Nobody But Jesus

I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody all about somebody.

Video: Casting Crowns - Nobody (Official Music Video) ft. Matthew West

Why You ever chose me

Has always been a mystery

All my life I've been told I belong

At the end of the line

With all the other not-quites

With all the never-get-it-rights

But it turns out they're the ones You were looking for

All this time

'Cause I'm just a nobody

Trying to tell everybody

All about Somebody

Who saved my soul

Ever since You rescued me

You gave my heart a song to sing

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

Moses had stage fright

When David brought a rock to a sword fight

You picked twelve outsiders nobody would have chosen

And You changed the world

Well the moral of the story is

Everybody's got a purpose

So when I hear that devil start talking to me saying

"Who do you think you are?"

I say

So let me go down, down, down in history

As another blood-bought faithful member of a family

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

So let me go down, down, down in history (Goin' down in history)

As another blood-bought faithful member of a family

(That's all I ever wanna be)

And if they all forget my name, well that's fine with me

I'm living for the world to see

Nobody but Jesus

1 Corinthians 1:26-29 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

It Is Well

My soul can be at peace when everything in the world around me is falling apart.

 

Our scars are a sign of grace in our lives 

And Father how you brought us through 

When deep were the wounds and dark was the night 

The promise of your love You proved 

Now every battle still to come 

Let this be our song 

It is well, it is well With my soul, with my soul It is well, it is well With my soul 

Weeping may come, remain for a night 

But joy will paint the morning sky 

You’re there in the fast, you’re there in the feast 

Your faithfulness will always shine 

Now every battle still to come 

Let this be our song 

You lead us through battles 

You lead us to blessing 

And you make us fruitful 

In the land of our suffering 

God It is well, it is well with my soul

Real Peace

John 14:27  "I am leaving you with a gift--peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. 

One of the greatest gifts that we need is peace. The world is looking all over and they think that they have the answers but their answers don't work for every situation in life. They can't give you real peace when everything is falling apart.

Jesus tells us "I am," He is the bread and the living water, he is the light for our path and the only way to the Father. He is everything that we need for this life and for our forever life. That's why we have peace in the midst of the storm.

Scripture on suffering: 

2 Corinthians 6:3–10, Matthew 5:11–12, Romans 8:31–39,

The story behind the original song: 

It Is Well With My Soul (wikipedia.org)

Giving Your Best Gift

Since God gave his best gift to us we should give the best gift that we have to offer.

Genesis 4:1-5  Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, "With the LORD's help, I have produced a man!"  2  Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.

3  When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD.  4  Abel also brought a gift--the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift,  5  but He did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

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The opportunity to live in paradise is gone and it won't come back for a very long time. Imagine having to explain that to your children. Adam and Eve had to tell their boys how good they had it and awesome it was to have daily visits from God.

Since they weren't living in paradise the boys had to work, they would grow weary and tired, Cain had to fight the weeds in order to protect his crops and Abel had to protect his livestock from the wild animals.

The boys learned what sin is and they learned that because of sin God required an offering as a part of their worship. This offering must be the best gift that they had but when it was time to worship God one of them brought a perfect gift and the other offered a gift that was less than the best.

They both knew the right thing to do but the condition of their heart and their attitude toward God was reflected in their gift giving.

Genesis 4:6-7  "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected?  You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." 

God let Cain know that he needed to change his attitude and he gave him the opportunity to do so but Cain ignored God advice. Imagine bringing a gift to God and he tells you that you didn't do it right, maybe it is the right gift but your heart is not right, maybe the gift is wrong but your heart is right, if you get a chance to fix what is wrong then just do it.

Cain didn't offer God a satisfactory gift and he didn't appreciate the undeserved gift that God gave to him. God could have killed Cain but instead of enjoying forgiveness, mercy and grace, Cain decided that he loved his sin more than God. Cain should have learned from his parents that the consequences of disobedience were severe and that God could have been a lot more harsh. (Genesis 4:13)

The Bible is full of examples of God giving and man rejecting, over and over again God gives his best and we don't appreciate it. Adam and Eve didn't appreciate it and now Cain has followed in their footsteps and the process just keeps on going through all of history.

Romans 12:1-2  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Have you ever received a gift so great that you just had to give your best in return? If you are a child of God you have! God cared enough to send his very best so we should feel compelled to follow his example. I should be willing to follow God's example in giving up my rights and privileges in order to give like God. (Philippians 2:5-11)

Video: Giving God Our Best - Francis Chan
What kind of gift do I give? Too often it isn't my best gift.

Sometimes I give him my time after everything else and I am too tired. Sometimes I give him my spare change instead of giving generously and sacrificially. Sometimes I want to impose my own rules about worship or I want to decide what my worship looks like. (Isaiah 58, Amos 5, Malachi 1)

How deliberate are you in showing how much God means to you by what you give back to him?

Humility In Ministry

The gospel doesn't need a bunch of hype.

 

John 7:6-11  Jesus replied, "Now is not the right time for Me to go, but you can go anytime.  7  The world can't hate you, but it does hate Me because I accuse it of doing evil.  8  You go on. I'm not going to this festival, because My time has not yet come."  9  After saying these things, Jesus remained in Galilee.  10  But after His brothers left for the festival, Jesus also went, though secretly, staying out of public view.  11  The Jewish leaders tried to find Him at the festival and kept asking if anyone had seen Him.

