Category Archives: Suffering / Adversity

Blessed, Consequences of Sin, Curse, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Love, Obeying God

Blessings Of Obedience Or Curse of Rebellion

Deuteronomy 11 records a passionate call for God’s people to obey Him and receive His blessings. It also contains a strong warning for those who choose instead to disobey God and do things their own way. While this was addressed to God’s people at a specific important point in their journey out of Egypt and into the promised land, it is incredibly applicable and relevant today. Read it as if God is talking to you today and let it speak to you. Focus more on the blessings of obedience and curse of disobedience, which are enduring general principles of God,  than literally the direction to occupy a  land, which was situation specific.

11 “You must love the Lord your God and always obey his requirements, decrees, regulations, and commands. 2 Keep in mind that I am not talking now to your children, who have never experienced the discipline of the Lord your God or seen his greatness and his strong hand and powerful arm. 3 They didn’t see the miraculous signs and wonders he performed in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his land. 4 They didn’t see what the Lord did to the armies of Egypt and to their horses and chariots—how he drowned them in the Red Sea[a] as they were chasing you. He destroyed them, and they have not recovered to this very day!

5 “Your children didn’t see how the Lord cared for you in the wilderness until you arrived here. 6 They didn’t see what he did to Dathan and Abiram (the sons of Eliab, a descendant of Reuben) when the earth opened its mouth in the Israelite camp and swallowed them, along with their households and tents and every living thing that belonged to them. 7 But you have seen the Lord perform all these mighty deeds with your own eyes!

8 “Therefore, be careful to obey every command I am giving you today, so you may have strength to go in and take over the land you are about to enter. 9 If you obey, you will enjoy a long life in the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors and to you, their descendants—a land flowing with milk and honey! 10 For the land you are about to enter and take over is not like the land of Egypt from which you came, where you planted your seed and made irrigation ditches with your foot as in a vegetable garden. 11 Rather, the land you will soon take over is a land of hills and valleys with plenty of rain— 12 a land that the Lord your God cares for. He watches over it through each season of the year!

13 “If you carefully obey the commands I am giving you today, and if you love the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul, 14 then he will send the rains in their proper seasons—the early and late rains—so you can bring in your harvests of grain, new wine, and olive oil. 15 He will give you lush pastureland for your livestock, and you yourselves will have all you want to eat.

16 “But be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods. 17 If you do, the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will shut up the sky and hold back the rain, and the ground will fail to produce its harvests. Then you will quickly die in that good land the Lord is giving you.

18 “So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. 19 Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. 20 Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that as long as the sky remains above the earth, you and your children may flourish in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors.

22 “Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him. 23 Then the Lord will drive out all the nations ahead of you, though they are much greater and stronger than you, and you will take over their land. 24 Wherever you set foot, that land will be yours. Your frontiers will stretch from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north, and from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.[b] 25 No one will be able to stand against you, for the Lord your God will cause the people to fear and dread you, as he promised, wherever you go in the whole land.

26 “Look, today I am giving you the choice between a blessing and a curse! 27 You will be blessed if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today. 28 But you will be cursed if you reject the commands of the Lord your God and turn away from him and worship gods you have not known before.

29 “When the Lord your God brings you into the land and helps you take possession of it, you must pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal. 30 (These two mountains are west of the Jordan River in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley,[c] near the town of Gilgal, not far from the oaks of Moreh.) 31 For you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land the Lord your God is giving you. When you take that land and are living in it, 32 you must be careful to obey all the decrees and regulations I am giving you today.

I recognize certain difficult times in my life where it has seemed that God was metaphorically or symbolically calling me out of Egypt and directing me to a promised land. It required obedience to His word and to His direction in prayer. I had to boldly leave behind some things in my past that were important to me and how I viewed the world and trust God, stepping out and into a new way of approaching my life. In hindsight, I can now clearly see where God was leading me out of bondage and into freedom and prosperity in living my life for Him. At the time, it seemed daunting, as if He were leading me to a strange place that made me uncomfortable.

I encourage each of us to take time and pray that God would reveal to us His direction and that we would have the courage to obey and trust Him. Seek to apply God’s call to obedience to your life personally in the small every day decisions and actions as well as the larger “life changing” big decisions. God will lead you through if you will follow.

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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.

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Am I on the path?, Children, Consequences of Sin, Heaven and Hell, Humility, Righteousness / Serving God, Sin, Temptation/Tempting

Who Is The Greatest In The Kingdom Of Heaven?

Many of us in the world seek greatness. Often what is most telling is what is put forth as the standard against which to measure greatness. Jesus addresses this subject in Matthew 18:1-10.

18 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?”

2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf[a] is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. Temptations are inevitable, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting. 8 So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.[b]

10 “Beware that you don’t look down on any of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.

