Scripture: Mat 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Observation: In these passages Jesus concludes the sermon on the mount, perhaps the most profound section of scripture in the Bible. To conclude his teaching, he addresses the subject of Lordship. He identifies who groups who call him Lord, the first call him Lord but he doesn't know them, and the second call him Lord but don't do what he asked them to do. In Jesus' day, land was owned by Lords. The Lords controlled absolutely everything that went on in their land. Most everyone who "worked" for the Lord was his property. The servants of a Lord were at his mercy, if they displeased the Lord then he could punish them up to death according to his whim.
Application: We must determine who our spiritual master is. Is it God, ourselves, or someone or something else? You have to serve someone. Most people in America choose to serve themselves. That seems to be the default choice. Others become totally dependent on someone else, and they serve them. And there are a very few, who choose to not be concerned with their selves or worry about what others think, but rather to fashion their lives around making God pleased. These people tend to be rare, even among the church. Jesus is saying that those are the ones who are going to have eternal life assured. There are others who say that Jesus is their Lord, but don't do what he asked them do do. They are not assured of eternal life according to the words of Jesus.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, you know the plans you have for us. Let us see the plans you have for our lives. Let our purpose be made apparent to us. Let us serve you with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. In Jesus precious name.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
All Roads Lead to ?
Scripture: Mat 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Observation: The words of Jesus are profound; they carry a weight and depth that none other do. God himself is speaking to us. In this verse, Jesus is telling it like it is. Not everyone is going to heaven, in fact most are not. We all wish that was not the case, but it is the reality. Some call us who believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven "Narrow Minded". In this case, that name is warranted... but for a reason. Jesus told us to be Narrow Minded. He said, Narrow is the way that leads to life. Later he told us "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except by me". There are other instances where Jesus told us not to be narrow minded. For instance, in the previous verse Jesus told us to do to others what we would have them do to us and that if we do that we fulfill all of the laws and rules of Christianity and Judaism. That is about as broad minded as you can get!
Application: If we then know that those who are not living for Jesus, how should it affect our lives? We need to tell those who are on the broad road about this narrow path that leads where they want to go. If we don't, we share the responsibility for their eternal destruction.
Prayer: Jesus, I pray that I would be empowered to tell others about you. I pray that I would share your love with them. I pray that they would see you in me, and be drawn to you. I pray that I would speak the words of life to them. Let it be so.
Observation: The words of Jesus are profound; they carry a weight and depth that none other do. God himself is speaking to us. In this verse, Jesus is telling it like it is. Not everyone is going to heaven, in fact most are not. We all wish that was not the case, but it is the reality. Some call us who believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven "Narrow Minded". In this case, that name is warranted... but for a reason. Jesus told us to be Narrow Minded. He said, Narrow is the way that leads to life. Later he told us "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the father except by me". There are other instances where Jesus told us not to be narrow minded. For instance, in the previous verse Jesus told us to do to others what we would have them do to us and that if we do that we fulfill all of the laws and rules of Christianity and Judaism. That is about as broad minded as you can get!
Application: If we then know that those who are not living for Jesus, how should it affect our lives? We need to tell those who are on the broad road about this narrow path that leads where they want to go. If we don't, we share the responsibility for their eternal destruction.
Prayer: Jesus, I pray that I would be empowered to tell others about you. I pray that I would share your love with them. I pray that they would see you in me, and be drawn to you. I pray that I would speak the words of life to them. Let it be so.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
The Golden Rule
Scripture: Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Observation: Most Americans have heard the Golden Rule many times. Most even know it is from the Bible. What I was struck with when reading this passage was the question "Why". Why should we do to others what we would have them do to us? We see one answer in the verse, because it is the law. Most of us try to drive the speed limit because it is the law, but if there were not police to enforce it I think fewer of us would actually drive the speed limit. So why? A good question to ask when looking at scripture is "what is the therefore there for"? The previous two messages in this tail end of the sermon on the mount are about the goodness of God, and receiving what we ask for. We should do good to others because our God is good, and he loves us. Jesus said, if you love me ... keep my commandments. Truly, if you don't love God, there isn't a good motivation to follow him. But if you do love God, you should love his people. Also, treating others poorly could inhibit our own relationship with God. The apostle John told us that if we don't love our brother, that we are in danger of eternal consequences.
