APRIL 23 JQ#11.2 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

APRIL  23

365 Prayers to JESUS 

Jesus, Lord, my God, my Redeemer Praise, Glory, and Honor to the Only Begotten of the Father, the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the earth! O Blessed Thought — THOU ART MINE!! Jesus, the Name above all names, have mercy on this sinner saved by Your Grace, guide me each day as I look for Your Daily Manna to “reign” down from Heaven for my daily “spiritual” bread!

The Jesus Questions

JQ#11 — “What are your spiritual expectations?” Matthew 11:7. The writer of the Gospel of Matthew does a great job of moving from one Jesus Question to the other by keeping us up to date with the Ministry of Jesus as the writes comments on what  he observes as logical transitions from one lesson to the next; for example, Matthew starts chapter 11 with “Now it came to pass, when Jesus finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and to preach in their cities.” (Matthew 11:1) Recall that JQ#10 was “What is your spiritual value?” (Matthew 10:29). Jesus asked by JQ#10 by referring to “two sparrows [being] sold for a copper coin” in the middle of equipping His twelve disciples as we read in Matthew 10:1 “…[Jesus] gave them power..” (Matthew 10:1) before sending them out “…as sheep in the midst of wolves…” (Matthew 10:16) and then Jesus assured His disciples of their “spiritual value” in verses Matthew 10:30 -42 where Jesus states “…[My disciples] shall by no means lose [their] reward!” which is essentially telling the disciples they will never lose their “spiritual value”! Now Jesus transitions to His next lesson/question as He asks JQ#11: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?”  (Matthew 11:7) There is no doubt that the lesson Jesus is going to teach is about our “spiritual expectations” and the lesson is meant for all generations; because in verses 1-6 preceding the question, Jesus refers to Himself as the “Coming One” to the disciples of John the Baptist [John’s mission was] to point to “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) and as soon as Jesus explained to John’s disciples why He declares Himself the “Coming One”  that Matthew 11:7 states: “And as [the disciples of John the Baptist] departed [with the revelation that Jesus is the Coming One], Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John [the Baptist]…” (Matthew 11:7A)  “What did you go into the wilderness to see?” as Jesus introduces the next lesson/question JQ#11: “What are your spiritual expectations?” (Matthew 11:7b). Therefore Jesus establishes the fact that He is moving from equipping the disciples and teaching about our “Eternal Spiritual Value” in JQ#10 in Matthew Chapter 10 to a new lesson in Matthew Chapter 11 about our “Spiritual Expectations” as He establishes clearly the fact that Jesus IS THE COMING ONE and we should evaluate our individual expectations of who we believe is “the Coming One” and what do we “expect” from our “Messiah”? Jesus reveals Himself as the “Coming One” first to the disciples of John because they were “expecting” the Messiah and John the Baptist had borne “witness of Him and cried out saying, ‘This is He’ [the Messiah]…”.  (John 1:15) John the Baptist said his personal mission was to “Make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23) and then as John the Baptist first laid eyes on Jesus, John made his famous declaration “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29) There is no room for doubt, in the JQ#11 question Jesus is teaching that He IS the Messiah and we should evaluate our expectations of Him! Did you ever stop to consider your personal “spiritual expectation” of Jesus Christ?

I'm Finally Home / A Poem

I’m Finally Home

When I’m dead 

And when I’m GONE

Laugh and sing — 

Cause I’m not HERE

I’m Finally Home

This earthen vessel broken

And cold as a STONE

Is not who I am —

Be of good CHEER

I’m Finally Home

My Faith and my Spirit

Are healthy and STRONG

Celebrate in my victory

Shed not a TEAR

I’m Finally Home

I’m finally resting

I’m singing His SONG

In His Peace rejoicing 

No worries nor FEAR

I’m Finally Home

Weep not nor tremble

For the Greatest Love KNOWN

Just put His arms ‘round me

Said soft, sweet, and CLEAR

“You’re Finally Home”!!

