Interesting juxtaposition

Here are a couple of passages from Luke 9.

Luke 9:40-42(NKJV)

So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” 

And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Luke 9:51-54(NKJV)

Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 

and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 

But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 

And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

How quickly they went from not being able to cast out a demon to thinking that they could call down fire and brimstone just like Elijah.  What should we think of that?

I would say the life lesson here is that even though they had just failed at one thing, they still had full faith that through Jesus nothing is impossible so they should think big and try. 

Scripture tells us that "through Christ all things are possible."  That doesn't however mean that all things will be successful, even things that you believe Jesus called you to do.  Sometimes the things we are called to do have a different purpose such as teaching us things that we need to learn for future success. 

But here is the thing.  No matter whether that previous thing God called us to was a success or failure, ALWAYS approach the next calling with total enthusiasm and faith.  Always! 

Why?  Because God made us a promise. 

Romans 5:3-5(NKJV)

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Hope does not disappoint!!!  If you truly believe that then take joy in each new calling that God gives you secure in the knowledge that God is in control and the ultimate outcome is that our hope will not be disappointed!

"Therefore take heed how you hear. "

Here is an interesting turn of phrase.

Luke 8:18(NKJV)

Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.”

What do you think that means?  Take heed how you hear?  Here is what I think it means.

I think it means we will be held accountable for how we interpret what we hear.  When studying God's Word we aren't just passive listeners/readers.  God speaks in parables and we have a responsibility to interpret them correctly.  Now God doesn't leave us on our own to accomplish that task.  God gives us the Holy Spirit as our interpreter.  It's up to us whether we listen to the Holy Spirit or not. 

The other part of this verse also invites a comment.

"…For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he seems to have will be taken from him.” "

You see this same phrase in the Parable of the Talents.  In that parable Jesus is talking about wealth so there might be an inclination to think this is about wealth as well.  However I think the principal is broader than that.

In this instance I believe Jesus is referring to Godly knowledge.  The more we seek to understand God's Word, the deeper that understanding becomes.  In other words the deeper understanding is the "more will be given" in this instance. 

Make sense?

Sometimes you have to ask, what the heck does that even mean??? :)

I don't know about you but there are things that I read in the Bible that just leave me wondering, what the heck God is even talking about here?  And as I have mentioned before, I think God throws a few of these things in here just to see if we are really paying attention to what we are reading?  :)

Here is an example.

Luke 7:33-35(NKJV)

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ 

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ 

But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

What?  Wisdom is justified by all her children?

Jesus has just detailed the hypocrisy of His critics.  They criticized John for one thing and then criticized Jesus for doing the exact opposite.  Kind of a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation.  

But then Jesus throws in the kicker at the end about "wisdom is justified by all her children".  Now in the context of what Jesus was just talking about, that comment makes no sense to me what so ever. 

Oh well.  Maybe the Holy Spirit will give me some revelation knowledge regarding that verse someday.  I like the way God works the revelations from the Holy Spirit.  Basically God puts us all on a need to know basis.  As we need to know things, He has the Holy Spirit reveal them to us.

Pretty cool!!!

What this means and what it doesn't mean.

 

Luke 5:31-32(NKJV)

Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 

I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

I think a lot of Christians get the meaning of these verses confused so I'll give you my take on it.

Jesus did go to where the sinners were to try and save them.  Notice it says He went there to call the sinners to repentance.  What He didn’t do was accept people who were sinning as if they had repented when they hadn't. 

It seems to me that many Christians today have perverted this concept by accepting sinners who refuse to repent as if they had repented.  Many Christians today seem to think that all people deserve and should receive the blessings of believing in Jesus, even if they reject the message of Jesus himself…and they use this verse as their justification. 

But if you compare that to Jesus' ministry style you will see that Jesus was very clear.  Only those who believe in Jesus are entitled to the benefits of believing in Jesus! 

Interesting point

Do you understand the point Jesus is making here?  I had to read it a couple of times to get it.

