Matt. 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house
shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Have you ever woke in the morning and went right to the news
of the prior day or morning? Well, the first thing I do is read my morning
meditation and that usually means an email from Bible Gateway or an encouraging
word from Max Lucado. Then I read a bible verse that wraps around me like a
warm blanket and cradles me in the Word of God.
Prayer is also in my morning ritual so that my days start
out with my eyes on Christ.
This weeks sermon was about our focus and how we’re very
easily led away from Christ wrapping ourselves up in the news and what’s going
on out there in the world. If you wake up and think God is leading you to read
about the turmoil of killings, wars, hate, mistrust, you are sadly mistaken.
You see, we wake up and satan is already there waiting to greet you with all
the bad things he’s had a hand in on the prior day or even the very day you awaken
feeling refreshed thinking you have a handle on things.
When we place our focus on all the negative things in the
world, we have been led right into the hands of satan and he is all the more
happier to steer you away from God and Christ. We tend to place our focus on
the rights and wrongs of the world, voice our opinion and walk a fine line of
the double-edged sword. I do believe it says in the Bible that we cannot serve
two masters, so when your focus is swayed from Christ, you are allowing satan
to hold your hand and walk you through your day. Toss in a little Christ here
and there to appease your mind.
With this being Holy Week, my eyes are very strongly on
Christ and yes just as he was tempted by satan, I see all around me people
filling their world with him. Christ comes second and that is just the way the
world is now-a-days.
My week started off with my man being very sick. It started
with a sore throat but by Monday morning he could hardly speak or breathe. His
asthma was hitting him hard and yes it’s a place he’s been in quite a few times
in his life so we pretty much know what to do when an episode hits. I made
chicken noodle soup in hopes it would give him some relief, it did momentarily
but by Wednesday we were at the doctors.
Tuesday night I decided to watch The Passion of Christ. Yes
I had seen it a few years back and yes it had an impact on our Christian lives
and yes, I knew it would impact me yet again. The movie is an extremely
powerful movie that makes you think what Jesus was sacrificing on the cross. He
became the sacrificial Lamb. He sacrificed Himself so we could be forgiven of
our sin.
As I watched the movie it made me think of the ways that
satan tries to distract us from God, wandering here and there, watching us
suffer with a smile on his face and readily offering us an outlet to our pain.
The movie also made me think of the atheists who don’t
understand Christians. They think we believe in a mythical creature in the sky
and only believe because of some words written in a book by men. I think if
they watched that movie, with an open mind, they would understand why we are so
devoted to that man on the cross.
Have you ever heard or witnessed a man running into a
burning building to save a life? We hold that man up as a hero, and praise him
and honor him. That is exactly what Jesus did for thousands (now billions) of
people. He was led into the arms of torture and flaming fire, all for blasphemy
of saying He was the Son of God.
While atheists will celebrate Easter with a drink in their
hand and food in their face, they won’t even realize that it is because of
Jesus that they are allowed to live and breathe in the sweet air of springtime.
They will laugh and scoff just like the men who beat Jesus nearly to death only
to hang Him on a cross dripping with blood.
After Jesus took His last breath, the soldiers looked up and
realized He WAS the Messiah. Guilt filled their heads and even the chief
priests wondered what they had done and as you can see with the upheaval in the
Middle East nowadays, they are paying dearly for killing an innocent man who
lived over 2000 years ago.
So you might say it is a myth. You might like denying
Christ. You might even find sanctuary in the arms of satan who is all too eager
to carry you away from anything that resembles Jesus. But know in your heart,
for this legend to be alive, living and breathing 2000 years later, don’t you
feel some kind of truth in His words?
If God wanted the Bible to be backed by scientific data, He
could have very well had the elite scientists of the day write His words but
instead He chose men, sinners, nobodies to write the truth of His moral compass
He gave to us. The Bible was not meant to be scientifically dissected but as
you try and scientifically find the answers, you are falling into the trap
satan has set for you, to take your eyes off of Christ and the living testimony
of real people who had no ulterior motive in bringing God’s word to you lasting
thousands of years.
Scientists seek to prove and disprove, satan leads to
distract, life goes on as if nothing has changed except the minds of humans.
The sermon on our focus was right, the more we’re led away from Christ by
exterior means, the more the world becomes consumed by satan. At the end of the
day when I sleep a peaceful nights rest I do so knowing that my day was
consumed with God. Persecute me as you will, I sleep easier at night knowing
Jesus shed His blood for me.
May the Light and Love of God go with you in each and every
day. Keep your eyes on Christ. ~ Amen
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
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