you Jesus so much!

I ask you now dear friend, how do you deal with  the L.E.P.R.O.S.Y of sin?
Dear friend, if a leper of sin wants to continue to sin and even create a community and support groups for their sin, we can love them by praying for them and making them see through different means that what they are doing is sinful in the Lord's eyes.

But, if any leper of sin wants to come to Jesus for help, hope, and healing, and we have experienced the love of Christ and His redemptive grace in our lives, we have an obligation to help them overcome their sin. We have to be willing never to shun them away.

Anyone who is a leper of sin like we have been but comes to us looking for deliverance through Christ, the terms 'outcast', 'untouchable' etc should not even be in our vocabulary. Just as Jesus showed compassion, reached out His hand, touched the man with leprosy, said He is willing to clean him, we need to do the same for anyone who comes to us in their sin condition acknowledging that. For we don't deliver or save anyone but it is the love of Christ and His power revealed through His church that can and will save lives.

We need to always show compassion, reaching out with the love of Christ, touching others with the love of Christ and be willing to help them clean up their life. This cannot happen unless we ourselves have experienced the redemptive grace of Christ who wants to deliver us from being a leper of sin. A sinner cannot lead a sinner because it would be like a blind man trying to lead a blind man.

Only Jesus Christ can lead us and guide us delivering us from our own sin condition by the power of His blood when we turn to Him and acknowledge what He did for us.

Jesus said, "I AM the Light of the World. If you follow me, you won't be stumbling in the darkness but living light will flood your path!" (John 8:12)

Then, His love for mankind will become our love for mankind but never at the expense of compromising His principles. The sin that aches God will ache out heart. We will not look to support any leper of sin in their sin because they may feel hated otherwise. But, on the contrary through prayer, outreach, etc we will deeply love them, reaching out our hand of healing being the hands and feet of Jesus to bring help, hope, and healing. Help us Lord Jesus.

You and I all have baggage from being a leper of sin. We also know people who have baggage from being a leper of sin. With that comes a stigma of things that can bring us torment, make us feel yucky on the inside because of our sin, make us feel unloved because of what others have said or done to us, etc.

If we try to get rid of our sin on our own, we come to realize we cannot wash ourselves away from being a leper of sin because the leprosy of sin sticks to us like glue just as the man with leprosy could not wash away his leprosy. No amount of support groups supporting the leprosy of sin will help us. Only the love of Jesus can! Thank you Lord Jesus for your love!

I don't know what will make people see you as a leper of sin but this I know Jesus loves you so much and wants to be the Lord and Savior of your life to clean you forever from being a leper of sin. No matter what your sin looks like, He wants to deliver you from your past.

'He who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters' can make a way in the desert areas of your life and streams in areas you see as a wasteland.'

Yes, He can friend! Jesus healed the wounds of the leper and delivered him from his condition.  He can do the same for you and me delivering us from our sin condition.

God's law made lepers an outcast but His love is what brings those same lepers redemption when they want to escape being a leper.

"For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is He who will save us!" (Isaiah 33:22)

Give up your sin to the Savior who wants to become the Lord and Savior of your life delivering you from the bondage of sin and death so you don't have to live in the destructive path of sin anymore, no you don't.

Whatever happened in the past bring it before Jesus. Bring all your pain, guilt, suffering, shortcomings, stigmas before the CROSS OF CHRIST. Let His blood heal you where you are.

A wonderful song by Carman called 'This Blood' is so powerful. I hope you get to hear it on YouTube.

Jesus who had COMPASSION on the leper, will also have compassion on you! Jesus who TOUCHED the man to bring restoration in his life, will bring restoration to your life. Jesus who said to the leper, 'I AM WILLING' will say to you 'I AM WILLING' if you are willing to come before Jesus in your pain, suffering, torment, etc as the leper did. Then, as Jesus' touch and words healed the leper and cured him, Jesus can cure you too.

Yes, He can friend, Oh yes He can! Come as you are and find grace in time of need!

Friend, each of us is a leper of sin. We have skeletons of sin under our skin. You alone know the deep hurts and scars that are hidden deep inside of you because of your sin. You know the times of rejection, ridicule, etc you may have faced.

