Do All You Can Do

"And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.  And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?  And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?  Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." (Mark 2:1-12).

     Jesus was at a house teaching and many people had gathered to listen. The house was full. The paralyzed man needed to get to Jesus in a desperate way, but he could not walk to get there. I'm sure he was sad thinking about how he was missing what Jesus was saying. I can only imagine how desperately he wanted to get to Jesus. 

     Then it says there were four men who carried his cot to the house where Jesus was. I'm sure the man was getting more and more excited the closer they got to the house where Jesus was teaching. As they approached, they realized they could not get inside because of all the people. Imagine this man's disappointment now as he realized he wouldn't be able to get inside to get to Jesus. The story could have ended there, but praise God, it didn't!  These four men were not about to give up. They had gotten this close, they were going to go all the way. Just imagine what this man must have thought as the four began to climb to the roof with him! What if they dropped him? What if they all fell off the roof? What if the person owning the house came out and made them stop? (I mean, who would want four strangers climbing up on top of the house tearing the roof off?) These thoughts may have come into their minds, but they didn't pay attention to those thoughts. They simply did what they had to do to get this man to Jesus. As they lowered him down in front of Jesus through the hole in the roof, I'm sure everyone in the house thought they were crazy. Jesus didn't think that. He saw the faith of the four men, and not only healed the man of his palsy, but saved him as well!  The man picked his bed up and walked away! Everyone was amazed!

      If those four men had not brought this man to Jesus, he could not have received his salvation and healing. He could not get there alone. He needed someone to help him. These four men had nothing to gain from this. We don't read in this passage of Scripture where Jesus did anything for them. However, they knew he needed Jesus, and did whatever was necessary to get him there!

     We all know people who need Jesus. Some need healing, some need peace, some need direction, some need salvation. Whatever the need, they need Jesus. For most of them, they cannot get to Him on their own. They need someone to carry them to Him. They need someone who will care enough to do whatever needs to be done; no matter how silly it looks, no matter how difficult it may seem. There are many hurting, lost people out there. They need someone to help them. Are you willing to lay aside your plans to help them? Are you willing to do whatever you need to do no matter how difficult it seems or how foolish it may look in order to get them to Jesus. Their soul depends on it. They are depending on you. Will you go the distance for them?

      How sad it will be to stand before God on Judgement Day and see all the people that could have come to Him but didn't, because we didn't want to go out of our way for them. We must do whatever we can to get them to Jesus. They deserve to know the love of God in the same way we do. They deserve eternal life in Heaven with Him just like we do. 

     Look for someone today to go out of your way for. It may make all the difference in the world to them, and may change where they spend eternity.

Are You a Grasshopper?

"And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight."  (Numbers 13:33).

     This is the story from the Bible where Moses sent the twelve spies into the promised land to see it. They saw much fruit, (verse 23),  milk and honey, (verse 27), walls around the city and the children of Anak, or giants. (verse 28). They were all excited about going in and possessing the land with the great fruit, milk, honey, strong walls and all that the city had; but they were afraid when the saw the giants. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb knew tha they could take the land because God was with them and had never failed them yet. He had delivered them from Pharaoh and made a dry path across the Red Sea for them. He had given them Manna and quail and water from a rock. They knew He could take care of this also. However, ten of the twelve came back and told Moses that they would not be able to go in and take the land because of the giants. They were afraid of these giants. It says in this verse that they viewed themselves as grasshoppers in their own sight. They were already admitting defeat before they even tried. 

      Have you ever been faced with a situation and you feel defeated before you even begin? You might even say, "There's no use to try, because I know I'll fail." This is how these ten men felt. They were looking at the carnal, fleshly side of things and looking at how big the giants were and how strong the people were and were just giving up without trying. They would rather starve to death than to go in and boldly do what God said could be done.

     They saw themselves as grasshoppers. They felt tiny, helpless, insignificant, powerless, and hopeless. They felt they would be crushed like a bug if they went in to face these strong people. This is what they were feeling and thinking.


"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:" (Proverbs 23:7). 

