relationships (Matthew 8:1-4) Recognition and Appreciation

(Matthew 8:1-34)

1 When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a man with leprosy came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 3 Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

I see a beautiful man of faith here, who is a great testimony to not just the priests who got to witness the healing result, but to us!  And we can see that this man had a personal relationship with the Lord.  Notice that when Jesus healed the man, Jesus didn't have to tell him to sin no more, nor did He tell the man that he would be healed according to his faith.  That's because the man already had faith in the Lord, and was most likely already living a life of obedience!

Even though his Lord God had allowed him to get leprosy, he was not angry, bitter or all "oh-woe-is-me".  In fact, this man loved, honored AND RECOGNIZED the Lord God in flesh.  And this man certainly did not take the Lord for granted.  He was not at all presumptuous to demand that the Lord HAD to heal him.  In fact, he bowed down before the Lord and called Him "LORD", followed by his question: "IF YOU ARE WILLING!!!"  

Is it Your will, Lord?  Perhaps I'm more use to You as a leper.  The man was willing to live according to God's will, however or whatever that meant. wow-wow-wow...  And even more obediently, we can safely assume that this man followed Jesus' directions immediately afterwards, about following Mosaic law, as well as not telling others about his healing, otherwise the Bible would say that he didn't listen and that he went around telling people (like we will see later in the next chapter).  

According to Leviticus 13, if someone's skin showed anything irregular, they were to go to the priest who would look at the symptoms and diagnose them.  If the person had leprosy, they were declared unclean by the priests.  The priests were to do follow-ups, and unless the leprosy was still there, it was the priest who would declare a person clean, and there would be a whole cleansing process.  Of course, a believer will desire to bring an offering of thanksgiving and great appreciation to the Lord for His healing!

Looking at the very last phrase of the very last verse says so much about the relationships that spiritual leaders had - or didn't have - with Jesus!  We know that most of the Pharisees were very opposed to Jesus and His ministry, while others maybe were not sure.  As well, there could have been some who believed, or lacked confidence in their belief, and were fearful of opposing the Pharisees.  But, seeing the evidence of how Jesus healed this leper could have either convinced them that Jesus is Lord so that they might believe, or this could have encouraged them in their faith!

Jesus is the great Physician... not just One who is able to physically heal, but most importantly, He spiritually cleanses and heals those who humbly go before Him for His forgiveness, eternal life and a personal relationship!

relationships (Matthew 7:15-29) A Constant In Our Life

(Matthew 7:15-29)

15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.

21 “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 will enter. 22 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?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’

24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”

28 When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Verse 23 emphasizes the fact that our faith and salvation is not earned or based on a religion, it is a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!  God desires that all come to know Him.  We can know Him personally only because of His work on the cross (the tree, the vine).  And when we know Him personally, He is our Rock which we can build upon, and He helps us and protects us for all eternity.

The Lord came in flesh in order to hang and die on the tree, in our place, to pay for our sins.  In His resurrection, He had victory over sin and death, and is therefore the tree of life!  The vine!  So when we realize His great love for us and what He did for us, we will choose to love Him back.  We will see the need and desire to humbly go to Him to repent and accept Him into our life.  In this, He forgives us, gives us eternal life, seals us with His Holy Spirit, covers us with His Righteousness, and changes us from the inside out!  We are forever connected to Him!  Adopted into His family as a child of God!  We cannot lose our salvation.

As we grow closer to the Lord, allowing Him to continue working for us, in us and through us, He nourishes us, equips us, and guides us - to become more like Him.  In His love, goodness, wisdom and strength, we will produce good fruit.  Again, while we cannot lose our salvation, we can quench the Holy Spirit by being disobedient.  Therefore, just like nurturing any healthy relationship, we must abide with the Lord.  One of the ways is to be studying His word.  Another is be praying to Him about everything, and then trusting and relying on Him.

(John 15:4)  Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me.

