Luke 1 - GROW, KNOW, SHOW and FLOW

Luke 1. In this chapter, there are many miraculous things revolving around prophecy, faith and praise; however one verse stood out to me above the others. “80And the child (John the Baptist) grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel.”

What an amazing statement of faith and life! First, John had to GROW. John grew, both physically and spiritually. He didn’t remain the same, but he grew! God could not use him fully as he was, so he had to GROW to be fully utilized by God.

Next, he had to KNOW. John “became strong in the spirit”. Earlier in this chapter, the angel Gabriel said John would be born with the Holy Spirit, but it is very important that it is mentioned here that, even though John was born with the Holy Spirit, he became even stronger in the spirit. Not had some spirit, or thought about the spirit, he became STRONG in the SPIRIT. This strength required knowledge, growth, discipline and seeking personal relationship with God, through prayer and study.

Then, John had to FLOW. “he lived in the desert”. This was a man who had the Holy Spirit from birth and grew stronger in the Spirit, so why did he live in a dessert? I believe, as was the focus of Sunday’s service, that he was in the dessert, facing the harsh trials, so he would grow even stronger and learn to rely on God for his strength and survival. How do you temper steel, by burning it in the fire to rid it of impurities so only the best is left. Could John have grown stronger in the spirit without trials? I think not.

So he had to endure the trials, follow God’s plan, as a leaf floating on a river. The leaf doesn’t try to see the whole course from beginning to end, it doesn’t worry about the rocks or blockades in the way, it doesn’t even have the power to move on its own, it simply goes with the FLOW, using the river to guide and direct its movements, confident that the river will direct the best path, as long as the leaf stays in the river. Such should be our walk with God; we are the leaf and He is the guiding, powerful river.

Finally, John had to SHOW. He was in the dessert “until he appeared publicly to Israel”. This is the final step, God gave him time to mature, to grow, placed him in the dessert to temper his faith and live centered around growing in the Holy Spirit, so he could then appear publically for the purpose that God had in store for him. It was time to SHOW, to accomplish the purpose that God had planned for him. John could not reach Israel by staying in the dessert, to do so he had to be willing and faithful enough to step out and SHOW the glory of God and complete the task.

Wow, what a lesson in the Lord. God could have directly placed John in front of Israel but instead gave him time to GROW, time to KNOW and become strong in the spirit, to FLOW and temper in the dessert, to be fully trained, tested and ready to SHOW and conquer the task at hand.

Where are you at in your walk with God?

You might be at the beginning, the GROW stage, regardless of how long you have been a Christian. You might not feel as if God has something in store for you, you might feel useless or unneeded; however, God has blessed us all with gifts to use for His purpose, His plan; you wouldn’t be here otherwise. So, don’t just sit there, this is the perfect time to GROW. Grow in your spiritual life and seek a personal relationship with God, He is waiting on you.

You might be at the KNOW stage. That is, you have established a personal relationship with God, but it’s not as strong as you would like it to be. If so, this is a perfect time to remedy that. You can gain knowledge and deepen your relationship with the Lord by spending time in prayer, reading the Bible, and learning from other mature Christians. You wouldn’t take a final test without studying would you? If so, you couldn’t be expecting great results. Therefore, how can you expect to be ready for the “final test” with God’s purpose for you without first gaining the knowledge necessary? Think about it.

It’s possible you are at the FLOW stage. You might feel that you have been following God’s will, prayed and studied and know you are where you should be; however, things look bleak, you’re in a dessert! This is a very tough time, but it is TEMPORARY. You are at this point to temper your spiritual life, to hone your faith and belief. This is the final “practice test” before the real thing. You might be feeling like its too tough, that you made a mistake, that you should turn back, that God has forgotten about you; these are all from the enemy.

Satan is trying to throw everything he has at you to get you to quit, for he knows you are so close to the blessing God has in store for you. Satan knows that if he gets you to quit now, he has won. He also knows that if you make it through this point, he has lost you and God has gained another powerful warrior for the kingdom of Heaven. It’s the enemy’s last chance to stop you, so endure, you are almost there. God will never leave you or forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5, Hebrews 13:5), so now is not the time to quit, it’s the time to increase your efforts and establish an even stronger relationship with God. Stay in the river of His righteousness and go with the flow, you will be rewarded!

Finally you might be at the SHOW stage. This is also a tough one to conquer, now it’s “show time”. You have grown, studied, endured, and now it is time for the “final exam”, now it is time to put your best foot forward, but there might be anxiety and fear to perform. Now, all of a sudden, the dessert doesn’t look so bad, at least you know what to expect, right? You might be thinking “what if I fail? What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not strong enough?”. To answer those, YOU will fail, YOU can’t do it, YOU aren’t strong enough, and that is the point, YOU alone can’t, but GOD most certainly can.

That is what all of the training was for, for you to put your faith and trust in GOD, for Him to move THROUGH you. Don’t stumble at the finish line by relying on yourself, break through the finish line with God at the forefront. Keep your focus on God and His will, never forget to give Him the glory and the praise, and you will do just fine. You will pass the “final exam” and ace it with flying colors, because that has been God’s plan all along, to train and prepare you to succeed!

God loves us like no other, He wants us to succeed, He prepares and equips us with all we need, we MUST follow Him and share His glory with others. There is a whole lost and dying world searching for the answer, and it is up to us to allow God to help us reach them. So get out there and GROW, KNOW, FLOW, and SHOW, it is the least we can do for God, who has given us everything. Amen?!

