Tag: Savior

Walk, Work, Words

Psalm 15:1-2

“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.”

*Judge your life, not by other’s opinion of you, but by your lifestyle, your works, and the words you speak. This is how God the Father will determine who will dwell in His holy hill.

Know Your Role

Ephesians 5:21-33

21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Just A Touch 2

Matthew 14:34-36

Throughout His ministry, Jesus was constantly on the move, traveling from place to place, doing the works of His Father. His purpose was to reach and teach as many as He could, during the time He would spend on the earth.

After revealing another dimension of His power by way of walking on water, and being acknowledged a second time as the Son of God, Jesus and those who followed Him, went to a land called Gennesaret. This fertile land was north of the shore of Galilee, and was known for producing both temperate and tropical fruits. This particular area was also brimming with people who suffered sickness and disease. So, when the men of the land recognized the man among them was Jesus, they quickly spread word to all the country, to bring all who were diseased to Jesus.

The most interesting point in this story seems to relate to the woman who had the issue of blood. I’m not 100 percent certain there’s a relation with the woman and the people of Gennesaret, but all who came to Jesus, sought only to touch the hem of His garment for their healing, so word of the woman’s story may have spread to this land as well. These sick folk had enough faith to believe, only a touch of Jesus’ clothes, would bring their healing. Mercifully, their faith was in the right place, for all who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment were made perfectly whole. Jesus didn’t perform half healings, but His manifestations were total and permanent.

Jesus healed according to the faith of those who came to Him, so all who desired healing, sought total deliverance and restoration. When you come to God, do you seek partial deliverance, or do you want God to give you a total and complete manifestation of those things your heart desires? Reach out in faith, and touch Jesus, so He can make you whole again.

Solitude On Hold

Matthew 14:1-21

Losing someone you love, is never an easy thing to handle. In fact, many who’ve lost loved ones have given in to sadness and depression, so much to the point they’ve allowed idleness and stagnation to dominate their days. While there are numerous ways people cope with death, nothing is ever certain to bring joy to a heavy heart. Personally, when dealing with losing someone close, I often try to keep myself busy with work, or other things that occupy the time. This is because, the longer I sit idle, the more my thoughts will run rampant over things I wish I had said or done differently, while my loved one still lived.

After reading the lesson text, I was brought to tears while recognizing how Jesus dealt with losing someone, just as many of us do today. When the disciples brought word to Jesus, that his cousin John the Baptist had been killed, He sought the quickest way to get away from everyone. Jesus, the Son of the true and living God, sought solitude after the news of John. Being all powerful, and the creator of all things, how was Jesus subject to like passions as we are? This is proof, our Savior understands our hurts, pains, and struggles. He feels what we feel, and copes in ways we seek as well.

Unfortunately, when trying to distance Himself from people, many heard where He had fled, then followed Him on foot, out of many cities. Jesus was hurting, and needed time to heal, but after seeing the great multitude that followed, He was moved with compassion toward them. Have you ever been in a situation, when your heart was beyond heavy, yet you had compassion on someone else? Jesus was truly God in the flesh, and didn’t allow His present suffering, to forfeit blessing those who diligently sought Him.

As the story continues, Jesus fed over 5,000 people from two fish, and five loaves of bread. When we go through seasons of hurt, pain, and shame, we must be strong, and keep our focus, because God may decide to use us, to help someone else get through their hard season. Jesus is a loving and caring person, so remember, when you’re suffering, He’s moved with compassion for you too.

Traditions Of Men

Mark 7:1-8

Fighting the good fight of faith ain’t always easy, especially when there are always those who are content with finding fault in literally everything you do. As I approach the 40 year age mark, I’ve come to the conclusion, when a person receives God’s salvation, they are automatically assigned certain haters, who will make it their business to slander their name, no matter the cost.

Whether you do go, or not so good, your haters will make everything you do, seem as if it’s the end of the world, while at the same time, neglecting to correct the faults and issues in their own lives. This was an accurate account of the life of Jesus and those who followed after Him. Whether Jesus taught in synagogues, or in desert places, there would oftentimes be certain groups of Pharisees and scribes, who would investigate all that Jesus and His disciples did, in order to find fault in them. The sole purpose of those who hated Jesus was, to silence Him from speaking truth, but Jesus knew how to handle them in a way that actually should have change their hearts. Unfortunately, some had hearts of stone, and were too engulfed in themselves, until even the Son of God recognized when to let them be.

