Why Did God Need To Do This?

I’ve always wondered why the Catholic Church has determined Mary’s position/status, the mother of Jesus? Was Mary a perpetual virgin? Was Mary sinless? Was Jesus her only child? What happened to Joseph, Jesus’ assigned father (the man who raised Him)? As I read about Moses death, I find God buried his body. No one knew of his burial spot. Why did God need to do this? Well, it was probably due to man’s natural tendency to memorialize people. Just as the Israelites made the golden calf to worship in Moses’ absence on the mountain, they probably would’ve enshrined Moses and made him into something that would eventually be worshipped. God tells us that we are to not make graven images of anything, including Images of Himself. God doesn’t want us worshipping things. Especially finite things that try to represent or compete with Him. The Catholic Church has done this very thing with Mary. Does she deserve special attention? Yes. Does she deserve remembrance? Yes. Should she be held in high esteem? Yes. Should she be worshipped? No. Should she be prayed to or through? No. Why then do Catholics do this? Because they want to honor her. But they’ve committed the golden calf all over again. Believing that she remained a virgin after Jesus’ birth, doesn’t serve any purpose other than the Catholic Churches’ purpose. If you read the 4 gospels, it clearly states, “Joseph did not have sexual relations with her, until after Jesus’ birth” (Matthew 1:25). Why would God have Joseph marry a woman whom he could never have sexual relations with? That would mean he either used prostitutes, or had other wives? Certainly not mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Where did Jesus’ brothers and sisters come from? The books of James and Jude in the Bible are written by Jesus’ brothers. The Catholic Church out of reverence for Mary has made her into a small god. We learn throughout the Bible that we are not to worship anyone but God. When the angel comes to John in Revelation, John bows down, and the angel tells him not to worship him, only God. The Catholic Church has done to Mary what God tells us not to do. And yet out of their tradition or pride, they keep defending it. There is no purpose to not be honest about this concept of perpetual virginity (symbolizing her as sinless). What sin would be committed if Mary didn’t remain a virgin? She’s married, right? So having other children wouldn’t be a sin, would it? It serves no purpose. It doesn’t match up with scripture. And it divides people in arguments. You can believe what you want to about Mary, but scripture has given us evidence that support Mary’s humanity, her other children, and has given us no reason to support this claim. Mary is special, but she doesn’t need to be treated like a god, that’s exactly what God prohibits.

19 Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see Him, but they couldn’t get to Him because of the crowd. 20 Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and Your brothers are outside, and they want to see You.”21 Jesus replied, “My mother and My brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.” Luke 8:19-21

So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, just as the Lord had said. 6 The Lord buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place. Deuteronomy 34:5-6

A Life Trying To Hide Things….

Jesus answers thoughts? Yes, He did here. Think about it, if Jesus can answer thoughts, He knows what we are thinking. We can’t hide from Him. We can’t pretend He doesn’t know our thoughts. That means we have to be honest with ourselves, doesn’t it? A life trying to hide things or pretending isn’t much of a life.

39 When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know what kind of woman is touching Him. She’s a sinner!”40 Then Jesus answered his thoughts. “Simon,” He said to the Pharisee, “I have something to say to you.”“Go ahead, Teacher,” Simon replied.41 Then Jesus told him this story: “A man loaned money to two people–500  pieces of silver to one and 50  pieces to the other. 42 But neither of them could repay him, so he kindly forgave them both, canceling their debts. Who do you suppose loved him more after that?”43 Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the larger debt.”“That’s right,” Jesus said. 44 Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Look at this woman kneeling here. When I entered your home, you didn’t offer Me water to wash the dust from My feet, but she has washed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet Me with a kiss, but from the time I first came in, she has not stopped kissing My feet.46 You neglected the courtesy of olive oil to anoint My head, but she has anointed My feet with rare perfume.47 “I tell you, her sins–and they are many–have been forgiven, so she has shown Me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.”48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”49 The men at the table said among themselves, “Who is this man, that He goes around forgiving sins?”50 And Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:39-50

When A Fickle Sinner Lives A Life…

A life lived pursuing God is the greatest testimony one can make. The reason why people fail in their witness, is because their walk doesn’t match their talk. I know this doesn’t seem right because we are fickle sinners living in an imperfect world, but for that very reason, when a fickle sinner lives a life pursuing wisdom, that wisdom will prove itself right to all those around that are watching.

33 For John the Baptist didn’t spend his time eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’34 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ 35 But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.” Luke 7:33-35

Trusting God….

God is omniscient. That means He knows everything. He’s just because He knows all the facts of each case. He’s merciful because He is Love. He knows all of the contents within our hearts, which means He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows how our lives are dictated and how we will die. Here, He tells Joshua that the Israelites will rebel by worshipping other gods when they enter the Promised Land. Of course it comes true. The point is if God knows everything, including us, why don’t we trust Him with our lives? The closer we are to God, the closer we are to knowing ourselves. The closer we are to God, the faster we are to learn from our mistakes. The closer we are to God, the more love, mercy, and grace will flow out from us. The closer we are to God, the more we will be like Him, and serving our purpose by assisting in accomplishing His will. Getting to see God’s will be accomplished is a great privilege. It’s empowering. It’s fulfilling. It’s everything. Trusting God is the greatest thing we can do. It starts and ends with a whole-hearted commitment, lived out on a daily, moment by moment basis. God knows us, do we really want to serve Him? If we do, He will empower us to do so. Isn’t that Good News?

