Bible Reading: Matthew 19 & Mark 10
Mark 10:15 Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
The people had brought little children to Jesus. They wanted him to touch them and bless them. The disciples saw their job like the bouncers trying to keep people from crowding a rock star so they rebuked these parents for what they were doing.
Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Jesus was always looking for a way to teach about the Kingdom of God. Here he helped the disciples, the parents and us to understand a little more about faith. You receive the kingdom as a little child. What does that mean?
First, you enter by a birth. A little child enters this world by being born and you enter the kingdom by being born again.
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
John 1:12-13 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
You enter the Kingdom of God by being born again through faith in Jesus Christ. The second thing about a child is their dependency upon parents for everything. We are dependent upon our loving Heavenly Father.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Another aspect of being like a little child is child-like faith. Little children believe the things their parents tell them to be true. We enter the Kingdom of God by faith. We believe what Jesus says and know he is the truth.
1 John 5:1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
Those who a little child knows and trusts he/she loves. And we like a child are to love Jesus with all that is in us.
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Just yesterday, my two year old daughter said to me, "Daddy, I love you." She's two. She is not playing a manipulation game. She loves me. She told me so.
Be like a little child. Love and trust Jesus. He loves you!
In Christ,
Rody
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
One man should die for the people
Bible Reading: John 11
John 11:49-50 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Caiaphas did not mean it the way that it happened. He meant that they should kill Jesus and not allow him to influence the people of Israel. The leaders of Jerusalem were afraid that Jesus would gather so much support that they would revolt against the Roman occupation. This would mean they would send more troops. It also meant that these men would loose their power status.
Either way the revolt turned out, these men were out. If the Romans came and put down a rebellion, these men would loose their places because they would be replaced. They were supposed to handle these kinds of things and never let them come to this point. If Jesus led a successful rebellion, they would loose their powerful positions because surely he would replace them with his loyal followers. This is their reasoning.
Isn't it amazing that someone could look at Jesus and what he was doing and say he needed to die? He needed to die to maintain the status quo. According to these men it was better to be occupied by the Romans and have their puppet power positions than to trust in the Messiah of Israel.
There are many like this today. They do not want a return to righteousness or to choose for godly direction if it means change. They are happy with their little corner of the world and will actually fight against righteousness in order to keep their little kingdom. Sad.
They would kill one man - Jesus, so that the nation would not perish. They were thinking politically. Jesus came to die for that nation and the whole world. His death would pay the price for all sin. Caiaphas spoke prophetically even though he did not know what it was he was saying!
Always remember - doing what's right is more important than who is right! It is worth it to follow Jesus even if it upsets the applecart! He died to save you from hell. He deserves our worship and our whole life!
In Christ,
Rody
John 11:49-50 And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, 50 Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.
Caiaphas did not mean it the way that it happened. He meant that they should kill Jesus and not allow him to influence the people of Israel. The leaders of Jerusalem were afraid that Jesus would gather so much support that they would revolt against the Roman occupation. This would mean they would send more troops. It also meant that these men would loose their power status.
Either way the revolt turned out, these men were out. If the Romans came and put down a rebellion, these men would loose their places because they would be replaced. They were supposed to handle these kinds of things and never let them come to this point. If Jesus led a successful rebellion, they would loose their powerful positions because surely he would replace them with his loyal followers. This is their reasoning.
Isn't it amazing that someone could look at Jesus and what he was doing and say he needed to die? He needed to die to maintain the status quo. According to these men it was better to be occupied by the Romans and have their puppet power positions than to trust in the Messiah of Israel.
There are many like this today. They do not want a return to righteousness or to choose for godly direction if it means change. They are happy with their little corner of the world and will actually fight against righteousness in order to keep their little kingdom. Sad.
They would kill one man - Jesus, so that the nation would not perish. They were thinking politically. Jesus came to die for that nation and the whole world. His death would pay the price for all sin. Caiaphas spoke prophetically even though he did not know what it was he was saying!
Always remember - doing what's right is more important than who is right! It is worth it to follow Jesus even if it upsets the applecart! He died to save you from hell. He deserves our worship and our whole life!
In Christ,
Rody
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Everyone that asketh receiveth
Bible Reading: Luke 10-11 & John 10:22-42
Luke 11:9-10 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
This just sounds too good to be true! Many have tried prayer but have given up because they didn't get immediately what they asked for. Many others try to explain the promises of Jesus away by saying that prayer doesn't really change anything except you. Prayer does change you, but God also answers believing prayer and changes things because of it. The Bible says so.
What are you asking God for right now? Are you really asking for something? Many times we pray and praise God and give him thanks. That is good and we should do that. However, Jesus has invited us to ask. What should you ask for? Ask for the eternal life and salvation of the lost. Ask for health for the sick. Ask for help with your financial situation. Ask for wisdom which God gives liberally. Ask for your daily bread. Ask for godly leaders in our nation and world. The list goes on and on.
What are you seeking for right now? Are you seeking for the lost like Jesus said he came to do?
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Are you seeking for answers to the questions you have as you studied your Bible? Are you seeking for a job? Are you seeking for a spouse? Jesus says you will find.
What door are you knocking on right now? Are you looking for an open door for the gospel? Are you looking for an open door in a relationship?
I think the problem is that we many times are not asking. We are not seeking. We are not knocking. Start asking! Start seeking! Start knocking! Be humble and realize that God wants to lead you into all righteousness. He wants to teach you to pray. He does want to change you, but he also wants to change others and the world through your prayers.
In Christ,
Rody
Luke 11:9-10 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
This just sounds too good to be true! Many have tried prayer but have given up because they didn't get immediately what they asked for. Many others try to explain the promises of Jesus away by saying that prayer doesn't really change anything except you. Prayer does change you, but God also answers believing prayer and changes things because of it. The Bible says so.
What are you asking God for right now? Are you really asking for something? Many times we pray and praise God and give him thanks. That is good and we should do that. However, Jesus has invited us to ask. What should you ask for? Ask for the eternal life and salvation of the lost. Ask for health for the sick. Ask for help with your financial situation. Ask for wisdom which God gives liberally. Ask for your daily bread. Ask for godly leaders in our nation and world. The list goes on and on.
What are you seeking for right now? Are you seeking for the lost like Jesus said he came to do?
Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Are you seeking for answers to the questions you have as you studied your Bible? Are you seeking for a job? Are you seeking for a spouse? Jesus says you will find.
What door are you knocking on right now? Are you looking for an open door for the gospel? Are you looking for an open door in a relationship?
I think the problem is that we many times are not asking. We are not seeking. We are not knocking. Start asking! Start seeking! Start knocking! Be humble and realize that God wants to lead you into all righteousness. He wants to teach you to pray. He does want to change you, but he also wants to change others and the world through your prayers.
In Christ,
Rody
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