90. O my soul, Praise the Lord

Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Psalm 96:2

My Lord and my God! Be praised in the deepest areas of my soul, my inner man cries out inside me to worship You my King! Dark have been the days of my soul but You have seen me through them all. I had preached on peace that i did not know, i had spoken of grace that was no more than a word, i had proclaimed joy that was never mine, Thank you Jesus for not giving up on me! Now these words that were just words have found their place in the reality of my being and I find rest in the knowledge and love that comes from You. And who on earth could speak of Your mercy? Are there enough words in the languages of man or a single word that can grasp the depth of the compassion You have had on us; on me! For every sin, for every mistake, for every rebellion and deed i have done against the work of the cross, You have forgiven them all! My God how great is your love for us, full of compassion and abounding in mercy more than any other! Jesus, how wonderful is your faithfulness towards me, never to give up; unfailing. Had You given up on me, i dare not imagine where my heart would be now, the thought brings tears to my eyes. Yet You did not give up, though i so obviously deserved rejection, i deserved ridicule and disgrace but You showed love in place of hatred, mercy in place of wrath, redemption in place of condemnation. Jesus my love, don't stop! continue what you are doing within my heart, let me follow and love you all the days of my life, until my final breath and i pass from this life into prefect eternity, forever near You my God.

O my soul, Praise the Lord.

89. A Walk With Jesus (Who am I?)

Jesus went out, along with His disciples, to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way He questioned His disciples, saying to them, "Who do people say that I am?" They told Him, saying, "John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; but others, one of the prophets."

And He continued by questioning them, "But who do you say that I am?"

Mark 8:27-29

A question of much relevance to us today, and probably one of, if not they most important question asked. "Who do you say that I am?" America today has many views and thoughts about who this Jesus is, some say He was just a Jewish Rabbi; or one of many great moral philosophers; or perhaps even a social reformist; or even a well meaning philanthropist that taught about love and peace and cared for the needy. These are all correct, some to a greater extent than others but all have some truth to them. HOWEVER, none of them contain the whole truth of the Person of Jesus.

Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."(a)

Jesus was not a god, as if there are many, He is the Son; fully God and fully man; God in bodily form. He claimed to be God, He did the things that only God does (ex, forgive sins, received worship), He was and is God with us. But this we know, so what am i getting at?

What you believe will inevitably dictate your actions.
When you say He was just another person, regardless of title, than everything He ever said or demanded from us (which will be discussed in the next blog) is up for interpretation and selective hearing. In other words, if you believe He was anything less than God than I expect you live like He is everything less than God.

I want to take this deeper for those of us who have accepted the truth. Repeat Jesus' question to yourself, now before you jump quickly to give a Sunday school answer i want you to contemplate the condition of your heart, consider your life, actions, motives, everything. Now, answer the question by the perspective of someone else, would an outsider look at you and say "He/She believes Jesus is God, their is evidence in the way they live"?

Faith without deeds is dead (b), to only have head knowledge of the life or teachings of Jesus is not enough. Our beliefs dictate or actions. What are your actions telling you about what you truly believe? If we are not living up to the claims we make, than it is time to take a moment by your self with God, repent of the sin you have been harboring and begin today to live in the grace and forgiveness that God has in store for us. Today is the day to repent and change, talk is cheap, so let others see or faith by what we do.

(a) Matthew 16:16
(b) James 2:26

88. A Walk With Jesus (Restoration)

They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?" He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around." Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village." Mark 8:22-26

One thing I see here is what I consider to be an attribute of God's character once again beautifully personified in Jesus. Our Lord is in the business of Restoration. When a unrepairable marriage is restored, when divorced couples reunite, when broken hearts are mended... Jesus is near. When victims forgive the unforgivable, when an addict is rescued from his addiction, when a sinner repents and loves the Lord... Jesus is near.

Knowing this, that the grace of God extends to all mankind who are willing to accept His offer, i would like to draw some simply conclusions for the rest of us.

Do Not Hinder the Restoration of Others!
Father, when someone I know has been struggling with sin and is in the process of being restored, than let me be careful not to stand in the way of Your work. Time does nothing for the healing and restoration of ones soul. Time does not heal all wounds; You, Jesus heal all wounds, and You take time. Let me remember that my healing has been a journey and not a sprint, knowing that You have been so patient to restore and heal my soul; may i also bear such long suffering, supplemented by prayer, for the healing of the other's. Not beating them down, or criticizing them for their past mistakes, knowing that love keeps no record of wrongs and You remember my sins no more, help me than also to remember the sins of others no more.

