Daily Devotional

OUR SHEPHERD'S PERSISTENCE

2015-06-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew 18:10-14 (ESV)
¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray?
¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.
¹⁴ So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

This is one of the most famous parables shared by Jesus—the parable of "The Lost Sheep" or the parable of "The Seeking Shepherd." It holds a great message for both the believer and the unbeliever, and Jesus applied it to both. Two things show this, (1) the words "these little ones" refer to genuine Christian believers, and the word "perish" refers to the lost, and (2) on this particular occasion Jesus was speaking to His disciples.

Some believers are weak, never having grown in the Lord; others cool off and wander away; still others backslide into sin and shame. Some are stubborn toward the Lord, and some become self-centered because of hurt and neglect. Others allow the hurt and neglect to develop into bitterness and hostility against a person, and go out and sin in anger. There are innumerable reasons for sinning, but believers do sin and some sin rather seriously.

Jesus came to save the lost. This is the Messiah's great statement of purpose; this is why He came to earth. He came to save the lost.

Jesus forgave and rejoiced over the recovered sheep. The extreme joy was not because the lost sheep meant more than the other sheep. The safe sheep have always filled the Shepherd with joy and peace, but there is a special moment of joy and celebration when a lost sheep is found. There are at least two reasons for this. First, the lost sheep was almost lost forever, never to be known again or to share in and contribute to the life of the flock. All that the lost sheep meant and was capable of contributing was almost lost forever. There is bound to be great joy and glory over his being snatched out of the claws of danger and death. Second, the lost sheep cost so much of the Shepherd's life: His thoughts, energy, effort, time, and sufferings. There is great joy and glory when the trial is over and the task is successful. The effort was well worth the price.

We should also note the great appeal to the lost sheep to return to the Shepherd. There is...

• no grudging

• no contempt

• no lecture

• no rebuke

• no threat

• no punishment

• only love

• only concern

• only seeking

Just as a shepherd is concerned enough about one lost sheep to go search the hills for it, so God is concerned about every human being He has created (He is "not willing that any should perish" [2 Peter 3:9]). You come in contact with children who need Christ at home, at school, in church, and in the neighborhood. Steer them toward Christ by your example, your words, and your acts of kindness.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

GOOD SALT

2015-06-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 9:43-50 (ESV)
⁴³ "And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
⁴⁵ And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
⁴⁷ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell,
⁴⁸ ‘where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’
⁴⁹ For everyone will be salted with fire.
⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another."

Jesus used startling language to stress the importance of cutting sin out of our lives. He required painful discipline of His true followers. Giving up a relationship, job, or habit that is against God's will may seem just as painful as cutting off a hand. Nothing should stand in the way of faith.

Jesus used salt to illustrate three qualities that should be found in His people: (1) We should remember God's faithfulness, just as salt when used with a sacrifice recalled God's covenant with His people. (2) We should make a difference in the "flavor" of the world in which we live, just as salt changes meat's flavor. (3) We should counteract the moral decay in society, just as salt preserves food from decay. When we lose this desire to "salt" the earth with the love and message of God, we become useless to Him. Think of some ways that you can become salt that the Lord might use to make a forever difference in someone's life.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

2015-06-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 9:33-37 (ESV)
³³ And they came to Capernaum. And when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
³⁴ But they kept silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
³⁵ And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
³⁶ And he took a child and put him in the midst of them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them,
³⁷ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.”

Even in the first century, those with capital could advance economically, however, most people lacked sufficient capital for advancement and were thus locked into roles determined by birth. Even those who improved economically could not break into the aristocracy. Many Jewish people hoped for a new status in the world to come, based not on noble birth but on faithfulness to God's covenant.

Children are trusting by nature. They trust adults, and through that trust their capacity to trust God grows. God holds parents and other adults who influence young children accountable for how they affect these little ones' ability to trust.

As they walked toward Capernaum, we get a glimpse of one of the times that the disciples struggled with one another for personal position and success. Jesus' question embarrassed them.

