Category: Jesus Speaks

A Stony Heart

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

        “But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles” (Mathew 30: 20 – 21.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

        The gospel is a powerful force; like a raging torrent, it demands reverence and respect. Just as rivers gouge out valleys and tear apart mountains, the gospel transforms lives. Many eagerly receive God’s Holy Spirit but lack foresight; they do not understand the magnitude of changes God intends to perform in their lives. True faith is costly; the price of salvation is death; death to our old lives. One must willingly be destroyed in order to be remade in the image of Christ. Those whose hearts are stony initially experience a very shallow relationship with God. They desperately cling to old familiar habits and abandon their faith when it requires real change. They turn from the light and live in darkness; choosing comfort above growth and sin over righteousness.
        When a famous gangster named Mickey Cohen was released from prison in the 1950’s, a Pastor by the name of Bill Jones made it his personal mission to convert him to Christianity. When Jones presented Mickey with the gospel, he said a prayer and accepted Jesus into his heart. Soon, word of his conversion spread, and many were amazed to hear that this once villainous mobster had turned to Christ. Although Mickey enjoyed being called a ‘Christian,’ he refused to live like one. He soon lost touch with Pastor Jones and began hanging around with his old buddies from the criminal underworld. The disheartened Jones confronted Cohen to tell him that as a Christian, he needed to put distance between himself and his old [criminal associates]. Puzzled, Cohen responded, “Jones, you never told me that I had to give up my career. You never told me that I had to give up my friends. There are Christian movie stars, Christian athletes, and Christian businessmen. So, what’s the matter with being a Christian gangster? If I have to give up all that – if that’s Christianity – then count me out.”
        Sadly, Mickey’s story is not uncommon; out of the four different types of soil Christ describes, the stony heart can be the deadliest; for within it, there exists the greatest propensity for self-deception. Believing a verbal profession of faith without actions to be sufficient for salvation, many remain unchanged. With their lips they affirm Christ, but with their lives they deny him. Continuing in behaviors such as, pornography, fornication, drunkenness, idolatry, and dishonesty (to name a few), contradicts the rebirth that all Christians must endure. If you can identify with this type of soil, then you have two choices; continue forward toward in delusion or get honest with yourself and begin a new life with Jesus; a life of repentance; a life free from darkness and unrighteousness; a life lived as a disciple of Christ; a life fully committed to purity, church fellowship, prayer, evangelism, and bible reading. May the Lord give you the courage, strength, and conviction to make the right choice.
        “Lord Heavenly Father transform us in to the image of Your Son. May we lay down our old lives to take up our new ones. May our relationships with You be deep and meaningful. May our lives always confirm our verbal professions of faith. If we have not fully committed our lives to You, reveal to us the areas where we have refused to change; and by the power of Your Holy Spirit, help us to overcome and to conquer. We love You Father, we praise You, and we thank 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.

Cutting Away Sin

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

        “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Mathew 5: 30)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

        Sin is defined as any act of willful disobedience toward God. Sin is very serious because it separates us from our Heavenly Father. Because God loves his children, He desires for us to let go of our sinful practices, that we may be reunited with Him. Any grievous sins, such as fornication, adultery, lying, stealing, lewdness, etc, must be abandoned. In order that we may live, we must cut away these portions of our dead flesh.
        In April of 2003, an experienced mountain climber named Aaron Ralston was hiking alone in a remote mountain pass in Utah. While maneuvering through one of the crevices, a giant boulder dislodged and pinned his arm against the canyon wall; for days he attempted to free himself. He had not told anyone where he was going, so he knew that no one would be looking for him. When he had finally run out of water, Aaron was faced with a terrible choice […] He could severe his arm with an ill-equipped pocket knife; or he could keep his arm and simply lay down and die. The only thing standing between Aaron and the rest of his life were two bones, several muscles, and some tendons in his forearm. Aaron chose to break both bones in his arm; he then proceeded to saw through his own flesh with his dull knife. After nearly 127 hours of confinement, he left his severed arm behind and climbed out of the canyon. Until that day, Aaron had lived selfishly. He had been a ‘loner’ who continually pushed others away. Shortly after his experience he came to believe that the boulder had been waiting for him his entire life (that it was destined to transform him.) He said, “I left my hand behind in that canyon, but I gained my life back.” His experience allowed him to see what was truly important. He began to put the emphasis on personal relationships; he eventually married and started a family. He now travels the world telling other people about his inspiring story.
        Like Aaron, there are boulders in our lives; giant rocks that pin us down and keep us from knowing complete freedom. If we have entered again in to serious sin, and we have been separated from God then we have some cutting to do. Cut away the dead flesh, so that you may live. Ask God to reveal to you any sinful practices that have crept back in to your life and He will. How you respond to what you find, will determine your eternal destiny. May God help us all to make the right choice.
        “Lord Heavenly Father we recognize that sin can cause us to become separated from You. We know that we have received forgiveness through Your Son, but we recognize our responsibility to refrain from willful acts of disobedience. If we have become defiant, then please give us the strength to put these sins to death, that we may eternally continue to live for 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.

