Matthew 9:27-29 – According To Your Faith

Matthew 9:27-29
27 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
28 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
29 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.

-When asking for things from the Lord, we typically expect one of two answers; yes or no.  Sometimes, as in the case of this text, the answer is not so simple.  These blind men asked for sight and Jesus gave them healing according to their belief.  What do you take away from that?  If one had believed more than the other, was he healed to a greater extent?  If one hadn’t truly believed, would he have remained blind?  I have a better question for you; if God answered your prayers with “According to your faith be it unto you”, would you get that which you sought?  When you come to God, do you truly believe that He is working?  Do you truly believe that He cares?  Do you even believe that He is there?  The Bible teaches that “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Amos 1:11, 13; Amos 2:4, 6 – Judgment Against Wickedness

Amos 1:11, 13; Amos 2:4, 6
11 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he did pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever:
13 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:
4 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Judah, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have despised the law of the Lord, and have not kept his commandments, and their lies caused them to err, after the which their fathers have walked:
6 Thus saith the Lord; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes;
 
-Roused by the Holy Spirit of God (2 Peter 1:21), the Prophet Amos spells out the coming of the Lord’s judgment on the nations.  Two things stand out to me about these passages: 
1) “For three transgressions of Edom, and for four”- Now this could just be poetic language, but the way I see it, the Lord is marking transgressions and is ready to pour out judgment for three, but before He can even bring the judgment, the people have already ticked up to four.  “For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them.” (Isaiah 59:12)
2) In 2:4 and 2:6, the Lord turns Amos’ attention to Israel and Judah.  Notice that the language used for God’s own people is the same as what was used for the heathen nations.  Remember this the next time you feel a sense of pride in your own labors and self-worth.  We all deserve Hell and we all deserve it equally, but GOD has made a way for us to be redeemed and have a righteousness that is not our own.  “My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.”  (Psalm 73:26)

John 21:15-16 – Feed My Sheep

John 21:15-16
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.
16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
 
-The Bible tells us that our “adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) If a lion is hunting a pack of animals, he will typically go after the slowest and weakest.  Even if a lion is able to kill and eat the biggest, strongest prey, it is too smart to waste time and effort doing that.  Our adversary the devil is also that smart; he is prowling for those lambs and sheep that are weakest in terms of spiritual wisdom and experience.  That brings a very serious responsibility to those of us who cannot excuse ourselves as young and weak in Christ.  Just as the Lord charged Peter to feed His lambs and His sheep, so is it our responsibility to feed the sincere milk of the word to the babes in Christ and those who are not yet spiritually grounded.  It is our responsibility to lead and guide (in both word and deed) those who might otherwise be devoured by Satan.  It may seem like a tremendous burden, but it should be ours to gladly bear; “for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” (Luke 12:48)

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?

Psalm 118:24 – This is the Day Which the Lord Hath Made

Psalm 118:24
24 This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

-When meditating on this verse, remember that David is not so much referring to a time period (for it is evident that the Lord makes every single day) as to a circumstance. If this ends up being the day that you get dreaded news from the doctor, or you lose a loved one or lose your job- that is the day the Lord made. We won’t necessarily be glad for it, but by God’s grace, we can be glad in it.  “And [God] said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Revelation 21:4-5 – God Shall Wipe Away…

Revelation 21:4-5
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”  “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:1, 31)  Unfortunately, we came along and broke everything with sin and rebellion and God has been cleaning up our mess ever since.  The good news, however, is that God will clean up the mess.  He can wipe away our sins (Isaiah 43:25), which is the cause of the problem.  He will wipe away the heaven and the earth (Revelation 21:1), which is the place contaminated by the problem.  Ultimately, He will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Revelation 21:4), which comes from the remembrance of the problem.

Luke 15:25-28 – The Prodigal and the Prideful

Luke 15:25-28
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.
26 And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.
27 And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound.
28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him.

-The story of the Prodigal Son has been a go-to source for teaching love and forgiveness for generations.  We are all aware of the Prodigal’s fall into depravity and the father’s gracious forgiveness, but don’t stop before you read the rest of the story.  Remember, Jesus started His story with, “A certain man had two sons.” (Luke 15:11) If the first son was careless and impetuous, the other son was prideful and bitter.  But the father, having just dealt with the former son, still has grace and mercy left over for the other.  For me, the best line in the whole story is in verse 28, “[The son] was angry and would not go in: therefore came his father out.”  This perfectly sums up God’s perspective toward man.  When we refused to go to Him, for certainly “there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:11), God Himself came out and became our Savior.

Hebrews 10:22-23 – He is Faithful That Promised

Hebrews 10:22-23
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

-In scripture, the believer’s relationship with Jesus is likened to the relationship between husband and wife. (Ephesians 5:22-32)  How devastating would it be for a bride to wait for her husband to come for her only for him to never show?  How much more devastating would it be for us to wait here for the Lord to come only for Him to never show?  Thankfully, the One who promised to come for us is Faithful and True. (Revelation 19:11)  “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.” (Hebrews 10:37)  How can we be so sure of His intentions?  Consider that He came for us the first time even though it cost Him His life; How much more will He be willing to come back for us knowing that He “being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.” (Romans 6:9)

1 Kings 18:36-39 – Let it be known that You are God

1 Kings 18:36-39
36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.
38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.
 
-Elijah’s prayer, which was quickly answered by God, provides great insight and guidance that can be applied to our own prayers and lives.  Twice between verses 36 and 37,  Elijah proclaims that the reason for his request is so the people may know that God is God.  This is why God does the things He does and why He doesn’t do the things He doesn’t; so that we may know and believe. (John 11:42)  Sometimes that means raining fire down from Heaven and sometimes that means whispering in a still small voice. (1 Kings 19:12)  There is a lot of hardship and injustice in the world and it would be easy to question God for allowing it; but we don’t know enough to discern how certain events, even “bad” events, might move people to trust in the Lord.  God may heal a person of sickness because He knows it will make someone believe.  Another time God may not heal a person of sickness because He knows seeing that person faithfully carry that sickness will make someone believe.  Use this reasoning to reframe your perspective on circumstances.  When things happen that you wouldn’t choose, don’t ask “Why is God allowing this?”; instead, ask “How is God using this?”

2 Peter 1:5-10 – Signs of Salvation

2 Peter 1:5-10
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:

-Have you ever cranked your car and without realizing it was running, tried to crank it again?  When we get ready to drive, our first instinct is to crank our car, so if we don’t recognize any evidence of having already completed that step, our instincts kick in and we turn the key.  I’ve noticed that this mistake is easier to make in cars that have quieter engines because they do not provide that constant, audible feedback when cranked.  Christians can make this same mistake in regard to salvation.  At a point in their life, they followed Biblical command and wholeheartedly committed themselves to the Lord; but if they fail to see any evidence of having completed the first step, their instincts tell them they need to start the process over from the beginning.  Hence, people make professions of faith and “get saved” multiple times throughout their spiritual journey.  The problem (in most cases, not all) is not a lack of salvation, the problem is a lack of spiritual growth.  Just like a quiet car won’t give you many signs that it’s already fired up, a Christian without signs of sanctification, increased knowledge of God’s word, and spiritual maturity may appear to be someone who never got saved in the first place.