Jesus Is That Important

Men of the Bible Series -  Zacchaeus didn't let anything get in the way.

Luke 19:1-10  He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. 4 So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way.

5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, because today I must stay at your house."

6 So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7 All who saw it began to complain, "He's gone to lodge with a sinful man!"

8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Look, I'll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I'll pay back four times as much!"

9 "Today salvation has come to this house," Jesus told him, "because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

---

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem (Luke 19:28) on a trip that must have taken quite a bit of time, he was stopped by the ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19), then there were the people that kept on bringing their kids to him (Luke 18:15), and he was doing a lot of teaching along the way as well. Zacchaeus must have heard about all of the uproar that Jesus was causing and he knew that he had to meet Jesus for himself.

As Jesus approached Zacchaeus location, it became clear to him that he would not be able to see Jesus over the crowds so he ran ahead and climbed a tree. Zacchaeus proved that he had a great desire to find out about Jesus and was determined to overcome the obstacles that got in the way.  

Notice that Zacchaeus efforts are rewarded, Jesus calls hims down from the tree and invites himself to dinner with him, if we reach out to meet Jesus and make a bold move then we will not be disappointed. The question we have to answer for our self is "Is Jesus that important to me?" If we have the desire to get close to Jesus then it will happen, he will find us in our tree and invite himself in to get close to us.

We don't know what was said or how Jesus had an affect on Zacchaeus, but we do know that he experienced genuine change and to prove it he quickly announced that his life wasn't going to be the same, for now on he would live in surrender to Christ.

Jesus needs to be THAT important! He needs to be so important that it has an effect on the way I live, I need to desire to meet with him despite the obstacles, I need to seek him out everyday and keep my eyes on him. There are more than enough ways to be distracted but if we keep our eyes on Jesus then "the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

Help me Lord to keep my eyes on you and not let the things that the world has to offer get in the way or cause my desire for you to fade.

An Awesome Church Leader

Men of the Bible Series - Stephen was a great leader ... but not for too long.

Acts 6:5-15  The proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch. 6 They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the preaching about God flourished, the number of the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly, and a large group of priests became obedient to the faith.

8 Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some from what is called the Freedmen’s Synagogue, composed of both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they were unable to stand up against his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking.

11 Then they persuaded some men to say, “We heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!” 12 They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; so they came, dragged him off, and took him to the Sanhedrin. 13 They also presented false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking blasphemous words against this holy place and the law. 14 For we heard him say that Jesus, this Nazarene, will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” 15 And all who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Acts 7:59  They were stoning Stephen as he called out: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!"

---

The first church was experiencing awesome growth and were expanding at an incredible rate. So fast that they had to decide on how to organize the work of the church, after-all the twelve disciples couldn't do everything that needed to be done.

Stephen became one of the first church leaders in this plan to organize the work of the church. This was not your average deacon, the Bible tells us that Stephen was:

• Full of Faith - Acts 6:5
• Full of Grace - Acts 6:8
• Full of Power - Acts 6:8
• Full of Light - Acts 6:15
• Full of Scripture - Acts 7 (He preached a long sermon.)
• Full of Wisdom - Acts 6:3, 10, James. 1:5
• Full of Courage - Acts 7:51-56
• Full of Love - Acts 7:60

Stephen was doing a great work for the Lord which some trouble makers couldn't stand. After they had words with Stephen and couldn't stand up to him they decided to stir up rumors about him.

Although he was a great leader that we would all do well to imitate, Stephen wasn't a leader for too long, God didn't protect him from his accusers. Like many of our church leaders he was a victim of slander and gossip, and when they couldn't stop him from his good works and his preaching they over took him and stoned him.

Thank you Lord for our church leaders and their sacrifice. I pray that you will bless them with people that will yield to their leadership. Help us all to be as Christ like as Stephen was.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

God's People Act Like They Aren't

Men of the Bible Series - Hosea portrays God's love for his unfaithful people.

