When God Works a Miracle...

Isn’t it sad when God works a miracle in someone’s life, and you have religious people criticizing it? It’s what religion does. It takes the good and rewarding part and turns it into a ritualistic practice that distorts and deceives those from truly worshipping our Creator. It places tradition over truth, and turns people away from God instead of towards Him. It paints the picture of “works righteousness” rather than the free gift of Grace on Jesus’ behalf. It points our focus inward instead of upward. And it plays out in our selfishness instead of our selflessness.

10 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. Luke 13:10-17

“All Religions Are the Same...”

When people say all religions are the same, in that we all go to Heaven if we practice them sincerely, I cringe. If all religions are the same then how come the Bible clearly states Jesus is the only way to God? (John 14:6). And if He is God, as the Bible clearly states, then when what Jesus says contradicts what the other religions teach, how can both be right? Here, in Luke chapter 13, Jesus clearly states that if you don’t repent (because we are all sinners) you will perish. How does Islam deal with sin and salvation? How do Hindus? Buddhists? Do they even know what repentance is? Do they see themselves as sinners? If they do, how do they justify their current sin? The Bible makes it crystal clear. We are all sinners. We are doomed because of God’s justice being exercised on us. Without repentance and trusting in Jesus, there is no forgiveness. Clearly all religions are not the same. And clearly there is only one Way to God, and that is through Jesus the Christ.

1 Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2 Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Luke 13:1-5

Be Still....

In the movie SILENCE the main character, Fr. Rodrigues, struggles throughout the movie with hearing God’s voice. In all the trials, persecutions, and loss of fellow Christian’s lives, Rodrigues fights to make sense of it all. Every time a Christian is martyred he questions his being in this godless country. It is not until he lets go of his personal conviction to not renounce Christ by placing his foot on a plaque, in order to save many facing a torturous, execution-style death, does he finally hear the still small voice of God. I think this is what the psalmist is expressing here when he says “be still”. It’s when we let go of any of our perceived notions about God or the situation in which He is in control of, that we come to hear God’s voice. It’s in the silence of letting go of what we think we can control, and realizing God is the One in control, that we hear God clearly.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God!I will be honored by every nation.I will be honored throughout the world.” Psalms 46:10

The Reason Behind Memorials...

The reason people build memorials is not to worship them, it’s to remember them. When I was in Washington DC a few years back, I was fascinated at all the memorials and museums. The Lincoln Memorial was fascinating. Every single statue, building, and structure has inscriptions on them stating the purpose of their existence. There was none more moving and relevant than the Holocaust Museum. The gamut of emotions experienced as I made my way through this enormous structure was overwhelming. Hearing the voices tell their stories and seeing images and video was not only haunting, but humbling as well. The purpose of memorials is to honor the people who did the right thing to end evil behavior, or made great contributions to society to make it better. Just like the Israelites, we need to be careful to not misunderstand the purpose and meaning behind these man-made structures. If we don’t have proper understanding two things will eventually happen. One, people will begin to worship these structures. They will expand the purpose beyond what was initially created. And two, some will forget the purpose and assign another meaning behind it and want to remove them. As I walked around the DC area, I couldn’t help but see the irony and hypocrisy in the inscriptions on all the buildings and statues. All of the money that went into erecting and building these memorials seems to have been wasted because the behavior in Washington certainly doesn’t match what is stated on these structures. “May we never forget”... was written on many of the inscriptions, sadly, they have been forgotten long ago. May we as believers never forget what God has done for us.

24 “The truth is, we have built this altar because we fear that in the future your descendants will say to ours, ‘What right do you have to worship the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has placed the Jordan River as a barrier between our people and you people of Reuben and Gad. You have no claim to the Lord.’ So your descendants may prevent our descendants from worshiping the Lord.26 “So we decided to build the altar, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, 27 but as a memorial. It will remind our descendants and your descendants that we, too, have the right to worship the Lord at His sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings. Then your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no claim to the Lord.’28 “If they say this, our descendants can reply, ‘Look at this copy of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors made. It is not for burnt offerings or sacrifices; it is a reminder of the relationship both of us have with the Lord.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord or turn away from Him by building our own altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices. Only the altar of the Lord our God that stands in front of the Tabernacle may be used for that purpose.”30 When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community–the heads of the clans of Israel–heard this from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, they were satisfied. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, replied to them, “Today we know the Lord is among us because you have not committed this treachery against the Lord as we thought. Instead, you have rescued Israel from being destroyed by the hand of the Lord.”32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the other leaders left the tribes of Reuben and Gad in Gilead and returned to the land of Canaan to tell the Israelites what had happened. 33 And all the Israelites were satisfied and praised God and spoke no more of war against Reuben and Gad.34 The people of Reuben and Gad named the altar “Witness,” for they said, “It is a witness between us and them that the Lord is our God, too.” Joshua 22:24-34