John 8:1-11  Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives,  2  but early the next morning He was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and He sat down and taught them.

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Yesterday in the temple Jesus invited the crowds to come to him if they had a spiritual thirst. The reactions to Jesus offer were very diverse. Some people were convinced that he could satisfy their spiritual longing but then there were others who wanted him arrested.

You may recall from John chapter seven that Jesus didn't enter the temple with a bunch of fanfare or attention, he just blended in with the crowd, that is until he started teaching. His teaching always made him stand out, even when he was a little boy, Jesus message always drew a crowd. (Luke 2:41-52)

John 7:14-15 Then, midway through the festival, Jesus went up to the Temple and began to teach. The people were surprised when they heard Him. "How does He know so much when He hasn't been trained?" they asked.

John chapter seven is all about the commotion that followed after Jesus gave his message. The place was in an uproar, mean things were being said, people were being disrespectful to Jesus and then in the midst of all of this chaos Jesus finishes the message and moves on to the invitation.

"Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'"

That just made things worse because now they are trying to arrest him! Some people think that he is correct in saying things that the Messiah would say but they are a minority. Other people are skeptical and others are completely opposed to Jesus.

After all of the commotion in the temple, somehow it settles down enough for people to go home for the day, everybody except for Jesus. Maybe there were other homeless people in the temple that day but he was the least deserving person to be without shelter. While everybody else went to their house to rest for the night Jesus went to the garden.

He slept out in the cold on the Mount of Olives many times, I have to wonder how little he slept. Did he look tired and older than he really was because of sleep deprivation? Remember when he said the foxes and birds have homes but the creator of the universe didn't have a place to lay his head? (Matthew 8:20)

In the morning Jesus went back to the temple, he quietly went in, sat down and he taught. It would be tempting to think that there is no way that he is going to go back and teach a crowd that is so opposed to his message. But he returns and the opposition comes along too. (John 8:1-59)

You might think that Jesus should make an announcement or pass out flyers to let people know that he was going to be at the temple at a certain time. He didn't put out any signs, he didn't announce that the greatest teacher in the world was about to begin.

Keep It Simple
1 Corinthians 2:1-3  When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn't use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God's secret plan.  2  For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the One who was crucified.  3  I came to you in weakness--timid and trembling.

The Apostle Paul knew that he needed to keep it simple, not that his audience was slow to learn, he knew that the gospel is supposed to be what draws people in. There's no place for sensationalism in a gospel presentation.

John the Baptist started his ministry in a remote location, there weren't any neon lights or banners directing the crowds to take a walk to the desert. John would always point people to Jesus and push the attention away from himself. The people that followed John had it all wrong, they should have come to John just long enough to be redirected to Jesus, their complaint that "everybody is going to Him instead of coming to us" was so absurd. (John 3:26)

Peter's message after Jesus ascension into heaven was so bold and simple. The crowds knew that he didn't go to rabi school, he was an ordinary man, and yet his message was extraordinary and it drew the crowds. (Acts 4:12-13)

John 12:32 And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to Myself."

Jesus said that he would be the good news that would attract people. We need to remember:

✔  The more that people see of Jesus the less they will see of us.
✔  The key is availability and teaching.
✔  Just give the Word, it's all about the message not the method

Thank you Lord for choosing to use me to tell the good news of the gospel. I pray that I will not get in the way of the message.

Reactions To Jesus Offer

You have to decide what you will do with Jesus.

 

John 7:37-38  On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!  38  Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, 'Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.'"

John 7:40-46  When the crowds heard Him say this, some of them declared, "Surely this man is the Prophet we've been expecting."  41  Others said, "He is the Messiah." Still others said, "But He can't be! Will the Messiah come from Galilee?  42  For the Scriptures clearly state that the Messiah will be born of the royal line of David, in Bethlehem, the village where King David was born."  43  So the crowd was divided about Him.  44  Some even wanted Him arrested, but no one laid a hand on Him.  45  When the Temple guards returned without having arrested Jesus, the leading priests and Pharisees demanded, "Why didn't you bring Him in?"  46  "We have never heard anyone speak like this!" the guards responded.

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"Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me!" Jesus made an offer to the crowd that should have been great news but there was only a handful of people that saw it that way. Jesus invites us to come to him if you are thirsty for spiritual things, if you are thirsty for a full pardon for your sin and if you crave a relationship with your creator then come on down. Get yourself a taste of living water that can satisfy!

Everybody that has been introduced to Jesus must react, the claims that he made about himself cannot just sit there without a response, the crowds in the temple that day were split into four groups:

The Convinced

"This is the Messiah! The one that we have been waiting for since Moses told us about him." They thought that John the Baptist was the prophet but now they are sure that Jesus is the one that they have been anticipating. (Deuteronomy 18:18, John 1:21)

The Contrary

This group is bent on tearing down the people that are convinced that Jesus is the Messiah. Without looking at the facts they make a crazy remark about where Jesus was born. "You convinced people, what's wrong with you? You think Messiah comes from Galilee?" They didn't use the fact checker to see that Jesus really did fulfill the prediction about the birthplace of the Messiah.

The Confused

This group is stuck in the middle, there are the believers and the unbelievers and then there are the ones that are not sure what to think. Why didn't the guards bring Jesus in? It sounds like they are not sure about who he is and if he really is the Messiah then they don't want to mess with him.

