relationships (Matthew 9:32-38) Being Compassionate

(Matthew 9:32-38)

32 And as they were going out, behold, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. 33 And after the demon was cast out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.

36 Seeing the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

We see this in today's society:  people falsely accusing those who are doing good, and then defending those who are doing evil.  We definitely live in a fallen, broken world, and my heart is heavy when I consider this!  We are to have compassion, but let us not confuse that with approving and enabling bad behavior.  We are to make sure that justice is served for the victims.  But more importantly, we are to pray - plead - that the Lord will send out workers, to reach out to those who are desperately struggling to find purpose, direction, healing, comfort, fulfillment and meaningful relationships...  All of these needs are spiritual, and the Lord Jesus is the only answer, solution and true Shepherd.

By asking the Lord to send out workers, let us remember that we, ourselves, are also called.  And we are most like Jesus when we are serving.  It doesn't mean that we have to go to some distant, strange land.  We actually have a great harvest right around us.  It might be as simple as visiting with the next door neighbor.  May we be open to God's calling, and His equipping us, in order to accomplish whatever task, mission or purpose He has called us to, in order to point people towards the Shepherd.  And then, it is in our close relationship with the Lord and our obedience that we, ourselves, will experience the Lord in a mighty and an amazing way!

relationships (Matthew 9:27-31) When You Just Can't Keep Quiet!

(Matthew 9:27-31)

27 As Jesus went on from there, two men who were blind followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” 28 And after He entered the house, the men who were blind came up to Him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “It shall be done for you according to your faith.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows about this!” 31 But they went out and spread the news about Him throughout that land.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Even though these men had been blind, their spiritual eyes were opened!  They knew just who Jesus was and recognized Him as the Son of David, which is another way to say "Messiah".  And they didn't go to Jesus with the expectations that most others had, which was that Jesus would save the Israelites politically, militarily and physically.  But, for healing, these two men sought Him out at a much deeper level, indicating that they knew and remembered God's words.

These men knew that God ruled over blindness and sight!  Because, for instance, in Proverbs 20:12, it says "The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them." And in 2 Kings 6:15-20, Elisha prayed to the Lord and asked Him to open his servant's spiritual eyes to see the army of angels, and then Elisha prayed to the Lord to temporarily blind the enemies' eyes.

And now for the amusingly perplexing part!  Jesus tells the men not to tell others about what happened!  Jesus had several reasons.  One was based on how people saw Him as the Messiah, expecting Him to be the "superhero" who would politically and militarily overthrow the Romans.  Jesus also did not want His ministry to turn into a circus, which would have hindered His ability to preach and move freely.  Not wanting the people to just focus on the physical miracles, His desire was that people focused on His teachings, His example, His sacrifice, and His spiritual joy, peace, love, help and blessings that He offers to the world.

Well, aside from not adhering to what Jesus asked of them (only in that moment)... if only we could all be like these two men who could not keep quiet about Jesus!!!  Like, if and when we meet one of our heroes (be it a speaker, athlete, musician, actor...), we are typically telling everyone all about it, and posting every detail of it in our social media.  

But, here is the Lord God, who humbled Himself, died on the cross for our sins and rose again, conquering sin and death - just because He wants to have a close relationship with everyone of us, and help us navigate life with awesome purpose!  So, as the Lord's love and blessings pour into our lives, may His love and blessings pour out of us to all those around us, so that more people will come to see, recognize and embrace the greatest Relationship one could ever have!

relationships (Matthew 9:18-26) The Touch of Love

(Matthew 9:18-26)

18 While He was saying these things to them, behold, a synagogue official came and bowed down before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will become alive again.” 19 Jesus got up from the table and began to accompany him, along with His disciples.

20 And behold, a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind Him, and touched the border of His cloak; 21 for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His cloak, I will get well.” 22 But Jesus, turning and seeing her, said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” And at once the woman was made well.

23 When Jesus came into the official’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder, 24 He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. 25 But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And this news spread throughout that land.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Not too long ago we read this verse...

(Matthew 5:17)  “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill."

Now, according to anyone like the Pharisees, watching Jesus during His ministry here on earth, they would have accused Him of breaking several of God's Laws, just in this one day alone. By allowing a menstruating woman to touch Him, it would have rendered Him unclean for the rest of the day, according to Leviticus 15:19-33. And by touching a corpse, the most defiling kind of ritual uncleanness, He would have been considered impure for seven days, according to Numbers 19:11-22.