Mark 16 - Don't Worry

“1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"
4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.”

What an awesome story and testament to faith. Here we have a group of people, going to do something good, something they felt necessary, something out of love, they were going to anoint Jesus. They gathered their things and went, not second guessing themselves, forging forward in spite of the circumstances, to finish the job. However, in the middle of their journey (on their way to the tomb), doubt and fear arose. How can we reach Jesus in the tomb? How are we to move the stone? This is where many would turn back. It’s a seemingly insurmountable task. You might even say, “well, we tried, we meant well, but it’s impossible, so let’s turn back”. But they carried on! They didn’t let the despair of the moment deter their task at hand. And what did they find when they reached the tomb? They found the stone rolled away! Praise God! What they were worried about, what they thought might be an insurmountable stumbling block was not even a problem, for God had already taken care of it!

Like this story, so too can it be in our lives. When we start a journey for God, we generally are so full of hope and excitement; however, in the middle, the enemy places seeds of doubt, stumbling blocks in our way. We begin to worry so much about what is to come that we lose focus on the task at hand. We take our eyes off of God and succumb to the despair of the world. If we let it, the worry can overcome us and cause us to give up or turn back. However, if we are following the will of God, focus on Him instead of our problems, take our concerns to Him instead of worrying about the outcome; I’m here to tell you, He has already anticipated the problems we will face, made preparations and, if we will continue in faith, has ALREADY taken care of them! Hallelujah!

So when you are facing insurmountable odds, when you feel tired and broken, when a heavy spirit of worry has overcome you and you feel like all is lost, remember this story and what the Bible says in Philippians 4, “6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Then hold your head up high, sons and daughters of Christ, and know that God is with you, watching you, keeping you and has already taken care of your needs. For He loves you like no other and doesn’t want you to worry, but to trust in Him!

Mark 15 - One of the Crowd?

12"What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them.
13"Crucify him!" they shouted.
14"Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!"
15Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

Here we have Pilate, who knows that Jesus has done no wrong, who doesn’t believe Jesus should be punished, who questions the crowd to give them a chance to do the right thing, but in the end, goes along with the crowd to satisfy them. What a lesson we can learn from Pilate.

Many times in our lives, we know what is right, we feel the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we know from the teachings of the Bible what should be done, yet we do the wrong thing to pacify our friends and family (the crowd) for it appears to be the easiest road to follow. We don’t want to be made fun of, be ridiculed, be outcast or alone, so we go with the crowd; however, as in this instance, it can have serious repercussions; this instance led Jesus to His death.

Now I know you’re thinking, for Jesus to be sacrificed for our sins, this had to happen. However, I believe, that if Pilate refused, there would have been another to sentence Jesus, for God’s will be done. But it wouldn’t have been Pilate “pulling the trigger”, so to speak. Just as with Judas and the betrayal and the curse upon him, it had to be done for the events to take place, but he had a choice, it didn’t have to be him to betray Jesus. He could have refused and it would have been another. Then, who knows, it could have been Judas preaching the Gospel after Jesus’ resurrection, instead of hanging from a tree, killed by suicide.

The point is, we all have a choice to follow God’s will, what is right. If the events MUST come to pass, they will; however, we don’t have to be the one on the wrong side of them. We must take a stand for God, regardless of the seemingly hopeless outcome, for God is good and He will protect and provide.

So you’re family may brand you “crazy”, your friends may desert you, not a pretty picture in itself, BUT God never leave you and He will bless you more abundantly that you could ever imagine for being faithful to His will. Think about it in the long term, which would you prefer, some friends thinking you “cool” for going along with them (those who may or may not be with you next week), or your Heavenly Father being pleased with your obedience to Him (who will be with you always, for ever and ever). Ridicule by others kind of pales in comparison, doesn’t it? To be “cool” now and burn for eternity, or be an “oddball” now and be blessed, loved and cared for, for eternity.

Mark 14 - Heal the World, not a One Person Job!

“3While he (Jesus) was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

4Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly.

6"Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."

The woman, led by God, did a wonderful thing for Jesus, yet she was rebuked by others. They immediately judged her as “wasteful” and “inconsiderate”, that she would use this expensive perfume on Jesus, blessing Him, instead of selling it and helping many others. However, as Jesus said, it was a good thing. This woman will be remembered for her deed. The poor will be there, but Jesus was short for this world, so He needed it more at this juncture in time.

WOW! Isn’t this exactly how the enemy tries to keep us from doing God’s will? Satan tries to trip us up by having people judge us as “inconsiderate”, “selfish” or “wasteful”, because we don’t heal or help everyone in the world who needs it. However, as was with this woman, it is not necessarily our job to help everyone. At this point in time, Jesus needed it more and her actions allowed OTHERS to tend to the poor, for she was not called to do so. It allowed others to be blessed by the Lord for being a blessing to others (the poor). There is no way for us to know, but I believe that, if she were not to use the perfume on Jesus and did what the Disciples told her to do, then she would have taken the blessing of others called to help the poor and had them miss out on the glory of God.

I know it hurts us as Christians to see others hurting and in need, it does me. I want to help everyone I can but, if I tried to help everyone, I would soon run out of resources, burn out my ministry, possibly lose hope (for there are so many), and steal the blessings from others, whom God has in place to minister. So, while I do want to help everyone, I must realize that God is in control and He will provide for others as He does for me.

