blog hodos

Blown away by the Gospel

ET — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 14:14:15 +0000

What did Israel do to deserve to be God’s people? Worship other Gods, value money and possessions over the needs of others, basically they lives like the pagans around them. Yet…

44:1 “But now hear, O Jacob my servant,
Israel whom I have chosen!
2 Thus says the Lord who made you,
who formed you from the womb and will help you:
Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They shall spring up among the grass
like willows by flowing streams.
5 This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s,’
another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s,’
and name himself by the name of Israel.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_1685', title: 'Isaiah 44:1-5', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Isaiah 44:1-5
1 “But now hear, O Jacob my servant, Israel whom I have chosen! Thus says the LORD who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you: Fear not, O Jacob my servant, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. They shall spring up among the grass like willows by flowing streams. This one will say, ‘I am the LORD’s,’ another will call on the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’ and name himself by the name of Israel.”

What did I do to deserve to God’s grace? Chasing other priorities than God’s, seeking to accomplish my goals my way (Idols in my life), ignoring the needs of others – the poor and hurting, those that are desperate in life, but I just change the channel in my mind. Yet…

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_7628', title: 'Ephesians 2:5', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Ephesians 2:5
Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved.

It blows me away!

- Posted by Tony

Clean Feet

ET — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:37:30 +0000

What is it like to wash someone’s feet? How about feet that have been walking on dirty dusty roads all day. Actually, today’s sweaty feet bundled in sweaty socks and shoes all day might be worse. Then there is the uncut toe nails, and of course the childhood gross out favorite of toe jam.

As unpleasant as this might seem in our culture, it wasn’t the grossness that made it unappealing to Jesus’ disciples. Washing someone’s feet was the job of lowly servants. Washing someone’s feet would be admitting inferiority to that person.

Yet Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. Why? To show his disciples that if Jesus can wash their feet, they should wash each other’s. What’s this mean to me? Should my church have regular feet washing ceremonies rather than pot luck dinners?

If only I could get off that easy. The point is to serve others over myself. It’s not about me. It’s not about my time. It’s not about my money, It’s not about my family. It’s about my God that says if I am his, I should be serving others and not myself.

Jesus, give me a servants heart. Help me to not focus on my needs and my comforts. Help me to wash the feet of others in my life.

14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_5385', title: 'John 13:14', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 13:14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.

- Posted by Tony

The price of worship

ET — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:59:00 +0000

Jesus had just accomplished the most fantastic miracle. He had raised a dead man that had been dead and in a tomb for four days. He did this in front of tons of witnesses. The people thought they had found their Messiah. The Jewish leaders were more than ever determined to kill Jesus to keep their status quo. They were even determined that maybe Lazarus should die “again” in order to prevent the people from stirring up the political landscape after this fantastic and very public miracle.

In the middle of this great building to the climax of the Gospel message, we have a story about a woman anointing the feet of Jesus with expensive perfume. This story is so important to the Gospel message that it is told four times, each time from a slightly different perspective. So what is this message that is so important?

The best way to dig into this story is to combine the four different accounts and get the overall picture, and hopefully the complete message (

6 Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. 8 And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? 9 For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.” 10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12 In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial. 13 Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_1945', title: 'Matthew 26:6-13', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Matthew 26:6-13,

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_5301', title: 'Mark 14:3-9', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Mark 14:3-9,

37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_4981', title: 'Luke 7:37-50', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Luke 7:37-50,

12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. 3 Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, 5 “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, and having charge of the moneybag he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_7563', title: 'John 12:1-8', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 12:1-8).

Jesus was invited to dinner from a man named Simon. Matthew and Mark, who often write from similar accounts, tell us that Simon was a leper. Since lepers were outcasts because of their unclean disease, it seems likely that Simon was an ex-leper. Was he healed by Jesus? Maybe. It would make sense that he hosted the party for Jesus if he had been healed by him.

Luke provides additional information and we learn that not only was Simon known for being a leper, but he was also a Pharisee. As we have already seen, the Pharisees wanted Jesus killed, yet Simon was willing to have Jesus in his home. Was Simon a believer? It sounds like from Luke that he was skeptical in his belief at best. If our guess about Simon being possibly healed by Jesus is true, it is a sad statement to say that even after being healed he was a skeptic. But is this far fetched? How many times have you experienced God intervening in your life, only to doubt him later?