The unbelievers ridicule the believers and also the confused. The religious leaders let the soldiers know who makes the decisions about spiritual stuff. The common everyday people can't decide for themselves, they need us to tell them what God is doing, there are still a lot of cults and religious systems that operate that way.

The Contemplative

It's been almost three years since that night when he visited Jesus. He was doing his own research to decide for himself what the truth is about Jesus. He is a thinking man and he wants to learn the truth instead of letting somebody else in his group of friends decide for him.

How Will You Respond?
Matthew 27:22  Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

There isn't any other offer that is as important as this one with such drastic consequences.The offer is out there and you must decide for yourself what you are going to do with it. Will you get the facts straight for yourself, let your friends dictate what is right or just ignore the offer all together.

Thank you Lord for your offer, I am so thankful that I am a part of the convinced crowd, help me tell others the good news and open their heart to get the facts and accept your offer.

Don't Have Much To Give? Good!

God uses inadequate people with inadequate resources.

John 6:5-13 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for Him. Turning to Philip, He asked, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6 He was testing Philip, for He already knew what He was going to do.

 7 Philip replied, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!" 8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 

 9 "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" 10 "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 

 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward He did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told His disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted." 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.

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In the previous post we saw that the crowds that followed Jesus around were not really followers of Jesus. To them he was an amusement and a resource for free health care. They had a lot of nerve to say to Jesus "Show us a miraculous sign if You want us to believe in You. What can You do?" (John 6:30)

Jesus knows that they don't have enough money to feed all of these people but he also knows that there is a boy whose mom made him wait before he left the house so that she could finish packing his lunch. Again we are going to see that Jesus has a plan and he has an agenda.

Jesus has compassion for this crowd but he also has a higher agenda just like when he cleared the temple, when he healed the man by the pool on the Sabbath and when he "needed" to go through Samaria to meet a woman. Jesus always has an agenda. Jesus had compassion for them all but the greater end that Jesus is working toward has more to do with teaching the disciples a lesson than it does the feeding of a hungry crowd.

The disciples are looking for an easy way out, this crowd has been a pain for too long, perhaps they wanted to use this opportunity to get rid of them. Let's send them away so that they can buy their own food and we can have some peace and quiet. (Mark 6:36)

Jesus ruins that idea when he asked Philip about the local food supply. Philip should have said to Jesus, not too long ago I saw you turn water into the best wine, he should have thought that Jesus could give them food from out of nowhere just like the manna that God made fall from the sky for their forefathers. The disciples should have been ready to say to Jesus "You can feed these people you don't even need the little boys lunch to do it." (John 6:5-6, Deuteronomy 8:16-17)

These guys were low on faith but they were still obedient and made the crowd spread out and sit down. Maybe the fact that they were right there with Jesus and he gave them a direct order made them feel pressured to go ahead and do it. Usually a lack of faith makes me become disobedient.

Jehovah Jireh
Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Jesus proves that he is totally sufficient, he is in control, and he has unlimited resources. Imagine watching the first and second person get their food and you are next, you probably think that the food from that little lunch box is all gone, but then the food comes from somewhere. I have to wonder at what point the new pieces of bread showed up. Could the people see the next piece of bread suddenly pop into Jesus hands or did they pop into the basket just before Jesus reached back in?

Jesus uses the inadequate people who yield their inadequate resources to Him. What an awesome lesson for the disciples and one that we need to come to realize as well. God's people are inadequate to meet the needs of the people that they minister to and it is better for us if we realize that before we get busy in ministry. Without God we can't save them and we can't meet their real needs.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed by the needs around us and we can get burned out in serving the Lord because we are trying to meet those needs in our own strength, if we rely on God and his resources we will be freed from worry and we will become more generous as we prove his faithfulness.

Help me to be faithful to do your will, forgive me Lord for being disobedient when I can't see the resources to do what you want me to do.

Growing Big Faith - Private Disciplines

Private disciplines help us to be more like Christ.

Matthew 6:1-8  "Watch out! Don't do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.   

2  When you give to someone in need, don't do as the hypocrites do--blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I tell you the truth, they have received all the reward they will ever get.  3  But when you give to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  4  Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

5  "When you pray, don't be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  6  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7  "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  8  Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him!

Matthew 6:16-18  "And when you fast, don't make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get.  17  But when you fast, comb your hair and wash your face.  18  Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

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Discipline is a four letter word to most of us, we don't like being forced to do something that we do not want to do, we feel like we are suppose to do it whether we like it or not. It doesn't matter if it is exercise, budget, a diet or learning to play an instrument. Sometimes we don't always like disciplined people, sometimes they are inspiring but sometimes they get on our nerves, they make us feel bad, so we try to persuade them to be more like us.

Discipline is for our own good and that is even more true of spiritual discipline. Spiritual disciplines are another tool that God uses to help us grow closer to him. Our faith and trust in him will grow as our relationship with him develops, this doesn't happen by accident, there must be an intentional effort to get to know God.

"Students are to be like their teacher."

Right away Jesus tells us to not make a big deal of what you are doing. When it comes to being disciplined and doing good deeds Jesus tells us that we need to be a secret agent. If you are fasting, do your best to not look like you are, don't be a show off when you pray in public, God says that you won't get a reward from him if you have already gotten a reward from the people around you.

