Category Archives: Faith / Trusting God

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Miracles

Where There Is Little Faith, There Will Be Few Miracles

Where there is little faith, there will be few miracles.  Yeshua amazed people with His power and wisdom, and many were convinced to follow Him. However, those closest to Him had a very hard time recognizing Him as Lord. Those in His hometown could not separate the person of Yeshua as carpenter’s son from the miracle working teacher… from God with us, Immanuel. This is a common struggle for many. Yeshua calls it out as applicable for prophets generally, not just limited to Him. As a result, the lack of faith limited the number of miracles Jesus performed there.  The home town really missed out!

Mark 6:1-6

Teaching at Nazareth

      1Jesus went out from there and came into His hometown; and His disciples followed Him. 2When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? 3“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.” 5And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6And He wondered at their unbelief.
And He was going around the villages teaching.

Two main themes I want to emphasize. First, for those of us who truly change our lives, turn our lives around to focus on seeking after God and putting Him first in our lives… many who have already known us will have a hard time recognizing the significance of the change in our lives. We could study and pray and draw near to the Lord and they may always look back and say… “Isn’t that Joe? He was in my class at school and he used to play tricks on people” or “That is Sally. She was always grumpy and complaining about doing too many chores.” It may be hard for them to recognize us as an authority on scripture and the Christian walk in such a way as to help lead them to change their lives. Interestingly enough, others who did not know us growing up may have a much easier time responding to the “light” of Christ in us. Try not to be discouraged. Continue to focus on “letting your light shine” before others so as to show them the way to Christ.

The second theme is specifically pertaining to miracles. Many skeptics can always look to find reasons to explain away the power of God working through miracles. It is sometimes amazing to see what they come up with. One common example we should all be familiar with… many want to ignore the miracle of creation itself.  They rather believe that everything came from nothing randomly than that a divine Creator made everything in an ordered and structured way. Yet if we showed those same people a clean house, they would immediately know someone had cleaned it and it had not gotten organized randomly on its own. How absolutely silly to deny God’s hand in creation!

Where there is little faith, there are few miracles. For those who look to dismiss miracles from God, they will experience few, if any. Yeshua often is cited in scripture for referencing someone’s faith when He conducted a miracle. In verse 5, it actually translates that He “could do no miracle” because of lack of faith. That is a different statement than He “would do no miracle” to be sure. It is intriguing and could be subject of additional study.

For those who recognize the miracles from God all around them, who put their faith in Him, they will truly rejoice at their Creator’s involvement in the world all around them and they will experience His miracles in greater number.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, please help me to strengthen my faith. Help me to believe and to grow in intimacy with You. Amen. 

Shalom

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.

All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Loving / Kind, Miracles

Trust God Can Overcome Any Obstacle

We all go through difficult situations. Sometimes they may feel hopeless. However, we are reminded that nothing is too challenging for God. Mark 5 records two examples of miraculous healing Yeshua brought about during His earthly ministry. Cast your anxiety on the LORD and bring your problems before Him. Whether He heals you or not, know that He can and trust Him in any outcome.

Mark 5:21-43

Miracles and Healing

      21When Jesus had crossed over again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around Him; and so He stayed by the seashore. 22One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, fell at His feet 23and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” 24And He went off with him; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him.

      25A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse— 27after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28For she thought, “If I just touch His garments, I will get well.” 29Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” 31And His disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’” 32And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.”

      35While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” 36But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” 37And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. 38They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. 39And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” 40They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. 41Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). 42Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. 43And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat.

Both examples of healing showed great faith. That is a common characteristic of Yeshua’s miracles. I would not recommend trying to control God’s miraculous power as the woman with the hemorrhage did.  And even if you wanted to, I am not sure how that would work when Yeshua is not in human form in His earthly ministry.

It is always interesting to note when Yeshua downplays His miracles. He told people the girl was sleeping and gave strict orders no one should hear about the healing. Yeshua was not on a “healing mission”. He was on a “teaching mission”. He healed people out of compassion and as part of demonstrating that He was Messiah and fulfilling prophecy.

Do not judge God by whether or not you receive the outcome you desire. Remember Yeshua when He came before Yahweh in the garden of Gethsemane. He was fully submitted, even as He asked for the cup of suffering to be removed.

Matthew 26:39

     39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for getting involved in our personal lives. Who are we that You should care about us? But You do! Help me remember that no matter what my problem may be, I can bring it before You and nothing is beyond Your ability to fix or use for Your purposes. Help me to trust You no matter what the outcome, even when You do not choose to do what I am asking. Amen. 

Shalom

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, Jesus (hearing from God), Parables

The Transformative Journey of Faith: From Small Beginnings to Great Impact

Yeshua speaks to many about the kingdom of God through parables. In Mark 4, He uses several stories about farming to teach believers about the kingdom of God. He begins with the Parable of the Sower and continues with the Parable of the Seed and then the Parable of the Mustard Seed.