I most certainly must follow what He instructs, help those whom He calls me to help, and take care of them, regardless of what the world thinks (as it was with this woman and Jesus). I can’t help everyone, as much as I want to try, but God doesn’t ask me to do so. He has placed many in the Body of Christ (the Church) to do His will throughout the entire world. If we try to help those He doesn’t call us to, then we are going against the will of God, stepping on others blessings, and doing more harm while trying to do good.

We can’t understand God’s ultimate plan because we only have human understanding, but we can do our part by following how God leads us and listening to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and helping those whom He calls us to, so His will be done, not our own. For the rest, whom we are not called to help but we see they need it, we can pray. For God will take care of them, through others if not through us. Amen?

Mark 13 - Are You Sleeping?

35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' ",

We do not know when Jesus will return, it could be right now! According to Mark, Jesus doesn’t even know, only God does. 32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” So Jesus tells us to be ever vigilant to our duties until He returns. 35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. “

Since we don’t know when He will return, we must be doing everything we can to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ! There are many who are not saved, many who don’t know of Jesus, many who will suffer for eternity for their non-belief, many of them are our friends and family and it is up to us to reach them before time runs out!

We can’t help save them if we don’t take advantage of every opportunity to witness to them, for it may be our last chance. Our inaction could be their eternal damnation, so we have to do something about it; we definitely don’t want Jesus to return and find us doing nothing. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'.

So we can’t sit in the sidelines, sleeping and waiting; we must be vigilant, “watch” as Jesus said, and doing our part to spread the Gospel before we miss our chance. I don’t want to stand before God and say, “I know I could have done better for You, Lord, but I was sleeping”. Amen?

Mark 12 - To God be the Glory!

“38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

Wow, what an awesome message and warning, be sure of why you are serving the Lord. Are you truly serving Him for His will to be done? Out of love for the Lord so you may share His goodness with others? Or are you doing it to bring attention on yourself? For the benefits of praise for YOUR goodness, not the Lords? This is VERY, VERY important to know. For if you are raising your hands to God so others can see you praise Him, or praying just so others can see you pray, or preaching the word to get kudos for yourself, then you will be “punished most severely”.

Make sure that you ask the Holy Spirit today to search you for the real reasons behind your actions. To make sure that you do what you do to praise and glorify God, not yourself. For if we focus on our Heavenly Father, He will receive the glory, as it should be. Amen?

Mark 11 - God Answers Prayer! Period.

22"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. 23"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. 24Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. 25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

What an awesome message from Jesus. We must have faith in our Heavenly Father! He loves us so much that He will do anything for us. All we have to do is cry out to Him, take our needs to Him, have faith and believe they will be done, and they are! Praise God!

I’m here to tell you, I’m a firm believer in answered prayers. I have seen it too many times to believe otherwise. God has blessed me tremendously, time and time again, with answered prayers and I thank Him and praise Him.

God answers all of our prayers, for our best interest and in the best timing (His timing), because He loves us, like no one else can. We doubt and lose faith because we don’t always see the answered prayers in the way or the timeline that we expect them to be. But let me tell you this, I much rather God, in His infinite wisdom, be in control than me with my flawed human understanding.

As I have said before, too many times we take our needs to the Lord in prayer, then get up and say, “I hope God will answer my prayers”. NO! There is no need to say, “I hope”, instead say, “it is DONE”. As Jesus said, believe it is done, do not doubt, and it will be done! How awesome is that?

Now you might say, “Rick, I prayed for $10 million and believed it would be mine, but I haven’t got it yet, God didn’t answer my prayer.” Now, some might say, “God answered it, and the answer was ‘NO’.”, but I don’t believe that for a second. God didn’t say “NO”; He answered your prayer, for your best interest. Let’s look at it. What would you do with the $10 million? Pay off all your bills, buy your family nice things, travel, even give to the church. No more worries, if there is any trouble, just throw the money at it to solve your problems, right? Well, then you would place your faith in what the money could do for you; it would become your god. We already have a God that loves us, cares for us, and can solve our problems (if we let Him), better than the money ever could. So you see, God did answer that prayer, in your best interest, by being Him. So, why would you trade that for $10 million and damage your soul in the process? Thank God, that He always answers our prayers and always in our best interest. Amen?

Mark 10 - Jesus Loves the Little Children, and the Teenagers Too!

Today, God has placed a strong message on my heart that I would like to share.

“13People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. 14When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." 16And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.”

This passage, especially the actions of Jesus, tell us how we are to treat our children. As you can see, many rebuked the people bringing children to Jesus, in their mind, Jesus was not to be bothered by the children, they were not “important” enough to approach Jesus. However, Jesus was “indignant”, which ranges in meaning from annoyed to angry. Jesus said not to hinder the children, but to let them come, for the kingdom of God belongs to them and those like them.

What Jesus was saying, I believe, is that we can learn a lot from our children. They seek what they need and want, sometimes without regard for other’s perception of their action. They are more in tune with faith than we adults are, for they will seek without being easily swayed by the world. They believe when everyone will try to tell them differently. They will fight hard for their faith and, as the Bible says in Hebrews 11:1, they will be sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

The children are a testament of faith. So much so, that Jesus said that others must receive the kingdom of God like a little child or not enter, then He gathered them, touched them and blessed them. There is no doubt that Jesus loved and appreciated the children. Therefore, it is our responsibility to protect them, teach them, and bring them up in the ways of the Lord, so they will have a strong foundation to hold them up when they enter adulthood and the trials of the world try to bring them down.