It is always painful to compare our motives with Christ's. It is not wrong for believers to be industrious or ambitious. But when ambition pushes obedience and service to one side, it becomes sin. Pride or insecurity can cause us to overvalue position and prestige. In God's Kingdom, such motives are destructive. The only safe ambition is directed toward Christ's Kingdom, not our own advancement. It is possible for thoughtless, selfish people to gain a measure of greatness in the world's eyes, but enduring greatness is measured only by God's standards. What do you use as your measure of greatness—personal achievement or unselfish service?

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

AMBASSADORS

2015-06-25T05:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew 17:24-27 (ESV)
²⁴ When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the tax?”
²⁵ He said, “Yes.” And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?”
²⁶ And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free.
²⁷ However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.”

Free adult Jewish men all over the ancient world showed their solidarity with the temple and the Holy Land by paying a half-shekel tax. In New Testament times this was two drachmas, or two days' wages. After 70, in Matthew's time, the Romans confiscated this tax for the upkeep of a pagan temple, and some Jews may have refused to pay it on principle; but in Jesus' day, any Jew loyal to Judaism would have paid it. The local collectors of the tax may have wondered about Jesus’ position on the matter if he had already betrayed some opposition to the temple. Collectors did not force those living off charity or beggars to pay. Perhaps only Matthew recorded this event because he was a tax collector.

As usual, Peter answered a question without really knowing the answer, putting Jesus and the disciples in an awkward position. Jesus used this situation, however, to emphasize His kingly role. Just as kings pay no taxes and collect none from their family, Jesus, the King, owed no taxes. But He supplied the tax payment for both Himself and Peter rather than offend those who didn't understand His kingship.

As God's people, we are foreigners on earth because our loyalty is always to our real King—Jesus. Still we have to cooperate with the authorities and be responsible citizens. An ambassador to another country keeps the local laws in order to represent well the one who sent him. We are Christ's ambassadors. Are you being a good foreign ambassador for him to this world?

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

BELIEVE!

2015-06-24T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 9:30-32 (ESV)
³⁰ They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know,
³¹ for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.”
³² But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.

Suffering was not part of the contemporary expectation for the Messiah. So to understand Jesus' message, the people needed a paradigm shift in their categories and values. Disciples would always strive to be respectful toward their rabbis. They would regard their fellow disciples as their peer group and thus might not include the rabbi in a dispute among themselves.

At times, Jesus limited His public ministry in order to train His disciples in depth. He knew the importance of equipping them to carry on when He returned to heaven. Leaving Caesarea Philippi, Jesus began his last tour through the region of Galilee.

Once again Jesus predicted His death. However more important, He also predicted His own resurrection. Unfortunately, the disciples heard only the first part of Jesus' words and became discouraged. They could not understand why Jesus wanted to go back to Jerusalem where He would walk right into trouble.

The disciples did not fully comprehend the purpose of Jesus' death and resurrection until Pentecost. The disciples did not understand why Jesus kept talking about His death because they fully expected Him to set up a political kingdom. His death, they thought, would bring a complete end to their hopes. They did not know that Jesus' death and resurrection was necessary to make His Kingdom possible.

We should not get upset at ourselves for being slow to understand everything about Jesus. After all, the disciples were with Him, saw His miracles, heard His words, and still had difficulty understanding. Despite their questions and doubts, however, they believed. We should do no less.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

GROWING FAITH

2015-06-23T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 9:14-29 (ESV)
¹⁴ And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and scribes arguing with them.
¹⁵ And immediately all the crowd, when they saw him, were greatly amazed and ran up to him and greeted him.
¹⁶ And he asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
¹⁷ And someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute.
¹⁸ And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able.”
¹⁹ And he answered them, “O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him to me.”
²⁰ And they brought the boy to him. And when the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth.
²¹ And Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
²² And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
²³ And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.”
²⁴ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
²⁵ And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
²⁶ And after crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
²⁸ And when he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
²⁹ And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.”

You have to wonder why the disciples couldn't drive out the evil spirit that had caused the boy to be mute. After all, Jesus had given them the special authority to do so. Why could they not drive out the evil spirit? Did their faith falter? Mark told this story to show that the battle with Satan is a difficult, ongoing struggle.

