JESUS SPEAKING

The Pharisees came and asked Him, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” testing Him.  And He answered and said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce, and to dismiss her.”  And Jesus answered and said to them, “Because of the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.  But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave 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.” In the house His disciples also asked Him again about the same matter. So He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her.  And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” (Mark 10: 2-12.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

The religious leaders asked Jesus a controversial question concerning divorce (controversial even today.)  They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?”  Jesus’ answered ‘No,’ and referred them back to Adam and Eve to help them understand God’s Will concerning marriage.  In the beginning of creation, God created two people; Adam and his wife Eve.  They were created for one another and designed to be one being in eternal union with God (inseparable.)  They needed one another in order to live.  They had no concept of separation or the desire to be apart.  Divorce is no creation of God’s design; yet God does allow it in only one instance […] in another scripture, Jesus states that “sexual immorality” is just cause for divorce.  Sexual immorality would be any type of intercourse or sexual contact outside of the marriage (which might include idolatry, or looking at others to lust for them (pornography/nudity?))  If a husband or wife commits some act of “sexual immorality,” the spouse who was faithful can divorce and remarry.  The spouse who was unfaithful however, is no longer allowed to remarry.  The bond between a husband and a wife is sacred and if broken has eternal consequences.

Every human being alive today is the product of the union of two people.  When the first cell is formed in the womb, it carries all of the information necessary to create a person.  Half of the instructions come from the mother, and half come from the father.  The child may have the father’s eyes, but the mother’s hair.  The child’s mannerisms and behaviors will partially reflect both parents; they may have dad’s smile but mom’s temperament.  Imagine attempting to separate the child in two once they have been born; half of Dad over here, half of Mom over there.  Can a person be cut in half and still hope to live?  Any attempt would surely result in death.  When two people get divorced they are trying to separate what cannot be separated.  Sadly, many married couples choose to divide themselves and in turn they choose death instead of eternal life.

Today, anyone looking to get married should understand that there is no turning back; there is no jumping ship; there is no division of what God has made one.  Any attempt to separate from a spouse (unless there has been “sexual immorality”) will bring death.  Marriage is meant to be a blessing and a gift from the Lord; but it is challenging, and it is permanent; so take the time to consider what marriage means before you enter in to eternal unity with another human being.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we ask that if we are married, You would give us the strength to continue forward in love with our eternal partner; help our relationships to be filled with true love for one another.  Father, also, for those of us who are not married, provide us with wisdom in making decisions about who we will bind ourselves too eternally.  Help all of Your children avoid the snares of death, and the tragedy and misery of divorce.  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

Now there was a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called ‘benefactors.’  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves” (Luke 22: 24-26.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

The disciples believed that Jesus was about to be crowned king and that he would place someone in authority over the rest of them (a sort of ‘right hand man.’)  So they were arguing among themselves about who this might be.  (They misunderstood the kingdom, and what type of crown Jesus was about to receive; instead of Gold, his crown would be made of thorns.)  Jesus implied that the disciples were behaving as the gentiles (a gentile was anyone not born of Jewish descent.  The majority of Christians today are gentiles; although believers should not behave as gentiles.)  The Greek/Roman culture was dominant in the 1^st century and they surrounded Israel.  The Greeks and Romans enjoyed working out naked, and bisexuality and homosexuality were rampant; they enjoyed watching men kill each other in the coliseums, and prostitution was incorporated into their religious practices.  What truly set them apart from the Jews however, was their social structure.  There were elite aristocrats, military leaders, and government officials near the top; they dominated and abused the people who were lower than they were.  Slavery was massive (in many places the majority of people were slaves), and men and women were bought, sold, and used just like items you might find at the grocery store (the culture was so class oriented, that there were even class systems within the community of slaves; 1^st class slaves, and 2^nd class; 1st class slaves had some rights.)  From birth, the Greeks/Romans measured success based upon social ladder climbing; the further up the chain one would go, the more valuable they were.  The Jewish culture on the other hand was vastly different; most Jews saw themselves as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father; equal in the eyes of God; yet the social influences of the world had made their way in to the hearts of the disciples, whom Jesus corrected promptly.  He instructed them that greatness to God meant service to others.  They were to desire to be lower than others, rather than superior to them.

