Digging The Word

Salvation: Planned By God

2013-05-20T11:33:00.000-04:00

God's plans started a long time ago and they have never changed.

Ephesians 1:1-6 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am writing to God's holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus. 2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave Him great pleasure.

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace He has poured out on us who belong to His dear Son.

Making plans is something that most of us like to do, it gives us something to look forward to and it is also a source of hope. Having a plan will help us see that there is a way out of a bad situation and give us hope that a better day is coming.

Plans also help us to be organized and efficient but the plans that we come up with are always subject to change, since we don't know what is coming up in the future, we often make plans that we soon realize are not doable. God has the advantage when it comes to planning, he can see the complete picture and he will never have to say , "Oops!"

God was the first to make a plan and as old as his plan is it is still the same plan. God's plan was conceived before creation and you can see it carried out as the process of creation was done in the proper order. If he had made the elephant before he made dry land then we may not have elephants today since they would have nowhere to stand.

Part of God's plan was to have a relationship with people that are chosen by him, that concept is one of the most difficult and least liked doctrines in the Bible, the idea that some are chosen to be his and others are not is the doctrine of election.

We see election in the Old Testament when God chose Abraham over any other man on earth, next God chose Issac over Ishmael, Jacob instead of Esau, each time God made a choice that had nothing to do with human accomplishments, God chose and that was it.

John 6:44 For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up.

The doctrine of election is found in the New Testament as well, Jesus teaches us that we don't even have the ability to come to salvation unless we are drawn to him by God the Father, the choice wasn't made by us. We like to think that we did something in the process of salvation but we were so bad off that we needed help just to know that we were so bad off. We were completely at God's mercy to give us the desire and the faith to know him and accept his plan of salvation.

The ultimate question of why God chose some for salvation and left others in their sinful state is one that I cannot understand with my finite knowledge. I cannot understand his ways but I do know that he is perfect in his goodness, love, wisdom, and justice.

Thank you Lord for the greatest gift ever! I don't understand why the gift of salvation was offered to me but I receive it and want to share it with others.

Praying? Don't Be Shy!

2013-05-17T13:53:00.001-04:00

God's people are encouraged to pray boldly.

Nehemiah 1:3-7 They said to me, "Things are not going well for those who returned to the province of Judah. They are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem has been torn down, and the gates have been destroyed by fire."

4 When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. 5 Then I said, "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of unfailing love with those who love Him and obey His commands, 6 listen to my prayer!

Look down and see me praying night and day for Your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against You. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! 7 We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that You gave us through Your servant Moses.

Psalms 102:1-2 A prayer of one overwhelmed with trouble, pouring out problems before the LORD.

LORD, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! 2 Don't turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to You.

I have been in church all of my life and I have never seen anyone pray the way God's people did in the Bible. In the Bible there is a forceful passion without any messing around these people pray what they feel. It makes me wonder how we can see their prayers and the results that they achieved and yet we don't follow their example?

"Hey God, it's me again, I know you are busy and you have other more important things. I know you already know this but let me just ask this one thing if it's your will. Sorry to bother you."

That's not the kind of prayer that Nehemiah prayed! Nehemiah spoke to God with passion, he wasn't afraid to say "Listen to my prayer!" God wants to hear the emotion, he wants to hear how we really feel, he can handle it! Nehemiah wasn't being disrespectful, he showed that he revered God. He began by saying "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God."

We don't dare pray with an exclamation mark! It seems too demanding and rude we come to God all shy and timid afraid to make a request. We know that God knows everything and he has a plan and a purpose for everything so we think that maybe we shouldn't bother God with our little problem.

Keep on asking boldly!

Luke 11:8-9 But I tell you this--though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. 9 And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

The way that Jesus taught us to pray is nothing like the average Christian today. In Luke 11 Jesus lesson on prayer was about a man that won't give up, this guy is shameless and bold, he has a lot of nerve to wake up the man and his family and make him get out of bed to help him.

In this lesson on prayer the guy is talking back to his neighbor and he isn't taking no for an answer. Jesus gave us three verbs for us to get busy doing: keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking.

Besides teaching us about prayer Jesus also gave us an incredible example on praying with force and boldness. When he came to earth he knew why he came, he knew the terrible way that he was going to die, nevertheless he still prayed with great passion for God to make another way.

Matthew 26:39 He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, "My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine."

Jesus prayed boldly, he didn't want to suffer such cruelty and yet he was willing to accept the Father's will, he didn't think that it was wrong to ask boldly for a different plan. I need to follow Jesus example and quit praying like a wimp.

Lord help me to stop praying so weak! Wake up the passion in me and help me realize the power that is available in prayer.

Additional scripture on bold prayers: Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:12

The Hardest Prayer

2013-05-08T10:19:00.000-04:00

Praying for the problem people can be frustrating.

Matthew 5:43-45 "You have heard the law that says, 'Love your neighbor' and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! [Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you.] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

We love to pray for the people that we love, it is so easy to pray for your parents, nana and papa, or your best friend but Jesus tells us that we need to pray for everybody. In this scripture which is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that we are to love everybody and then he goes on to say that not only are we to love everybody but we are to pray for them as well.

We see throughout the Gospels that Jesus broke down the barriers that prevent love from spreading. Jesus showed us how to love the unlovable, the picture of love that he gave us includes a road trip through Samaria, it includes inviting tax collectors to be his friends and it includes sharing the plan of salvation with a Pharisee but he didn't stop there.

"Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." -Jesus

The ultimate display of love in the Bible also includes a prayer for those that do not deserve to be loved. Jesus proved that there is a direct connection between loving your enemies and praying for them. Jesus' love gave him the ability to pray a blessing on his "enemies" while he has in agony from the pain that they had inflicted on him.

Want to retaliate?

1 Peter 3:9-10 Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and He will bless you for it. 10 For the Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.

It isn't my job to get revenge and try to even out the score. The best way to have the right attitude and love the people that don't "deserve" to be loved is to bring them before the Lord in prayer. It is difficult to speak evil of them and be unloving to them after you have prayed a blessing over them. Even if somebody sees me as their enemy I still need to see them as my neighbor and pray for them.

Jesus, help me to see the world around me through your eyes, I need to see how sin has affected this world and how it has tried to destroy our ability to relate with each other. Thank you for showing us that we can have loving relationships even if we don't get anything back as a reward.

Getting Enough Spiritual Oxygen

2013-05-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

A healthy Christian needs prayer just as much as he needs air.

Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere

What is true about Bible study is also true about prayer, we know we should do it, we know that it is good for us but we still avoid doing it. We can feel drawn to do it yet we can find so many reasons to avoid doing it.