Don't mistake the purpose for private discipline, you are not trying to earn God's favor by checking off a bunch of good deeds, doing these things does not change the fact that you have been saved by grace alone. Becoming a better disciple is our goal. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Don't mistake the presence of these disciplines with spiritual maturity. They are not a guarantee that maturity exist rather they open the opportunity for it to develop. Sometimes the disciplines are being done with the wrong attitude but there is still some value in doing it. God can still use the time spent with you to bring you closer to him. You may find that it will get easier and the things that you used to dread will be something that you will look forward to.

Our selfish nature is always wanting to get stroked for doing the right thing but the lifestyle of the Christ follower is one that requires selfless discipline that will probably not get noticed. It is better that way so that we won't start to believe that we are anything away from the power of God.

My secret disciplines should include:

• Helping those that have needs that I can meet.
• Praying with the attitude that Jesus demonstrated in his example.
• Forgiving the people that have hurt me without even mentioning the offense to them.
• Fasting without looking like it I am doing so.
• Bible study, meditation and memorizing scripture helps us overcome Satan's attack.

This is only a partial list of disciplines but it is a great place to start. For more information on spiritual disciplines check out this page.

The life of a Christ follower should be a disciplined life so that your faith can grow. It takes a lot of effort to take up your cross daily and to put on the Armor of God. Without discipline you will be tempted to give up and leave the cross and the armor laying on the ground.

Missing Christmas: Familiarity

Nazareth was too familiar with Jesus to think that he was special.

Luke 4:14-22  Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit's power. Reports about Him spread quickly through the whole region.  15  He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16  When He came to the village of Nazareth, His boyhood home, He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures.  17  The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free,  19  and that the time of the LORD's favor has come. "

20  He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at Him intently.  21  Then He began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!"  22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

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Nazareth was a crude, uncultured town that was quite a distance from Bethlehem. It wasn't know as a nice place to raise a family but that is where God decided that Jesus would grow up. Remember the words of Nathanael when he said: “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).

Jesus grew up in this rough town yet he did not sin, the devil must have been at work in this town, I don't think that he would leave Jesus alone for thirty years without trying to get him to sin. It seems to me that Jesus would have stood out as somebody special in the crude environment that he grew up in yet the people that knew him best completely missed him.

Since none of the people in his hometown figured it out he went to the temple one day and announced it to them. They were very familiar with the passage that he read from Isaiah, they knew that it was about the Messiah that they had been anxiously waiting for, they knew that Jesus was the only kid in town that never did anything wrong yet they missed out on Christmas.

Luke 4:22  Everyone spoke well of Him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from His lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?"

Luke 4:28-31  When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious.  29  Jumping up, they mobbed Him and forced Him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push Him over the cliff,  30  but He passed right through the crowd and went on His way.  31  Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day.

Despite having all of the facts about Jesus and having their own testimony of what they had seen and what they had heard for thirty years they still thought that killing Jesus was the best reaction to him. The people of Nazareth, who knew Him better than anyone, had no idea who He really was. Mark 6:6 says that even Jesus wondered at their unbelief.

They thought they knew Jesus
Acts 7:51-52  "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That's what your ancestors did, and so do you!  52  Name one prophet your ancestors didn't persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One--the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered."

What was their problem? Familiarity. They knew him too well or they thought that they knew him. As Stephen said to the crowd before he was stoned, "You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth." Many people think that they know Jesus and they don't think that he is anybody special because they haven't really met Jesus.

It is sad to see this happen so often in the United States. There is so much access to information about Jesus that we might as well be in his hometown watching him grow up yet so many people in our country don't really know him.

I am reminded of Jesus warning that "when someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required." (Luke 12:48)

God Doesn't Have Favorites

God chose to use Israel as a tool to reveal himself.

Ephesians 2:11-13  Don't forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called "uncircumcised heathens" by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.  12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.

Deuteronomy 10:16-19  Therefore, change your hearts and stop being stubborn.  17  "For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God, who shows no partiality and cannot be bribed.  18  He ensures that orphans and widows receive justice. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing.  19  So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt.

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Ever since the original sin people have been very good at putting up barriers, throughout world history you can see the barriers between ourselves and those around us and the boxes that we put each other in, it is a part of our sin nature that affects every relation that we have. Sin creates hate, bitterness, strife, fighting, war, conflict, there's only one thing that ruins the possibility of having a perfect human relationship.

There are so many labels that could be put on a person, labels that were intended to show superiority and human pride, this was a major problem throughout the Bible:

✔ You can hear some pride in King David's voice when he said in 1 Samuel 17:26: "For who is this uncircumcised Philistine?"