Hosea 1:2  When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: Go and marry a promiscuous wife and have children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.

Hosea 3:1-2  Then the Lord said to me, “Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.” 2 So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.

Hosea 4:1  Hear the word of the Lord, people of Israel, for the Lord has a case against the inhabitants of the land: There is no truth, no faithful love, and no knowledge of God in the land!

---

Many of the prophets in the Old Testament were told to do something as an illustration of the message that God wanted to get across.

God told the prophet Hosea to go and marry a prostitute and to love her as an illustration of Israel's faithless relationship with God and his faithfulness in loving his bride despite how she behaves.

Israel had become proud and had forgotten God's grace, they were engaging in idolatry, they were trusting in man rather than in God. They were guilty of injustice and violence, including murder, theft, lying, and oppression of the defenseless. They sound a lot like God's people today.

Hosea was faithful to God and showed his people the wholehearted love that God has for his people. Despite the pain that his people cause him, God is still willing to pursue them and forgive them for their unfaithfulness, he is willing to take back those of us that acknowledge him as Savior and Lord of our life.

Hosea 13:4  I have been Yahweh your God ever since the land of Egypt; you know no God but Me, and no Savior exists besides Me.

God deserves not only to be number one but he also deserves to be the only one, I need to behave like a member of God's family and be totally devoted to him.

Lord help me to live each day remembering that you are my everything. I need to act like I belong to you by living according to your commands.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Encourage Your Pastor

Men of the Bible Series - Titus was Paul's support man.

2 Corinthians 7:5-6  In fact, when we came into Macedonia, we had no rest. Instead, we were afflicted in every way: struggles on the outside, fears inside. 6 But God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus,

2 Corinthians 7:12-15  In addition to our comfort, we rejoiced even more over the joy Titus had, because his spirit was refreshed by all of you.

14 For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth. 15 And his affection toward you is even greater as he remembers the obedience of all of you, and how you received him with fear and trembling.

2 Corinthians 8:16-17  Thanks be to God who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he accepted our urging and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice.

---

Paul was having a very difficult time in Macedonia, he tells us that he had "struggles on the outside and fears on the inside"

We can see in the book of Acts that Paul was facing some difficulties in his ministry in the Macedonia region. On the outside he was put in prison for healing a slave girl and just a few weeks later he was caught up in a riot in Thessalonica (Acts 16,17) this guy needed some comfort, he needed some peace.

It sounds surprising to me to read that Paul had "fears inside" but it shouldn't surprise us, Paul wrote about his personal struggles in many of his letters. Paul was honest about his humanness, his request that his followers pray for him to know how to minister and how to preach, this guy is real.

Paul, a Jew, called Titus his son, something that he also said about Timothy (Titus 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:2). Paul loved Titus and he may have been responsible for leading him to Christ. Paul was encouraged by this devoted Christ follower, Titus was somebody that Paul could count on in his ministry, he was able to join in with the work that Paul was doing but he also went back to Corinth on his own to minister.

I need to be like Titus. I need to join in the ministry that my pastors are doing and I also need to be a minister working on my own calling that God has set aside for me, one of the ministries that I can have is to encourage and pray for the pastors of my church.

You are an awesome God, it is amazing that you choose to use us for your work. Help me to be faithful in my ministry and to be an encouragement to the spiritual leaders in my life.
You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Say What? Watch Your Mouth!

Controlling the tongue is a tedious discipline that is bound to keep you busy.

James 1:26  If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.

James 3:1-12  Not many should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive a stricter judgment, 2 for we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a mature man who is also able to control his whole body. 

3 Now when we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide the whole animal. 4 And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. 5 So too, though the tongue is a small part of the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. 6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.  Read more... 

---

What a description that we have on the power of the tongue, a single match has the potential to start a huge wildfire. Maybe it was just a drive by, one of those careless moments when the match is tossed out a car window without realizing the potential. Too often we can have a verbal drive by where we carelessly toss out some words and then the sparks begin to fly.