In John we learn that the woman that anointed Jesus’ feet was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. In John we can see this as an act of worship by a woman grateful that she has her brother back. In Luke we find out more about Mary. She is referred to as a sinner. We are all sinners. However, in the New Testament, “sinners” referred to those that lived an evident sinful life to the rest of the community – i.e. in the case of a woman, probably a prostitute, or similar distasteful lifestyle.

Luke goes on to describe how Jesus read Simon’s disapproval of this woman, and then how Jesus used it has a teaching opportunity to talk about how those who know the extent of their sin are able to appreciate saving grace more than those that don’t. Do you sometimes forget the extent of your sin? I do.

In Matthew we find that Jesus’ disciples were not happy that expensive perfume was wasted. Mark was not as specific in calling out the disciples, while John was more specific and mentioned Judas by name. It seems that multiple people were taken back by this expensive perfume episode as it was about a year’s wages poured out.

Simon was focused on the fact that Mary was a sinner and Jesus let her even touch him. The disciples and others were indignant because of the perceived waste. A year’s wages could feed a lot of poor people. Judas acted concerned about the poor as well, but John tells us he was more upset because he was a thief and you can’t embezzle spilled perfume.

Jesus answered the disciples and others telling them that “you will always have the poor with you and that Mary’s act of love and worship was valuable as preparation for his burial. This is not always an easy message to understand. It does not sound that compassionate – don’t worry about the poor, you can’t end poverty. What does that mean for me? Should I burn my money at the alter rather than give it the poor?

The most important lessons of this four told message are, 1) We are sinners and should be thankful beyond measure for the saving grace of God 2) That saving grace required Jesus to die in our place – hence, the perfume being used to prepare for his burial 3) We cannot cure poverty, but Jesus can and did. Spiritual poverty was cured with his death and resurrection. Material poverty will no longer exists after his return 4) Let your worship show your love for Jesus, pour out all you have for him, whatever that might look like.

7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_5483', title: 'John 12:7-8', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 12:7-8 7 Jesus said, “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

- Posted by Tony

God weeps

ET — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:25:39 +0000

When one of my kids are upset or sad it breaks my heart. If there is anything I can do to lift their spirits I want to do it. However, sometimes I know their is either nothing I can do, or whatever has them upset is really for the best.

When they are sick, I want to make them well, but all I can do is make them as comfortable as possible. The medicine can be awful, but I have to make them take it. If they scrape their knee, I have to clean the wound, even if it makes them cry all the more. If a loved pet dies, I can try to console them, but I can’t make the sadness go away. I want to protect them from life’s physical and emotional pains, but I also know that life is hard and pain is part of growing up.

God has the same heartache when it comes to my pain. Sure he could alleviate whatever hurt I’m feeling in an instant. However, in his wisdom he knows my pain serves a bigger purpose. Whether it is part of my spiritual growth, or part of his greater workings in the world, sometimes life hurts.

When life’s pains are real, I tell myself that God has a greater purpose. However, I usually don’t consider that he shares any of my suffering. After all, he’s God. But God does feel my pain, and God does weep with me. He is the heavenly Father that know my pain will one day be no more, but feels it with me today. There is comfort in knowing that when I face life’s drama and pain, God weeps with me.

33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 Jesus wept. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_6381', title: 'John 11:33-35', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 11:33-35 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.

- Posted by Tony

The American dream

ET — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 03:13:37 +0000

One of the great promises of our country is that everyone has an opportunity to live out the American dream. Is this true? I guess in part it depends on what is meant by the American dream. If the American dream means everyone can have the life of your dreams by working hard then it’s a false promise. There are lots of good hard working people in our country that will never live out their dreams.

The truth is that no country can promise anyone the life of their dreams. We can provide freedoms and opportunities, which makes this an awesome country to live in. However, there are no promises. Bad things still happen to hard working good people and good things happen to lazy selfish people. America is great, but it will never be Utopia.

