relationships (Matthew 17:14-22) Thinking Beyond Human Terms

(Matthew 17:14-22)

14 When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures and suffers terribly; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” 17 And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was healed at once.

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 And He said to them, “Because of your meager faith; for truly 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 for you.”

22 And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men; 23 and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.” And they were deeply grieved.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

There are "Christians" and "churches" who will ignore certain verses, like verse 17, that portray God (the heavenly Father and Jesus) in a way that they don't like, because they don't really know or understand the Lord and His word.  And then, to carry on pretending to be Christian, they create Jesus and God in their own image, while simply ignoring the Holy Spirit's presence and His role within the Trinity.  In this way, they are left trying to be "good" people, all in their own efforts and thinking, while trying to justify their sinful behavior/s.  But if they'd really access their idol/s, they would see how shallow, ineffective, contradictive and evil their god really is.  

God is love!  But that doesn't mean that He approves of everything we do, or think we are.  In verse 17, Jesus calls the people (including His disciples) "unbelieving and perverse"!  These are very strong words, as well as very true!  The word "perverse" means to turn away from... to misinterpret, distort and corrupt.  

Every word in the Bible is true and important, and they should never be ignored or distorted!  But that is what people tend to do, and that is what the Jews also tended to do.  Because mountains were thought to be the most stable of all things, their colloquial saying of "removing mountains" became a figure of speech used to describe what one would be able to do if one mastered the Torah.  In other words, if one were able to perfectly carry out all the do's and don'ts, THEN they could do amazing things!  But God's words are very clear, we all have sinned!  None of us are perfect!  On our own, we are hopeless.  No one can get into heaven or have a relationship with the Lord based on our own merits.

Jesus then used another colloquialism:  the mustard seed, which was used to describe a very small quantity, since the seed is extremely tiny.  When we put our faith and trust in the Lord, even our tiny bit of faith will accomplish much!  In other words, nothing God asks us to do will be impossible when we stop relying on our feeble strength and abilities and look to and rely on God, who is all-powerful! Whatever God plans, it will happen.  Whatever God asks of us, He will make sure we can do it, if and when we have put our faith and belief in the Lord Jesus, and then trust in Him through our obedience, relying on His strength and guidance!

This brings us to the next seemingly "disturbing" thing, which was Jesus' comment regarding how long He had to be with them and put up with them.  But here again, let's interpret His words correctly and clearly by keeping it all in context!  In verses 22-23, Jesus reminds the disciples once again that He was going to die, but then rise again on the third day!  This was to pay the price for all sins, of all times!  

Jesus knew He had to do this!  Because He is holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin.  Therefore, because of our great sin, He cannot have a relationship with us in that condition.  And because of His great love for us and His great desire to have a relationship with us, He had to "leave"!  Accomplishing His work through His death and resurrection was the only way to provide a way for us to be reconciled to Him, to receive His salvation and eternal life, to all those who believe!

From the disciples' reaction to grieve, we can see that they didn't understand, and were still only thinking in human terms.  They do this again when Jesus tells them that He has return to heaven, not understanding that even though Jesus in flesh would not be there with them, the Lord's Holy Spirit would come upon all those who put their faith and trust in the Lord.  In this way, all true Christians have the Lord's indwelling Holy Spirit of promise, who seals us for all eternity.  We can grieve and quench the Holy Spirit, but we can never get rid of Him, or lose our salvation.  

Once we are a child of God, we are forever a child of God!  But this is our decision!  Because of God's love, He will never force anyone to love Him back.  And this is a love that the world really does not understand, because they only see and think in human terms.

relationships (Matthew 17:1-13) The One and Only

(Matthew 17:1-13)

1 Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2 And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. 7 And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” 8 And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

9 When they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.” 10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 11 And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; 12 but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Here's a little glimpse of the kingdom of heaven and/or heaven itself, where we will be with Jesus, just, able to hold conversations with God, alongside prophets of old.  So curious what Jesus, Moses and Elijah were talking about!  Meanwhile, Jesus had invited and included three fishermen to be part of this.  It should be obvious that since our faith is all about having a relationship with the Lord, and all believers have humble hearts, all being equal and in unity with God's Spirit, that it doesn't matter who we are, or who we once were, our focus and adoration is all on the Lord!  But...

