21 Monday May 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Choose, Jesus, Jesus Questions, Jesus Sayings, Mark 12, Test
Jesus has a serious question for me. Jesus wants an answer. Jesus will patiently wait. Jesus is smiling. Jesus isn’t mad.
Why am I playing games with (testing) Jesus? I don’t have a good reason. I am sometimes afraid of what total commitment looks like. I know Jesus wants everything. Jesus won’t put up with me holding back. I seek to change the subject by asking questions that aren’t relevant.
19 Saturday May 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Jesus challenges me. Jesus wants me to believe. When I do, Jesus is loving, kind and faithful. Jesus wants to heal me. Jesus wants to heal all of us. God is in an amazing mood.
As Jesus entered the village of Capernaum, a Roman captain came up in a panic and said, “Master, my servant is sick. He can’t walk. He’s in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I’ll come and heal him.”
“Oh, no,” said the captain. “I don’t want to put you to all that trouble. Just give the order and my servant will be fine. I’m a man who takes orders and gives orders. I tell one soldier, ‘Go,’ and he goes; to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
18 Friday May 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Commitment, Jesus, Jesus Questions, Jesus Sayings, Listen, Luke 14
Jesus is clear and Jesus has a question for me.
Am I listening to Him?
“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it good-bye, you can’t be my disciple.
“Salt is excellent. But if the salt goes flat, it’s useless, good for nothing.
“Are you listening to this? Really listening?” | Luke 14:33-34 (The Message)
17 Thursday May 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
I want mercy in my life. Compassion is a wonderful gift from God. I am challenged by Jesus to replicate it in all of my relationships. I am to be a person of mercy. It will bring me happiness and mercy in my own life. Now that is some very good news.
“Happy (aka Blessed) are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” | Matthew 5:7
15 Tuesday May 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
This is stunning. As disciples of Jesus, we are the chief objects of God’s fatherly love. We become God’s children through faith and are then encouraged by Scripture to imitate our heavenly Father in our daily living.
I also become a child of God by being “born again”. I was born as a child of my earthly father. He did what he could for me in raising me well but it had its limits.
14 Monday May 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Why in the world would Jesus curse the fig tree?
What was He up to?
This happened during the week before His crucifixion. Jesus had entered Jerusalem a day earlier amid the praise and worship of the Jewish people who were looking to Him as the King/Messiah who was going to deliver them from Roman occupation (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11).
10 Thursday May 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Will of God
That is the stunning message from Jesus that He wants me to know. I am not to worry about a lot of things I am worried about.
My focus has to be on what God wants me to do. Am I loving God with every fiber of my being? Am I loving everyone I know and meet? My life with God is what I need to get focused on. Doing what God wants is my business. Continue reading
08 Tuesday May 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
Mothers, you have to love them. They want us to do something. We might as well do it. Jesus understood that.
It was a wedding. It is a special time for family and friends. They didn’t plan well. They are running out of wine and that is going to be a problem. The mother of Jesus intercedes.
The mother of Jesus steps in. She knows her son Jesus can take care of it. While He hasn’t done any public miracles yet, she has probably seen the power of God on Him. She knows this is no big deal. Continue reading
05 Saturday May 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal, Teachings
Tags
Fasting, Hungry, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Teachings
I am thinking this part of the Jesus Manifesto has been ripped out of most Evangelical and Protestant bibles. I don’t know the last time (if ever) I’ve heard a sermon or teaching on fasting. This is a Jesus thing, not an old covenant (aka testament) thing.
Is it not an Old Testament exercise, we ask, enjoined by Moses for the Day of Atonement, and after the return from Babylonian exile required on some other annual days, but now abrogated by the Messiah?
Did not people come to Jesus and ask: ‘Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast’? And is fasting not a Roman Catholic practice, so that the medieval church developed an elaborate calendar of ‘feast days’ and ‘fast days’? Did it not also become associated with a superstitious view of the mass and of ‘fasting communion’? Continue reading
04 Friday May 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Did God abandon Jesus? It is a stunning question.
From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around midafternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” | Matthew 27:45-46
02 Wednesday May 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Greed is very insidious. It creeps into my life and I don’t recognize it at all some days. I have grown up in a materialistic culture. Who knows how many commercials I have seen touting things I should want. I am told I need them.
Do I? Do I need them? Will they really help me?
Someone out of the crowd said, “Teacher, order my brother to give me a fair share of the family inheritance.”
He replied, “Mister, what makes you think it’s any of my business to be a judge or mediator for you?”
Speaking to the people, he went on, “Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot.” | Luke 12:13-15 (The Message Bible) Continue reading
01 Tuesday May 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Jesus continues with His radical Manifesto. We all know what it is like to be hungry or thirsty. We can’t think of anything else until we take care of the hunger or thirst.
It consumes us. Nothing else matters!
“Happy (aka Blessed) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” | Matthew 5:6 (ESV) Continue reading
28 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
God has a goal for me. It is a job I must take seriously. Will I?
And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)
Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” | Mark 9:1-7
What does God want from me? Listen to His Son Jesus. It is a simple and straightforward challenge. God didn’t make it complicated for me. I can understand what God said as it is one sentence. Listen to Jesus! Continue reading
26 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Tags
The religious leaders were afraid of a riot. Now that is rich. They arrested Jesus during Passover anyway and there was no riot.
The religious leaders had Jesus crucified. They were not going to let Jesus spoil things and take over. They were not going to have that at all.
When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples, “You know that Passover comes in two days. That’s when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion.”
At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas, conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him. They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. “We don’t want a riot on our hands,” they said. | Matthew 26:1-5 Continue reading
25 Wednesday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Jesus knows what I am thinking. There is no hiding. Jesus will shine the light on my indifference. I must make a choice.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Any country in civil war for very long is wasted. A constantly squabbling family falls to pieces. If Satan cancels Satan, is there any Satan left? You accuse me of ganging up with the Devil, the prince of demons, to cast out demons, but if you’re slinging devil mud at me, calling me a devil who kicks out devils, doesn’t the same mud stick to your own exorcists? But if it’s God’s finger I’m pointing that sends the demons on their way, then God’s kingdom is here for sure.
“When a strong man, armed to the teeth, stands guard in his front yard, his property is safe and sound. But what if a stronger man comes along with superior weapons? Then he’s beaten at his own game, the arsenal that gave him such confidence hauled off, and his precious possessions plundered. This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you’re not on my side, you’re the enemy; if you’re not helping, you’re making things worse. | Luke 11:17-23 (The Message Bible) Continue reading
24 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Love, Luke 6, Matthew 28, Matthew 7, Obedience
Jesus continues His Manifesto (aka The Sermon on the Mount). Jesus is getting close to wrapping it up. Jesus doesn’t let up. There are some big deal things left to say. Jesus is going to say them. I need to hear them and obey them.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ | Matthew 7:21-23
Many evangelistic churches make a big deal about the “profession of faith” and it is not to be diminished. That is only the beginning. When all we hear, Sunday after Sunday, is about the profession, we need to find a new church to spend time in. We are not learning as disciples should. Continue reading
23 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
Compassion, God is Good, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 21, Love
This is the third time Jesus appears to the disciples. They’ve been out fishing all night. They’ve been working. They have so much on their minds, better to do something productive.
What does Jesus do? What is he concerned about? Jesus doesn’t want their efforts to be in vain so He directs them on where to fish so they don’t come back empty handed. Jesus cares that they are hungry and fixes them some breakfast. Continue reading
22 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Jesus asks me lots of questions. This one gets to the core of the issue.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus and his disciples headed out for the villages around Caesarea Philippi. As they walked, he asked, “Who do the people say I am?”
“Some say ‘John the Baptizer,’” they said. “Others say ‘Elijah.’ Still others say ‘one of the prophets.’”
He then asked, “And you—what are you saying about me? Who am I?”
Peter gave the answer: “You are the Messiah.” | Mark 8:27-29 Continue reading
21 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Compassion, Hell, Homeless, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 25, Matthew 7
Jesus has some goals in mind for me. Jesus is clear what they are. Jesus warns me that there will be eternal consequences to not achieving them. Jesus is clear about “why”.
“Then he will turn to the ‘goats,’ the ones on his left, and say, ‘Get out, worthless goats! You’re good for nothing but the fires of hell. And why? Because—
I was hungry and you gave me no meal,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
I was homeless and you gave me no bed,
I was shivering and you gave me no clothes,
Sick and in prison, and you never visited.’ Continue reading
20 Friday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Money, Treasure, Wealth
The Jesus Manifest continues (Matthew 5-7). This is a critical teaching of Jesus. What should I think about money and wealth? I need to get clear on this. Jesus is!
