All posts by John (HFJ Director)

Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

The Broken Jar: The Consequences of Forsaking God’s Path

God shared an important message with His people through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 19. It was not an encouraging message, but a warning and an indication of the punishment to come because God’s people had turned from Him to other gods and other ways of living.  It is not hard to imagine God sharing this same message with His people around the world today. Many who proclaim Jesus are not living according to how God calls us to live. They look more like the culture of the world than like the example of our Messiah or His teaching on how we should live.

Pay attention. Apply this to your own life and pray for God’s people to repent.

Jeremiah 19

The Broken Jar

      1Thus says the LORD, “Go and buy a potter’s earthenware jar, and take some of the elders of the people and some of the senior priests. 2“Then go out to the valley of Ben-hinnom, which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you, 3and say, ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, “Behold I am about to bring a calamity upon this place, at which the ears of everyone that hears of it will tingle. 4“Because they have forsaken Me and have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods, that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known, and because they have filled this place with the blood of the innocent 5and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, a thing which I never commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter My mind; 6therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when this place will no longer be called Topheth or the valley of Ben-hinnom, but rather the valley of Slaughter. 7“I will make void the counsel of Judah and Jerusalem in this place, and I will cause them to fall by the sword before their enemies and by the hand of those who seek their life; and I will give over their carcasses as food for the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth. 8“I will also make this city a desolation and an object of hissing; everyone who passes by it will be astonished and hiss because of all its disasters. 9“I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh in the siege and in the distress with which their enemies and those who seek their life will distress them.”’

      10“Then you are to break the jar in the sight of the men who accompany you 11and say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Just so will I break this people and this city, even as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot again be repaired; and they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place for burial. 12“This is how I will treat this place and its inhabitants,” declares the LORD, “so as to make this city like Topheth. 13“The houses of Jerusalem and the houses of the kings of Judah will be defiled like the place Topheth, because of all the houses on whose rooftops they burned sacrifices to all the heavenly host and poured out drink offerings to other gods.”’”

      14Then Jeremiah came from Topheth, where the LORD had sent him to prophesy; and he stood in the court of the LORD’S house and said to all the people: 15“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am about to bring on this city and all its towns the entire calamity that I have declared against it, because they have stiffened their necks so as not to heed My words.’”

Take a few minutes to pray and give God thanks for His word. Thank Him that it can shine a light for us on how we need to live still today. Praise Him for who He is and ask Him to show you what changes you should make in your life to live more according to His ways and less blending with the culture around you. We should stand out as a holy people and not blend in.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Miracles, Miracles, Share the Good News, Thankfulness

Uncontainable Joy: Proclaiming the Power of Jesus

Those who truly know the power of Jesus can hardly contain themselves from telling others. They proclaim it joyfully and boldly. We should be careful not to get so comfortable in our walk with Him that we become complacent in living our lives and not proclaiming Him to others. Take note how it is often new believers, or those who truly were lost or ill and have been physically saved as well as spiritually saved that have an uncontainable enthusiasm about Jesus. Mark 1 provides a great example… even though Jesus instructed him not to tell others, the man could not contain his joy and amazement. He proclaimed Jesus joyfully everywhere he went. Many heard and came to seek Jesus.

Mark 1:40-45

    40And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. 43And He sternly warned him and immediately sent him away, 44and He said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” 45But he went out and began to proclaim it freely and to spread the news around, to such an extent that Jesus could no longer publicly enter a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas; and they were coming to Him from everywhere.

We could have an interesting discussion on why Jesus asked this man not to tell others, but none the less, let us take time to understand what joy and thankfulness filled this man after being healed. He could not contain himself.

Prayerfully reflect on your own life. Do you still have that enthusiasm that the man did in Mark 1? Do you tell others everywhere you go? Do you tell anyone whom you meet that is not already in church or close to you? If you did tell others, is your life different in such a way as to reflect that you follow Jesus?

Let us pray that God would help us to proclaim Him boldly and never loose our enthusiasm to tell others how our lives have been changed because of Jesus. Let us change our lives to reflect love and obedience in following Jesus. Let us be a light to those who do not yet know Him!

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Demons, Healer, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Miracles, Miracles, Spiritual Warfare

Faith in God Amidst Unanswered Prayers for Healing

Jesus did not come to heal every physical sickness or cast out every demon. This is sometimes difficult for people to accept. If they see others healed, but not the person they hope for, they often choose to dismiss that it was really God helping to heal others.