Do Not Hinder Your Own Restoration!
Jesus, I am amazed at the length by which You have shown me mercy and continue to show me mercy still. Your love towards each of us is outrageously persistent to the degree that we rightfully praise You saying Your love is unfailing. All that is within me is nearly irritated by my desire to be like You and nothing like who i am. Yet when i chose to sin against You, and i chose to buy into the lies and deceit, then i feel that i am hindering Your process. Whenever I allow my pride to seep in through the walls that protect my heart and sin against you, I actively remove myself from Your will in my life and fulfill the desires of my flesh. Your will is my sanctification! As i read Your word and i find myself more and more dependent on Your strength to get me through this day, i pray that you would remind the spirit within me to yield to Your will and to humbly accet all that You have commanded me to do; than i pray for the strength to be obedient and to love You with all my heart and all my soul and all my strength.

87. A Walk With Jesus (Sign Seekers)

He got into the boat with His disciples and went to the region of Dalmanutha. The Pharisees came and began to question Jesus. To test Him, they asked Him for a sign from heaven. He sighed deeply and said, "Why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? I tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." Then He left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side.

Mark 8:10-13

As when a loving father sighs in disappointment of his children's behavior, likewise Jesus here sighed deeply in consideration of His children's question. He had shown them miracles, He had already healed and taught in their presence, but it was not enough, their hearts were hardened by their pride and they were simply unwilling to believe. Then He left them. This is what will happen to those who do not follow after Him and believe. This is the result of those who seek after spiritual mysticism, of those who want God to prove His existence, and otherwise refuse to believe; they will find no place in the presence of God, except to be judged for their disbelief.

In Matthew's account Jesus finishes with this before He leaves, "A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. (a)" The sign of Jonah was this, Jonah spent 3 days and nights in the belly of a giant fish, in a resemblance Jesus would spend 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of the earth before He would rise again. Look around you and see the universe, look inside you and see the miracle of life, look about you and notice the order of the everything in existence, it all demands a Creator; This we call God. And only one God has made predictions that came true exactly as foretold, only one God has performed miracles, only one has risen from the dead, there is none other but He, and His majesty demands our obedience.

My Lord, forgive me of not kneeling before Your Kingship and worshiping You as You deserve. Please teach me Your ways, I want to be guided and instructed in Your wisdom to live under the compassionate care of You love O God. I have wanted and tried to force my hand so many times and it has left me empty inside, i want it no more. I am Yours Jesus, discipline Your beloved and create in me a new, fleshly heart, that honors and loves Your Name. May You be feared all the days of my life.

Thank You for being so gracious towards me, I have never known such faithfulness as this before.

(a) Matthew 16:4

86. A Walk With Jesus (Compassion)

Then Jesus left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. Mark 7:31

Leaving His healing ministry to the north Jesus travels south and down the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Passing through the region of Decapolis, lit. "10 cities" in the Greek, these were city-states of the Roman empire. A Gentile populated region that served to expand Roman culture.

"They brought to Him one who was deaf and spoke with difficulty, and they implored Him to lay His hand on him." 7:32

The deaf were not well understood, and apparently not well thought of either, the following quotes were taken from Deafinfo.org,

“Ancient Roman law classified deaf people as 'mentecatti furiosi' - which may be translated roughly as raving maniacs - and claimed them ineducable.”(1)

And

“leave the unhealthy to die, and those whose psychological constitution is incurably corrupt it will put to death.” ~ Plato

As I read verse 32, I wonder to myself what this man could possibly had been thinking. He must have been confused and delirious in a semi-state of confusion as this crowd of people took him from where he was and pushed him before this no doubt stranger by the name of Jesus. The deaf man must have been scared, not hearing, only feeling his heart rate begin to rise as fear and adrenalin pulsated through out his body. What Jesus does next defines for me the meaning of the word COMPASSION.

"And He took him aside form the crowd," 7:33

Understanding the man's situation, and not willing to make a spectacle of him for the sake of His own glory, Jesus handles the man's dignity with care and guides him away from the miracle-hungry crowd; compassion. It is more than sympathy for someone in a difficult situation, feeling sorry for someone does not grasp the meaning. Compassion, as seen here, is a deeper felt need to care for the individual who is hurting. Jesus healed the man, but in so doing He ignored the crowd around Him, caring more for the man than Himself. We know what it means to only feel sympathetic for someone with no real desire to help, we also know what it looks like when a person takes care of another to satisfy their own ego or self-worth. Jesus does neither here, but takes the man so far from the crowd that only the two of them know he was actually healed.

It was Compassion that brought worth to this man's life. It was Compassion that brought God to this earth. It was Compassion that brought Jesus before the cross. There is nothing sympathetic about the cross, when nail-pierced hands bled on our behalf; when the punishment we deserve was placed instead on the innocent Savior. The cross is not the act or will of a god who only feels sorry for or is rather annoyed with humanity. No, this is the very act of God who has had compassion on each and everyone of us, not willing that any should perish; knowing we would had He not paid the price for our sins.