Divine Transformation

~ servantone1

JESUS SPEAKING

        And after these things he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And he said to him, “Follow Me.” And he left all, rose up, and followed Him. Then Levi gave him a great feast in his own house. And there was a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. And the scribes and Pharisees complained against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5: 27-32.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

        Tax collectors in Israel were Jewish citizens who had ‘sold-out’ to the Roman Empire; and thus, turned against their own people. The Roman taxes were often severe, and tax collectors earned their living by over-taxing the people; in turn, they were passionately despised. The religious leaders were enraged because Jesus was eating with these types of sinners. Jewish meals were extremely intimate affairs; those who dined together dipped into the same bowls and drank from the same cups. Most Jews were very careful who they ate with because they falsely believed that sin could be transferred from one person to another through the sharing of food. The Son of God, however, was not concerned with being contaminated by the sins of others. Instead, his purity was infecting and cleansing the evil hearts of those who dined with him. The messiah’s purpose was to seek and to save the lost; to bring light into the lives of those who dwelled in darkness; he came to heal the sick and to restore to fellowship, those who had turned away from the paths of righteousness.
        In 1464 a block of Marble weighing nearly 9 tons was shipped to the Cathedral of the Santa Maria Del Fiore in Italy. From it, an artist was commissioned to carve a massive sculpture of a young King David. It is said the artist abandoned the project because the piece of marble contained too many flaws (or veins—veins in marble are weaker than the surrounding stone, which can cause it to crack and break.) So the defective block sat in the yard for nearly a decade; until another artist was commissioned to continue the work; apparently he also foresaw problems with the veining and walked away from the project. The scarcely carved stone block was again pushed to the back of the yard where the sun, wind, and rain beat down on it for nearly 25 years. Then in 1501 a 29-year-old sculptor named Michelangelo looked at the stone with optimistic intentions. To him, it wasn’t just some aged block of marble taking up space; neither did he reject it as a defective throw away, fit only for the trash heap. Unlike the other sculptors, Michelangelo saw the giant slab, not as it was, but as it could be. He accepted the commission to complete the work because, from it, he believed that he could create a masterpiece. In 1504, after nearly 3 years of work, the Statue of David was completed; immediately it was marveled over; even the harshest of critics were astonished by its timeless majesty. Today, the statue of David resides in Florence Italy, and is unquestionably one of the most beautiful marble sculptures ever created.
        Like Michelangelo, Jesus Christ is a master craftsman; his purpose is not just to take good people and make them better, but to take the worst people and transform them into divine works of art. As followers of Christ, our duty is to reach out to those who have been rejected. Rather than turning our backs on sinners, we are called to embrace them in love. We must not see sinners for who they are, but rather, for who they might become (with the assistance, love, and attention of an all-powerful Creator.) Reach out to the lost; make friends with the weak; dive into the trash heap and pull out those who have been discarded. He has sent us into the world to find the lost, and to bring hope to the hopeless. Are you willing to be an instrument in the hands of God; a tool He can use to accomplish a masterpiece?
        “Lord Heavenly Father, may we seek out those who are sick. Give us a heart for the outcast, that we would see possibility where others see only failure. We lay our lives at Your feet; may we be Your messengers; may we bring the good news of salvation and reconciliation to all those who dwell in darkness. We love You Father, we thank You, and 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.