APRIL 22 JQ#11.1 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 22 / Day 54

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Lord, my Redeemer, all praise to You for it is amazing to see how You have worked in my life through these prayers that I have been praying daily for over twelve years now. Some days as I read the first prayers written in my 2004 journal for the same day twelve years ago I can see Your Hand, Your Grace, Your Mercy, and in 2016 You are showing me how You have taught me and I can more clearly see the lesson You intended but it has taken all these years to develop my “Spiritual Discipline” to the point that my “Faith is becoming sight” and my “Spiritual Discipline is becoming discernment”. Jesus, on this day in 2004 the Holy Spirit was guiding my prayers and led me to write this question: “Lord, are you trying to teach me that it is my choices  that determine who I am and who I will be and that how I choose to live and act should not be influenced by how others live and act, but that I should use my Free Will to choose how to live based on what I want my life to be and not what others tell me how to live?” Lord Jesus, today in 2016 I praise You that I am now understanding that if I indeed choose to live my life as Your disciple that whatever happens in “the world” has no bearing or impact on who I am nor on my final destination. Lord, I pray that You will continue to teach me “Spiritual self-discipline” for Lord it is my humble desire to “learn from the Master”!   

The Jesus Questions

JQ#11 — Before moving to the next “Jesus Question” the Holy Spirit is leading me to share the APRIL 22 selection from my Oswald Chambers Daily Journal “My Utmost for His Highest” that I read every morning to start my devotionals and Bible Study. To be honest with you, I did not write for many years because my thoughts were that there are so many good writers like Oswald Chambers, A.W. Tower, and C.S. Lewis just to name a few, plus great daily devotionals like Charles Stanley, Daily Bread, Guiding Light, and Adrian Rogers that I felt there was no need to add more written words about Jesus. But now I know that Jesus is Worthy of All Praise and that His Glory cannot be written even if every believer wrote every thought and answered prayer about Jesus! In other words there are not enough words to give Jesus the Praise, Glory, and Honor He deserves! I have now been writing for several years and I know that my writing is insignificant but who I am writing about is not and today I am led to share in my writing some grand thoughts written by Oswald Chambers titled “The LIGHT That Never Fails”  APRIL 22: “We must build our faith not on fading lights but on the Light that never fails. When ‘important’ individuals go away we are sad, until we see that they are meant to go, so that only one thing is left for us to do — to look into the face of God for ourselves. Allow nothing to keep you from looking with strong determination into the face of God regarding yourself and your doctrine…A Christian servant is one who perpetually looks into the face of God …the ministry of Christ is characterized by [His] abiding glory…the secrets of [the life of a disciple of Christ] is that [the disciple] stays in tune with God all the time.”   After I read this passage in 2004 I realized that in my prayer that same day that I had written “teach me the proper self discipline to love others like Christ at all times, regardless of how I am treated by others” and this passage to me was the Holy Spirit answering me and saying “the secret to being like Christ is to focus on Him all the time and you will learn Spiritual Self Discipline which is what allowed Jesus to suffer the cross for sinners!” This lesson of “Spiritual Self Discipline” is important as we continue studying the Word in order to learn the lessons the Master is teaching.  

APRIL 21 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 21 / Day 53

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, O the blessed joy of starting my day with You and to know that it is Your desire that we have fellowship with the Father as we go through our day and that all our physical and spiritual needs will be met on a “daily” basis. Lord Jesus, I thank You that 12 years ago that You had turned my thoughts to the great sacrifice You made for the atonement of sin, all sin, that all who believed that was Your Purpose and understood it as the Will of the Father could be heirs in the Kingdom of God and partake in His Righteousness. Lord, Your Gift of Sacrifice and the Father’s Gift of Free Will I return now as a “Free Will Offering” because I BELIEVE and ACCEPT YOUR LOVE and I desire to return an acceptable “Offering” to the One that imparts Eternal Life on Believers. 