We may decide that we don't know how to pray or we may question our motives for praying. The new Christian starts out using everyday words and their prayers sound like they are talking to a good friend. They don't change the tone of their voice or use any "theology" words to talk to God. It's a shame that somewhere along the way we lose that innocence. Isn't innocence exactly what God wants to hear in our conversations that we have with him?

Like any spiritual discipline we will grow through doing it. There is no magical right way to start, it is okay to begin with prayers that focus on ourselves but as we grow in the discipline of prayer, we will notice a shift in the direction of your prayer. Our prayer life will move from being centered on ourselves to being centered on God and others.

Some basics that we need to remember about prayer:

We are commanded to pray
Prayer brings glory to God.
Prayer blesses us.
Asking in Jesus name.
Asking in faith.
Asking in God's will.
Praying is powerful.
Praying is for your safety.

1 Thessalonians 5:17.
John 14:13
James 5:16
John 14:13
Matthew 21:22
1 John 5:14
James 5:16
Matthew 26:40-41

In Ephesians 6:13-18, Paul tells us about all of the equipment that we are supposed to put on, the "Armor of God." After we are dressed up in all of this protective gear we are still not ready for battle, the belt of truth, the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit are not going to benefit a dead man, there is an essential thing that is left to do in order to sustain life. Breathe!

Prayer should be seen as basic and essential in the life of a Christ follower as breathing is to those of us that need oxygen. Without sufficient oxygen you may suffer mild symptoms such as memory loss, diminished attention span, poor judgment, rapid heartbeat and decreased coordination. Severe lack of oxygen may cause seizures, coma, and brain death.

Imagine being in battle with all of the Armor of God on and not being able to think clearly, making bad decisions, having poor coordination or passing out in the battle. You would be dead in no time! Our praying should be as natural as breathing because it is just as necessary in the life of God's children.

I need to have a constant awareness of God every minute of the day and talk to him about every situation. If I am "praying without ceasing" then I will be able to make better decisions and stand strong in the battle.

Bible Study Is Essential

2013-04-30T10:37:00.000-04:00

Reading the owners manual will help you get the best results.

Psalm 119:162, 167 I rejoice in your word like one who discovers a great treasure. I have obeyed your laws, for I love them very much.

Some of the most printed and least used books ever made are the owners manual. We buy a new product, we ignore the manual and we get right into using it, we don't care that the book is full of instruction and information that could help us out. We just let it sit around the house and collect dust until something goes wrong.

That's just how it is with God's word, most Christians know that the Bible is full of information that will help them get the most out of life but we let it sit around unused until we are in a situation that makes us panic. Now we are finally interested in getting acquainted with the directions.

I have to wonder if it really sinks into our heads when we call the Bible "God's word." Whose word? We call the Bible God's word and we don't think about what we are saying. How can we call it God's word and then act like it isn't valuable?

Check out the benefits of digging into God's word:

Study the Bible to grow.

1 Peter 2:2-3 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.

Everybody loves babies, whether it is a physical newborn or a spiritual newborn, we love to see new life. As happy as that makes us, we don't want to go see that same child three years later and find out that they are still an infant, that would make us sad.

The Apostle Paul was upset that the spiritual infants in Corinth were actually two year old. He couldn't teach them any deeper truths because they were still taking in milk. We start out with the milk of God's word such as "God so loved the world." As a brand new Christian you can understand that concept but if we go deep into theology too soon you won't be able to handle it. (I Corinthians 3:1-3)

Study the Bible to defeat sin.

Ephesians 6:17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

What is the one weapon the Christian has? The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. The writer of the Book of Hebrews says that it is a double edged sword (Hebrews 4:12)

The weapon of choice for Jesus in the desert is the weapon that we need to use (Luke 4:1-13) We need to know what the word of God says so that we can fight off Satan's temptation and get the victory. The Bible will help us to be cleansed from sins power when we are tempted to stray. (Psalm 119:9-11)

Study the Bible to train for service.

Joshua 1:8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do

You have to admit that babies are good for cuddling but they are not very useful. You can't tell a baby to help you clean the house or go earn a paycheck. We need to be in the word to grow so that we can be useful in the family of God, we need to get a job, we can't sit around for years in a stroller while other Christians do all of the work. (Ephesians 2:10)

The Bible will teach us and show us what needs to be changed so that we will be equipped to work for serving. It is critical that we know what God's word says so that we can serve him properly. It won't help to work for the kingdom while breaking God's commands.

Study the Bible to be blessed.

Psalms 1:1-3 Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

The blessings of studying the Bible include being a happier person. If you are really into the Bible and applying it to your life then there isn't any room for misery. Miserable Christians are the ones that are defeated because they are not tapping into the power of God's word. No matter what the circumstances are you will have God's promises to give you hope and joy to get through it.

Study the Bible to help others.

2 Timothy 2:2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

You can't help anybody unless you know something, your ignorance not only makes you unable to help yourself, but it makes you unable to help anybody else. How can we show the world that we have the answers to life's trials if we are ignorant of how God helps us? We need to be ready to give an answer for the hope that we have in Christ. (1 Peter 3:15)

What a blessing it is to have the words of our creator to give us understanding, the thought that he took the time to speak to us, he preserved his word through the ages so that he could tell us about himself and give us instructions on how to know him. That should be very exciting to us!

Living With Eternity In Sight

2013-04-23T08:35:00.000-04:00

How to get through this world while you wait for Jesus return.

1 Peter 5:6-11 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.

7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you. 8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

10 In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and He will place you on a firm foundation. 11 All power to Him forever! Amen.

As Peter comes to the close of his letter to the churches in Asia Minor he gives them a summary of how to live and what their attitude should be as they wait for Christ return. It is a message that is just as relevant to us today.

Humility

One of the biggest struggles that we have is with humility, God knew that we would have a challenge in this area, so the importance of humility is taught throughout the Bible. Humility is required for salvation, we need it in order to see ourselves the way that God sees us, without humility we will not turn to God and ask for help. From that point on our lives should be known for humility, once we see ourselves the way that God sees us, we should find it difficult to view ourselves as much without him.

Isaiah 57:15 The high and lofty One who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: "I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.

It can be difficult to yield to God's plan and humbly allow his power to work in your life, he may bring calamity and difficulty for a season in order to bring glory to himself or the hard times may be there for your spiritual growth, sometimes it might look easier to take the controls and do things our way.

Here is a statement that I found in a commentary on these verses: "If we do not humble ourselves under God’s grace then he will humble us under his judgments." Either we will humble ourselves voluntarily or the day will come when we will be humbled by God.

Trust

It is difficult to trust in this world that is full of selfishness and pride, we all try and get our way and look out for ourselves but there is a place and a person that you can put your trust, a place where we can unload without fear. We can go to the cross where we are completely accepted by God and we can trust him to lighten our load.