Jesus' words do not mean that we can automatically obtain anything we want if we just think positively. That's hardly the point. Jesus meant that anything is possible if we believe, because nothing is too difficult for God. We cannot have everything we pray for as if by magic. However, with faith, we can have everything we need to serve Him. The attitude of trust and confidence that the Bible calls belief or faith is not something we can obtain without help. Faith comes as a gift from God. No matter how much faith we have, we never reach the point of being self-sufficient. Faith is not stored away like money in the bank. Growing in faith is a constant process of daily renewing our trust in Jesus.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

TRANSFIGURATION

2015-06-22T05:00:00.000-05:00

Luke 9:32-36 (ESV)
³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.
³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said.
³⁴ As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

Peter’s suggestion of erecting shelters on the mountain may allude to Israel’s tabernacles in the wilderness, by which the Israelites recognized God’s presence among them in Moses’ day. At any rate, what Peter wanted to do was to stay on the mountaintop. He wanted to linger there because he enjoyed that experience. But just like today, Jesus knew that Peter could not do ministry from the mountaintop. Ministry takes place in the valleys. The mountaintop experiences propel us so that we can do ministry.

Jesus told Peter, James, and John not to speak about what they had seen because they would not fully understand it until Jesus had risen from the dead. Then they would realize that only through dying could Jesus show his power over death and his authority to be King of all. The disciples could not be powerful witnesses for God until they had grasped this truth.

The Transfiguration revealed Christ's divine nature. God's voice exalted Jesus above Moses and Elijah as the long-awaited Messiah with full divine authority. Moses represented the Law, and Elijah, the prophets. Their appearance showed Jesus as the fulfillment of both the Old Testament Law and the prophetic promises.

Jesus was not a reincarnation of Elijah or Moses. He was not merely one of the prophets. As God's only Son, he far surpasses them in authority and power. Many voices try to tell us how to live and how to know God personally. Some of these are helpful; many are not. We must first listen to the Bible, and then evaluate all other authorities in light of God's revelation.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

WHO IS JESUS?

2015-06-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew 16:13-20 (ESV)
¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.
¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
²⁰ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Caesarea Philippi was a pagan territory, near a grotto devoted to the worship of the Greek deity Pan. Herod had dedicated that a temple for the worship of Caesar there. Therefore, this area would hardly be the ideal place for a divine revelation. All the answers about who Jesus was fall into the "prophets" category. Elijah was expected to return and many of the miracles Jesus did resembled those of Elijah. His judgment oracles or His downplaying of the temple may have caused some to believe that He was Jeremiah.

Peter offered the right title, "the Christ, the Son of the living God." The rock on which Jesus would build His church has been identified as (1) Jesus Himself (His work of salvation through His death on the cross), (2) Peter (the first great leader of the church), and (3) the confession of faith that Peter made and that all subsequent true believers make.

Peter confessed Jesus as divine and as the promised and long-awaited Messiah. It is not enough to know what others say about Jesus: You must know, understand, and embrace Him for yourself that He is the Messiah. You must move from curiosity to commitment, from admiration to adoration. If Jesus were to ask you this question, how would you answer?

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

SEEING CLEARLY

2015-06-18T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 8:22-26 (ESV)
²² And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him.
²³ And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?”
²⁴ And he looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking.”
²⁵ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
²⁶ And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even enter the village.”

Spittle was sometimes associated with healing. It was also considered disgusting and may have tested the blind man's desire to be healed. This is the only two-stage healing in the Gospels, and miracles stories in antiquity usually stressed the suddenness of the miracle.

Jesus took the man out of the village to heal him and then told him not to go back into the village. Jesus had compassion to heal, but He did not want to be seen as merely a miracle worker.

Why did Jesus touch the man a second time before he could see? This miracle was not too difficult for Jesus, but He chose to do it in stages, possibly to show the disciples that some healing would be gradual rather than instantaneous or to demonstrate that spiritual truth is not always perceived clearly at first. Before Jesus left, however, the man was healed completely.