With that said, the youth are still children as well. We must not only invest in our little children, but also in our “young adults”, for they need us as well. In fact, it is in the teenage years where the enemy appears to attack the most, trying to convince us that the faith we have in God cannot be “physically” proven, therefore is a fairy tale. The enemy is good at this, and unfortunately, we as adults help.

You see, we invest heavily in the little children, teaching them the Bible, the stories, about Jesus and God, and reward them heavily for their faith. But, we tend to shy away from them as they grow older, when they start to question and won’t follow blindly. We place them off to the side when they no longer listen easily to our words and have them “incubate” until they are grown, until they “come to their senses”. This is the time when they need God and us the MOST, and I don’t feel we are doing our best for them.

I’m not saying that teenagers are easy, or that they listen all the time, or that they aren’t hard headed sometimes, but do they treat us any differently that we treat God? Doesn’t God, our Heavenly Father, instruct us on the ways we should go and don’t we rebel and want to do it our way instead? If not, then why do we get ourselves in so many messes? Therefore, shouldn’t we be a little more compassionate to the youth? For if we act the same way, how can we really judge them?

My final point is simply this, instead of complaining and ignoring the youth, we should be focusing even more on their salvation and their walk with God. Instead of teaching them as children and hope they survive their teenage years to become Christian adults, shouldn’t we invest even more and focus even stronger on them than we did when they were young children? For life is even harder for them now that it was when they were little, so when the world (and enemy) turn up the heat, shouldn’t we, as Christian adults, increase our efforts to show them the goodness of God? I didn’t say it would be easy, but I know it will definitely be worth it! We reap what we sow, so if we don’t invest in our youth, then don’t be surprised when we don’t get a good crop of Christian adults.

Besides, you will be surprised what teenagers will listen to, many are starving for instruction, yearning to learn about our Savior, searching for hope. We have the answer in Jesus Christ, and it is up to us to teach them. For if we don’t, the enemy is eager to teach them his ways. Satan has no problem teaching teenagers, in fact, I believe he focuses on them the most. What are we doing to stop it?

Mark 9 - Once Again, FAITH

At one point in this chapter, a man whose son is possessed by an evil spirit ask if Jesus could heal his son, even after the disciples couldn’t. “23" 'If you can'?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." 24Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!"

What an awesome message for us. Jesus answered a questioning, doubting “spirit” with solid words of faith and assurance. Too many times we ask in prayer without really believing an answer is there. We stand up from praying and might think, “I hope God answers my prayer”, in my opinion, this is not true faith. There is no “hoping” when we converse with our Heavenly Father, He is supreme! He can do any and everything, we should not doubt. In Matthew 7:7 it is written, “Ask and it will be given to you”; however, the world comes crashing in on us and we doubt. Why?

We are human and most of the time need tangible evidence of things to truly believe them, hence the old adage, “seeing is believing”, however, Hebrews 11:1“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Therefore, when we doubt, we must respond as the man in this story did, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!". We sometime fail, we sometimes doubt, we are human, but God is divine! He can and will help us through, all we have to do is ask.

So if you find yourself doubting, needed more faith, questioning God, then ask Him to help you overcome your unbelief and praise Him more. We all fall, but not everyone asks or lets God pick them back up. Amen?

Mark 8 - My Will or God's Will be Done?

33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

We are quick to judge Peter, but we do the same thing in our lives. We hear from God, just as Peter heard from Jesus, and say, “No, that will not happen, I won’t let it”, yet we are imposing OUR will and OUR human understanding to God’s plan. We cannot do that. Just as Jesus rebuked, we must rebuke the enemy and evil spirit of our own earthly desires and let God’s will and the Holy Spirit be our guide and driving force. When we take the focus off of our own needs, desires, understanding, and will, then God will work through us for His plan to develop and grow. And you know that God’s will is much better than our own. Amen?

Just think, if it were possible (which it wasn’t) for Peter to keep Jesus from dying, which was Peter’s desire at this point, we would not have salvation available to us! Isn’t God’s plan much better than Peter’s? Shouldn’t we stop thinking like Peter and listen more to God?

Mark 7 - Tradition or the Edge

“9And he [Jesus] said to them: ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions’!” Jesus was speaking to the leaders that criticized Him, but it applies to us today as well. How often do we use TRADITION, or quotes from the Bible (incorrectly) and take what we want from a sermon to justify OUR actions and OUR ways instead of following the commands of God! We let tradition and religion interfere with the prompting of the Holy Spirit. We do what is “comfortable” and ignore the message of the Good News!

We need to spend LESS TIME focusing on what makes us comfortable and to which we are familiar (our traditions and routines) and MORE TIME in the Word of God and prayer; then we will get direction from the Holy Spirit and do what GOD would have us do, for His glory, not our own. If you’re not on edge, then you’re probably playing it safe in comfort and tradition, right where the enemy wants you. Amen?

Mark 6 - The Past has Past

“1Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.

"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! 3Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.

4Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor." 5He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

Isn’t that exactly how it goes? Satan will use those closest to you to try and deter your steps. The people of Jesus’ hometown remembered His past, what He was and could not get past it to see what He had become. Because they looked at Him as a person, remembered His humble beginnings, they did not have faith. It was because of that lack of faith that they received no miracles.

If this dredging up of one’s past can happen to Jesus, you better believe it can happen to you. Your friends, relatives, acquaintances will remember you BEFORE you were saved, the enemy will use that against you, they will drag up your past and try to use it to tarnish your walk with Christ. DON”T LET THIS HAPPEN. We serve a God of second chances, He has forgiven us, Jesus died for us, so that we may be forgiven. God has forgotten those sins and will not bring them against us, so don’t let the enemy use your past and those closest to you to beat you up. God has great things in store for you and He looks to your FUTURE with Him, not your past without Him. Take heart, stand firm in your faith, bless the Lord. Amen?