Psalms 55:22 Give your burdens to the LORD, and He will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

What more can anyone wish for than to know that the great and merciful God of the universe thinks about you? Not only does he think about you but he also cares! Amazing thought isn't it?

Stay Alert and Stand Firm

Watch out! Satan will try to use any opportunity to make our lives useless for God. Initially he is out to destroy you by making you a prisoner to death but once you are a child of God and you are no longer under the curse of death his next plan is to make you useless for God.

James 4:7-8 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Satan will try to make you fearful and ineffective but we can stand our ground if we stay alert to his schemes. Our best defense against that "roaring lion" is to stay close to God. It seems to me that the devil must hate God and be repulsed by him and the last thing that he wants to do is hangout close to him. So if I am staying close to God then the devil won't want to come close to me.

Perspective

It is best to live with your long term goal in site. Do you have a long term goal? Every child of God has one but too often the stuff of this world will try and take our focus from the eternal glory that we will share with Jesus and get our focus on the short term problems around us.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

God has called me to greater things than I can imagine! God will take care of every need for this life and he will provide for my eternal destination. The devil will use the pain and trouble of this world to try and get me off track but I will choose to "fix my gaze on things that cannot be seen."

Thank you Lord for teaching me how to get through this world, thank you for loving me and giving me a new perspective on how to live, help me to keep my eyes on the eternal.

The Church Needs Good Shepherds

2013-04-18T12:39:00.002-04:00

Shepherds have a difficult task but the rewards are awesome.

1 Peter 5:1-4 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:

2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

The secular example of leadership in world history is one of domination, from the Philistines to the Babylonians to the Romans, they all ruled with an iron fist. Even the Jewish religious leaders took up this autocratic leadership style of force and intimidation. Authority was not usually associated with concern, forgiveness or mercy.

Peter is writing this book to the persecuted church, the leaders in Judaism and the Roman government are intimidating the followers of Jesus to try and get rid of this new movement, Peter is telling the church leaders that in the face of persecution the church needs leaders to lead.

Peter found out the hard way that leaders are made and they are proven when times are tough. Peter failed when the pressures was on, he blew in no time right after boldly announcing his allegiance, Jesus forgave him and he also gave him a fresh mandate to take care of the flock. After that Peter went on to become the solid rock that Jesus had said that he would become.

Matthew 20:25-26 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.

The world had never seen leadership done the way that Jesus did it, the world had never seen a servant be a leader, the only thing that servants did was perform the jobs that nobody else would do. Jesus example shows us that we need to take care of the flock that God has placed in our care and serve them with the right attitude, cheerfully eager to serve God with Christlike humility, self-sacrifice, and affection for the sheep.

Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

If you read the entire twenty third Psalm you will catch a glimpse of the perfect shepherd, one that supplies every need, one that leads his sheep to safety, feeds them, brings them through the darkest days and prepares a place for them to live with him in his presence for eternity.

We must remember that the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will one day return and review our work. Will you be found following his example?

The Believer's Survival Guide

2013-04-11T11:50:00.000-04:00

How to live in this world while you are looking forward to eternity.

1 Peter 2:12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world.

1 Peter 3:13-18 Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good?

14 But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats.

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

17 Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

It is important for God's children to behave differently than the rest of the world, Peter tells us to live "properly" in front of our unbelieving neighbors, they are watching you and you need to be concerned about what they see.

Peter has been telling the recipients of his letter that they will suffer, as an alien in an ungodly culture, there will be attacks. The ungodly will harass and persecute believers and so we need to be ready for it and know how to defend ourselves and we need to know how to cope with not fitting in.

Be Careful How You Live

Survival Guide Tip #1

There is a pretty good chance that if you do the right thing then very few people will try and harm you or give you a difficult time. Being passionate about living with the fruit of the spirit will silence most of your critics.

This isn't always true, your passion for goodness will be more than some people can take, sometimes a righteous person will suffer at the hand of godless men because your virtuous life will irritate them.

Worship God Constantly

Survival Guide Tip #2

Instead of worrying about it we should be worshiping and honoring God. Our concern should be with God and his desire for my life but instead we take our eyes off of him and worry about what man can do and what they may think about us.

Jesus is Lord and we need to remember that is sovereign and he is in control. It takes a total surrender to God to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord in the midst of your pain and suffering. If God's plan and purpose is to work through you in your suffering then you should rejoice that he is working his plan out through you.

Be Ready To Explain

Survival Guide Tip #3

Your godly living will make a stir and people will probably have some questions for you. After you have their attention you should be ready to tell them why you are so strange. We should be able to give a polite, biblical answer to explain the motivation for our lifestyle and the reason that we are a Christian.

You may think, "How will that help me?" The fact is if you don't fully understand what you believe and why then there is the possibility that you will doubt what you believe when the pressure is on.

A Pure Conscience

Survival Guide Tip #4

You have to rely on your conscience when the accusations and insults are flying at you, your conscience is a device that God gave you to keep you out of trouble, it is a source of conviction or affirmation.

If the conscience knows that we are in sin, it will nag at us. If the conscience knows that we are living in obedience, it will affirm us and help us realize that our accusers are wrong.

It is up to us to decide why we are suffering. Are you suffering for doing good? Are you suffering because God is trying to correct you?

Thank you Lord for giving me hope and encouraging me with the wisdom found in your word.

Living The Good Life

2013-04-08T07:57:00.000-04:00

Loving what the world has to offer is contrary to being in love with God.

1 Peter 3:8-12 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

10 For the Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. 11 Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 12 The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and His ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns His face against those who do evil."

Just about everybody that you know is trying to live the good life, some people like to say that they are "living the dream," there is a lot of effort made everyday to make the day that you have the best it can be. Too bad that effort isn't being put into something that will last.

This world is full of ideas about what the good life looks like and how to achieve it. Everywhere you look you see plenty of ideas on how to make it happen. The television, magazines, radio are full of programs that want to help you know what the good life looks like and the advertisers are ready to sell you all of the stuff that is required to make it happen. They feel like they are doing you a favor by letting you know how to be happy.

Let's be honest, the world has some pretty cool toys but loving what the world has to offer is contrary to being in love with God. If anybody should have been happy with the world's toys it should have been King Solomon. At first he was so in love with God that he didn't desire the world and all of it's riches and toys and so it was very commendable when he asked God for wisdom instead of riches. Too bad he left his first love and allowed the things that the world has to offer to get in the way.

1 Peter 4:1-5 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. 2 You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

4 Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. 5 But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead.