Keep in mind that it took the disciples until after the resurrection to believe and "see" for themselves that Jesus was the Messiah. Sometimes it takes time for us to understand. Christ stays with us, helping us to finally "see" clearly. Trust Him to help you when you don't understand.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder

PRETENDERS

2015-06-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 8:13-21 (ESV)
¹³ And he left them, got into the boat again, and went to the other side.
¹⁴ Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
¹⁵ And he cautioned them, saying, “Watch out; beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”
¹⁶ And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread.
¹⁷ And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened?
¹⁸ Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?
¹⁹ When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”
²⁰ “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”
²¹ And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Yeast in this passage symbolizeD evil. Just as only a small amount of yeast is needed to make a batch of bread rise, so the hardheartedness of the religious and political leaders could permeate and contaminate the entire society and make it rise up against Jesus.

How could the disciples experience so many of Jesus' miracles and yet be so slow to comprehend who He was? They had already seen Jesus feed over five thousand people with five loaves and two fish and then He fed over four thousand people with seven loaves and a few fish. However, they apparently had difficulty believing and understanding.

We can overanalyze what the simple truth is. Jesus is the one true God. He alone is worthy of our worship and praise. We should turn to no other god, because all other gods are pretenders. Actually, they represent what unbelievers want to believe.

Don't fall for the world's pretenders. Serve the one true God, Jesus Christ!

2015-06-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

John 6:41-51 (ESV)
⁴¹ So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”
⁴² They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
⁴³ Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.
⁴⁴ No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me—
⁴⁶ not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
⁴⁷ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.
⁴⁸ I am the bread of life.
⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
⁵⁰ This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.
⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The Jews continued to hear Jesus on the wrong level, even though He clearly referred to eternal life and not literal bread. Their "grumbling" alluded to the grumbling of Israel in the wilderness against Moses. The religious leaders grumbled because they could not accept Jesus' claim of divinity. They saw Him only as a carpenter from Nazareth. They refused to believe that Jesus was God's divine Son, and they could not tolerate His message.

Most Jewish people believed in both human choice and God's sovereignty. The argument in verses 44-46 stressed that those in relationship with the Father will recognize Jesus. Those who do not recognize Him do not know the Father either.

The religious leaders frequently asked Jesus to prove to them why He was better than the prophets they already had. Jesus was referring to the manna that Moses had given their ancestors in the wilderness. That bread was physical and temporal. The people had eaten it, and it had sustained them for a day. But they had to get more bread every day, and this bread could not keep them from dying.

Jesus, who is much greater than Moses, offered Himself as the spiritual Bread from heaven that satisfies completely and leads to eternal life. God, not man, plays the most active role in salvation. When someone chooses to beieve in Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she does so only in response to the urging of God's Holy Spirit. God does the urging and gives the faith; then we decide whether or not to believe. Thus no one can believe in Jesus without God's help. If you know Christ as Savior, thank Him for His powerful work in your life.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder

JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

2015-06-03T05:00:00.001-05:00

John 6:30-40 (ESV)
³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?
³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
³² Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
³³ For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
³⁴ They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.
³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day.
⁴⁰ For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This crowd still wanted Jesus to act as the new Moses. They wanted an earthly and political leader who could restore Israel and overthrow Rome. They expected manna to be restored in the world to come. However, Jesus did not work independently of God the Father, but in union with Him. His purpose was to do the will of God, not to satisfy human desires.

People eat bread to satisfy physical hunger and to sustain physical life. However, what Christ offers to us is far better than physical bread. He can satisfy spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life. This is only possible through a right relationship with Jesus Christ. No wonder Jesus called Himself the Bread of Life. But bread must be eaten to sustain life. We must embrace Christ fully into our lives so that He can sustain spiritual life.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

YOU MUST BELIEVE IN JESUS

2015-06-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

John 6:22-29 (ESV)
²² On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.
²³ Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
²⁴ So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
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.”