Once again, Peter gets ahead of himself, thinking that he has a brilliant idea which will help or impress God in some way.  Sincere, but still sincerely incorrect.  Moses and Elijah were valuable, godly servants, but they are not equal to God.  And, we are not to be talking or praying to the dead, whether they were godly people or family members... we are only to be talking to and praying to the Lord.

(Deuteronomy 18:10-11)  There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, a soothsayer, one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who consults the dead.

(Hebrews 4:14-16)  ...since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.  Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

(Philippians 4:6)  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and pleading with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

I recently did a Bible study and learned something very helpful!  Although sincere and loving, we should not be thinking about all the things we can do for God, and then ask Him to bless our efforts.  Instead, we should be asking Him what He wants us to do for Him!  You know, since the Lord is sovereign and everything!  He knows what we should do, and He will equip us and help us to carry that out.

Same goes for whenever we have fears, worries or issues.  We often tell God how we want Him to solve things, but we don't know what we really need!  God knows!  He is everywhere-present, all-powerful, and He knows everything, including all the solutions to every possible situation we could ever find ourselves in!  

And because the Lord is all about relationships, He completely understands every possible dynamic, including our personal hopes, dreams and desires.  Because He created us, and is sovereign, He knows us better than we know ourselves.  Therefore, the question always is, how much do we know the Lord?  And how much do we trust in Him, and trust that He really knows what is best for us?!  Having been a Christian now for over 60 years, I can say definitively that it is so very possible and so well-worth it, to know and experience the Lord in a personal way, and to rely on Him and include Him in every step that we take!

relationships (Matthew 16:13-28) Knowing the Key

(Matthew 16:13-28)

13 Now when Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He gave the disciples strict orders that they were to tell no one that He was the Christ.

21 From that time Jesus began to point out to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day. 22 And yet Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but men’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds.

28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Our relationship with God begins with us realizing that Jesus wasn't and isn't just a man who had been sent as a prophet, or a teacher, or just some really good guy.  Jesus is the Lord.  Jesus is God!  As part of the three in one (Trinity), Jesus is the Son of God.  He is also called the Christ (Messiah).

Israel had received prophecies about how their Messiah would one day come to fulfill all of their covenants (where they would receive all of their promised land, seed and blessings).  Had they as a nation personally received Jesus as their Lord and Savior, as well as their rightful King, they would have gone straight into the Millennial kingdom.  But of course they rejected Jesus and sent Him to the cross to suffer and die.

Jesus' work on the cross was also prophesied, because He knew this would happen and knew that this HAD to happen, in order to fulfill the first part of their covenants.  Within the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3), God promises that through Abraham's seed (descendants - JESUS) all nations will be blessed!  This is why all the recorded genealogizes and the virgin birth are good to know and understand.  

In order for Israel to have their promised land and physical covenants in full, they have to have a righteous King who will lead them in perfect obedience!  This will happen at the end of the Tribulation, which is the last set of seven years remaining in their prophesied Jewish years (Daniel 9:24-27).  

Just so, for anyone to to get into heaven and have eternal life, we must receive Jesus as our Lord, Savior and make Him King of our lives.  In His salvation, all our sins are forgiven, and we are covered by the righteousness of Jesus, and we receive His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise, who is then forever with us, to guide, help, and change us from the inside out.

THIS is the "key"!  Peter was the first disciple to confess this.  Although, Peter got way ahead of himself and allowed pride back into the picture, thinking that he could tell Jesus what should or shouldn't be done!  Peter had just confessed that Jesus is God, and then he heard Jesus explain what He had to do... and... so.... now Peter thought he would stop God from doing what He just said He was going to do!!!???

Yes-yes, we can try to justify these things and say that Peter meant well.  I love what one of my professors once said, "People can be very sincere, but they can be very sincerely wrong!"  BUT...