The people that Peter is writing to do not have any of those good things that the world has to offer. They are poor and they are being persecuted and harassed for their departure from Judaism to follow Christ. Don't think that this is a problem for the rich and famous, we can all get caught up in the deception that the world has something meaningful to offer.

Loving what the world has to offer is contrary to being in love with God and loving God means that I need to love what he loves. I should be anxious to do what pleases him. I am finished with the lust of the old sinful life that I once lived, I have figured out that there isn't any long term enjoyment in those things, they only lead to heartache and sorrow.

Satan never shows you the discontentment and the eternal consequences that his plan has to offer. He tries so hard to keep it upbeat and positive but despite all of the spin the discontentment of living by the world's standards shows up when we loose our joy and get angry, bitterness and resentment creep in and we overindulge.

1 Peter 2:11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

This is not my home and the philosophies of this world are not acceptable to me as a follower of Christ. My happiness is not found in the places that this world is telling everybody to look. My happiness is found in living for the one that changed my life and gave me the riches of eternity spend with him.

Thank you Lord for changing my life here on earth and for changing my eternal destiny!

Playing Well With Others

2013-04-03T09:31:00.000-04:00

Authority, everybody likes to have it and nobody likes to yield to it.

1 Peter 2:13-14 For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

1 Peter 2:18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.

1 Peter 3:1-2 In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over 2 by observing your pure and reverent lives.

1 Peter 3:7-9 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

8 Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has tempted us by questioning authority, he lied about God and Adam and Eve began to wonder about God's intentions and whether the rules that he gave them were fair. God's commandments have been questioned every moment of everyday ever since and we see the consequences all around us but we still want to live life our way.

Accepting authority and being submissive is required of every child of God, it is necessary in our relationships, starting with God and going down the line to every other relationship that we have. From government, the work place and our family, there is an order that God designed to help us live together in harmony.

We see the idea of submission demonstrated in the Trinity, all of them working together in unison, each of them fulfilling a role and each of them bringing glory to the other and doing what is beneficial to the Trinity.

✔ Jesus sought to bring glory to God the Father. (John 15:10)
✔ Jesus willingly died for us. (John 10:17-18)
✔ The Holy Spirit gives Jesus glory. (John 16:13-15)
✔ God the Father gave glory back to Jesus. (John 8:54, 17:24)
✔ The Holy Spirit didn't refuse when he was sent to us. (John 14:26, Acts 1:4-5)

Too bad we do not get to enjoy this oneness and cooperative spirit from the people that we relate to.

Philippians 2:3-8 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.

Jesus is our ultimate example of submission and looking out for the needs of others. Deserving glory and honor yet he came to us selfless and humble to take care of us. We all need to follow Christ example and look for ways to bless others.

I need to yield to authority, give up my own authority and be submissive to others in my country, my workplace and with my family and friends.

He's Alive! Now I'm Alive!

2013-03-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

God's mercy brought new life that will last for eternity.

Citizens - Made Alive

I once was dead in sin
Alone and hopeless.
A child of wrath I walked
Condemned in darkness.

But Your mercy brought new life
And in Your love and kindness,
Raised me up with Christ
And made me righteous.

You have bought me back
With the riches of,
Your amazing grace
And relentless love.
I'm made alive forever,
With You, life forever
By Your grace I'm saved
(By Your grace I'm saved)

Lord, You are the light,
That broke the darkness.
You satisfy my soul,
When I am heartless.

If ever I forget
My true identity,
Show me who I am,
And help me to believe.

You have bought me back
With the riches of,
Your amazing grace
And relentless love.
I'm made alive forever,
With You, life forever
By Your grace I'm saved
(By Your grace I'm saved)

My sin has been erased,
I'll never be the same.
My sin has been erased,
I'll never be the same.

Ephesians 2:4-5 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)

What Have You Decided About Jesus?

2013-03-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

We all have a decision to make.

Luke 23:39-43 One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it!” 40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? 41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” 42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” 43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Three crosses, three men crucified, one of them is the cross of our Savior the other two crosses hold men that are criminals.

On one cross the God-man, he didn't get a fair trial, he didn't do anything wrong and he didn't get treated the way that he should have. On the other two crosses the victims probably had a fair trial and they were found to be deserving of execution.

The crowds made their decision about Jesus, the two men on the crosses next to Jesus made up their mind about him and just like them, we are criminals that deserve to die and just like those two men we also have to make a decision about Jesus.

The choice that we must make is pictured at Calvary, we can be like the criminal that saw his sin, he changed his mind about his crimes and he saw Jesus for who he really is or we can be like the criminal that joins in with the crowds and rejects Jesus.

Three crosses, each one a symbol, one cross was a symbol of redemption being provided, the other a symbol of redemption being received and the third cross a symbol of redemption being rejected.

What have you decided about Jesus?

I Am Redeemed

2013-03-29T08:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve got a new name, a new life and a hope that will carry me home!

Seems like all I can see was the struggle

Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past

Bound up in shackles of all my failures

Wondering how long is this gonna last

Then You look at this prisoner and say to me “son

stop fighting a fight that’s already been won”

I am redeemed, You set me free

So I’ll shake off theses heavy chains

Wipe away every stain now I’m not who I used to be

I am redeemed

All my life I have been called unworthy

Named by the voice of my shame and regret

But when I hear You whisper, “Child lift up your head”

I remember oh God, You’re not done with me yet

I don’t have to be the old man inside of me

Cause his day is long dead and gone

I’ve got a new name, a new life I’m not the same

And a hope that will carry me home

Big Daddy Weave "Redeemed"

Ephesians 1:3-8 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

How Much Is Jesus Worth To You?

2013-03-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

I need to have an extravagant love for Jesus.

Matthew 26:6-16 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy.

7 While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume and poured it over his head.

8 The disciples were indignant when they saw this. “What a waste of money,” they said. 9 “It could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”

10 But Jesus, aware of this, replied, “Why criticize this woman for doing such a good thing to me? 11 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. 12 She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial. 13 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

14 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests 15 and asked, “How much will you pay me to betray Jesus to you?” And they gave him thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Matthew 26:33-35 Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

Throughout Jesus ministry there were always great contrast in emotions toward him, as we approach the end of Jesus life, the passionate feelings about him have not subsided. Love him or hate him, we see a great contrast in the way that people feel about Jesus, how much he is loved and how well he is treated.

In this chapter of Matthews gospel the first character that shows us how much they value Jesus is the woman that pours expensive ointment on him. The woman walks into a dinner party with a bottle of expensive ointment.

Everybody at the table got mad and they said that it was a huge waste of money. What a noble cause, looks like the disciples are interested in helping the poor, who could argue with such a good idea?