Many of you may still be carrying them with you as heavy baggage. It will not go away on its own but you can definitely find healing from your sin and be set free once you start dealing with it in the confines of a Christian community instead of a community that supports your sin whatever it maybe.

Whatever has happened, do not hesitate to receive the help needed. Jesus wants you to come to Him as you are and He will not turn you away. He wants to clean out your sin for you just as He made the leper clean. Yes, He does friend! Come as you are!

The man with leprosy was determined to receive help and did not let his leprosy stop him nor 'what other people might think of him' and received healing! You do not have to let your sin stop you from receiving the help the Lord wants to give you right now!

It won't be easy and there could be a lot of inner turmoil and pain but when you pour out your heart to the Lord showing him everything that has caused the wounds and scars as a result of the sin you are dealing with and ask Jesus to make you clean He will! Just as the leper showed himself to Jesus and begged Jesus to make him clean and he was healed, so will you be of your sin becoming a child of God.

The leper revealed his leprosy to Jesus which was causing torment! You can do the same and need to do the same with your sin leaving it in the hands of the Lord Jesus for hope, help, and healing.

When you pray to the Lord, listen to what He has to tell you. Jesus reached out to the man, touched him and spoke to him being willing to make him clean. Jesus wants to reach out to you, touch you in every area of your life, and speak to you so He can make you clean from the sin. Oh yes, He can!

Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

What He did then, He can even do now. The circumstances and situations maybe different but His compassion is the same.

Whatever your sin is, Jesus is willing to reach out to you with His Loving Hands, touch you with his healing love when you are willing to let go of your own supportive group and find your support in Jesus Christ. Take the help He is offering you. He loves you so much.

I don't usually recommend movies during these devotionals but I highly recommend the movie: 'The Sin Eater'

Each of you knows what the Lord may want you to do to deal regarding what you are facing. Don't let your sin or what other people will think about you stop you from receiving your healing. Just because you may have had bad experiences in the past with those who claim to be Christians and they hurt you so badly, don't let that govern your present and future.

 Now when you are healed from being a leper of sin, it is not enough to remain silent. If you are healed from being a leper of sin, it is not even enough to rally around a cause that the Bible supports. You need to go out and be the one to show love to others who are still trapped in being a leper of sin.

Though we sin on the inside, Christ's blood is always available to cleanse us and make us new again as we turn to Him. Then, He is the one that will help us love one another as we show the Way of the Lord and become their support community espousing biblical values.

When God looks us at us, He sees Christ's cleansing blood covering over us, so now we are seen as righteous instead of as a leper of sin. As the man with leprosy did not want to remain in his condition, we too should never want to remain in any condition we are in that is not of the Lord. It is our duty to be an Ambassador for Christ by proclaiming a message of being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. We should allow the fear of God and the love of God to motivate us to do that as Pastor Hugo Cheng preached on Sunday.

Whatever you are facing with, bring it to the Lord as the man with leprosy did and you will find healing in Jesus' Name! His love can enter everyone now and make them clean. Yes, it can friend! Amen! Whatever others are facing and you know it is not of the Lord, you be the One to show them love God's ways.

When I was a staff worker with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, we never ignored any student or community whatever they were going through. We existed to build collegiate fellowships who embody biblical values by making disciples and engaging the campus in all it's ethnic diversity with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In love we proclaimed the principles of the Bible and though not everyone agreed with us, we by God's grace stood out for Truth. This in essence even allowed a practicing homosexual to come to our weekly meetings daily. He did not make it a secret that he was a homosexual. Yet, we loved him and he was not treated any less than anyone else. Granted we did not create a support group to support him in his sin but we did create a support group to help him overcome his sin by the love we showed him. We even recommended articles to help him.

To this day, I have a lot of books that I had ordered to help Christians know how to deal with those who are struggling with the sin of homosexuality. I have even read multiple books/articles on the subject all in the hopes of not condemning those who are sinning but help them overcome their sin.

Unfortunately, they can still feel condemned if we do not accept what they are doing is okay! :( Even in those situations, we have to show deeper love without compromising our principles.

