Mark 1:14-15

Mark1:14-15 says,”After John was put in prison,Jesus went n2 Galilee,proclaiming the good news of God.’The time has come’,he said.’The Kingdom of God is near.Repent & believe the good news!’”Jesus is placing a stake in the ground with a strong & concise statement that gives us God’s Way 2 save us from sin & give us Eternity w Him in Heaven!THE Way to Heaven!The Kingdom of God is synonymous w the Kingdom of Heaven!Jesus is telling us that God’s Mercy&Grace has offered Heaven to us!In his next sentence Jesus tells us how we make God’s GIFT ours-how we become citizens of Heaven,AND how we can know if we have truly received this GIFT!Jesus tells us to “repent&believe”!The Greek word Jesus uses for repent is “Metanoia”,which means a transformative renewing of heart;renewing of mind;a metamorphosis of heart/mind/life!Jesus is telling us that a change of heart/mind/life will be what happens in our lives if we truly believe/turn to accept God’s Gift made possible by what he says next.Jesus asks us to believe that he is THE Good News-THE fulfillment of God’s Good News for us!THE Way of God’s offering Salvation through the life;suffering;death;resurrection;&ascension of Christ!Jesus is the ONLY Way!And if we sincerely believe this & the SIGNIFICANCE of this,then our lives will be “metamorphosised” by our turning away from our old ways and to the new ways of the life more abundant that Christ came to give us(John10:10)N Acts20:21 Paul says it this way,”I have declared to both Jews & the Greeks that they must turn to God n repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”This is the PARAMOUNT decision of our lives!Will we believe The Gospel of Christ,or not!?Once the “decision” is made it cannot be like a New Years resolution that fades from our lives!This decision “must”(as Paul says)be followed up with the “metamorphosising” of our hearts/minds/lives in ways that honor The Gift of being made righteous&holy through Christ.If I am not seeing this change in my life,& if those around me r not seeing this change toward honoring Christ...then I must ask myself questions about the true state of my life & seek The Lord’s help n making “course corrections” n my life.I praise You,Lord Jesus for what You have enabled me to have through Your Birth/Life/Sufferings/Death/Resurrection&Ascension,& the plain/concise instructions You give me! May Your Word&Your Spirit always be working Your processes in my life...ever keeping me in line with honoring Your Gift to me!

Matthew 27&28

N Matthew27:51-53,when Jesus died,”...the curtain of the temple was torn n 2 from top to bottom.& the earth shook,& rocks were split.The tombs were opened.&many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,& coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went n2 the holy city & appeared 2 many.”These EVENTS were so shockingly revealing of WHO was just crucified that “When the Centurion & those who were w him,keeping watch over Jesus,saw...what took place,they were filled w AWE & said,”This was the Son of God.”(Matt27:54).What these men saw was so monumentally compelling that they believed what was previously ridiculously unbelievable.What they were 1st hand witnesses to was so AWESOME,that they were now CONVINCED that Jesus “was the Son of God”.These men allowed TRUTH to impact&change them.These men had their perspective for life changed!They surely knew the consequences of their BELIEF(at the very least the future of their careers would b negatively impacted),but the ETERNAL significance of what they witnessed...it soaked into their lives & changed them!Matt28:2-4 THE MOST AWESOMELY SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF ALL TIMES occurs!The power of sin&death is demolished when Jesus raises up from the dead!There were guards around the tomb of Jesus that witnessed this 1st hand-“& behold,there was a great earthquake,for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven & came & rolled back the stone & sat on it.His appearance was like lightening...& for fear of him the guards trembled & became like dead men.But the angel said to the women,”Do not b afraid,for I know you seek Jesus who was crucified.He is not here,for he has risen”...”ALL of the guards saw and heard this!Even though they ALL saw the same thing,some of them refused to allow the significance of what they witnessed change their minds&hearts about Jesus(Who he is,&His message)!N Matt28:11-15 we learn more about these men,”...some of the guards went n2 the city & told the chief priests ALL that had taken place.& when they had assembled w the elders &taken counsel,they gave a sufficient sum of money 2 the soldiers & said,”Tell people,’His disciples came by night & stole him away while we were asleep’.& if this comes to the governor’s ears,we will satisfy him & keep u out of trouble.”These guards took the money & did as they were directed!These men let their greed overwhelm the significance of what they just witnessed!Additionally,their perspective for life remained temporal!The Awesome things they just saw&heard were quickly overshadowed by money!They turned away ETERNAL TRUTHS because they more concerned about getting a bunch of money.The result is that their story(LIE)has spread to this day.”These men DID NOT let TRUTH impact/change them!& they not only succumbed to lies,but they spread lies/they lived a lie(a bunch of lies)!When we do not allow TRUTH to marinate n our lives,& change us,we will end up succumbing to lies just as this 2nd group of men did.& just as these men end up “living a bunch of lies”,so our lives will become the same...,& potentially lost for Eternity!Satan knows this,& this is why DECEPTION is one of the most effective weapons n Satan’s arsenal.Every lie begins w a deceptive thought of some kind.We must not just b aware of this,but we must take to heart 2Corinthians10:3-5,”For though we live n the world,we do not wage war as the world does.The weapons we fight w r not the weapons of the world.On the contrary,they have divine power to demolish strongholds.We demolish arguments & every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,& we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”If we are to defend our lives&who we are from deception,then we must seek to have “knowledge of God”,& then we must “take captive every thought” that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.If not,we will fall prey to the most effective weapon of the enemy of God-deception of all kinds!Anytime that any TRUTH comes under attack,it is Satan’s most effective weapon taking aim & plotting a strategy to ultimately bombard The TRUTH of WHO Jesus is,&His Gospel.Dear Lord,I know there are lies&deception in my life.Some more noticeable than others.Please root these out of my mind&heart,and replace them w Your Truths....may these change me  forever to b faithful to You.