Application: Following the Golden Rule should change our lives. We should become givers, and not takers. We should become lovers and not haters. We should become forgivers and not takers of vengeance. Perhaps no other scripture in the Bible has more practical application than this one.
Prayer: Dearest Jesus. Thank you for giving us your word. Thank you for the thousands who gave their lives to preserve your word for us today. Let us now so live as to honor you. Let us love those who hate us. Let us forgive those who hurt us. Let us give to those in need, and expect nothing in return. In Jesus Name we pray
Observation: Most Americans have heard the Golden Rule many times. Most even know it is from the Bible. What I was struck with when reading this passage was the question "Why". Why should we do to others what we would have them do to us? We see one answer in the verse, because it is the law. Most of us try to drive the speed limit because it is the law, but if there were not police to enforce it I think fewer of us would actually drive the speed limit. So why? A good question to ask when looking at scripture is "what is the therefore there for"? The previous two messages in this tail end of the sermon on the mount are about the goodness of God, and receiving what we ask for. We should do good to others because our God is good, and he loves us. Jesus said, if you love me ... keep my commandments. Truly, if you don't love God, there isn't a good motivation to follow him. But if you do love God, you should love his people. Also, treating others poorly could inhibit our own relationship with God. The apostle John told us that if we don't love our brother, that we are in danger of eternal consequences.
Application: Following the Golden Rule should change our lives. We should become givers, and not takers. We should become lovers and not haters. We should become forgivers and not takers of vengeance. Perhaps no other scripture in the Bible has more practical application than this one.
Prayer: Dearest Jesus. Thank you for giving us your word. Thank you for the thousands who gave their lives to preserve your word for us today. Let us now so live as to honor you. Let us love those who hate us. Let us forgive those who hurt us. Let us give to those in need, and expect nothing in return. In Jesus Name we pray
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Filled Full
Scripture: Mat 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
Observation: This is one of the most profound scriptures in the Bible. This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the Beatitudes.. Blessed is the poor in spirit ..., then tells us to be Salty or full of Zest, then tells us that we should shine before men like a city on a hill. Now Jesus "drops the bomb". At this point in his message, we have to be in awe and wonder at the words of the Master. He tells us that he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The word fulfill in Greek means to cram something full. Literally "Fill Full". So Jesus filled the law full. He took what had become somewhat of shell, and stuffed it full. Certainly the Beatitudes did just that. And what Jesus teaches next really fills the law full and makes it complete. In remainder of Chapter 5 Jesus teaches things like: If the Law said you should not kill, I say that if you have anger at someone without cause that you are in danger of Judgement... and the law says don't commit adultery but Jesus teaches that if we look on someone with lust that we have already committed adultery. These teachings are certainly filling the law full. But there is more. Jesus WAS the fulfillment of the law. In fact Laws wouldn't make us right with God. It took Jesus. And when he has made you right with God, you really don't need to worry about the laws... you only need to worry about him. What we need, is to be "Filled Full" of him!
Application: We really don't need to worry about laws and rules and doo's and don't. We need to worry about whether we are filled full of Jesus. He wants to be with us. He wants to change us from flesh and bones into eternal beings that are filled with him. He wants to be with us in our Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I ask you to fill me with you. I don't want to live the way I am living any more. I want you. Cleanse me and fill me with you.