✔ You can hear the Gentile contempt for the Jews when you listen to Pilate. "I surely am not a Jew am I?" (John 18:35)

✔ Check out this interaction between Paul and an angry crowd of Jews: "But the Lord said to me, 'Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles!'" 22 The crowd listened until Paul said that word. Then they all began to shout, "Away with such a fellow! He isn't fit to live!" 23 They yelled, threw off their coats, and tossed handfuls of dust into the air. (Acts 22:21-23)

The Jews had distorted the fact that God chose them as a tool to reveal himself to the world, instead of showing the world a better way of living and drawing attention to God they decided that they would use God's favor on them to justify elevating themselves over everybody else. They ignored a lot of facts in the Old Testament that showed that God was for everybody:

✔ God said that they would be a blessing to others, not superior and condescending to others (Genesis 12:2)

✔ Abraham went to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, a non-Jew and a priest of God.  Melchizedek made it clear that the Jews didn't have God all to themselves, he feared and worshiped God and since he was a priest he received an offering from Abraham (Genesis 14:17-20)

✔ Why was God concerned that righteous people would perish in Sodom and Gomorrah if he was only the God of the Jews? (Genesis 18:20)

✔ Jethro, Moses' father-in-law and non-Jew was convinced that he knew God (Exodus 18:10-12)

✔ God told his people through the prophet Isaiah that the Jews didn't have a lock on God and God said that his house would be a house of prayer for all nations. (Isaiah 56:3, Isaiah 56:6-8 )

✔ Rahab and Ruth, how about these important non-Jews in Jesus' genealogy?

✔ And don't forget about God's concern for the Assyrians that were living in Nineveh. God loved them but Jonah couldn't stand the idea of going to their city and having a revival.

God never said that salvation belonged only to the Jews. Their special privilege was supposed to be a witness to the nations that would draw everyman to God. Their lifestyle should have made the world take notice and it should have given the Jews an opportunity to explain why they are different. Instead of that it became an excuse for carnal, selfish pride and thoughts of superiority.

Does your life honor God?
Romans 2:23-24  You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it.  24  No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.

The Apostles had an uphill battle convincing the early church that they were all equal and that everybody is and always have been standing on level ground. Imagine all of these different groups of people having to go to worship and having to go to dinner together.

The New Testament teaches that we, the church, are supposed to be different. We are to walk in love, live by the spirit our conversation and our way of life should be totally different from the rest of the world. (Matthew 5:16) Our world should notice the difference that Jesus has made and then we will have opportunities to explain why.

Thank you Lord for giving me a new life. May I never look at the world and fail to have compassion I want them to be drawn to you and wonder why I am different.

Related articles

• Unity Of The Body - Part 1 (gty.org)
• Unity Of The Body - Part 2 (gty.org)
• Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight
  Living With Eternity In Sight (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

The Church Needs Good Shepherds

Shepherds have a difficult task but the rewards are awesome.

1 Peter 5:1-4 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in his glory when he is revealed to the whole world. As a fellow elder, I appeal to you:  

2 Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly—not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3 Don’t lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your own good example.

4 And when the Great Shepherd appears, you will receive a crown of never-ending glory and honor.

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The secular example of leadership in world history is one of domination, from the Philistines to the Babylonians to the Romans, they all ruled with an iron fist. Even the Jewish religious leaders took up this autocratic leadership style of force and intimidation. Authority was not usually associated with concern, forgiveness or mercy.

Peter is writing this book to the persecuted church, the leaders in Judaism and the Roman government are intimidating the followers of Jesus to try and get rid of this new movement, Peter is telling the church leaders that in the face of persecution the church needs leaders to lead.

Peter found out the hard way that leaders are made and they are proven when times are tough. Peter failed when the pressures was on, he blew in no time right after boldly announcing his allegiance, Jesus forgave him and he also gave him a fresh mandate to take care of the flock. After that Peter went on to become the solid rock that Jesus had said that he would become.

Matthew 20:25-26 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.

The world had never seen leadership done the way that Jesus did it, the world had never seen a servant be a leader, the only thing that servants did was perform the jobs that nobody else would do. Jesus example shows us that we need to take care of the flock that God has placed in our care and serve them with the right attitude, cheerfully eager to serve God with Christlike humility, self-sacrifice, and affection for the sheep.

Psalm 23:1-3 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. 2 He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. 3 He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.

If you read the entire twenty third Psalm you will catch a glimpse of the perfect shepherd, one that supplies every need, one that leads his sheep to safety, feeds them, brings them through the darkest days and prepares a place for them to live with him in his presence for eternity.

We must remember that the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will one day return and review our work. Will you be found following his example?

Related articles

• Seven Warning Signs of a Leader's Fall (thomrainer.com)
• Serve By Leading (wisdomhunters.com)
• The Believer's Survival Guide (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

The Widow's Offering - A Picture Of Jesus Sacrifice

The widow gave her all, Jesus gave his all, how is your giving? 

Luke 21:1-4 While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. 2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. 4 For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

Proverbs 11:24 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.

Philippians 2:3-5 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

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There was a lot of giving going on that day in the temple. It was difficult to miss who gave and who didn't give and it was easy to be recognized for how much you gave. The leaders in the temple probably looked on as the donations were made so that they could intimidate the people into giving, they may have known who gave but they didn't know what Jesus knew, he was the only one that knew the attitude of the giver.

Jesus saw the rich and famous and how large their gifts were and then he saw the poorest of the poor and Jesus told his disciples that in God's economy the widow was the best giver in the temple that day. The widow had it right, she didn't dwell on how little that she had, she didn't think about how big her needs were, her happiness, comfort and security were not as important as her humble obedience.

Do you think she knew that the leaders in the temple were going to spend some of the money on themselves? These are the same leaders that were scamming the people with the money changers and the animals in the temple. The fact that they were going to misuse the money didn't stop her from doing what she was supposed to do. She still gave and did so without animosity.

It isn't in scripture but the Religious leaders were probably furious, as closely as they were watching Jesus and analyzing everything he said and did, I bet that they heard what he said about the givers that day.

