One With Jesus

Some Pharisees wanted to test Jesus. So they came up to him and asked if it was right for a man to divorce his wife.  Jesus asked them, "What does the Law of Moses say about that?"  They answered, "Moses allows a man to write out divorce papers and send his wife away."  Jesus replied, "Moses gave you this law because you are so heartless.  But in the beginning God made a man and a woman.  That's why a man leaves his father and mother and gets married.  He becomes like one person with his wife. Then they are no longer two people, but one."

Mark 10:2-8

It is a great mystery that two people, a man and a woman can marry and become one person!  How does such a thing happen and perhaps even more amazing is why?  

God could have enabled people to multiply on the earth without marriage.  But He chose the spiritual, physical and emotional intimacy of marriage as the means to spread the joy of living on planet earth to the generations that will follow.

When you become a Jesus Follower He promises that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The Bible even says that you will have the Mind of Christ.  “Christ in you” will be your hope of Glory.

When a man and a woman become one person it is a picture of what happens to those who become One with Jesus.  When you are united with Christ loneliness is a thing of the past and new life results from your union with Him!  

God’s Art Gallery has many paintings that He created to show us about Life and Eternity.  The rest of your life here on earth gives you a daily opportunity to learn from God’s Masterful depictions of everything there is!

Everyone Needs Jesus

The men taking care of the pigs ran to the town and the farms to spread the news. Then the people came out to see what had happened.

When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had once been full of demons. He was sitting there with his clothes on and in his right mind, and they were terrified.

Everyone who had seen what had happened told about the man and the pigs.

Then the people started begging Jesus to leave their part of the country.

When Jesus was getting into the boat, the man begged to go with him.

But Jesus would not let him. Instead, he said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how good he has been to you."

The man went away into the region near the ten cities known as Decapolis and began telling everyone how much Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard what had happened was amazed.

Once again Jesus got into the boat and crossed Lake Galilee. Then as he stood on the shore, a large crowd gathered around him.

Mark 5:14-21

Why would Jesus not let this man who had been full of demons go with Him?  I think Jesus knew that the man’s testimony was powerful and he was ready to tell others about the Lord.  

The most powerful testimony is not what Jesus can do for someone else, or even what Jesus has done for other men.  The truly gripping proclamation is what Jesus has done for me!  No one can tell my story like I can.  

You may say “I don’t have a  terrible past with blatant and obvious sins.  So my testimony is not so powerful!”

Not so!  Before you came to know Jesus you may have looked good on the outside but you were filled with lies, deceit and death itself.  Your testimony may not be powerful because you are unwilling to admit how your sin had qualified you for Hell even though it was hidden from those around you.

My testimony is that there is no one who needs Jesus more than I do!  And that should be yours as well!

“Thank You Jesus for letting me know how very much I need You. There is no one, Jesus who needs you more.  Praise Your Holy Name.  Amen.”  

Jesus and Your Storm!

That evening, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let's cross to the east side."

So they left the crowd, and his disciples started across the lake with him in the boat. Some other boats followed along.

Suddenly a windstorm struck the lake. Waves started splashing into the boat, and it was about to sink.

Jesus was in the back of the boat with his head on a pillow, and he was asleep. His disciples woke him and said, "Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?"

Jesus got up and ordered the wind and the waves to be quiet. The wind stopped, and everything was calm.

Jesus asked his disciples, "Why were you afraid? Don't you have any faith?"

Now they were more afraid than ever and said to each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Mark 4:35-41

When you see the power of God expressed in ways that you expect, you can praise Him and declare your faith to others!

But when you see the power of God break out in unexpected and even unbelieveable ways you can be tempted to be afraid!

Healing the sick was amazing, but commanding the storm was beyond amazing.  Who can speak to a storm except God Himself!

Ask God to reveal Himself to you in ways that take you out of your comfort zone!  Ask Jesus to speak to the storm in your life and calm the raging waters!  Give Jesus the glory for doing the impossible in your life!

”Lord Jesus, I choose to trust You to be with me as I ride out the storms in my life.  But if You choose to calm my storm I give You all the praise and glory.  Praise Your Holy Name now and forever.  Amen.”

Fake News About Jesus!

While the women were on their way, some soldiers who had been guarding the tomb went into the city. They told the chief priests everything that had happened.

So the chief priests met with the leaders and decided to bribe the soldiers with a lot of money.

They said to the soldiers, "Tell everyone that Jesus' disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep.

If the governor hears about this, we will talk to him. You won't have anything to worry about."

The soldiers took the money and did what they were told. The people of Judea still tell each other this story.

Matthew 28:11-15

The soldiers knew for certain that Jesus had risen from the dead!  They were there and saw the angel come down and roll the stone away and must have seen Jesus come out of the tomb.

Roman soldiers would not have been asleep while on guard duty!  So, the soldiers were the first proclaimers of the “Good News” that Jesus had risen!  

But the soldiers changed the “Good News” into “Fake News” when the chief priests and other leaders bribed them with a lot of money!  

You also hear much about Fake News today!  You hear opposing  news reports with different sets of “facts” just as the soldiers did!

I wonder how many of those men ultimately came to faith in Jesus after having seen the resurrection as it happened?

The important lesson for me is this: I must not listen to and believe Fake News about Jesus. There is still lots of it today. The Bible itself is the only completely reliable source of the “Good News.”  Read it, listen to it and obey it!  

“Lord Jesus, may I believe only the Truth about Your Good News.  May Your Holy Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.”  

Ark of Faith!

When the Son of Man appears, things will be just as they were when Noah lived.

