JESUS SPEAKING

                “But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.  Which of you convicts me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” (John 8: 46-46.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Jesus boldly proclaimed himself to be completely sinless.  Not only was this an impossible claim, he also publicly challenged others to prove him wrong.  No man would be foolish enough to issue this challenge, because every man, woman, and child sins daily (No so called Godly prophet, has ever made this type of proclamation, with the exception of Jesus Christ.)  Although his enemies watched and waited for him to make a mistake, he spoke plainly and publicly without fear.  They found no sin in him, and he was crucified without cause.

                Unlike Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect existence, every self-proclaimed prophet throughout history has never dared to place their own personal lives under true scrutiny; in fact, all false prophets try desperately to hide their personal acts from being examined.  Joseph Smith for example (false prophet and founder of the Mormon faith) claimed to be God’s chosen messenger; but unlike Jesus Christ, Mr. Smith tried to keep his secretive sexual debaucheries from being made known.  While living in Nauvoo Illinois, Joseph became enraged when a newspaper began printing accounts of his sinful life.  In June of 1844; Joseph ordered the printing press destroyed.  His followers dragged the machine in to the streets and smashed it with sludge hammers (a crime for which he was arrested.)  After his death, the accounts of his evil behaviors began to surface.  He married many wives (without informing his first wife Emma until after the initial unions had been made.)  He also married other men’s wives, and married both a mother and a daughter (today, all of the books that he wrote have been revealed to be fraudulent.  His sinful personal life was an indicator of his trustworthiness.) 

                Unlike Joseph Smith, Jesus Christ’s life was completely pure; he can be trusted and believed.  He spoke no lies, exploited no one, and brought the words of God to all those who were willing to listen.  Only Jesus Christ is worthy of praise and honor.  Only Jesus Christ is able to save.  Only Jesus Christ is Godly enough to be followed and obeyed.  Won’t you put your faith and trust in him today?

                “Lord Heavenly Father we praise You and Your Son.  We recognize that he is sinless and worthy to be praised and followed.  Help us to submit to his leadership, and to make him the center of our faith.  Lord, help us to be more like Your Son, and to trust all that he has told us.  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

                ‘Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi.  On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  “But what about you?” he asked.  “Who do you say I am?”  Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”  Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him’ (Mark 8: 27-30.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Many people were confused about the nature and purpose of Jesus during his earthly ministry.  He did not immediately reveal his identity as the Son of God, and the savior of the world; instead he allowed others to discover his identity for themselves.  Many believed Jesus was a Holy man like John the Baptist who remained pure and ministered to the lost; others believed he was a worker of extraordinary miracles like Elijah who rained fire down from heaven and raised the dead; still others who heard him speak believed he was a prophet whose words were a message from God.  He was far more than just a minister, a miracle worker, and a prophet.  When the disciples were asked who he was, they proclaimed him to be the Christ.  ‘Christ’ was a title reserved for the promised savior. [Note:  The word ‘Christ’ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘messiah,’ which means ‘anointed one,’ or ‘Chosen of God.’]  Throughout the Old Testament, God promised that He would send a redeemer to His people; Jesus Christ was (and is) the fulfillment of that promise; he came to save mankind from the sins that had sentenced them to certain death, and eternal separation from God.  His work upon the cross signaled the completion of God’s promise (indeed today, anyone who professes Jesus as the Christ, is forgiven by the blood that was shed upon the cross.)

                During world war two, the Jewish people that were unable to flee Nazi controlled Europe, found themselves surrounded by death.  They were slowly stripped of their rights, their property, and eventually their lives.  As the Jews were herded in to concentration camps, it appeared there was no way out; death was an inevitable certainty.  But there was a slight glimmer of hope.  Those within the camps knew there was a war going on.  If the Nazi’s were defeated, they would keep their lives.  In 1944, the Germans began to retreat from Poland.  As the Russians advanced, they liberated the first ‘concentration camp,’ and many Jews tasted salvation.  As the Russian, American, and British forces made their way to in to the heart of Germany, they freed hundreds of thousands of sick and malnourished Jewish prisoners from the jaws of death.

