Worldly riches are temporary and so is the happiness they bring, for they always contain trouble as well. The ‘new car’ smell always wears off. The new roof eventually leaks. Moth and rust destroy and thieves steal. But the blessing of the Lord is eternal and adds no trouble. His blessing cannot be earned, only received. Which do you seek?
This was Jesus’ response to the question “Who then can be saved?” The truth is that we cannot save ourselves. Salvation is beyond humanity’s reach. No amount of counseling, religion, self-help courses, New Year’s resolutions… can change the heart of man. We are drowning in our own sin and unable to reach the shore. But God has made a way for us through Christ. What impossible thing is defeating you today? Bring it to God. He specializes in accomplishing impossible things.
The more one talks, the greater the likelihood of sinning. The wise man keeps silent, actively listening to others before carefully choosing words of response. Try talking less and listening more today. Ask the Lord to help you hear His voice and to hear the voices of others before uttering a word yourself.
This is the confession of a man who desperately wanted to believe, but still had doubts. This doesn’t sound like the greatest of confessions, yet Jesus healed the man’s son nonetheless. Jesus still answers the prayers of those who have a mixture of doubt and belief. The important thing is to confess the doubt, saying, “Jesus, help my unbelief! Increase my faith!” We all begin our journey with Jesus with a “mustard seed” of faith. Following Him, the seed grows into a tree, overshadowing all our doubts, so that only our believing remains.
David described the longing of his soul for God. The brilliant French physicist and philosopher, Pascal, proposed that such a longing was present in every human heart, saying, “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus” (Blaise Pascal, Pensees). People try to fill this longing with other things, which explains the misery of many. But the human soul can only find its fullest satisfaction in Christ.
During this season of Christ’s ministry he told people to keep quiet. Some say because it wasn’t yet His time. Others say He was trying to stay off the Roman radar. But it may have been because He didn’t want undue attention on His miracles. John called Christ’s miracles “signs.” They were to point to who He was, not to what He could do. Many crowded after Him for the free bread, not because He was the Bread of Life. Our witness is to be less about the healing and more about the Healer. Less the manna and more the Son of Man. The gospel is not so much what Jesus can do for you, but what He has already done. We preach Christ crucified.
This is both call to worship and benediction. Seeking the Lord, may you be full of joy and gladness in Him. Finding salvation, may you swell with such chesed love that you shout of God’s greatness.
The heart without love is easily offendable. It looks for offense and strikes back to defend. It leaves a trail of broken relationships in its wake. But the heart of love is hard to offend because it thinks of others ahead of itself. It has no need to defend or protect because love is its strong tower. Where ever the heart of love goes, healing and reconciliation happen. Are you overly sensitive and easily offendable? Ask God to examine your heart.
Jesus taught the principle that “two are better than one” (Eccl.4:9). He trained His disciples in team evangelism. We see this pattern repeated in the book of Acts with Paul and Barnabbas and other duos. Christianity is not a solo act. We are called to be the Body of Christ. We are called to a team. Do you have a partner sharing your life mission?
Jairus, the synagogue ruler, had begged Jesus to come to his house to heal his daughter, but before they could arrive, people came saying she was already dead. At this, Jesus spoke to Jairus to calm his heart and focus his mind, pointing him away from fear and towards believing. Do you have a mixture of fear and faith in you? The voice of Christ calls us to “only believe.”