Observation: This is one of the most profound scriptures in the Bible. This is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the Beatitudes.. Blessed is the poor in spirit ..., then tells us to be Salty or full of Zest, then tells us that we should shine before men like a city on a hill. Now Jesus "drops the bomb". At this point in his message, we have to be in awe and wonder at the words of the Master. He tells us that he is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. The word fulfill in Greek means to cram something full. Literally "Fill Full". So Jesus filled the law full. He took what had become somewhat of shell, and stuffed it full. Certainly the Beatitudes did just that. And what Jesus teaches next really fills the law full and makes it complete. In remainder of Chapter 5 Jesus teaches things like: If the Law said you should not kill, I say that if you have anger at someone without cause that you are in danger of Judgement... and the law says don't commit adultery but Jesus teaches that if we look on someone with lust that we have already committed adultery. These teachings are certainly filling the law full. But there is more. Jesus WAS the fulfillment of the law. In fact Laws wouldn't make us right with God. It took Jesus. And when he has made you right with God, you really don't need to worry about the laws... you only need to worry about him. What we need, is to be "Filled Full" of him!
Application: We really don't need to worry about laws and rules and doo's and don't. We need to worry about whether we are filled full of Jesus. He wants to be with us. He wants to change us from flesh and bones into eternal beings that are filled with him. He wants to be with us in our Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I ask you to fill me with you. I don't want to live the way I am living any more. I want you. Cleanse me and fill me with you.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Salty
Scripture: Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith - shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men
Observation - In Leviticus 2:13 God said that every offering should have salt in it. In Mark 9:49-50, Jesus said that we need to have "salt in ourselves". Salt is a necessary mineral, without it we die. Too much of it and we also die. Salt was the primary means of preservation of food up until modern times. Salt was also used for purification and healing because no germs can live in it. So what did Jesus mean when he said " You are the salt of the earth"?
Application: We are supposed to be salty. We are supposed to be cleansing. We are supposed to be pure. We are supposed to be peaceful. We are supposed to be have zeal. We are supposed to do all these things in the earth. If we don't, we are not serving our purpose here.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, fill me with your spirit. Help me to be what you have called me to be. Help me to be God on earth. Help me to be a beacon of peace, power, and self control. Give me your peace, give me your power, give me your love. Wash me and I will be clean.
Observation - In Leviticus 2:13 God said that every offering should have salt in it. In Mark 9:49-50, Jesus said that we need to have "salt in ourselves". Salt is a necessary mineral, without it we die. Too much of it and we also die. Salt was the primary means of preservation of food up until modern times. Salt was also used for purification and healing because no germs can live in it. So what did Jesus mean when he said " You are the salt of the earth"?
Application: We are supposed to be salty. We are supposed to be cleansing. We are supposed to be pure. We are supposed to be peaceful. We are supposed to be have zeal. We are supposed to do all these things in the earth. If we don't, we are not serving our purpose here.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, fill me with your spirit. Help me to be what you have called me to be. Help me to be God on earth. Help me to be a beacon of peace, power, and self control. Give me your peace, give me your power, give me your love. Wash me and I will be clean.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The rain falls on the good and the bad
Scripture: Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Observation: Good things seem to happen to those who are righteous, and those who are unrighteous. Why is that? This is a common question, frequently asked in the midst of tragedy. The answer is in this verse of scripture. The context is Jesus's sermon on the mount which starts out "Blessed are the poor in spirit"... In this sermon, Jesus tells us how we should live while we are are on earth, and at the end he tells us so "that you may be the children of your father in heaven". The goal of our life is to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. It will be more wonderful than we can comprehend, and compared to it, all the suffering this world has to offer is like comparing a drop of water to the ocean. Forever is a very long time. So, the answer is this ... Our home is not here. Our home is eternity. Here on this earth, the rain does fall on both the good and the bad, but this earth is neither our purpose or our home. "For" in this passage of scripture is important. It says, be God's children forever ... because your life on this earth is not what this is all about. Bad things could happen to you here, but remember that is not what we as God's children are all about. Our mission here is to affect eternity.
Application: Understanding our mission should give us a different perspective. In some sense, we should not care about the bad things that happen to us. They hurt. Jesus wept. But ultimately we need to keep our mission as our focus.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us to keep about your business. Help us to keep our eyes on you. Help us to do your work. Help us to affect eternity in Jesus Name.
