COME! FOLLOW!

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MUSINGS - December 30, 2018

COME! FOLLOW!

Matthew 4:18-22
As he was walking along the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew. They were throwing a net into the sea because they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, "Come, follow me! I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish." They immediately left their nets and followed him. As Jesus went on, he saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee preparing their nets to go fishing. He called them, and they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Jesus.

Jesus said, "Follow me." and they did! They literally dropped everything that mattered to them, their family and their livelihood. And what was their enticement? "I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish." Did they have even an inkling of what that meant? I doubt it. But when God the Son commands, "Come!" they came.

Not everyone that was called came. Matthew 19:20-22
The young man replied, "I have obeyed all these commandments. What else do I need to do?" Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, sell what you own. Give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then follow me!" When the young man heard this, he went away sad because he owned a lot of property. What did Jesus ask of this man that he did not ask of the others? Nothing! Jesus always asks that he be our only true treasure. Luke 14:26-27
"If people come to me and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters, as well as their own lives, they cannot be my disciples. So those who do not carry their crosses and follow me cannot be my disciples.

It is my strong belief that the gift of free will is the only thing that we have that truly belongs to us. And that is the one thing that God requires us to give the him. "Not my will but thine." We have to give Him permission to override our free will. This is what Jesus was looking for in those first disciples. And it is still what he is looking for in me and you.

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CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK AND ACT

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MUSINGS - December 29, 2018

CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK AND ACT

Matthew 4:12-17
When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he went back to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This was in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: "Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the way to the sea, across the Jordan River, Galilee, where foreigners live! The people who lived in darkness have seen a bright light. A light has risen for those who live in a land overshadowed by death."

From then on, Jesus began to tell people, "Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!"

With his cousin, John, in prison, Jesus begins preaching the same message that John had begun. "Turn to God and change the way you think and act, because the kingdom of heaven is near!" This message had not changed in the last 2000 years. The only change maybe it's that the kingdom of heaven is nearer now than then.

The kingdom is here now but it's incomplete. The followers of Jesus declare him as their King, the Messiah, the anointed one. It is the duty of each and every person in the kingdom to carry that same message everywhere and everywhen, "Turn to God and change the way you think and act."

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JESUS' TEMPTATION

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MUSINGS - December 28, 2018

JESUS' TEMPTATION

Matthew 4:1-11
Then the Spirit led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus did not eat anything for 40 days and 40 nights. At the end of that time, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." Jesus answered, "Scripture says, 'A person cannot live on bread alone but on every word that God speaks.'" Then the devil took him into the holy city and had him stand on the highest part of the temple. He said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, jump! Scripture says, 'He will put his angels in charge of you. They will carry you in their hands so that you never hit your foot against a rock.'" Jesus said to him, "Again, Scripture says, 'Never tempt the Lord your God.'" Once more the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms in the world and their glory. The devil said to him, "I will give you all this if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan! Scripture says, 'Worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" Then the devil left him, and angels came to take care of him.

40 days and 40 nights appears so often in the Bible

God destroyed the earth with water it to rainef 40 days and 40 nights (Genesis 7:12).Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18).
Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25).
The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13:25). 
Goliath taunted Saul’s army for 40 days before David arrived to slay him (1 Samuel 17:16).
When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

Moses was on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18).
Moses interceded on Israel’s behalf for 40 days and 40 nights (Deuteronomy 9:18, 25).
The Israelite spies took 40 days to spy out Canaan (Numbers 13:25). 
Goliath taunted Saul’s army for 40 days before David arrived to slay him (1 Samuel 17:16).
When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he traveled 40 days and 40 nights to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

All of these 40 days had to do with times of trial and temptation. Because it is a recurring time if testing, some have said that it is not to be taken literally but symbolic. I see no reason to believe that it is both symbolic of testing and a literal time if trial.

Whether you take it symbolicly or literally the truth is that Jesus was tested by every sin that we are. He was both fully God (who can not be tested be sin) and fully human it was necessary that he be vulnerable to sin and yet remained sinless.

Hebrews 2:18
Because Jesus experienced temptation when he suffered, he is able to help others when they are tempted.

Hebrews 4:15-16
We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but he didn't sin. So we can go confidently to the throne of God's kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.