Followers of Christ are not wrong when they want the LGBT community to experience the love of Christ for we all need to show His love to everyone. What we need to be careful is accepting their behavior as right. I am so convicted of Jesus' interaction with the woman caught in adultery. He never condoned what she did was right for he acknowledged her sin but in love He chose to forgive her saying. "Has no one condemned you, neither do I. Go and sin no more!"

As Jesus heals us, we need to help heal others through His power of love. There is power in the Name of Jesus. As we are faithful to His Word without compromising and watering down our love in a humanistic way, I am confident He will draw people to us even in their sinful practices just as the Lord continued to draw a practicing homosexual to IVCF so He could hear and learn from God's Word even the biblical definition of marriage, etc.

 He will draw people to you too even in their sin, regardless of what it is,  so you can help them by showing the Gospel of Jesus Christ lived out in love without compromise.

May we deal with our own leprosy of sin first by seeking the Lord Jesus always so we can then be equipped to help others deal with the leprosy of sin that others are experiencing.

If you are reading this and struggling with your sin, could it be Jesus is calling out to you to receive Him in all your pain?

Jesus wants to heal us of all our shortcomings, scars, shame, etc. Yes, He does friend. We can be set free from the sin by the LORD and now is the time of Salvation.

Friend, you are loved so much and Jesus can redeem wherever you have messed up. His way will be the best way. Come to Jesus as you are knowing He loves you so much and has a plan for your life. You can be clean no matter what you have done! You are never out of His love and never out of His reach. That is amazing to know!

Al Denson has an awesome song called, "Never Out of His Love, Never Out of His Reach"

May you receive healing in the Arms of our loving Lord and Savior now and forever who wants to be your Lord and Savior using you to help every leper of sin just as you and I were.

Jesus gives you a promise: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”-(Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV)

"Leprosy Emphasizes People's Reality Of Sin's Yearning!"(L.E.P.R.O.S.Y)/"How do you deal with the L.E.P.R.O.S.Y of sin?"

Please make this your prayer and let Jesus heal you as you are making it personal to you changing the us to me, etc.

Prayer: 
Dear Jesus, you remember everything. You remember the time the man with leprosy came to you and begged you to make him clean. You were filled with so much compassion and you reached out your hand and touched the man who was seen as diseased and you were willing to make him clean and healed him. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you so much for the power of your love. Lord, you know the wounds and scars each of us face from our sins. You know Lord what it has done to us on the inside and many times on the outside.  Lord when the pain is too much it is so easy to try to forget it by focusing our minds on other things so we do not have to deal with it. But sin will always be there. It will never help us to be supported in our sin but always loved despite of our sin. Thank you that you do that for us. Help us even as we speak out against sin to be able to love as you love us. But, help us never to compromise in the name of love. Sometimes I fear that. I have so much desire to reach the lost but need your help Oh Lord. Oh please deal with the leprosy of sin in our own lives so we can be used of you in other people's lives. Thank you so much Jesus! Lord, I know you can heal each person who is faced with hurts when they come to you. So, Lord come and be the Lord and Savior of our lives delivering us from our sin. Come bring healing into our lives and help us be an instrument of your love. Oh Lord recently, many Christians supported a rally for the sanctity of marriage but if we stop at that, we have not known your love or shown your love. Help us to reach those who are struggling in their sin and want a way that is not of you. Only through your love and a loving community of believer can we do that without giving into the leprosy of sin but helping others overcome the leprosy of sin even as you have and will help us. Thank you Jesus for only in you can we all find spiritual, physical, emotional, relational, and mental healing caused by the leprosy of sin. Thank you so much Jesus. We trust you with our pain and thank you for healing in your wonderful time. Thank you for your compassion and the price you have paid for our redemption. Just as you forgave the woman caught in adultery without supporting her actions but telling her to 'Go and sin no more', help us to do the same where we love as you love us but never supporting an action of sin but finding ways to bring deliverance from the leprosy of sin. It starts with you Oh Lord Jesus so please help us. Thank you for the power of your Name and the power of your Blood. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Thank you that you have heard my prayers and answered me. In your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, Holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)