Seeing Is Believing

Mark 4:35-41

What could possibly be better than hearing about miracles and other unbelievable moments that took place in the lives of others? Any story you could ever hear, or read about, pales in comparison to actually witnessing a miraculous event with your own eyes. A miracle can be defined as, a wonderous event, that cannot be explained by scientific or natural laws. For this reason, many conclude, miracles are the workings of divine agencies, or higher powers.

In our text, large crowds had begin to follow Jesus, because they had heard of the miracles brought forth by His hands, and were intrigued by His teachings, through the parables. Jesus was wise enough to understand those who gathered around Him, so much that He didn’t speak in ways to confuse them. Instead, His parables were a way to challenge His listeners to seek diligently, the meaning of His words. Not only were the words Jesus spoke undoubtedly profound, but the works He performed were undeniably miraculous.

As the sun began to set, and evening approached, Jesus desired to pass over on the other side of the water, from the ship He taught from. So, the men who were with Jesus, sent the multitudes away, and they set sail toward the other side. While on their way across the sea, the Bible mentions a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the ship, until it was full of water. Picture yourself on a ship, in the middle of a devastating storm, with some of your coworkers, friends, and family members. How would you react in this situation? Now, picture yourself in this same storm, but substitute your family, friends, and coworkers with Jesus, the Son of God. How would you react then? The men on the ship began to lose themselves for, fear that they would die. Fortunately, they were wise enough to acknowledge Jesus on the ship, but only to share their faithless cries. I’m certain these men were eyewitnesses of the miracles Jesus performed earlier in the Gospel of Mark, and had grown in wisdom and understanding from His teachings, so how could they allow fear to so easily beset them, knowing the man they saw perform miracles was on the same ship as they were? In any case, Jesus recognized their lack of faith, rebuked the wind, and spoke peace to the sea. Wow, what a guy!

As if they weren’t already fascinated by the works of Jesus before, this miraculous event caused exceeding fear to come over the men. They then begin to say to one another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” I’ll answer that question for those faithless men. Jesus is a man, come to the earth from the third Heaven, sent by the Father, to save mankind from sin, and themselves.

God knew we would have storms in our lives, even to this day, and we can either cower in fear, as the men in our lesson did, or trust that Jesus cares for you, just as he did for the disciples on the ship, thousands of years ago. The men in our text spent countless moments with Jesus, yet they still underestimated Him. Don’t make the mistake of doubting what the power of God can do in your life. Instead, believe what you witnessed Him perform in your life, when He saved you from a miserable path of sin, cleaned you up, then set you on a path of righteousness, for His name’s sake.

“God still works miracles, but until He does again, keep the faith, and don’t fret when the storms of life beat upon your sailing ship.” – Ell

“Words”

Luke 18

Jesus was a great teacher, during His time on the earth. Whenever He wanted to relay a message to someone, He would either speak in parables, or use plain speech. He never used tactics or manipulation to woo men with honeyed words, but spoke clear enough for them to understand His motives and intentions. The purpose of His teachings were to bring to light, the knowledge of His Father’s plan, and expose the darkness that roamed the earth, which had infiltrated the hearts of men. Also, Jesus proved that He cared more for men’s souls, rather than abusing His influence to gain wealth. Oftentimes, those who heard Jesus speak, would either be amazed by His words and desire more from Him, or offended by them and seek to kill Him. Either way, the Son of God came with a purpose, and every word He spoke was in direct relation to His Father’s plan.

The Prayer Of Faith

James 5:13-20

One of the most sound words of advice acknowledged by Luke in the New Testament says “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” These words were mentioned right before Jesus began to teach the parable of the “Unjust Judge”. If you’re not familiar with this story, it can be found in Luke 18:1-8. Christ understood, keeping in constant communication with the Father, was essential to maintaining the right balance of natural, and holy living. God knows all, created all, and understands all, so the more we come to Him with whatever issue, the better we’ll understand His purpose for allowing it, and how to handle it.

Our text also gives a powerful word of wise counsel, as it states, “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (vs. 16b). While prayer involves communicating with God, in order for God to hear, or even acknowledge your words, a couple of things must first be dealt with. First of all, we should always approach God with a pure heart, and good intentions. If there is any sin in our hearts, we should confess our faults, and the Lord will save us. Second, when we pray, it must be done in faith. Praying without faith is, praying amiss, and God doesn’t acknowledge unfaithful requests. Many times, people come before God with doubt, fear, unbelief, or discouragement, but these things must be put aside, so that one won’t lose heart when seeking to receive an answer from the Father.

