Your Faith Saves You

Time and time again I am reminded that we all have sinned and are in need of saving. Luke 7 also reminds us that those who are the most in debt appreciate the forgiveness much more than someone who has sinned less.

This teaches me that I need to recognize my flaws and mistakes and be thankful that Jesus is the only gateway to true forgiveness of sins. Also, don’t turn away those that Jesus would forgive: the individuals may not be who we expect.

The woman in this chapter was saved and forgiven of her sins because she adored the holiness of the Son of God. She knew who He was (had faith) and knew what He was capable of – this above that of the status of the Pharisees.

Thank you Lord for Your love and that you forgive us of our sins by faith in You.

Do Good or Evil, Save Lives or Destroy

Anytime I read of the pharisees I am reminded of the human condition: our desire be God. Isn’t that what makes us sick and in need of salvation? We can be very prideful, conceited people. It blinds us to the ways of the Lord.

It seems that we have a tendency to avoid change and to believe we are right – even when we are wrong. I happen to believe it is a matter of the heart. Are our hearts hardened to the point of ignoring truth? I pray that mine is not; although I know I can act like it is in certain situations.

“Then Jesus said to them, I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” (Luke 6:9 NKJV)

While the Pharisees were contemplating against Jesus because of “their” ways and because of the law, Jesus’ heart and desire was after that of His Father’s. Very simple and powerful. This story is very touching to me because it was God’s desire to heal the man with a withered hand; regardless of how the Pharisees interpreted the law.

It is a simple but powerful lesson: we need to model our hearts after our Father in Heaven. Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath because it was good. As for the good standing Pharisees, well, they were filled anger because their hearts were challenged.

Blessed is the Man

“We delight in the law of the Lord.” I remember those words clearly from a Caedmon’s Call song I have long enjoyed. Little did I realize that line was based on Psalm 1:2. My hope is that I can remain in the council of the Godly and stay outside the path of sinners. I guess that is what they mean when they say “in” the world but not “of” the world.

Also in Psalm 1, a statement I found interesting, “nor sits in the seat of the scornful.”. Scornful means to hold contempt or disdain towards a person considered less worthy. I pray that God guards my mind against such thoughts.

Psalm 1:6, “but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Blessed is the man who is righteous before the Lord. Amen.

The Firmament

Thank you God for making the heavens and the earth. Thank you for making seed, yields, trees and fruits. Genesis is always interesting as it is how God decided to tell us the beginning of His story with us: His people.

The word firmament caught my attention today. It seemed to me like that described more than just what I would consider the sky, but space and possibly beyond. In Genesis 1:14, God calls them lights in the heavens. I would take this to mean the stars, planets, moon and sun. How amazing is it, not only how big this is to us, but that He meant for us to use these as signs of the seasons and days in a year! I’m glad we caught on.

Thank you God for creating us in Your image, both male and female. And for giving us dominion over all of the creatures of land and sea.

Follow Me

“Follow Me.”

Sounds like a modern day request. We have blogs, twitter, facebook, etc to follow people in our modern era. Connecting with people is a powerful thing. Who you surround yourself with says a lot about who you are. While attending a powerful event over the weekend with fellow believers in our Lord & Savior, I realized that I am definitely not very good at inviting people into my life with those same words. I met people who are naturally awesome at inviting people into their lives and connecting with others.

In Luke 5:27-28, Levi left all behind and listened to those precious words, “Follow-Me.” I personally committed to follow Jesus almost 10 years ago now while attending college. After this weekend, I have a renewed strength and vision to follow those words daily by establishing a new rhythm: daily devotionals before God and reflections on what I have read. I thank God for technology and a method to keep me accountable to that commitment. I am betting that by beginning with His words in my mouth and mind daily, I will have clearer vision on most days because I will be set on a good path.