Mark 4:30-34

Parable of the Mustard Seed

      30And He said, “How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it? 31“It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the soil, though it is smaller than all the seeds that are upon the soil, 32yet when it is sown, it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and forms large branches; so that THE BIRDS OF THE AIR can NEST UNDER ITS SHADE.”

      33With many such parables He was speaking the word to them, so far as they were able to hear it; 34and He did not speak to them without a parable; but He was explaining everything privately to His own disciples.

We should not get too distracted by the fact that there are smaller seeds and larger plants. That is not the point. Yeshua is not trying to teach a botany lesson about the relative size of plants and seeds, but rather using information commonly understood amongst members of the audience to help “paint a picture” that teaches about the kingdom of God.

In the earlier parables, Yeshua portrays the word of God as the seed and the sower as the one who shares it. Each of us is the soil, upon which the word of God lands. What type of soil we are, how prepared we are to accept and embrace the word of God, determines how it will grow inside of us, or not. Then, in the parable of the seed, Yeshua makes the point that we do not need to know “how” the word of God grows inside of us, just that it grows so long as we continue to be fertile soil for it to grow inside. It will transform us even if we don’t know how.

In the third parable, that of the mustard seed, we see Yeshua presenting the truth that in each of us the truth of God’s word and our faith begins as very small. We are inherently sinful people until the word of God and His spirit grow inside of us. Though the seed begins small, when we allow it to grow inside of us, it will grow over time to a great bush with strength and be able to provide shade and comfort. As we let the word and spirit of God grow inside of us, we can be sure it will transform us and build our faith to be more like Yeshua. There will be a change reflected in our behaviors and thoughts when the Spirit grows inside of us. It will be noticeable, though not always fast.

As we grow, we should not expect the seed of faith to remain small, but rather become large and obvious and strong. Take time to prayerfully reflect on whether or not you see the growth of the Spirit in you over time. If your heart is wholeheartedly set on discipling after Jesus, you will see a change over time. If you can not notice a change, ask others who know you well and you trust and seek God in prayer to help you. Challenge yourself to make sure you are not just complacent in your relationship with God, content to claim Him in name and go to church, but not truly embracing and seeking Him wholeheartedly. Truly following after Yeshua… truly accepting Him as Lord and Messiah… means changing who we are, to be more like Him.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for teaching me through Your word and the Spirit. Help me to grow in my faith so that it becomes strong and help Your word grow strong inside me. Transform me to be faithful and pleasing more and more as I walk with You. Amen. 

 Shalom

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, Holy / Set Apart, Parables

Do We Need to Understand the Process to Reap the Joy of the Harvest?

Jesus had a fascinating way of speaking in parables. For those whom Yahweh allowed to understand, the parables help enable understanding of the spiritual through comparison to the physical. Sometimes, He even points out to us that there are some things… ok, many things… which we do not need to understand, but rather we just need to accept them and trust God.

Mark 4:26-29

Parable of the Seed

      26And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; 27and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. 28“The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. 29“But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

We should consider the context of these verses. They follow immediately after the parable of the Sower and the Soils, in which the seed represents the word of God being shared with people. The people are represented by four soils, with different reactions to the seed… the word of God.

Yeshua shows us that we do not need to understand how the seed grows in order to benefit from it and enjoy the harvest of what it provides. Yes, we can study and pray to try to understand more about the kingdom of God and about how faith grows inside the righteous… but we do not need to understand the “how”. We can leave that to God. We are to plant the seed in others and help care for the seed that is planted in each of us, as individuals and as community, by prayer and study of the Bible daily and by fellowship with other true disciples of Yeshua.

Do not get distracted with “having to know” the “how”. Instead, focus on the role  Yeshua calls each of us to play in growing and honoring the kingdom of God.

As an added reflection, we can consider verse 29 a bit more so as not to overlook it. Yahweh makes the seed of faith grow inside of us. When the plant is now ready to harvest and use for His purposes, He does so. Of course, it is up to Yahweh to determine for each of us what it means to be ready to harvest based on what plans He has for us.

Shalom

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?, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Doubt / Lacking Faith, Faith / Trusting God, Obeying God, Parables

Parable of the Sower and Soils… Which Soil Are You?

As you read this well known parable from our Lord, Jesus Christ, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you and reveal answers to the following questions…

“Which soil are you?”

“Are you just the soil, or also a sower?”

I would also encourage you to keep in mind that the seed, the word of Yahweh, is consistent throughout. That is not what drives the difference in outcome. The difference in outcome is driven by the soil.