“Why would God heal some but not others?

We do not know that answer. There are many aspects worth highlighting. Faith is required. People came to Jesus, rather than waiting for Him to come to them. Jesus came to spread the truth of the gospel and lead people to right relationship with God by teaching and living the commands of God recorded in the Old Testament and to die as sacrifice for all of our sins so we could all have a chance to go to be reconciled to God regardless of our past sins and separation from Him. He did not come to heal every sickness and cast out every demon.

Let us take a simple example in Mark 1. He heals many and casts out demons. But he leaves while there are still yet others to be healed and set free. Why? Jesus tells us in verse 38.

Mark 1:29-39

Crowds Healed

      29And immediately after they came out of the synagogue, they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and immediately they spoke to Jesus about her. 31And He came to her and raised her up, taking her by the hand, and the fever left her, and she waited on them.

      32When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. 33And the whole city had gathered at the door. 34And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

      35In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. 36Simon and his companions searched for Him; 37they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” 38He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” 39And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.

Jesus came to preach truth to many, not to heal everyone in one location. Miracles and healing were a helpful part of His ministry to demonstrate who He was to those around Him.

For any of you who may be angry, sad or confused about why someone you love was not healed… take heart. You can trust in our heavenly Father and in His plans and His decisions. We are to come to the Father through Jesus. We can petition Him with our needs and desires. Then we are to trust Him in His decisions, even when we disagree or do not understand… as a small child must trust his or her parents even when they say “no”.

Pray for God to help you with any hurt you are still dealing with in this area. Seek others you trust to pray with you. Reflect on all the signs and miracles God has given us that He is God and we can trust Him. Follow in the example of Jesus to come to the Father.

To study more teachings about prayer, consider our teachings:

You can also review our category of devotions about Learning to Pray Effectively.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Psalms

Sustained by Faith: Finding Joy in God’s Presence Amidst Adversity

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord today, there is no doubt in my mind that you (and everyone else) have personally experienced suffering in this world. You have found yourself at times feeling overwhelmed with how to deal with the problems and people that oppose you and try to do harm to you. Let us cry out to God in faith… seek refuge in Him… and never be ashamed of Him for He will deliver us.

Psalm 31

      1In You, O LORD, I have taken refuge;
Let me never be ashamed;
In Your righteousness deliver me.

      2Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly;
Be to me a rock of strength,
A stronghold to save me.

      3For You are my rock and my fortress;
For Your name’s sake You will lead me and guide me.

      4You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me,
For You are my strength.

      5Into Your hand I commit my spirit;
You have ransomed me, O LORD, God of truth.

      6I hate those who regard vain idols,
But I trust in the LORD.

      7I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul,

      8And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;
You have set my feet in a large place.

      9Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress;
My eye is wasted away from grief, my soul and my body also.

      10For my life is spent with sorrow
And my years with sighing;
My strength has failed because of my iniquity,
And my body has wasted away.

      11Because of all my adversaries, I have become a reproach,
Especially to my neighbors,
And an object of dread to my acquaintances;
Those who see me in the street flee from me.

      12I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.

      13For I have heard the slander of many,
Terror is on every side;
While they took counsel together against me,
They schemed to take away my life.

      14But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD,
I say, “You are my God.”

      15My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

      16Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;
Save me in Your lovingkindness.

      17Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call upon You;
Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol.

      18Let the lying lips be mute,
Which speak arrogantly against the righteous
With pride and contempt.

      19How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!

      20You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

      21Blessed be the LORD,
For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

      22As for me, I said in my alarm,
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications
When I cried to You.

      23O love the LORD, all you His godly ones!
The LORD preserves the faithful
And fully recompenses the proud doer.

      24Be strong and let your heart take courage,
All you who hope in the LORD.

The older I get, and the more difficulties I face… the more I find joy in reading, studying, and praying the Psalms. David truly strikes an important note in verses 7-8.

      7I will rejoice and be glad in Your lovingkindness,
Because You have seen my affliction;
You have known the troubles of my soul,

      8And You have not given me over into the hand of the enemy;

David rejoices and praises God for His lovingkindness even when his situation has not been resolved yet. David rejoices in that God has seen his affliction and knows what he is going through… that God sustains him through the difficulty.