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — The question: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) has been a very “profitable” study spiritually and the entire Matthew Chapter 10 is filled with so many wonderful spiritual treasures that profit us on our spiritual journey so let us look at the tremendous promises God gives to those willing to “pay the cost” of being a disciple of Jesus. Matthew 10:1-28 lists some serious costs of discipleship leading up to JQ#10 where the seemingly simple sparrows and copper coin question was asked by Jesus to focus our attention on the “spiritual value” of discipleship and then the rest of the chapter we find assurance that our efforts of discipleship will be met with great spiritual compensation for “paying the cost”. We know the “rewards” will be “spiritual” because Jesus told His disciples in verses 10:9-10 not to take money or any physical possessions on our journey. What Jesus promised the disciples however was that they were not going empty handed. His disciples were assured of their daily bread and would be given the very Power of God to complete their assigned tasks for the kingdom’s sake! All instructions Jesus gives on  discipleship warns of “physical” costs to pay for following Him but that we were “not to fear” or worry because the “Spiritual Compensation” far outweighs the “physical cost”! Jesus adds some very significant spiritual compensations for He states that we should not worry about our physical death because our souls are eternal and if we will focus on our “spiritual value” that God Himself will provide us with eternal security and that our eternal lives will be spent with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit if we but “follow after [Jesus]” (Matthew 10:38). Jesus then adds “spiritual assurance” as He states clearly: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. He who receives you receives Me , and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” (Matthew 10:39-40) Jesus concludes our list of “spiritual” compensations by throwing in a lifetime warranty and Divine guarantee: “…assuredly, I say to you, [My disciples] shall by no means lose [their] reward.” I can’t help but start singing a song, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchased of God, born of His Spirit, washed in His Blood!”. It’s a simple question of two sparrows and a copper coin but with the right answer we can be assured of eternal salvation if we just believe in our “spiritual value”: “Do not fear therefore: you are of more value that many sparrows.” With this kind of “assurance” it makes the “daily cross” a little easier to bear, don’t you think?    

APRIL 20 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 20 / Day 52

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, another day and new mercies and “Hope” for our future. You Lord have commanded us to “take up our cross” daily and then with great assurance You immediately add that once we take up the cross that we are also commanded by You to “Follow Me” — Lord thank you for teaching us that by “following” you that You will help us bear the burden of our cross and even though it is a cross that is heavy to bear physically that it is a “spiritual blessing” and will lead us to the Narrow Gate and we can rest assured that You will be with us each step of the “Way”. 

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — The question: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) has been a field in which we have uncovered many kingdom gems and if we continue digging in this tremendous Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Matthew we will find some extraordinary “Truths” of God that will help us to know how to please our Father in heaven and to inherit “everlasting life”. As we study the teachings of Jesus we see that Jesus always teaches that the physical “Choices” we make have spiritual “Consequences”. Jesus always teaches us how to look at the physical with spiritual eyes and promises that  our “Trust” in God will cure our “spiritual blindness” and we will be able to see the “Will of the Father”. Matthew Chapter 10 is a very important “lesson” for all who seek to know the Father and want to follow the Son for Jesus for we see that Jesus starts Matthew Chapter 10 by calling His disciples by name and then He sends them out to the “lost sheep” with His Message that the “kingdom of God is at hand”. Jesus gives His disciples a specific set of instructions of how to demonstrate the power of God so that the “lost” can be saved and inherit everlasting life. Jesus informs the disciples what the cost of discipleship will be as well as the compensation and rewards will be for following Him. Jesus always asks a question in His Lessons that will laser-focus us on the most important aspect of the Lesson and in this very important chapter where Jesus is equipping His disciples to share His Message with the lost Jesus keeps us focused on the “spiritual value” of those that choose discipleship. Jesus instructs the disciples to (1) heal the sick (2) cleanse the lepers (3) cast out demons which can only be accomplished by the Power of God so we can be assured that Jesus will not ask them to perform a task they are not equipped for and to draw the disciples attention to trusting God for their daily bread, Jesus tells them to “go” but not to take any money with them, not to pack a bag for their journey, not to take extra clothes, shoes, or staffs because God will provide for all their physical needs and will equip them with all their spiritual needs to accomplish their jobs as Jesus states: “for a worker is worthy of his food.” (Matthew 10:6-10). Jesus reminds them that they will be as “sheep in the midst of wolves” and that men will “scourge” them (Matthew 10:16-18) but Jesus never told them the “cost” of discipleship without assuring them that God would equip them to both endure and prosper and most importantly that God would always be with them. Jesus tells them immediately “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak: for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” (Matthew 10:19-20) Jesus continually points to the “Truth” that God will provide and that the “spiritual” should always take precedence over the “physical” as illustrated in the sparrow and copper coin (Matthew 10:29a) question in the middle of these instructions on what to expect as disciples of Jesus doing kingdom work in a lost world, just get ready and keep digging!