The crowd wanted to follow a prophet who will provide free food and political deliverance—another Moses. But they missed the central thrust of Jesus' mission. The dialogue between Jesus and the crowd plays on the term work. Judaism stressed righteous works, but Jesus singled out one work: faith in Him. Then they demanded Jesus perform a "work" or a "sign."

Jesus criticized the people who only followed Him for the physical and temporal benefits and not for the satisfying of their spiritual hunger. Many people use religion to gain prestige, comfort, or even political votes. But those are self-centered motives.

Many sincere seekers for God are confused about what He wants them to do. The world's religions are humankind's attempts to answer this question. But Jesus' reply was brief and simple: We must embrace Jesus. Satisfying God does not come from the work we do, but from whom we believe. The first step is trusting completely that Jesus is who He claimed to be.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUE NATURE OF CHRIST

2015-06-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 6:53-56 (ESV)
⁵³ When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored to the shore.
⁵⁴ And when they got out of the boat, the people immediately recognized him
⁵⁵ and ran about the whole region and began to bring the sick people on their beds to wherever they heard he was.
⁵⁶ And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well.

Gennesaret was a small fertile plain located on the west side of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum, Jesus' home, sat at the northern edge of this plain.

Carrying the sick on their mats or touching Jesus’ cloak imitated earlier expressions of faith. Evidence from ancient pagan healing shrines suggests that once someone was healed in a particular way or at a particular place, others often tried to get healing by the same method. The marketplaces constituted the largest open area of a town or village, where larger crowds could gather. In contrast to Greek cities, market areas in Galilean towns were not always located in the center of the town.

The people recognized Jesus as a great healer, but not many truly understood who He was? They came to Jesus for physical healing, but not for spiritual healing. They came to prolong their lives on earth, but they did not come to secure their eternal lives. People may seek Jesus to learn valuable lessons from His life or in hopes of finding relief from pain. But we miss Jesus' whole message if we seek Him only to heal our bodies but not our souls. If we look to Him for help only in this life, we miss the most important aspect of what He can do for us. Only when we understand the real Jesus Christ can we appreciate how He can truly change our lives.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder

PRIORITIES MATTER -- EVEN DURING LIFE'S UNEXPECTED STORMS

2015-06-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

John 6:16-21 (ESV)
¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
¹⁷ got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
¹⁸ The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.
¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.
²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
²¹ Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

The miraculous feeding of the five thousand occurred on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The crowd likely wanted to rush Jesus and make Him their king. The disciples could have been caught up in the fervor to do so. Therefore, Jesus sent His disciples across the lake while He went up into the rolling hills to spend time in prayer.

Squalls were frequent on the lake. Given where they are traveling, they had probably already gone over halfway when caught in the storm; therefore, turning back was no longer an option. Fishing boats were equipped with oars; the sail would be counterproductive in this storm. Keep in mind that the disciples faced this trouble because Jesus, who knew what was going to occur, sent them on this trip across the lake. Yet they would soon learn that He was in control -- in even the midst of their storm.

Seeking solitude was an important priority for Jesus. He made room in His busy schedule to be alone with the Father. Spending time with God in prayer nurtures a vital relationship and equips us to meet life's challenges and struggles. Finding time to pray is not easy, but prayer is the vital link between us and God. Like Jesus, we must break away from others to talk with God, even if we have to get up very early in the morning to do it! Develop the discipline of spending time alone with God—it will help you grow spiritually and become more and more like Christ.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder

WORDS

2015-05-29T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 6:17-29 (ESV)
¹⁷ For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.
¹⁸ For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
¹⁹ And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not,
²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly.
²¹ But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
²² For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
²³ And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
²⁴ And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.”
²⁵ And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
²⁶ And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.
²⁷ And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison
²⁸ and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.
²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.

Herod’s affair with his sister-in-law, whom he had by this time married, was widely known. Indeed, the affair had led him to divorce his first wife, whose father, a king, later went to war with Herod over the issue and defeated him. John’s denunciation of the affair as unlawful (besides being adultery, it violated incest prohibitions was an attack against Herod’s adultery, but Herod could have perceived it as a political threat, given the political ramifications that later led to a major military defeat.