What we have to remember is that Jesus is God!  Not only is He sinless, He was able to remain sinless in touching these people to heal and give them life.  In the same way, because He is sinless, He was able to die on the cross in our place, taking onto Himself all sin, of all time, and paying the price, so that He could offer forgiveness, heal and give us eternal life when we put our faith in Him.    

The Lord God desires that all come to know Him, personally, and so, makes Himself available to us everywhere, all of the time, in any circumstance!  It is up to us to set aside our pride, and humbly go to Him, in faith, knowing that He alone is able.  

Just like this woman who acted with such great faith, was willing to be scorned by society, because she had been suffering a disease that deemed her continually unclean, which therefore kept her isolated, and most likely unable to have children, therefore kept her unmarried.  In that state, she should not have even been out among people, never mind touching someone.  Many teachers avoided touching women altogether, just in case they would become accidentally contaminated.  But,  knowing and having faith that Jesus loved and cared, and would understand, and would be able to supernaturally heal her, she reached out to Jesus! 

Just like this synagogue official, who humbled himself before the Lord by bowing before Him, with an onlooking crowd!  A man of this status would never have bowed to anyone, except before a king.  And man with that kind of knowledge of scripture, would have known that it was okay to prostrate oneself before God.  As well, he would have known that to touch a corpse was asking a lot, but he did it anyway.  Therefore, we know that this man recognized Jesus' power in a serious way, and that he knew just who Jesus was - the King of kings, and Lord of lords!

As for the people at the official's house, typically when someone passed away, families were expected to hire flute players and professional female mourners, to lead the people in cathartic release, with shrieking and the beating of breasts.  And, the richer you were, the more you would hire.  So when Jesus said that the girl was not dead, but was asleep, the laughter would have been mostly from those professional people who had no personal attachments to the girl, and would have known exactly what dead people look like!  Yet still, this official knew that Jesus is able to resurrect people from the dead!

These miracles that Jesus performed were physical, but even more amazing is that Jesus is able and desires to:  forgive us and wash us clean;  spiritually heal us and make us a new creation in Him;  give us purpose and a much better way;  supply us and equip us with everything we need;  AND give us eternal life!  This is because He is love, and desires that all come to have a personal relationship with Him!  Then, once we become a child of God, in faith, we are to run to Him, to be touched by Him, for His healing, comfort, peace, joy, strength and help... because we should know that He is more than willing and able to do the impossible!

relationships (Matthew 9:14-17) Being Made New

(Matthew 9:14-17)

14 Then the disciples of John came to Him, asking, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but Your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “The attendants of the groom cannot mourn as long as the groom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the groom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results. 17 Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

I'm going to start with a basic social norm that is an unhealthy outlook.  There are those who equate and evaluate someone's love by how much time and money is spent on them, and/or how many extravagant hoops someone jumps through.  Like, "you must prove your love to me by fulfilling every single whim that I have!"  As well, there are those who say their "love language" is gift-giving.  Even if they say it is only about GIVING gifts, if they are really honest, it'll also be about GETTING gifts!  And even if these gifts are inexpensive and/or handmade, the cost still adds up, with a lot of time and effort that has to go into this.

What if money is tight?  What if one has to work longer hours or get a second job just to accommodate these acquisitions in their budget?  What if one gets sick or is laid off?  What happens when the gifts stop?  Does that mean they no longer love you, or that you no longer love them?  In the Bible, we are told to love, and we are given the definition of how, in 1 Corinthians 13.  And the ways that we are told to be generous with our resources, is to give to God, His church... and to those in need, while always making sure that we do not neglect our family's needs!  These are very practical things, but in God's kingdom, everything that we do, which includes serving God and others, should be done with God's agape (unconditional and sacrificial) love!

We know that all of God's commandments can be summed up into two:  love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength;  and then, love others!  Christianity and our faith is not about the do's and don'ts, it is all about God's love and having a personal relationship with Him!!!  Then, our obedience to God's will, in everything we say and do in His love, strength, wisdom and guidance will be the evidence of our love for Him.