APRIL 19 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 19 / Day 51

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Lord I praise You for Your Faithfulness — I am amazed when I read a prayer lifted up to You (or as Pastor Steve says “spread it before the LORD”) that I wrote in 2004 (12 years ago) and realize that even though it took several years and the answer arrived in the most unexpected “Way” that the answer is definite and as is Your Divine Way, it is beyond our expectations and imaginations and the “looking back” at prayers lifted and faithfully answered it definitely “grows my Faith”. I am also learning that I am to lift my prayer to You and then “wait on the Lord” without telling You “How” to answer my prayer in the way I think it should be answered but to “trust God” and Your Perfect Way and Perfect Timing!

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — The question: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) should be considered in its entire context and so far we have noted that there are some very serious instructions being given. A reading of the verses Matthew 10:1-28 are instructions Jesus gave to His disciples as He was equipping them with “tools” to successfully share the Gospel of Christ Jesus with the world and Jesus made it very clear that this “sharing” is for a very serious purpose as “Consequences” such as eternal life in heaven and eternal damnation in hell is discussed. Jesus also showed the seriousness of understanding that our lives have a “physical” value and a “spiritual” value and that the ability of men to “kill” the “body” was inconsequential to the ability of God to “destroy” the “soul”. The world has told us the greatest thing to “fear” is our physical death but God reminds us that our physical lives are but a vapor and our bodies come from dust and at our death our physical bodies return to the earth from where it came. But of greater seriousness, our “soul” which God has made eternal returns to the Creator of our souls when the “physical body” dies. At the time of our physical death, the “body and soul” are separated and our “Eternal Soul” returns to Heaven and God. Jesus taught this same lesson to the most learned man in Jerusalem and a leader of the Jerusalem synagog in John 3:1-21 as Jesus tells Nicodemus “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) and again “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5) and Jesus tells Nicodemus that we have two births: (1) a “physical birth” which is of our earthly father and (2) a “Spiritual birth” which is from our heavenly “Father” as Jesus tells Nicodemus plainly “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Therefore when Jesus is training His disciples to share His Gospel, He asks the sparrow and copper coin question to make us consider the “value” of our earthly “body” and the lessons of the flesh as compared to the “value” of our “soul” and the lessons of the Spirit which contains “eternal life”. It is the “Choice” we make with our “Spirit” that has “Eternal Consequences”. Jesus gives us “Hope” because He also tells the disciples how to please God so that God will accept them in Heaven as Jesus tells the disciples: “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 10:32) That is GOOD NEWS because we know the Father is “well pleased” with the Son and here the Son is telling us that He will accompany us to Heaven and present us Himself to “our Father who is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Pleasing God is as simple as John 3:16 — read it for yourself and claim your promised eternal life!