GOD is so awesome!  He died for our sins, because we ourselves have nothing of value to save our souls.  He paid the price!  And while we will still struggle, He still calls us and uses us, even though we ourselves have nothing of value to offer!  We are to live and share His gospel message, all in His love, righteousness, riches, guidance and strength, all to His glory.  In being obedient in this way - in God, through God, and with God - these will be our good deeds done with right motives, and God will reward us for these.  He will not judge our sins, because we have already humbly repented and received His forgiveness - which is to die to self.

As the Church shares the gospel message - the key - people will be saved, and will enter in and be part of the Church at large - God's family.  Those who reject Jesus and His forgiveness, will not be part of the Church at large (and all unbelievers will be judged according to their sins).  

While believers share this wonderful message of love, hope, peace and salvation, there will be many who persecute us in order to silence the Church, but they will be unable to do so.  We should not be shocked that there will be persecution.  And we should not be fearful of this, as God is sovereign, and knows what has to be allowed and not allowed!  Even just consider what happened after Charlie Kirk was assassinated... MORE people began to seek God for His salvation, for fulfillment, satisfaction, answers, and purpose in life which can only be found in the Lord!

This life on earth is only temporary, while all eternity lies ahead!  With a perfectly functional and loving family and, most importantly, our heavenly Father, our most certain hope and everlasting peace and joy is imminent!  

relationships (Matthew 16:6-12) So Much More Than a Habit

(Matthew 16:6-12)

6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves the fact that you have no bread? 9 Do you not yet understand nor remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets you picked up? 10 Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets you picked up? 11 How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you about bread? But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 12 Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Muscle-memory is a very interesting thing, and can be good and quite helpful in so many areas, like carrying out tasks, doing various jobs, or playing sports, or music.  It's in the repetition of daily training, exercises, drills, practices, scales...  So we don't even have to think about it, we will develop "habits" that become instinctual.  In the same way though, we will develop bad habits.  For those, in human efforts, the only way to try to stop bad habits, is to replace them with good habits.  

Even in relationships, with others and with the Lord, we can develop schedules and well-choreographed patterns.  Good habits, like daily devotions and praying, are good, until we find ourselves just "going through the motions" - just "doing a task", instead of truly connecting.  Then, when we are faced with an issue or an enigma for which we haven't prepared ourselves, we have to stop and think (if we can).  

Depending on how serious and immediate the issue is, we can get stuck, or go into panic mode.  If we have become more dependent on our muscle memories, our thought process will probably start with - what can I personally do to fix this?  Or, our emotions will just take over, and then we'll be hyper-focused on how we feel, and this will start to drive our decision-making.

It's very easy to get hyper-focused on the physical things that are happening to us or around us, and completely forget about God's blessings and provisions and His overwhelming love and patience with us!  Just like with that good friend or relative who "gets us", and loves us (flaws and all), and is always there for us, we can start taking our relationship with the Lord for granted... until of course we're in trouble, and THEN we might think to run to Him!  This just drives home the point that it is so easy to take our focus off of our relationship with the Lord.  So, here Jesus is giving the disciples a warning to THINK about, which caught them off guard.

Matthew may have been the only disciple (besides Paul) who had had "further" education, while the rest of them probably only went to school until they were 12.  Even still, from all of their traditions and celebrations, Jews knew exactly how the Lord delivered them from Egypt and slavery, and then provided manna, guidance and protection as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years.  As well, most would have known that Jewish teachers often spoke figuratively.  For example, "false teaching" was often likened to "poisoned water".  And "yeast", a common ingredient which spreads and inflates dough, was often used as an allegory to symbolize "evil", and how easy it is for evil to take root and spread.

Therefore, we need to figure out ways to keep our muscles, as well as our hearts and minds, connected to the Lord in a close relationship!  The better we know God and the closer we draw to Him, and the more we interact with Him in all that we do, the less likely we will be caught off guard or fall into danger, or dangerous thinking.  So, how else can we recognize a lie, except to know the truth!

Like with any other relationship, if and when we listen to gossip, slander and lies about someone we love and trust, it can very easily diminish our love and trust.  And as these rumors spread, the more and more people will believe them.  Just so, the Sadducees spoke out against resurrection, and the Pharisees emphasized human traditions and going through many muscle-memory-motions, and both aggressively opposed the Lord Jesus, and worked tirelessly to keep people from going to Him and/or believing in Him.