Now to tie this into the verses above.  Not that giving or getting gifts, or having traditions is wrong, but these should not become religious.  Traditions can run very deep, and for the Israelites, there was a big problem with the Pharisees who kept adding to them, and not just as traditions, but as spiritual tenants and must-do-rituals.  Like, IF you say you love God - if you REALLY love God - then you are going to do this and this and this and this... but "this" is only in efforts to APPEAR righteous, and nothing about BEING righteous (which is to HAVE God's righteousness in our lives)!

The only place that God asked the Israelites to fast, was on the Day of Atonement, to be accompanied with prayer.  As we just saw in previous verses, fasting and prayer was to be kept personal, and not to become a big production for attention.  But the very religious Jews added many other mandatory fasts.  Many Pharisees would fast two days a week without food and even without water.

Meanwhile, wedding feasts traditionally were seven days of festivities and joy!  Therefore, people were not to fast or mourn or even do difficult labor during the time of a wedding feast.  Therefore, Jesus likens Himself to a groom who is celebrating with His attendants (the disciples).  The time for fasting and mourning would happen later - when Jesus went to the cross.  And then after His ascension, during the Church Age, there are times we can take to fast, and really focus on Him in prayer.  

Jesus in flesh is not here with us, but He is always with us in spirit... as the Lord is omnipresent, as well, all believers have His indwelling Holy Spirit.  We just kind of forget and/or take Him for granted, and so, we require daily devotions, praying without ceasing, being with our church family, and periodic fasting...!

So, now, how does the clothes and wineskin analogies apply?  Very practically, just doing nice things in efforts to please God and others, is like unwisely putting a patch of new fabric onto older fabric, which shrinks and causes clothing to tear!  And new wine as it ferments will expand and burst old wineskins, because they have already been stretched to capacity.  But Jesus isn't even recommending that we try to patch ourselves up!  Jesus wants to make people new!  

When we become believers, and put our faith in the Lord, there is a spiritual transformation.  As soon as we repent and ask the Lord into our lives, we are born of water and the Spirit, being cleansed from sin and receiving His indwelling Holy Spirit which comes with a spiritual renewal.  Dying to sin, we are born again into God's family.  We are covered in the righteousness of Jesus and become a new creation in Christ!  Then..

In our spiritual journey, it is our decision to strive in obedience and steadfastness.  We just have to remember that we have the Lord with us at all times, and He wants to help us in everything!  It is not about appearing righteous, and certainly not about doing what we think is right, which diminishes or adds to God's word.  It is about allowing God to help us be righteous... in His righteousness!

I recently heard it being put this way, and it's an amazing way to view this... Let us not ask ourselves what we can do for God, but let us ask God what He wants us to do for Him, and experience how He is going to equip and help us in our obedience, and bless the process and result!

relationships (Matthew 9:10-13) True Acceptance

(Matthew 9:10-13)

10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and began dining with Jesus and His disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Now go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

In society today, there is rhetoric being thrown around about being compassionate, tolerant, accepting, affirming and approving.  Let us not be deceived.  These words are often used to manipulate us in some way, to make us feel guilty and/or prideful and selfish.  Therefore, when we hear something, we need to look at facts and compare these against God's truth.  

Yes, we are to have compassion, but this should not enable or encourage people to commit crimes against others, otherwise, we are only showing compassion on criminals and not on the victims.  Yes, we should be tolerant in allowing people to express their ideas and beliefs, but if and when they contradict with God's will and His word, we should not buy into wrong thinking.  And yes, we should be accepting - as in loving everyone!!!  But we are not affirm or approve of wrong behavior!  To say that something is right and good, when it is actually harmful and wrong, is not love!

As it should be, the people in the passage above were criminals and sinners who felt remorse for their crimes and sin!  And as it should be, they went to the Lord who is the only one who can forgive sin.

God is only "tolerant" in the fact that He has created everyone with a free will, and therefore does not force anyone to love Him back or be obedient to His will.  He patiently gives everyone fair opportunity to realize their sinful nature and their need for Him to be in their lives, as their heavenly Father, as their close Friend and Confidant, as their Mentor and Teacher, as their Lord and Savior!

And the Lord God is the only one who truly is accepting.  Being holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin.  This is why we need His forgiveness.  Because He loves us, He desires to have a close relationship with EVERYONE.  This is why He came in flesh to pay the price for sin and death.  THEREFORE, He wants us to go to Him - AS WE ARE - but with a humble heart, and in His salvation, He changes us from the inside out.

