Throwing off the coat

October 31, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Blind men healed near Jericho; Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

The scene is a roadside, Jesus is walking by and a beggar who is blind hears Him go by and asks about what is going on. He is told it is Jesus.  He has heard of Jesus before. Jesus is a healer of people. If he could get healed he would not have to beg anymore.  So he yells out to Jesus.  Jesus calls to him and:

Mark 10:50 (International Standard Version)
50 He threw off his coat, jumped up, and went to Jesus.

That coat he threw off was a beggars coat.  It signified that he had permission to beg.  He did not want to beg anymore and if Jesus could heal him, then he would not need it anymore.

He tells Jesus he wants to see.

Mark 10:52 (International Standard Version)
52 Jesus told him, “Go. Your faith has made you well.” At once the man could see again, and he began to follow Jesus down the road.

Was the faith when Jesus spoke to him.  I do not think so, I think it happened back when he threw off the coat.  Like the woman with the issue of blood was healed when she touched Jesus garments, this mans faith was in throwing away his beggars coat.  

In my life I have come up to many things that I have to stand in faith for.  Not all seem possible, but if I never try in faith, I can never get the results, can I?

Read for next time: Zaccheus is converted near Jericho; Luke 19:1-10
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Servants

October 30, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Relationship of disciples to each other; Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45

Matthew 20:26 (1949/1964 Bible in Basic English)
26 Let it not be so among you: but if anyone has a desire to become great among you, let him be your servant;

So easy to say and so hard to do.  When I try to become a servant to others my flesh wants to get in the way.  I feel like if all were servants then this would not be hard. But when I act as a servant to others, not everyone acts the same to me.  So my flesh says that they are taking advantage of you.  My flesh says this is stupid, you can not let them to continue to run over you like that.  

Jesus did not make this a suggestion. If I want to be great, I must be a servant, even when I do not want to.  It is my choice.  I can either be great in God’s eyes, or be great in my own.


Read for next time: Blind men healed near Jericho; Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43
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Fixing Tickets

October 29, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Request for James and John; Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41

Mark 10:35 (English Standard Version)
35 And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came up to him and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.”

The other day I got stopped by a police man on the way home from church with my kids.  We exchanged our information he wanted and he told me my tags had expired and have a seat.  I knew there would be an expense involved so while he was in his car writing up my tickets, I turned to God and asked for help in making it through this.

As I read this today I thought to myself about what I had just done the other day. Now I talk to God on a regular basis, even when I do not feel he is close to me, because on those days I know that the devil is trying to get me not to believe in God and I need Him the most. However, did I just tell God what I wanted with out any concern for what He was trying to teach me or my family.  

I have told myself in the past that I would never be like James and John here and tell Jesus that I wanted seats by His side. I am, however, wanting to tell Him to take care of tickets for me.  Is that any different?

Read for next time: Relationship of disciples to each other; Matthew 20:25-28; Mark 10:42-45
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Out in front

October 25, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus predicts death on road to Jerusalem; Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34

Mark 10:32 (Bible in Worldwide English)
32 Jesus and his disciples were on the road to Jerusalem. Jesus was walking in front of them.  The disciples were surprised. And the people who came behind were afraid. He took the twelve disciples and began to tell them what was going to happen to him.

There is an interesting line in the account of Mark that is not in the account that Matthew and Luke tell.  It says that Jesus was walking in front of them and the others were afraid.  While the afraid part is interesting it is the fact that Jesus is in front that interest me the most.  

Normal teaching of that time would have Jesus more to the middle of the group, so that those in front and in back could hear him.  Also, any trouble makers that would meet on the road would have to get by those in front to get to the teacher.  But Jesus knew that the end was coming up and He was ready to face it. He was not going to let someone else lead the pace, He was going to face it head on.

In my life I tend to see problems coming and want to get to the middle of things and not want to face them directly.  I must learn to be more like Jesus and learn to move forward and face them.  If I do not walk to and through them, I will have to face them for a much longer time to come.

Read for next time: Request for James and John; Matthew 20:20-24; Mark 10:35-41
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Payments

October 22, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  First shall be last discourse; Matthew 20:1-16

Matthew 20:16 (Bible in Worldwide English)
16 ‘In the same way, people who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last.’

When I get to heaven, as when a lot of people get to heaven, I think they are going to be surprised to find who is there.  God will give us all the same reward, eternal life in the presence of Jesus and Himself as well as the Holy Spirit.  There will be no surprises there.  What will be a surprise is who will be there with us.  I do not know how many death bed conversions there are, and people who I thought would never make it into heaven may just very will make it in.  All it takes is faith in Jesus as a savior.  God chooses to pay us all, like the vineyard laborers, the same pay, life eternal with Him.