In our text, the Jews had a tradition that involved washing themselves in a proper way, before eating. Even after coming in from the market, the Jews would wash themselves accordingly, and only eat after they were considered clean. On a certain day, while performing their usual investigation, the scribes and Pharisees noticed some of Jesus’ disciples eating bread, without washing themselves beforehand, according to their tradition. As expected, these shallow-minded men were quick to bring their concern to Jesus. The Pharisees and scribes asked Jesus, “Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” If these men truly knew God as He was taught from generation to generation from the days of Moses, until their present time, they would have understood that man’s traditions can never supercede God’s commands, and would have refrained from mentioning this issue altogether. But, Jesus knew the intent of the men’s hearts, and exposed their wickedness by using Scripture. Jesus mentioned how the prophet Isaiah spoke of the future, when men would honor God with their lips, but not from their hearts. The Son of God continued and spoke how men were prophesied to worship God in vain, and teach doctrines of man’s commandments, while ignoring the commandments of God. Obviously, Jesus was referring to the scribes and Pharisees before Him, and literally called them, hypocrites, for caring more about keeping traditions to look holy in the midst of others, rather than humbling themselves by honoring the commandments of the Lord.

Never allow yourself to get caught up in what men deem as proper living, especially if it’s not taught in Scripture. Learn to live, not by the experiences of others, instead, by aligning your life with what’s taught in the Word. This way, you’ll never be deceived into making the traditions of men, more honorable than the commandments of God.

In Plain Sight

Luke 24:17-21

All hope seemed lost, as Cleopas and his companion walked with hung down heads and heavy hearts, through the village of Emmaus, which was about seven to eight miles from Jerusalem. The two men were believers in the teachings of Jesus, and had hoped He was the one who would redeem Israel, but as the news of His death continued to spread throughout the lands, the message of hope and redemption began to look bleak and grim to many who followed after the Son of God.

As the men journeyed further into the village, the risen Jesus appeared to them, but through His unfathomable power, He kept the men from recognizing Him. While this act may seem like some Jean Gray or Scarlett Witch type of thing, Jesus literally had all “real” power in His hand, to do as He pleased in the earth. Think for a moment, if Jesus had the power to open blind eyes, wouldn’t it make sense for Him to also be able to temporarily hide His identity from men in plain sight?

Jesus inquired of the men, the details of the conversation they were having, and why they were sad. Cleopas replied, “Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel.” I’m certain you can imagine a slight grin on the face of Jesus, as He listened to the men, yet saw their faith. These two faithful men were in for a real surprise, as they would soon find out who this mystery stranger was in their midst…

Don’t Forget

Luke 24:5-10

“The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” (Luke 9:22). “Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men.” (Luke 9:44). “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that were written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.” (Luke 18:31-33).

On multiple occasions, Jesus warned His followers of the horrible things that were destined to happen to Him. He made mention that He would be rejected by those who were supposed to support Him, beaten, mocked, bruised, scourged, and even put to death. But, He never left out the most fascinating of all prophecy; He would rise again, after death!

Our text references the tail end of Jesus’ brief, yet impactful ministry, and also rings some very alarming bells. Following His death, Jesus was taken from the cross and placed in Joseph’s unused tomb. Days following the Savior’s death, the women who had followed Jesus and witnessed His burial, had prepared spices and ointments to use on the body of their loving teacher, while the disciples were keeping themselves out of sight. Ding! Ding! Ding! Helloooooo! Did these folk forget what Jesus had told them, time and time again? Apparently so. But, how could they be in the very presence of Jesus, witness miracles done by His hand, yet forget the most important message He ever told them; “and the third day, He shall rise again.” What purpose was there to prepare spices and ointments, if the Son of man would rise from the tomb? Why hide yourselves from those who were responsible for the death of Jesus, if you knew He would be dead only three days? The disciples and those who followed after Jesus weren’t distracted by Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, or any other media source, but were fully focused on the prophetic events that took place during their time. I can understand if they were with Jesus during the 21st century, when men are so easily beguiled, but there was hardly anything happening to take their focus off Jesus’ words (that’s just my opinion).

How could they so easily forget that Jesus would rise again? Maybe they thought it was a fairytale, or that Jesus meant something else, or they possibly just didn’t believe. For this reason, God already had a someone in place to remind the people, His Son was indeed raised from the dead. Do you believe what the Bible teaches, or do take in some parts, and disbelieve others? All verses of Scripture are interconnected, and the root of every text is Jesus. The Words of God were written for our instruction, whether we think they are fairytale or not, but despite what we believe, all Scripture will soon be fulfilled.