July 1, 2014 To Him

To HIm

Matthew 10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.  

WE have, I think, a very difficult time understanding what “he called” means as it relates to our relationship with Jesus. To call someone means we want to speak with them to request something or to instruct them. Our children, friends or employees can’t possibly know what we want them to do if we don’t call them – talk to them with the information they need to know. We see this aspect of call here as Jesus instructs his disciples to a certain task. But note the words, “He called his twelve disciples to him.”

     Jesus called his disciples “to him”, not to a task or job, but “to him”. He called them to draw them into a new way of life. His purpose was to change who they were as Jesus himself would grow more and more into them. This is a profound intimacy that reflects the one-flesh relationship of marriage. Living into Jesus means answering his call to come unto him into spiritual closeness.

     This is what makes understanding “call” so difficult. We see it as another job. We find moments upon moments to reject our Savior’s call, thinking he has more for us to do when he really has more of him for us to enjoy.  

LIFE Link: Answer him, “Yes, Lord.”

June 30, 2014 Compassion

Compassion

Matthew 9:35-38 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  

DO you see the threat to our lives noted in this passage? Diseases and sicknesses are certainly great threats to our lives. But let’s look at the phrase “they were harassed and helpless”.

     What is harassing God’s people, causing us to feel helpless? Could it be we are missing godly shepherds? Might we be harassed in our souls, finding no peace because we have little faith in godly shepherds? Could our harassed, helpless lives come about because we constantly turn away from God’s call to become godly shepherds? All three reasons: lack of leaders, faith and response to God’s call will lead us feeling out of control in our lives, helpless to see any hope for our the life of peace and joy Jesus calls us to live with him.

     What hope do we have for that rest? We have Jesus. Jesus comes to the harassed and helpless with compassion. The original language tells us he moved to help them with a deep urge within his soul. He is not a kind man stopping to encourage someone, but he is the Savior stepping toward his sheep with the same passionate love that would take him to the cross.

     Give your harassed life to your passionate Savior and feel his help.

LIFE Link: Compassion: Jesus comes with passion to save you.

June 29, 2014 Hyphenated

Hyphenated

Matthew 9:34 But the Pharisees said, “It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons.”

IN the 1980’s the culture began to preach the “hyphenated doctrine”. You know the doctrine well. It goes like this: “Seek self-worth, self-esteem and self-pleasure. Read the self-help books and know the way to happiness is focusing on your self-needs. After all, what is truth but what is good for your self?”

     Sadly we’ve seen how that has worked out, haven’t we? Rates of depression and suicide continue to grow. We have a hard time staying married, and our kids who are told, “You can do anything you want.” more and more have no clue what they want to do.

     The self-focus is, of course, not new in world history. Eve sought the fruit because the Liar Satan told her that she could raise her self to a god-like level. The Pharisees, too, who witnessed Jesus’ stunning healings and demon deliverance, responded from their self-preservation. They knew that if they submitted themselves to Jesus’ lordship that they would no longer be “lords” of the Jewish religious society.

     Thankfully, Jesus came to save the world from this self-focus that we would again focus on God. But the Pharisees dug in their heels. They rejected the evidence of God before them, self-evaluating God’s power in the context of their self-worshiping minds. The Pharisees looked at Jesus. They looked at themselves. They preferred the self-view.

     We know, though, that some of them would later see the truth and became leaders in the early church. Praise God that he reveals his truth to some.  

LIFE Link: How is it possible we can ever think that we can save ourselves?

June 28, 2014 Deliver Us

Deliver Us

Matthew 9:31-33 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. 32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

WE have great difficulty understanding what has happened here, don’t we? It is easy to understand Jesus healing a crippled man, raising the dead and stopping a woman’s bleeding. But we don’t understand this business of demon possession and driving demons out of people’s bodies. We even wonder if this is true today because we can explain each illness and infirmity with science. There are causes for a mute tongue and all infirmities such as mental illness, crippling diseases, depression, etc., and it certainly isn’t demonic possession.

     No, not all are, but we must understand the devil’s demons are actively engaged to cause various diseases, but most often they act in our hearts and minds to turn our thoughts to sin. Many accounts of demonic possession exist throughout our world today. Some Christians have been given the gift to discern their existence and to pray them out of people.

     Spiritual warfare is real. It’s evident in Jesus’ ministry time and time again. The devil tempts Jesus face-to-face. The demons submit to Jesus repeatedly, and people are healed. They are saved into Jesus’ kingdom no longer owned by the devil’s forces.

     Be on the watch! Evil doesn’t just happen. Sin constantly bombards us, and we must constantly pray, “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the Evil One.” Call on the Holy Spirit, and he will protect you and your loved ones.

LIFE Link: God’s Word is your stronghold.  

June 27, 2014 Confession

Confession

Matthew 9:27-30 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”;  30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.”  

WOULD it be correct to assume that when you saw the word “confession” as the title, I can assume you thought about some sin in your life? Maybe you were reluctant to open this because you feared, “Oh no. This is about sin.” But it’s not. Today the focus is on. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)

     When the two blind men called out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” they were confessing that Jesus was the Messiah. “Son of David” was the well-known Jewish term for the Messiah, as the prophets proclaimed the Messiah would come from the line of David. The men also confessed that Jesus’ mercy would change them. They were asking for Jesus to heal them, to save them from blindness. Then, when Jesus asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They confessed their faith in the Messiah once more. “Yes, Lord,” they replied.

     God repeatedly calls us to be a people who are faithful to confess him as the Lord of our lives. How do you answer Jesus’ question?

LIFE Link: Confessing Jesus is Lord reduces the need to confess our sins.