Research has shown that when your income increases the percentage that is used for charitable contributions tends to drop. Just like the scene in the story of the widow, those that had the most gave the least, we tend to give less the more we are blessed.

The widow's enormous sacrifice reminds me of the sacrifice that Jesus made for me. He sacrificed the riches of heaven, he subjected himself to the woes of the human experience, hunger, sadness, temptation and in a few days he would make the ultimate sacrifice.

Give Like Jesus

Jesus gave until it hurt. He was willing to help the worst of sinners. If anybody had a good reason to not be an excellent giver it would be Jesus, he gave to those that don't deserve it, his generosity and attitude in giving set the standard high for us to follow. We have benefited from his generosity despite the ugliness of our sin.

In order to be like Jesus I must be selfless and humble, willing to be humiliated and suffer for those that don't deserve it, I can not judge them. I must be willing to look out for the needs that are around me and be willing to meet them with the right attitude. I can not help them only when it is convenient or when it doesn't cost too much.

Just before Jesus gives us his all he makes sure that we see what he expects us to give. I will never go broke being generous if I am generous with the right motives. Jesus wants my sacrifice but he only wants it with the right attitude.

I want to be a generous giver Lord, thank you for your generous gift of salvation!

Pleasing God Even In Suffering

How I behave when I suffer is a testimony.

1 Peter 2:18-21  You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you--not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.   

19  For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.  20  Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.   

21  For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.

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The frequent mention of slaves in the New Testament shows that many of the first Christians must have been slaves. There are a lot of guidelines for how a slave should behave in the writing to the early church. (Ephesians 6:5-7)

What a strange state for a believer, to learn from Jesus and from the apostles that all men are created equal and yet many of them are living as slaves, they must have had a difficult time accepting the position that they were in. Yet they were told to respect the authority that they were under when they came to Christ, their lives should follow Jesus example and show love, patience and grace so that they would be a good witness.

What pleases God? Most of us know the answer, it is to do what is right, but it doesn't mean to do right only if the circumstances are good. We are told to do what is right even when we are not treated well, it doesn't get you off the hook, you can't stop living by God's standards just because of pain and trials.

You suffer? God blesses.

Matthew 5:10-12  God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.  11  "God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are My followers.  12  Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Trouble is going to come your way even if you are living for God and even if you are working for peace. Jesus told us that God blesses those that work at being peaceful but he also warned us that we will have trouble in this world. (John 16:33)

Jesus didn't tell us to endure through suffering and whine and complain, he said that we should be happy about it, God's ways are so unnatural for us.

God promises blessings upon his children but we may not receive them until we arrive at out eternal home in heaven. Those blessings can be difficult to wait for but if we really take an honest look at our lives we will have to admit that living with God in control and going through hard times is a much better life than going through those difficult times without him.

I am called to do good, even if it means suffering, I need to do what God calls me to do. How I behave when the pressure is on is a testimony to the power of God in my life. (1 Peter 2:21)

Got A Light? Don't Hide It.

The children of light should never cover it up.

Matthew 5:14-16  "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.  15  No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.  16  In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Luke 11:36  If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.

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In this familiar passage of scripture in Matthew, Jesus has just finished talking about the lifestyle of his followers in the verses that we call The Beatitudes.

We usually separate The Beatitudes from the following verses about being salt and light and don't put the two concepts together but I think that shining our light has some prerequisites.

Beatitudes - A list of the godly attitudes that mark a true believer and insure true happiness.

-John MacArthur

Living for him with the attitudes and character that please him will make you a bright light in this dark world, if you are not doing that then there won't be any light, you will look like everybody else that is living in the dark. But if you are living the beatitudes lifestyle you will stand out.

You are going to be strange in a world that seeks happiness in favorable circumstances and pleasant emotions, the world tells us to look out for ourselves but God's expectations are different, he taught that happiness is found in living for him and when we live for him we will be a shining light in this dark world.

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

You have the potential to be the light, as a child of God you already have the light in you but you have a choice whether you will let it shine out for everyone else to see. Are you going to put a lamp shade or even worse a blanket over it so that it doesn't help anybody else?

1 Peter 2:9  But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.

The light of good deeds are for God's glory, don't put the light on yourself so that you will get the credit, the world needs the real source of light and what it can do in their lives. If we live like his chosen people and have the beatitude attitude then we will want our light to shine on Jesus instead of ourselves so that they can see his love and kindness. That's what this dark world needs.

Get Out Of The Milk

Selfish living dominates our life when God isn't allowed to be in control.

1 Peter 1:13-16 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”

1 Peter 2:1-3 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.

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If you received the good news and became a Christ follower like Peter has talking about in the previous verses of this chapter then there are some things that will naturally change in your life as a result. As followers of Christ we should be having an exciting time looking forward to the day when our salvation will be revealed to the world. Our salvation should be a great source of joy in the midst of this world full of tragedy and injustice.

Here is a word of warning for those that are trying to live to please God, you should beware because the old ways will try and take you back, Peter said that "living to satisfy your own desires" will creep back in the door if you are not careful. It's all about making choices, all day long we are constantly making choices, it is difficult to control ourselves and make the choices that please God, it requires us to take on the mind of Christ. The desire to please ourselves is a battle that we will fight until Jesus takes us out of this world. (Romans 7:15, 1 Corinthians 2:16)

Have you outgrown the milk diet?