Mark 4:1-25

Parable of the Sower and Soils

1He began to teach again by the sea. And such a very large crowd gathered to Him that He got into a boat in the sea and sat down; and the whole crowd was by the sea on the land. 2And He was teaching them many things in parables, and was saying to them in His teaching, 3“Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5“Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6“And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7“Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8“Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” 9And He was saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

10As soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12so that WHILE SEEING, THEY MAY SEE AND NOT PERCEIVE, AND WHILE HEARING, THEY MAY HEAR AND NOT UNDERSTAND, OTHERWISE THEY MIGHT RETURN AND BE FORGIVEN.”

Explanation

13And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? 14“The sower sows the word. 15“These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. 16“In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; 17and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. 18“And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, 19but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20“And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

21And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? 22“For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. 23“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” 24And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. 25“For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.”

I can look back on my life and see times when I have been the path and then later choked by the weeds and now more and more I see God moving in my life and leading me to bear fruit for His kingdom. As I have become more fruitful, I begin to become a sower as well, though I must never stop being the soil to draw in His word.  I still have a long way to go, but praise God for His grace to work inside of me!

As you pray for wisdom and guidance from the Spirit, also reflect prayerfully on how to change to become even more fruitful for the kingdom of God. Identify a few simple actions to take even starting this week. Do not be so discouraged as to not try nor think of yourself as better than you are and risk remaining complacent. Rather be honest and start your journey from where you are today. The only lasting regret is if you refuse to move forward to serve Yeshua more!

I also encourage you not to try to do this all on your own. Ask the Spirit to help you, to transform you, so that you can be more fruitful.

I invite you to pray with me:

Father, thank You for Your word. Thank You for the Spirit to help guide me. Please help me to be more fruitful for Your kingdom. Help me to be the good soil. Lead me in growing to be more of a sower as well of Your word. Amen. 

Shalom

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, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Healer, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Repenting from Sin, Sin

Jesus: Messiah, Savior, and the Way to Reconciliation

I have encountered some that declare Jesus was just a good teacher and not God. Some say a prophet. Some insist that Jesus never even really said He was God. The sum total of scripture from Genesis through Revelation points to Jesus as Messiah. It is amazing that any can claim He is a prophet or good teacher, but not God. The fact is that Jesus also had very explicit examples recorded in scripture where He communicates that He and the Father are one… that He is God.

Perhaps one of the most obvious is in John 10.

John 10:24-30

24The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. 26“But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29“My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30“I and the Father are one.”

There are other similar scriptures where Jesus could not be more plain and direct in this manner. There are also multiple examples where He communicates it in a more subtle, but still clear manner.

Mark 2:1-13

The Paralytic Healed

      1When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11“I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

      13And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

Jesus clearly chose to talk about forgiving sins to communicate that He was one with God, because only God has authority to forgive sins.

For those of us who read the scriptures objectively and without bias, seeking truth, we must conclude that Jesus was not a good teacher or prophet. He was either a madman, a liar, or God in the flesh. Those are our choices.

For those of us who read and understand the scriptures, we know that Jesus is Messiah, who took the punishment for our sins and died on the cross for us. Through Him, we can be reconciled to God.

  • Admit that we are sinners in need of salvation.
  • Believe that Jesus died for us and rose again.
  • Confess with our mouths and our lives that Jesus is our Lord. Repent (turn away from our sins) and live according to God’s instructions.

—-

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.

Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Miracles, Seeking God

Those Who Seek Jesus Diligently Will Find Him

What a beautiful and inspiring event it must have been. Jesus had healed many and then gone on to other towns to preach the gospel. When He returned to Capernaum several days later, crowds were eager to see Him and hear what He had to say. The miracles of healing that Jesus performed truly got people’s attention to listen to the gospel… exactly as Jesus intended.

As the crowds gathered to hear Him, a small group of friends wanted to bring a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed. They could not get in. What were they to do? Should they give up? Should they wait outside and hope He comes to them?

Mark 2:1-13

The Paralytic Healed

      1When He had come back to Capernaum several days afterward, it was heard that He was at home. 2And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room, not even near the door; and He was speaking the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. 4Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. 5And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6But some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7“Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts? 9“Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? 10“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, 11“I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.” 12And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.”

      13And He went out again by the seashore; and all the people were coming to Him, and He was teaching them.

The friends did not whine or complain or blame Jesus or the other people for being in their way. They did not declare “It’s not fair”. They had such faith in Jesus that they worked harder to get close to Him. When they did, He was pleased and rewarded them with the healing they sought. The diligent exercise of the faithful was rewarded.

—-

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.

Blessed, Faith / Trusting God, Joy / Happiness / Rejoicing, Love, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Psalms

How Blessed Is He Whose Sin Is Covered!