Where does greatness begin, according to Jesus?

  • Turn from our sin. To turn from our sin does not mean we live sinless lives… but it does mean we strive to. It is a journey away from our sin nature and toward God’s holy standard. We are not to accept and dwell in our sin.
  • Be humble, as a small child. If we are arrogant instead of humble we likely start to think we deserve heaven… we have earned it because we are better than others. We also start to treat others differently, and not in a good way. On the other hand, when we realize that we are not good enough and it is only through God’s grace that we are saved, then we become humble. When we are humble, we treat people, even sinners or those who disagree with us, with love and compassion and not with contempt.
  • Recognize how our actions and words can lift someone up and lead them to Christ or cause them to stumble. We are accountable to God for helping or stumbling others in their spiritual journey.
  • Those who tempt others to sin and reject God will be held accountable and it will be bad for them. Rather than tempt people to sin by rationalizing sinful behavior, always look for ways to encourage others in living in a way that honors and obeys God.
  • There is most certainly life after death and what we do in this life directly has consequences on our life after death.

Jesus’ definition of greatness is very different from the world. The world tempts us to define great as those who get fame, power, money while basically serving themselves. Jesus calls us to turn from sin, be humble, and be seek to help others in their journey to know God and live His way rather than tempt them to live however they want to live, rationalizing sin and ignoring or rejecting God in the process.

Take a few moments to reflect for yourself and your family:

  •  How do you measure up to this standard of greatness? What changes do you want to make personally?
  • Whose standard of greatness do you use to identify your role models and heroes? God’s standard or the world’s standard? Should you change who you consider role models?

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Character of God, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Heaven and Hell, Obeying God, Prophecy, Suffering / Adversity

Jesus Again Predicts His Death And Resurrection

Earlier in Matthew 17, Jesus experiences the transfiguration on a mountaintop, coming into the presence of God, Elijah, and Moses. Then he comes down the mountain top to find that His disciples were unable to cast out a demon from a young boy and he appears to get frustrated, apparently at the lack of faith of the disciples. (We covered this in yesterday’s devotion, so will not cover in detail here.)

As we read Matthew 17:22-23 we gain some insight into why He may have been getting frustrated with the progress of the disciples. Time for His earthly ministry is running short. After explaining to the disciples why they could not cast out the demon, because they did not have enough faith, Jesus tells them again of His impending death and resurrection.

22 After they gathered again in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. 23 He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” And the disciples were filled with grief.

The disciples loved Jesus. They were filled with grief to think that He would suffer or no longer be with them.

Jesus clearly knew what was coming. He demonstrated courage and faith by willingly choosing to submit to God’s will and suffer and die for our sins… the sins of all those who would follow Him and accept His offer. Jesus in His earthly ministry demonstrates the faith we are called to strive for in our lives.

One can also take a moment to recognize that this is clearly prophetic in terms of predicting what events will transpire before they occur based on revelation from God.  Jesus was preparing the disciples for what was to come by showing them it was not unexpected and by showing them that He was willingly submitted to obeying God’s will for His life.

Take time to consider in your own life:

  • Are you fully submitted to God, even when things He asks are difficult or feel uncomfortable? Even when people will come against you and mock you or persecute you?
  • Or do you do what you want to do and only obey God’s instruction when it is easy and consistent with your own desires and comfort zone?
  • What are some examples in your life where you have taken a stand for Jesus despite being mocked, rejected, or persecuted? If you can not think if any… then consider again the first question above.

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Obeying God, Suffering / Adversity

Seeing From a Human Point of View, Not From God’s

Matthew 16:21-28 continues after Jesus has just confirmed to His disciples that He is the “son of the living God”. After this revelation, which God had revealed to Peter and then Peter shared in the presence of the other disciples, Jesus began to tell His disciples more plainly that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the elders.

21 From then on Jesus[j] began to tell his disciples plainly that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem, and that he would suffer many terrible things at the hands of the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but on the third day he would be raised from the dead.

22 But Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him[k] for saying such things. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!”

23 Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 25 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 26 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?[l] Is anything worth more than your soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. 28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”

Peter calls Jesus to the side to reprimand Him for saying such things. Peter loved Jesus and did not want Him to come to any harm. Peter saw things from a man’s view. He got a very clear correction from Jesus. Then Jesus continued to explain.

We all see through the eyes of men. None of us can see through God’s eyes except perhaps through limited special revelation from God. We will all be subject to making Peter’s mistake when we see things around us that do not make sense such as death and illness, especially for the innocent and for those who serve God.

We must bring our concerns humbly before God and release them to Him, as we will see Jesus do later in scripture in the garden before He is taken into custody for crucifixion. We can ask for help, of course, but are called to submit to God’s will even when we do not understand it.