Who will I serve? It is a stunning question. Jesus now explains that behind the choice between two treasures (where I lay them up) and two visions (where I fix my eyes) there lies the still more basic choice between two masters (whom I am going to serve).
It is a choice between God and mammon, that is between the living Creator himself and any object of our my creation I term ‘money’ (‘mammon’ being the transliteration of an Aramaic word for wealth). For I cannot serve both. Continue reading
19 Thursday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Frustration, Hebrews 12, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 17, Joy, Luke 9
Jesus sounds upset. The day before he went through an amazing experience. We call it the transfiguration. “While He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. And behold, two men were talking with Him; and they were Moses and Elijah, who, appearing in glory, were speaking of His departure which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” God spoke to Him saying, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” To top things off, Peter, James and John had no clue what was going on.
When Jesus said “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you and put up with you?”, Jesus knew exactly how much longer He would be here. It would not be much longer. Jesus is going to complete every task His Heavenly Father has given. But still, there isn’t much time left. Tick tock, tick tock! Continue reading
17 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in Teachings
Tags
There is only one answer and it is simple but direct. I must give up everything!
Does that mean?
It means exactly that and the list goes on and on. Give it all Jesus demands.
Jesus is walking along. Jesus turns to me and is direct. Jesus asks me if I will give up everything. Jesus is serious. Jesus is waiting for an answer.
Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
Source: Matthew 14:25-35
17 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Jesus came to complete every task God, His Father, had laid out for Him. Jesus, earlier (John 5:38) had said “These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me.”
And so … It is done. It is complete. There is nothing else to do except be raised from the dead, by the power of God and ascend to Heaven. Jesus has now ushered in a new agreement (aka covenant or testament). His blood poured out for us complete that transaction. The blood of Jesus has cleaned me up from all sin. It is done. It is complete.
A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit. | Source: John 19:29-30 (The Message)
16 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Angels, Ashamed, Devil, Embarrassed, Hell, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 8, Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Self Assessment
So now we are down to the real issue. Jesus has laid out the case for what it takes to follow Him (Mark 8:34-37 The Message). It is all about Jesus and not about me. I have to sacrifice my selfish ways and submit to Jesus as my Master.
Am I proud of my relationship with Jesus and who He is? Am I ashamed and embarrassed?
“If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels.” ~Jesus | Source: Mark 8:38 Continue reading
14 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, John 6, Matthew 6, Money, Wealth
The backdrop to this is the feeding of the five thousand. It is a truly stunning miracle. Jesus was moved not to allow the crowd to go hungry. Jesus took care of their physical needs since they couldn’t afford to take them out for a meal. They were very impressed.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” ~Jesus | John 6:26-27
13 Friday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Jesus is very clear and straightforward. I don’t know why it stumps so many “Christians”, the government and homeless nonprofits, but it does.
I get lots of pushback from disciples of Jesus on giving money directly to the poor.
What do you do if walking down the street or driving your car and someone asks you for money? Do you give? If not, why not? Continue reading
13 Friday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Abortion, False Prophets, Homeless, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 24, Poor
Jesus warns us in Matthew 7 where we hear Him say “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing”
Jesus is serious. There won’t be just a few. There are many of them. Their goal is to mislead us. And they are. It is sad.
Again, Jesus warns us!
“Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This good news of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” ~Jesus | Source: Matthew 24:11-12
11 Wednesday Apr 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Am I thinking, if I can just touch Jesus, He will heal me?
It is a good question. Sometimes I believe yes, sometimes I don’t even think about it. I am forgetful of who Jesus is and the good news He has for me. I have faith but I need more faith.
Jesus was creating quite the stir. Multitudes were coming to him. They were hearing the message of good news. Jesus was healing them all. Every single one of them. They believed He could do it and he did. Continue reading
08 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
What am I to do? It all starts with listening. From there, as a follower of Jesus, I am to speak the Word of Jesus to unbelievers. Jesus promises that they are not just listening to me. They are hearing the words of Jesus. People are called upon to listen attentively to God’s word, to his Son and also to words of wisdom. Followers must not only listen to God’s word but also put it into practice. Those who refuse to listen to God’s word or to correction are condemned. They are rejecting Jesus.
Am I listening? Am I rejecting Jesus?
Later the Master [Jesus] selected seventy and sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he intended to go. He gave them this charge … “The one who listens to you, listens to me. The one who rejects you, rejects me. And rejecting me is the same as rejecting God, who sent me.” | Luke 10:16 (The Message)
Who hears Jesus? The sheep, hear Jesus. Those who are willing to follow the voice of the Shepherd hear Jesus. “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:27 (NASB) Continue reading
07 Saturday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Did you lock the doors? That was the compelling question the morning Jesus rose from the dead in an incorruptible body. I am thinking to myself, I think so but let me check again. Yup, it is locked. What about the windows? They’re locked too. Alarm on? Yes! OK. I know I am careful, too careful, as well. Jesus is talking with me, telling me what is about to happen and I don’t listen or understand.
Later on that day [of Jesus’ resurrection], the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side. | John 20:19-20 (The Message)
04 Wednesday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
1 Corinthians 15, Faithful, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 24, Servant, Slave
Can Jesus depend on me? There have been many times where He couldn’t. I didn’t step up to the plate, so to speak. Let’s hear what Jesus has to say on this.
“Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won’t be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.” ~Jesus | Matthew 24:45-47 (The Message)
What is God’s goal for me? Jesus wants me to do my job. That is to love God and love everyone else I come in contact with. Jesus wants me to sacrifice my desires for what Jesus wants to have happen. Jesus wants me to listen and act on what He says.
Will I be faithful (qualified)? The Apostle Paul challenges me “My beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” (1 Cor 15:58) Will I be found to be faithful? Will Jesus commend me? That is what I desperately want. It is my hearts desire.
Will Jesus say this to me? “Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” (Mat. 25:21) I want to hear Jesus say that! I want to enter the joy of Jesus. What could mean more than to hear that?
03 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Tags
We all want to hear it when we complete our journey. Hear Pastor Marvin Winans sing it at New St. Paul Tabernacle COGIC where Bishop P.A. Brooks presides.
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ | Matthew 25:21 New International Version (NIV)
03 Tuesday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God is Good, God Thoughts
Jesus is a kind, loving King. Jesus is not angry with me. Jesus wants me to be kind and gentle. His goal for me is for me to love.
“Happy (aka Blessed) are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.” ~Jesus | Source: Matthew 5:5
What sort of gentleness is it, on account of those who have it, are pronounced happy? It seems important to note that in the manifesto ‘the meek’ come between those who mourn over sin and those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The particular form of meekness which the Messiah requires in his disciples will surely have something to do with this sequence. This meekness denotes a humble and gentle attitude to others which is determined by a true estimate of ourselves. It is comparatively easy to be honest with ourselves before God and acknowledge ourselves to be sinners in his sight. Remember the “Jesus Prayer” — “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” Continue reading
02 Monday Apr 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Am I treating Jesus with contempt? Now that is a tough question. I don’t really want to think about it. Yet, if I am nullifying what Jesus wants to be happening, is that not contempt? If I don’t help the poor or those in prison, is that not contempt? Jesus is clear that if I don’t help them, I am evil and going to spend my eternal life in “fiery hell”.
And Jesus said to them, “Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? (Mar 9:12 NASB)
01 Sunday Apr 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Here we are. It is “Resurrection Sunday”. I’m celebrating the resurrection of Jesus not bunnies and chocolate candy. That’s just me though.
Jesus died for me and on the third day after He was buried Jesus was raised from the dead to an incorruptible body. Do I believe that? Is it the core of my faith?
Now there is some good news! It is really, really good news! It is stunning. It is amazing news!
What is it?
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” | John 20:19-23 Continue reading
31 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God is Good, God is Great, God Thoughts
Tags
Hell, Holy Saturday, Holy Week, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 23
There is a break from the horror of Good Friday! Jesus is carrying out the plan of His Father. His disciples are huddled up trying to figure it all out. No matter how many times Jesus had told them, they didn’t get it. I don’t either many days. Jesus is talking to me. Jesus has things He wants me to do. I am scared and I am hiding. Yikes!
Holy Saturday is the name given to the day between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday. Some theories exist about what is going on from the time of the death of Jesus to His resurrection on Sunday morning. Some have a good case for Jesus visiting Hell or Sheol (the place of the dead). Here is one.
