John the Baptist Begins His Ministry; The Holy Spirit Inside Us

Today's Reading:

• Luke 3:1 - 22
• Psalm 61:1 - 8

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Luke 3:1 - 22
These few verses in Luke tells us the story of John the Baptist, starting with when he was called by God to begin his ministry and mission to baptize the people.  The baptism is to signify one's new life as they turn away from sin and towards the salvation of God. 

Verses 7 - 9 were very interesting to me.  John called some of descendants of Abraham a "brood of snakes" (3:7).  He warns them not to just say to each other that they are safe because they are descendants of Abraham.  Instead, John says one must "prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God" (3:8).  He finishes by saying: "Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire" (3:9).

I am 100% aware that without Jesus Christ, not a single person, no matter how righteous, can gain salvation.  But I also feel that more is expected of us than just believing in Jesus Christ.  We need to produce good fruit and good works for the Lord, and live as though we have turned towards God, instead of continuing to live in sin. 

On the other hand, I think that the person who has accepted Jesus Christ as their savior goes through a transformation, and in that transformation our lives naturally evolve to be more righteous, to produce good works, to walk in love, and to turn from sin.  When Jesus Christ enters our heart, it changes us from the inside out. 

If you know Jesus is in your heart, yet you keep Him locked away into a small space inside of you, let Him out!  Allow Him to take over ALL of you.  Allow Him to shine through you.  Show your love for Lord both by your faith and by your actions.  If you allow Jesus to shine through you, the good fruit is produced effortlessly. 

Psalm 61:1 - 8

4  Let me live forever in your sanctuary, safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

 This is another psalm of David.  Verse four sticks out to me because of the stark differences between our lives now, and the lives of those in the Old Testament.  David had to flee his home and no longer had access to the Tabernacle.  Without the Tabernacle, David was unable to have to close relationship with God that he once had.  These psalms are filled with the longing of David to be near the Lord again.

Today we take for granted the close relationship we have with the Lord because the Holy Spirit is within us whenever we decide first let it in.  But that was not the case then -- then you had to go inside the Tabernacle to converse with the Lord, but only a choice few were allowed. 

All of that changed with the death of Jesus Christ.  That closeness with the Lord is attainable to all of us.  And if you've lost it, if you can't seem to figure out where it's gone or why you don't feel close to the Lord anymore, then just sit down and start studying your bible again.  Then you will feel the Holy Spirit rise up inside you again. 

Jesus Christ was an incredible gift to the world.  Not only do we have this amazing thing called salvation, we also have the ability to feel the Holy Spirit living within us.  To study the bible and to feel it stir within us.  To transform us, to make us into new people with more fulfilling lives.  To rule us and to shine through us.  Thank you, Lord for the allowing us this awesome gift so that we can forever be near you.

Come be a Fisher of Men

Today’s Reading:
• Mark 1:1 - 28
• Psalm 35:1 - 16

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Mark 1:1 - 28
The opening of Mark jumps right into the life of Jesus.  It begins with the brief introduction of John the Baptist, followed by the baptism of Jesus Christ and gives a brief mention to the temptation of Christ in the wilderness for 40 days.

We then meet Simon, Andrew, James and John as they drop all to become fisher of men, instead of fishermen.  Immediately after that we jump into a story where Jesus was teaching at a synagogue in Capernaum.  There we are told he was confronted by an evil spirit inside a man.  Jesus drew the evil spirit and everyone was amazed by this man called Jesus, who taught with authority.  This apparently was something new for the people, they weren't used to teachers who could speak out evil spirits and taught the word of God with such authority.

I immediately like how Mark is setup.  In Matthew, we are given the very important details -- the holy conception of Jesus and his early teachings and life.  We are then introduced to the idea that he is actually the son of God.  But in Mark, I immediately see the hints that this man, Jesus of Nazareth, is indeed the Messiah.  I can't wait to keep studying this book!

Psalm 35:1 - 16
Here David tells of how people he has grieved and prayed for -- his family, his friends, as well as everyone else -- have viciously turned against him.  He talks of how people are testifying falsely against him, spreading lies and deceit.  He is at the end of his rope, and is calling to the Lord to vindicate him.

 It's so depressing to think that people can be so malicious as to spread lies against people.  I know there are people who love to gossip.  And of course it's hard not to want to hear (and spread) the latest news against people.  That is bad enough and truly hurts people.  But who are these people who make up these lies, who agree to testify against someone out of spite?  It's a sad state that some people live in. 

It's discouraging knowing that the world has more than its fair share of these types of people.  But at least the Lord has our backs.  As long as we are righteous and not the ones doing the evil, the Lord is there for us.  We are told time and time again how the Lord is there for us.  So thank you Lord for being there for me!

The Temptation of Christ

Today’s Reading:

• Matthew 3:7-4:11
• Psalm 3:1-8

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Matthew 3:7-4:11

This reading covered the baptism and temptation of Jesus Christ. I have heard the baptism story in its entirety, and therefore didn’t learn much new from it, but I didn't really know what the temptation of Christ actually involved.

Fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus passed a series of tests brought on by the devil. In each test, he held strongly onto his beliefs. Now that’s some strong faith! I think I would be about delirious after a week. I don’t know how I could hold on so strongly for 10 weeks. But he, of course, did.

My favorite part was contained in versus 7:5 – 7, where the devil told Jesus to jump off the highest point, and let God save him, to which Jesus replied that you “must not test the Lord your God” (7:7). I am appalled by the thought of those who dare test the Lord. These are the type of people who say “do this for me and I’ll believe,” or, “show me that, and I’ll believe” and so forth and so forth, yet it is never enough for them, because in the end they plain don’t believe. Now, of course there are exceptions, but I just can’t imagine someone taking it upon themselves to call out the Lord like that.

Psalms 3:1-8

Even though I don’t see it in the scripture, my bible credits this Psalm to David. I think it’s wonderful. I love the complete and absolute praise of the Lord, David’s faith that he will prevail through the Lord. It’s no wonder David so completely had the Lord on his side and was such an astounding, prosperous leader.