Hebrews 5:12-14  You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God's word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.  13  For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn't know how to do what is right.  14  Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

You start out as a baby in God's family, just like you did in your human family, but you shouldn't stay at that stage of your spiritual life forever. You should have a good appetite, one that is anxious for more milk and then progressing to eating cereal and then moving on to solid food.

God wants us to be like him, his number one character trait is his holiness the moral excellence of God, sounds like a tall order that we can't possibly attain. It is an attribute that we are to strive for, God tells us to be holy just like he is, we need to look like a part of God's family. We will not fully achieve our goal but if you are a follower of Christ then you will start to look like him, it can't be any other way, following Christ will always have an outward expression, actions that can't be covered up. 

God has revealed himself, his character and his desires for his children through his word. We need to be students of his book and let him "teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives" so that we will know how to become more like him. (2 Timothy 3:16)

Learn How To Serve Like The Master

A series on Jesus final teachings before his betrayal.

John 13:1-5 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He had loved his disciples during his ministry on earth, and now he loved them to the very end.

2 It was time for supper, and the devil had already prompted Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him.

John 13:12-17 After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? 13 You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. 15 I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. 16 I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. 17 Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.

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Jesus entire life was an example of what love looks like, in today's scripture he has a limited time to teach his disciples before his death. Jesus uses this opportunity to teach his disciples to show them love in a very tangible way, once again showing them the kind of lifestyle they should live.

Foot washing was a hospitable act that a servant would do but at this meal we see the host doing the foot washing. Most of us wouldn't want to touch anybodies stinking feet but Jesus used the opportunity to show us a few things about serving others.

You say that you don't like to serve? Jesus love was what motivated him to serve maybe if you are not motivated to serve then you might have a problem loving people. Jesus loved us so much that he came into our world as a peasant and served us and gave it all for us despite the high position that he had. Jesus wasn't too good to serve so it seems pretty obvious that none of us are too good.

Let God's love show through you.

1 John 3:16,18 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

We are called to live a life of sacrifice and service, putting aside our old selfish man and following the example that we have been given. (Romans 12:1, Philippians 2:5) It sounds like a difficult task, to live in opposition to our sin nature, we don't have to go it alone, the Holy Spirit will help us to become more like Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:5-9)

I need your help Lord to live a lifestyle that is pleasing to you, thank you for your willingness to show love.

True Repentance Is A Matter Of The Heart

God tells us to stop playing around and get real.

Joel 2:12-14 That is why the LORD says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.”

Return to the LORD your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve, sending you a blessing instead of this curse. Perhaps you will be able to offer grain and wine to the LORD your God as before.

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In today's world, it is difficult to imagine that it is impossible to tolerate something, we have been told that truth isn't rock solid so therefore we can't possibly know what is right and wrong. The result of that kind of logic is that you have to tolerate everything, you get to decide what is right and wrong for yourself but don't impose your thinking on anybody else.

My God isn't tolerant, he is patient, merciful and forgiving, but he isn't going to allow me to live how I want to live for very long. In the tolerant society we live in, it is hard to understand that he cannot tolerate our sin, holy God cannot do it. He isn't going to tolerate fake repentance either, God doesn't want me to go through the religious motions and check off all of the boxes on my religious to do list, he wants a true change of heart.

Signs of a renewed heart
✔ Loves the Bible - Psalm 119:162 ✔ Confident hope - Ephesians 1:18-19 ✔ Desire for holiness - Colossians 3:1-2 ✔ Desire to seek God - Psalm 119:10 ✔ Encouraged - Psalm 73:26 ✔ Joyful - Psalm 4:7

The prophet Joel told the people of Israel that God is reaching out to us to save us from judgement, God said "Give me your heart." basically he said "make a u-turn and come back."

If we are truly his children then there was a time when we knew with all of our heart just how disgusting and filthy we are, we knew that we needed a heart cleaner, and at the moment that we ask God to come into our hearts he starts the cleaning process.

Sometimes we walk away from the cleaning, that's okay, if we are truly repentant for doing so, God says that we can come back without fear. He is anxious to take us back and keep working on us, the prophet says in today's scripture that he is "eager to relent" he would prefer to shower us with love and mercy but he will not tolerate our arrogance and rebellion forever.

My God says that I need to be patient, merciful and forgiving but he doesn't give me the luxury of tolerating wrong, not even in my own life. This Easter season, I need to choose to receive a blessing instead of a curse from God, I need to examine my heart daily and be sure that is has the signs of a heart that has been renewed.

Thank you Lord for your patience and mercy, thank you for going to the cross and healing that nasty wound called sin, making a way for me to be your child. I want to live for you every day.

Related articles

• Are You Making Time To Talk With God? (tampabaptistchurch.blogspot.com)
• Perseverence (devotionsfordisciples.com)
• God's Word Is The Best Heart Cleaner (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

Can You See Me Now?

The Pharisees loved for people to admire them.

Luke 16:14-15 The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, heard all this and scoffed at him.

15 Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God.

Proverbs 21:2 People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart.

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The Pharisees have an addiction problem, if there had been a local chapter for "Be Seen As Righteous Aholics" then they would have to signup. They were so full of self righteousness that they were rebellious right to God's face.

In the last blog post we were looking at "Using Your Money Wisely" In that lesson Jesus taught about the use of money, a subject that the average church goer hates to hear and the Pharisees didn't like it either and in a style similar to the Pharisees, a lot of us react negatively as well. 
 