APRIL 18 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 18 / Day 50

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — The question: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) doesn’t seem relative to our lifestyles of iPads and Smartphones, besides no one sells sparrows any more and certainly no business man would present a product that costs a “penny”. So the question we must ask of JQ#10 is “Why was the simple question asked in the first place?” Therein lies the answer, and the question only makes sense if we look at the circumstances surrounding both the question and the one who is asking it. The first consideration is “who” is asking the question and the answer is all the way back in Matthew 10:5 as we read, “These twelve (disciples) JESUS sent out and commanded them saying…”. In my Scofield Red-Letter Edition all  the words of Jesus is in Red Letters and in this passage (or context) preceding JQ#10 about the two sparrows and a copper coin, the text is all Red Letters starting at the end of verse 5 and is Red up to verse 29 where Jesus asked this question of the sparrows and copper coin. Not only is the question asked by Jesus but we must consider that before the question He has “commanded” His hand picked disciples as He “sent [the disciples] out” to share with the world that “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7) Contained in verses 5-28 of this set of commands Jesus is giving His disciples to share about the “kingdom of heaven being at hand” is (1) “heal the sick (2) cleanse the lepers (3) raise the dead (4) cast out demons” then Jesus warns them (5) they “are sheep in the midst of wolves (6) to be wise as serpents (7) beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils (8) they will scourge you in their synagogues (9) brother will deliver up brother to death” and Jesus warned them that His disciples will (10) “be hated by all for My names sake”. These serious warnings and commands do not seem to fit with the simple question about two sparrows and a copper coin and especially when we consider that the last phrase Jesus used just before asking the sparrow and coin question was “…able to destroy both body and soul in hell.”! Considering the context before the question gives much more weight to the question, especially since the question was asked by Jesus in the process of teaching His disciples how to share with “the lost sheep” that the “kingdom of heaven is at hand” and in His instructions to His disciples He talks of life, death, betrayal, heaven, and hell and the destruction of “both soul and body”  which makes the sparrow and coin question jump out and grab our attention which is most probably the exact affect Jesus intended for the disciples and for us! The lesson Jesus is teaching with the simple question of sparrows has great kingdom impact and Jesus takes a very serious topic and asks a simple question that anyone can answer in order to show us that the kingdom of heaven is within everyone’s grasp! If Jesus was teaching His disciples how to teach “lost sheep” about the kingdom of heaven and how to address their eternal souls then we should take the sparrow and coin question very serious and honestly answer this Jesus question for if Jesus is talking about such serious issues as eternal life and death, lost sheep, and destruction of our souls then His question deserves an honest answer! Let Jesus and the Holy Spirit teach us the lesson He has intended. Remember Jesus wants a personal relationship with us so in order to build an intimate relationship don’t You think an honest question asked with the best of intentions should be answered in like manner?   

APRIL 17 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 17 / Day 49

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus O just to say the Name above all names. Often Lord I just stop and say the Name JESUS and my soul is flooded with PEACE for I am uttering the Name as a greeting to the beginning of a conversation and I am overwhelmed that I am having a conversation with God! Just the thought that God exists and has good plans for my life and has planned for my future is mind-boggling! But when I think of the reality that I am calling Him by the precious Name above all names in order to start a conversation with the Creator, it is beyond any imaginable thought! The LORD of ALL, the ALMIGHTY GOD, the EVERLASTING FATHER both HEARS and ANSWERS — and my heart is melted by His Compassion and all I can do is utter again, JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?” (Matthew 10:29a) can seem to the casual reader as an “outdated” question and would have no relevance in our world today of trillion dollar deficits and $15/hr minimum wages! The casual reader however must consider as we all do, the “Truth” that lies within both the answer as well as the “Truth” of “why” the question was asked. Jesus was not trying to get us to consider the product and the price, Jesus was calling our attention to a “deep Truth” of God, and that “Truth” is that God values everything in His Creation! We cannot casually read the question because God immediately reveals His Divine Intent when He asks the question and directs our thinking to His Divine Will when he finishes JQ#10 (Matthew 29a) with: “And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” (Matthew 10:29b) When we add the immediate context of verses Matthew 10:28 and Matthew 10:30 surrounding the question of “value” posed by Jesus in Matthew 10:29 we cannot miss the seriousness of this question when in verse 28 Jesus reminds us that we have a “soul” and that “soul” can be “destroyed” and adds in the same sentence that having the soul destroyed is infinitely worse than the killing of the body. Verse 28 draws our attention to the fact that there is a “physical body” and a “spiritual body” but while the physical body is finite and has a time limit and can be killed, that the death of the body is nothing compared to the “spiritual body” which is our eternal soul. Jesus points out that our body can be killed by man but only God controls the soul which is eternal. Matthew 10:28 alerts us of the ultimate “judgement” when God decides where our “soul” will spend eternity — we will either please God and be with Him in Heaven forever in fellowship with Him or we will displease God and be found guilty of rejecting His gift of Grace and the eternal punishment of rejecting God will be spending eternity in Hell without Him. This Eternal Heaven/Hell subject should not be considered as outdated and we should consider  what God tells us in Matthew 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” God talks of Eternal rewards in verse 28, then two sparrows in 29, and then in 30 He  informs us that He knows the number of hairs on our head with the overall message being, (1) There will be a judgement and the reward/punishment will be earned by our decisions in life (2) Everything in God’s creation has a purpose and value in the eye’s of God and (3) God has planned out the details in our lives and we can rest assured His desire for us is “good” when He sums up with “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31) Jesus never leaves us hanging as He tells us how easy it is to please God in Matthew 10:32 — anyone interested in the “Truth of pleasing God”?   