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Depression / Discouragement, Hope, Peace / Rest

You Will Keep In Perfect Peace All Who Trust In You

In this world there is much suffering and discouragement. Many fall even into depression. There is hope in the word of our God to encourage us and bring us joy even in trials.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [Isaiah 26:3]

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

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. [Proverbs 3:5-6]

We are all susceptible to discouragement in our lives. None of us are above it. However, we can find much comfort in seeking God in prayer and through study of His word in the Bible. We depend on Him and trust Him rather than trusting our own understanding. We live God’s way instead of the world’s way.  Jesus is a source of hope and encouragement even when we do not fully understand why He allows difficult things to happen in our lives.

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Children, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Family, Parenting, Righteousness / Serving God

“What Good Is My Birthright To Me Now?

We see in Genesis 25:27-34 some of the damage inflicted within a family when parents fail. Isaac and Rebekah chose favorites, perhaps unintentionally, but favorites none the less. When parents do this it creates a significant divide within the family instead of uniting the family together. Instead, as parents, we are to love each child for the unique gifts and personality God has given them… following the example of our Creator, who loves each of us despite our differences.

27 As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)

31 “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

32 “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.

As we continue to read in scripture we will later read in Genesis 27 how Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him the blessing intended for Esau. However, we see clearly in Genesis 25 that Esau showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn and agreed foolishly to give them to Isaac in trade for… yes… one bowl of stew.

There is much we could discuss about the dysfunctional behavior of both Isaac and Esau within this family… and Isaac and Rebekah as well. It is disappointing to see the grandchildren  of Abraham acting so poorly and acting so clearly on their internal sin nature instead of turning to God and following His instruction.

It is a clear reminder for each of us to focus as parents on the importance of following God’s instruction and example in loving and raising our children. We must actively seek God and parent well. Children will not raise themselves in a godly manner. Sometimes parenting can be a very difficult task to do in a righteous and thorough manner. It is not for the lazy or faint of heart.

Join me in praying for Christian parents around the world to raise their children in a righteous manner and help lead them to God. If you are a parent or grandparent,  seek ways you can help raise the next generations. There are many in the world who will try to lead them astray and they must be well rooted in the Bible and in Jesus Christ as the only path to knowing God.

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Faith / Trusting God, Miracles, Obeying God, Prayer, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity

“You Really Are The Son of God!”

In Matthew 14:22-36, we continue on our journey with Jesus after He just finished feeding 5000 men plus women and children with 5 loaves and 2 fish. That was quite a miracle to witness, and many, many witnesses… including the disciples.

22 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone.

24 Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. 25 About three o’clock in the morning[b] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!”

27 But Jesus spoke to them at once. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![c]”

28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.”

29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the strong[d] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”

32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed.

34 After they had crossed the lake, they landed at Gennesaret. 35 When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. 36 They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed.

Key points to draw from this scripture:

  • Jesus took time from His busy earthly ministry to pray, long stretches of undisturbed time… not just 5 minutes fit in between brushing teeth and going to sleep. Jesus demonstrated the importance of prayer in communicating with God.
  • Through scripture, Jesus is telling us that storms will come. Expect them.
  • Sometimes God directs us into the storm for our personal growth or to serve Him. He knew the storm was coming when He told the disciples to get in the boat.
  • Several of the disciples were experienced fishermen, they would not easily be frightened by an average storm. This one was rough.
  • Peter had strong faith, and when focused on Jesus was able to even walk on water! However, when he took his eyes off Jesus, focusing on the power of the storm instead of the power of God, he started to sink. We can accomplish much with strong faith in Jesus, but must stay focused on “how big our God is” instead of “how big our problems are”.
  • Jesus will answer when we earnestly seek Him. He did not let Peter drown.
  • The disciples had just previously witnessed the miracle of the loaves and fishes, and yet were still surprised when Jesus calmed the storm, proclaiming, “You really are the Son of God!”
  • When we get discouraged, lets remember that even those who walked with Jesus still had trouble in the storm. They served God while still being very much imperfect and on a journey to know Jesus more intimately and submit to Him more fully.

Praise Jesus for showing His strength through our weakness! We need not be perfect to serve Him. We need only repent from our sins, seek Him wholeheartedly asking forgiveness and submitting to Him, and proclaim Him loudly. We can call upon Him and He will answer.

Do not wait until you feel you are “good enough” to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others.  We know that Jesus is “good enough”! Start (or continue) the journey toward righteousness today. Follow Jesus and submit all areas of your life to Him. The journey to grow more like Christ and less like our own sin nature is a journey that we never complete in this life, but it transforms our lives along the way.

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Please share our devotionals with your friends and family and visit our website at www.HearingFromJesus.org to see more.