     If you think that you are defeated, you are already defeated. If you think that you have no hope, then you are ignoring your only hope. If you think in your heart that you will not overcome, then you will not overcome. Our battles are lost and won first in the mind.

     If you think you are victorious, then you are victorious; in spite of the circumstances. If you think you strong, then you are strong; no matter how weak the enemy  makes you feel. It isn't about feelings. It isn't about how you feel. It's what you know. It's what you believe. It's Who you trust!

     The enemy will cause all kinds of circumstances to come your way to try to get you to back down and walk away from your promised land. He will place giants in your path to scare you away. He will convince you that you are nothing but a lowly grasshopper in a land of giants. This fear will cause you to give up on your pursuit of God's promises for your life.

"Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.  And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came, and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.  Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled." (1 Samuel 17:45-51).

     The whole chapter 17 of 1 Samuel tells this story, but look here at David. He was faced with a giant that even the armies were afraid of. This man defied God and all His people. He came out every day mocking and daring someone to fight him. David was a shepherd boy. He was not a trained military man. He had no armor, he had no weapons. He had some stones and a slingshot that he used to protect his sheep with. He has something else; however, that made all the difference. He came in the name of the Lord. He went boldly toward Goliath. He didn't cower down. He didn't run away. He didn't try to negotiate and make a deal with Goliath. He just put him in his place and with the strength and power of the Lord, this unarmed, non military shepherd boy, defeated this giant!  

     How could he have the courage to do that? He simply went in the name of the Lord in the boldness of the Lord and knew that he was not a grasshopper. He knew with God's power, he was a mighty warrior. He knew that apart from God he could do nothing, but with God, he could take care of business and bring this giant down.

      We are all faced with giants in our lives. Whether it be health problems, job situations, finances, family relationships, or whatever it may be, giants will come into our lives. The question is:  Will you see yourself as a grasshopper and hide in the corner until the situation is over (because until you defeat it, it will never be over), or will you be a mighty warrior and trust God to bring this giant down once and for all?  

     What is in your heart? Remember the verse above? Whatever you think in your heart, that's the way it will be. It's time to change our thinking. It's time to change our mind.  

"...but we have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16). 

      Christ never thought about or accepted defeat. He never thought about giving up. So, if we are to have the mind of Christ, shouldn't we think on victory and overcoming the giants of our lives. As you think in you heart, that's the way it will be. Are you a grasshopper or a warrior?

     

Accept or Delete?

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:" (2 Timothy 3:16).

     Are you someone who sees a letter in the mailbox and it seems you can't open it fast enough?  You are so excited to see what this person wrote to you in this letter. Perhaps they are just telling you about what is going on in their lives, maybe there are photos of their children tucked inside the letter. The letter probably lets you know you are missed and loved and this person wants to see you soon. Maybe this letter has a check or money inside. You read this letter with excitement, and then read it again. You even read it to others or tell them what it said. You are happy to have received this letter.

      In today's society, letters are almost obsolete. We use electronics now to communicate. We send emails, text messages and other forms of social media to say hello to someone now. Are you a person who checks your phone the first thing each morning as soon as you wake up to see if you have any missed calls or texts? Do you carry your phone with you all day and check it often to see if anyone has contacted you? When you get a notification that you have received a text message, email or phone call, do you get so excited that nothing else matters at that time? Do you ignore people around you to communicate with this one person on your phone?

      Communication is a part of life that we don't give much thought to. Deaf people learn sign language, blind people learn Braille. We communicate our feelings, opinions and thoughts all throughout the day and night. Some people even talk in their sleep. (Yes, I do). 

       God is constantly communicating with us through His Holy Word:  The Bible. He speaks to us through His Word. He corrects us, instructs us, guides us, encourages us, disciplines us, loves us and teaches us through His Word. His Word is precious and live-giving. We learn from His Word when we open our hearts and minds to understand it. In order to understand it, we must read it. 

"It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63). 

      Are you as excited to open the Word of God as you are to check your phone for a new message? Does knowing that God has a message for you today make you as happy as seeing that you have a new email from a friend? God's Word is precious and should be read, studied and lived.  Take time today to read and study God's Word.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15).