People were eating, drinking, and getting married right up to the day that the flood came and Noah went into the big boat.

They didn't know anything was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man appears.

Matthew 24:37-39

Will you be alive when Jesus returns?  Only God knows the answer to that question, but you must be ready to hear the trumpet and see Jesus coming with the clouds!  

For more than 70 years I have heard about the return of Jesus and there have been times when I thought His coming must be very near.  But even with all the “signs” I have seen over the years He has still not returned.  

Remember this: There will be a final day for those who are alive when Jesus returns.  It will be like the final day before the flood came.  No one expected the flood except Noah! 

Surely, Noah himself must have had days of wondering if he had really heard from God about building he Ark.  By human logic Noah was indeed a mad man.  He built an enormous boat on dry land and had no intention of moving it to the sea!

If you really are ready for the return of Jesus Christ your life will look like Noah!  You will do things that do not make sense to those who don’t know Jesus.  You will lay up your treasures in Heaven instead of here on earth.  You will love your neighbor like you do yourself and you will even love your enemies!

When Jesus comes it will be like the days of Noah!  Most people will be totally shocked when He comes, but there will be some who have built an Ark of Faith in Christ and who are ready!

“Lord Jesus help me to be like Noah today as I wait for Your return!  May Your Name be praised forever.  Amen.” 

Forgiveness is Not Optional!

21. Peter came up to the Lord and asked, "How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is seven times enough?"

22. Jesus answered: Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!

23. This story will show you what the kingdom of heaven is like: One day a king decided to call in his officials and ask them to give an account of what they owed him.

24. As he was doing this, one official was brought in who owed him fifty million silver coins.

25. But he didn't have any money to pay what he owed. The king ordered him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all he owned, in order to pay the debt.

26. The official got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you every cent I owe!"

27. The king felt sorry for him and let him go free. He even told the official that he did not have to pay back the money.

28. As the official was leaving, he happened to meet another official, who owed him a hundred silver coins. So he grabbed the man by the throat. He started choking him and said, "Pay me what you owe!"

29. The man got down on his knees and began begging, "Have pity on me, and I will pay you back."

30. But the first official refused to have pity. Instead, he went and had the other official put in jail until he could pay what he owed.

31. When some other officials found out what had happened, they felt sorry for the man who had been put in jail. Then they told the king what had happened.

32. The king called the first official back in and said, "You're an evil man! When you begged for mercy, I said you did not have to pay back a cent.

33. Don't you think you should show pity to someone else, as I did to you?"

34. The king was so angry that he ordered the official to be tortured until he could pay back everything he owed.

35. That is how my Father in heaven will treat you, if you don't forgive each of my followers with all your heart.

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness is not an optional part of your walk with Jesus!  The fact is that other people will “sin” against you as you live your life.  

Perhaps the ultimate test of whether or not you have been changed into the image of Jesus is your willingness to forgive others! 

When you forgive someone it means that the debt they incurred by their sin is no longer due!  When someone wrongs you in any way, you have an opportunity to be like Jesus and “take up your cross” and follow Him.  Your cross is not just suffering, it is also forgiveness!  Like Jesus, you pay the price for their sin against you!

Look for someone in your life you can forgive today! Then you will experience more and have a deeper understanding of what Jesus did for you.  

“Lord Jesus, may Your Name be praised now and forever.  Amen.” 

A personal note: Since my last post in October I have been hospitalized for open heart surgery and am now recovering at home. I am doing well, but it will still be a while until I can produce the videos to accompany my blogs.   I should be able to continue writing and will post them as often as I am able.  Thank you for your patience.  I pray that God will use it all for His Eternal Glory!

Both Conservative and Liberal

Click here to listen to blog

No one is loyal to God; no one does right. Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else.  People cooperate to commit crime. Judges and leaders demand bribes, and rulers cheat in court.  The most honest of them is worse than a thorn patch. Your doom has come! Lookouts sound the warning, and everyone panics.  Don't trust anyone, not even your best friend, and be careful what you say to the one you love.  Sons refuse to respect their own fathers, daughters rebel against their own mothers, and daughters-in-law despise their mothers-in-law. Your family is now your enemy.  But I trust the LORD God to save me, and I will wait for him to answer my prayer.

Micah 7:1-7

These words, written almost 3,000 years ago are as up to date as the latest News Alert!  When men cease being loyal to God they follow the same pattern of sin.  "Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else."  

Go back and read these verses again and think about how things are in the world today.  Without Jesus, the course of any culture moves rapidly toward destruction!  But with the Lord at the center of any land, justice and mercy overwhelm the forces of evil and the Glory of the Lord is seen across the land and around the world!

Choosing Jesus is not a choice between conservative or liberal.  Jesus is both conservative and liberal!  Jesus is "Truth" and He is THE WAY not "a way."  But Jesus also gives Salvation from sin and death to those who did not earn it and do not deserve it!  Both the "Left" and the "Right" find in Jesus the things they value most.  But Jesus is beyond political perspective.  The "chief of sinners" can come to Jesus and be received by Him.  The most "far left" radical can give their heart to the Lord as well as the most "right wing" person among us!  

When you come to Jesus and love Him with all your heart, you will find that He also loves those with whom you totally disagree!  Then He moves on your heart to love them too!  

You will soon find that loving someone across the borders set up by suspicion, hate and fear will free you to seek the lost like never before!  Bring men and women to Jesus and let Him correct the things they misunderstand in the world around them!  That's what He does with me and you!

"Lord Jesus, thank You that the Good News of Your Death, Burial and Resurrection is for all men and women everywhere.  May Your Holy and Righteous Name be praised now and forever.  Amen."