19 “So write down the words of this song, and teach it to the people of Israel. Help them learn it, so it may serve as a witness for Me against them. 20 For I will bring them into the land I swore to give their ancestors–a land flowing with milk and honey. There they will become prosperous, eat all the food they want, and become fat. But they will begin to worship other gods; they will despise Me and break My covenant. 21 And when great disasters come down on them, this song will stand as evidence against them, for it will never be forgotten by their descendants. I know the intentions of these people, even now before they have entered the land I swore to give them.” Deuteronomy 31:19-21

Feelings Are Legitimate, But Often Overrated…

I’ve always wondered why John the Baptist, while in prison, sent two disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah? Here's one possible reason. Didn’t John leap in his mother’s womb when Mary (while pregnant with Jesus) visited Elizabeth? Didn’t John witness the Trinity all at the same time at Jesus’ baptism? Didn’t John acknowledge Jesus to be greater than him, so much so, he wasn’t worthy to carry Jesus’ sandals? Didn’t he witness some of His miracles? Wasn’t he a prophet of God? Shouldn’t he have known Who Jesus was? The answer is yes to all of these questions. Then why? Because John was human. He was in prison, isolated from all the followers of truth. He wasn’t sure if he was ever getting out of prison. He began to listen to himself, start to give in to his feelings and emotions. When we do this we allow doubt and fear to creep inside and begin to question our faith. Satan has a way of when we are isolated of preying on our vulnerabilities. Jesus knew this. Instead of just answering “yes”, He told the two disciples to go back to John and tell him what they witnessed. The blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the dead being resurrected, etc... this reminded John of what he already knew to be true. It brought him back to right-thinking. It restored his hope and faith. This tells us two things: we need to be in God’s word daily, and we need to meet with other believers regularly. Jesus tells us that being a Christian is a life-long, day by day, pursuit of knowing God. He tells us that God blesses those that don’t fall away. Do you see the importance of a committed walk with the Lord? The importance of knowing scripture? Attending church? I’m certain there are other answers as to why John asked if Jesus was the Messiah, but I suspect this had something to do with it (a conversation for another time). Feelings are legitimate, but often overrated. You have to go with what you know to be true. John is an example of this being played out.

18 The disciples of John the Baptist told John about everything Jesus was doing. So John called for two of his disciples, 19 and he sent them to the Lord to ask Him, “Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”20 John’s two disciples found Jesus and said to Him, “John the Baptist sent us to ask, ‘Are You the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?’ ”21 At that very time, Jesus cured many people of their diseases, illnesses, and evil spirits, and He restored sight to many who were blind. 22 Then He told John’s disciples, “Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard–the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. 23 And tell him, ‘God blesses those who do not turn away because of Me.’ ” Luke 7:18-23

Imagine Attending A Funeral….

Can you imagine attending a funeral, and as the service concludes, you get into your car, put your lights and emergency flashers on and proceed to follow the long line of cars to the cemetery? Imagine a mile or two into the procession, the car in front of you comes to a stop. You begin to wonder what’s happening, if there’s car trouble ahead, or maybe an accident? You roll your window down, and to your amazement you see all the cars stopped. You get out of your car to witness something miraculous. You see the hearse in front with its back door open. You see the family in the car behind it outside, forming a huddle. As you approach you discover the person you just said goodbye to at the funeral is know standing being hugged by the family members. As you look around you see the casket opened and the hearse empty. What you’ve just witnessed happened over 2,000 years ago in a town called Nain. Jesus raised a widow’s only son from death. He did it as the processional was heading to the cemetery. What you’ve just witnessed was a miracle, done out of compassion by our loving Lord. What you’ve just witnessed is the Gospel, the Good News. What you’ve just witnessed is the undeniable, all-powerful, unmatched abilities of God. What a privilege!

11 Soon afterward Jesus went with His disciples to the village of Nain, and a large crowd followed Him. 12 A funeral procession was coming out as He approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, His heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” He said. 14 Then He walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” He said, “I tell you, get up.” 15 Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother.16 Great fear swept the crowd, and they praised God, saying, “A mighty prophet has risen among us,” and “God has visited His people today.” 17 And the news about Jesus spread throughout Judea and the surrounding countryside. Luke 7:11-17

The Right Response To His Mercy And Grace….

Try listing all the blessings God has given you. Not just today, but throughout your entire life. Is it possible? Instead of trying to do the impossible, why not cultivate an an attitude that reflects the infinite amount of blessings God has, is now, and will bring to you? Wouldn’t that be the right response to His mercy and grace? This is what sets Christianity apart from all other forms of world views, religions, or social practices. The acceptance comes at the beginning of the journey, not the end.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,and He turned to me and heard my cry.2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair,out of the mud and the mire.He set my feet on solid groundand steadied me as I walked along.3 He has given me a new song to sing,a hymn of praise to our God.Many will see what He has done and be amazed.They will put their trust in the Lord. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord,who have no confidence in the proudor in those who worship idols.5 O Lord my God, You have performed many wonders for us.Your plans for us are too numerous to list.You have no equal.If I tried to recite all Your wonderful deeds,I would never come to the end of them. Psalms 40:1-5