JESUS SPEAKING

                Then he said to another, “Follow me.”  But the man said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”  Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”  And another also said, “Lord, I will follow you, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”  But Jesus said to him, “No one having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 59-62.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Jesus Christ called many; few chose to answer his call.  The calling of God demanded immediate and absolute obedience.  When Jesus called Simon and Andrew they were hauling in their fishing nets, and we read, “They immediately left their nets and followed him.”  The priority of the first man in this scripture was to attend to the burial of his father.  Jesus beckoned him to focus on the living, not the dead (the man’s Father was obviously a non-believer.)  The second man, desiring to return home and say farewell to his family, placed his loved ones ahead of the work of God.  The Jewish people were very familiar with agriculture: plowing, planting, and reaping were intimate aspects of their existence (which is why Jesus portrayed the men’s lack of compliance with a farming illustration.)  When driving the ox and the plow, the farmers eyes had to be focused on the field ahead; looking backward served no purpose other than to distract him from his necessary work.  The world is filled with diversions, obstacles, and enticements; distractions are dangerous; they can prevent the believer from reaching their eternal destination.

                According to the national highway safety commission, 80% of all crashes involve driver distraction.  The statistics proved true for a man named Stephen in 1983.  One beautiful sunny morning he hopped in his new Mercedes Benz; with the top down and the wind in his face, he set out for an important appointment.  As he drove up the coast of Southern California, he passed along the beach.  His attentions unexpectedly turned to a young blond woman wearing a bikini.  As she jogged passed his car, his eyes, heart, and mind began to follow along with her; the image of a complete stranger took priority over the road, his destination, and his new wife Sandy.  Suddenly, he smashed in to the back end of a Chevelle that had come to a complete stop in his lane.  Although his body remained uninjured, his pride, and the front end of his Mercedes weren’t quite that lucky.  While driving, the road, and what lies ahead must be the priority; it is more important than anything else; to reach the destination, one must not lose focus or get distracted.

                Jesus Christ has called many, but few have responded in the serious and immediate manner required for discipleship.  If you have felt the call of the Lord upon your life, let go of this existence and grab hold of eternal things.  Make God your immediate priority, and your everlasting Lord.  Preach the gospel to all those you meet; do the works of God, and avoid distractions; this life is a passing dream; keep your eyes, mind, and heart, focused on God, and you will surely reach your divine destination.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You would be our first priority.  Be the master of our lives.  We desire to be Your disciples and to follow You completely.  Help us to avoid distractions.  May our eyes continually be focused upon You.  Give us the wisdom and strength to finish what we have started, and to continue onward, until we reach Your Eternal Kingdom.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things, in Jesus Christ’s name; Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                “Have you not read that he who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall heave his father, and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?’  So then they are no longer two but one flesh.  Therefore, what God has joined together, let not man separate” (Mathew 19: 4-6.) 

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                What is marriage?  According to Jesus Christ, marriage is an eternal bond between one man and one woman; two persons become one […] complete; inseparable; and indivisible.  Divinely ordained unions are the work of God alone; (not the work of men.)  If the creator is not involved in the marriage, then he did not create the marriage.  Many today appear to be married; they live together; bear children; even wear wedding rings; but unless the marriage is built upon the solid foundation of Christ, the relationship is a performance; a charade; an act; an outward display that lacks an inward truth.  Eternal love can only be known in the presence of an eternal God.

                Gay marriage is one of the most hotly debated topics of our day.  Although scholars and well intentioned social advocates have debated it fervently, God does not debate or compromise on matters of right and wrong.  The debate was over before it started.  No matter how accepting society might become, God’s design makes no place for homosexual relationships.  No same-sex couple will ever truly be married.  Should the sanctity of marriage be rigorously applied only to those professing to be gay? Certainly not; heterosexual couples who deny God are not truly married either; for there is no eternal bond (their commitments to one another will last only as long as their bodies draw breath.)

                We commonly hear that marriage is “between a man and a woman;” and so it is; but more accurately, “marriage is between a man, a woman, and God” (Three persons, not two.)  When God is removed, there is no substitute.  Those who are gay or non-believers might be committed to one another, but they are not, nor will they ever be truly married.  Not according to the one who created and is intimately involved in every eternal bond. 

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we recognize the sanctity and sacredness of marriage; we thank You for it, and we praise You for defining what it is.  For those of us who are married, we pray that You would be at the center of our relationships.  For those of us who are single, we ask that You guide and direct us to our eternal spouses.  May we share in what You have ordained and made Holy.  Also Lord, if anyone is in a same-sex relationship, or a relationship that denies You, we pray that they would see the truth, and turn away from sin, and turn toward You.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank You, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

                Then he took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all  things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.  For he will be delivered to the gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.  They will scourge him and kill him.  And the third day he will rise again” (Luke 18: 31-33.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Although Jesus foretold of his impending death upon the cross, his suffering had been described in detail for hundreds of years.  Throughout the centuries, the old testament prophets (inspired by God) wrote about the arrival of God’s solution to sin; a sacrifice that would once and for all put an end to the iniquity that separated the divine creator from his fallen creations (Jesus Christ, was and is that sacrifice.) 

                One major prophetic scripture comes from the book of Isaiah; the book was written between 740 and 680 B.C.  Chapter 53 is particularly interesting because it describes the suffering of Jesus in great detail (hundreds of years before the crucifixion occurred.)  We read, “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare his generation? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people he was stricken. And theymade his grave with the wicked — but with the rich at his death, because he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he has put him to grief. When you make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the labor of his soul,and be satisfied. By his knowledge my righteous servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul unto death, and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”

                Only God knows the future; only the creator can foretell of events before they occur.  Accurate prophecy is a characteristic, unique to the Holy Bible.  No other book or set of sacred writings have ever correctly predicted anything.  The scriptures are the Lord’s reliable revelation; they can be trusted.  As you read the word, remember, you are not simply reading a book compiled by men, but a book authored by God Himself.  May it inspire you, lead you, and transform you.

                “Lord Heavenly Father we praise You and thank You for providing us with the Holy Bible.  As we read it, may we approach it with reverence and respect.  Speak to us through Your word; with every word read, and every page turned, may our hearts be transformed; may we become more like You and Your wonderful Son.  We love You Father, we thank You, we praise You, and we ask and pray all of these things, according to Your will, in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.