From the scriptures, it is clear Jesus did visit Sheol. After His crucifixion, Jesus was laid in a nearby tomb, and His body remained there the entirety of Holy Saturday (Matthew 27:59-60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53-54; John 19:39-42). Saturday turned into Sunday!“‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46)
Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. (Mark 15:46)
Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. (Acts 2:29-31)
29 Thursday Mar 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Tags
Feet Washing, Holy Week, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Last Supper, Luke 22, Maundy Thursday, New Covenant
Maundy Thursday, also known as “Holy Thursday,” is the Thursday of Passion Week, one day before Good Friday (the Friday before Easter). Maundy Thursday is the name given to the day on which Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, known as the Last Supper. Two important events are the focus of Maundy Thursday. The overlying principle is that Jesus establishes a New Covenant with us.
Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and instituted the Lord’s Supper, also called Communion. Some Christian churches observe a special Communion service on Maundy Thursday in memory of Jesus’ Last Supper with His disciples.
When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” | Luke 22:19-20 New International Version (NIV) Continue reading
27 Tuesday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Holy Tuesday is is a busy day. Many chapters of the Gospels are devoted to it.(Matthew 21:23—23:39; Mark 11:27—12:44; Luke 20:1—21:4). Here is one of the core issues. By what authority does Jesus the Messiah do the things He does?
On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the good news, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” | Luke 20:1-8
26 Monday Mar 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
Cross, Crucifixion, Holy Monday, Holy Week, Jerusalem, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 12:20-26, Resurrection
In the timeline of Passion week, it is a little unclear where to place the story of the Greeks seeking Jesus. Some place it on Monday, so here it is. It is my desire to see Jesus. That is the huge point of this week. It seems to me, I have missed the importance of this story about the Greeks request.
Now there were some Greeks among those who were going up to worship at the feast; these then came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and began to ask him, saying, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip came and told Jesus. And Jesus answered them, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him. | John 12:20-26
25 Sunday Mar 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Tags
Glory, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Joy, Luke 19, Palm Sunday, Religious Leaders
Some of the religious leaders [Pharisees] in the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But Jesus answered, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” | Luke 19:39–40 (NASB)
Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, royally yet humbly, to the rejoicing of his followers, but provoking opposition from the Jewish religious leaders. This is the stunning entry of the King to the holy city Jerusalem. Jesus doesn’t ride in on a horse with an army. The entry of Jesus is in victory, yet humility. There was no stopping Jesus and His march to the cross. God is going to glorify Him in the beauty of his obedience. For the joy that is before Him, Jesus enters triumphantly. Continue reading
24 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
Jesus came to Bethany the day before Palm Sunday. This actually starts our most holy week! In the Orthodox church, this is known as “Lazarus Saturday”. As a church, we ought to recognize and celebrate this more! The week kicks off with the anointing of Jesus by Mary. What an honor.
Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus. | John 12:1-11 NASB Continue reading
21 Wednesday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Action, Doing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 23, Religious Leaders
“Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. “The religion scholars [Scribes and Pharisees] are competent teachers in God’s Law. You won’t go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer.” ~Jesus | Matthew 23:1-3 (The Message)
Jesus has a real thing about hypocrisy. His frequent target are the religious leaders. In Matthew 23 he goes on a real rant about the frauds. He introduces 8 “woes” on them. “Woe to you!” Jesus says over and over. Even more, “Your lives are roadblocks to God’s kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won’t let anyone else in either.” Continue reading
19 Monday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Kingdom of God, Light, Luke 8, Transparent
“No one lights a lamp and then covers it with a washtub or shoves it under the bed. No, you set it up on a lamp stand so those who enter the room can see their way. We’re not keeping secrets; we’re telling them. We’re not hiding things; we’re bringing everything out into the open. So be careful that you don’t become misers of what you hear. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.” | Luke 8:16-18 (The Message)
Jesus sets up a principle of the Kingdom of God. We live in a Kingdom (aka country) that has complete transparency. There is no hiding. There are no secrets. Everything is out in the open. Jesus is not on a mission to make you feel good about yourself. When I read what Jesus says I often say “Yikes”, “Uh Oh”, “Oh No”, “Really?” and a few things I can’t repeat in polite company. Jesus isn’t hiding anything. Jesus is telling the truth and He is saying it with the full authority of God. That is good news. We can count on Jesus. Continue reading
18 Sunday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?” “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” | Source: John 18:35-36 (The Message)
I’m looking out my window. I see lots of stuff. The yard, the house across the street, a tree in the front yard, our daughter’s car …. Lots of stuff for sure. If I turn around, more stuff. Computers, books, clocks, desk and much more. More stuff. Continue reading
17 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Then they all took Jesus to Pilate and began to bring up charges against him. They said, “We found this man undermining our law and order, forbidding taxes to be paid to Caesar, setting himself up as Messiah-King.” Pilate asked him, “Is this true that you’re ‘King of the Jews’?” “Those are your words, not mine,” Jesus replied. | Source: Luke 23:1-2 (The Message)
God’s plan was moving along on schedule. Jesus had been arrested and was now on trial. It was a little confusing. First to Pilate, then to Herod and then back to Pilate. Jesus was going to die and shed his blood for us. That was God’s plan and it was going to happen. Nothing could stop it. Continue reading
16 Friday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Hell, Jesus, Jesus Questions, Jesus Sayings, Kingdom of God, Mark 8, Soul
“Calling the crowd to join his disciples, Jesus said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?” ~Jesus | Mark 8:34-37 (The Message)
Jesus is building his Father’s Kingdom and lays out for us the core requirements. Jesus is the leader. I have to sacrifice what I want and let Him lead. That is it. The is the core.
What could you ever trade your soul for? The answer is I could trade it for a lot of different things. There are lots of “gods” to choose from. There is materialism, secularism, politics, myself, and on and on the goes the list. I have a choice. Continue reading
13 Tuesday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Questions, Jesus Sayings, Listen, Mark 4, Understand
“Are you listening to this? Really listening?”
When they were off by themselves, those who were close to him, along with the Twelve, asked about the stories. He told them, “You’ve been given insight into God’s kingdom—you know how it works. But to those who can’t see it yet, everything comes in stories, creating readiness, nudging them toward receptive insight.”
Source: Mark 4:9-12 (The Message)
Jesus asks really loaded questions. They get to the heart of the issue. Jesus isn’t going to ignore what I am up to. Jesus is going to confront me. Jesus is going to let me in on the Kingdom. Now that is a big deal. Continue reading
11 Sunday Mar 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” ~ Jesus | Source: Matthew 7:12-14 (ESV)
Jesus is beginning to wrap up his Manifesto (aka the Sermon on the Mount). Jesus now lays out for us the summary of all summaries. Jesus says “this is the Law and the Prophets”. Jesus gives it to us at the highest level. This is what is known as the “30,000 foot view”. It is also traditionally known as the “Golden Rule”. Continue reading
10 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
“When the Pharisees heard how he had bested the Sadducees, they gathered their forces for an assault. One of their religion scholars spoke for them, posing a question they hoped would show Jesus up: “Teacher, which command in God’s Law is the most important?”
“Jesus said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence.’ This is the most important, the first on any list. But there is a second to set alongside it: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ These two commands are pegs; everything in God’s Law and the Prophets hangs from them.” | Source: Matthew 22:34-40
The religious leaders, in their contempt, arrogance and hypocrisy, thought they could get the best of Jesus. Of course, they couldn’t. It hasn’t stopped though. Religious leaders, and their followers, still think they can. Of course, they can’t. Continue reading
09 Friday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” ~Jesus | Source: Matthew 6:5-6 (ESV)
Read more on Hypocrisy – What it is, why it is evil and hated by Jesus here.
Prayer essential in our relationship with God. One of the pillars in the Jesus Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7) is prayer. Prayer is not what we think. Jesus lays out what prayer is all about in the Kingdom of God where Jesus is in charge. Jesus draws a distinction between hypocrites who love to pray and those who pray because they love. Continue reading
08 Thursday Mar 2018
Posted in Teachings
Hypocrisy is an outward pretense masking an inner reality. Jesus condemns hypocrisy, especially in matters of faith. Followers of Jesus should express their commitment to God in their words and their deeds, as well as in their inner motivation. There should always be alignment of the heart, the mind and our actions.
Jesus is clear and hates hypocrites. Jesus calls it out all the time. Our contempt allows us to ignore its reality in our lives. I must change my mind (aka repent).
The Greek word is ὑποκριτής (hupŏkritēs, hoop-ok-ree-tace) meaning an actor under an assumed character (stage-player), i.e. a dissembler (“hypocrite”):— hypocrite.