James tell us that we should not think too highly of ourselves if we cannot control our tongue. He tells us that there is a connection between what we say and what is in our heart. Maybe he was around when Jesus told the Pharisees that they didn't have any chance of speaking anything other than evil because of the condition of their heart.

Matthew12:34  Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

 If we want to control our tongue then we need to control what goes into our mind and what we dwell on in our heart. I need to be "digging the word" of God everyday so that I will keep my mind and my meditations focused on seeing things from God's point of view. That way I can speak about things from God's point of view.

Psalms 19:14  May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.

Help me Lord to always be slow to speak and to be mindful of the conversations that I have.

Who Is Your God?

Men of the Bible Series - Elijah shows his people the evidence and lets them decide.

1 Kings 18:20-24  So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

21 Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If Yahweh is God, follow Him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23 Let two bulls be given to us. They are to choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and place it on the wood but not light the fire. I will prepare the other bull and place it on the wood but not light the fire. 24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Yahweh. The God who answers with fire, He is God.” All the people answered, “That sounds good.”

1 Kings 18:36-39  At the time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that at Your word I have done all these things. 37 Answer me, Lord! Answer me so that this people will know that You, Yahweh, are God and that You have turned their hearts back.”

38 Then Yahweh’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 When all the people saw it, they fell face down and said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!”

---

Elijah was seriously outnumbered yet he dared to confront the people of Israel about their decision to worship Baal. Elijah asked them to makeup their minds about the issue, after all if God is God and he is everything that we know that God is, then why in the world are you playing around with something else that was created to take his place?

Gather around people and get ready for the biggest showdown since the God of Israel took on the gods of Egypt. The worshipers of Baal really believed that Baal had a chance and that he would start the fire on their sacrifice but after about 3 hours Elijah began to mock their god and reduce him to human behaviors, insinuating that he may not be anywhere close by (not omnipresent) or that he may be napping.

There was only one offering that was burned that day and it was burned even after all the water was poured on the altar, Elijah made sure that it was clear that the fire on Gods altar was not started by any other means.

Numbers 14:11  “How long will these people despise Me? How long will they not trust in Me despite all the signs I have performed among them?

We are just as bad off much of the time. We seek self worth, value, healing, purpose in life and the forgiveness of our sins in so many other ways that we have created. We need help and we run off looking for it in various ways that are displeasing to God.

I need take a look at the evidence all around me and say “Yahweh, He is God!" every minute of my life. That would keep me consistent in my daily walk and trusting in God alone.

Lord help me to grow in my faith and to have allegiance to you alone.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Following God's Directions

Men of the Bible Series - God communicates with Joseph through angels.

Matthew 1:18-21  The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 2:13-15  After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. 15 He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.

Matthew 2:19-23  After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. 23 Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene.

---

This post is a continuation of the post from yesterday, I want to look at the four dreams that Joseph had and how he chose to be submissive to what God was telling him through the dreams.

First dream - Joseph was trying to decide what to do with the situation that had come up, would he have Mary put to death or would he just send her away quietly? Joseph probably thought that those were his only two options until he went to bed that night and received the news that he was to raise the child and accept him as his own.

Second dream - After the Magi left, Joseph had his second recorded dream where an angel visited him with a message from God. Joseph had to get his family to safety in Egypt.

Third and fourth dream- After some time in Egypt, God spoke to Joseph a third time in a dream, telling him that Herod was dead and that they could return home. Joseph did get a little bit concerned about the new guy in charge and he received instruction in a fourth dream to settle down in Nazareth.

God used Joseph's dream time to send his angels to give directions to Joseph. The first dream  was used to let Joseph know that it was God's will to establish this little family before he decided to walk away or worse yet to have Mary killed. The second, third and fourth dreams were used to keep them from harm.

God's method for communicating with us isn't usually angels these days, I haven't had any angels talk to me anyway, today he is more likely to use the Holy Spirit through prayer time or my Bible study.  I need to be ready to listen to God's will in whatever method that he chooses to deliver the message to me. 