This can be really difficult to do in our lives. Even in the midst of hard times, rejoice in God… rejoice in knowing that He is with us and understands what we face and that He can sustain us and deliver us.  What a powerful demonstration of faith to give glory to God while still in a difficult situation! I pray God would lead me to do the same as I encounter difficult situations in this fallen world. May I give Him praise and honor even as I lean on Him to sustain me through suffering and hardship.

What situations are you facing in your life  that you may find encouragement and joy in remembering that God is with you and understands what you are experiencing? He can sustain you and deliver you.

—-

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Discerning / Judging, False Prophets / Teachers, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Study the Word, Teachable

Yeshua: The Source of Truth Amidst False Prophets and Cultural Norms

To put it simply, Yeshua is different from other teachers. He is different from the established religion that is taught in many churches or synagogues.  He has authority. He has the ability to work miracles. Immediately upon beginning to teach, people recognized He was no ordinary teacher. That is because Jesus was God in the flesh who came to dwell among us.

Mark 1:21-28

      21They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. 22They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 25And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. 27They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” 28Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding district of Galilee.

Yeshua still has power and authority that others do not. Those who follow Him should teach boldly and with authority as well, though with a certain amount of humility. There is only one way and Yeshua is it. We should expect the fellowship of true believers to reflect their leader. When congregations or communities lift up Yeshua as their leader we should be able to see that they are different than other communities in the world. We should expect them to NOT conform to the cultural norms but to God’s word.

Many false prophets will try to fake miracles and try to teach as if they have authority, even though they teach false doctrine. We must study the scriptures ourselves daily and test teachers (you should test me also!) against scripture. We are only to follow those who teach the truth about Yeshua, consistent with what scripture teaches. Do not follow teachers just because they have a lot of people in their building every week or a lot of followers on Facebook.

As we look for whom we should follow, let us make sure it is Yeshua and not a “celebrity” pastor. We should follow the example of Yeshua and study scripture. We should seek truth and live by it even when it is in conflict with what an established church may teach. We should help pastors by holding them accountable to God’s word, even when it is unpopular. Of course we can study and learn from many different pastors, but none should be looked upon as the source of knowledge and all must be recognized to be capable of error. Let us do these things respectfully and with grace and humility.

Yeshua is most definitely different from the world. So, too, we should expect our church fellowship to be different as well. Let us choose wisely our church family and teachers. Let us seek many counselors and teachers and test everything against the word of God. Let us humbly seek God’s help in prayer for this important matter.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Am I on the path?, Faith / Trusting God, How do I get started?, Jesus (hearing from God), Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Submitted / Servant

The Simple Path: Repent, Believe, and Follow Yeshua

There is much to be said and studied about the teaching of our Messiah, Yeshua (Hebrew for Jesus). We can and should study for a lifetime and continue to seek how we can apply what He taught in our lives on a daily basis. To be a disciple of Christ is to learn His ways and follow. Lest we get overwhelmed and lose focus on what is important… we can capture a very simple summary in Mark 1 as he shares the beginning of Yeshua’s public ministry.

Mark 1:14-20

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

      14Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

      16As He was going along by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew, the brother of Simon, casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. 19Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets. 20Immediately He called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went away to follow Him.

The message is actually quite concise.

15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

The time is fulfilled. Yeshua was fulfilling the prophecies about a Messiah that had long been anticipated.  The kingdom of God is at hand… His earthly ministry was a key part of the kingdom of God and the time was here. So what are we to do? Repent and believe in the gospel.

To repent is to turn away from our wrong way of doing things and turn toward God’s way. To believe in the gospel is to believe Yeshua is God become man to walk among us… to die for our sins and rise again from the dead. It is not simply to acknowledge Him with words, but for those who believe wholeheartedly, it transforms and then directs their life.

Beyond repentance, if we are to be disciples and followers of Christ, we must stop what other things we are focused on and follow Him. Simon, Andrew, James and John did not have all the answers. They chose to follow Yeshua and left behind everything that was familiar to them. They put Yeshua first, above even their family. That is not to say family is not important, but sometimes they can hold you back from devoting yourself to Yeshua fully. James and John had to leave the family fishing business behind in this case.