Mark 5 - Faith

Throughout today’s passage there are many examples of the miracles of Jesus Christ. One in particular is with a woman who had an issue with bleeding for 12 years. She had been to all the doctors and was still getting worse. Yet she KNEW if she could touch Jesus’ clothes, she would be healed. She pushed through crowds, hoped against hope and reached Jesus and touched His clothes. She was healed! 34He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering."

It was her unyielding faith in Jesus that healed her. She didn’t guess, think it might help, or check it out to see; she KNEW Jesus would heal her, she had faith. Too many times today, we search for answers, possibilities of hope, but we already have ultimate hope in our Savior, Jesus Christ. All we have to do is increase our faith and relationship with Him, He will do the rest. Amen?

Mark 4 - No Harvest without Sowing

“26He (Jesus) also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

There are many lessons to be learned in this passage, but two strong ones come to mind. First, the whole passage, sprouting seeds, the stalk, head and full kernel of grain, and finally the harvest, all depend on the first step, sowing the seeds! If we will not take the first step and sow the seeds, spread them out to start the growing process, then there will be no harvest. Therefore, it is up to us to start sowing the seeds. That can take many forms, but I equate it to your ministry, whatever that may be. God has given us all unique talents and abilities to use for His Kingdom, in His service; we have a responsibility to use them for His glory. It could be singing, drama, cooking, visitation, preaching, counseling, cleaning, giving, and many, many more; whatever the talent and the calling may be. It is God through these talents that give us the seed to sow, if we sit on them and do nothing (claiming I don’t have a talent), then the growing process never begins.

Next, this passage shows how God uses the abilities He gave us, the seeds that we sow, to further His Kingdom and plan. You see, in the passage, the man spreads the seeds, but God nurtures it, cultivates it, and brings it to maturity, all without the man knowing how. What a perfect example of how God takes what we give to Him and makes it ever so much more effective. Think about it. The man spreads a tiny seed (ministry), God takes it and cultivates it, giving it everything it needs to succeed (brings the people to hear/see, places the word from the ministry in their hearts, uses the ministry to speak solutions into their life, and shows them hope of the One True God), then the mature plant is producing many times over what the initial seed was (God multiplies the ministry to reach others, to create other ministries to reach others).

So you may think that your ministry (seed) is so tiny and insignificant, where you don’t see what good can come from it or who you’re reaching; however, if you are following God’s will, there is no limit to what He can produce through you. Remember, the man does not know how God nurtures the seed to fruition, so it is our job simply to sow and let the Lord work miracles through us. The enemy will tell you to quit, to give up, you’re not doing any good, but that is because he knows what God can do with that seed you are sowing. So take heart, trust in the Lord, keep sowing your seed. For a whole, bountiful orchard started with a single seed. You could hold the seed that God is waiting on, but you first have to plant it for the Kingdom of God to harvest. God bless and keep you.

Mark 3 - God's Will Be Done!

In the beginning of this chapter, there was a man seeking healing for his shriveled hand and Jesus was being watched closely by those who wished Him harm, to see if Jesus would keep the laws of the Sabbath and not heal this man. “4Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.”

What Jesus was saying, in my belief, is what is better, keeping the “letter” of the law or the “spirit” of the law. By the letter, you could not do work on the Sabbath, healing would be work for the priests. However, not healing would be bad, especially if that is what God called you to do. Therefore, which is better? Following God’s will or religious laws?

The answer was simple, Jesus healed the man. God’s will and Jesus’ authority is well above the laws governed by men. Especially, which the Bible gives other examples, where the same people accusing Jesus would have broken the law if they had something to lose (their children, possessions, etc.); they wouldn’t have given a second thought to breaking the law. Therefore, what they were doing was hypocritically following the “law” for their own best interests, instead of loving their neighbor as themselves.

We must follow Jesus’ example and seek God’s will. I’m not saying to break every law and do what we want; we should never do that, for it would be for OUR desires and gain, NOT God’s will. However, we should not get so caught up in the “religious” laws that we forget to use the Holy Spirit as a guide. Seek God’s will through daily prayer, reading the bible, prompting of the Spirit, etc., and follow God’s command, even if it means going against man’s beliefs. For if it is from God, no one can claim higher authority; His will be done! I didn’t say it would be easy, Jesus was crucified for His deviation from the law, but He was following God’s will and He (and all of us) are better off for it! God bless and keep you!

Mark 2 - What Kind of Friend am I?

“1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Later on in the chapter, Jesus healed him as well.

Notice what was said, it was the faith of the friends that helped the paralytic. They knew that Jesus could heal their friend. They knew that their friend could not reach Jesus on his own. They knew they had to get him to Jesus, so they went through extraordinary lengths to get their friend to Jesus. Do we do the same?

How many people do we know out there hurting and suffering with no hope? They’re facing financial, emotional, physical, and most importantly, spiritual problems, with no hope in sight. We are called by our Gracious God to reach out to our friends, go through any means necessary to get them to Jesus so He can forgive them of their sins and heal them. Even if they don’t see or understand, they don’t know the need for Jesus, we can go to the Father on their behalf and pray for them. Pray to open their eyes, pray that the Holy Spirit will work on them to see the truth of Jesus Christ, pray for their overall healing; for God will hear our prayers and make a way for us to help our friends; after all, it was the faith of the friends that prompted Jesus to heal the paralytic. What kind of friends are we?