We have to realize that we are sick, in need of a physician!  A person cannot be religious and attempt to work or earn their way to heaven.  Self-righteousness is actually a sin.  It's funny how people over evaluate their efforts.  But if we compare our goodness to the goodness of God, our good deeds are but filthy rags!  When we compare our love to the love of God, we will realize how self-centered and selfish we really are! 

No good deed is good enough to work our way into heaven!  No sin is too great for God to forgive.  When we humbly repent and ask the Lord to come into our hearts, the Lord forgives us, covers us with His righteousness, and gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can continue on in close communion with Him.  And one day, the Lord will judge and reward all believers according to the good deeds done with His love and righteousness!

relationships (Matthew 9:9) Hungry For More

(Matthew 9:9)

9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting in the tax collector’s office; and He said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

First of all, no one LIKES to pay taxes, but the tax collector in Israel, in those days, were extra hated, because these Israelites were working for the Romans, and collecting taxes which went mostly to Rome.  AND, these tax collectors would raise the amounts in order to skim off the top, so, they also got super rich from cheating their fellow citizens.  Therefore, they may have been rich, but they would have been very lonely:  not fitting in with the Romans, and not fitting in with their own people.  And, let's just add to that the guilt they would have felt for stealing.  

Let's go over this again.  This man, Matthew, was being used by the enemy, and hated by his people.  He would have felt lonely and guilt-ridden, as well as empty... because when you are just living for money and yourself, it'll never be enough!  So, what other diabolical strategies were floating around in his mind as to how to get more?  How long until he started wondering if this was really worth it?  How much was he thinking that there must be more to life, and there must be a better way?

Now, Jesus comes along!  Jesus already knows what is in Matthew's heart and mind, and sees his empty, hungry soul!  Jesus knows that Matthew is ready!  And, all Jesus has to say is, "Follow Me!"  And Matthew gets up immediately to follow!  There wasn't any, "Wait, first let me earn just a little bit more money", or "Let me think about this..."  Matthew was willing to leave it all behind.  

Since Jesus was staying in Capernaum for the most part, we can be very sure that Matthew knew a lot about Jesus already.  Maybe Matthew frequently saw Jesus and His disciples walk past him.  Perhaps Matthew had watched as Jesus taught and healed others.  Nonetheless, at some point Matthew might have realized that this is God in flesh.  At the very least, he would have recognized that there was something very different about Him, and he wanted to know more.

While Matthew didn't fully know Jesus yet, he dropped everything to follow Jesus, to pursue a personal relationship with Him, as His disciple, student, friend, servant...  How willing are we, us believers who say that we love others because we love God, and know so much about the Lord already?  When God calls us to serve in some way, or talk to someone who is ready, are we willing and ready to drop everything?

Imagine if someone were sitting on the side of the road, starving, holding up a sign saying that they need something to eat, and we, feeling filled, have a bit of food with us - are we just going to keep walking?  This is a lesson for me, for sure.  God sees and knows those who have hungry souls, so when He asks us to talk to someone about Jesus and the good news, imagine that they are starving, and we have the spiritual food that will fill them, satisfy them, and nourish them for all eternity!

Could someone reject this food when we offer it to them?  Sure.  Just like a person who is physically hungry.  There are times people will turn down food, because of pride and not wanting to be seen accepting charity.  There are times people will turn down food, because they're hoping for something they think is tastier.  

There's that saying, beggars can't be choosers, yet people will still feel so entitled... UNTIL they are truly, truly hungry!  So, even if we offer a hungry person spiritual food, and they turn this down - maybe they even persecute us - but perhaps over time they will remember this offering that was graciously presented to them with God's love, and they accept Jesus into their hearts!  We don't know who is that hungry, or who will be that hungry in the future, but the Lord does!  So again, when God calls us to follow, are we - not just willing - but are we excited to do so!!!???

relationships (Matthew 9:1-8) Making an Impact

(Matthew 9:1-8)

Getting into a boat, Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee and came to His own city.

2 And they brought to Him a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher. And seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man who was paralyzed, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 4 And Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why are you thinking evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” 7 And he got up and went home. 8 But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

People tend to value a life that is long and healthy.  Then, based on their expectations, if and when anything happens to them or someone else that impacts their length or quality of life, they deem it "unfair".  So, from an atheist's viewpoint, a life of value is only when a person is able to contribute to society, and/or they are needed or wanted by society.  Also from an atheist's viewpoint, they only consider life going from point B to C, and then there is nothing.  After all, they believe in evolution, which says that we are all just meaningless accidents anyway.