What do we tend to do when we hear gossip about someone we love?  Well, even if a person's words are very persuasive, and they have used an incident that may seem to support what they are saying, we shouldn't just take their word for it!  Besides keeping in mind what we already know about our loved one, we need to go to that person and hear their side of things.  And if the gossip is true, that person has an opportunity to then make things right.  It would be very unfair if they were smeared forever in our mind and we severed all ties with them, when it wasn't warranted.  Would we want to be treated this way?  And remember, nobody is perfect, not even us.  

As for Jesus - He is perfect!  He is good!  And He most definitely went to the cross to die for all of our sins, and He rose again to have victory over sin and death!!!  Not only can we read the facts written in His infallible word, there are archeological findings and other historical records which support the Bible.  And very importantly, we can experience and see, firsthand, the evidence of God's goodness and blessings in our own lives when we continue to trust in Him and remain obedient to His directions!  

Then, if and when we hear others speaking against the Lord and His word, we will immediate go to the Lord, Himself.  And for everything, as we continue to study His word and His truth, and as we grow closer to Him, striving to remain cognitively connected, we will continue experiencing Him, and His blessings and goodness.  Which would we rather live by, act on, cling to and help spread:  rumors and lies - or - God's truth, love and His most certain hope?!

relationships (Matthew 16:5-7) Patience vs Being Defensive

(Matthew 16:5-7)

5 And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

When I first read verses 5-12, I was wondering what could God possibly tell me about relationships with this one (tiny) event.  But, as I got into it - there was one big lesson... and then, there came yet another big lesson!  So I've decided to split those verses up into two devotions.

It's such a human quirk to become defensive.  Jesus gave the disciples an important piece of wisdom to keep in mind, but they immediately felt insulted, and ASSUMED that it was negative towards something they had done - or in this case - not done!  I'm still trying to figure out for myself how to avoid coming across contentious or negative, and how to avoid unnecessary stupid "discussions"!  

There are probably several reasons why we become defensive, but I can only think of three main ones.  One would be that we are truly guilty of something and it's been eating at us.  So then, when anyone says anything that SEEMS to relate, we quickly try to (wrongly) justify ourselves.  But this is when we need to realize that we have something to confess, and perhaps adjust and/or sort out with someone else.  

Another reason why we might become defensive is simply because we don't fully listen to every word someone is speaking, and we allow our emotions to take over and react.  The way to avoid this is to NOT react, but get the facts.  In all likelihood, we simply misunderstood.  So, first, ask the person to repeat what they just said, and calmly listen to every word.  We can even ask them to explain it in a DIFFERENT way.  From there, we can peacefully discuss in order to gain insight.  Maybe there is something that needs addressing, or maybe the other person was just looking for some understanding and encouragement.

For both listening and speaking, we should use wisdom.  In discussions, it is very important HOW we say things.  I have this crazy habit of saying, "you should" when most often I really mean "we should" or "one should".   As well, it is wise to avoid using words like "always" or "never"... but instead, try to express more about our own feelings and perceptions, without being judgmental.  We should never judge someone's motives.  Only God knows what someone has actually said and done, and what someone is thinking and feeling!  We cannot read anyone's hearts or minds.  We certainly don't like it when others assume to read our hearts and minds!

Therefore, in discussions, instead of saying things like, "I guess you don't care about me, because you're always telling everyone that I'm a horrible cook..." we can say something like, "I know we joke about my lack of cooking skills in private, but it does hurt my feelings when it happens around other people."  Or instead of, "You NEVER listen!  You ALWAYS put this back in the wrong spot!..." we can say, "It SEEMS like you can't remember where to put this... is there a particular reason, or should we figure something else out?"  (You know, since something like that doesn't necessarily have a right or wrong "spot".)  Well, these were the only examples that came to mind.  There are so many others, but we get the idea: words are important.

