Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right handand coming on the clouds of heaven.” v 64 (NLT)
When asked by the High Priest of the Council if He was the Messiah, Jesus remained silent. He wasn’t silent because He didn’t have anything to say, He was silent because He didn’t have anything to prove! This question still causes people to stumble today. How we answer it affects who we become, how we live, and where we spend eternity. Have you taken the time to ask yourself, “Who is Jesus?”
Today, Your Beliefs, Your Words, Your Attitude, and Your Actions, reveal who you really think Jesus is! Think about it, pray through it, and live it!
“But when the Son of Mancomes in his glory, & all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32All the nationswill be gathered in his presence, & he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.” v. 31-33 (NLT)
Jesus is coming! His return will be a triumphant! The Bible says upon His return all the nations will be gathered and separated by sheep and goats. Jesus used sheep and goats to picture the division between believers and unbelievers. Sheep and Goats often grazed together but were separated when it came to shear the sheep. Jesus references the separation of his obedient followers from pretenders and unbelievers. The real evidence of our belief is the way we act. Let’s be honest, to treat all people as if they were Jesus is no easy task. However, what we do for others demonstrates what we really think about Jesus’ words to us here: Feed the hungry, give to the homeless a place to stay, look after the sick. So the question we must ask ourselves is this: How well do our actions reveal that we are Christ Followers?
“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” v.44 (NLT)
To some, these words are very scary, and to others, these words are very promising. Some will realize their time has run out, while others will rejoice that their time is done. Some will be caught red-handed, while others will be caught open-handed. Some will look at all they have lost, while others will look at all they have gained. Some will say, “Oh Crap”, while others will say, “Oh Lord!” So the question remains, are you ready?
Today, are you ready for Jesus return, even if it was today? Jesus could come back today, so lets live today like there was no tomorrow!
“The greatest among you must be a servant. 12 But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” v.11-12 (NLT)
Humility! One of the most powerful displays of Christlikeness that can be seen in you by others. However, many times we confuse humility with ho hum living. Humility is not the absence of confidence, it’s the absence of arrogance.
With the attitude of Humility, Jesus challenged society’s norms. To Him, greatness comes from serving, which He defines as giving of yourself to God and to others. Serving keeps us aware of others’ needs, and it stops us from focussing only on ourselves. Remember, Jesus came as a servant and calls us to serve by following His example!
Today, when it comes to applause, who do you seek to please, who do you seek to serve?
“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” v.37-40 (NLT)
Sounds pretty simple, right? But denying ourselves is one of the most challenging thing a Christ Follower does. Some times we read these words and say, “I love God, and I try to love others, so I’m doing pretty good!” However, to truly love God means that we adjust our lives to His way of life. This takes commitment, dedication, prayer, faith, and a some real hard work. When we truly love someone, we will do whatever it takes to show our love to them, but sadly, when it comes to our love for God, we think showing up to church on Sunday is good enough!
Here’s the honest truth, we will never fully love others, until we know Gods Love for us, and express our love for Him. We have the privilege and invitation to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe. How cool is that?
Today, hows your love gage? Is it full or sitting on empty?
“You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” v.22 (NLT)
Really? Will God answer any prayer I pray? The fact is, this verse is not a guarantee that we can get anything we want simply asking Jesus for it believing He will do it, and closing our prayer in His Name. God does not grant requests that would hurt us or others or that would violate his own nature or will. Jesus’ statement is not a blank check. To be fulfilled, our requests must be in harmony with the principles of God’s Kingdom. The stronger our belief, the more likely our prayers will be in line with God’s will, and then God will be happy to grant them.
Today, do your prayers align with the heart of God and His Character? If so, a prayer offered in faith is very powerful! Spend sometime today praying and seeking the Lord.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” v.28 (NLT)
I’ll be honest, this is challenging! Jesus came to serve and He molded that for His followers and told them to serve others. But, in the church today, we have 20% of the people doing 100% of the work. This seems backwards to me. . . . and honestly, it’s convicting me at the same time. It’s causing me to wrestle with these questions, “What does it truly look like to serve?”, “Why is it so difficult to find servants?”, “Where can I serve more … am I serving in the way that pleases God?” These are questions that I am thinking through today and Hope you will also as we head into the weekend. God has gifted and called you and I to be servants, lets serve faithfully!
Today, will you think and pray through these questions with me?
1. What does it truly look like to serve?
2. Why is it so difficult to find servants?
3. Where can I serve more … am I serving in the way that pleases God?
“Jesus told him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”” v.21 (NLT)
What must I do to have eternal life? This is one of the greatest questions in all of Scripture. Jesus gave this answer because there is nothing that we can humanly do to earn or achieve eternal life. In His response Jesus tells this man to give up everything he owned, then told him to come follow Him.
Our stuff, position, and pride, many times keeps us from following Jesus. The call to eternal life is simple, Follow Me! But the expectation and commitment meant that I have to give ALL of me, so I can experience ALL of Him!
Today, what are you hanging on to? What are you trying to do to gain God’s Approval? Jesus simply asks us to follow! Will you follow Him today, or will stuff get in the way?
“I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.” v.3-4 (NLT)
We all want to be great! This is why little boys where will tie a blanket around their neck so they can morph into a great super hero. This is why adults do a lot of good works so they can feel good about themselves and others can be inspired by them. While these things are fun and good things to do, they in return, do not make us great! Jesus says the key to greatness is found in the innocence of a child.
As we go through life we collect baggage from words said, actions done, places visited, and people lost. This baggage shapes who we are and forms our beliefs. This baggage can push away from God, our cause us to see our great need for God. To become like a child means to drop all those things and learn how to live again. It means to look at life in a new perspective. A child sees the good, trust much, and are moldable. Do these three words describe you?
Sin will keep us from being great, and it will keep us from Christ. It’s part of our human nature! Until we deal with our own sin, by confessing it to God and asking for forgiveness through Christ, we will continue in the pursuit of greatness never to achieve what we were looking for!
Today, How will Jesus word impact you? Do you have the humble, innocent heart of a child, or has the baggage you’ve collected through the years kept you from the freedom found in Child like Faith?
“I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” v.20-21 (NLT)
How strong is your faith? When troubles come to you tend to blame God, try to fix things on your own, or do you turn to God asking Him for the strength to move through the trouble. Mountain moving Faith requires singular Focus. It means that when troubles comes they stand in the shadows of the background as we keep our focus on Christ Jesus. Yes, that sounds pretty to say, but often times this is difficult to do. Jesus never said it would be easy, He said that he simply said He would never leave us or forsake us.
Today, who or what will you put your faith in? Only Christ has the power to move that mountain in front of you and by faith you have that same kind of power!
Dan Gould 