APRIL 16 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 16 / Day 48

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, LORD GOD — 38 years ago Deb and I were married under “Holy Matrimony” as we had decided to live with You guiding our marriage. Lord, you know my prayer was simply to be a “good husband and a good father” and You have answered that prayer by giving me a great wife and a great family to take care of! Lord help me to always see the “opportunities” You present as the answers to my prayers and I thank You and Praise You for knowing me better than I know myself. Lord, now 38 years later as You have blessed our marriage beyond anything we could have imagined, I pray that our marriage and family will become a Lighthouse and a Great Witness to marriages and families that need Your Touch in their lives. Happy Anniversary My Precious!

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — JQ#10 uses two sparrows and a copper coin but it is all about “value”! Value is a relative term, for instance, if a man has a million dollars but is lost in the desert and is dying of thirst, how many millions of dollars would the thirsty man give for a single class of water. We are all familiar with the term “inflation” and the affect “inflation” has on our “household income” — “inflation” is nothing more than money losing its “value”! God is addressing “spiritual value” in JQ#10 — the Way He conveys His message about how we think about our “spiritual value” is truly “Divine”! The immediate context to the question of “value” found in JQ#10 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? (Matthew 10:29) focuses our attention to the important lesson of how we assign “value” to our lives. Jesus in Matthew 10:28 directs our thinking so that we will understand that “value” is relative and that there is both “physical value” and “spiritual value” to our lives when He declares to His Disciples (which Jesus is sending out into the world with His Message): “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28) Jesus is very specific and very serious because He uses terms like “fear”, “kill the body”, “kill the soul”, “fear Him”, and “able to destroy both body and soul in hell”. Jesus has just introduced the most serious terms that anyone, anywhere, anytime will ever have to address. Let’s look at these terms that Jesus uses to introduce the specific topic of “spiritual value” and keep in mind that Jesus is in the middle of teaching His disciples how to go out into the world to witness about the “kingdom of God”. Therefore there has to be a “Divine” reason that Jesus gets so serious and so specific so we should “listen and learn” with equal seriousness. The first term that gets our attention is “fear” and again if we look at how Jesus uses the word “fear” it is to tell us first “do not fear” and then turns around in the same sentence and says “but rather fear”?? Jesus is revealing one of those “deep” mysteries of God! The secret God reveals here is that the “truth of God” is that “fear” is a good thing if it is directed towards the purpose God intended when He spoke the “Truth” into the world. God’s “Truth” never changes so we must dig deep enough into these statements Jesus makes to discover the “Truth” about “proper fear” and see the “good” that only God can bring forth from every element of His Creation. In this case Jesus places “do not fear” with “those who kill the body” and immediately Jesus points to the “truth” that there is something more “deadly” than killing the “body” and that is that we should be concerned more about our “soul” than our “body”. Jesus is telling us that death of the “body” is of no “consequence” to our eternity but that our “soul” is “priceless” and that all our energy should be expended towards consideration of our eternity and that brothers and sisters is where the “rubber hits the road”. Have you checked your “spiritual condition” lately?