Read for next time: Jesus predicts death on road to Jerusalem; Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34
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Rewards

October 21, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Disciples reward; Matthew 19:27-30; Mark 10:28-31; Luke 18:28-30

Matthew 19:29 (English Standard Version)
29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

In those days, people had to leave there homes to literally follow Jesus.  I do not have to do that today.  I do have to have the willingness to be able to do what He asks me to do when He asks me to.  That can some times be difficult.  Family and jobs can get in the way of doing what He asks me to do.  

I must remember what I loose by following Jesus will be gained back in the rewards I receive being with Jesus for eternity.

Read for next time: First shall be last discourse; Matthew 20:1-16
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All things are possible

October 20, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Rich young ruler; Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27

Matthew 19:25-26 (English Standard Version)
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?”
26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Why would the disciples ask such a question.? Did it make sense?  Jesus told them that rich people would have a hard time entering. Why are they asking who can be saved? I mean, poor people can be saved right?

The disciples do what many of us today do.  They assumed that if a person has money, they must have some degree of spirituality.  It is not true anymore than poor people are more spiritual.  Jesus was going to teach them a lesson here.  With God, anything is possible.  Do not put God in a box and have Him do what you expect Him to do.  He can do most anything.  We only have to step back and watch.


Read for next time: Disciples reward; Matthew 19:27-30; Mark 10:28-31; Luke 18:28-30
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Child faith

October 19, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus blesses little children; Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17  

Luke 18:16-17 (English Majority Text Version)
16 But Jesus, summoning them, said, "Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.
17 Assuredly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter into it."

It is so hard for an adult to have faith like a child.  I have so much at stake.  I have to work to pay for the house, car, the food the children need.  All the while they are leaning on me to keep them safe and nurture them as they grow.

When did I leave that faith my children have and come into the spotty faith that I have now? And why?  Could it be that my childhood did not have the type of faith that is being asked of me right now. That I am just doing what I have always done since I had a weak father image and have had to struggle to get what I need.

I need to see my Father God the way that I hope that my children see me.  It is not easy.  The struggles seem endless lately.  Yet, if anyone can pull me through them, He is the one that can do it.  

Read for next time: Rich young ruler; Matthew 19:16-26; Mark 10:17-27; Luke 18:18-27
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Asking Jesus

October 18, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Disciples question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:10-12; Mark 10:10-12

Mark 10:10 (English Standard Version)
10 And in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter.

As I Christian, some may think that I know all the answers in life.  I even believed that those thoughts were the truth at one time.  But I need to take a lesson from the disciples.   But I need to take a look at what the word says.  It is clear that when the disciples had questions about things, they turned to Jesus to ask questions.  

If it was good enough for them, it should be good enough for me.  


Read for next time: Jesus blesses little children; Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17  
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Divorce Command?

October 17, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Pharisees question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-9

I like to tease my kids sometimes.  They may ask me a question like, ‘can I go out to play?’ and I will reply, ‘I do not know, do you have the ability?’  They will always turn around and put may in for the can making it asking permission in place of having ability.

So it is with Jesus and the Pharisees in today’s reading.  They are wanting to trap Jesus so the bring up divorce, they know that law so well.  Can a man divorce his wife for any case?  He tells them that God’s plan is not for divorce but what had been joined should not be torn apart.  They put back to him:

Matthew 19:7 (Webster Bible)
7 They say to him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away?

But they had put in to the scriptures their own spin.  It was not a command to do it, it was an escape clause to be used if necessary.  Here it is:

Deuteronomy 24:1 (Webster Bible)
1 When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it shall come to pass that she findeth no favor in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give [it] in her hand, and send her out of his house.

That uncleanness was a grave sin, not just because she overcooked the eggs this morning.  Yet, how much like them am I.  I look at scriptures and I want to read into them my agenda.  I have to not do that, to learn to read them and follow them, not what I want them to be.  


Read for next time:  Disciples question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:10-12; Mark 10:10-12
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Following Jesus

October 16, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Multitudes follow Jesus; Matthew 19:2

Matthew 19:2 (English Standard Version)
2 And large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.

Where ever Jesus goes, I need to learn to follow.  I need healing in my life.  Not from a physical sickness, though I have medical problems and that is included, but from a mental point of view as well.  Jesus is the one that can take care of the hurts that others may put on me.  When all around me seem to be unlovable, He is the one that will see me through.  

I find it interesting that the word here for healed can also be translated as ‘waited upon’  as well.  Jesus is waiting on me in His servant role, waiting for me to pull on Him for my problems in life.  With all the power of the universe right there, I need to turn to Him more that I do in my time of needs.