In His righteousness, justice was served as He died on the cross; and in His compassion we were saved, our hope of glory knowing He rose from the grave.

May we be imitators of Christ,


(1) --What the Rabbis Heard: Deafness in the Mishnah, Bonnie L. Gracer, "Disability Studies Quarterly", Spring 2003

85. Psalm 1:1

Blessed is the man,
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
Psalm 1:1

The sinner becomes increasingly worse when the effects of sin retard the growth of the soul; numbing it to its damned condition. It begins with a walk down the path of sin, a walk first thought to be just a stroll that turns into a wayward wandering that continues to sear the conscience of understanding. This walk becomes a stand in the way of sinners when the sin has taken root and pride now cripples the sinner of humble obedience. "Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.(a)" But he who now stands in his sin unwilling to move can by no other way be moved but by bit and bridle, yielding the sinner to the commands of God; in the case of the non-christian it is punishment for wickedness; in the case of the believer it is discipline that maturity in Christ may continue its path no longer hindered by the traps of sin, not to break us, but to make us in the likeness of our God. Finally the obstinate stand in the sinners path takes a seat in the chair of mockery. Now the sinner is seated in the worst position of all, mocking or scoffing at God. Thinking so highly of himself and so lowly of the things of God the sinner now sits in contempt and active disbelief of the justice and good will of God, teaching others to do the same either by intentional misguidance or unintentional persuasion by example. Note that when we sin against God in this unrepentant manner, having in ourselves a dullness of mind considering the sin to be of non-consequence, we then directly approve of such disobedience and teach others to do the same. Such will be called least in the kingdom of Heaven (b), yea, they will still arrive and enter through with their sins forgiven, but I believe there will be disappointment within that can not be fully understood this side of heaven when one will be considered least in God's kingdom.

Blessed! however, are those who do not walk in the counsel of the ungodly but separate themselves from the guidance of those who do not seek the things of God, but rather turn in response to God's elect calling to, "Be holy: for I the LORD your God [am] holy." Separated and set apart as sacred, different than the world, loving and caring for things the world does not, being imitators of the Lord Jesus Christ. Love not only emotional, no, love rather that is emotional and intelligent; love that acts. A love for the grace of God and His divine mercy on us and a love for His Justice, that He is Judge and He is King of all. Love and Respect for the God who loved us so undeservedly. He does not delight in the sins of his youth, But his delight [is] in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night (c). Not under the law being judged by the law but under the blood of Christ delighting in the justice of God, both knowing and enjoying the obedience that comes from a heart restored by the transforming power of the Spirit within you. With the negative as well, that when the soul sins against God, the delight is removed and the anxiety and sorrow replaces the bliss that recently occupied the heart. Note, it is time to remove this positive thinking psychology that tells you no matter what you do, that you are you are a good person; that guilt is a sort of restraint of our society to conform us to a pattern. Lies! Guilt is the fabric of the conscience on our mind that tells us something is wrong. If you cut your finger, it hurts responding to the danger to protect you. And God in His love and mercy has given us a conscience that we too may hurt when we act in disobedience against Him, telling us and reminding us that something is wrong and we are in danger. Do not be swift to numb the paining effects of the heart, rather learn what your God is telling you, repent and continue down the road that is both straight and narrow. Finally, keep in consideration that the blessings of God and not what we may perceive as blessings. If we are obedient than we will be blessed, this is a promise of God, but we can act so foolishly when we expect God to bless us the way we want to be blessed and entirely miss His blessing on the way. Blessing shall come, that is a fact, but it is in God's timing and in His way. Obey out of love and look for the blessing in your life, it will never be what you expect but always what you need (which may or may not seem good to you at the time).

Ok, I have gone on far to long,
Be blessed in the peace that comes from obedience and love for the only God, our Lord Jesus Christ.

(a) Psalm 32:9 (b) Matthew 5:19 (c) Psalm 1:2

84. A Walk With Jesus (To the Dogs)

And from there He arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And He entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet He could not be hidden.
Mark 7:24

Background:
Tyre and Sidon are two cities to the Northwest of Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). The modern name for these cities is Sour and Saida respectively, in Lebanon. They were Phoenician cities that had been gradually Hellenized by Greek culture after Alexander the Great took Tyre in 332 B.C. These cities were worshipers of the mythological goddess by the name of Astarte; goddess of war and sexual love. This is where our story takes off,

But immediately a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit heard of Him and came and fell down at His feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. Mark 7:25-26

We have talked a little on this matter before, remember, no self-respecting Jew associated with gentiles, they were unclean worshippers of their pagan gods. However, we must always remember that we are not encountering the life of an ordinary Jew, this is Jesus; God in the flesh. With that in mind consider now how His story with this woman continues.