APRIL 15 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 15 / Day 47

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, each day the sun rises and I awaken to the “Hope” that is Christ Jesus. My soul is expectant, for I know that You are FAITHFUL in Your Promises and I know You have plans for my good stored up for me. Your Word teaches “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22). Lord, I know I deserve “punishment” and I give thanks that I am “not consumed” and acknowledge that my punishment was paid for on the Cross because of Your Compassion and Great Love for the “unloveable” and that with each new day I can look to the faithful rising of the “Son” to “Light” my new day with Your Mercy and Grace!

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — As the context of JQ#10 is studied we will find that the deeper we dig in God’s Word the more “spiritual” gems and treasures we will uncover. Jesus had already taught us in JQ#2 & JQ#3 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth…” which are not lasting but Jesus pointed us to the lasting value of gathering spiritual gems when He continued commenting on “treasure hunting” … “…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” then Jesus added the bonus gem, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) This great jewel of a lesson came sandwiched between the reward for praying “for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” which is “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…” (JQ#2 - Matthew 5:44-45) and “…is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? (JQ#3 - Matthew 6:25) Remember Jesus shows us where to look to find our “spiritual treasures” as He pointed out how to prioritize our earthly desires and our heavenly opportunities: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these [spiritual gems/truths] shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33) Therefore let us dig into the “treasure filled” Chapter 10 in the Gospel of Matthew and see what “spiritual gems” will surface! Matthew Chapter 10 begins with Jesus calling His twelve hand-selected disciples (Matthew 10:1-4) and then gives them their first “assignment” (Matthew 10:5). Again, if we just read the first 5 verses in Chapter 10 and note the obvious we are actually robbing ourselves of “spiritual treasures” that are reserved for those that dig below the surface of the obvious because they know that “treasures” are always “buried” and that in itself will include “some digging” if we are to “uncover the treasure”. Jesus had taught in JQ#8 that thinking about digging never gets the hole dug, if we are to grab hold of the treasure we must put “feet to our prayers” and “action to our words” therefore I paraphrase Matthew 9:5 “Arise and [dig]”. Digging into Matthew 10:1-5 I notice that (1) Jesus called each disciple where that disciple lived. (2) None of the callings came as the disciples were getting out of their Mercedes in fancy clothes in the church parking lot or in air-conditioned sanctuaries with padded pews. (3) Jesus knows each of their names, and not just their names but Jesus called them by their first names. (4) By example of His Personal Invitation to each disciple individually, Jesus demonstrated that He wants a personal and intimate relationship with each individual and is willing to come to us where we live, dressed the way we are, doing the things we do on a day-to-day basis. (5) In other words, Jesus wants us to “Follow Him” just the way we are and He knows our name! (6) In verse 5 we read, “These 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them…” which says that Jesus will teach those that answer His individual call, that His teachings have purpose, and (7) Jesus trusts us to share His message with others. That’s a lot of treasures but heaven is big enough to store them all!

APRIL 14 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 14 / Day 46

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, thank You Lord for answering our prayers, but even more thank You Lord that You taught us the necessity it is to pray and how to be successful in our prayer life, and the blessings that flow because of our prayers. Prayer is a miracle of God that is available to everyone 24/7/365 and has no physical limitations, no age limits, and is not restricted to race, color, or nationality — there are no gender restrictions, nothing exists to prevent anyone of any age, of any culture, of any social status to talk directly to God! Prayer is a miracle and I thank You Lord for the answered prayer that You gave me yesterday as I was allowed to serve and to witness to Your Mercy and Grace that You have bestowed on my family. Forgive me all my iniquities and guide me deeper into Your Truth and to share Your Love to those You have allowed me to serve in Your Name!