Because of Christ, we have a right to approach God, despite with the enemy says or does to convince us otherwise. Prayer is powerful and super effective, and when it becomes a customary pattern, the life of those who pray will become increasingly focused, and appealing in the eyes of God.

Why does the living man complain?

Ell

Effectual, Fervent Prayer

Luke 18:1-8

“…men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” (vs. 1). Jesus spoke in parables for a number of reasons, but more so, to instill valuable spiritual lessons into the hearts of His listeners.

Our text details the parable of the unjust judge. In this story, a woman was being treated unjustly by her “adversary”, and sought justice from a ruler, known to be biased, and unfair. Under normal circumstances, the judge would have ignored the woman’s request, and push her case to the side, but she was persistent in seeking justice, and came to the judge on multiple occasions. The woman’s “continual coming” would eventually give the judge intolerable annoyance, and pester him beyond endurance, so he elected to avenge her.

Jesus never mentioned the details of the woman’s adversary, nor the unfair treatment she was experiencing, but the message was clear; if a selfish, and unrighteous individual can be convinced to give support to the innocent, how much more would God do for those who love Him? God is merciful, and gracious without question. He is love, and offers it freely to all who will accept it. Unlike the woman in the story, who was persistent in seeking justice, many Christians unfortunately give up, and stop seeking God, the moment things turn south in their lives. I must confess, I’ve had my share of experiences, where I wondered if God was even listening to my cries for help, because it seemed that all my praying and fasting rendered no results. But, God always had a way of reminding me, He was well aware of the goings on in my life, and had blessings at the end of all my tests. There were times, when God would allow things to last for a season, to monitor how I would respond. Some tests I passed with flying colors, whereas others, I had to retake a few times, until I got it right.

Jesus encouraged His disciples to never stop praying, nor lose heart, because God would always support them, despite all the hardships they’d encounter on their paths. When hard times come, it’s easy to throw in the towel, and the devil doesn’t make things any easier by trying to convince us to doubt God, and live in fear, unbelief, and worry. But, through Christ, we have the power to overcome doubt, fear, and unbelief. Because of Christ, believers have access to God’s supernatural strength, that enables them to overcome natural experiences.

In those moments when you’re on the verge of giving up, take 30 seconds, and ask God to restore your strength, and equip you with all the tools you need, to remain steadfast during your tough seasons. Always remember, tough times don’t last, but tough people do, so don’t stop praying, because God will see you through.

Walk in love,

Ell

Everyone invited to the great dinner

Luke 14:15-24

The parable of the Great Supper, gives a vivid description of how many people take for granted God’s offer to accept salvation. Jesus spoke this parable immediately after teaching a lesson in humility to a Pharisee who invited Him to eat in his home. Jesus emphasized the importance of charity to the poor, and how it should always take precedence over hospitality to the rich, and those who lack nothing.

In His story, Jesus describes how a certain individual had made a big meal, and invited many to join him. But all those who were invited, linked together and made excuses as to why they couldn’t stay for dinner. I’m not certain whether these men were lying or not, but their excuses seemed legitimate. But, if their reasons for leaving were more important than joining their friend for dinner, then they should have denied the request altogether.

Maybe those awaiting the great meal didn’t like the aroma coming from the kitchen, or possibly felt they were waiting too long to eat, but when supper time came, no one who was invited, decided to stay. So the man became angry, and instructed his servant to hurry and find many who were poor, maimed, blind, cripple, and lame, and bring them to his place to share the meal he had prepared. It was necessary that the servant move with haste, due to the fact that the food was hot, and ready to be served.

The man of the house extended his charity to those who would appreciate his sacrifice, instead of those privileged, yet made excuses. The children of Israel were once offered first, the Gospel. But as a nation, they rejected it, so God provided it to the Gentiles, who have shown appreciation for it then, even until today.

Salvation is offered, and freely given to all who ask for it. God knows the exact events after this life, and how important it is to surrender our lives today, so that we can expect only good things on the other side.

We were all invited to have supper with the Lord, but many, as in the story today, will make excuses as to why they can’t attend. We may only have a glimpse of what Heaven will be like, but that limited information of eternity with God is more valuable more than anything in this present world.

Accept God’s invitation to supper, and I hope to see you at the table.

