In Matthew 10:24-25, Jesus said, “A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough that the student be like his teacher, and a servant be like his master.” Like it says in Philippians 2:5, “Let this mind (this attitude) be in you that was also in Christ Jesus.” (That’s humble and willing to serve) I pray these verses for you and me. I pray we can BE LIKE JESUS. That will definitely change our lives.
In Matthew 8:5-13, is the story of the Roman centurion who asked Jesus to heal his servant, and Jesus said, “I’ll come.” The centurion responded, “You don’t need to come; just give the order, and he’ll be healed. I know this because I am a man under authority (I understand authority). When I tell one of my men to do something, he does it, no questions asked.”
Jesus was totally impressed. He said, “I tell you the truth, this man has more faith than anyone I’ve seen, even in Israel.” Continue reading
1 Samuel 15:22-23: Samuel said, “Does the Lord delight as much in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the Lord? Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. Indeed, rebellion is like witchcraft, and stubborn arrogance is idolatry. Because you have rejected this message from the Lord, he has rejected you from being king.”
This passage comes from the story of King Saul and the prophet Samuel, when God told Saul to take his army and kill all the Amalekites; man, woman and child; and destroy all the plunder, all the stuff they captured in the battle. Turns out, Saul did not obey. He brought back the best of the sheep and cattle supposedly to sacrifice to the Lord; and he even failed to execute Agag, the king of the Amalekites. God was very angry, so He sent Samuel to tell Saul what was going to happen. Continue reading
Matthew 6:24 “Jesus: No one can serve two masters. If you try, you will wind up loving the first master and hating the second, or vice versa. People try to serve both God and money—but you can’t. You must choose one or the other.” (VOICE) The old versions, like KJV, say “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mammon = riches)
If you can’t serve both, then you must choose. Or as I often say, “You get to choose.” Do you want to serve money and stuff, or do you want to serve the Creator and Ruler of the Universe? Continue reading
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there your heart will be too.” Matt 6:19-21
So I’ve got a few questions for you: 1] Where is your heart? 2] What do you treasure? I mean, what do you really care about? What do you focus your attention on? When you’re not really thinking about anything in particular, what does your mind keep coming back to? If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? Here’s another way to say it: What do you really love, with all your heart?
In Joshua 1:8, The LORD says to Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ”
It’s a lot like Psalm 1:1-3, where David says, ” Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the river, his leaf will not wither, and whatever he does will prosper.” Continue reading
Matthew 5:38 [Jesus said] “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist an evil person.”
Jesus says we’re not supposed to resist the evil person. We’re supposed to give up, give in, let them have their way. How can we possibly do that? The only way we can even consider doing it is if we have truly surrendered to God and we have His Spirit in our hearts. Then we can say, “Lord, I don’t like this, but I’m going to do what You say. I’m going to be obedient.” Why? Because God really CAN do something about it. He turns the world upside down every day, just to bring honor and glory to Him. He can supernaturally intervene and change peoples’ lives, just because we surrender and obey.
It reminds me of Bobby Ray, a friend of mine in prison. Bobby Ray leads a little Bible study out in the Rec Yard. One day, he’s getting ready to have the Bible study, and this guy walks up to him and says, “You make me mad. I’m going to whip your ‘rear’.” Now Bobby Ray is a big guy, about 50 years old, maybe 6’2”, weigh about 250, not an ounce of fat on him. He says to himself, “I don’t have to take this kinda stuff off this guy.” Continue reading
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: “ . . . I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days.” This passage is part of the renewal of the covenant that the Lord made with the people of Israel at Mount Horeb. This comes at the end of Moses life, part of his Departing Address to the people, just before the Song of Moses that is recorded in Deut. 32. Continue reading
Deuteronomy 4:29-31: If [even after worshipping idols] you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and soul. When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you . . . when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your fathers which He swore to them.
What does it mean, ‘With All Your Heart”? Yes, I know, it means that you’re really serious; that you really want to have a relationship with God; that you want the benefits of having a close relationship with Him, because what you’ve been doing definitely isn’t working.
Sounds like, from the next sentence, that if you’re tired of going on without God, and you’ve done a whole lot of really stupid stuff, (like worshipping something besides God), and all these [bad] things come upon you . . . when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice. . . God won’t forsake you or destroy you or forget the covenant He made with your fathers, because He is a merciful God. Continue reading
Matthew 5:13-16 [Jesus says], “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage. Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” The Message
What does salt do in the natural world? Continue reading
lifevolumeone 