The origin of hypocrisy – Our nature is one that is fallen and we constantly miss God’s goal (aka sin). We try to cover that up by appearing to be a good person. I am not. You are not. Continue reading
07 Wednesday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
God's Goal, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 17, Mission, Obsession, Plan, Prayer
“Then, raising his eyes in prayer, Jesus said: … I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do.” ~Jesus | Source: John 17:1-5 (The Message)
Jesus was on a mission. Jesus had as his focus only doing what God, His Father, wanted him to do. God is God and has a plan all laid out for me. My mission is to do what Jesus has in mind for me. That is how I glorify God. Continue reading
06 Tuesday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Evil, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 6, Temptation
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 6:13 (ESV)
Jesus taught us to pray. Jesus gave us the template. The prayer is a part of the Jesus Manifesto. This is the core of what I need to say to God. One of the pillars is to ask God to deliver us from evil (or as most translators agree) the evil one. Continue reading
05 Monday Mar 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you [or soul]? What could you ever trade your soul for?” Source: Mark 8:34-37 (The Message)
Jesus ties everything together for me. I’m not left guessing what is required of me in the Kingdom of God where Jesus is in charge. Continue reading
04 Sunday Mar 2018
Posted in Teachings
Tags
Giving, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Money, Needy, Poor, Poverty, Prosperity, Wealth
Jesus had a lot to say about the homeless, wealth, prosperity, poverty, riches, the poor, the needy and giving. Here is a compilation of everything I have found. It is worth reading this to get a sense of what Jesus thinks and what he requires of us.
There is a lot of confusion among the followers of Jesus about much of this. When you read it all, you will get a sense of the mind of Jesus. My suggestion is to read through this more than once. You may want to read it once a week for a while. What Jesus tells us needs to be thoroughly absorbed. This is foundational to the radical world Jesus wants us to be a part of.
One question to seriously ask is “Did Jesus really mean all of this?”
The second question that follows is “Knowing what I now know, what should I do?”
03 Saturday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Still later, as the Eleven were eating supper, he appeared and took them to task most severely for their stubborn unbelief, refusing to believe those who had seen him raised up. … “These are some of the signs that will accompany believers: They will throw out demons in my name, they will speak in new tongues, they will take snakes in their hands, they will drink poison and not be hurt, they will lay hands on the sick and make them well.”
Jesus has risen from the grave. Jesus is now letting his disciples know what they can expect moving forward. The gist of it is: “Fasten your seatbelts, it is going to be a bumpy night.” The Holy Spirit is coming. That, my friends, is a big deal. Continue reading
02 Friday Mar 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” ~Jesus Source: Matthew 6:2-4 (ESV)
There are a number of challenges here for me to pay attention to. Jesus changes how I think and act on giving when I listen to Him directly. This is a good thing since I have spent most of my career raising money for charitable causes. Yikes! Continue reading
01 Thursday Mar 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
When the religious leaders saw the outrageous things he was doing, and heard all the children running and shouting through the Temple, “Hosanna to David’s Son!” they were up in arms and took him to task. “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
Jesus said, “Yes, I hear them. And haven’t you read in God’s Word, ‘From the mouths of children and babies I’ll furnish a place of praise’?
Jesus, in the eyes of the religious leaders, was doing some outrageous things. If Jesus came into a church today, would he do something similar? Maybe. Probably.
In some churches, I find book stores, food courts, coffee bars and kiosks of every kind. After they have tried to extract every penny out my bank account, eventually a place to worship, if you can call it that. Continue reading
28 Wednesday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Adultery, Hell, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Lust, Matthew 5
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.
The Jesus Manifesto is radical. Jesus changes the way things work in the new covenant (aka contract, agreement or testament). There are 6 references to “You have heard it said” where Jesus takes things to a higher level. This one is about adultery. No longer can I feel righteous because I haven’t committed the physical act of adultery. I have been lustful which Jesus now says is the same as adultery. Yikes! Continue reading
27 Tuesday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Then Jesus looked up at his disciples and said: “Happy are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Happy are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Happy are you who weep now, for you will laugh.”
“But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep.”
Source: Luke 6:20-21, 24
Jesus lays out the principles of the Kingdom of God. This excerpt is from what is known as the Sermon on the Plain. It is similar but slightly different than the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon, he also has a series of “woe to you” statements. Continue reading
26 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
“This is what I want you to do: Ask the Father for whatever is in keeping with the things I’ve revealed to you. Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks”
Source: John 16:23-24 (The Message)
Jesus is wrapping things up. They’ve had the last supper and Jesus has laid out the new contract (aka covenant, testament or agreement). He is giving them a series of last insights before the crucifixion, burial, resurrection and ascension occur. Every thing is going to move very fast from here but this is very important. Continue reading
24 Saturday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom (aka country) of God. In the Kingdom, things are different. The Kingdom is all about the new contract Jesus has with us. One of the things that is different is the Jesus makes it clear that following him will be difficult. Don’t think so? Just ask the rich young ruler or the man who wanted a little time to go bury his father. Continue reading
23 Friday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Sayings, John 13, John 6, Mark 14, New Covenant
After sunset he came with the Twelve. As they were at the supper table eating, Jesus said, “I have something hard but important to say to you: One of you is going to hand me over to the conspirators, one who at this moment is eating with me.” Stunned, they started asking, one after another, “It isn’t me, is it?”
He said, “It’s one of the Twelve, one who eats with me out of the same bowl. In one sense, it turns out that the Son of Man is entering into a way of treachery well-marked by the Scriptures—no surprises here. In another sense, the man who turns him in, turns traitor to the Son of Man—better never to have been born than do this!”
When Jesus says he has something hard but important to say I am guessing it is time to pay attention. Something is going on here. I’m not sure I see it all but I can’t ignore this important message “from our sponsor”. Jesus doesn’t pull any punches. Breaking news! Continue reading
22 Thursday Feb 2018
Posted in Teachings
Tags
This is a series of quotes to emphasize the seriousness of deception and our responsibility to look out for it constantly. What are we to do? “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good…” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Matthew 7:15-23 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?‘ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Continue reading
21 Wednesday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
“When the ten others heard about this, they lost their tempers, thoroughly disgusted with the two brothers. So Jesus got them together to settle things down. He said, “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around, how quickly a little power goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for the many who are held hostage.”
Source: Matthew 20:24-28
I can see my mom doing this. The mother of James and John wanted Jesus to bestow on her two sons the honor of sitting next to him in the Kingdom. Why not, I’m sure she is thinking. Somebody is going to sit there. Why not my sons? And of course Jesus had said ask and you will receive. Jesus set her straight that she didn’t know what she was asking for. Continue reading
20 Tuesday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Evil, Greed, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 11, Religious Leaders
When he finished that talk, a Pharisee asked him to dinner. He entered his house and sat right down at the table. The Pharisee was shocked and somewhat offended when he saw that Jesus didn’t wash up before the meal. But the Master said to him, “I know you Pharisees burnish the surface of your cups and plates so they sparkle in the sun, but I also know your insides are maggoty with greed and secret evil. Stupid Pharisees! Didn’t the One who made the outside also make the inside? Turn both your pockets and your hearts inside out and give generously to the poor; then your lives will be clean, not just your dishes and your hands.
This all came about because Jesus didn’t wash his hands before he ate. Seriously. This was a huge Jewish ritual from the old covenant. Jesus was focused on the new covenant and the Kingdom of God that he was ushering in. Jesus was already moving on.
Jesus knows my heart. Jesus knows what motivates me. Jesus came to get me right with God, His Father. Jesus does this by speaking the truth to us. One day, Jesus called Peter Satan. When I follow Jesus, I don’t get a break. I get challenged. Continue reading
19 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
Ask, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Knock, Matthew 7, Seek
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Source: Matthew 7:7-11 (ESV)
God, my heavenly Father, is more than ready. God is not a grumpy old man who doesn’t care. God is our example of what love is all about. If it is in my best interests, God will do it.
God is in a good mood. God is like my parents. God wants the best for me. I’ve always given my kids what I could. You are the same way. This rings true and we know what it means. Continue reading
18 Sunday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Evil, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Jude 1, Matthew 13, Matthew 9, Murder
For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” ~Jesus
Evil is real. Evil leads to murder. Jesus is the only solution for evil. Jesus taught us to pray “deliver us from evil.” Jesus did not ask us to petition the government for better laws. Nothing wrong with that but I need to be on my knees praying for deliverance. Continue reading
17 Saturday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
I love to believe something that isn’t true in the world of following Jesus. Of course it is sad. Many times I don’t even realize what I am doing. Jesus confronts me to make it real. Jesus cuts through all the cultural lies I hear and read all the time. I can’t help myself. Continue reading
16 Friday Feb 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done—kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.