As believers, we have to know that life is from point A (conception), to B (birth), to C (physical death) and D (is all eternity)!  Therefore, even if our life here on earth is cut short or it is hampered with diseases or other forms of suffering, realize that in the continuum of eternity, this is such a very short - short - time.  Our focus and decision should be about where we want to spend all of eternity and with whom.

The only way we can go to heaven to be with the God of love, is to humbly go to the Lord God, Himself, and repent and believe in Him.  He forgives all our sins, past, present and future.  Therefore, just like this paralyzed man, we can take courage, whether the Lord chooses to physically heal us or not - we - are going to heaven where there will be no more diseases or suffering!!!  Meanwhile, here on earth, within our personal relationship with the Lord, He will faithfully help us through whatever it is we are going through.  

AND, the Lord values us so much, He came to earth in flesh to accomplish His work on the cross, to provide the way to having a personal relationship with Him!  And He values us so much that He wants to do life with us, and use us in carrying out His purpose here on earth, all in His strength, love and wisdom, all to His glory... even if we are paralyzed!  As the Lord needs us, He will equip us as He sees fit.

I was so greatly impacted by a young man who spoke in our church.  He came out in a wheelchair with the assistance of a loved one.  And he told us that he had been an unbeliever when the car he was driving was hit by a drunk driver, leaving him a quadriplegic.  Then he said, this was the best thing that had ever happened to him in his entire lifetime, because this is how he found and accepted the Lord Jesus into his heart and life!  And now, God was using him and his testimony to make a great impact in the Lord's kingdom!  And it all begins with the Lord!

relationships (Matthew 8:28-34) Fairly Assessing and Judging

(Matthew 8:28-34)

28 And when He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men confronted Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29 And they cried out, saying, “What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding at a distance from them. 31 And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 32 And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters. 33 And the herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they pleaded with Him to leave their region.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Here we can see the power that demons have, and that they have quite a bit of knowledge, but just from this passage, we can also see that they are not all-powerful, all-knowing or everywhere-present... only God is sovereign!  Demons hate and want us to live in fear.  God is love and wants us to live in peace.  Demons only have evil intentions.  God is holy, righteous and good!  Demons are working to keep us away from God.  God wants to have a personal relationship with us!  And we see here that demons recognize Jesus, and know that He is judge, and that one day they'll be sent to hell, the place that God has prepared for them (Matthew 25:41).  

Hell is a place that God doesn't want to send anyone, because He desires that all come to know Him - personally - as their Lord and Savior.  But, because He is love, He will not force anyone to love Him back.  And even for those who choose to love Him back, He will never force us to be obedient.  Everything is up to us - our choice.

Now, back to this passage.  In this particular location, since pigs were deemed unclean by Jews, the majority of people living here would have been pagans.  And these particular pagans did not care who Jesus was, except that they were afraid of Him.  They didn't even care to find out how He could help them.  All they assumed was that He had already caused them economic loss.  And they wanted Him gone!

What the people chose to overlook was the fact that Jesus had removed the threat of violence, making that area safe.  As well, they chose to overlook the fact that it was really the demons who had cost them economically.  But people don't always put the blame on the appropriate cause.  And especially when someone is resisting something that is good, they will look for the bad, and figure out how that might connect to the thing that is good, and use that as an excuse to avoid what they don't understand, or don't care to understand.

We must be careful not to judge God according to what people do or say.  And we most definitely must be careful not to judge God according to the evil that happens around us or to us.  Remember, because God is love, He will never force anyone to love Him back or be obedient.  Therefore, to "judge" the Lord and see that He is good, just, merciful, gracious and patient, we have to get to know Him!  The Bible (His word) gives us great insight!  And of course, in knowing the Lord personally, we will experience His goodness!  The closer we grow to Him, the more evidence there will be in our lives!  And we can KNOW that, we not only have eternal protection, and treasures in heaven, but He will see to our needs here on earth.  