The next demonstration of how much Jesus is worth in this chapter is from Judas. A man that has been with Jesus for three years, a man that Jesus called a friend, a man that was dipping his hand into the money bag.

Things were not working out as Judas had hoped they would, Judas was in it for what he could get, he was ready for Jesus to announce his earthly kingdom but Jesus was talking about dying. Judas values power and wealth more than he values Jesus.

The last person to indicate how valuable Jesus is to him is Peter. Swearing his allegiance to Jesus, Peter says that he will never leave no matter how bad things get, great intentions but as we will see later he didn't have a lot of commitment.

Soon Jesus is arrested and everybody abandons him, you will find Peter following Jesus from the shadows, for a while anyway, but later on the cost gets to be too high and Peter values his life more than he loves Jesus.

How much do you love Jesus? Are you using him for your own purposes? Will you run and pretend you don't know him when the cost is too high? Does your everyday life prove that you love him?

The extravagant love that was shown to us while we are enemies of God is too difficult to understand, no matter how much we give, it is such an incredibly small thing compared to the love that he has for us. Nobody should feel that the expense of loving and worshiping our Savior is too high like the disciples did when the woman anointed him.

Thank you Lord for the awesome display of your love at Calvary. I need to love you extravagantly everyday and let it show by my good works, my worship and my obedience to your commands.

The Widow's Offering - A Picture Of Jesus Sacrifice

2013-03-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

The widow gave her all, Jesus gave his all, how is your giving?

Luke 21:1-4 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Proverbs 11:24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.

There was a lot of giving going on that day in the temple. It was difficult to miss who gave and who didn't give and it was easy to be recognized for how much you gave. The leaders in the temple probably looked on as the donations were made so that they could intimidate the people into giving, they may have known who gave but they didn't know what Jesus knew, he was the only one that knew the attitude of the giver.

Jesus saw the rich and famous and how large their gifts were and then he saw the poorest of the poor and Jesus told his disciples that in God's economy the widow was the best giver in the temple that day. The widow had it right, she didn't dwell on how little that she had, she didn't think about how big her needs were, her happiness, comfort and security were not as important as her humble obedience.

Do you think she knew that the leaders in the temple were going to spend some of the money on themselves? These are the same leaders that were scamming the people with the money changers and the animals in the temple. The fact that they were going to misuse the money didn't stop her from doing what she was supposed to do. She still gave and did so without animosity.

It isn't in scripture but the Religious leaders were probably furious, as closely as they were watching Jesus and analyzing everything he said and did, I bet that they heard what he said about the givers that day.

Research has shown that when your income increases the percentage that is used for charitable contributions tends to drop. Just like the scene in the story of the widow, those that had the most gave the least, we tend to give less the more we are blessed.

The widow's enormous sacrifice reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. He sacrificed the riches of heaven, he subjected himself to the woes of the human experience, hunger, sadness, temptation and in a few days he would make the ultimate sacrifice.

Give like Jesus

Philippians 2:3-5 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Jesus gave until it hurt. He was willing to help the worst of sinners. If anybody had a good reason to not be an excellent giver it would be Jesus, he gave to those that don't deserve it, his generosity and attitude in giving set the standard high for us to follow. We have benefited from his generosity despite the ugliness of our sin.

In order to be like Jesus I must be selfless and humble, willing to be humiliated and suffer for those that don't deserve it, I can not judge them. I must be willing to look out for the needs that are around me and be willing to meet them with the right attitude. I can not help them only when it is convenient or when it doesn't cost too much.

Just before Jesus gives us his all he makes sure that we see what he expects us to give. I will never go broke being generous if I am generous with the right motives. Jesus wants my sacrifice but he only wants it with the right attitude.

I want to be a generous giver Lord, thank you for your generous gift of salvation!

A Question You Need To Answer: Who Is Jesus?

2013-03-26T11:30:00.000-04:00

It's Jesus' turn to ask the Pharisees some questions.

Luke 20:39-44 "Well said, Teacher!" remarked some of the teachers of religious law who were standing there. 40 And then no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

41 Then Jesus presented them with a question. "Why is it," He asked, "that the Messiah is said to be the son of David? 42 For David himself wrote in the book of Psalms:

'The LORD said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at My right hand 43 until I humble Your enemies, making them a footstool under Your feet.'

44 Since David called the Messiah 'Lord,' how can the Messiah be his son?"

The leaders in the temple were trying to find a way to get rid of Jesus, they thought that they needed to do something to get him to slip up and do something wrong, they were "Putting Out Some Traps" to try and catch Jesus but he gave the perfect answer to every question that they threw at him.

After Jesus answers their questions he turns the tables on them, according to the account of these events in Matthew 22:41-46, Jesus asked them two questions:

Question number one: “What do you think about the Messiah, whose son is he?”

Every Israelite knew the answer to that question. For hundreds of years they have been waiting for the arrival of the Messiah, they thought that they knew everything about the Messiah and that they would certainly know when he comes but somehow most of them didn't.

There are hundreds of prophecies about the Messiah that were made hundreds of years before he was born. They knew that prophecy predicted that:

The Messiah would be a descendant of David
He would be born of a virgin
He would be called out from Egypt after hiding from Herod
The children would be killed by Herod
A messenger would precede the Messiah's arrival

Jesus clearly claimed to be the Messiah and Son of God:

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that he is the Messiah (John 4:25-26)
Jesus made himself equal with God (John 5:17-18)
Jesus said that he had seen God, which no one else could do (John 6:46)
Jesus forgave sins, which only God had the authority to do (Mark 2:5-11)
Jesus affirmed Peter's statement that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Matthew 16:15-17)
Jesus told the high priest that he is the Messiah and Son of God (Mark 14:61-62)

The Pharisees couldn't deny the answer to the question, everybody knew that he would be a descendant of King David, but they didn't put it all together. Jesus, David's son fulfilled so many prophesies but they were so spiritually blind that they could not see the person that they had been watching for.

Question number two: "Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

Jesus quotes Psalm 110:1 and asks them the question that they can't answer, it would be ridiculous for King David to call any of his sons "Lord," a new king would never be given that esteem by the old king. The people knew that this Psalm referred to the Messiah. David was referring to somebody greater than himself, somebody with a greater mission to accomplish.

The king described in Psalm 110:1-7 that David calls Lord, is a king that sits at the right hand of God, he is a king that rules over all other rulers, an everlasting priest and the judge of the nations.

The final proof

Romans 1:2-4 God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3 The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, 4 and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.

Jesus birth already gave us so much overwhelming evidence to prove that he is their Messiah, but if that isn't enough for you then there is always an empty tomb, Jesus death and resurrection also prove he is the Messiah.