Mark 1 - God is Willing, but are You?

In the latter part of this chapter, we see a leper approaching Jesus to be healed. “40A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.”

When the leper approached Jesus, he had to be thinking this was his only chance. I believe he tried many things, all of which didn’t work, and he was tired of suffering, tired of being outcast and shunned, tired of failing options; however, he had hope through Jesus. Yet, when he approached, he did not ask selfishly, thinking ONLY of himself. Yes, he begged for the cure, but he asked if Jesus was willing first. Even when faced with possible rejection at the only hope left for a cure, Jesus could have denied him, but he still asked if Jesus was willing! Of course, Jesus was, and the man was immediately cured.

We need to take our problems to God, but we also must pray for His will to be done. He is our Heavenly Father, and knows ever so much more what is best for us; so we must be willing to let God’s will be done, even if it means possibly not getting what we want. If that is the answer, I can assure you, it is because God has something so much better in store for you, well beyond your understanding. So rejoice, for God has your best interest in mind, if you will allow Him control to work through you.

Matthew 28 - Waiting on a Miracle?

This passage is about the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Even after Jesus SAID He would be coming back, “6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said…”; even after the disciples SAW He was resurrected, there was some doubt. “17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.”

Isn’t it amazing how we humans act? We can be told, but still not hear. We can see with our own eyes, and still not believe. Yet we pray for miracles and “signs” to believe, but we miss them because we get so caught up in the “proof” of things, that we miss seeing what is already there, what we need is faith. Hebrews 11:1 “ 1Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”. As it is shown in human nature, both in history and today, we don’t always “see” the miracles God performs around us and, even if we did, we might not believe them. So, instead of waiting (possibly too late) and looking for signs to believe, increase your faith and you will see.
For regardless of what you think and believe, salvation is there for those who seek it, for those who ask, Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins, and He is our only salvation. John 14:6 “6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 27 - All that Glitters Isn't Gold

“ 3When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’

‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That's your responsibility.’

5So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.”

Judas experienced what many of us do when we sin, but on a much grander scale. That thirty pieces of silver seemed so good, the promises of the Pharisees seemed so sweet to his ears, but, as it is with sin, once done, the act was not as great as you thought it would be. This is the remorse that Judas felt. He realized, all too late, that what he did was a sin and the payment (30 pieces of silver) was not at all worth the ultimate cost, his betrayal of Jesus.

This is why he tried to give it back, to undo what he had done, but it was too late. The Pharisees, who had been so supportive of Judas, so luring and trusting, turned on him, mocked him and judged him, placing the blame on him; not so sweet acting or supportive now that they had what they wanted. The sin lost its luster once committed and made Judas so sorrowful that he took his own life.

We as Christians are very critical of Judas, we heap blame and disgust on him, but are we really different? Don’t we too allow sin to entice us to turn our backs on Jesus? Don’t we allow the luster of worldly, physical things take us away from Jesus? Then why do we persecute Judas without turning that same scrutiny upon ourselves?

We can learn an extremely valuable lesson from Judas. Place your trust in the Lord, not in the allure of sin. For sin will ultimately disappoint you, turn on you, destroy you, which is what satan intends to do; however, God never will. God will never forsake you or leave you, what He offers is EXACTLY what you will get. He loves us enough to send His Son to die for us, Jesus loves us enough to die for us, that is true love. Judas didn’t realize that until it was too late, don’t you make that same mistake. Get right with God now, ask His forgiveness and change before it does become too late.

Matthew 26 - Down but not Out!

Just before His betrayal and capture, Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples, 38Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."

Jesus, the world’s only perfect man, was overcome with sorrow at what He was facing. I feel the human side of Him could not bear what He knew was coming. Since Jesus felt overwhelming sorrow, and He could not sin, feeling down and depressed is not a sin. It happens to us all; however, we should take Jesus’ example to heart. When He felt this way, He immediately went to speak to the Father. He prayed with all of His heart to the Lord our God, asking to take away the seemingly insurmountable task at hand. Even though the upcoming torture and death were weighing heavily on His heart, Jesus still asked that God’s will be done above all, for Jesus knew that God was in control and that God knew what was best.

We have to remember that in times of trouble, when it seems that what we’re going through is so unfair and impossible to get through. We need to take our concerns to God, our Father, and ask for what we want. However, we also need to be willing to let God’s will be done above our own, even if it means we can’t get what we feel we need. God knows what is best for us, as He did for Jesus, and God’s plan will lead us to ultimate victory. Though it may seem tough in the meantime, God is with us all the way. He is the same today as He was yesterday as He will be tomorrow, He is unchanging. He loved us enough to send His Son to die for our sins, He will not let us falter if we put His will first.

God bless and keep each and everyone of you, especially during this tough time for many. Don’t give up, stay the course, endure and go the distance, God is with you and He will help you go the distance to indescribable blessings.

Matthew 25 - Parable of the Talents

In verses 14–30 Jesus discusses the Parable of the Talents, that is, the giving of resources to servants (us) to produce for the master (God). In the parable, two of the servants took the talents and multiplied them into more for the master. To them was said, 21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'

The other servant took the talent and buried it, not using it to produce anything. The master called him a 26 “wicked, lazy servant!”, then took the talent from him and gave it to the servant who produced many. Since the servant would not use what the master gave him, he was punished for his wickedness and laziness while the servant who produced was given more.