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Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Pride, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

John the Baptist Executed On A Whim

Matthew 14:1-12 informs us about the death of John the Baptist by Herod Antipas. Herod was obviously wicked and appears to be prideful. He makes a foolish vow and then sticks by it… choosing to kill John rather than backtrack on a vow he made on a whim. It is worth noting that Herod did not even want to kill John, but determines it is better to execute John than to nullify a vow.

14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”

3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother. 12 Later, John’s disciples came for his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus what had happened.

It is hard to imagine such a foolish decision by Herod. The chapter even begins with recognition that Jesus, whom he thought may be John raised from the dead is doing many miracles. This seems to indicate that Herod knew John had power and authority above a normal man… but refused to acknowledge it was from God and refused to submit to it because it would call him to change how he was living.

John, on the other hand, served God even to his death. He did not compromise truth to save his own life. He lived, and died, for God. This scripture provides a stark contract between those who live for God and those who are wicked and selfish, living only for themselves and without a accurate moral sense of right and wrong.

We can be assured from the rest of God’s word that John is with God and Herod would seem to be somewhere else. There is ultimately accountability for our actions, often in this world… always when we die and face our creator.

Praise God for providing a way to salvation and forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ! Those who repent from our sins, submit to and serve Jesus Christ will also go to be with God when we die.

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Can God Use Me?, Character of God, False Prophets / Teachers, Hearing from God, Humility, Miracles, Prayer, Pride, Suffering / Adversity

Relying on God’s Power In Our Weakness

In 2 Corinthians, Paul is telling the people of Corinth about a vision God gave him. He is trying to make a point that although he had much he could brag about, he will not. Indeed Paul had much to brag about given his passionate and selfless submission and service to Jesus Christ and the divine revelation he received.

Paul then shares in 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 about a specific issue from which he suffers that God has chosen not to heal, despite several requests by Paul. We know that Paul is not a “complainer”. His ministry documents much suffering and he endured it all with minimal or no complaints, to the glory of Jesus Christ. The issue must have been significant for Paul to mention it, though we are not told about the details.

… So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.

8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul is revealing a great way to view our own weaknesses. Accepting our weakness and looking to Christ for strength is powerful. In our weakness, His power works best. This does not mean we should not strive to change our behaviors and grow to be more like Jesus… of course we should! But God knows we are weak and can use that to His glory if we are fully submitted to Him. Then we know all was accomplished because of Him and not because of ourselves.

This scripture is also a powerful reminder that those who preach that it is a matter of our personal faith alone that can deliver us from all illness or challenges are teaching false doctrine. Even Paul, who had tremendous faith, still experienced a “thorn” which he could not get rid of. “Name it and claim it” teaching is false. We are to come humbly before God with our needs and submit to His will, even if His answer is “no”.

All of us have to work to overcome our sin nature. All of us are subject to injury and illness. All of us have limitations in our abilities. It is fine to seek healing and help from God to overcome these challenges, but if the answer is “no”… then give glory to God and let His power work through your weakness.

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Consequences of Sin, False Prophets / Teachers, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parables, Wickedness / Evil

Parable of the Fishing Net

Jesus continues to teach about the Kingdom of Heaven through  parables in Matthew 13:47-52 using a comparison to a fishing net.

47 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a fishing net that was thrown into the water and caught fish of every kind. 48 When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore, sat down, and sorted the good fish into crates, but threw the bad ones away. 49 That is the way it will be at the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked people from the righteous, 50 throwing the wicked into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 Do you understand all these things?”

“Yes,” they said, “we do.”

52 Then he added, “Every teacher of religious law who becomes a disciple in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a homeowner who brings from his storeroom new gems of truth as well as old.”

It is important to recognize once again that not all of us will go into heaven to spend eternity with God. We must choose the offer of grace through Jesus which also leads to repenting from our sin and changing our behavior and thoughts. We can not just keep sinning and ignoring God or outright rejecting Him and then expect Him to accept us into heaven.

We must not claim to be His followers and wear the label Christian, but then not submit to His leadership and follow Him. God calls us to change our behaviors to be righteous, not to change the interpretation of scripture or laws of man to accept our sins.

The good news is that we do not have to be perfect! We can put our faith and hope in Jesus Christ and genuinely repent of our sins (yes, imperfectly) and seek to follow Him wholeheartedly. We can proclaim His message loudly and try to bring others with us to Jesus.

One final observation… Jesus calls out the teachers of religious law that become disciples of Kingdom of Heaven… these are two separate things. Many who are or just seem knowledgeable as religious leaders are not disciples in the Kingdom of Heaven. Even Satan knows the word of God very well. The difference is a matter of the heart and the desire to serve God or serve themselves.

Praise God for those teachers and church leaders who are disciples of Jesus! They are messengers bringing joy to the world.  Please look for opportunities to thank and encourage those who teach God’s whole word according to the Bible. Many will reject them for it, but the encouragement is great when receiving it genuinely from their flock.

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