Imagine this scenario for a moment: you have been sick, so sick that you have been in bed. You have been running a fever. This fever has zapped your energy and has you confined to lay in the bed and rest. As you are lying in bed, a guest comes to your house. I mean, who really wants company when you aren’t feeling well? This guest makes his way to your bedroom and touches your hand. Immediately your fever is gone. Your strength and energy are back and you feel like getting up.
What’s your first thought of what you want to do? Get out of the house? Get a shower? Enjoy some time out and about? I can tell you what probably wouldn’t be on my top ten list: make a meal for the guest. Amazingly, though, we see this story play out in Scripture and that is the exact response Peter’s mother-in-law had when Jesus healed her.
“When Jesus arrived at Peter’s house, Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. But when Jesus touched her hand, the fever left her. Then she got up and prepared a meal for him.” Matthew 8:14-15
It had always made me smile when I thought about how Scripture told us that this sick woman was healed and got up and fixed a meal. But as I read this story again this week, it struck me a little differently. Peter’s mother-in-law actually gives us a beautiful example to follow. Her response to her healing was immediate gratitude shown in the form of service. She had been healed and her first reaction was to show love and devotion through service to the One who healed her. How do I respond when God shows up for me in my life? Maybe it’s not a physical healing of sorts, but what about when He helps me through a situation, answers a prayer, or shows up in a big way? My response to His provision should be service to Him. I pray that the next time God comes through and blesses me, that I can look for ways to express my gratitude through service.
This devotional was written by Amy Carrico of Making the Moments Matter. Click HERE to follow her on Facebook!
Last Updated on January 21, 2025
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