Source: John 15:9-10
Jesus, the Messiah, is all about love. We all want to be at home. It was in love that God, the Father, sent his Son to the world to save us from missing God’s goal for our life (aka sin). It all starts with the love the Father shown to Jesus. Jesus has taken that love and given it to me. I know how to love because of Jesus. Ah, it is great to be home! Continue reading
13 Tuesday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Jesus, Jesus Sayings, King Solomon, Money, Poor, Poverty, Proverbs 8, Rich, Wealth, Wise Sayings
Prefer my life-disciplines over chasing after money,
and God-knowledge over a lucrative career.
For Wisdom is better than all the trappings of wealth;
nothing you could wish for holds a candle to her.” ~King Solomon
There is a lot of confusion among followers of Jesus about money, wealth, poverty, riches and what God wants for us. This isn’t intended to be an indictment about prosperity ministries but it is intended to offer caution both from King Solomon and most importantly, Jesus.
What is most important? King Solomon makes it clear that wisdom is more important than money. This from a man who was one of the wealthiest of his time. King Solomon suggest spending our time focused on wisdom and not so much on money, careers and wealth. Continue reading
12 Monday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Good News, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Mark 13, Miracles, Poor, Religious Leaders
And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Messiah’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Messiahs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance. ~Jesus
Who should we worry about? We live in a time where there are many impressive religious leaders. The power of radio, TV and the internet bring them into our world any time we want. Miracles abound including prosperity around every corner. Apparently the poor will be no more in the Kingdom of Mammon (aka money) promoted by the modern church. Continue reading
10 Saturday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Jesus is put out with the Pharisees. Jesus points them and us to the Bible. I’m afraid our church leaders are not serving us well and are deceiving God’s people by pretending something that God did (make us male and female) isn’t true. There is a lot to unpack here considering what is going on in our society and culture.
I guess the same question could be asked today. The Bible is clear. Jesus is clear. We have all kind of religious leaders (and churches) today still with confusion about marriage and now transgender-ism.
That wasn’t the question but Jesus is adamant that marriage is between a man and a woman. There really is no other way to read this.
Jesus, here and in a few other places, states that divorce is only appropriate for adultery. The sexual union, created by God, can’t be undone. God’s goal for us is one of unity between a man and a woman.
God created us male and female. Jesus states there are only two sexes. That is it.
One day the Pharisees were badgering him: “Is it legal for a man to divorce his wife for any reason?” Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read in your Bible that the Creator originally made man and woman for each other, male and female? And because of this, a man leaves father and mother and is firmly bonded to his wife, becoming one flesh—no longer two bodies but one. Because God created this organic union of the two sexes, no one should desecrate his art by cutting them apart.”
09 Friday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God is Good, God Thoughts
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You’ll even be turned in by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends. Some of you will be killed. There’s no telling who will hate you because of me. Even so, every detail of your body and soul—even the hairs of your head!—is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. Staying with it—that’s what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry; you’ll be saved.” ~Jesus
Jesus tells us of a principle of how his Kingdom works. Persecution will be real because of our following Jesus. It might even be deadly. That is true even to today. Today someone died for Jesus and His mission.
Who will hate me? Jesus warns me that it could be anyone. It could be the closest member of my family. It could be everyone. If I don’t have any enemies, I am probably not living out the mission of Jesus. The clarity of the good news of Jesus brings out the anger in the Evil One.
Will I live to tell the story? In fact, I may be killed. It is happening today all over the world. Persecution of the followers of Jesus is very real. If I am living out the mission of Jesus, it could happen to me. I must be prepared for this.
Who will look out for me? Jesus will look out for me. Everything is in the care of Jesus. That, my friends, is good news.
What is required of me? I must persevere. I must stick with Jesus. Jesus will save me no matter what. That is the real deal. I can’t get discouraged. No matter what, I will get eternal live. Trillions and trillions of years is a might long time.
Consider this about what is happening today. “215 million Christians experience high levels of persecution” around the world, according to Open Doors, a human rights organization. On its recently released World Watch List 2018, which ranks the world’s 50 worst nations wherein to be Christian, 3,066 Christians were killed, 1,252 abducted, and 1,020 raped or sexually harassed on account of their faith; and 793 churches were attacked or destroyed.” Search the news here on any given day to see the latest.
08 Thursday Feb 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts, God's Goal
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Happy, Jesus, Jesus Manifesto, Jesus Sayings, Matthew 5, Mourn
Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. | Matthew 5:4 (ESV)
Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom of God. I like to think of Matthew 5 to 7 as his manifesto of what the Kingdom life is all about. This is the second of what is known as the Beatitudes. The Greek word for blessed is μακάριος (transliteration – makarios) It literally means happy or more than happy.
07 Wednesday Feb 2018
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Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Jesus ushers in the Kingdom of God, explaining to the crowds, not just the disciples, how it works. I don’t think there was an “alter call” afterward. Jesus delivered the message and moved on. Chapters, in the New Testament, can be tricky. I suggest always peaking to see if it is “over” or continues on. In this case, it wasn’t over. In Mark 9, Jesus continues. “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force. Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain.” So … think about it, the Kingdom of God has arrived and only 3 were there to see it.
Who can show me how? Jesus is the one. That is the clear message of the New Testament everywhere we read. Jesus is in charge. That must be dealt with in my life. Jesus is clear.
What is my goal? My goal is to follow Jesus. Every minute of every day. That is the job. It doesn’t change. The good news is that Jesus shows me how. I don’t have to figure it out on my own (like I really could).
The why and the how – Jesus tells me why and Jesus shows me how. I cry out, I don’t know how. Jesus says “I’ll show you.” And Jesus does.
06 Tuesday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
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If you love me, show it by doing what I’ve told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it doesn’t have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
Jesus was ushering in the new covenant (aka testament, agreement or contract). His death, resurrection and ascension was right around the corner. One final piece of the puzzle is also about to be revealed. After his ascension, Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to be with us in the place of the physical Jesus. Without the Spirit we can’t enter the Kingdom of God.
What is the main thing Jesus wants? Jesus wants me to love Him by being obedient to what he has said. That is the big deal. Love is not in isolation from obedience. Love is obedience. Jesus is God and Jesus is in control. God has given Jesus all authority, both in heaven and here on earth. Jesus makes it clear his goal for me is to love.
What is the promise of God? Jesus promised me the Spirit of God. The Spirit is a friend, helper, comforter, and advocate for me to God. Jesus also said (John 3:5) “I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” The Spirit is essential to living in God’s country. I can’t enter with out the Spirit.
How will I know the Spirit of God? The Spirit of God has been with me. The Spirit of God is not a stranger. The Spirit of God is my helper and that is how I will know him. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth. If what is sense is a lie and attempts to deceive me, it is not the Spirit of God.
04 Sunday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
This Jesus saying is a part of what I call the Jesus Manifesto (Matthew 5 – 7) aka the Sermon on the Mount. It eats at the religious life myth of leading a good life. Jesus warns us that it won’t be easy. Jesus is pulling no punches here. It will be hard. For example, it may be easy to not commit adultery. It will be hard not to lust. Few are actually going to find God. Most Christians won’t. I didn’t know how tough it would be. May I be one of the few. May you be one of the few.
Why wouldn’t I enter the “wide gate”? I have many choices. I can enter the wide gate. That would be the easiest. While it is crowded, many choose to go that way. It is the popular one. The opinion poles are very favorable. It is comforting to be with so many like minded travelers. WARNING: It leads to destruction.
So what about this “narrow gate” option? It is a hard life. It will always be a hard life. It isn’t easy to find as the “wide gate”. It is the only option that leads to life but it will be lonely, as very few find it. But ah, the benefit of life.
Is the “narrow gate” worth it? Yes, that is the only way to life! Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life”. May I choose Jesus and the narrow way today. This is God’s goal for me.
03 Saturday Feb 2018
Posted in God is God, God is Good, God is Great, God Thoughts, God's Goal
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Am I clever? I like to think I am some days. So did the Sadducess (Religious Leaders). They thought they had Jesus in a conundrum. Of course they didn’t. I don’t either although some days I try. I like to infer some great logic or theology from the Bible that just isn’t true. Jesus didn’t come to earth to establish a theology. Jesus came to usher in the new covenant and the Kingdom (aka country) of God. His death, resurrection and ascension accomplished what God’s goal was for Jesus.
Do I know the Bible (Scripture)? Not as well as I should or want to that is clear. Also, the more I immerse myself in what Jesus said, the more spiritual relativism I see. Is it okay to like what the Bible says until it says something I don’t like? Can I then manipulate what it says to my own satisfaction? Or worse, perhaps I should just disagree and move on with what I want it to do regardless. Yikes! This is dangerous.