Read for next time:  Pharisees question Jesus about divorce; Matthew 19:3-9; Mark 10:2-9
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Unknown

October 15, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus goes to Judea by the Jordan; Matthew 19:1; Mark 10:1

Matthew 19:1 (English Standard Version)
1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

At this point in time Jesus was leaving His hometown of Galilee and moving on.  In fact, He had to though or around Samaria to get where He was going. My guess is that He went through it just as He had done for the woman at the well.  It was a shorter trip.  It is the area beyond that is interesting to me here. Beyond the Jordan was the political area of another Roman leader, Herod Antipas.  

Jesus was forever reaching out to all that would come to Him.  He could not let a different political climate stop Him from doing what God has told Him to do.  While I do not feel God is leading me to do so, people I know and love dearly have been called to do so.  Though I have concern for them, it is not my place to stop them.  The unknown cries out for them to go to and help.  

Read for next time:  Multitudes follow Jesus; Matthew 19:2
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Cigarette butts

October 14, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Parable of the Pharisee and tax collector; Luke 18:9-14

Luke 18:11-12 (Bible in Worldwide English)
11 ‘The Pharisee stood and said to himself, "God, I thank you that I am not like other men.  They steal, cheat, and commit adultery. I thank you that I am not like this tax collector.
12 Two times in the week I do not eat-I fast. I give away one tenth part of all I get."

So many times I have read the verses for reading today, looked at them and said to myself, God wants me to be humble like the tax collector. While that is true, there is something else to look at here.  God does not want me to be boastful like the  Pharisee.  The Pharisee says “thank you God I am not a sinner like other men,’ then gives a laundry list of all the good things that he has done.  
Am I much different.  I see others who I do not even know and tend to judge them on my standards.  And I say that I am a Christian so I have that right.  I heard a preacher once say you could tell how well a church was doing by the amount of cigarette butts outside the door.  Maybe, just maybe, I have not helped to add to that count and I should repent for it.  

Read for next time:  Jesus goes to Judea by the Jordan; Matthew 19:1; Mark 10:1
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Stop praying?

October 13, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Parable of the unjust judge; Luke 18:1-8

Luke 18:1 (New Heart English Bible)
1 He also spoke a parable to them that they must always pray, and not give up,

I hate it when God puts a verse in the Bible that I have not noticed and am not keeping.  I personally have been praying for a few people to have a change of heart.  I know, I should pray that God should change me not them, but in this case, He has and I do not see the corresponding action on the other person’s part.  So I tend to give up.  It is too hard to keep praying and I begin to feel like it is a hopeless situation.  I do not want to keep banging my head against a brick wall so to speak.  

But God does not want me to do that.  He wants me to keep praying and not give up.  His desire is that this person sees Jesus in me, even though when they look at me they see anything but Jesus.  And I am to stay at it even if they give up.  

Not something that I want to do, but it is what God requires.  Time for me to get on God’s plan and not mine.  

Read for next time:  Parable of the Pharisee and tax collector; Luke 18:9-14
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Is your life worth it?

October 12, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus warns disciples about the future 17:22-37

Luke 17:33 (GOD'S WORD to the Nations)
33 Those who try to save their lives will lose them, and those who lose their lives will save them.

What a contrast this seems to be.  If I seek to save my life I will lose it.  But if I loos my life I will be saved.  But the second save in the verse points not to save but is the Greek word zoogoneo which means rescues.

The life we are rescuing here is our spiritual life.  I can never save my human life.  But in giving it to God, He can save it for me.  If I try to work out my salvation, it will never happen.  I can never be good enough.  Jesus died for me and that makes me special.  I am a person of value and I have to see myself, as a Christian, worthy of the value.

Read for next time:  Parable of the unjust judge; Luke 18:1-8
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October 11, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Pharisees ask about the Kingdom; Luke 17:20-21

Luke 17:20-21 (World English Bible)
20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "“The Kingdom of God doesn’t come with observation;
21 neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.”"

How often do I in my own life, look for a sign from God so that I know that I am doing the right thing.  I want to know that God accepts me.  It goes back to my childhood and a bad father image.  I was always wanting to gain his acceptance even though it was not something that I could get from him.

So often I do the same, looking for God to give me a sign.  But knowing God is enough.  I only have to have faith that I know Him and there fore, the kingdom is within me, not something that God can bestow upon me when I am good enough person for Him to bestow it on me.


Read for next time:  Jesus warns disciples about the future 17:22-37
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Faith Healing

October 10, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Samaritan returns to thank Jesus; Luke 17:15-19

Luke 17:19 (New Heart English Bible)19 Then he said to him, "Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you."