What a wonderfully simple (though not always easy) summary of how to get started with Yeshua! Recognize and acknowledge who He is, repent and turn toward God, and follow Yeshua to pick up the rest of what God has in store for you. You do not need to know all of God’s plans for you in order to get out of the fishing boat and begin to follow Him.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Introduction to Books of Bible

The Power and Action of Jesus: Exploring the Gospel of Mark and its Timeless Message

We are going to read through the book of Mark.  As a way to get started, I like to share just a touch of backstory, or context. I am referencing my Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible (NASB), whose Executive Editor is Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. This is an excellent resource and I highly recommend it. It is a very high-quality Bible that I enjoy having in a form I can hold in my hands.

The book of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels. About 93% of the material in Mark is covered by Matthew and Luke, but Mark does give more vivid details in his brief account. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes the superhuman power of Jesus. Christ is presented as God’s Son in action, demonstrating His divinity by His miracles. Mark tells more of what Jesus did and less of what Jesus said. Like a motion picture camera, the author rushes from one dynamic scene to the next. he uses “immediately” about 40 times to make the transitions. Judging from only a few references to the Old Testament, his translations of Aramaic expressions, and the themes of power, it is safe to say that Mark’s gospel was aimed at those who lived outside Palestine. 

Very early tradition states that Mark, the son of Mary of Jerusalem (Acts 12:12), wrote this Gospel. We know that since John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10) he may have been a Levite (Acts 4:36). Many scholars believe that Mark was the young man described in Mark 14:51, 52. Mark traveled with the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Act 12:25), but Mark turned back (Acts 13:13). For this reason, Paul refused to consider taking him along on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-39). Since both Paul and Barnabas had strong opposite feelings about the matter, they decided to go different directions, Paul with Silas and Barnabas with Mark. However, much later, Paul felt differently about Mark (II Tim. 4:11).

As we read and study the Gospel of Mark, we will not only seek to understand the word in context of the times, but also seek the timeless principles that apply throughout time to any period, like today… and beyond.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please let Holy Spirit open up our minds to fully understand the depth of the knowledge you have captured in these scriptures. Prepare us to receive, learn and grow. Help us to understand Your word in proper context and also how to apply it to our lives today.  Thank You that Your word is more than just text on a page, but a history of Your relationship with man and the instructions You want us to receive to direct all aspects of our lives. In the name of Yeshua, our Messiah, we pray. Amen.  

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Baptism, Father / Yahweh, Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Speaking, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation/Tempting

The Significance of Jesus’ Baptism and Temptation: Insights from Mark’s Gospel

All four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are written at the prompting and divine inspiration of Yahweh. However, they are influenced by the men through whom Yahweh worked to write them and by the audiences they were intended to reach (e.g. Jew or Gentile). There are common threads throughout all the gospels which unite them and demonstrate consistency, and yet they cover history from different perspectives and with different focuses.

Mark begins his gospel by first telling us quickly about John the Baptist and then moves immediately to the baptism of Jesus. He does not dwell on the birth of Christ or even His eternal existence, the word of God that existed in the beginning, as the other gospels do. Mark begins with Jesus’ earthly ministry as a starting point.

Mark 1:9-13

The Baptism of Jesus

      9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; 11and a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

      12Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

Let us pause, then to reflect, that the baptism is significant as it symbolically indicates the start of Jesus’ ministry on earth. Jesus did not need to be cleansed or make a public commitment in order to obey the Father or serve Him, but Jesus is showing us that there is value in publicly declaring your faith before witnesses.

It is interesting to note that the Father was well pleased with Jesus even before He started His public ministry. The Father knows our hearts and is pleased with us based on our love and desire for obedience to Him… our faith. He does not wait for us to demonstrate great works to be pleased with us, though works done consistent with God’s word and for His glory are wonderful and do please Him.

We could cross reference other gospels to get more information about the baptism and about the temptation in the wilderness, but Mark moves through these items quickly… though he does indeed include them here.

One observation I believe to be true is that, as with the case of Jesus, Satan will come against those who are trying to surrender their lives to Yahweh by following in the example of Jesus. Satan came to tempt Jesus when He was weakened (fasting) and alone (in the wilderness) and quickly after Jesus publicly declared His submission to the Father through baptism. Satan will try to derail and discourage new believers in this way. We must take heed to support them at this vulnerable moment as they begin their journey with Christ.