There is however, a promise for an abundant life. Jesus says that he came to give life to those that know him and give it abundantly. However, he said there are also those that come to destroy life. The reason we may not be experiencing the abundant life is because we look for it from impostors and thieves that really aim to destroy us. Jesus made it clear that he is the only way. Why it might seem un-American to say so, chasing the American dream is chasing an impostor.

Jesus, help me to seek only you and the abundant life you promise. Keep me from the thieves, and robbers that come to destroy, with their false promises of false dreams.

9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_7126', title: 'John 10:9-10', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 10:9-10 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

- Posted by Tony

Fear

ET — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:55:12 +0000

Often when you think of “fear” it is in terms of danger. You can have a fear of snakes, or a fear of walking down a dark alley alone. Fear on its own can be healthy. If your fear causes you to take wise precautions, then it is a good thing. It can be good to avoid snakes and dark alleys alone.

The problem of fear is when it overcomes your rationality. By this I mean you fear something harmless, even to the point of risking real danger to avoid an irrational fear. This is often expressed with the “fear of man.” The fear of what another person might do or think can cause someone to drink too much, live outside of their means, or even go along with unethical directions from a boss. Fear of man can cause you to stay quiet, and sit still, rather than take up the cause of the oppressed.

Fear of man is irrational because it overcomes the fear of God (

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_6811', title: 'Mat 10:28', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">Mat 10:28). There is an example of this fear of man in

9:1 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 6 Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva. Then he anointed the man’s eyes with the mud 7 and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

8 The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” 10 So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” 11 He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” 12 They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. 14 Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. 15 So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” 16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. 17 So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, “He is a prophet.”

18 The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight 19 and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” 20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, “Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner.” 25 He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” 26 They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” 28 And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. 29 We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” 30 The man answered, “Why, this is an amazing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” 34 They answered him, “You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they cast him out.

35 Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 He answered, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” 37 Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” 38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” 40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_2592', title: 'John 9', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 9. Jesus gives sight to a man that has been blind since birth. Nobody has seen such a miracle, and people understand that this type of miracle can only come from God. Yet, when the man’s parents are questioned about it, their fear of the Jewish leaders is greater than than their fear of God. Rather than stand up to these leaders, and risk being removed from the church, they deny the obvious works of God. They don’t explicitly deny God by claiming their son’s healing was not from God, but they implicitly deny him by refusing to publicly acknowledge his works because of fear of man.

Jesus, give me the security and confidence to never deny you in order to avoid confrontations with others. Forgive me when I implicitly deny you by being passive in my speech and my actions for your truth, because I fear disapproval from others.

20 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. 21 But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” 22 (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) 23 Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_3040', title: 'John 9:20-23', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 9:20-23 His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” (His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess Jesus to be Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.) Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

- Posted by Tony

Let freedom reign

ET — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:50:00 +0000

We live in a free country. We have freedom to do or say just about anything we want, so long as we don’t physically harm or threaten someone. We can go to any church we want. We can vote how we choose. We have certain laws to maintain law and order, but for the most part we are the most free country in the world.

Or, are we?

How many Americans are actually slaves. Slaves to debt. Slaves to chasing the American dream. Slaves to keeping up with the Joneses. Slaves to pride. Slaves to gluttony. Slaves to fear and anxiety. You name it, you probably know someone in bondage. You probably feel the chains around your own ankles.

Jesus came to set the captives free. He came to free us from our sins that bind us. So why are so many Christians still just as captive to the things listed above as those that don’t know Jesus? I think it is a sad case of being so dysfunctional that we desire bondage more than freedom. Even as Christians, we too easily return to what we knew before we knew Him.

So what’s our hope? How are we to be truly free? Just like we cannot take our freedom for granted in this country, we cannot take our freedom in Christ for granted. Jesus said, we are free if we abide in Him. Our focus and desires need to be on Jesus. Otherwise, even though saved in eternity, we return to our chains in this world. Jesus, teach me what it means to abide in your words so that I can be truly free. Free from myself. Free to live for you. Free to truly love God and love others.

31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_1156', title: 'John 8:31-32', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 8:31-32 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

- Posted by Tony

Great expectations

ET — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 14:30:36 +0000

The start of every day begins with expectations. It’s a natural part of being human. We have a schedule and plans for the day so we have certain expectations about what we might confront as a result of our plans and schedule. Some people are more optimistic, and have positive expectations. Some people are more pessimistic, and therefore have more negative expectations.