The United States today is a gentile nation.  Many people are driven by the desire to move up, and to gain advantage over others.  A gated community is better than an apartment complex; it is better to be the boss than it is to be the employee.  Most government offices are filled with people who enjoy power, and wealth, and influence.  There is a class system in the United States just as in the days of the Greek/Romans.  But it shouldn’t be that way for those who call themselves disciples, believers, or followers of Jesus Christ.

Jesus asks his followers to turn away from striving for power and influence and instead to strive for lowliness.  He wants believers to stop climbing the social ladder, and begin climbing the spiritual ladder.  The spiritual ladder leads to places of humility not prestige.  Is it more appealing to you to be a master or a servant?  Do you see other people as tools to gain advantage in life, or as opportunities for service?  Stop striving for worldly greatness, and make an effort to serve others, to love others, and to attain greatness in the eyes of God.

“Lord Heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask and pray that You make us servants.  Take out of our hearts the desires for worldly greatness and give us strong desires for spiritual greatness.  We desire humility rather than riches, and love rather than silver and gold.  Give us opportunities to serve You, and to serve others.  We love You Lord, we thank You, and we praise 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 also said to him who invited him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.  But when you give a feast invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14: 12-14.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

Communal eating was a central part of the Jewish culture.  They ate from the same bowls, from the same cups, and from the same loaf of bread.  They guarded themselves against eating with sinners, because it was believed that by sharing food, one man’s sin could pass to another man; as a result the sinners, the destitute, the poor, the sick and the lame became untouchables. Those who were most in need of food and shelter were the first to be denied access to such things.  The well-off made certain to invite only people they considered to be morally righteous enough to share a meal with.  A simple dinner invite in the Jewish culture became more of an award ceremony, where the guests were honored.  It was customary to return the honor by inviting the inviter to a meal (they received a reward for their love.)  The ultimate form of love is the kind that demands nothing in return.  True Godly love is about giving and not receiving.  God rewards selfless love; this world rewards every other kind of love.  How many people do you know today, who, if you began to treat them poorly, would return kindness for your evil?  Not many; their love is conditioned upon your love; their good treatment and kindness is a repayment for yours.  The world is filled with this kind of conditional love, but Jesus has commanded his followers to step outside the boundaries of worldly love, and step in to the unconditional love of God.  He has commanded every believer to show kindness to the outcasts, and love to those who have been overlooked.

There are many wealthy people that live in Southern California.  Many coastal mountainsides are decorated with giant exotic homes owned by the social elite; Doctors, lawyers, movie stars, surgeons, etc.  The only thing that exceeds the beauty of the outside of such a home, is its inside (a place most of us will never see.)  Many collect fine art; paintings worth more than a year’s wages are hung on the walls, and sculptures from centuries long since passed, rest on marble pedestals in pristine places.  There are closets filled with custom tailored clothing that never touches the inside of a washer and dryer.  The carpets aren’t just carpets, but works of art made out of thread.  These people, like most people, surround themselves with valuable things; things that make them feel more extraordinary.  People often use other people, just like possessions.  They enjoy surrounding themselves with those who are valuable and give them worth.  They want to be friends with the good looking, the well-to-do, the young, and the popular.  They show kindness and love, but only for those they deem worthy.  They have the world in them, and even though they might consider handing 5 dollars to a beggar, the idea of taking them home for dinner is just too much; the thought of surrounding themselves with those who carry no worldly value gives them a bad feeling, because there is no profit in it for them.

Who sits at your dinner table?  Who do you share your meals with?  Have you opened your home and your life up to the destitute, to the lame, to the poor?  Have you been surrounding yourself with only those who make you feel good, or have you decided to show the unconditional love of God?  All around you are people who have never seen the kind of love you as a believer can give; the kind of love that asks for nothing in return, and comes from a giving heart.  Take a beggar out to lunch and make friends with an outcast.  Be kind to those who cannot return your kindness, and God who is watching will be pleased.  Love with God’s heart and in the eternal kingdom that is yet to come, your reward will be immeasurable.

“Lord heavenly Father, we come before You and we ask that You give us opportunities to love the outcasts, and to give to those who have nothing.  Help us to rejoice in surrounding ourselves with the needy, and with those the world has overlooked and stepped on.  Give us Your heart, and use us to love unconditionally, that the world may take notice of our actions and see something special.  Use us to make Your presence known in a world full of darkness and selfishness.  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.