God is telling you today that you have a message from Him. Will you take time to read it, or will you hit the delete button and ignore it?  His message is, no doubt, far more important than any email or text or phone call you will get from anyone else. He loves you. He wants you to read His message. Will you?

Don't Take the Bait!

"Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" (Matthew 18:7).

     Some people seem to be offended by almost everything. If the preacher doesn't shake their hand, they get offended. Their feelings get hurt if someone they know doesn't speak to them from across the room. Offence comes to them when they don't get the attention they desired. If they don't get bragged on for something they did, they get offended and pout. They get offended if someone gets in front of them in a line or pulls out in front of them in traffic. Fights happen because of offence. People are killed because of offence. Lives are destroyed because of offence. 

      "Offence", according to the Hebrew meaning in the Strongs' Concordance, means a trap stick or bait that causes a stumbling block. Think of it like this:  If you want to catch a fish, you put a worm on a hook and put the hook in the water and wait for the fish to bite. If you want to catch a rabbit, you put a carrot on the end of a stick and wait for the rabbit to bite. If you want to catch a mouse, you put cheese on a trap and wait. These are simple analogies that we can understand. So, when someone does something that could potentially offend you, picture in your mind a trap with bait in it, just waiting for you to bite. Once you bite, you fall into bitterness, unforgiveness, anger, spite, revenge, or any other work of the flesh. This causes sin. This is what the enemy wants. He wants you to take the bait and fall. 

      God, on the other hand, wants you to avoid the trap and not be offended. The offences will come, we know this; but it's up to us whether we take the bait or not. God wants us to cast down those imaginations and avoid the temptation to be offended. 

"And he said, A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing.  And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant. And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound. And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore came his father out, and intreated him. And he answering said to his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends:  But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found." (Luke 15:11-32).

     This is the story most people refer to as the prodigal son. One son wanted his inheritance now instead of waiting for his father's death. Once he got his money, he left home to live life his way. He soon found himself with no money, no friends, no food, no home and no hope. He decided to go back home and repent to his father. When he got home, everyone was thrilled to see him except his brother. His brother became offended because the father was celebrating the return of this son. They had a feast and the father gave the son a ring, a robe and new shoes. The other brother thought that was not right. Why should he be given a party? He had left home, squandered his father's money, no-doubt made his parents sad, and now returns when his money is gone and gets all this attention. So he became offended. He took the bait. He fell into the snare and became trapped in selfishness, bitterness, anger, jealousy and strife. 

      How many times do we fall into snares just like this brother? How often do we take the bait and find ourselves trapped? What does it take to trap you? Are you an easy catch? Are you easily offended?  The next time the opportunity presents itself for you to become offended (and it will), picture that worm on the hook, or that carrot on a stick, and remind yourself to not take the bait. Show love, kindness, forgiveness, generosity, understanding, patience, and all the fruits of the Spirit. Don't take the bait. Don't be offended!

He Keeps His Promises

"Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.  And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:  And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?  He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.  Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass. " (Luke 24:1-12).

     Have you ever had someone tell you something they were going to do, and you thought, "I have to see it to believe it"? It isn't so much that you think they are lying, but what they are telling you just seems unbelievable. 

    This is what was going on in this story from the Bible. These disciples could not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. It just seemed impossible to them, even though He had told them days before that He would be rising from the dead.

"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: And they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry." (Matthew 17:22-23).

     Jesus had already told them that he would be killed by evil men and that on the third day He would rise again from the dead. They had spent much time with Jesus, and had seen Him do everything He had said He would do. They knew He always kept His word and that He could not lie. They had seen Him heal the sick, raise the dead, and do all kinds of miracles. For some reason; however, they could did not believe that He would rise from the dead. Think about this:  If they really believed that He would rise again on the third day, they would have been there waiting for Him to rise. They would have wanted to witness such an awesome miracle. They would have wanted to be the first ones to see Him after His resurrection. When they were told that He had actually risen like He said He would, they did not believe.