Most importantly, the value that He brings to us is immeasurable!  He values us, because He has created us in His image!!!  He took our place on the cross to prepare a way to Him, so that when we believe, He saves us and reconciles us to Himself.  Only the Lord can adopt us in order for us to become a child of God.  Only He can forgive our sins and change us from the inside out.  Only He can complete, fulfill and satisfy us.  Only He can fill us with His spiritual peace, love, joy, certain hope, confidence, strength, wisdom...  He equips, guides and helps us!  He wants the best for us, and gives us purpose.

The Lord judges us fairly!  How much time do we take to get to know Him in order to fairly assess and "judge" Him?  The Lord values us immensely, sacrificially and unconditionally!  How much do we value the Lord?!  And the Lord is able to work all things out for good to those who love Him.  So, why would we not want Him to be involved in every aspect of our lives?!

relationships (Matthew 8:23-27) More Faith and Confidence

(Matthew 8:23-27)

23 When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And behold, a violent storm developed on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. 25 And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!” 26 He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. 27 The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

These disciples still did not really know Jesus well... yet.  If they did, they would not have been afraid.  Once we realize that Jesus is the sovereign Lord God, who has more power than all other powers put together, and that He is the Creator, and God of love, who cares so very deeply, enough to come in flesh to give His own life as a ransom for our souls... when we put our faith and trust in Him, as children of God, we do not have to worry or be afraid of anyone or anything!

And FYI:  after His resurrection, having victory over sin and death, Jesus ascended and sits at the righthand side of God!  And in our salvation, we have received His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can never lose our salvation, and so that He will continue to work for us, in us and through us.  We must know, the Lord is always with us, He is eternal, He never changes, and He never sleeps.  Therefore, the more and the better we get to know Him, the more our faith will grow, and the more we will experience His strength, courage and confidence!

relationships (Matthew 8:18-22) Love, Honor and Willingness

(Matthew 8:18-22)

18 Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side of the sea. 19 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21 And another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

Besides the twelve disciples that Jesus would pick, there were many other people who were following after Him as disciples (students), who saw Him as a rabbi (the Jewish term for teacher.)  Besides learning their master's ways, the students would also serve these teachers in practical ways that had to do with their school and work (much like a TA - teacher's assistant in college or university).

Here, the first person who approached Jesus was a scribe.  They were professional writers, and therefore used as recorders, secretaries, town-clerks, public servants... and their influence would vary from state to state.  As a Jew, these scribes were people who had access to the scriptures, and were the ones who made EXACT copies of the scriptures.  

These scribes were people who had already studied and knew the Mosaic law, as well as the sacred writings, and so, were looked up to as interpreters and teachers in their own right, and were sought out for clarity and advice, much like lawyers, especially on the more difficult and subtle questions of the law.  BUT - in having this position - they found (wrongful) power to distort God's words in order to manipulate and accommodate various kinds of desires and worldview-thinking.

From Jesus' response to this scribe, we can safely assume that this man's motive in seeking out Jesus as a teacher to follow was not pure, but coming from a position of power and pride, with a desire to obtain greater power and recognition.  Now, Jesus did not say anything all that radical.  In that society, there were, for example, Greek philosophers, as well as Jewish sects (such as the Essenes), who would test wanna-be disciples with extreme demands, such as giving up all of their properties and personal possessions!  Even king David warned prospective followers about the conditions that they would all have to endure and suffer through.  So whenever Jesus called someone to follow Him, the choice was a voluntary decision that had to come with a willingness to live a sacrificial lifestyle.

But - consider the honor to be asked to follow Jesus as a disciple!!!  Because in that society, men would seek out their own teachers, desiring to learn from them, so that they could be just like them.  Meanwhile, God desires that all come to know Him, personally.  So, Jesus reaches out to us, EVEN WOMEN!  He chooses us to follow Him, not just to learn, but to BE like Him, while He helps us, and guides and equips us with His wisdom, strength and love!  It is He who changes us from the inside out.

Then, in verse 21, we see someone who has most likely become a believer and follower, but rethinks this big decision of having a sacrificial lifestyle.  His excuse to Jesus is that he wants to carry out his obligations as the oldest son, regarding his father.  At the very least, it would have been a year's delay, given the ritual and process that happened after someone died.  And perhaps, the father was still alive, and the son did not want to be seen as dishonoring him, by neglecting to take care of him in his older age.  Back then, in Jewish society, they saw that honoring one's parents was one of the greatest commandments!