Observation: Good things seem to happen to those who are righteous, and those who are unrighteous. Why is that? This is a common question, frequently asked in the midst of tragedy. The answer is in this verse of scripture. The context is Jesus's sermon on the mount which starts out "Blessed are the poor in spirit"... In this sermon, Jesus tells us how we should live while we are are on earth, and at the end he tells us so "that you may be the children of your father in heaven". The goal of our life is to spend eternity with Jesus Christ. It will be more wonderful than we can comprehend, and compared to it, all the suffering this world has to offer is like comparing a drop of water to the ocean. Forever is a very long time. So, the answer is this ... Our home is not here. Our home is eternity. Here on this earth, the rain does fall on both the good and the bad, but this earth is neither our purpose or our home. "For" in this passage of scripture is important. It says, be God's children forever ... because your life on this earth is not what this is all about. Bad things could happen to you here, but remember that is not what we as God's children are all about. Our mission here is to affect eternity.
Application: Understanding our mission should give us a different perspective. In some sense, we should not care about the bad things that happen to us. They hurt. Jesus wept. But ultimately we need to keep our mission as our focus.
Prayer: Dear Father, help us to keep about your business. Help us to keep our eyes on you. Help us to do your work. Help us to affect eternity in Jesus Name.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Baptized by the Holy Spirit
Scripture- Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
Observation - Much has been written about this passage over the centuries. In fact, the day I read this scripture in my daily bible reading, it was the subject of both of the radio programs I listened to that day while driving in to work! Our God is the author if coincidence. The bible teaches us that baptism is symbolic of the death of our selves, and the rebirth of our new selves. Our old selves are selfish, and sinful. Our new selves are spiritual and filled with the very spirit of God himself. Today when we think of something being symbolic, it has a connotation of being not real. That is not the original meaning of the word, and not the correct meaning when referring to things such as baptism being symbolic. Merriam-Webster defines symbol as "a visible sign of something invisible". For example, the stop sign is the symbol of the traffic law that says we need to stop. If there were not traffic law, the red octagon would mean nothing to most of us. However, if there were a traffic law but no red octagon at the intersection we would not stop! In some sense, the symbol is more real than the invisible thing it represents. So it is with Baptism, although it is symbolic... it is very real. A divine transaction takes place when with a pure heart we follow Christ's command and example of repentance, baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit of God almighty.
Application: The Bible says we must be born again. Life without Jesus is no life at all. Don't wait another day to devote your self to your God, and follow his command to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, show us the way we should go. Help us to follow you with all of our mind, all of our heart, and all of our soul. Give us this day. We commit ourselves to you, to love you and serve you all of the days of our life.
Observation - Much has been written about this passage over the centuries. In fact, the day I read this scripture in my daily bible reading, it was the subject of both of the radio programs I listened to that day while driving in to work! Our God is the author if coincidence. The bible teaches us that baptism is symbolic of the death of our selves, and the rebirth of our new selves. Our old selves are selfish, and sinful. Our new selves are spiritual and filled with the very spirit of God himself. Today when we think of something being symbolic, it has a connotation of being not real. That is not the original meaning of the word, and not the correct meaning when referring to things such as baptism being symbolic. Merriam-Webster defines symbol as "a visible sign of something invisible". For example, the stop sign is the symbol of the traffic law that says we need to stop. If there were not traffic law, the red octagon would mean nothing to most of us. However, if there were a traffic law but no red octagon at the intersection we would not stop! In some sense, the symbol is more real than the invisible thing it represents. So it is with Baptism, although it is symbolic... it is very real. A divine transaction takes place when with a pure heart we follow Christ's command and example of repentance, baptism and infilling of the Holy Spirit of God almighty.
Application: The Bible says we must be born again. Life without Jesus is no life at all. Don't wait another day to devote your self to your God, and follow his command to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, show us the way we should go. Help us to follow you with all of our mind, all of our heart, and all of our soul. Give us this day. We commit ourselves to you, to love you and serve you all of the days of our life.
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