And He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 7:27

WHAT? Is He telling her to go away? It would seem like this is the case, in Matthew’s account of this dialogue, Jesus, does not even answer her (at first). Then His disciples ask Him to send her away because she was bothering them (a), finally He turns to her and says, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. (b)" Saying then what was in verse 27…. She answers Him.

"Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs." 7:28

By the way, the word translated dog here is kynarion it means little dog; a house pet. This is far different than the typical term dog used by Jews when speaking of gentiles, which is the Greek word kyōn, meaning; A dog. Metaphorically, A man of impure mind; an impudent man.

And He said to her, "For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter." And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone. 7:29

She came to Him with nothing to offer, she poured out her anxieties and her problems before Him, she gave up what ever pride and self suffiency she might have otherwise had, this was the end of her ropes, her last hope...

He did not dissapoint her, He will not dissapoint you.


(a) Matthew 15:23 (b) Matthew 15:24 (c) Matthew 20:28

83. A Walk With Jesus (Out of the Heart)

And He was saying, "That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man."
Mark 7:20-23

Jesus here gets straight to the heart of the matter (no pun intended). And that is, that man is inherently wicked. David prayed in the psalms, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.(a)" A sad, but honest truth of the human condition, we are all innately sinners. Each one of us has the fullest capacity to do the most horrendous atrocities. Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Charles Manson, Caligula, Nero, Pol Pot... if we understand our diagnosis than we must also understand that we have in us the capability of becoming and doing the very same things that these people have done. A scary and considerably difficult concept, i know. However, considering we are all as equally powerless to fight the temptations of sin, than it must be understood that we are also as equally capable of becoming the worst people in society.

Consider Adolf, he wanted to unite Germany under a common blood and Christian faith (if it could so be called; and it can't). Initially, all he wanted was a untainted genetic linage of Germans; a pure race of healthy individuals... But as the old saying goes, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." And the rest is years of darkness and death in our history.

All of this evil proceeded from the heart, that is to say from the mind and the emotions. Now im not saying that we are all as evil as we could be, but that is not the standard given to us by Jesus. If it were than we could all just find the most wicked man in all of History and have our guilt cleared because we could than say, "well im not as bad as that guy." But the standard is not "are you as bad as the worst?" it is "are you as perfect as Jesus?" The standard is not down, its up. And if we do not meet the criteria than we will all perish. Humanly speaking, this is impossible to meet.

People, if you have been getting one thing out of reading these blogs of mine, and i am redundant on purpose, get this; Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. We need Him alone. Muhammad is dead, Buddha is dead, Joseph Smith is dead; only one man has come back to life, He is the Christ the Son of God; Jesus Christ. There is no other way to salvation than by faith in Him alone for His grace poured out on us.

Christians, be diligent in your thinking, as i even speak to myself. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.(b) If you keep thinking in your ways that you can do it without Christ, and your first encounter with Jesus was all you ever needed than you will always be in your sin; never free from bondage. Deny yourself and follow Him, then, and only then, shall we be free from our sins.


(a) Psalm 51:5
(b) 1 Peter 5:8

82. Forgiveness,

Then I called on the name of the LORD :
"O LORD, save me!"

The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.

Psalm 116:4-5

How far it is beyond my understanding to think my sins are forgotten. To consider all that You have done for me, Your work on the cross; the free gift to many. But not a free gift by any means of being unpaid for, no, it was very costly indeed. For You were pierced for our transgressions, You were crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon You, and by Your wounds we are healed(a). And when the shame of my sin billows up inside me, reminding me of how I treated Your name, than I turn to Your word and am reminded that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus(b).

You love, O God, is more inconceivably beautiful than I will ever know. I am full of guilt, I am deserving of punishment for my sinfulness. But You God, so loved the world that You gave Your one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. You did not send Your Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him(c) Truly, You do not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities(d).

How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me?(e)
The glory is Yours, You have shown me undeserved acceptance and love again. It is Your nature, Your unchanging character, You are the God of love, forgiveness, and restoration. May you receive all praise and adoration both now and forever more, Amen.


(a) Isaiah 53:5 (revised past tense verbs)
(b) Romans 8:1
(c) John 3:16-17 (changed pronoun usage)
(d) Psalm 103:10 (pronoun change)
(e) Psalm 116:12

81. What Am I Doing?!

"I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing."
Romans 7:18-19

Jesus, I make such a fool of myself when I give into my desires and sin against Your righteous name. Could one moment of pleasure ever bear the expense of a life of honesty? Could there ever be such a thing worth ruining a good name for? Jesus, I did not count the cost, in my folly I did not consider the damage I would cause. I find in my soul a perfect sense of inadequacy and guilt, a downright inability to be the man i want to be. I only find myself doing the very things I hate - the things that have demolished parts of my life.