We are to honor our parents, but God needs to come first in our lives!  Following Jesus and embracing our personal relationship with Him, is the most important relationship we can have!  If we do not have a healthy relationship with the Lord, we cannot have a healthy relationship with others!

Just as Jesus answers this question put forth by a "lawyer" - a scribe - who thought they knew scripture better than Jesus, and wanted to test Him.  Hmmmm... who do you think knows scriptures the best?  A mere mortal, or the Lord God who is from the beginning, who is with the Word, and who is the Word, and who is the omniscient God who wrote the Book!!!  (John 1:1-14, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21, and 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

(Matthew 22:36-40)  But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him: 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the great and foremost commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”

relationships (Matthew 8:14-17) This is Love

(Matthew 8:14-17)

14 When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. 16 Now when evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: “He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.”

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

This is love!  There are times Jesus answers prayers that have not yet been prayed!  And there are so many times Jesus heals us, without us giving it a second thought or a thank You!  And even when we don't receive the healing that we think we should have, Jesus is always there to help us get through that, in His will, comfort, peace, joy and strength.  These are typically the times when and where we draw especially closer to the Lord in our personal relationship with Him, because we don't have anyone or anything else to trust in and rely on.  The Lord is faithful and cares!

This is love reciprocated.  Peter's mother-in-law could have continued languishing in bed thinking, "I was just very sick, I need to take it easy, pace myself, and get a little bit of 'me-time'."  But no!  She immediately got up and started serving the Lord.

The Lord is able to heal us physically, but the most important healing that He does is spiritual.  When anyone goes to Him with humble hearts to repent, He forgives us of all our sins and chooses to remember them no more!  In this spiritual healing we are changed from the inside out, and we receive His indwelling Holy Spirit who continues to convict, guide, equip, strengthen and help us.  And once we are in heaven, we will be completely healed, receiving glorified bodies, which will never again struggle with diseases or temptations!  And in our love and thankfulness, we will all be serving the Lord and those around us, for all eternity, to His glory!  This is love!!!

relationships (Matthew 8:5-13) Full Respect

(Matthew 8:5-13)

5 And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, begging Him, 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, terribly tormented.” 7 Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” 10 Now when Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was healed at that very moment.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY

This Roman centurion (a captain of one hundred men) had somehow heard of Jesus and knew - believed - that He was a Man of great authority who was able to heal from a distance.  We're not told that he was indeed a believer, but his actions and words seem to indicate this.  First of all, he actually cared about his servant and was willing to go out of his way to seek out a solution.

This centurion was most likely originally a Syrian who became a Roman citizen.  The people of Israel already saw Rome as their enemy for invading their homeland, but centurions and soldiers were known for their abusive behavior, and therefore, the people hated these men.  Yet, this centurion called Jesus "LORD", which often was used as a term of respect, much like "sir".  But verse 5 says that he came to Jesus to beg.  From the original Greek word, one could also say he went to Jesus to beseech, intreat, implore and/or pray .  Therefore, it would seem that his respect for Jesus was much more than just social.

Jesus' statement about going to the gentile's home to heal the servant inferred that He was willing to cross cultural boundaries, which would have been socially unacceptable among pious Jews, since most gentiles were pagans.  But then Jesus amps up His message to demonstrate His willingness to associate with gentiles, by saying that many from all over the world will one day recline and eat at HIs table (in the Millennial kingdom as well as in heaven).  This statement would also indicate that the centurion was probably a believer.  

After all, God created ALL of mankind, and came in flesh to die for ALL the world, because of His great love and desire that ALL come to know Him!  The only way anyone reclines and eats at the Lord's table of such intimate fellowship, is to have a personal relationship with Him, through His salvation.  To believe in the Lord is to trust that everything He says is truth, and to strive in obedience to live in His will and righteousness, while fully depending on Him for our healing, comfort, strength, guidance, wisdom, peace, joy, hope...  

The heavenly Father of this family table of love invites everyone to come - to be part of the family - to be born again and become a child of God for all eternity!  To repent of one's sins in order to receive His forgiveness and indwelling Holy Spirit who changes us from the inside out.  This is for everyone, and God asks us to NOT be prejudiced, but help spread that good news of this invitation.  And God asks us to have faith in knowing that He is able to do all things, even things that are "distant".  To understand all of this should cause us to have the utmost respect for the Lord!

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.