All Powerful / King of All, Miracles, Protector / Deliverer, Provider

Our God Can Make a Way; Nothing is Beyond Him

It is easy to breeze by the miracle of feeding 4000 plus women and children at the end of Matthew 15. We have previously read about the feeding of 5000 and there is already a lot to absorb in this chapter. Don’t overlook it. Sometimes we face situations where there seems to be no way to accomplish something. Our God can make a way. It is never beyond His reach. Trust in Him.

Matthew 15:32-39

Four Thousand Fed

      32And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” 33The disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?” 34And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35And He directed the people to sit down on the ground; 36and He took the seven loaves and the fish; and giving thanks, He broke them and started giving them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 37And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full. 38And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

      39And sending away the crowds, Jesus got into the boat and came to the region of Magadan.

Shalom,

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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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.

Compassionate, Healer, Loving / Kind

God is our Healer

There are countless examples of God healing people, including many during the earthly ministry of Yeshua. Many assume He no longer heals His people, but I have not found that in scripture. I believe He still heals. What seems to make it hard for us is that we don’t always understand when or why or who He will heal.

Nevertheless, we should bring our requests before our mighty Father and Healer and ask. Know that He can. Trust Him no matter the outcome.

Matthew 15:29-31

Healing Crowds

      29Departing from there, Jesus went along by the Sea of Galilee, and having gone up on the mountain, He was sitting there. 30And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them. 31So the crowd marveled as they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, and the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.

For those who are skeptics, do you really think Yeshua’s followers would make up healings this extensive to talk about and write about in the same place and time that there would have to have been many witnesses to agree or contest the story? If they were lying, they would surely only identify a few “private” healing examples rather than claiming huge public ones. I am convinced they just told it and wrote it down how it happened.

Devotion by John in service to Christ (now that my wife has also started writing some devotions, we will start to label them for the readers’ benefit)

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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.

Compassionate, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Seeking God

Are We Desperate for Yeshua? or Complacent?

Yeshua was sent to Israel, to God’s people. When they rejected Him, He went to the gentiles. Refer to Matthew 22:1-14 and an explanation What is the meaning of the Parable of the Wedding Feast ? – GotQuestions.org. 

With that context, it is interesting to follow along with an exchange which He had with a woman who was not Jewish during His earthly ministry.

Matthew 15:21-28

The Syrophoenician Woman

      21Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.” 23But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us.” 24But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.

We can debate why Yeshua answered the way He did at first. It could simply be that He wanted to show her faith to others. We don’t know why. However, her faith in Him was well rewarded.

It is a stark contrast. This woman desperately seeking Messiah compared to the religious leaders of Israel rejecting Him. Let us not take for granted that we are in right relationship with Him just because we are going to church or spending some time with Him. Let us be inspired by this woman to be passionately seeking Christ. We should each ask ourselves, “Am I desperate for Yeshua? or Complacent in my relationship with Him?”.  Let us pray He would draw us to Him that we would be passionate about seeking Him. Let us not be concerned what others think of us as we pursue Him. Let us rather be concerned about what our Father thinks about us and our faith and passion for Him.

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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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, False Prophets / Teachers, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Seeking God, Study the Word, Teachable, Unteachable / Foolish

Beware of Those Teaching As Doctrine The Precepts of Men

Beware of those teaching as doctrine the precepts of men. This warning definitely applies today. Religious leaders of all stripes are teaching truth mingled with error, doctrines of God mixed with doctrine of men. We are to test what is taught against the word of God in the Bible, and that includes testing how people interpret scripture to support their view.

The Bible taken out of proper context can be used to deceive or can be simply misunderstood. Consider how Satan approached Yeshua in Matthew 4. He quoted scripture, but in the wrong context.

Matthew 15:1-20

Tradition and Commandment

      1Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4“For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ 5“But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” 6he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7“You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you:

      8‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.

      9‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’”

      10After Jesus called the crowd to Him, He said to them, “Hear and understand. 11“It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.”

      12Then the disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this statement?” 13But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father did not plant shall be uprooted. 14“Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

The Heart of Man

      15Peter said to Him, “Explain the parable to us.” 16Jesus said, “Are you still lacking in understanding also? 17“Do you not understand that everything that goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and is eliminated? 18“But the things that proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and those defile the man. 19“For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders. 20“These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile the man.”