                Throughout history, death has been the enemy of all people.  People die when they are young; they die when they are old.  It has been said that only two things are certain, “Death, and taxes.”  This is true, for all those who believe Jesus is just a man (or a prophet; or spiritual guru.)  Those who desire to live will find hope in him, and know that he is the Son of the Living God, and the savior of mankind.  When we call Jesus the ‘Christ’ he enters in to our hearts and lives and delivers us from death.  In him we will live forever; in him we will receive the promise of God; in him we will know the goodness of God’s salvation.  There is a question you need to answer; a question that has been asked throughout every generation, to every person who has ever lived; and that question is now being asked of you, “Who do you say I am?”  Who is Jesus Christ to you?

                “Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You today, and we profess that Your Son is the Christ, and that through him we have our salvation.  Help us Father to never lose sight of the hope that we have in him.  Help us Lord to present this question to others in love, that they too, might know what it means to be free from death, and to be wholly forgiven for our sins and transgressions.  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

                      “A good man out of the good treasure of his heartbrings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”  (Mathew 12: 35-37.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

                Words originate in the heart.  The heart is a place hidden from sight, deep within every human being.  The motivation for every action and the inspiration for every word ever spoken had its beginning in the heart.  Words can be damaging or constructive; they can tear people down or build people up; they can deceive or express the truth; they can inspire fear or promote faithfulness.  Jesus was aware of the power of words and warned his followers to choose them carefully.  The disciples were commanded to guard their mouths and use words in moderation.  In referring to excessive speech, Jesus used the word ‘idle.’  ‘Idle’ speech was filled with inactive, unnecessary, or useless words (being talkative often leads to sin, in much the same way as excessive alcohol consumption leads to drunkenness, infidelity, and automotive catastrophe; similarly, overconsumption of food produces diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.  Excessive speech leads to slander, gossip, and exaggeration (lies.)  [Note:  Slander entails spreading lies about another person; in the Hebrew culture, an accused slanderer would be hauled before a judge; witnesses would establish the words of the accused and the judge would determine the sentence.  Jesus made use of this cultural practice to illustrate God’s future judgment of all mankind.  Someday, everyone will have their day in God’s divine courtroom, where every excessive word and slanderous remark will be revealed (those who have been saved by the blood of Christ will not be condemned by their words (according to God’s wisdom), but they will be confronted with every account of their idle talk.)]

                I grew up in a small town where ‘everyone’s business’ was ‘everyone’s business.’  In our isolated community there was no shortage of extremely notable gossips.  I observed that each of them shared one common trait; they talked too much.  One of my close friends was a gossip.  He (like all gossips) would briefly talk about the weather, or about himself; but within minutes, fear of silence, and the scarcity of appropriate content would lead to sin.  In order to keep his mouth going, he would move from socially acceptable, to socially reprehensible topics.  He singlehandedly spread gossip like wild fire; within the flames of that fire he wove a tapestry of perversion and socially damaging information.  His foul words revealed a heart that was filled with evil expressions and sick innuendos.  [Note: we are all guilty of gossiping from time to time; none of us is completely innocent.]

                Excessive speech leads to gossip, slander, and evil speaking.  Today, every word that comes out of our mouths is a reflection of what resides within our hearts.  A clean mouth is the expression of a clean heart.  We must choose our words carefully, knowing that our mouths can sin against God and others.  We can choose to use our mouths to build others up, or to tear others down.  Our words can serve God, or oppose Him.  May our words be clean, and may our mouths always be instruments of God’s divine love.

                “Lord Heavenly Father, give us clean hearts; make them pure and Holy, that our speech may be appropriate and proper for expressing Your love to others.  Control our tongues and bring them under the control of Your Spirit.  Make our words to be few, and protect us from the inherent evils of excessive speech.  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.