The Jewish leaders couldn't deny that Jesus was back, the disciples were empowered because he was back, Saul of Tarsus changed from a devout Jew to being a Christ follower because he was back. In fact thousands of people converted immediately while Jesus was back on earth for forty days as he spent time proving that he was not a ghost but that he was the same person that they had crucified.

Nobody could decide to be a phoney and try and imitate the Messiah and the prophecies that his life, death and resurrection fulfilled. I just pray that each reader of this column has the ability to see the plain truth better than the citizens of Jerusalem did. Who Is Jesus? You must decide.

Putting Out Some Traps

2013-03-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

The man who couldn't be trapped came to help us because we were trapped.

Luke 20:20-22 Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus. 21 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You teach the way of God truthfully. 22 Now tell us, is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

Luke 20:27-29 Then Jesus was approached by some Sadducees, religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead. 28 They posed this question: “Teacher, Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s name. 29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers.

Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. 35 One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Jesus has been making a lot of waves in Jerusalem and the religious leaders are out to get him, between the Triumphant Entry, Clearing the Temple and calling them out in the parable about the Wicked Farmers, they are hot. The situation gets worse as Jesus shows up each day at the temple and teaches large crowds of people, who does this untrained teacher think he is, he just keeps showing up at the temple uninvited and without any credentials as a rabbi.

The religious leaders decide that they need to set out some traps so they try and stump Jesus with some difficult questions about political and social problems, that hasn't worked in the past and it doesn't work this time either, Jesus proves that he has the answers. Political and social issues are not his main concern but he does have an answer for the tough questions that we face in every area of our lives.

Jesus vs Traps, Traps lose.

John 10:17-18 “The Father loves me because I sacrifice my life so I may take it back again. No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily. For I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also to take it up again. For this is what my Father has commanded.”

The religious leaders don't realize that they don't need to use any traps, it is very clear who is in charge of the events that lead up to the crucifixion, Jesus is going to give them what they want... for a while anyway. They didn't realize that Jesus didn't come to Jerusalem to rise to a position of power... yet.

Jesus couldn't be trapped by Satan, Jesus came to Jerusalem to be the Passover Lamb, he was voluntarily giving up his life. The devil trapped us but he could not trap Jesus. We fell to the trap of sin by our own lust and desires but Jesus came to destroy the devil and make the trap of sin and death powerless in our lives. (Romans 6:5-11, 7:24-25)

Are you still trapped in your sins? Accept Jesus’ gift of salvation and enjoy the freedom of life in Christ and eternity with Him. (Acts 16:31, Ephesians 2:1, Colossians 2:13)

I thank you Lord that you are in control, Satan has been defeated and I can have victory over the devil's schemes, the devil's traps are powerless against you.

Rejecting God's Son Has Severe Consequences

2013-03-22T08:05:00.000-04:00

The wicked farmers rebel against God and try to steal His vineyard.

Luke 20:9-13 Now Jesus turned to the people again and told them this story:

“A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers, and moved to another country to live for several years. 10 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed."

11 "So the owner sent another servant, but they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 A third man was sent, and they wounded him and chased him away."

13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’"

God has been cultivating relationships ever since the Garden of Eden, he has gone out of his way to improve the soil, he has pruned the vine and blessed it with perfect opportunities to grow. The nation of Israel should be a very prosperous vine but the people that God left to tend to the vine for him have not been good farmers.

The way that the wicked farmers treat the servants is a vivid picture of Israel's persistent rejection of the prophets and John the Baptist. Time after time God sent men to call them to repentance and over and over again the religious and political leaders rejected them and persecuted and/or killed them and even now they have rejected the Son that the Land Owner sent.

Ever since the Triumphant Entry Jesus has been accepted by the people and the crowd in the Temple is increasing in size everyday. The crowds are accepting Jesus even though it is for the wrong reason, they think that he is going to rise up in power and change their situation physically but Jesus is on the way towards changing their spiritual condition.

The farmers that were left to care for the vine will get their way soon. They have rejected the Son of the Land Owner and they will get rid of him for their own gain. They are going to kill the Son but that isn't the end of the story.

Don't reject Jesus.

Acts 4:10-12 "Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Imagine thinking that you have solved your problem and three days later you find that you are wrong, they didn't count on the fact that the Son that they killed would come back to life, they didn't imagine that he would be proved correct in all of his teaching and they would be condemned.

What a powerful message from Peter, right after he healed the crippled beggar, he made it crystal clear why he was able to perform this miracle. Peter quoted the same scripture from Psalm 118:22-23 that Jesus quoted, I wonder if the religious leaders cringed as those words rang in their ears.

We have all tried to solve our own problems instead of accepting Jesus, we have made our own gods, we have tried to find meaning and significance apart from Jesus. If you reject Jesus you soon find out that you don't have any good options. We are just like the people that saw Jesus after his resurrection, we have the opportunity to see that we are wrong, we have been given plenty of chances to change our mind about Jesus.

We need to take heed of the warning that Peter gave us, there is salvation in no one else, the consequences for rejecting the Son are beyond measure.

I have accepted your Son into my life for salvation, help me to accept him into my life each day, help me to draw closer to him by accepting his authority and living for him everyday. Amen.

It's A Clean Sweep When Jesus Clears The Temple

2013-03-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

The religious leaders don't get that Jesus has the right to set them straight.

Luke 19:45-48 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. 46 He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves.”

47 After that, he taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill him. 48 But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word he said.

Luke 20:1-8 One day as Jesus was teaching the people and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders came up to him. 2 They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”

3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he replied. 4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come from heaven, or was it merely human?”

5 They talked it over among themselves. “If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John. 6 But if we say it was merely human, the people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.” 7 So they finally replied that they didn’t know.

8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Wasn't it bad enough that Jesus just rode into town on a donkey as the crowds declared that he is the Messiah? Jesus infuriated the religious leaders when he refused to tell the crowds that they were wrong about him and as if that wasn't bad enough he returns to the temple and upsets the establishment some more.

Instead of acting out against the Roman government in Jerusalem as you would expect the recently announced king of the Jews to do, Jesus entered the temple and dealt with the issues in God's house, the corruption there was more important and the political problems. Jesus cleaned house by throwing out the money changers and the people selling animals for the sacrifice, both services were necessary but they were being used for huge financial gain.

To Jesus the issue in Israel was not Roman occupation, the issue was Jewish religious corruption. The Lord is not concerned with the people's relationship to Rome, He's concerned with the people's relationship to God. -John MacArthur

The Jews and proselytes to Judaism needed the money changers so they would have the proper currency for the temple and the people selling the animals made it easier to travel to the temple from far away without taking care of the animal sacrifice. Both of these business transactions were being made in the part of the temple where the Gentiles were allowed to go to pray.