Thirdly, we can become defensive if we've been falsely accused and hurt before, and we're now hyper-vigilant on not letting that ever happen again.  In this case, we should realize that we have some forgiving to do.  Even if it doesn't make sense, or it might be too dangerous to approach that person, IN OUR HEARTS, we should forgive everyone who has hurt us.  

Forgiving others does NOT mean that we are saying what they did was okay, it is saying that we are not going to hold a grudge and let those chains of bitterness control us and strangle out our joy.  I know from experience that forgiving others brings so much healing and is so liberating (whether or not that other person ever apologizes)!  And, even if what was done to us was so terrible, it is for our benefit!  

For me regarding one particular person, I had to ask the Lord to forgive that person FOR me!  BAM!  Done!  Immediately, a literal weight lifted up off of me, and I instantaneously loved that person and felt compassion for them.  wow!  That wasn't me!  That was all God!  And... as I'm thinking about this now, I did become less defensive after that!

Now let's look at the disciples and their reactions towards Jesus.  They actually didn't have an issue towards the Lord, the issue was actually with themselves.  And definitely I know that we can struggle with this as well...  In our shortcomings, we can very quickly start to "humanize" the Lord and assume that He is going to react to things just like how we would.  Of course, we will see in the next devotion that Jesus responds calmly and uses the time as a teaching moment.

The Lord is perfect.  He is truth and wisdom.  He cares.  And in His everlasting love, He is so very patient.  And He desires that we seek to become more like Him, which is only possible by asking Him for His strength and help.  It is in this way that we will be able to stomach a lot.  We are to be sensitive - towards others.  It is a virtue that we learn how not to take things so personally, because really, "it isn't all about us".  Listen to words being written or spoken, and see if and how it should appropriately apply to ourselves.  As scripture tells us...

(1 Corinthians 13:4-7) 4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant. 5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered, 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

relationships (Matthew 16:1-4) Focusing on the Right Things

(Matthew 16:1-4)

1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and putting Jesus to the test, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but are you unable to discern the signs of the times? 4 An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Ahhhh... I can just see how the wheels in their brains would have been spinning after this!  So, the Pharisees (being the spiritual leaders, and having the popular support among the people) and the Sadducees (who held political power, being the lawyers of the time) disagreed on most matters, but together, they would have made a dangerous team.  

So, without getting political, I'm going to get "political".  Personally, I believe that any party and any form of government could "work" - IF - people were perfect.  But they are not.  Therefore, there needs to be proper accountability measures as well as law enforcement, otherwise, there will only be corruption and anarchy.  Therefore, I vote based on the policies that are put forward, preferring the ones that are best for the entire country, AND on the likelihood that the particular politician will actually try to do as they say.

Now, if and when a government system and/or party is based on God's laws and directions, there will be actual freedom, since God is against prejudiced behavior, and stands for freedom of choice, true equality, love and compassion, fairness and justice, to protect and look out for the victims and the vulnerable...  According to God's word, as believers, we are to pay taxes, and pray for and submit to all authorities as unto the Lord (respecting and obeying laws, UNLESS they go against God's commandments).  God Himself doesn't force anyone to love Him back, or even obey Him, so no one should force anyone to comply, not even in our churches, so why would anyone think to do that in government for an entire country?!

Now, back to this interesting but dangerous combination of "church"-and-state which can actually be seen in many of our countries around the world, in several different forms, be it communist dictatorship or radical Islamic authoritarianism.  "Church" in these cases represent the radical religious dogmas, or the godless idealisms that are "preached" (propagandized) and enforced by the politicians so that the government leaders have the the greater power and most of the money.  The idealisms might sound good, but even when they say "equity", somehow the rich get richer and fewer, and the poor get poorer.  And when you dissect all of their idealisms, one can see how deceptive, contradictive and divisive they are, creating divisions and disruptions, fear and hatred, and suddenly one is thinking that right is wrong and wrong is right.  

These are the group/s with personal beliefs, preferences, narratives and agendas... who expect all people to comply...  They will figure out the most effective ways to seduce and entice the crowds with empty promises and lies, delivering their messages with fake compassion, but with very real condescending arrogance.  When one agrees, they will feel invigorated.  If one questions this, they will feel patronized.  And if anyone outwardly disagrees in any way, they are an enemy that needs to be mocked, harassed, censored, cancelled, removed... by any means necessary!  And Jesus was and is this enemy!  Then, and now!