What is more important, Theology or what Jesus says? In this case, the Sadducees were focused on the theology of the resurrection, which they didn’t believe in. Jesus knows the truth because he is the truth and he knows what it is like in heaven. Jesus also knew the Old Testament. So when you are the Son of God and you know the scripture, that is known as the trump card.
Do I know how God works? Not well enough. Several things have become clearer about how God works. I am focusing more and more on:
Some Sadducees, the party that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third. All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died. When they are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her husband.”
Jesus said, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know your Bibles; two, you don’t know how God works. After the dead are raised up, we’re past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don’t you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You’re way, way off base.”
Bible – The Holy Scripture
01 Thursday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
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Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and you have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!
I used to love to go to Woolworth’s in Atlanta. It was always a special treat. Growing up in the south in the 1960’s was a challenge as desegregation kicked in. Anyone remember Lester Maddox? A populist Democrat, Maddox came to prominence as a staunch segregationist when he refused to serve black customers in his Atlanta restaurant, in defiance of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. In shame, I remember his ax handle.
The segregated south was a classic example of straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel. In God’s Kingdom, justice will be done. Mercy is important. Faithfulness to human dignity may take time but it is God’s way. These cannot be neglected.
The History Channel: “On February 1, 1960, the four students sat down at the lunch counter at the Woolworth’s in downtown Greensboro, where the official policy was to refuse service to anyone but whites. Denied service, the four young men refused to give up their seats. Police arrived on the scene, but were unable to take action due to the lack of provocation.
“By that time, [Ralph Johns] had already alerted the local media, who had arrived in full force to cover the events on television. The Greensboro Four stayed put until the store closed, then returned the next day with more students from local colleges. By February 5, some 300 students had joined the protest at Woolworth’s, paralyzing the lunch counter and other local businesses. …
“By the end of March the movement had spread to 55 cities in 13 states. Though many were arrested for trespassing, disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace, national media coverage of the sit-ins brought increasing attention to the civil rights movement.
“In response to the success of the sit-in movement, dining facilities across the South were being integrated by the summer of 1960. At the end of July, when many local college students were on summer vacation, the Greensboro Woolworth’s quietly integrated its lunch counter. Four black Woolworth’s employees—Geneva Tisdale, Susie Morrison, Anetha Jones and Charles Best—were the first to be served.“
01 Thursday Feb 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
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Acts 13, Acts 15, Hebrews 8, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 22, New Covenant, Old Covenant
Jesus did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant written in my blood, blood poured out for you.
Source: Luke 22:20 (The Message)
Jesus ushered in a new covenant (aka testament, agreement or contract). Jesus did it through the blood he shed for us on the cross. It completely blew out of the water the old covenant (aka testament, agreement or contract). This is a big deal and 2,000 years later we probably miss what this meant. The Jewish people and the disciples of Jesus knew what it meant.
Hebrews 8 gives us more insight into the new covenant. It is important to recognize that there were problems with the first covenant. How could God do that I wonder. Remember when Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way.”
For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.
Here is more, indicating the transformation that was occurring at the time was making the old covenant obsolete.
When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.
Not too much later, at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), we learn that the new covenant opened up the way for non-Jews to participate as fully adopted children as followers of Jesus. It was agreed, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that nothing was required of the Gentile converts except faith in the Messiah; they were not bound by the Law of Moses. However, the council directed the Gentile Christians to abstain from certain things that were particularly offensive to their Jewish brethren – food sacrificed to idols, blood, meat of strangled animals and sexual immorality.
So Paul was confident to say to the non-Jews (Acts 13):
Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Jesus forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Jesus everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.
The good news of the new covenant is that it ties together most of what we read in the New Testament (aka covenant). It is up to us to understand as much about this as we can as a framework for how to follow Jesus.
31 Wednesday Jan 2018
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How far must I go in following Jesus? I need to do whatever it takes. Nothing is more important than the child-like faith in Jesus. Nothing. Not a thing.
Isn’t what Jesus is saying extreme? No, Jesus means it. Nothing can get in the way of honestly following Jesus. I may have to sacrifice a lot to be the servant of Jesus. Jesus challenges me to get rid of anything that gets in the way. This is one of the great themes of Jesus and his manifesto. God is God. Period.
What is the consequence of not taking Jesus seriously? This isn’t pleasant, but Jesus is clear. My lack of sacrifice will lead me to the fire of Hell. I don’t think Jesus is using a metaphor here. Jesus is clear and Jesus is serious. Am I?
At about the same time, the disciples came to Jesus asking, “Who gets the highest rank in God’s kingdom?”
For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.
“But if you give them a hard time, bullying or taking advantage of their simple trust, you’ll soon wish you hadn’t. You’d be better off dropped in the middle of the lake with a millstone around your neck. Doom to the world for giving these God-believing children a hard time! Hard times are inevitable, but you don’t have to make it worse—and it’s doomsday to you if you do.
“If your hand or your foot gets in the way of God, chop it off and throw it away. You’re better off maimed or lame and alive than the proud owners of two hands and two feet, godless in a furnace of eternal fire. And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You’re better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your twenty-twenty vision from inside the fire of hell.
“Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
Source: Matthew 18:1-4 (The Message)
29 Monday Jan 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Jesus was constantly getting under the skin of the religious leaders and scholars. At the conclusion of the story Jesus tells, they wanted to stone him.
Why this level of hate of Jesus by the religious leaders? Jesus saw what was in their heart, pointed it out clearly, and wouldn’t back down. They were constantly being embarrassed and the people loved Jesus.
What does this mean for me? I must be careful not to have the heart of the religious leaders. God is God. He will give his kingdom (country) to whomever he wants to. My commitment to Jesus, regardless of the consequences to me, must be unwavering. I can’t be saying, Jesus would never do that. Jesus is in complete control and will do what he sees is necessary for justice.
“What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Jesus is clear he is going to take the vineyard away (from the religious leaders) and give it to someone else. This is serious stuff. Have our churches today become complacent? Will Jesus give his vineyard to someone else? It can happen.
Jesus asks “Why, then, do you think this was written?” I must be prepared to answer. Jesus wants an answer. It isn’t sufficient to say Jesus isn’t serious. Jesus is dead serious. I must be careful in what I listen to from the religious leaders. Jesus is the source of all truth. Jesus is the way to God, not the church.
Jesus told another story to the people: “A man planted a vineyard. He handed it over to farmhands and went off on a trip. He was gone a long time. In time he sent a servant back to the farmhands to collect the profits, but they beat him up and sent him off empty-handed. He decided to try again and sent another servant. That one they beat black-and-blue, and sent him off empty-handed. He tried a third time. They worked that servant over from head to foot and dumped him in the street.
“Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘I know what I’ll do: I’ll send my beloved son. They’re bound to respect my son.’
“But when the farmhands saw him coming, they quickly put their heads together. ‘This is our chance—this is the heir! Let’s kill him and have it all to ourselves.’ They killed him and threw him over the fence.
“What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do? Right. He’ll come and clean house. Then he’ll assign the care of the vineyard to others.”
Those who were listening said, “Oh, no! He’d never do that!”
But Jesus didn’t back down. “Why, then, do you think this was written:
That stone the masons threw out—
It’s now the cornerstone!?
“Anyone falling over that stone will break every bone in his body; if the stone falls on anyone, it will be a total smashup.”
The religion scholars and high priests wanted to lynch him on the spot, but they were intimidated by public opinion. They knew the story was about them.
Source: Luke 20:9-19 (The Message)
28 Sunday Jan 2018
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Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am. Don’t run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I’ll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?
Source: Mark 8:34-37 (The Message)
God has a goal in mind for me. God’s goal includes suffering. God’s goal includes victory. It isn’t either/or. It is yes/and.
How should I approach suffering? Jesus challenges me to embrace it and make it my own. There is a learning lesson in suffering. I see, in a mirror, my character. How do I react? Is it spiritually mature? What can I do to love more?
Jesus is my model. Jesus is in the lead. Jesus embraced his suffering to fulfill God’s goal. Why should I think I am immune?
27 Saturday Jan 2018
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What is God’s goal for me? My job is to be a servant of God. That is it. There is nothing else to it. Jesus made that clear in his example of how he lived his life. Jesus was only here to do what God had in mind. Here is the problem. I like to be served and not be a servant. I love a great meal and the wonderful service of an amazing restaurant. So … I’ve got a problem, don’t I.
What is the outcome if I act on what Jesus commanded? I will live a blessed, more than happy, life. [Note: the Greek word translates better as happy rather than blessed] I will have that life in the here and now. God-Service leads to happiness. I haven’t always understood this. As I gain more experience, it is becoming a reality.