I have to wonder what would happen if the people that Jesus threw out felt any guilt for their wrongs and they went to the religious leaders to offer a sacrifice for forgiveness, then what would the Pharisees do? Would they admit they were wrong and that they also needed to repent and offer a sacrifice? I doubt it.

Who gave Jesus his authority?

John 12:49-50 I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. 50 And I know his commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells me to say.”

The religious leaders loved the authority that they had and they liked to think that they were a big deal but Jesus rejected their authority and did what he pleased. He overrode their decision to allow the animals and thieves into the temple courts. There's nothing more devastating and hard to swallow than being treated as if you don't matter when you think you really do.

Jesus was always known to speak with authority (Matthew 7:28-29) but the Pharisees hadn't figured it out yet, they have been around Jesus and they have heard him teach since he was 12 years old, for the last three years he taught and performed miracles but they are so spiritually blind that they have to ask him where his authority is from. (Luke 2:45-47, 4:36)

We know by his teaching and his miracles that he is clearly the Son of God, Jesus didn't need to answer their question directly and get into a debate about his authority. His authority was proved everyday of his earthly ministry and we all know that actions speak louder than words.

The question that I have to answer is will I submit to Jesus authority in the way that I live my life? Will I seek to please myself and do whatever I need to do to have fun, make money and be popular?

I need to recognize and submit to Jesus authority in my life and live for him, he has the right to insist that I live for him and I am better off by submitting to his authority now rather than later when everyone will submit to his authority and confess him as Lord. (Philippians 2:9-11, Colossians 3:1-25)

Christ Passion For His Lost Sheep

2013-03-18T06:30:00.000-04:00

Jesus wants to heal his lost sheep so much that it makes him cry.

Luke 19:41-44 But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to weep. 42 “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes."

43 "Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. 44 They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”

The nation of Israel has been called lost sheep for a long time, the Bible calls them lost sheep over and over again, it started way back in 1 Kings 22:17. Our Savior saw the lost sheep from the beginning of his ministry, he was moved with compassion and now as his ministry comes to it's end, he is still looking at lost sheep all over the place. (Matthew 9:36)

Most of them had rejected the shepherd, they had only accepted him for the political gain that they sought after, only a small crowd had accepted him as Messiah in the previous verses known as the "Triumphant Entry" Jesus longed for them to know peace, he longed to heal their wounds, if they would just come to him and accept him. The Good Shepherd had offered them true lasting peace but they didn't accept him. (Romans 5:1).

Jesus told them that it was too late for them now, their spiritual blindness had kept them from seeing the Good News that our Savior had brought to them, the benefits of a personal relationship with him were out of reach now. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The Good Shepherd

Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

Jesus cries for us, he wants to heal us, hold us in his arms and protect us, he knows how much better it will be for us but he knows that men love darkness more than the light, he knows that we are prideful and we attempt to be self sufficient. He allows us to make our own choice no matter how devastating the consequences.

Thank you Lord for healing my greatest wound. Sin no longer has a death grip on me thanks to your willingness to be the sacrificial lamb.

The Triumphant Entry Changes Everything

2013-03-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

Jesus enemies are put off by the crowds praise for him.

Luke 19:28-40 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. 29 As they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. 30 “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”

32 So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. 33 And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?” 34 And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” 35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When they reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen.

38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”

Jesus is in Jericho getting ready to leave for Jerusalem, he has just finished telling the crowd in a parable that he was not going to Jerusalem to begin his reign as king of Israel. (Luke 19:11-27) As he heads for Jerusalem he tells the disciples to go and get a colt for him to ride. Does that sound a little bit confusing? Didn't Jesus walk everywhere that he went?

Jesus intentionally planned to ride into Jerusalem on a donkey just like a king would, a king that was coming in peace would ride a donkey rather than a horse which was viewed as a weapon of war, but why did he ride in as a king when he said that he wasn't going to be the king anytime soon?

Earlier in Jesus ministry he dodged the crowds that were pushing him to be king (John 6:14-15) and he told other people not to talk about who he is but now Jesus is welcoming the publicity. It was time for the events that will lead to Jesus death to begin to be put in motion.

Jesus could have walked into town quietly like had before but this time it had to make a stir, things had to escalate a lot to get to the point of putting Jesus to death, if he had continued as he had been doing for three years then he could have stayed a radical rabbi until he died a natural death, there wouldn't have been a reason for him to be crucified. This entrance was going to change everything.

The crowd was shouting Psalm 118:26, which is a messianic Psalm. In addition, they added the word King to the Old Testament scripture, showing that they believed Jesus was the Messiah. The crowd was singing the praise that he deserved but it caused a great commotion that guaranteed that there would be trouble real soon.

The Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke His disciples because they knew what the repetition of Psalm 118:26 was about. Jesus replied that, even if His disciples were to keep silent, God would make the truth known somehow, even if the rocks in the street had to break out in praise.

Why should there be so much opposition to a man riding a donkey into town? The donkey ride changed everything, it put the spotlight on Jesus and showed us exactly who he is and it brought the opposition and rage of all of hell to oppose him. Satan can not stand for Jesus to get praise and for him to be glorified even if the crowd had the wrong motive for doing it.

All of the power that our Savior has and yet he comes in peace riding on a donkey, he has the power to do what the people want and save them from the Roman government but instead the wheels are in motion that will bring the end of their greatest enemy. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

Thank you Lord for choosing to take the journey to Jerusalem that would result in your death, thank you for the victory that I have over sin and death!

Jesus Will Reign As King

2013-03-13T05:00:00.000-04:00

Will you accept him as king before it's too late?

Luke 19:11-14, 27 The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told them a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.

12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return. 13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’ 14 But his people hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want him to be our king.’

27 And as for these enemies of mine who didn’t want me to be their king—bring them in and execute them right here in front of me.’”

It is interesting that Jesus used current events in this parable to teach the people about God's Kingdom. In the true story Herod Archelaus went to Rome to stake a claim for the kingdom that his dad Herod the Great had left to him in his will. Archelaus had dealt harshly with the Jews before this and a lot of Jews went to Rome to protest his petition to become king. Despite their efforts, Caesar Augustus made him ruler from 4 BC to 6 BC. Archelaus was the reason that Joseph was afraid to leave Egypt and return to Nazareth.

Luke is very straight forward about the reason for this parable, Jesus told this parable before he left Jericho and headed for Jerusalem, he needed to correct a misunderstanding. There were many people that thought that Jesus would rule here on earth right away and they felt that this trip to Jerusalem was a good time for it to start.