Seeing that Jesus was really popular, and somehow really smart, the Pharisees and Sadducees put their heads together to come up with a way to stump Him, asking Him for a sign from heaven.  Maybe they were wanting something like fire to rain down as Elijah had requested, or some miracle that was extra-extra supernatural, or for Jesus to make a radical prediction.  But, notice that Jesus did not protest, or even try to talk sense into these authoritative groups.  He remained respectful, and actually answered their request... NOT they way they wanted, BUT in the way that was and is needed (for everyone), in order to be saved.

First of all, if one knows the Old Testament scriptures, one would have known about all the amazing signs and miracles that the Lord had already done.  And one would see the gospel message of salvation in almost every chapter of every book!  Just from the Old Testament, one can become a believer... in understanding and knowing that the Lord (aka THE Angel of the Lord) - is Jesus (preincarnate)!  There are many verses that talk about how the Lord was going to die for our sins so that He could redeem us - those who choose to have a personal relationship with Him.

Therefore, Jesus gave the Pharisees and Sadducees a prediction - yet another prophecy - that He was going to be crucified, and placed in the grave for three days, and then He would rise from the dead.  How much more of a sign does one need in order to believe?!

Lee Strobel, an award winning legal investigative journalist for the Chicago Tribune, also formerly a staunch atheist, attempted to disprove the Bible's claims, centering his research on Jesus' resurrection... only to become a believer.  You can find his books and documentaries online.  As well, there's a movie on his life that is really good.  So, if you are like me, and more cerebral, this is something to check out.

Iron sharpens iron!  May we keep our faith and trust in God, and not politics!  And may we all focus on our relationship with the Lord, and be opened to His calling and His continuous guidance and help, no matter what is happening to us or around us.

relationships (Matthew 15:29-39) Not to be Taken for Granted

(Matthew 15:29-39)

29 Departing from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee, and after going up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30 And large crowds came to Him bringing with them those who were limping, had impaired limbs, were blind, or were unable to speak, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. 31 So the crowd was astonished as they saw those who were unable to speak talking, those with impaired limbs restored, those who were limping walking around, and those who were blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33 The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; 36 and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and after giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. 38 And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

39 And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

Here's yet another event demonstrating Jesus' love and compassion, as well as demonstrating how we are so forgetful that we would take God for granted.  

BUT, this is also an analogy of Jesus' salvation, mercy, grace and patience!  Because the Lord God wants a close, personal relationship with everyone, we can humbly go to Him - AS WE ARE - to repent and be spiritually healed.  He then forgives us and heals us and frees us of all our sins.  We immediately receive His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise, who seals us and changes us from the inside out.  We have eternal life with Him, and we cannot lose our salvation!  And this relationship is the only one that will satisfy and fulfill us, and give us purpose, continuous help, and a most certain hope!  

Jesus is always present within us, desiring to nourish and strengthen us, and to provide for us, as well as to involved with us in whatever journey or task He calls us to do.  Even when we say, we "ONLY" have seven loaves and a few fish, like giving some sort of wimpy, shortsighted excuse, instead of giving our shortcomings and limited resources to the Lord - because - well - the Lord is able to fix and multiply whatever it is that we have, to and for His glory!

Yet, how easy is it for us to forget that God is THAT close, and THAT powerful, AND THAT caring!!!???  Apparently, very easy.  Note that the disciples had been with Jesus when He multiplied the 5 bread and 2 fish for the multitude of 5,000+ (in Matthew 14:13-21).  And here, there were "only" 4,000+, and they had 7 bread and a few fish... and - DUH!!!???  We can say that, but we also have to be honest about ourselves and realize how we do exactly that!  

This is exactly why we need a daily feeding of God's word, and a constant dialogue with Him in prayer... and at least one weekly dose of encouraging fellowship with worship, praise and thanksgiving!  God is so, so good!!!