Matthew 26:46

There r times n our lives that we feel far from all that is good,& that our lives are “helplessly lost” to whatever plaques our bodies/hearts/minds/souls.We feel that we are in such a “fading away from hope” that there is no way we can b saved from the impending darkness.We feel that no one has ever felt what we feel,& this fans the flame of despair&hopelessness n our lives...drawing us ever closer to the dangerous edge of many kinds of “self destruct”.On the Cross @ Calvary,Jesus FELT all of these things!In fact,HE felt all of these things that every human being ever born(past-present-future) would feel....CUMULATIVELY! When dying the physically excruciating death on the Cross,Jesus never “gave a whimper” over the extreme brutality&physical pain He was suffering.The pain so severe that it overwhelmed the extreme brutality&physical pain was the pain of being all alone w/out any REAL/TRUE/TRUSTED hope....the utter despair&hopeless of eternal Separation from God.Whether we acknowledge the TRUTH of this or not,the root of all human despair&hopelessness is a result of our not turning to God our Father in Heaven for His Love/Mercy/Grace/HOPE...and instead turning to sin of one kind or another, leading us away from His Truths offered through Christ alone.When Jesus cries out n Matthew26;46,”My God,my God,why have you forsaken me?”,he is feeling the unfathomable pain of this utter despair&hopelessness of every human ever born(past-present-future).He knows what IT is like to feel my deepest most excruciating pains of the heart&soul...He is suffering ALL of them!When we come to Jesus w our despair&hopeless,& trust Him w our lives/hearts/minds/soul,we are coming to A SAVIOR&LORD that can fully empathize w every pain!He is the ONLY ONE that truly can!But,He doesn’t “leave us there” without a “solution”...”unfinished”!After fully/totally/completely suffering ALL the SUFFERINGS OF THE SOUL,Jesus “cried out in a loud voice,he gave up His soul”!N John19:30 we “hear” what Jesus cries out,”It is finished.”On The Cross,Jesus suffered the FULL penalty for all our sin(which leads to despair&hopelessness)...so we DO NOT have to suffer any of the despair&hopelessness,”It is finished”!When I come to Jesus with the groans of my heart/soul/spirit, I am coming to The ONE that not only KNOWS my pain,but The Only ONE that also offers freedom from these pains through a personal “reunion” w God forever.By trusting n Christ for my “saving” from these,He also offers me direction/wisdom/discernment from future entanglements that lead to “despairing&hopeless” decisions & actions in my life from here on.By quoting Psalm22:1 when Jesus says,My God,my God,why have you forsaken me”,Jesus is not only letting us know that He is fulfilling the prophecy of this Psalm...,He is also pointing us to the HOPE of Psalm22!Psalm22:4,”In you our fathers put their trust & were saved;n you they trusted & were not disappointed.”;Psalm22:23-24,”You who fear(awesome respect) The Lord,praise him.....for he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one;he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.”;Psalm22:30-31,”Posterity will serve him;future generations will b told about the Lord.They will
proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn - for he has done it(“finished it”)”.Jesus FEELS my pains,all of them! HE also offers freedom from ALL these pains by replacing them w the ONLY HOPE that has been proven trustworthy through the ages and beyond...a RIGHT&TRUE relationship w The Living God!Dear Lord,I have times of hopelessness&despair from many things.At the root of all these is my lack of eternal perspective & lack of appreciation for what You alone offer me that transcends all time.Help me to have Your perspective on these things,and the victory over these things that only my trusting&following you will bring.