29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

This perfectly illustrates the gifts that God gives us and what we should do with them. It might be money, as in the parable, or it could be knowledge, abilities, opportunities, etc. We have a choice to use these talents for the service of our Lord, to disciple and produce more disciples for His kingdom OR use them for our own purposes or not at all.

But remember, there will be a time when we must face the master and give an account of what we have done with what was given. We can produce more for God’s kingdom (thru ministries, witnessing, giving, support, creating disciples) and be rewarded with abundance in Heaven. Or we can be selfish, using our talents and abilities for our own gain (personal glory, wealth, recognition, etc.) or not at all (refusing to do anything), and be cast out into Hell. Don’t say, “I don’t have any talents” or “I don’t have anything I can use for God”, that is an excuse that won’t hold up. There is always something you can do to glorify God. He has given something to us all! If you need help finding them, your local church ministries are a great place to start. Remember, as shown in this parable, indecision is still a decision, we will all be held accountable.

Are you using your talents as the Master intended? If not, don’t delay, for we know not when He returns!

Matthew 24 - The End of the Age

Matthew 24. This entire chapter speaks of the End of Days and is a spine chilling description of what is to come. I encourage you will all my heart to read every word, so I will post the entire chapter at the end of this message (blog only, not text). It is too important to miss.

Jesus warns us of the false prophets and false miracles that will be performed by those claiming to be Him. He warns us not to be fooled or believe in them. “4 ‘Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many’.”

Jesus states that, unfortunately even the “elect” (whom I believe to be so called teachers of Christ) will be fooled. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible.” So you must rely on the Word of God, the Holy Bible, for your information, not simply the word of man. That is why it is crucial for your soul that you read the Bible DAILY and spend time in prayer with God, so you will hear from the SOURCE and not be fooled.

For as you read, it appears that the End of Days is upon us. There are wars and rumors of wars. There are famines, economic distress, natural disasters, etc. prevalent throughout the world. Worldwide, Christians are being ridiculed, persecuted and killed for following Jesus. There are many people (once follower’s of Christ), who are now swayed by society and “political correctness”, claiming many different ways to get into Heaven and renouncing the Word of God. DO NOT BE FOOLED.

Jesus said in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then seek Him RIGHT NOW, for tomorrow might be too late! If you are saved but not living for the Lord, then get right with Him NOW, for we know not when the Master returns, tomorrow might be too late! The time is NOW.



Matthew 24 (New International Version)

Signs of the End of the Age

1Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2"Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect—if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29"Immediately after the distress of those days " 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'

30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation (race) will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 23 - Religion or Salvation?

This entire chapter addresses the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law in Jesus’ time. “1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 ‘The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach’.”

Jesus challenged the teachers of the law of God, pointing out to them that they might be following the “letter of the law” but have failed to see and follow the spirit of the law. They go around with a “holier than thou” attitude, applying strict punishment of the law that they themselves are not following. They only do good things to be seen doing them, for their praise and not the Lord our God’s. But before we are harsh in our judgment of them, we must first look to ourselves. Are we any different?

Do we seek personal glory for the things we have done? Do we judge others more harshly than we judge ourselves? Do we point out other’s sins while we ignore our own? Do we simply “go through the motions” of religious expectations or are we truly living for Christ Jesus? Before we berate the teachers of old, we need to check ourselves!

Our hearts and minds must be on Jesus Christ, following His example and using the Holy Spirit as a guide. We must not get so caught up in religious rituals that we lose sight of the Good News of Jesus’ salvation. We must love, support, and disciple one another, not judge and tear one another apart, or we are no better than those before us who failed and missed the glorious Kingdom of Heaven.

So, the next time you feel like judging, spend a few moments in prayer with our Heavenly Father. Ask Him to search your soul for sins against Him, give them to Him and ask forgiveness, then ask Him to help you help the one you were about to judge, for God’s will to be done and glory given to Him, not you. Amen?

Matthew 22 - The Greatest Commanment

The Sadducees and the Pharisees, who were jealous of Jesus, tried to “trip” him by having an expert of the law ask, 36"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

What a powerful message Jesus tells us. If we are to keep these two commandments, the most important of them all, then vicariously the others are kept. For if we truly love God with all our heart, soul and mind, then we will follow His direction, seek His will, and perform as He has called us to do.
Additionally, it is not enough to give our all to God, we must also love our neighbor as we would ourselves. For if we shun our neighbor, we are not following God’s will. Jesus died on the cross for all of us, and we all have sinned; therefore, how can we accept God’s forgiveness without forgiving others. How can we accept His love without loving others? If we are not concerned about our neighbors (which is everyone we are in contact with), then how can we truly say we are seeking God’s will? It is up to us to show God’s love, mercy, compassion, and salvation to others, through us. It may be the only chance they get to know the truth.

Matthew 21 - Live Like There's No Tomorrow

40 "therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Jesus was speaking in a parable, but it applies to our life for God. How are we living? Are we taking care of God's people? Are we living our lives for Him and His will? Or are we looking out for our selfish desires, hoping not to get caught by the master? Will there be time to repent? We do not know, therefore we must live for the master's will today for we know not when He comes. There might not be a tomorrow!

Sister Ruby - March 6, 2009

On this day we have much we can rejoice. Early this morning Sister Ruby (who is the inspiration for this blog ministry) went home to see the Lord. While we are saddened for our loss on this earth, we can rejoice that she is at home with Jesus. We will miss her but, praise God, we will see her again!