What is the challenge? I need to understand why to serve. I need to get it. I need to change my mind (aka repent). Do I? I must admit that some days I don’t. I go right along with my life, not caring what it is that God has in mind for me right now. Today is the day I can focus on the God-servant way of life. Jesus challenges me to.
After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table.
Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a happy (blessed) life.
Source: John 13:11-17 (The Message)
26 Friday Jan 2018
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So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
Source: John 8:31-33 NASB – The Truth Will Make You Free – So Jesus – Bible Gateway
There is a special arrogance that believes I am not enslaved … to anyone. It is special because it is flat out wrong. It is a lie and it comes from the evil one.
I need to stand up straight and take the truth. Jesus is the truth and the truth of Jesus is absolute. Truth has a spine. Truth gets me in trouble. Truth may get me killed. Jesus stared in the face of evil and defeated it. Jesus defeated it for me. That is the truth.
I need to stand up, wash my face and greet the day with Jesus. I must continue in the word of Jesus. I must be disciplined and be a disciple. I must not wimp out. I must abandon my snowflake ways.
Jesus is the truth. I must know Jesus. Jesus will give me a spine and set me free. I will be free from a relative life to an absolute life of love and kindness.
In truth, Jesus warns me that I am going to suffer. In spite of my suffering, the truth is that I should be grateful. God is good and in a good mood. The truth is that the suffering is for my own good. I am challenged by Jesus to drink it in. I am challenged by Jesus to love the suffering. Seriously? Yes, seriously.
The evil one has come to harass and bully me. Jesus whispers in my ear that I don’t have to take, not at all. That is the absolute truth. If I wimp out, I will not be happy.
Responsibility has been abdicated by way too many followers of Jesus. That is where Jesus lets me know that there is an opportunity lurking. The opportunity is the absolute truth. The opportunity is persistence. The opportunity is to get up again tomorrow and fight the good fight for absolute truth.
Some days I wake up in a sweat. I am afraid the fear won’t go away. I am reminded, by the Apostle John, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
John 3:21 “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”
John 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
John 18:37 Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
25 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
It is only one slight difference in an ingredient in breads. A tortilla or cracker is remarkable different from San Francisco sour dough bread. The difference is yeast.
Jesus is challenging me to understand that this is a spiritual issue, not a physical issue. I am to keep a sharp eye for the yeast of Religious Leaders. It doesn’t take much yeast for it to cause bread to rise. The result is remarkably different. So it was with the doctrines of the Religious Leaders. They are insinuating, artful, plausible. They conceal the real tendency of their doctrines; they instill them secretly into the mind, until they pervaded all my faculties like leaven.
I am responsible for knowing and evaluating whether the teaching of Religious Leaders has yeast in it or not. No one else can do it for me. I can see the difference. Is it a tortilla or sour dough bread? Jesus said “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”
On their way to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring along bread. In the meantime, Jesus said to them, “Keep a sharp eye out for the yeast of Religious Leaders (aka Pharisee-Sadducee).”
Thinking he was scolding them for forgetting bread, they discussed in whispers what to do. Jesus knew what they were doing and said, “Why all these worried whispers about forgetting the bread? Runt believers! Haven’t you caught on yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves of bread and the five thousand people, and how many baskets of fragments you picked up? Or the seven loaves that fed four thousand, and how many baskets of leftovers you collected? Haven’t you realized yet that bread isn’t the problem? The problem is yeast, the Religious Leader’s (aka Pharisee-Sadducee) yeast.” Then they got it: that he wasn’t concerned about eating, but teaching—the Religious Leaders (aka Pharisee-Sadducee) kind of teaching.
Source: Matthew 16:5-12
24 Wednesday Jan 2018
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Who missed God’s goal? Somebody did something to cause this and it will help me if i can blame them. That can be the assumption. I am wounded. I am hurt. I suffer. I want to blame someone. Surely someone messed up. Who, we ask?
God has something He wants to do. But Jesus doesn’t allow this kind of thinking about who caused something or who’s fault it is. He brought healing and salvation into our fallen world. He loves us. He is good. He doesn’t do evil.
God clearly wants to demonstrate His power. Jesus made it clear that God wants to do that through us. Will we accept the challenge?
When Jesus and the disciples were on the road one day, they came upon a man who had been blind since birth. “Rabbi, who missed God’s goal [sinned], this man or his parents?” they asked him. “Neither this man nor his parents messed up,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” And with that, Jesus spat on the ground, made some mud to place on the man’s eyes, and healed him. (John 9:1-7)
Here are the key ideas:
21 Sunday Jan 2018
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How many times have I thought, this is all about heaven? A lot I am thinking. I am reminded of how my dad would point out about someone that “they were so heavenly minded they were no earthly good”. The only day I have is today. I may not see tomorrow.
God is God. Today is the day I have a chance to demonstrate Jesus is in control. As Jesus said “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Jesus challenges me think about the here and now. This is not pie in the sky by and by. Jesus is in control now. His death, resurrection, ascension and deliver of the Holy Spirit in power has established the Kingdom. His teaching us how to pray confirmed that “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” It is all about what God wants right now.
The Country of God (aka the Kingdom) is a reality now. Jesus said ““The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” (Luke 17)
Then he drove it home by saying, “This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.”
Source: Mark 9:1
20 Saturday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
When will God’s country (aka the kingdom) come? That was and is the big question. The Messiah (the Anointed One) would usher it in.
It has already happened, Jesus declared. Jesus is the Son of God and the Messiah. Jesus came to us over 2,000 years ago. He established God’s country. I am a citizen of God’s country right now. Nothing to look forward to from that point of view.
Of course, many have not applied for citizenship yet. God’s goal for me is to spread the good news (aka Gospel) to every one I can. There is much work to be done.
Jesus, grilled by the Pharisees on when the kingdom of God would come, answered, “The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here!’ or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.”
Source: Luke 17:20-21
Jesus is King
19 Friday Jan 2018
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Jesus is clear. Jesus doesn’t have to answer my questions. That is shocking to me. I deserve to have my questions answered. How dare Jesus not answer them. Even more clear is that Jesus knows who is in charge and is confident that He is about doing the work of God. That rattles us all, I think.
Jesus gets to ask the questions of me. I must answer them. I don’t get to be the know it all lecturing Jesus. If I think I am a “religious leader” I am off to a bad start. I am not in control. Jesus has been given all authority by His heavenly Father. Jesus is in control. That is the starting point for everything.
Is “I don’t know” a good answer? Not in the world of Jesus it isn’t. Jesus knows I know the answer. My job is to be honest and “fess up”. Jesus is waiting for an answer.
Then when they were back in Jerusalem once again, as they were walking through the Temple, the high priests, religion scholars, and leaders came up and demanded, “Show us your credentials. Who authorized you to speak and act like this?”
Jesus responded, “First let me ask you a question. Answer my question and then I’ll present my credentials. About the baptism of John—who authorized it: heaven or humans? Tell me.”
They were on the spot, and knew it. They pulled back into a huddle and whispered, “If we say ‘heaven,’ he’ll ask us why we didn’t believe John; if we say ‘humans,’ we’ll be up against it with the people because they all hold John up as a prophet.” They decided to concede that round to Jesus. “We don’t know,” they said.
Jesus replied, “Then I won’t answer your question either.”
Source: Mark 11:27-33 (The Message)
Jesus asks a question
17 Wednesday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Demons, Evil, Healing, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Learn, Matthew 17, Miracle, Obedience
Jesus is teaching us. He has given us the power of his Holy Spirit. What a gift. What a God we serve.
I don’t always succeed as a I learn how Jesus works. I forget to focus on what God wants me to do at that moment. I proceed thinking that what worked in the past is what will work now. That isn’t the way of Jesus.
Yelling at demons doesn’t always get their attention. Just because that is how I did it last time doesn’t mean anything. Jesus always checks with God first. Jesus healed lots of blind people. Never once did Jesus heal the “same way”. There is no formula. It is only about what God wants in that moment.
There is much to focus on and to learn. God’s goal for me is to be open today to what Jesus is challenging me to do. Jesus gets angry when I don’t pay attention. Jesus expects that I will focus and have a true sense of God.
So what makes a difference? That is what the disciples wanted to know when they could get Jesus alone. Jesus said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for in simple truth I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.” Answer: It is all about faith!
At the bottom of the mountain, they were met by a crowd of waiting people. As they approached, a man came out of the crowd and fell to his knees begging, “Master, have mercy on my son. He goes out of his mind and suffers terribly, falling into seizures. Frequently he is pitched into the fire, other times into the river. I brought him to your disciples, but they could do nothing for him.”
Jesus said, “What a generation! No sense of God! No focus to your lives! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here.” He ordered the afflicting demon out—and it was out, gone. From that moment on the boy was well.