"Sin will always take you farther than you wanted to go; keep you longer than you wanted to stay; and cost you more than you were willing to give." ~Unknown

I must recognize something inside me that I have no desire to behold; that of pride. The sin that cursed man forever more; the sin that caused You to pay so costly a price on my behalf. It dwells within me. It tells me I will be okay when I won't; that I am fine when I'm not; that I can stop if ever I want when I can't; it tells me that I can do it without You when that is very much impossible. I cannot please You in my flesh, I am utterly incapable of doing the impossible. For I try to do the good which my heart so desperately yearns for, but I end up sinning against You still... This is my confession, against You alone have I sinned.

Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.(a)

This is the truth I see played out in my life, when doing things my way I come up brokenly short before your righteous requirements, and I am left more empty than before...

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live(b).

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.(c)" ~ Jesus

Here I sit, now desperate and in need of You Jesus. You alone died for me, You alone can save me from the man I am. I tried it on my own for one day, I exchanged the Truth for a lie and came up broke. Eradicate my pride, remove my heart of stone and give me one of flesh that I may be humbly dependant on You. For without You my God I am only able to do one thing; the very thing I hate -- to sin against You my Lord. Have mercy on me my Lord, and may tomorrow be a day led by Your Spirit in me.


(a)Romans 8:5-8
(b)Romans 8:12-13
(c)John 15:5

80. A Walk With Jesus (Pure Heart)

Who may ascend the hill of the LORD ?
Who may stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart...
Psalm 24:3-4a

Outward performances of pious religiosity are valued as worthless in the eyes of God. Yes, faith without works is dead(a) but works without love is meaningless at best, and stem out of the sin of pride at worst. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart(b); He seeks the inner most thoughts of man; the deepest consideration; and all the passions therein. What a thought to behold, realizing the heart is desperately wicked(c) and no man can know it, and yet the Lord God searches the hearts of man and His eyes penetrate deep within. Like a performer I can make a spectacle of myself before men, I can behave in all sophistication, I can hide my motives from men, but I cannot disguise my intentions when confronted by Jesus. Note, good works are the product of salvation, NEVER have nor ever will good works produce salvation; that comes from Jesus Christ alone. So who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?(d) Has any walked a blameless life? Can any say their righteousness exceeds that of God? It is not enough to be an excessively good person, it is not enough to be 99.99% pure and holy; you must be perfect and that you cannot achieve. Alone we are dead and without hope, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God(e)

BUT we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.(f) YES! God there is no better news than this! That I don't have to work to be right before You; that I am justified by faith in the atoning sacrifice of Your Son's work on the Cross; that I cannot lose my salvation because of the relentless love You have for me. You said to Your people, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.(g) This is what we want, this is what Your children seek. Jesus, inspect us and know us intimately! No longer let Your children sin against Your name in defiance to our Maker! You are not deceived by the weaknesses of our flesh, You know this frail body and it's short-comings well, Yet You were without sin. So we seek You, be kind and full of mercy towards us, and may we live life's of purity and authenticity.


(a)James 2:20 (b)I Samuel 16:7 (c)Jeremiah 17:9-10
(d)Proverbs 20:9 (e)Romans 3:23 (f)Romans 3:24

79. A Walk With Jesus (Clean Hands)

And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled (unwashed) hands?" Mark 7:5-6a

The Pharisees had a way of seeing all the short-comings in every person, especially those like Jesus. Pointing out all the small details of how a person is not living up to par; especially in the sense of traditions. A characteristic of all legalistic people is a judgemental attitude. Grace is not in their vocabulary, it simply cannot be grasped, understood, or appreciated by anyone who has not accepted and experienced it.

And He said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

"This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." 7:6b-7

It will be a tragedy for all religious phonies on the day they meet Christ, to hear these words that their good deeds were not enough. Faith alone... Grace alone... Christ alone, salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Let it be understood that the clean hands spoken of earlier were a far cry from the mouth of David spoken nearly a thousand years before saying, Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart...(Psalm 24) Clean hands are outward, practical holiness. Being set apart from the ways of our world system and submitting to God's ways of living: Holiness. Do not fulfill the desires of the flesh by living as an enemy of the Cross. Friends, we cannot be the light of this world if we are loving the darkness. Be careful to guard yourself against grace that promotes sinfulness and tests God's patients; grace that does not liberate us from Sin is by no means grace at all.

Father i pray that we would be a people who would live out the little faith we have, submitted to Your authority in love for the mercy You have shown Your people. Not hypocrisy but authenticity; not faith by works but faith that works; no longer slaves to sin but slaves to righteousness. Yes these are cliches i know, but we must not turn from the things You have already taught us. We rely on You and Your righteousness for clean hands, please reveal to us the practicality of Your truths through Your holy Scriptures and may Your people respond with obedience.