God truly blessed us all with this phenomenal lady and, because of her willingness to do God’s will, she leaves a legacy of examples and inspiration that exhibits her passion for Jesus. All we have to do is follow in her footsteps, for she was following Jesus’.

Please pray for her family and friends who will miss her, but rejoice for her, for she is home. Thank you Jesus! God is good, all the time!

Matthew 20 - Sight beyond Sight

“ 29As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. 30Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, "Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!"

32Jesus stopped and called them. "What do you want me to do for you?" he asked.

33"Lord," they answered, "we want our sight."

34Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.”

What an awesome testament of faith and determination. Though the blind men were rebuked by the crowd, they did not listen to them. Their faith and determination overcame the fear of the world and, because of that, because they sought Jesus with all of their heart, they were healed! They could not physically “see” but they saw with their hearts and faith, they knew they would be healed by Jesus. How strong is your faith?

The blind men were rebuked by the crowed but, instead of listening to them and shying away, they began to shout even louder. Instead of being silenced by the world, they took the negative attack of the world and turned it into fuel to seek Jesus even stronger. How do we respond to the world’s rebuke? Do we fold to man who fails us? Or do we use the world’s rebuke to seek Jesus even stronger?

Once the blind men were healed, they didn’t return to what they were doing before, they followed Jesus. They stayed with the one who could give them what the world could not. They knew before they were healed that only Jesus held the truth, only He would save them, the world could not and would not. So, they followed Jesus, not turning back to the world. Do we stay with Jesus after He heals us or do we return to the world that forsakes us?
There are many lessons we can learn from these blind men, who saw without physically seeing. We may not be physically blind, but do we really see?

Matthew 19 - Money on Your Mind?

“23Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God’."

Is Jesus saying that wealth is bad? That being wealthy is a sin? I don’t believe so. Look at the verse and the verses before it. If it were a sin to be wealthy, that wealth is bad, I believe that Jesus would have said it is impossible for a rich man to enter Heaven, that he is not allowed.

However, Jesus said it was very difficult, not impossible. Why is this? Well, the rich man in question (and wealthy in general) place their wealth above all else. They believe because they are wealthy, they are above and different than others, therefore, not bound by “common” people’s laws. They trust in their wealth and covet it above all else. They use it to “bend the rules” and see wealth as a means to “buy their way out” of sin and other problems. In essence, they use wealth as their god. That is why it is so difficult for the wealthy to enter Heaven.

So should we be poor and needy. Only if wealth will cause you to sin and turn from God. You can acquire wealth, in my opinion, and still follow God, as long as you put money in it’s place, well behind God (look at King Solomon). God can use many (and any) things to further His Kingdom and will, money included. Therefore, if you use wealth as God calls you to use it, then it can be good. Don’t let greed and wealth have a hold on you. The best way to prevent it from doing that is to give freely and generously. After all, it is all God’s anyway. Use money for God’s purpose, not your own, and He will continue to bless you and all you touch. Amen?

Matthew 18 - Because Jesus Said So

Throughout this chapter there are many, many verses that are pertinent and I could write volumes on their meaning to me. For the sake of space and time, I will choose only two.

For several days my readings have been centered around faith, our abundance or lack thereof, and the effects of faith in our lives. But one might ask, “How do you know? How can you be sure God will answer your prayers?” Because Jesus told us so. “19 ‘Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven’.” Jesus gave us that assurance that God loves us so much, He will provide if we believe and agree on it. Through our faith, the humanly impossible becomes divinely possible. We have only to trust in Him, have faith in His promises, for He is good and His love endures forever. Spend some time with your Heavenly Father today and you will see exactly what I’m talking about. God bless and keep you.

Matthew 17 - It's all about Faith

14When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 15"Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. 16I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him."
17"O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me." 18Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.
19Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, "Why couldn't we drive it out?"
20He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

What an awe inspiring story, albeit possibly a disheartening one for people of weak faith. It wasn’t that the disciples weren’t given the authority to drive out the demon, they just didn’t have the faith to do so. Jesus said that faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain, so how tiny and faltering must our faith be. Lord please forgive me for my lack of faith and patience, please give me the strength to trust You more, so all the glory is given to You. Amen.

Matthew 16 - Searching for Signs

“1The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. 2He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,' 3and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Jesus then left them and went away.”

We sometimes are rough on the Pharisees and Sadducees, but how much we are like them. We constantly ask for signs and miracles before we believe. Faith is believing without seeing, not believing once we have proof. Also, the Pharisees and Sadducees had seen and heard of the miracles of Jesus, yet they still refused to believe, so no amount of miracles were going to convince them otherwise or change their course of action. We have also been guilty of the same thing. Instead of testing the Lord, let’s follow His teachings and His will, as given to us in the Bible, and have a daily relationship with Him (through prayer), therefore we don’t need to see signs, we already know His will. Amen?

Matthew 15 - Be Washed Clean

When challenged by the Pharisees about Jesus and His disciples not following their rituals (10) “Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

Jesus later explained to His disciples, “17"Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.' "

Therefore, instead of focusing on how you look, focus on how you act. For you can be as “clean” on the outside (go to church, wear the right clothes, “do” the right things), but still be “unclean” on the inside, which will come out when you think those “church people” are not around. You’re not fooling God, for He sees you as you are. Focus on “cleaning” your heart, not your image, and you will go a lot farther. Seek Jesus first, let Him cleanse you with His blood, and He can clean you from the inside out, for Jesus is the only one who can. Will you let Him cleanse you today?