Keep a sharp eye out and pray the Holy Spirit would guide you to find and support those new believers when they need your help most. Then choose to take the time to help them, even if you are busy and it is not convenient.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, False Prophets / Teachers, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Prophecy, Prophecy, Through Prophets

Unveiling Deceptive Appearances: God’s Messengers and the Call to Discernment

One of the common threads throughout scripture is that the world at large will reject the messengers that are truly sent from  Yahweh. Over and over again, those who speak the truth and represent our Creator and Lord without concern for self bring forth much anger and rejection from many. We must choose carefully whom we follow. Let us not be deceived by slick salesmen who seem popular, but only look out for themselves. Rather, we are to dig deeper and compare what is taught with the word of God. Do not be distracted by style and appearance. Often it is those we least expect that bring forth the powerful truth of God.

Naturally, we can point to Jesus… He was ultimately plotted against and murdered by those who did not want the truth of God to interfere with their grip on power… their rules and teachings. This is evident by reading through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We could look back to Isaiah and see from prophecy that Jesus was not a striking figure to grab attention by the standards of men.  A full reading of Isaiah 53 is worth the time to read the prophecy about our Messiah, Jesus. I encourage you to click through and read it completely. For this article I am highlighting a portion to make the point that God’s messengers do not always come in the packages that we, as men, tend to look for through our eyes.  Jesus was not striking in appearance, nor did He come from a town of significance in the minds of the culture at the time.

Isaiah 53:1-3

     1Who has believed our message?
And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

      2For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot,
And like a root out of parched ground;
He has no stately form or majesty
That we should look upon Him,
Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

      3He was despised and forsaken of men,
A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;
And like one from whom men hide their face
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

So, too, with King David… God’s prophet Samuel kept looking upon David’s brothers and judging physical features, but God chooses differently. God chooses based on the heart and he chose the son who was so unexpected by man that even his own father did not bring him in for the occasion to line up before Samuel.

1 Samuel 16: 6-11

      6When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” 7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 9Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “The LORD has not chosen this one either.” 10Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.” 11And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all the children?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.”

Just to make the point with one more example… let us look at John the Baptist. A man sent by God, prophesied long in advance. He was not a “prototypical” teacher or preacher. His dress and lifestyle was very different. Even where he conducted his ministry was different.

Mark 1:1-8

Preaching of John the Baptist

      1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

      2As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
“BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;

      3THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS,
‘MAKE READY THE WAY OF THE LORD,
MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT.’”

4John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And all the country of Judea was going out to him, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. 6John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey. 7And he was preaching, and saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to stoop down and untie the thong of His sandals. 8“I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In the case of Jesus, David, John and many more… the appearance was deceptive. Those who brought the truth came presented in a different manner than through the “established” religion of formal teachers and synagogues. Let us be careful to not jump quickly to conclusions about teachers based on their appearance or the size and typical nature of their ministry. Let us test each and every one against the truth of the gospel. Also, God’s message calls us to change, which many don’t want to do. This becomes another reason many will reject God’s true messengers. They want to stay how they are and not repent or change to follow God’s ways more completely. Quite often, those bringing the truth of God’s word appear in unexpected places and with unexpected styles and with a challenging message that calls us to action.

Shalom. May the grace and peace of our Lord, Yeshua, be with you. Devotion by John in service to Christ

Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Psalms, Suffering / Adversity, Thankfulness

You Have Turned My Mourning Into Dancing

We all face difficult times, and they do not always turn out the way we expect. We can always turn to God for help. He loves us and wants the best for us, even when we do not recognize what is best for us. Come to God for help. Trust in Him. Sing praise to Him as He answers your prayers, even if it is not in the way you wanted. He knows best.

Psalm 30

1I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

2O LORD my God,
I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

3O LORD, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

4Sing praise to the LORD, you His godly ones,
And give thanks to His holy name.

5For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for a lifetime;
Weeping may last for the night,
But a shout of joy comes in the morning.

6Now as for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I will never be moved.”

7O LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain to stand strong;  You hid Your face, I was dismayed.

8To You, O LORD, I called,
And to the Lord I made supplication:

9“What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise You? Will it declare Your faithfulness?

10“Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me;
O LORD, be my helper.”

11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
You have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,

12That my soul may sing praise to You and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

God has truly been gracious to me. He has turned mourning in my life into dancing and joy more than once to be sure. Reflect for a few moments… how has God turned mourning and sadness into dancing in your life? Take time to thank Him right now. Are you in a season of suffering and mourning right now? Come to God humbly and ask for His help and trust Him in how we helps you… even if it is not exactly how you wanted.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.