At the root of the problem highlighted by Yeshua in today’s scripture is the heart of man. The religious leaders confronting Him were honoring God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. They were focused on doing things their own way. They were not seeking earnestly after Yahweh and submitting to Him.

Let us prayerfully reflect on whether we are truly seeking our Father and willing to challenge and lay down all the teachings of men. This takes effort and time to invest in challenging, studying, testing the word. We must set aside time to focus on this or it will just not happen. Do not accept a teaching simply because it is commonly accepted or presented by a religious leader. Even if they mean well, they may be in error.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22

16Rejoice always; 17pray without ceasing; 18in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19Do not quench the Spirit; 20do not despise prophetic utterances. 21But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; 22abstain from every form of evil.

“Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good” is right up there with “abstain from every form of evil”. That is pretty important.

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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.

Devotions by Tonia

Rivers

John 7:37-39

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

Rivers flow and eventually end up flowing into an ocean.  Rivers of living water should flow from true believers.  We should be letting the Lord pour into us so we can pour out.  The world needs what we have. They are dry and thirsty. They don’t  drink from the right sources. They need to know about this living water that the Lord gives. They need to be filled up with the refreshing waters of the Lord.

Just as an unhealthy person may drink sodas and other sugar drinks when they are thirsty, they are not quenched with the right substance their body needs. The body needs lots of refreshing water. The other drinks will not satisfy the same way water can. Our organs desperately need water to be healthy. in the same way, our spirit man needs living water.  It is life to us spiritually,

Let this living water pour out of you. Release it to others. Be a sound for the Lord in what you speak and how you live. There are many thirsty people that need this in their lives. Ask the Lord to help you with this so that it will freely flow from your mouth.

Devotion by Tonia in service to Christ

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13)

All Knowing, All Powerful / King of All, Faith / Trusting God, Faithful, Loving / Kind, Miracles, Protector / Deliverer, Provider

Trust in the LORD to Provide, Not in Man or Government

We often find ourselves having an easier time to trust in man, or in government, to provide for us than in Yahweh. Ask our Father to help you in your faith and reliance in Him. Seek Him earnestly. Do not put trust in man.

2 Kings 4:1-7

The Widow’s Oil

      1Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4“And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

To expound a bit around not trusting in man, but instead relying on Yahweh, consider Psalm 146. Who is man compared to God?

Psalm 146

The LORD an Abundant Helper.

1Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD, O my soul!

      2I will praise the LORD while I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

      3Do not trust in princes,
In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

      4His spirit departs, he returns to the earth;
In that very day his thoughts perish.

      5How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
Whose hope is in the LORD his God,

      6Who made heaven and earth,
The sea and all that is in them;
Who keeps faith forever;

      7Who executes justice for the oppressed;
Who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free.

      8The LORD opens the eyes of the blind;
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous;

      9The LORD protects the strangers;
He supports the fatherless and the widow,
But He thwarts the way of the wicked.

      10The LORD will reign forever,
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the LORD!

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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.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Miracles, Study the Word, Submitted / Servant, Through Prophets

Seek Righteousness and Obey His Instructions

The Bible is anything but boring. Chapter after chapter, king after king, the adventure of the historical record takes some surprising turns.

2 Kings 3 shows some interesting aspects. There is an Israelite king who has turned from Yahweh and does things in the way of his parents instead. There is a more righteous king, working alongside the first that sets the example of seeking out the prophet of Yahweh. There is an uprising, or rebellion, and a war. There is a miracle to provide water. And at the end there is a bit of mystery about exactly why the attacking armies decided to call off the siege after the Moabite king sacrificed his own son on the wall of a besieged city.

2 Kings 3

Jehoram Meets Moab Rebellion

      1Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2He did evil in the sight of the LORD, though not like his father and his mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal which his father had made. 3Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin; he did not depart from them.

      4Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder, and used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6And King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8He said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.”

      9So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them. 10Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For the LORD has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 11But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” 12Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.

      13Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14Elisha said, “As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15“But now bring me a minstrel.” And it came about, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the LORD came upon him. 16He said, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ 17“For thus says the LORD, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your cattle and your beasts. 18‘This is but a slight thing in the sight of the LORD; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. 19‘Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” 20It happened in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water.