In our walk with the Lord and desiring to get to know Him better involves knowing His truth.  How else can we differentiate truth from lies, unless we know the truth!   And because Jesus Himself, is Truth, and He desires that we come to know Him, we can have a personal relationship with Him. Going forward, we still have the choice/s:  to listen and obey our loving, perfect heavenly Father... or... do Satan's bidding and help him and the demons work to destroy God's family????!!!!  Yes, it's all too easy for Christians to become deceived, and prideful, and start deceiving, dividing and destroying... The question then becomes, did that person truly, sincerely become a Christian in the first place?

(John 14:6) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.

It is to our great benefit that we strive to remain steadfast.  And in order to stand up to temptation, it helps to better know God, His will, and His truths.  And not just to know Who and what, but HOW!!!  As our caring, heavenly Father, He desires to help us, guide and equip us!  As well, He is our great comfort, confident and courage, because He along is faithful, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, holy, just, righteous and loving!

(Psalm 62:2) 

     He alone is my rock and my salvation, 

     My stronghold; I will not be greatly shaken.

(Deuteronomy 32:3-4) 

3   For I proclaim the name of the Lord;
     Ascribe greatness to our God!
4   The Rock! His work is perfect,
     For all His ways are just;
     A God of faithfulness and without injustice,
     Righteous and just is He.

relationships (Matthew 7:13-14) The Impossible Made Possible

(Matthew 7:13-14)

13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

The gate is "constricted" - NOT because the Lord wants to make it difficult for people to discover new life with Him for all eternity, and experience a close, personal relationship with Him!  After all, the Lord God created us so that He would have us to love, and desires that we love Him back.  But because He is love, He will never force anyone to love Him back.  He created us with a free will, with options, and the freedom to act upon them.  Therefore, it is all about our choice:  do we want a personal relationship with the Lord, or not?

Understand that the Lord God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin.  Where there is sin, there is death:  physically and spiritually.  When Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, this separated mankind from God.  The term "sin" is used in archery, meaning to miss the mark.  The bullseye can be likened to the "constricted gate".  So, if there is any bit of sin in a person's life, we miss the mark.  The only way we can get into heaven in our own efforts is to be perfect.  Well, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that this is absolutely impossible!

Sin is in direct opposition of God and His will and His character!  And God hates sin! Even though God did not choose this sinful life for us, and God does not want to punish anyone, because He loves us, He left the comforts of heaven, and came in flesh so that He could take our place in death, to pay for all sin, and then rose again to have victory over death and sin, so that we can choose eternal life with Him.

The Lord Jesus is our gate!  He is the only way to eternal life and heaven!  And while so many people will create their own religions and beliefs and insist that there are different ways to heaven, their ways do not and cannot address the sin-issue that is in their life.  Only the Lord Jesus can!  He made the impossible - possible!  But it's our choice!  And because He desires that all come to know Him, He gives everyone fair opportunity.

(Romans 1:18:23)  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.

relationships (Matthew 7:12) The Golden Rule

(Matthew 7:12)

12 “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

I grew up hearing my dad reminding me often of this golden rule.  And then, he would usually follow that up with this verse...

(Proverbs 25:21-22)
21  If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
      And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;
22  For you will heap burning coals on his head,
      And the Lord will reward you.

We have to look at this all as a "win-win" situation, at all times.  We are to show love to everyone, even to - and most of all - the unlovable.  This does NOT mean that we approve or support wrong behavior.  In fact, that kind of enabling in itself would be lying and deceptive, and the opposite of love!  But in showing God's unconditional and sacrificial love, we might have an opportunity to share the gospel message.  

If a person is not receptive to talking about the Lord God, at the very least, there will be a lovely, respectful interaction, because people tend to react in kind.  Many people live by the creed, "When someone is nice to me, I'll be nice to them.  But if they are mean to me, I'll be mean right back to them.".

Now, there are times when people are just in a bad mood, because maybe they had a bad night's sleep, they're h-angry, they have a migraine, they've been dealing with cranky people all day, they're going through a divorce, someone they love just got a cancer diagnosis or passed away...  So then, by being kind to them regardless, they might find some comfort or reprieve, which could lead to a beautiful conversation about how God can help, in all situations!