Help me to be ready to listen and to be obedient when you speak Lord. I know that you have great plans for me that I need to hear about when you are ready to share them with me.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Believing The Impossible

Men of the Bible Series - Joseph: Obeying God when it doesn't make sense.

Matthew 1:18-21  The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

20 But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:24-25  When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus.

---

You would think that a historical figure like Jesus would have a much more detailed record of his childhood, you would also think that the history and the details about his parents would be fully documented but instead we know very little about one of them.

The only description that we have of Joseph is that he was a righteous man, I guess that this one word probably sums up everything about Joseph and his personality. He must have displayed the "fruit of the spirit" from Galatians 5:22-23.

Joseph believed the impossible and chose to do the inconvenient, life would have been easier without the accusations that his wife was an adulteress, it would be easier to travel the 70 to 80 miles to Bethlehem for the census and he could of lived just fine without moving a trip to Egypt to waiting for an evil dictator to die.

Believing the impossible and living in complete obedience to God was a way of life for Joseph. Unlike Jesus mom, Joseph didn't ever see Jesus' ministry, without any miracles to prove the point, he never received any proof that Jesus was really the Messiah.

God likes to interrupt our lives and test our ability to trust him even when he doesn't make a lot of sense to us. 

Lord, I need to have faith like Joseph had, help me to grow stronger in my faith in you.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

Redeeming Our Weaknesses

Men of the Bible Series - Peter didn't let his failures define him

Matthew 26:33-35  Peter declared, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I will never desert you.” 34 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” 35 “No!” Peter insisted. “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the other disciples vowed the same.

Matthew 26:69-75  Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over and said to him, “You were one of those with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But Peter denied it in front of everyone. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

71 Later, out by the gate, another servant girl noticed him and said to those standing around, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. “I don’t even know the man,” he said.

73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.” 74 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

75 Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.

---

We all make promises that we can't keep, whether it is a promise to our family or friends it is usually a way out of a difficult situation that is usually caused by fear.  What a sad story for Peter, the person he made a promise to was Jesus, right to his face he made a vow.

We can all relate to Peter, we have all made promises to Jesus, we all have to say oops from time to time. Peter knew all about the oops moments, besides denying that he was a friend of Jesus there was the time when he lost his faith while walking on the water, on another occasion he is rebuked by Jesus for speaking out of turn. (Matthew 14:22-32, 16:21-23)

Staying down isn't for the Christ Follower and we can learn from Peter's example that he didn't stay down for too long. After his denial of Jesus Peter's relationship is mended when Jesus comes back from the grave. (John 21:1-25) Peter rises above his failures and become a great leader in the early church (Acts 2-15)

I don't have to stay down after I stumble and fall, Jesus knows  that I will fall again and again but he loves me anyway and he still gives me the opportunity to be used for his purposes.

Thank you Lord for being in the relationship building business, thank you for your forgiveness, you take what little tiny bit that I have and you choose to use it for your work.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.

A Man Who Lived His Life For Another

Men of the Bible Series - John the Baptist lived for a greater purpose.

Matthew 3:1-6  In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”

4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

John 3:30  He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.

---

The time that the Israelites had been waiting for was about to come, after hundreds of years without a prophet there is finally a new prophet, and he has exciting news of Jesus first visit on earth

John was a simple man, he lived  in a remote area, he lived a simple lifestyle. The only ambition that he had was to prepare the way for Jesus. He lived in a remote area that didn't have a lot of people around and yet the crowds came in great numbers to hear his message.

This is a great reminder that the world that we live in can get us off course. We are not here for the purpose of accumulating wealth and power and attempting to get noticed, we are here to prepare the people that we meet for the second coming of Jesus. We need to be very deliberate about spreading the gospel and remember that our message should be the same as John's was.

Help me Lord to remember why I am here and how important that it is for the world to be told about you.

You might like to read: Men of the Bible blog series.