      Do you believe the words of Jesus? Do you take Him at His word? Do you expect Him to do what He says He will do? Are His words life to you? Do you get excited when you read His Word? When you read His promises, do you anticipate the fulfillment of those promises? 

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us."  (2 Corinthians 1:20).

     You can trust Him to keep His promises. You can depend on Him. He is faithful to uphold His word to us. Do not doubt Him. Trust Him, believe Him, anticipate His promises, rely on Him and wait for Him. Don't allow the enemy to cause you to waver in your faith. The Lord will keep His word. He is faithful.

 "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)"  (Hebrews 10:23).

Which Do You Choose?

"See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil;" (Deuteronomy 30:15). 

"that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:" (Deuteronomy 30:19).

     There was a game that came on television many years ago called, "Let's Make a Deal". The object of this game was simple. The person won a gift that was theirs to keep if they wanted it. As the game went on, the person was given more choices. They could still keep the gift they won, or they could exchange it for something they could not see. It was often something behind a curtain, behind a door or in a box. They had to decide if they wanted to exchange their gift before they could see what was hidden. If they chose to exchange their gift, they had to give it back, then wait and see what was behind the curtain, the door or in the box. Sometimes, the hidden gift was a wonderful gift. It could be a car, a vacation trip, a boat, an expensive piece of jewelry, furniture or money. However, it could also be a bag or garbage, pretend money, pictures of prizes, or sometimes nothing at all. They never knew what was at stake until they gave up their prize.  It was a chance they were taking every time, and regretted that decision greatly.

      God has given us the best gift there could ever be. He gave us His love and sent His only Son, Jesus to die for our sins. There is nothing better to receive than His forgiveness for our sins and eternal life through His blood. Yet, how many people every day want to trade in this gift for something else, even though they do not know what they are getting. They walk away from Him and pursue a life of sin thinking they have made the best decision. Finally, when they face reality, they find out, they let go of the best gift ever! 

       Praise God it doesn't have to end there! At the end of the show, the person could take one last chance to trade their gift in for another hidden gift behind the door. They had to make another choice to either keep what they had won, take another chance and trade.  God gives us chances to trade our sorrows for joy, trade or worry for peace, trade our sins for salvation and to trade our sickness for healing. Why carry these around when you don't have to? 

"To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:3) 

      Make the choice today to hold on to God and let go of all the things the world has to offer. Choose life. Choose the Lord. It's the best decision you will ever make.

Hidden Costs

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23).

     Have you ever shopped for an item you wanted to buy, and finally found exactly what you wanted or needed, and the price was affordable?  Then when it comes time to pay, it costs much more than the advertised price.  You look at all the fine print associated with this purchase and see all the hidden costs. You are being charged taxes, fees, interest, and other added costs. By the time the item is actually paid for, it costs a lot more than you wanted to pay for it.

      Sin is like that. Sin looks fun at the time. It seems enjoyable and seems to not have any negative affects on your life. Finally, sin costs begin to add up. There are the costs of added turmoil, added heartache, added fear and worry, added stress, added fatigue from sleepless nights, added loneliness, added hopelessness,  added guilt, added shame, added apprehension, loss of family, loss of money, loss of peace and joy, and so many other hidden costs. By the time it's over, this sin has costs so much more than you ever wanted to pay. These costs keep mounting up until you feel there is no escape. You feel hopeless with no way out.

       Jesus paid the price for our sins when He died on the cross. He made a way out of our sins if we will just accept Him as our Savior and confess our sins. If we will just turn our lives over to Him, we will have a life free from hidden costs. We will, at that time, have blessings from Him every day. Blessings like:  peace, joy, fulfillment, hope, love, guidance, eternal life with Him, His presence, and so many other blessings that we need each day. 


"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10).


       Today should be the day you choose to stop paying these hidden costs associated with sin. Jesus made the way out of it all. Exchange the hidden costs today for the wonderful blessings and gifts that God has waiting for you. You will not regret that decision! God loves you. Will you accept Him?