      21Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And all who were able to put on armor and older were summoned and stood on the border. 22They rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. 23Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!” 24But when they came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites, so that they fled before them; and they went forward into the land, slaughtering the Moabites. 25Thus they destroyed the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. So they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth only they left its stones; however, the slingers went about it and struck it. 26When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27Then he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.

If I am to highlight one or two things for consideration, there are many, I suggest we look at the response of Elisha when the kings ask of him about the battle. Elisha  basically says to the king who was leading people in sin and doing things in the way of his parents (somewhat) rather than Yah’s way that he would not even talk to him if it were not for the righteous king with him.  It is good for us to be around righteous people to be sure. It is better for us to learn and adapt our lives to follow in their righteous example. Do not expect Yahweh to just fix your problems when you call on Him if you insist on living according to your own path rather than His.

I also see this as a good example to demonstrate some online tools for additional study. Consider verse 27 where it says after a sacrifice to a false god, “there came a great wrath against Israel” that leads to the attacking armies leaving. I include a link to a parallel commentary view which you can review in BibleHub.com (and other great websites have similar resources).

One final thought… to experience the miracle of water, the armies had to obey the instructions of the prophet, even though they may have seemed strange. The same trenches used to catch water, was used to lead the Moabites into a trap by the LORD. Obedience, even when it does not make sense, is key to experiencing all that Yahweh has for you.

Seek righteousness, seek relationship with the LORD and obey His instructions and things will go well with you.

Shalom (“peace” in Hebrew)

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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.

Devotions by Tonia

See the Vision

See the vision of the Lord. What does he want to say? What does he want to do?
Are you listening? His heartbeat tells it all. He lives and breathes life and love. He cares for souls and wants none to perish. He lacks nothing. He gives us fresh revelation of who he is when we stop and listen.
Stay close and hear what he is saying to you. He is so near to your heart. He is saying, My child, listen to my instruction. Take heed to my words. Listen, learn and trust me wholeheartedly. Don’t waver like the waves unsure of what is next.
Catch the vision of what I am doing in the world. This is a new time. A new vision for the future. Lets get ready together to see the world changed.
Humble yourself before Me and listen to the cry of my heart. I’m calling you like never before. My people need your voice. My words need to be heard and you are my vessels. Let me use you. Let me pour into you like never before.
Let your light shine so brightly for me. My radiance comes through in you.
Radiate like the sun and don’t look away from my gaze. I’m doing something important now in this hour. It is vital that my children listen to me like never before. It is time for you to hear me loud and clear.

Devotion by Tonia in service to Christ

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13)

Compassionate, Controlling Thoughts, Courage / Fear, Faith / Trusting God, Purposeful / Intentional

Nothing Is Impossible with God

Nothing is impossible with God. That does not mean He will enable us to do everything we imagine or ask, but it is a good reminder to have courage even when things look tough. We are in His hands!

It is one thing for Yeshua to walk on water, but He went beyond that and allowed Peter to do so also. As long as Peter kept focused on Christ, he was doing great. Once he took his eyes off Christ and focused on the waves and turbulence around him, he started to sink.

Matthew 14:22-36

Jesus Walks on the Water

      22Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

      28Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

      34When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Him, they sent word into all that surrounding district and brought to Him all who were sick; 36and they implored Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.

Keep your eyes on God. Trust in Him. Do not be intimidated by the things around you which will try to grab your attention and instill fear in you. Focus on Him through whatever adversity you are facing.

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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, Seeking God

Spend Time with Father

How easy is it to get “too busy” to find alone time to pray and draw near to God? We can make all kind of excuses about not enough time, or certain other things which “have to be done”. Maybe we also say we “need our sleep” so can not stay up later or wake up earlier. Is our work any more important than that of Yeshua? our sleep? He made a point to make time to be alone before the Father in prayer, and so should we. It is not just 15 minutes squeezed in, either. he went from evening to the fourth watch of the night.

Matthew 14:22-23

      22Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 

This is not the only example in scripture. Take time to reflect on the fact that Yeshua set an example for us to follow. Ask yourself, without being defensive, “Am I following His example in finding time to be alone with God?”. In this way, we can build relationship with the Father.

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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.

Sharing God's word through devotionals and other resources. Helping you study the Bible and apply it to your life. Helping young children to enjoy the Bible at our Kid Zone.