So are expectations wrong? Should I face every day without any prejudice? Well, it does not seem to be practical to set aside all expectations. However, expectations can blind you to the days opportunities. We often only recognize and perceive what we already expect. This is the theory behind “positive thinking.” If I expect good things, good things will happen.

But what happens when my expectations, positive or negative, cause me to miss opportunities? In particular, can my expectations cause me to miss the opportunity to see God at work in my life and all around me?

This is what happened to many of the people around Jesus. They had certain expectations for the Messiah. Most of these expectations were quite positive. However, these expectations prevented them from recognizing the Son of God as he physically walked among them. Because of their expectations, they could not see reality.

The danger of expectations with God is that he is far greater than anything we can imagine. Once we set our expectations for how God will work in our lives, and in our world around us, we risk missing him work in our midst. Jesus, prepare me to see your work, in and around my life. Keep me from setting expectations that blind me to your truths.

40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_8491', title: 'John 7:40-43', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 7:40-43 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So there was a division among the people over him.

- Posted by Tony

The works of God

ET — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 03:48:34 +0000

People seem to have this inner desire to know that there is more than just this life. The reason is plain enough. Everyone knows death eventually comes, and if we have no hope beyond death, life can seem pointless. Yet, even with this inner knowledge that there is more than this life, we find ourselves obsessed with our daily lives and struggles.

Jesus was able to feed thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a couple of dried fish. Rather than seeing the significance of someone able to do such and astounding feat, the people were fixated on food rather than the miracle.

So Jesus used their fixation on their physical need for food to explain their spiritual need for him. Of course, when he explained that they must work for this spiritual food, and not physical food, their minds immediately assumed he meant physical work. All that was needed was to believe in him.

I still find myself fixated on the physical and not on the spiritual. I want to be good enough when the only works that God wants, is to believe in Jesus. This job of believing though is not as easy as it sounds. While it only takes the faith of a child, my adult psyche struggles. It can’t be that easy. Jesus may be able to help, but I need to get this done myself, whatever this may be. This attitude just shows my struggle to truly believe like I should.

Jesus, help me to believe. Help me to believe that the only work of God requires is to believe He sent you, his Son, to die for my pride, selfishness, self-righteousness, envy, and on and on. And if I believe it, help me to live it.

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_8980', title: 'John 6:28-29', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 6:28-29 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

- Posted by Tony

Why read the Bible

ET — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 03:17:12 +0000

One of the hardest disciplines can be sitting down and regularly reading the Bible. Sometimes it can be interesting, and filled with excitement and drama. At other times, the truths in the Bible can be convicting. Then of course, there are all those do’s and don’ts. Even though we are saved by faith and not works, we are still called to obedience. Finally, sometimes the Bible is difficult to read because it can appear boring. In our family Bible time last night, the only interesting part to my kids about Noah’s family line was me butchering all the names.

Personally, I think I struggle with Bible reading because I often approach it as any other piece of literature or informational book. Yes, I read it understanding that it is the authoritative word of God, valuable for training, teaching, and overall Christian living. However, I often don’t approach it from it’s most important aspect. The Bible is God’s word to me about him so that I can know him. I don’t mean know him like knowing about someone from a history book, but more like know him like you might know someone after reading their personal diary. It’s about knowing the heart of God.

The group of people that had the hardest time with Jesus was not the prostitutes and thieves. It was not even the pagan Roman government. The ones that hated him the most were the Pharisees that knew more about what was in the Scriptures than any other group of people. They were the very ones, that based on knowledge of the Scriptures, should have recognized him. But they didn’t. Their head knowledge was of no use to their heart ignorance.

Jesus, I know a lot about what’s in the Bible. However, it’s not about what I know, it’s about who I know. Teach me about yourself as I read your diary. Show me your heart and change my heart.

39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. (ESV)

', width: 0, height: 0, id: 'tippy_tip1335884894_4228', title: 'John 5:39-40', event: event });" onmouseout="Tippy.fadeTippyOut();">John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

- Posted by Tony