Matthew 20:23-24 "Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers."
Matthew 21:15 "But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant."
Matthew 26:3-4 "Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him."
Matthew 26:7-9 " a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume,
which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. "When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. "Why this waste?" they asked."This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given
to the poor."
Lord, in my reading today about your last week here on earth, I was alerted as to how many times the phrase, "they were indignant" occurs and why. In each case above it seems there was inordinate competition- among the disciples and then with the chief priests. I was reminded again how You hate this in us. Pride, arrogance, envy, and greed play into this and are all very gross sins indeed. We can see it in our families (_____ are the favorite you know), on the job (I should have gotten that raise or promotion , I did all the work), in school, and worst of all in the church. The saddest thing is that it happens among believers, not just unbelievers who do not know better!
Sweet Lord, please keep me from this ugly sin. Help me to rejoice with those who rejoice and never get the grumbles because it didn't happen for me. You enthrone and dethrone kings and control History! How dare I try to tell You what should or should not happen to me? Help me to be submissive to Your perfect will in my life with whatever it holds for me, and I will praise and thank You still for it all.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
If You Have Faith
Matthew 17:20
"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 21:21
"Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done."
Luke 17:6
"He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
Sweet Lord,
You know I give each student or parent that I meet with at Liberty a mustard seed and Matt 17:20 reference on it an tell them the story behind it. But today, You led me to do a bit more research in Your word about the other times You said, "If you have faith".
I find it fascinating that you didn't say, "Now that you have faith", to the disciples, of the "If you have faith" to unbelievers. Each time You spoke of this You were speaking to Your closest followers! This tells me that having faith for salvation does not mean we have all the faith we ever need. They believed who You were because they were following you, but You were encouraging to use the faith they already had.
You also refer to how a tiny bit of faith without doubt can move great obstacles...mountains and Mulberry trees! Lord, I have that tiny bit of faith, and try not to doubt, but find myself not doubting You, but doubting myself. Today You encouraged me that even if my faith is tiny at anytime, You can move the great things in my life too.
Lord, help me today to keep these verses ever before me in my walk and to help others to be encouraged to have that faith without doubt too.
"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."
Matthew 21:21
"Jesus replied, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done."
Luke 17:6
"He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
Sweet Lord,
You know I give each student or parent that I meet with at Liberty a mustard seed and Matt 17:20 reference on it an tell them the story behind it. But today, You led me to do a bit more research in Your word about the other times You said, "If you have faith".
I find it fascinating that you didn't say, "Now that you have faith", to the disciples, of the "If you have faith" to unbelievers. Each time You spoke of this You were speaking to Your closest followers! This tells me that having faith for salvation does not mean we have all the faith we ever need. They believed who You were because they were following you, but You were encouraging to use the faith they already had.
You also refer to how a tiny bit of faith without doubt can move great obstacles...mountains and Mulberry trees! Lord, I have that tiny bit of faith, and try not to doubt, but find myself not doubting You, but doubting myself. Today You encouraged me that even if my faith is tiny at anytime, You can move the great things in my life too.
Lord, help me today to keep these verses ever before me in my walk and to help others to be encouraged to have that faith without doubt too.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Sin-UGLY!!!
Colossians 3:5-9 NLT "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don't lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. "
Lord, in reading this devotional by Charles Spurgeon, I was convicted again.
"Sin . . . exceeding sinful." — Romans 7:13
Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: "We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent." So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced His heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful."
How exceedingly ugly are my sins of a day. Lord I humbly ask forgiveness and that Your Holy Spirit will convict me quickly of even the slightest of sins that I may confess and repent!
Lord, in reading this devotional by Charles Spurgeon, I was convicted again.
"Sin . . . exceeding sinful." — Romans 7:13
Beware of light thoughts of sin. At the time of conversion, the conscience is so tender, that we are afraid of the slightest sin. Young converts have a holy timidity, a godly fear lest they should offend against God. But alas! very soon the fine bloom upon these first ripe fruits is removed by the rough handling of the surrounding world: the sensitive plant of young piety turns into a willow in after life, too pliant, too easily yielding. It is sadly true, that even a Christian may grow by degrees so callous, that the sin which once startled him does not alarm him in the least. By degrees men get familiar with sin. The ear in which the cannon has been booming will not notice slight sounds. At first a little sin startles us; but soon we say, "Is it not a little one?" Then there comes another, larger, and then another, until by degrees we begin to regard sin as but a little ill; and then follows an unholy presumption: "We have not fallen into open sin. True, we tripped a little, but we stood upright in the main. We may have uttered one unholy word, but as for the most of our conversation, it has been consistent." So we palliate sin; we throw a cloak over it; we call it by dainty names. Christian, beware how thou thinkest lightly of sin. Take heed lest thou fall by little and little. Sin, a little thing? Is it not a poison? Who knows its deadliness? Sin, a little thing? Do not the little foxes spoil the grapes? Doth not the tiny coral insect build a rock which wrecks a navy? Do not little strokes fell lofty oaks? Will not continual droppings wear away stones? Sin, a little thing? It girded the Redeemer's head with thorns, and pierced His heart! It made Him suffer anguish, bitterness, and woe. Could you weigh the least sin in the scales of eternity, you would fly from it as from a serpent, and abhor the least appearance of evil. Look upon all sin as that which crucified the Saviour, and you will see it to be "exceeding sinful."
How exceedingly ugly are my sins of a day. Lord I humbly ask forgiveness and that Your Holy Spirit will convict me quickly of even the slightest of sins that I may confess and repent!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
True Jesus Followers are Holy and Blameless
Colossians 1:19-23 NLT "For God in all His fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through Him God reconciled everything to Himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News."
Oh, Lord! I am so very quick to forget this! The "Accuser of the Brethren" seeks to bring up old sins that have already been placed under Your precious blood for complete forgiveness or falsely accuse me of things in the present hoping to draw me away from the peace You have given me. I must confess that it is hard for me to see myself, (knowing my heart in the flesh) as holy, blameless and without a single fault.
Thank You, Lord that it does not depend on me as it is by Your mercy You saved me!
Rom 8:1 NLT "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
There is a difference between Satan and Your precious Holy Spirit that lovingly convicts of sin drawing me to confession and repentance. You do this out of love and for my best good. He accuses to fill me with false guilt and to draw me away from You with the lie that You cannot love or forgive me because I am still a wretched sinner.
Lord Jesus, from this day forward may I be so very aware of Your love for me and of my standing before You. May I continually be like You when Satan tempted You in the wilderness and be able to quote Your promises and Your Word to him so he has to flee from me too. Only in that may I continue in the peace You have given to me.
Oh, Lord! I am so very quick to forget this! The "Accuser of the Brethren" seeks to bring up old sins that have already been placed under Your precious blood for complete forgiveness or falsely accuse me of things in the present hoping to draw me away from the peace You have given me. I must confess that it is hard for me to see myself, (knowing my heart in the flesh) as holy, blameless and without a single fault.
Thank You, Lord that it does not depend on me as it is by Your mercy You saved me!
Rom 8:1 NLT "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
There is a difference between Satan and Your precious Holy Spirit that lovingly convicts of sin drawing me to confession and repentance. You do this out of love and for my best good. He accuses to fill me with false guilt and to draw me away from You with the lie that You cannot love or forgive me because I am still a wretched sinner.
Lord Jesus, from this day forward may I be so very aware of Your love for me and of my standing before You. May I continually be like You when Satan tempted You in the wilderness and be able to quote Your promises and Your Word to him so he has to flee from me too. Only in that may I continue in the peace You have given to me.
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