The Determining Factor of Our Lives...

You can’t get any simpler, clearer, or direct about what God wants from every one of us. Our lives should rotate around Him. He is the focal point of our lives, the center. Everything we do should be because of what He has done for us. Our thoughts and actions should go through the precepts God has given us before they become tangible for all to see. God is the determining factor of our lives. Does yours reflect this?

5 But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, hold firmly to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home. Joshua 22:5-6

Jesus is Way More....

For those people who paint Jesus into a corner, saying He was all about love and never judged anyone, I suggest they read this passage of scripture from Luke chapter 12. Jesus was more than a good teacher. He was more than a great prophet. He was more than a wise man. He was more than a miracle worker. He was more than a “Uniter”. He is God Himself. His plan is to gather all of His sheep and take them home to be with Him. He uses us to help Him accomplish that. Some Christians seem to get disturbed with division. We want all people to know God and experience His goodness. The plain truth of the matter is that this type of thinking isn’t part of God’s will. Like it or not, there are sheep and goats out there. God will separate them at a coming time. That division is a reality. You have those that seek God, and those that don’t. The deciding factor is what people do with Jesus. How they see Him? How they react to Him? And are they willing to give up their pride and repent and receive the gift of grace God has for us on His behalf? We need to stop questioning or allowing these thoughts into our own heads about Jesus being anything other than Who He really is. And that is God Himself. Division is part of God’s plan. We don’t know who the sheep and goats are, but a good test is asking two questions. How do we inherit eternal life? And second, Who do you say Jesus is? Once we get their answers, we can present the Gospel, and walk away knowing, regardless of their answer, we fulfilled our duty to God, by presenting the truth. We leave the rest of the process up to Him. Jesus is way more than most people think, and we need to know Him intimately.

49 “I have come to set the world on fire, and I wish it were already burning!50 I have a terrible baptism of suffering ahead of Me, and I am under a heavy burden until it is accomplished.51 Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I have come to divide people against each other!52 From now on families will be split apart, three in favor of Me, and two against–or two in favor and three against. 53 ‘Father will be divided against son and son against father;mother against daughter and daughter against mother;and mother-in-law against daughter-in-lawand daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’” 54 Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. 55 When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is.56 You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times.57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right?58 When you are on the way to court with your accuser, try to settle the matter before you get there. Otherwise, your accuser may drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, who will throw you into prison.59 And if that happens, you won’t be free again until you have paid the very last penny.” Luke 12:49-59

Jesus’ Return in Mind....

It seems from this passage you can categorize three types of people with 4 different behaviors. First you have those that know Jesus is returning and act accordingly. Second, you have those that don’t care; they don’t believe In Jesus to begin with. Lastly, you have those that aren’t sure. They will either act like those that do believe Jesus is coming back, but not to the degree that the true followers do. Or they will think that He’s coming back, but it won’t be today, so they can party and carouse, and ask for forgiveness later. Remember, there are no second chances when it comes to Jesus’ return. You are either ready and waiting, or you’re not concerned and get the shock of your life when it happens. Remember, no one would allow a thief to rob his home if he knew about in advance, right? Which category do you fall into? The principle here is to live your life with Christ’s return always in the front of your mind. You’ll treat people better, and be much better off when it happens.

39 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into.40 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”41 Peter asked, “Lord, is that illustration just for us or for everyone?”42 And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 43 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.44 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.45 But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?46 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant in pieces and banish him with the unfaithful.47 “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.48 But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. Luke 12:39-48