Matthew 8:15 And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them
Breakfast in bed sounds great until you have spent a week and a half in the hospital, and then you think, “You know, I would rather just eat breakfast on my own.” Breakfast in bed sounds like one of those mini luxuries. I remember when I was a child sometimes my sisters and I presented breakfast in bed to my mom for Mother’s Day. It must have been a terrifying thing for her. Breakfast in bed sounds great, but really it is not all it is cracked up to be. If you are in the hospital, you may have help with everything including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so you don’t want to live your life in bed and have people wait on you hand and foot. You want to be able to actually live.
In Matthew 8:14 we read a little story about Peter’s mother-in-law. The Bible says, “And when Jesus was come unto Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.” It reads that the moment Peter’s mother-in-law was restored to health, which Jesus did, the first thing she did was get up and serve them.
If you are sick and in bed, you can’t serve other people, and in fact, you may be served. But that is not healthy, normal, or the way we really want things to be. You see, serving is a sign of health. I have a friend who has often said, “Would you rather be given a thousand dollars or have the ability to give a thousand dollars?” I think I would far rather have the ability to give to a need than have the need myself. We all have times when we do need, but there really is a special blessing to giving. It is more blessed to give than to receive. That is not just some punchline for a joke. That is the truth, reality, and life.
Today, think of all the things from which God has delivered you and the blessings God has given. We ought to be thankful for that and remember that serving is a sign of health. It was for Peter’s mother-in-law and it is for you and me.