Ultimately, even doctors will tell you, it is faith in something that will heal you.  For some it may be faith that the medicine that they are taking will help with a cure.  For others it is faith that the doctor knows the right things to do.  If you take that faith away, then the person does not believe and most likely the doctor can not do anything.

So it is with our faith in Jesus.  We can have faith in salvation and we have it.  Or we can doubt that Jesus would have died for us and not believe it.  The facts, like the doctor or the medicine, do not change, only the belief in what they can do for us.

Jesus sent the 10 away to the high priest to show the healing that they had received.  Only one came back to Jesus.  It was his faith, not Jesus’ faith, that healed him.  

In the end, it is only my faith that can take care of me. Not the faith of others, though theirs can help me in my faith.

Read for next time:  Pharisees ask about the Kingdom; Luke 17:20-21
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Faith

October 9, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Ten lepers are cleansed; Luke 17:11-14

Luke 17:11-14 (GOD'S WORD to the Nations)
11 Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee on his way to Jerusalem.
12 As he went into a village, ten men with a skin disease met him. They stood at a distance 13 and shouted, "Jesus, Teacher, have mercy on us!"
14 When he saw them, he told them, "Show yourselves to the priests." As they went, they were made clean.

Jesus did things out of order here.  They were supposed to, according to Levitical law, first get themselves clean, then go to the priest.  Jesus tells them to go to the priest and they will be clean.

It takes faith to follow what Jesus tells us to do.  It takes courage. It takes not seeing the end result till long after you have thanked God for it happening.  In my own life these past few weeks I have had a crisis of faith. Being told I had cancer by a doctor I had to keep seeing myself as cancer free, something that was hard to do as I kept worrying about how I was going to have to pay for treatments and the like.  But I had faith people around me praying for me.  The specialist that I saw said that there was no cancer.  Now that it is past I can see myself without it but it was difficult when I was going through it.

Could this have been an exercise to get my faith where it needs to be for future situations?


Read for next time:  Samaritan returns to thank Jesus; Luke 17:15-19
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Time to retreat

October 8, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus goes to Ephraim; John 11:54

John 11:54 (Montgomery New Testament)
54 Jesus therefore no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but went away from there into the region near the desert to a town called Ephraim,

Jesus knew when to pick His battles.  I must learn when to pick mine as well.  He knew that moving openly among them after they had already declared his death sentence (John 11:50 - http://scrip.ly/Joh11:50).  So though He did not take to the shadows, He did not publicly put Himself out there so that they could attack Him before His time.

I must learn the patience that Jesus had.  I must learn to yield myself to the Holy Spirit and know when it is time to fight and time to stop and let the fight go by. Like Jesus I must come to understand that not every opportunity to engage someone else is the best time, and in order to advance the kingdom, there may be times that I have to retreat.

Read for next time:  Ten lepers are cleansed; Luke 17:11-14
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Words

October 7, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Conspiracy to kill Jesus; John 11:47-53

John 11:49-51 (English Jubilee 2000 Bible)
49 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 not that the whole nation be lost.
51 And this he spoke not of himself; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation;

Is it interesting that a man who would help to have Jesus killed spoke the words that he did.  He was speaking from a political point of view not fully understanding the scriptures that he had read his whole life.

And it is true. If Jesus had not dies, then the nation of Israel and the whole world could never have salvation.  There is much power in my words.  I must learn how to control them.


Read for next time:  Jesus goes to Ephraim; John 11:54
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Who did it?

October 6, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Unbelievers report to Pharisees; John 11:45-46

John 11:45-46 (English Standard Version)
45 Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what he did, believed in him,
46 but some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

Jesus causes a reaction in most every person that encounters Him. The trick is for me to separate how they react from me being the messenger.  If they believe I can get puffed up that I am the one that did it.  If they do not, then I will think that they are upset with me and what I am doing to bring them to Jesus.  In either case it is I who thinks that I am responsible.  

The Holy Spirit is the one who brings people to Jesus. Anyone who comes to Jesus is through Him, not anything that I would do.  


Read for next time:  Conspiracy to kill Jesus; John 11:47-53
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Let him go

October 4, 2010

The life of Jesus. Read Today:  Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead; John 11:39-44

John 11:44 (English Standard Version)
44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”


In my life I have dealt with  co-dependency, and in fact, still do.  As I begin to come out of it, this verse has come to mean so much to me.  Co-dependency is like living death.  You are alive but you can not live your life to the fullest.  Then you begin to figure out things and all becomes clear.  

Jesus says to me as i come out of things, “Loose him and let him go.”  Satan no longer has a hold on me.  I am free.  


Read for next time:  Unbelievers report to Pharisees; John 11:45-46
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