Because Jesus understands sin from the human perspective, he is the perfect judge for our frailties and failures.

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FAITHFUL JOSEPH

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MUSINGS - December 23, 2018

FAITHFUL JOSEPH

Matthew 2:13-15
After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel said to him, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and kill him." Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. He stayed there until Herod died. What the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: "I have called my son out of Egypt."

It is a good thing that God had given Jesus Joseph as a father. Had I been his father, I would have tried to negotiate with God. "Why do we need to go all the way to Egypt? There are plenty of countries a lot closer where we could hide. Plus I've got a business to run with steady clients. If we go that far away, I'll have to try to make s living in a land where I don't even speak the language."

However, Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left for Egypt that night. He didn't argue or make suggestion to God. He woke from his dream, gathered his family, and left for Egypt.

We here s lot about Mary being chosen by God to birth Jesus. I seldom think of how Joseph was also chosen to raise the Son of God to manhood. What an awesome task and responsibility Joseph was given.

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TRULY WISE MEN

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MUSINGS - December 22, 2018

TRULY WISE MEN

Matthew 2:9-12
After they (the wise men from the east) had heard the king, they started out. The star they had seen rising led them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were overwhelmed with joy to see the star. When they entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary. So they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they left for their country by another road.

When the wise men visited King Herod of Judea and said that they were seeking the King of the Jews, Herod wasn't happy. He was man jealous of his power. So much so that Herod murdered his wife Mariamne, her two sons, her brother, her grandfather, and her mother because he suspected that they were plotting against him.

Then men from the east came seeking a new King. He told the wise men to find this new King and report back to him so that he might go and worship him.

They were not fooled and followed the warning from God not to return to Herod.

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GOD'S PLAN

MUSINGS - December 19, 2018

GOD'S PLAN

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Matthew 1:18-25
The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. His mother Mary had been promised to Joseph in marriage. But before they were married, Mary realized that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph was an honorable man and did not want to disgrace her publicly. So he decided to break the marriage agreement with her secretly. Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, "Joseph, descendant of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus He Saves, because he will save his people from their sins." All this happened so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet came true: "The virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel," which means "God is with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. He took Mary to be his wife. He did not have marital relations with her before she gave birth to a son. Joseph named the child Jesus.

About 700 years before the birth of Jesus, the prophet Isaiah warned the Jewish people,
"Listen now, descendants of David," Isaiah said. "Isn't it enough that you try the patience of mortals? Must you also try the patience of my God?

Their constant rejection of God and refusal to follow His commandments was testing His patience. But God had a plan in place for the redemption of all people.

So the Lord himself will give you this sign: A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and she will name him Immanuel God Is With Us. (Isaiah 7:13-14,)

We are at the end of Advent and the celebration of Christ's birth is near. We will hear the remarkable stories of angelic announcements to the shepherds, the birth in a stable, and the visit of the wise men. Matthew doesn't mention any of that.

Earlier he established Jesus long earthly ancestral lineage from Abraham through David to Jesus. Now he reveals his true heavenly lineage from God, She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. And reminds his readers that God had revealed that to His people long ago.

God always has had a plan for our/your/my salvation. This is the true reason we celebrate Christmas.

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DIDN'T BELIEVE

MUSINGS - December 17, 2018

DIDN'T BELIEVE

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Mark 16:9-13
After Jesus came back to life early on Sunday, he appeared first to Mary from Magdala, from whom he had forced out seven demons. She went and told his friends, who were grieving and crying. They didn't believe her when they heard that he was alive and that she had seen him.

Later Jesus appeared to two disciples as they were walking to their home in the country. He did not look as he usually did. They went back and told the others, who did not believe them either.

There was a lot of disbelief going on that Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead. The women who went to embalm him encountered an angel who told them that Jesus was alive, but they didn't believe and fled in fear.

When Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene she ran to tell the good news to the disciples, they refused to believe her.

When Jesus appeared to two of his disciples they ran to tell the others but were not believed.

When I was first told of a risen savior, I didn't believe. Much later I had my eyes opened and believed.

Jesus has commanded his followers to spread the good news where ever we go. We can only tell. We can not force belief upon them. However, by telling others the good news, we've opened the way for Jesus to appear to them also.

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