78. A Walk With Jesus (Wait!)

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.

For His anger lasts only a moment,
but His favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
Psalms 30:4-5

Loneliness! Loneliness Lord, a week of tears and loneliness. Who would call Depression a friend, but by what other name do you call someone you know so well; what a sickening twist of anxiety gnawing inside me. Those around me can not see, no they do not figure out the pain I am in. They cannot comprehend the force that trys to drag me down tempting me to medicate and satisfy the desires of my flesh, and for what? To cope with reality? To numb myself to the pains of this cruel planet that shows no mercy on the hearts of its inhabitants? Yet in my heartache You were with me, my hope for tomorrow. You told me to seek You, so I took You at Your word and You did not disappoint me. Rather You satisfied my heart with the riches of life and a breath of calmness. God I know this planet brings pain, and I know I must face it at all cost, Thank you for not leaving me alone in the thick of it all. In my darkest moments and toughest times I know I can trust You, I know I can call on Your name and You are quick to answer Your children. You are forever faithful to Your promises. May we sing Your praises with joy in our hearts for all the good things You have done for us. Thank you for coming down to earth as the Man of Sorrows and experiencing this pain, You know it well and for that i know no better Counselor, My Comforter and my dear Companion through the tears, Blessed be the name of the Lord.

For those who are also going through tough times, be patient and rely on Jesus to see things through. He understands rejection, He was acquainted with humility, He knows what it means to grieve, to lose a loved one and to bargain for release from the suffering. Jesus was not separated from the sorrows of life, I would argue that He experienced them more strongly than any other person on earth. If You are hurting, than you can rest assured knowing to the fullest that He is hurting with you and stands by your side every step of the way. Will you call on His name this evening, He is listening --trust me on this, He will see things through.

Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage
wait for the LORD!
Psalm 27:14

77. A Walk With Jesus pt 18

"Immediately (after feeding and teaching the 5 thousand) Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray." Mark 6:45-46

Our best example demonstrates once again the importance of personal time with the Father. Often we read that Jesus would rise early in the morning to be alone and pray. It should be noted that God does not look down from heaven seeking people who are having fun to stop them and ruin their good times. Sadly these are often our thoughts towards God concerning His law. God has His perfect law to protect us from harm, laws that show us the evil in life, that we may live more and more like our creator, not to harm us, but to save us from harm.

Contrary to what is popular, truth is not what is "right for you." It is not merely something that is subjective and differing from culture to culture. There are absolute objective truths in the universe wherever we look. The sun has always risen and will always continue to rise in the east; when we jump on earth gravity will always pull us back down; 1 + 3 will always equal 4. No one talks about relative truth in mathematics, this is not discussed in the oncology, No one debates about cancer or the death toll of AIDS in the world. Relativity is, as far as i have heard, only discussed in the realm of morality. I have heard evil lawyers debate for defence of a rapist on grounds of relativity. I have often heard people argue their own "righteousness" on these same grounds. But i have never heard anyone who was wronged, no matter how irrelevant it may seem, argue in defence of their assailant, all relativity goes out the window when we are the victims of a crime. Than i would also argue that there is moral absolutes; things that are wrong, all the time and in all places. If this is the case and it seems it is, i would venture to believe that there is always a God who is the giver of these absolute truths in our ordered and designed universe. I speak of course in defence of the Christian God.

With all of that said, this was not meant to speak anything on God our the truths in our universe. Only to say that there is truth out there, and you can either believe the lies that you are being told, believe the enemy and purchase his deception, or you can fill your mind with some truth. Jesus would say in John 14:6 "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

He is all that is true and will be true in Your life, do you want that or a lie?

Let us pray.

76. A Walk With Jesus pt 17

So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. Mark 6:32-34

Thank You Lord, for looking down upon us and having compassion on us. Seated in Heaven with Your Father You knew in Yourself that man was hopeless and dead in His trespasses, but You were filled with compassion. Not cheap compassion either in the sense of having pity on us, though you must have pitied us. No, your compassion was strong, it was love, powerful enough to overcome the grave and bring us life. You left perfection, Your dwelling place, to humble Yourself in the form of man and to die. And for what? an ungrateful people? a continual generation of people who hate You? a people who don't even care that You died for them? Even for a people that know You died but live like You Didn't... shame on us, who can understand Your love for humanity? and not only Humanity in the large scale, but for each individual, had only one person needed saving surely You still would have come and died for them. But there is no hope in Your death, forgiveness and pardon of sins, yes, but no hope. Rather the hope is in Your resurrection. At times that seems to be all there is, hope. But this hope is not like wanting to win the lottery, or for the girl to say yes... Your hope is a fact, Your return will come, teach me Lord, to live what i believe, to speak what i know conceptually, To conduct myself in a manner worthy of Your saving grace, Lord, make me Your own. My hope is in You, my only chance of true love, and life, You do not fail and hope cannot disappoint. So i wait on You--You have lifted me up and helped me before, I know You will help me again.