At the worst, someone may become angry at our kindness, and at the very worst, will want to persecute us because of our godly kindness.  But as we continue to be kind and loving, the Holy Spirit will convict them!  They will feel miserable!  Even if there aren't any witnesses to the exchange.  If there happens to be people there, they will see the evidence of God's love in us, and perhaps there we might have an opportunity to share the gospel message with those people.  We never know how God is going to work things out, but when we honor God by being obedient, He will. 

Of course, from the earlier verses in this chapter, we know that we should not be doing God's will in order to be performative.  Our thought should never be about who is all watching, although we should always keep in mind that God IS always watching.  I mean, He's right there anyways, always, so why would we not want to do all things WITH Him!  So much easier.  And not just easier, this is what God wants - to do life WITH us - and help us navigate through all the various relationships we might run into, or develop, or inherit.  Therefore, our motive should always be to love people with God's love, all in His strength, righteousness and wisdom, and all to His glory.

relationships (Matthew 7:7-11) A Loving and Approachable Father

(Matthew 7:7-11)

7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what person is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf of bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? 11 So if you, despite being 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!

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Here, Jesus uses a standard Jewish method of reasoning - arguing from the lesser to the greater.  If the lesser is true, how much more is the greater.  As well, Jesus uses an example that all people, from any status in life, can understand.  Bread and fish were very basic staples, that every household could afford.  And everyone can relate to the parent-child relationship!

Now for the application.  Jesus is telling us that if we ask, we will receive, seek and we will find, and knock and the door will be opened.  God is good, and He does answer all prayers.  It is to our benefit that we fully understand just how much God does care about us, though!  There are things we might ask for, and they might even be good things, but God knows that for us it might not be good!  So He might answer our prayer with a "Yes, but not right now," or it might be a "No, but I have something much better for you!"

A few things I do know:  Sin will impede our prayers, so it is beneficial to confess our sins as soon as we realize them.  As well, when we pray in God's will, our prayers will be answered with a definite "Yes"!  The question then becomes, what is God's will?  Well, we know that it is God's will to love our neighbor - so - as we ask God to help us love our neighbor - that prayer will be answered!  100%!!!  God wants us to ask Him for wisdom - so - as we ask God to give us His wisdom - that prayer will be answered!  But, as this is a personal relationship with our heavenly Father, we have to remember to go to Him, everyday, and ask!!!

(James 4:1-5)  What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is the source not your pleasures that wage war in your body’s parts? 2 You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures. 4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?

And just a reminder from the last devotion, because it still applies so beautifully...

(John 15:12-17) “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

relationships (Matthew 7:6) What Makes a Good Friendship?

(Matthew 7:6)

6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

In that culture, pigs and dogs were considered unclean animals which had zero appreciation for valuable things.  Pigs ate the vilest foods, and dogs were scavengers, even eating human blood.  And stray dogs growled at anyone, whether people were ignoring them or trying to give them something to eat.

I didn't fully understand this verse until fairly recently.  I was getting to know a woman who came off very sweet, compassionate, smart and fun-loving.  I love and care for her, and still pray that she will realize her need to have her sins forgiven and have God in her life as her Lord and Savior.  

At first, when the topic of Christianity came up, this friend appeared to listen attentively, and even asked questions.  As time progressed, I soon realized that she would only hear what she wanted to hear, and only asked questions in order to gain ammunition to use on me later.  The relationship turned very contentious, and biblical principles that I had shared with her, were distorted and twisted and then used against me, to falsely accuse me of various things.  There just wasn't any reasoning with her, or finding a way to proceed within a relationship of respect, so I finally had to distance myself from her.

(Proverbs 23:9)  

Do not speak to be heard by a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

Hindsight - I should have recognized the futility of our convoluted conversations much, much sooner.  While we are to love all people, it doesn't mean that we have to be friends with everyone.  If a relationship isn't healthy, we need to learn to know when to move on, especially as a single who is dating.  One can see the importance of a committed believer dating and marrying another committed believer.  Therefore, while we should have interactions and acquaintanceships with those who are unbelievers (otherwise how are we able to share God's love and gospel message), these relationships should stay in proper perspective.