Seek peace,

Ell

Offer mercy and forgiveness freely

Matthew 18:21-35

The parable Jesus taught in this lesson provides a powerful comparison between God and His children. This text is also an extension of the lesson Jesus taught in the book of Mark, concerning how often we are to forgive others.

He mentions a certain king who had gathered his servants together to settle their accounts. I’m uncertain of the business they were involved in, but one particular servant owed his lord a hefty sum. It’s been estimated that his debt totaled over 290,000,000 dollars. That’s enough for anyone to invest, make a great profit, and pay back what was borrowed.

This king was very generous in trusting his servant with such a great amount of funds. But when the time came to pay back what was owed, the servant couldn’t settle his account. He deserved the punishment pronounced upon him by his lord that he, his wife, and all that he had be sold, including paying back the original debt owed.

Knowing he made a mistake and couldn’t face such great judgment, the servant begged for mercy, and asked the king for more time to gather what he owed. So the king granted his servant more time so that he could possibly pay his debt in full at the next reckoning.

This servant either suffered from short-term memory loss (like Dory), or he was a great pretender, because after receiving mercy and forgiveness from his boss, he failed to reciprocate the same when facing the exact situation he just encountered. After leaving a puddle of tears at the feet of the king, the servant went looking for a man who owed him only 17 dollars. This naïve and abrasive man literally attempted to choke-slam his fellowservant, and force him to pay what he owed.

The man pleaded for mercy, just as he did, but he failed to remember the grace he had recently received. But there were others watching, who immediately reported the terrible incident to the king. So the servant faced judgment again, only this time, he got what he deserved.

We can’t plead and beg for God to forgive, or even bless us when we have no intentions of showing the same generosity to others. God cancels all debt for those who repent, but He equally demands fair treatment between the body of believers. Always remember, God will never forgive you, until you forgive your brother, and you can’t truly forgive, unless it comes from the heart.

Seek peace,

Ell

Defer judgment until the final day

Matthew 13:24-33

We live in a world that has fallen so far from its original state of beauty and serenity, until it has to be purged and made new, in an effort to filter out the root of wickedness, and all its attachments.

After finishing His awesome creation, God took a moment to look over everything He made, and saw that it was very good. But, in no time, sin crept in by way of Lucifer, which caused God’s initial plans for man to be eternally jacked up.

From the days of Adam and Eve till now, sin is still a powerful and deadly influence on God’s people. Instead of helping each other grow and prosper together, many would prefer to use dishonest means just to advance ahead in life, and enjoy their benefits alone. The love that the Bible teaches is replaced with love for self, over love for others.

Jesus shared a parable where a hard-working man planted good seed in his field, but some wicked and evil men who didn’t want to see him prosper, came by and sowed tares amongst his wheat. Now that’s just pure jealousy and hate. Instead of pulling up the tares immediately and risk harming the wheat as well, the farmer would allow for them both to grow together, and separate them in a more mature state.

Be mindful not to judge those who hate you, mistreat you, or put stumbling blocks in your way. Let them do what they are bad enough to do, but love them until the end of time. Because in the end, God will judge them, and you’ll get the last laugh.

Seek peace,

Ell

Jesus explains parable of the weeds

Matthew 13:34-43

Oftentimes, people can get so consumed in their own interpretation of things, that they become oblivious to plain truth. So, you have to find other ways to help them understand. Jesus had a tendency to speak to crowds in parables, in order to simplify His message, while still getting His point across.

The multitudes that followed Jesus back then, couldn’t fully grasp His kingdom message, so He used natural examples to explain spiritual truths.

In this text, the disciples wanted Jesus to help them understand the “Parable of the Tares”. A tare is a kind of darnel, resembling wheat except the grains are black. In essence, it’s a false grain, resembling the real thing.

Each verse details the events that are taking place even today. The world we occupy is the field. The children of God are the good seed, planted by Christ. The tares are the children of the wicked one, and are sown by the devil. The prophecy Jesus spoke of refers to the end of this age, where earth and man will continue forever. But the angels of God will gather all the weeds, or those who do iniquity, and cast them into a furnace of fire.

Although this may sound harsh, it isn’t. Every man has the power to choose what has been set before him; life, or death. It’s unfortunate that many will choose death over living for God today. But there is still time for all those who want to live a life of purpose to make it a reality.

Are you a good seed? Let your life prove it.

Seek peace,

Ell