How natural is it for a child to try to deny that they have done wrong? They are focused solely on avoiding correction and discipline and it that approach can get in the way of learning and growing. As a child, I once wrote on the back dash of our family car in orange crayon. When it was discovered by my parents and they asked about it… I denied it was me. I had written my name. Needless to say they figured it out easily. I had compounded my mistakes by adding lying to the original drawing on the dashboard.

As foolish as this sounds, it is much like that when we try to hide our sins from God. He already knows what we did. It is just as foolish to rationalize to God (and ourselves) to justify our wrong actions. He already knows our motives.

Just like a loving father, He wants us to repent for our wrong actions, ask forgiveness and turn about to start doing the right things. He wants us to be brought back to right relationship with Him. God already made a way for us to be forgiven! We just need to accept the offer of forgiveness by grace through faith that God extends to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!

Psalm 32

Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.

     1How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!

      2How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!

      3When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.

      4For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.

Selah.

      5I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;
And You forgave the guilt of my sin.

Selah.

      6Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

      7You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Selah.

      8I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

      9Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.

      10Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him.

      11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.

Rejoice indeed all who are upright in heart! Our loving Father made a way to forgive us and allow us to remain in close relationship with Him. We do not need to live forever under the guilt of the wrong things we have done and the wrong motivations we have felt. We turn away from wrong, ask forgiveness and start doing things God’s way. Jesus came to set us free from our own sin!

Reflect on your life and consider some of the mistakes you have made. Praise God that all of those have already been forgiven if you have turned from that wrong behavior, asked Jesus to forgive you, and started doing things God’s way. You no longer carry that guilt. Jesus carried it for you… to the cross.

Are there areas in which you have not yet turned away from wrong behavior and asked forgiveness… where you have not yet started doing things God’s way? Come humbly before God right now. Do not wait for later today or tomorrow.

—-

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.

Faith / Trusting God, Persecution / Glorifying God, Submitted / Servant

Enduring Faith: Trials and Persecution in the Service of the LORD

When we choose to serve the LORD, we are not guaranteed an easy life. In fact, many who are used mightily by the LORD experience trials and persecution. They must endure. We may often think of  “Bible” heroes as always being joyful even in challenging times, like Paul and Silas singing in jail. However, the men and women in the Bible were people, just like you and me. They struggled at times as well when things did not go well in the carnal view of what was around them.

Jeremiah is a great example. He felt that he had to speak the word of God, but when he did he felt humiliation and persecution. People came against him.

Jeremiah 20

Pashhur Persecutes Jeremiah

      1When Pashhur the priest, the son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the LORD, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things, 2Pashhur had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put him in the stocks that were at the upper Benjamin Gate, which was by the house of the LORD. 3On the next day, when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “Pashhur is not the name the LORD has called you, but rather Magor-missabib. 4“For thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am going to make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; and while your eyes look on, they will fall by the sword of their enemies. So I will give over all Judah to the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will carry them away as exiles to Babylon and will slay them with the sword. 5‘I will also give over all the wealth of this city, all its produce and all its costly things; even all the treasures of the kings of Judah I will give over to the hand of their enemies, and they will plunder them, take them away and bring them to Babylon. 6‘And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into captivity; and you will enter Babylon, and there you will die and there you will be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have falsely prophesied.’”

Jeremiah’s Complaint

7O LORD, You have deceived me and I was deceived;
You have overcome me and prevailed.
I have become a laughingstock all day long;
Everyone mocks me.

      8For each time I speak, I cry aloud;
I proclaim violence and destruction,
Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted
In reproach and derision all day long.

      9But if I say, “I will not remember Him
Or speak anymore in His name,”
Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
And I am weary of holding it in,
And I cannot endure it.

      10For I have heard the whispering of many,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!”
All my trusted friends,
Watching for my fall, say:
“Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him
And take our revenge on him.”

      11But the LORD is with me like a dread champion;
Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed,
With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.

      12Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who test the righteous,
Who see the mind and the heart;
Let me see Your vengeance on them;
For to You I have set forth my cause.

      13Sing to the LORD, praise the LORD!
For He has delivered the soul of the needy one
From the hand of evildoers.

      14Cursed be the day when I was born;
Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!

      15Cursed be the man who brought the news
To my father, saying,
“A baby boy has been born to you!”
And made him very happy.

      16But let that man be like the cities
Which the LORD overthrew without relenting,
And let him hear an outcry in the morning
And a shout of alarm at noon;

      17Because he did not kill me before birth,
So that my mother would have been my grave,
And her womb ever pregnant.

      18Why did I ever come forth from the womb
To look on trouble and sorrow,
So that my days have been spent in shame?

Like Jeremiah, we can come before the LORD and share our feelings honestly. He knows them anyway. I am reminded of 1 Pet 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” We can give our anxiety to God in order to find peace.

Just remember to praise God along the way!

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.