Mark 10:4-5
4 And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.
-In the beginning, the Lord made marriage a sacred, lifelong commitment. Over time that had been diluted so far that even a divorce could be permitted if desired. The people here thought God was condoning divorce, while in fact, He was merely suffering it. Many times in life it may appear that the Lord has “relaxed” on certain things but in reality, He is simply showing mercy because the only alternative to mercy is destruction. Since the Lord is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), He instead “suffers” with sinners. But don’t make the mistake of confusing God’s mercy for His blessings; the Bible tells us that God is angry with the wicked every day (Psalm 7:11) and that God is never mocked (Galatians 6:7).
Month: May 2023
John 15:13 – Memorial Day
John 15:13
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
-There is an old expression, “freedom isn’t free”; an expression which is true in every sense of the word. Jesus Christ shed His blood for our spiritual freedom and throughout our generations, our civil liberties have been paid for by the blood of the estimated 2,000,000 men and women who have died war deaths in America’s history (Military History Institute). Despite a person’s reasons for joining the service, Jesus said that laying down your life for another is the greatest act of love. In honor of all those soldiers who loved us so much, let us never cease to pray for those who have served and still serve and their loved ones.
Mark 11:12-14, 20-21
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
Look at this fig tree as a type of a lost soul in need of salvation. Jesus will pass by our way one day inviting each of us to drink from the well of living water. Just as in the case of the fig tree, it may not be what we consider a good time (as the time of the figs had not yet come), but the Lord said, “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) Jesus will come to each of us and it doesn’t matter if we think the time to bear fruit is here or not, He said now is the appointed time.
The Lord is full of mercies, be thankful for that. But Lord also said, “he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18) and people slip off into Hell every day, cursed just like the fig tree. The Lord could have passed by the tree another day or could have visited another tree altogether, but he visited that tree on that day and the tree wasn’t ready. The Lord will visit each of us one day, expecting “fruits meet for repentance.” (Matthew 3:8) When that day comes, will you be ready?
Colossians 3:15 – Thankful for Peace
Colossians 3:15
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
-There is a term in our culture that may not be commonly named, but still is commonly employed; a grudging peace. It’s the idea that you put aside differences and forge peace even when you don’t really want to. The Lord expects a much higher standard from us and as with all things in scripture, we are told not to just do something, but to do it gladly. Consider today’s verse of scripture. We are told to let God’s peace rule in our lives but that’s not all, we are also told to be thankful. It’s not enough to just “get along” with someone for we are called to be grateful for peace, and you can’t truly be thankful for peace unless you really want peace.
Luke 5:18-20, 24-26 – Those That Diligently Seek Him
Luke 5:18-20, 24-26
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Hebrew 11:6 tells us “he that cometh to God must believe that he is.” Why? Because as was the case with the man in Luke 5 who suffered from palsy, it’s not always easy to get to God and you won’t go to the trouble if you don’t believe that He really is God and that He really is listening. Hebrews 11:6 also tells us that we must believe that God “is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” These men in Luke 5 diligently sought the Lord and they were richly rewarded for it. The man was forgiven, healed and his dear friends that went to all that trouble got to witness the glory and power of God.
Daniel 3:16-29 – Free In The Fire
Daniel 3:16-29
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flames of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
-Often when we face trials, we aren’t satisfied until the circumstance has completely passed. But by accepting such a narrow view of difficult times we miss out on the fullness of God’s power. As Paul said, “I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) God is able to work mightily not by freeing us from our difficulty, but by freeing us in our difficulty. Consider the Hebrew children here in Daniel 3; they faced the terrible trial of choosing to burn in a fire to defend their (well-placed) faith. God could have simply put out the fire, but instead, He showed up personally and loosed their bonds. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were still in the midst of their circumstance, but they moved freely in it because the Lord was there to help them. They were in no rush to leave the fire either; they stayed not because the fire did them any good, but because often the best way to honor the Lord is to show His enemies how He can sustain us when nothing or no one else can.
Mark 2:10-12 – We’ve Never Seen It Like This Before
Mark 2:10-12
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
-Did you catch the crowd’s reaction there at the end? They said, “We never saw it on this fashion.” That tells me that they have seen ‘it’ (or something like ‘it’) before. They’ve seen those who come and say amazing things, do amazing things, and maybe even bring the amazing message of God. But, one day Jesus passed by their way and they saw things they had never seen before and heard things they had never heard before. This was the truth then and has been the truth ever since. Many will come and tell you about things claiming to be of God, hopefully, some will even come and tell you about God, but when God Himself passes by your way, you’ll experience things that you’ve never experienced before.
Hebrews 8:6 – A Better Covenant
Hebrews 8:6
6 But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
-In the Garden of Eden, God made a deal with mankind; life and peace as long as we don’t eat the forbidden fruit. Naturally, we ate the fruit and messed everything up. Any agreements that God makes with us will ultimately end in such ruin. Not because of anything that’s wrong with God, but because of everything that’s wrong with us. So God took the only path left available to Him, He made a covenant with Himself and the blood of His own Son became the guarantee of that agreement. Paul speaks of it being a “better covenant established upon better promises” because the weakness of man has been replaced by the strength of Christ. “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:18)
2 Peter 1:16-21 – A Sure Word
2 Peter 1:16-21
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
-In verse 18, Peter references his experience watching Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. (Matthew 17) During that experience, the voice of God the Father could be heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” (Matthew 17:5) In verse 19, Peter tells us that even in light of that experience, there is a more sure word and that is the written Word of God. The inspired, written Word of God is “a more sure word” than the audible voice of God heard on the mount of transfiguration! For the Word is not of men, but of the Holy Ghost and God has magnified His Word above even His name. (Psalm 138:2)
Luke 17:6 – True Faith
Luke 17:6
6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.
-Have you ever wondered why Jesus likens our faith to a grain of mustard seed? Surely such a small amount of faith would be easy to come by. Not so. This analogy is given to bring to light how rare true faith really is. True faith completely accepts something without relying on logic, reason, evidence, or rationale. Consider a small child’s faith in the tooth fairy. They have never seen the tooth fairy, have no idea what she looks like, and don’t know what she does with children’s teeth or why she would pay money for them. Not only does the child have none of these answers; it never occurs to the child to ask these questions. The child’s parents told them, and they believe. Period. So it should be with our faith. We have never seen God, don’t know what He looks like, and can’t always explain why He does what He does. We shouldn’t need these details and explanations in order to believe. God’s word told us something and we should believe. Period.
A Tried Stone 