Luke 4:23-27(NKJV)

He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country.’” 

Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. 

But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; 

but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 

And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”

The central point is that a prophet is without honor in his own land.  The people who knew you growing up are the least likely to believe in you.  That is because they have preconceived notions of who you are. 

His point in the two example I believe just reinforce His central point.  In both cases, it was foreigners who had enough belief to be helped.  The locals did not. 

When is the last time you asked a total stranger "Can I pray for you?"?

I did that recently.  Pretty cool.  Give it a try. You'll help lighten someone's load and it'll put a smile on your face as well. 

I was doing some Lyft driving and the passenger was going through a trying time.  When we got to her destination I simply asked if I could pray for her.  She said she would like that.  We prayed and then I went on my way.  When she got out of the car she seemed to have a little bit better take on the world. 

The cool thing is I had a total stranger ask if she could pray for me at the end of a ride recently.  We had a really great talk as we drove.  When we got to her destination I wished her luck on her recent job advancement.  She thanked me and then out of the blue asked "Do you mind if I pray for you?".  I said sure!  She prayed, calling for God's blessings and favor on me; and then we went our separate ways.  It sure put a spring in my step! 

So if you ever find yourself in a situation where it is appropriate, take a chance and offer to pray for someone.  It will bless you both!

Did Jesus really think that God had forsaken Him?

Mark 15:33-34(NKJV)

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 

And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 

I wonder.  Did Jesus really think that God had forsaken Him or did Jesus just say that for our benefit?  In other parts of Scripture Jesus has used that approach, saying something so that the people heard it.  That is what I think is going on here.  I just find it inconceivable that Jesus actually thought in that final hour that maybe God had abandoned Him. 

Watch!

That is what Jesus tells us. Watch.  Be ready.  Know your Scripture so that you know what you are watching for.  Know your Scripture so that you know how to react when you see the things you are watching for happening. 

Read Mark 13 if you want a good description of what to watch for.

Can you love God without loving Jesus?

Mark 12:29-31(NKJV)

Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  This is the first commandment. 

And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”

So the number 1 commandment according to Jesus is to love God with all that we have.  Love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all of our strength. 

So here is my question.  Can you love God without loving Jesus?  I believe the answer is no.  God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the three parts of the trinity.  God tells us this through His Word.  I don't believe a person can just love one of the three in the Trinity.  My reasoning is that if you claim to love God but you reject Jesus and the Holy Spirit then you are essentially calling God a liar.  In my mind that isn't loving God with everything you have. 

Everyone will be seasoned with fire.

Everyone will be seasoned with fire.

Thursday, October 04, 2018

9:41 AM

In case you have ever wondered why bad things happen to good people, here is your answer.  It is necessary.

Mark 9:49-50(NKJV)

“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”

Now in this time…and in the age to come

One of the aspects I try to convey is what I call practical every day Christianity.  What's in it for me now?  What I mean by that is what practical benefit on a day to day basis is there from being a Christian.  Eternal Life is the ultimate benefit but for some people, especially younger people, that can seem to be so far in the future as to not be "real".  On the other hand paying the bills and dealing with day to day life is very concrete.  I hope that makes sense.

For example Scripture tells us that God knows all of our needs and if we will trust Him, He will provide.  That is a very concrete benefit for the here and now. 

Well here is a Scripture that I ran across today that I think answers the question very succinctly. 

Mark 10:29-31(NKJV)

So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, 

who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. 

But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Turns out Jesus addressed this topic directly.  The benefits of being a Christian are both for the here and now and for in the future for eternity.

I'd also like to point out one other thing.  There are many who criticize wealthy Christians.  "Why don't they give more of their money away?" and things like that.  Well look again at the Scripture above.