Jesus had to tell them that it wasn't time, he spoke to the issue before, trying to get people to realize that he wasn't going to overthrow the Roman government and be their earthly king. They hungered for immediate relief from the Roman government but that wasn't going to happen any time soon. (John 18:36)

Jesus told us that in God's plan he wasn't going to reign yet but instead he was going to die. Jesus was here to cover the death penalty that we are all facing for our sins. They thought that they wanted him as king but what they needed most was a Savior. (John 3:16)

Jesus has been given authority from God.

Ephesians 1:19-21 This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else, not only in this world but also in the world to come.

Jesus came to earth as a lowly servant, a sacrificial lamb, he was obedient to God's will and as a result he has been crowned king and he will return to reign. (Phil 2:8-11) When he returns he will judge us for our allegiance to the king:

Did you accept him as king or did you reject him?
Did you use the resources that he gave you to help prosper the kingdom?

There will be a great reward for our faithfulness to the Lord, I need to be faithful like the servants that anticipated the kings return and invested his money, he has given me resources that I need to use wisely.

Thank you Lord for your great sacrifice that took the death penalty away from me. I acknowledge you as King and want to submit to your authority in my life at all times.

Await My Return (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
Prophecy Confirms Who Jesus Is (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
Trusting God When Life Is Hard (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)
Do Something That Matters (idlewildonmission.org)

Slackers For Christ

2013-03-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

You know Jesus left us some work to do.

Mark 13:34-37 "The coming of the Son of Man can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he gave each of his slaves' instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.

35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don't know when the master of the household will return--in the evening, at midnight, before dawn, or at daybreak. 36 Don't let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. 37 I say to you what I say to everyone: Watch for him!"

Colossians 3:24 Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.

Do you remember your parents giving you a "to do" list and then leaving the house for a while? Was the list carefully completed, or was it ignored? Sometimes I had to run around the house doing stuff in an attempt to make it look like I had really tried to do it diligently.

Jesus tells his disciples that he is going away and while he is away they have work to do for him. It seems that a lot of disciples these days have forgotten that there is work to do. He has given us instructions for some jobs that he wants us to complete while he is away, there isn't any time for being a slacker for Christ.

Back in the New Testament Church, everybody was doing the work but it didn't take very long for the church to create a separation between professional Christ followers and the rest of the congregation that had to go to secular jobs. We have adopted the mindset that the ministers are the guys that get paid to be in business for God and they need to get things done that we should be doing.

Every one of us are ministers, the master delegated work for everyone of his slaves, there is work to be done that isn't being completed because somebody is ignoring the work that they think isn't their responsibility.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that they need to be excited about their work, I need to always work on today's task and be ready for a new assignment enthusiastically, I cannot sit around glowing in the spotlight of the last thing that I did for Jesus. Are you excited about ministry opportunities? Are you always looking for a new assignment or are you looking forward to an extended time off?

Be happy working for Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

I need to be careful that I don't get discouraged, Paul told the Corinthians that they need to "be strong and immovable" the discouragement will come my way, that is one of Satan's schemes that I need to be ready for. Satan doesn't want you to work for Jesus so he will discourage you. When I feel like having a pity party I need to remember that "nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless."

Help me Lord to be excited about every opportunity to be a part of your plans, you are an awesome, huge God but you still desire to use little ol' me to accomplish your plans.

The Healer

2013-03-10T08:11:00.002-04:00

By his wounds you are healed.

We are all infected and struggle to find relief, is there a vaccine, could there be a cure? I have found a cure that I would like to share with you.

Isaiah 53:2-5 There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. He was despised and rejected, a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care.

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole.He was whipped so we could be healed.

Jesus is our healer, he is the Great Physician, he came to cure our deepest wound, that awful disease called sin. There isn't any reason to allow the infection to continue, grace and forgiveness are the cure and they are completely free, no amount of money or good works are required. (Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9)

While he was here on earth he healed a lot of sick and he brought dead people back to life but this was just a temporary fix. All of those touched by Jesus eventually got sick again and they eventually died but this healing that I am talking about is permanent. Jesus made a complete and permanent atonement for our sins, the only thing that we need to do is believe. (1 Peter 3:18, Hebrews 10:10-12)

Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

Jesus Christ, through the predetermined plan of God, was born of a virgin, died as the sacrifice for humanity, was resurrected to restore spiritual life. Helpless sinners without hope have been given the ultimate hope because we know that death is not the end and that we have eternity to spend with our healer.

Great Turn Arounds

2013-03-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

These guys need to be saved from politics, philosophy and religion.

The Ethiopian meets Philip

Acts 8:30-31 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

Philip was making disciples in Samaria and with great results, the crowds were amazed at the message and the power that Philip had. Philip enjoyed great success there but instead of moving on to another town and doing it again God tells him that he has an appointment in the desert. (Acts 8:4-13, 8:26)

The Ethiopian was a government official from north Africa, he was reading from the Old Testament, he feared God but he didn't understand the teaching about the Messiah. (Acts 8:26-40)

Saul meets Ananias

Acts 9:3-5 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”

5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!

Saul was a very religious man, born in Tarsus and moved to Jerusalem, he was trained in Judaism by a famous Rabbi. (Acts 22:3)

Saul has been zealous in his efforts to get rid of the Christ followers until he meets the Lord in a beam of light shining down from heaven.

Cornelius meets Peter

Acts 10:21-22 So Peter went down and said, “I’m the man you are looking for. Why have you come?”

22 They said, “We were sent by Cornelius, a Roman officer. He is a devout and God-fearing man, well respected by all the Jews. A holy angel instructed him to summon you to his house so that he can hear your message.”

Cornelius was a military man in the Roman army, he was a good guy that believed in God, prayed and did nice things for those around him. In response to Cornelius faith God had a plan for him to meet Peter. (Acts 10:1-8)

Three very different guys with very different backgrounds. A man of politics, a man of philosophy, and a man that is very religious all have the same need. They all share the same heartache that is caused by sin, they all have a hunger for more in life and they all need help dealing with their situation.

1 Peter 1:3 NIV Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

There is hope! These guys were not stuck on a road to disaster without an escape, they have been given an opportunity to make a U-turn. All three men were told about the hope that had just recently been revealed, hope that is rooted in Jesus and his work that he did on the cross, hope that is secure because they saw him come back from the grave.

Acts 8:35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

Acts 9:17 So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Acts 10:38 And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Repent and be refreshed.

Acts 3:19-20 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and He will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.

These three men from totally different backgrounds were impacted by the message of hope. They could have relied on politics, philosophy and religion but they never would have found the satisfaction that comes from the living hope that we have in Jesus. All of them were open to the gospel message and the results of their faith helped take the gospel to the Gentiles.

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

Thank you Lord!

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