Matthew 26:39

Matthew26:39 says that Jesus “fell on his face and prayed”.God the Son;The Word made flesh;the One Who is the Power of Creation;The King of kings;The Messiah;...”fell on his face” when he prayed w THE FATHER.This is GINORMOUS!Jesus,WHO is totally/fully God become flesh,”and we have seen His Glory as the only Son from the Father,FULL of Grace&Truth”(John1:14)...THIS Jesus “fell on his face and prayed”!This “posture of Jesus” is Imperative for us to know more about if we r to understand what Jesus is showing/telling us n Gethsemane.Jesus IS God,the SON “part” of the Triune God.Satan atTEMPTED to separate Jesus from his TRIUNITY when he threw 3 great temptations at Jesus just before Jesus began His ministry/the walk to the fulfillment of His Purpose...& Jesus”called on” the Word of God to fight off the devil.N Gethsemane,Jesus is days away from the ULTIMATE DEFEAT of Satan;the defeat of sin;the EMPOWERMENT of Salvation,and his return to the RIGHT HAND of God the FATHER!N Gethsemane we see the POWER of the ENDURANCE of Christ!Jesus’ ENDURANCE of desiring what GOD the FATHER&GOD the SPIRIT desire...The ultimate DESIRE/the PURPOSE of Jesus can only b realized if he is “postured” w ULTIMATE TRUST n GOD the FATHER, exhibited by ULTIMATE SUBMISSION to GOD the FATHER&GOD the SPIRIT!Jesus fell on his face n prayer.The “life posture” of Jesus n Gethsemane is ONE of absolute TRUST in GOD the FATHER,”followed by” absolute SUBMISSION to the Will of GOD the FATHER&GOD the SPIRIT!The first devastating blow to Satan’s atTEMPT to lure Jesus away from HIS ONENESS w GOD was when Jesus called upon the Word of God.Now days before the ultimate defeat of sin on our behalf,Jesus is “fully/totally leaning into” the Word of GOD;the Spirit of GOD& GOD’s Promises for his strength&endurance via his absolute SUBMISSION to the WILL of his FATHER!This “posture”Jesus gives us n Gethsemane n prayer here makes me ask “how do I come to God to pray?”What is my attitude/demeanor when I come before The Throne of God to call upon HIM as my FATHER?What is the state of my heart when I desperately desire to b “in HIS LAP?”What am I “holding back”/not willing to submit when I come into HIS Presence n prayer?Am I truly/fully trusting HIM w my life when I pray?Do I have a heart fully committed to desiring to know&follow HIS ways for my life?Or am I coming before HIM “to negotiate” what I want?Everything except a “posture” like that of Jesus will keep us from truly/fully knowing THE FATHER as Jesus makes possible for us to know HIM personally as our FATHER;& keep us from knowing HIS VOICE n our lives&HIS Peace n our lives....the same PEACE that Jesus has after he has prayed 3 times and comes back to his disciples and says,”...Look,the hour is near....Rise,Let us go...”(Matthew26:45-46).After Jesus “fell on his face n prayer...”Jesus now has the Strength;the Courage; & the Peace that surpasses all understanding...the Peace that can be ours when we call upon/depend on God’s Word&Spirit as Jesus did,&then “lean into God’s Word&God’s Spirit as Jesus did with the level of commitment/submission that Jesus shows us n Gethsemane.Dearest Jesus,I fall far short of “the posture of Gethsemane”...yet by Your Mercy&Grace I know Your love and the presence of Your Spirit n my life! I praise You for these...!May Your continued teaching & leading n my life bring me always closer to having “the posture of Gethsemane” n my life...

Matthew 24:31-46

On a blackboard this week there was a quote written that makes me think of what Jesus says n Matthew25:37-40.The quote is,”If the reality of God doesn’t change you,it’s not the reality of God”.Jesus describes what the hearts&lives of the “righteous” will look like when he says,”Then the righteous will answer him,saying,’Lord,when did we see you hungry & feed you,or thirsty & give you drink?&when did we see you a stranger & welcome you ,or naked &clothe you?&when did we see you sick or in prison & visit you?’&the King will answer them,’Truly I say to you,as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,you did it for me’.”N Matthew25:31-46, Jesus is describing the difference between those that are genuinely changed by personally knowing Christ,& those that are not..”changed by the reality of God”.When we trust Christ as our Savior&Lord,He places His Holy Spirit n us,& the work of the Holy Spirit begins n us & we are made “different”....MADE NEW!2Corinthians5:17 says,”Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”This means that IF I am truly “in Jesus”,then the way  I think,the way I live,& what makes my heart beat...becomes more&more like the Ways of Jesus!I am changed from the old ways,and made NEW.N these vs of Matthew,Jesus gives me ways to get a personal “read” on how well my life&heart are doing with His Work of change n my life!He says that I will b having not only His Empathy for people that come n2 my life,but that I will b compelled by genuine/unselfish/sacrificial “action/response” without any thoughts of “look at what good thing I am doing to b like Jesus”,or “what blessings should I get for this good thing I am doing?”,or “I am more like Christ than others because...”.A sign that we have been MADE NEW is when we don’t even think about these things,but we just “do” because of our New Heart compelling us!This New Heart,Jesus says is the “identifier” of those that are His sheep n Matthew25:31-33,”...and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats...”Jesus is saying that when I respond without any of the above selfish thoughts,it is a pretty good sign that I am HIS.By the same token,when I respond w any of the above selfish thoughts,it is a pretty good sign that there is “MORE WORK” 2 b done in “making me new”,& that I need to ask the question “what is changing me to respond the way I respond/live the way I live?”If I have any of the above selfish thoughts/motivations,then “what is changing me”,is “an imposter”...NOT the “reality of God ”!Dear Jesus,oh my,Your Words n these verses have opened my eyes to so many things n my life that r not the result of Your Spirit n me,but that of an imposter.Please “invade” these areas of my life w the Power&Authority of Who You are...change me & make me new n every part of my life,to be like You n every part of my life.