75. I must Trust You

What a mess, O Lord, What a wreck i am to be,
When I lean not on your mercy Lord, but place my trust in me.
Tears of pain, laughter and joy; emotionally unstable,
When I close me eyes and turn my gaze away from "Him who is able."

Fix my eyes on you Lord, i need a proper perspective. I need Your touch to be closer than a brother, I need the intimacy with You that i had once enjoyed. I lack consistency inside me and I'm being torn in all directions. Truly, it could be said that i feel stretched and thin, yes, thin; with no depth to my person. Obviously overworked, and exhausted from my day, but tired from the exercise i am not, neither could it be said that i am sleepy. No, this exhaustion is deeper than the skin, deeper than bone and marrow, my exhaustion is in the my soul. Have mercy on my Jesus, and fill me with your Spirit. Refresh the man inside me that longs for Your perfect peace and the joy of my salvation. Restore me to the man i have once known who loved to be dependent on You and sought after Your grace. I know why i am the way i am, its not mystery, i have taken my eyes off of you and have concerned myself with the things of this earth, the things that have no eternal value, and i have placed my affections on the concerns of these matters and it has left me empty. Are not all things frivolous and vanity when compared to You and Your love for me? So why do i bother? what makes me think this world has anything better to offer? You offer eternal life, You offer perfect harmony. All the promises of this world end up as empty lies, so why do i bother? what causes my eyes to drift form love so pure and seek that which is not of You? I have no answer, foolishness is my guess.

God Save Me! Or i will destroy myself. I am dehydrated apart from You, empty without You. I know you are there, and i know You are not far from me, for even now in my searching, You are with me, even now in my questioning, in my seeking for answers to my problems, You indeed are with me. What more could i want, what more could i ask for than the infinite love that You offer me, more than any other. So true are the lyrics to that Hymn "On Christ the Solid Rock i stand, all other ground is seeking sand." There is none other who can bring peace to the restlessness within my heart, this searching, this yearning within me, its for YOU. So find me Lord as i seek You, make haste to be with me, for my knees are week and i lack strength for the day. You are my Strength, my only hope in times of trouble. If not by You than i am lost and without You im a walking corpse. You are my life, my source of life and i am indeed breathless without You. I am waiting Lord, restore Your servant, I need You, Jesus i need You...

74. The Resurrection; A Hoax?

The Testimony of the Women:
“Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman” (Talmud, Rosh Hashannah 1.8).
In all four gospels, the recorded account mentions that the first to give testimony of the resurrection were the Women (Matt 28:8; Mark 16:8; Luke 24:10; John 20:18). Had this been some big hoax, choosing women in this culture was not the way to win converts. Even the disciples thought the women were nuts at first, But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Luke 24:11

The Guards and the Body:
Matt 27 tells us that Pilate placed a roman guard to watch over the tomb. This is not singular as some text describe, a Roman guard consisted of 4-16 trained and armed soldiers. Acting cowardly and failing to uphold ones post was punishable by death. The glory of the Roman soldier was to die honorably, not as a coward, so it is unlikely to say that a few scarred fishermen overpowered them. And can it even be conceivable that the apostles had enough money to bribe the guards to risk their lives?

Furthermore, the early testimonies and eye whiteness accounts were to the Jews. Had the Jews wanted to refute the apostle’s claims, all that was needs was a body, but a body could not be produced; it wasn’t there.

The Transformation:
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Matt 28:17

When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen Him, they did not believe it. Mark 16:11

But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:11-12

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it." John 20:24-25

Tell me, what causes men who were terrified of persecution; who ran away from their teacher when He was arrested; who denied even knowing Him when asked; who locked the doors and ate is secret fearing death by having associated with Jesus; who strongly doubted the resurrection; and even doubted that He was the alive thinking He was some sort of ghost (Lk 20:37); to completely change composure and direction of will and mind to announce Christ and His being risen to a hostile and unbelieving people facing certain persecution and rejection; suffering economic, familial, social, and religious difficulties and ultimately facing death for the sake of your story... your lie... your hoax?