There were many times that the reaction to Jesus teaching was scoffing or mocking, the Pharisees wanted to appear righteous and honorable, but Jesus would expose them as less. The Pharisees should be mad, after-all they have spent a lot of time on their image and then Jesus has the nerve to tell them that they don't measure up, he tells them that they wasted their time because he looks at the inside.

Jesus stressed the importance of a good heart, he doesn't like heart problems, he said that the people with a pure heart will be blessed (Matthew 5:8), he said that I am to love God with all of my heart (Matthew 22:37), he said that good deeds can only come from a good heart (Luke 6:45).

The Pharisees were known for their "book learnin'" but Proverbs says that they will never get it:

Proverbs 14:6, 15:12, 21:24  A mocker seeks wisdom and never finds it. Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise. Mockers are proud and haughty; they act with boundless arrogance.

I must be careful that I assess who I am and if I am living with God's approval. I can easily have man's approval for a while but God's assessment of my condition is the one that matters. I need to  remember that Jesus said that his own heart is gentle and humble (Matthew 11:29) and remember that he wants the same from me.

Help me Lord to inspect myself accurately when I hear a teacher or pastor sharing about your ways.

What's Important To You

Your actions should be matched up with the right attitude.

Luke 14:25-30, 33 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.

28 “But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.

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Popularity polls can be very misleading, they seek to know who is popular but they never ask why that person is popular, somebodies popularity could be based on misconceptions instead of reality.

In this scripture today, Jesus popularity was way up, the crowds are all excited and willing to follow him around as he teaches, heals and gives away free food. But was his popularity based on misconceptions about who he is and what his agenda is? It looks like following Jesus is a free ride, he talks about love, he feeds us and he keeps us healthy.

Jesus wasn't ever slow to set the record straight and today's scripture is no exception. Jesus told the crowd that "following" him required so much more than just "following" him through the dusty streets of Israel. Jesus told them that their allegiance would have to change, he told them that they would have to change their attitude and their actions.

Attitude is everything in following Jesus, trying to make yourself great or following just for the rewards is futile and if you think that a rigorous compliance to all of the rules will get you anywhere then you need to talk to the apostle Paul about his Pharisee days.

Right behind attitude is your actions, denying yourself and accepting the cross that Jesus has asked you to carry should only come from someone having the proper attitude, if you try to carry your cross with the wrong attitude then you won't carry it very far before you decide that it isn't worth it.

Is it worth it to give up so much for Jesus?

Matthew 11:28-30 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.

It seems like you are giving up so much, Jesus is asking you to live a different lifestyle from the rest of the world, but what does the world really have to offer? Wouldn't you rather live for so much more?

The world is trying to sell you on ways to find joy, peace and happiness but the only way to get lasting results is from following Jesus Christ, he said that we will receive many benefits from following him and that carrying our cross will be so worth it. (Matthew 7:24-25, 19:29, Mark 10:29-30, Luke 11:28, John 14:27, 15:10-1)

Focus On God

Take a look at my awesome God!

Psalm 77:13  God, Your way is holy. What god is great like God?

Psalm 19:1-6  The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

Psalm 103:11-13  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His faithful love toward those who fear Him.

12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 111:4  He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered. The LORD is gracious and compassionate.

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Our mind is so limited when it comes to grasping who God is, the scriptures tell us a lot about him but our ability to comprehend who he is with our little brains is so limited.

Yesterday's post was about maintaining our relationship with God so that he will hear us when we pray, we talked about doing the right thing, today's scriptures talk about thinking the right thing, we have to keep the right attitude about who he is. King David knew about the characteristics of God, many of his Psalms tell us about them: he is holy, glorious, full of love, forgiveness and compassion.

God is focused on me, he proves it with his love and forgiveness for me, I need to focus on him and realize what a great ally he is.

It is amazing Lord, that you care so much about me and that you had me in mind when you came to save me from the death penalty. Help me to keep my eyes on you.

Are You Looking Good

God wants me to be beautiful.

Matthew 23:27-28  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. In the same way, on the outside you seem righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

1 Samuel 16:7  Man does not see what the Lord sees, for man sees what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart.

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Just like all of us, our God loves beauty, he created it and he loves it even more than we do. Take a look at all of the beauty that he created and it is very obvious that he loves it. The difference between us and our creator is that God perceives beauty in a totally different way.

We go around looking at the outward appearance of beauty, whether it is in the shape of our face or the price tag of our clothes, we want to be pleasing to the eyes but God has a totally different outlook on beauty.

Remember those Pharisees that Jesus looked at and how he saw past their outward efforts to look good? The people around them thought that these guys had it together but Jesus accused them of being whitewashed tombs, good looking on the outside but the inside was full of filth. Just look at the list of things that Jesus saw when he looked at them: unmerciful, proud, deceptive, liars, unjust, faithless, hypocrites, murderers.

Galatians 5:22-23  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

At the rate that I am going I will never be beautiful in the world's eyes. I need to seek to be beautiful in the Lord's eyes by having the fruit of the spirit permeate every part of my being so that my Father will be pleased with what he sees. I will be beautiful and the world will be attracted to me when I begin to look like my Lord.

I pray Lord that I will be a beautiful part of your creation, thank you for seeing me as your child, help me to be pleasing to you.