Jesus says whoever has given up things (including material things) for God will receive them back 100 fold in this time.  Now is this an isolated instance of this idea?  Nope.  Think back to the Parable of the Talents.  In that example those who were good stewards of their talents were given more responsibility and material things.  It even said that those who didn't steward their abilities well for God would lose what they had and it would be given to those who did do well.

So my point is that when you see a wealthy Christian consistently using his/her talents and material things for the good of God, why would you be surprised that they keep getting even wealthier.  It's what Jesus said would happen. 

Why is fear such a dominate force in so many people's lives?

I have written about fear many times.  My belief that fear is an outward manifestation of an inner lack of faith.  Scripture tells us that fear and faith can't live in the same body.

So why is fear such a dominate force in people's lives?  Check out the following Scripture.

Mark 9:5-6(NKJV)

Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—

because he did not know what to say, for they were greatly afraid.

Mark 9:30-32(NKJV)

Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. 

For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” 

But they did not understand this saying, and were afraid to ask Him.

What struck me in these verses was that even the disciples let fear control them to a certain extent.  Let's take the first Scripture for example. 

Peter, James, and John go up the mountain with Jesus and they see Moses and Elijah and the disciples are afraid.  Why???  Why were they afraid?  They were with Jesus.  What was there to fear?

In the second Scripture they were afraid to ask Jesus to explain something.  Again, why???  Why would they fear asking Jesus anything?  Did they really think Jesus was going to bite their head off or something just for asking for an explanation? 

I hear people all the time talking about their fears.  For me it is like hearing fingernails on a chalk board.  I had a conversation with a young lady recently and all she talked about was her fears.  After about 5 minutes I asked if I could offer her some advice.  She said yes.  I told her "stop talking about your damn fears all of the time.  The way you talk, I'm amazed you can even get out of bed in the morning.  Stop letting fear control your life!"

But reading the above Scripture and seeing how much even the disciples were controlled by fear it got me to wondering why fear is such a strong influence.  I believe the Holy Spirit has given me the answer.

One of the strongest responses in the human body is the fight or flight response.  It is our survival mechanism that is hard wired in us.  So fear is a very natural response.  But it is also a response that we need to learn to harness and control. 

That is where faith comes in.  Faith is a decision.  Just because we are Christians doesn't makes us immune to our body's natural responses.  The difference should be in how we respond to fear.  We need to develop the discipline to recognize fear and immediately insert our faith over that fear. 

Does that make sense?  It is a bit of a change in thought for me.  I had it in my mind that Christians should be able to totally preempt fear.  Noticing today how the disciples were controlled somewhat by fear even though they were with Jesus Himself, helped me see the error in my thinking.  Pretty cool how the Holy Spirit leads us in our daily walk as long as we keep seeking!

Sometimes Jesus is open to reasoning

One of the great things about Jesus is that we are developing a relationship.  That means we can talk and reason with Jesus.  Sometimes He says no at first but if we reason with Him He will sometimes change His mind.  Pretty cool!

Mark 7:24-29(NKJV)

From there He arose and went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and wanted no one to know it, but He could not be hidden. 

For a woman whose young daughter had an unclean spirit heard about Him, and she came and fell at His feet. 

The woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth, and she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 

But Jesus said to her, “Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.”

And she answered and said to Him, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs under the table eat from the children’s crumbs.”

Then He said to her, “For this saying go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”

The ministry style of Jesus vs. the ministry style of many churches today.

So many churches today don't have the courage to preach the Gospel.  They water things down to make it "easier" for people to accept.  Let's compare that to how Jesus handled those who wouldn't believe.

Mark 6:10-11(NKJV)

Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. 

And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”

Isn't it interesting that Jesus didn't tell His disciples to pander to those who wouldn't believe.  Jesus didn't take a Kumbaya approach to the unbelievers.  Seems to me that Jesus took the approach that they heard the message, they exercised their free will and rejected Jesus, Jesus accepted their free will decision and didn't try to talk them into it, and Jesus said that they will pay the consequences for their decision.  Case closed.

Big difference, isn't it?