Source: Matthew 17:14-18
Jesus heals demon possessed boy
16 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts
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Here is a great list from Gospelutionary. Be blessed.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus actually taught his disciples (aka REAL Christians) about how to live our lives? Well, here’s a list of 120 teachings! Comment if you can think of any more!
1. Love God above all. (Matthew 22:37-39)
2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-39)
3. Treat others as you wish to be treated. (Luke 6:31)
4. Imitate the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:37)
5. Repent. (Matthew 4:17)
6. Believe the Gospel. (Mark 1:15)
7. Have faith in God. (Mark 11:22)
8. Fear God. (Luke 12:5)
9. Worship and serve God only. (Matthew 4:10)
10. Don’t put God to the test. (Matthew 4:7)
11. Trust in Jesus as we trust in God. (John 14:1)
12. Come to me and drink. (John 7:37)
13. Come to me those who are overworked and tired. (Matthew 11:28)
14. Take up my yoke and work for…
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16 Tuesday Jan 2018
Posted in God is Good, God is Great, God Thoughts
Jesus knows that nothing is impossible with God. It is in his heart, he believes it, he thinks about it all the time and he acts on it. God is great.
Jesus challenges me to know God’s greatness. I need to get it in my core. I don’t get to take a pass on this part of God’s country (aka Kingdom). God is great. When Jesus challenges me to produce a miracle, how do I react? Am I up to the challenges of Jesus?
In God’s country, there is always more than enough and food is left over. God is in a good mood and provides more than I need. I can count on Jesus.
When Jesus got the news, he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by himself. But unsuccessfully—someone saw him and the word got around. Soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick.
Toward evening the disciples approached him. “We’re out in the country and it’s getting late. Dismiss the people so they can go to the villages and get some supper.”
But Jesus said, “There is no need to dismiss them. You give them supper.”
“All we have are five loaves of bread and two fish,” they said.
Jesus said, “Bring them here.” Then he had the people sit on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted his face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke, and gave the bread to the disciples. The disciples then gave the food to the congregation. They all ate their fill. They gathered twelve baskets of leftovers. About five thousand were fed.
Source: Matthew 14:13-21
14 Sunday Jan 2018
Posted in God is Good, God Thoughts
Tags
Crook, Freedom, Jesus, Jesus Sayings, Luke 19, Tax Collector, Zacchaeus
Jesus and God the Father are in a good mood. They want to be a guest in my house. They want to be with me. They want to show me the way to love. They have given me power, by the Holy Spirit, to be delivered from my prison.
Zacchaeus became free that day. Jesus freed him. Zacchaeus became free from the opinion of others who are indignant and grumpy about what Jesus chooses to do. Zacchaeus became free from the shame of his past. Zacchaeus became free to tell the story of what Jesus had done in his life.
Zacchaeus was a well known crook. On the scale of things in Israel, he was the lowest. Zacchaeus was a tax collector. But … he desperately wanted to see Jesus. Jesus could see in his heart and knew of his desperation.
Jesus sees my heart. That is some good news. I am the lowest of the low but I desperately want to see and know Jesus. I am stunned at what Jesus does for me. I stumble but Jesus picks me up. Jesus does not care about any of that. Jesus came to restore me and he has done that.
Stunningly good news. Jesus is happy to be a guest in my house. Jesus really wants to be here. My job is to let Jesus in.
Then Jesus entered and walked through Jericho. There was a man there, his name Zacchaeus, the head tax man and quite rich. He wanted desperately to see Jesus, but the crowd was in his way—he was a short man and couldn’t see over the crowd. So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus when he came by.
When Jesus got to the tree, he looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down. Today is my day to be a guest in your home.” Zacchaeus scrambled out of the tree, hardly believing his good luck, delighted to take Jesus home with him. Everyone who saw the incident was indignant and grumped, “What business does he have getting cozy with this crook?”
Zacchaeus just stood there, a little stunned. He stammered apologetically, “Master, I give away half my income to the poor—and if I’m caught cheating, I pay four times the damages.”
Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.”
Source: Luke 19:1-10 (The Message)
13 Saturday Jan 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
There is a realization I need to come to daily and it is a tough one.
I am not in control. I am not in the drivers seat and I really like the control that comes by driving. Having acted on letting Jesus be in control yesterday and not today isn’t very helpful. Every day I have to know it and live it.
God is God. God has given over control of everything to Jesus. I am to be a faithful servant, finding out what Jesus wants me to do and then doing it.
God has a goal for me. I may not know what God’s goal for me is for a year from now. That is a problem because I love to plan. I can know for today, for right now. If nothing else, I can talk with God (aka pray) and thank him for the long list of things he is doing for me, my family and my country.
I can find out how Jesus wants me to love my boss. We are in a meeting and he is droning on about the same old same old. What does love look like in that meeting?
There is a long list of people I will interact with today. Jesus is in the drivers seat. What should I do to support his message of love? While it became a little overused in some circles, it still is all about “What would Jesus do?”
“You’re not in the driver’s seat; I am.” ~Jesus
Source: Mark 8:34-37 (The Message)
12 Friday Jan 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Tags
Jesus was on a mission. It would be a painful and horrible death. Jesus knew what would happen. Jesus was going to see it through all the way to the end. God had given Jesus a goal.
Jesus was joyful for what God was going to do through him. Jesus asked to go through the pain and suffering for our salvation. Jesus was intent.
Did God stay silent? Not at all. God spoke. God is God and God has the final word. God has glorified Jesus through his obedient act of sacrifice. God raised him from the dead and Jesus, living eternally, now sits at God’s right hand.
“Right now I am storm-tossed. What am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this’? No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.’”
A voice came out of the sky: “I have glorified it, and I’ll glorify it again.”
Source: John 12:27-28
Glorify Jesus
11 Thursday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Jesus is clear about what is important. It is not about being a leader. It is not about who sits in authority at the right hand of Jesus. It is not even about being a servant leader. Jesus never talks about that.
Jesus only came to serve us and sacrifice for us. It is God that put Jesus in charge of God’s country (aka Kingdom). Jesus simply did what his Father wanted him to do.
Jesus is unequivocal. It is only about being a servant or slave. That is my only role. That is God’s goal for me. There is nothing else.
When the other ten heard of this conversation, they lost their tempers with James and John. Jesus got them together to settle things down. “You’ve observed how godless rulers throw their weight around,” he said, “and when people get a little power how quickly it goes to their heads. It’s not going to be that way with you. Whoever wants to be great must become a servant. Whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That is what the Son of Man has done: He came to serve, not to be served—and then to give away his life in exchange for many who are held hostage.”
Source: Mark 10:41-45
Jesus, the perfect servant
10 Wednesday Jan 2018
Posted in God is God, God Thoughts
Should I judge others? Jesus is clear. I have plenty of my own issues. I should look in the mirror and focus on how I miss God’s goal (aka sin). And, there is plenty to focus on there. The list is quite long.
How about if I just judge less? The issue isn’t about judging less. The issue is not assuming a role that isn’t mine. Jesus challenges me to not judge at all. I clearly have a problem with this. I think I know a lot. I see “right and wrong”. Why not judge? I have been given some level of authority in life.
Who is the Judge? Jesus has been given the role of Judge by his Heavenly Father. I can serve other roles but Judge is not one of them. Jesus said “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” God is God. God is in charge. Jesus has given me the standards of how I should live. There is plenty there to focus on starting with Judge not.
7 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Source: Matthew 7:1-5 (ESV)
08 Monday Jan 2018
Posted in God Thoughts, God's Goal
Tags
Jesus challenges me to listen. Frequently he commands that if I have ears then I should be able to hear. Not only should I listen but I should listen carefully.
Jesus knew what would happen. Jesus would suffer. Jesus would die. Jesus would rise again.
Am I listening? His disciples couldn’t make any sense out of what Jesus was saying. It was not the first time. Jesus talks with me. Many days, I must admit, I can’t figure it out. Jesus is clear. Jesus doesn’t mince his words. I think I just need to take him at his word and stop the non believing.
For example, Jesus is clear that I will suffer. I get upset that I am and question God. I can choose to see what God isn’t doing or what God is doing. God is in a good mood. All that I am going through is for my benefit. I need to get with God’s goal for me.
Then Jesus took the Twelve off to the side and said, “Listen carefully. We’re on our way up to Jerusalem. Everything written in the Prophets about the Son of Man will take place. He will be handed over to the Romans, jeered at, made sport of, and spit on. Then, after giving him the third degree, they will kill him. In three days he will rise, alive.” But they didn’t get it, could make neither heads nor tails of what he was talking about.
Source: Luke 18:31-34
Listen to God