Therefore, these are things to pray about, asking God to send opportunities our way, as well as pray that He gives us wisdom to understand the differences.  There are those people (unbelievers) who will be open to hearing God's word (or not), and then there are those people (believers) who will make excellent mentors, close friends, and/or spouse.  With believers, we should even be able to encourage and challenge one another towards growing closer to the Lord in our personal relationship, because we will understand the value and benefits in what is being shared, in accordance with God's love and His will.  And as believers grow closer to the Lord in a personal relationship, we will grow closer to one another.

(John 15:12-17) “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17 This I command you, that you love one another.

relationships (Matthew 7:1-5) Being a Positive Example vs Being Negative and Critical

(Matthew 7:1-5)

1 “Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. 2 For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at 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,’ and look, the log is 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!

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

It is all too easy to be critical and judgmental of others, and there are many different ways we can do this:

- pointing out someone's quirks or flaws

- pronouncing an opinion concerning right and wrong

- calling into question someone's actions or words

- jumping to conclusions without having all of the facts

- making unfair assumptions or assessments

- making distinguishments, which create varying degrees of prejudice

- putting asunder (forcibly separating, dividing, disjoining, or breaking apart)

- making implications against someone

- accusing someone with either true or false accusations

There are many different motives which can drive us to wrongfully judge others:

- "trying to help someone become a better person" because we feel superior

- "trying to resolve a situation or relationship" to our benefit

- comparing ourselves with others to make ourselves look better

- tearing down or undermining someone because we are jealous

- attempting to censor (silence) someone because we want more control

- seeking to avenge (which is to seek justice or to right a wrong)

- seeing revenge (which is to seek personal satisfaction and cause harm)

- to punish or condemn someone because of our self-righteousness

When we look at all these points, we've got to wonder what is the point of judging?  It really doesn't look like a positive or favorable way to foster healthy relationships!  So, what we should do?  Verse 2 is pretty much stating the golden rule, but in a much different way.  Treat others the way you want to be treated...  So, do you like being judged by others?  Because, people tend to respond in the way they are treated.  Of course, as Christians, we are not to be reactionary.  We are always to love and be understanding, no matter how we are being treated.

It certainly helps to know God and His way!  He desires that all come to know Him personally, and He desires that all live obediently because we love and trust Him.  But He will never force anyone to love Him back, and even once we are believers, He will never force us to be obedient to His will.  So, what makes us think that we can force anyone to love God, or force someone to be obedient to God's will?!  Why do we expect unbelievers to live and behave as believers - when - believers struggle to do so?!  

God is so gracious and patient with us, how much should we be gracious and patient with others, because we cannot read their minds or know the motives of their hearts!  Only God, who is holy and sovereign (all-powerful, all-knowing and everywhere-present) can know the hearts and minds of people, and be able to judge wisely, fairly and with true righteousness and justice.  

God alone is Judge!  And at the right time, He will judge all unbelievers according to their sins.  And at the right time, He will judge and reward all believers according to good deeds done with right motives.  And meanwhile, it is God who will discipline His children and allow consequences into our lives!  And it is His Holy Spirit who will convict the hearts of both believers and unbelievers!

Therefore, we should graciously accept feedback when it comes to us, whether it is delivered with love or not, and humbly consider what is being said, even if it seems incorrect or exaggerated.  We can always learn, grow and mature, in all situations.  We are to humbly assess our own hearts and minds, and confess our sins to the Lord as we realize them, so that we can continue growing closer to the Lord in our personal relationship with Him.  And, we are to humbly live, act and speak, in God's love, peace and wisdom, all to His glory... sharing the good news, so that others will experience Jesus, and want to also have a personal relationship with Him.  

To be Christ-like is to serve God and others, and be an example.  So, when we see a fellow Christian struggling, IF it is our place to approach them on the issue, we must make sure it is with pure and loving motives, not being self-righteous, but in God's righteousness, wisdom and grace, proceed with all humility and prayer!  It's not because WE have a better way, it is because God has a better way for them!