As a ruler under Roman authority, Herod had no kingdom to give. The offer of half his kingdom was Herod's way to say that he would give Herodias's daughter almost anything she wanted. When Herodias asked for John's head, Herod would have been greatly embarrassed in front of his guests if he had denied her request.

Words are powerful. Because they can lead to great sin, we should use them with great care. How easy it is to give in to the crowd and to let ourselves be pressured into doing wrong. Don't get in a situation where it will be too embarrassing to do what is right. Determine to do what is right, no matter how embarrassing or painful it may be.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

JESUS' TRUE IDENTITY

2015-05-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Mark 6:14-16 (ESV)
¹⁴ King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.”
¹⁵ But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
¹⁶ But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

Herod Antipas was technically tetrarch (with Matthew and Luke), not “king”; Mark may use the latter term loosely or ironically. Herod’s appeal for the title “king” under Herodias’s influence led to his banishment in a.d. 39; this could support Mark’s use of the term ironically. Some Greeks (and Jews influenced by them) believed in reincarnation; but John’s return is said instead to be a “rising from the dead” (as a few persons had been raised by Old Testament prophets); Elijah had never died, and many Jewish people anticipated his return (Malachi 4:5). Reincarnation is thus not in view here.

Herod's territory included the regions of Galilee and Perea. He was the son of Herod the Great, who ordered the killing of the babies in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16). Also known as Herod Antipas, he heard Jesus' case before Jesus' crucifixion (Luke 23:6-12).

Many people found it difficult to accept Jesus as the Son of God, so they tried to come up with other solutions—most of which sound quite unbelievable to us. Many thought that he must be someone who had come back to life, perhaps John the Baptist or another prophet. Some suggested that he was Elijah, the great prophet who did not die but was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire

Even today, many people find it difficult to accept Jesus as the fully human yet fully divine Son of God. People are still trying to find alternate explanations—a great prophet, a radical political leader, a self-deceived rabble-rouser. None of these explanations can account for Jesus' miracles or, especially, His glorious resurrection—so these realities too have to be explained away. In the end, the attempts to explain away Jesus are far more difficult to believe than the truth. People still have to make up their minds about Jesus. Some think that if they can name what He is—prophet, teacher, good man—they can weaken the power of his claim on their lives. But what they think does not change who Jesus is. Jesus is the God-man; He is God.

As you pray today, do not neglect the fact that Jesus is the Lord. That means He must rule your life. Does He?

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder

BE PREPARED

2015-05-27T05:00:00.000-05:00

Matthew 10:16-23 (ESV)
¹⁶ “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
¹⁷ Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,
¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
¹⁹ When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.
²⁰ For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
²¹ Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,
²² and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
²³ When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Local courts, or councils deciding cases, were run by local elders or priests before a.d. 70. Synagogues were the local places of public assembly, and thus provided the natural location for hearings and public discipline.In Jewish thinking, a Jew betraying any Jew to Gentile persecutors was a horrendous act. “Governors” are Roman overseers in the provinces; the three levels were propraetors, proconsuls and procurators. “Kings” may refer only to Rome’s vassal princes but probably includes Parthian and other rulers from the East, indicating virtually universal persecution. A Jewish tradition that may have been in circulation in Jesus’ day warns that in the time of final tribulation, Jewish people persecuted for their faith would have to flee from one city to another. The disciples may have understood his words in these terms. Jesus’ point seems to be that they will always have someplace to which they can escape, and some will survive to the end no matter how severe the persecution is.

Enduring to the end is not a way to be saved but rather the evidence that a person is really committed to Jesus. Persistence is not a means to earn salvation; it is the by-product of a truly devoted life.

Jesus told the disciples that when arrested for preaching the gospel, they should not worry about what to say in their defense—God's Spirit would speak through them. This promise was fulfilled in Acts 4:8-14 and elsewhere. Some mistakenly think this means that we don't have to prepare to present the gospel because God will take care of everything. Scripture teaches, however, that we are to make carefully prepared, thoughtful statements. Jesus is not telling us to stop preparing but to stop worrying.

Because of Jesus,
Ken Schroeder