The disciples had nothing to gain; we see that in there teachings throughout the early church. Giving up everything they had to serve the lord in obedience. They taught others to love and to be charitable, to care for the needy; they taught against hypocrisy (like Jesus had) and against the love of money, and fame, and power. They lived their lives in the service of others and most of all they lived and died for the sake of sharing Christ and Himself crucified and risen. Moreover Paul, the feared and zealous persecutor of the early Christian church was on his way, with orders, to arrest and drag these followers back to Jerusalem for punishment; claimed to had seen this resurrected Jesus. His life would never be the same! Paul hated Jesus, and all Christians for the “lies” he believed they proclaimed. So what changed him; A seizure? What could possibly turn such a man in an opposing direction if not the Lord Himself? Even Paul mentions what it would be like if it were not true,

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 1 Corinthians 15:14-17

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 15:19

This is not a mid eastern myth produced by fanatical followers who concocted the story to satisfy an agenda and overthrow their Jewish brothers. Neither can it be said that the apostles told a lie or mistakenly took an empty tomb for a resurrection and spent their lives deceiving others for selfish gain, money and popular acceptance. These men and the ones to follow their claims had their lives changes by a person, a person they witnessed come back from the dead, giving them hope in future glory to the level of producing willingness for self-sacrifice and death.

This person is Jesus, He is the Christ, and He is risen indeed.

Believe it.

73. A Walk With Jesus (Rest)

And He said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:31

How diligent are the hands of a friend. The disciples had a purpose and direction to their lives when the Lord had previously sent them out two by two on their missionary journey. Preaching repentance and proclaiming the kingdom the followers of Jesus neglected their bodily needs to serve the greater cause. I think it could be said that too often we grow weary when concerned with the bodily needs and therefore burn ourselves out when we forget that which is necessary; namely Jesus.

I had an emotional breakdown earlier today, i was simply put, a wreck. My weeks have been clouded with distractions and my mind has wandered to and fro, never abiding long in the presence of my God. Prayer has been difficult with the weighing down of my conscious preoccupation with matters concerning things i have no control over. My condition reached a climax when i broke down in tears while driving down the road, not once, but three times; a continuous moment of tearful irritation and honest communication.

"Come... and rest a while." The invitation of the Lord to take time out of our day and find rest in the comfort of His presence is refreshing. Burnout is a condition of the heart, more than a condition of the flesh. I can honestly say that Jesus is the source of all the is good in me, and my source of life. How can i say this? Because i am able to compare my life, when i abide in Him and when i don't.

I am Lonely, forgetting the relationship i have with God.
I am Sorrowful, forgetting the reason for my Joy.
I am Depressed, forgetting the hope i have in Him.
I am Angry, forgetting He has good plans for me.
I am Anxious, forgetting He is sovereign.

All these things and more i swiftly become when i shift my focus from Jesus to Jason. And i spiral out of control until His love draws me back in and begins to break this prideful man of His habits and restores me, why must i be so stubborn and foolish to worry about things that will not matter 10 weeks from now.

Father, Thank you, for always suffering long for us, and patiently calling out to us, wanting and waiting for us to answer. I am slow of hearing and my response is sluggish at best, but You have not given up, Your faithfulness towards me exceeds any expectation one could have of You and i am grateful. Please finish the work You have started and teach me Your ways, i desire to be a man after Your precious heart; guide my life in that direction i pray. Amen~

72. Not Doctrine But Christ

And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed... 2 Timothy 1:11-12

Jesus, i am silent, and not silent standing before your glory, neither am i silent knowing you are the God in heaven letting my words be few in reverence and adoration for your Kingship. No, for then had those been my reasons i would be happy to keep my mouth shut, to remain as i am. Rather the gates of my mouth have been closed and i know not how to open them. I talk all day, i think without end, but when i try to close my mind to the distractions around me i am unable to express a single word of my necessity for You. Jesus, what will i do? How do i commune so closely with the God who saved me if i am unable to speak. What has caused such a thing, is pride in my life keeping me from dependence on You? do i not spend enough time reflecting on You and Your mercy? surely had i spent more time i would not remain silent. Can word express, or any language contain the mysteries of Your love or the vastness of Your mercy towards us? But still... What is my focus Lord? To where do i plead, to what do i cling to... and there my problem arises, in so simple a word as 'what'. Do i believe You to be a set of doctrines and rules like some cosmic mathematical equation, or the benevolent God those letters describe, in other words, i ask my soul, are you personal? I do believe You are, but at times i question if i am really even that close to You; I want to be. I know i need to be. Yet there is a difference in knowing i need breath and breathing, for by which one leads to death and only the other brings life. Surely it could be said the same of my walk with You. Knowing i need You and living like i need You; these two are not the same. I am dry and spiritually i am empty, won't you fill me up? if you do not than my situation remains hopeless and silence will not be overcome. Restore to me the joy of my salvation, so sweet as when we first met. Remind me of the reality of Your divinity, You are not just pages in a book, You are not the creative figure of middle eastern philosophy, You are Jesus the Christ and You live, So please God, my God, restore life to my bones.