The Jesus Questions

 JQ#10 — The individual lessons with their simplicity but deep “Truth” is a lesson in itself. As I reflect on the lessons learned from JQ#1-9, the additional lesson I have learned is that Jesus takes us a step at a time with simple questions that we can easily answer even with our finite and limited intellect yet when put together as only the Master can, they become deep Spiritual Truths that give us guidance how to live successful Spiritual Lives and brings peace to our physical trials we all face during our worldly journey. As we seek to learn these Spiritual Truths we must focus on what the Master has asked us to focus on for the lesson before us and Trust Him to put it together so we can exclaim “…all things work together for good…” and watch as our Faith in the Rock grows stronger as we learn “precept upon precept”. JQ#10 is found in the middle of a tremendous chapter in Matthew therefore we will use the whole of Matthew Chapter 10 as the context for JQ#10 that Jesus uses to encourage us “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)  This encouragement follows immediately after JQ#10: “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” Jesus is a Master Teacher because He asks a question that can always be easily answered by every individual just by observing the world around us. Also Jesus   reissues us that none of these lessons are beyond anyone’s intellect, all we have to do is to look at our world and observe the “Truth”. Jesus then teaches us how to apply the “Truth” that we observe to living a successful life! Again we see that the “Question/lesson” is simple in nature, JQ#10 is about 2 sparrows which is a bird everyone is familiar with and a simple copper coin, and everyone is familiar with copper coins, but then look at the great “Truth” Jesus uses these everyday items to teach us about — our individual “value” to the “Father”! Jesus always encourages us if we but listen, for Jesus never lets us take off on a tangent with some wild answer for He immediately directs our attention to the “good” we will find with and honest open answer, such as is the case with JQ#10. For as soon as Jesus asks the question He assures us that the Father values us and that the Father’s will for us is as Jeremiah states: “… plans for good and not for disaster, to give [us] a future and a hope…” (Jeremiah 29:11). Matthew Chapter 10 is a great insiders look at what are the expectations and truths about being a “disciple of Jesus” and includes the “costs of discipleship” and the “rewards” and like everything in God’s Economy, the ROI (Return On Investment) is out of this world !!!

APRIL 13 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 13 / Day 45

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, thank You Lord for this life you have given me, for the tribulation and the strength to endure while in the valley, for the darkness that Your Light has dispelled so that I can see to walk Your Path to the Narrow Gate. Lord I give You Praise for the answered prayer of “family” that has been my greatest blessing and Lord I can clearly see Your Hand in my life and Lord I can truly say, I would change nothing! If I had not known I was lost, I could not have experienced the “joy of my salvation” and if it had not been for heavy burdens I would not know the “peace that passes all understanding” because of Grace, and Lord, had I not known “despair” I would not appreciate the “Hope” that comes from “Trusting God” and declaring to Him “Abba Father”! Lord, because of my trials and Your Faithfulness to carry me when I can’t carry myself, I surrender all to Your Glory for I see my righteousness as nothing but “filthy rags” and Lord, I beg for the crumbs of Your Infinite Mercy. Jesus, thank you for this new journey You are leading me on - I do not know the twists and turns it will take but I “Trust” in Your Leading and the “Final Destination”. I have Supreme Confidence that You will finish the Good Work You have started and one day I will hear Your Still Small Voice in the depth of my soul saying, “Son, it is finished, well done — come on Home, I’m waiting for you at the Narrow Gate!”

The Jesus Questions

JQ#10 — The context for JQ#10 is JQ#1-9 (Matthew 5:1 - 9:38) “Introduction to Discipleship”  and the entire chapter of Matthew 10. Jesus has now called each of His disciples and they have been observing Jesus as He teaches them through example what their “Kingdom work” will be like. Jesus lists the necessary pre-requisites for discipleship in the lessons taught in JQ#1-8 and summarized in JQ#9 and now He starts His “commissioning” of the “twelve disciples” in Chapter 10 as we read. “And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over  unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” It is important that we walk both daily with Jesus and step-by-step with Him. These “question/lessons” point to Jesus being the Messiah as we read in Isaiah 28:13 “But the word of the Lord was to them …precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little, there a little …” and confirmed by John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” God demonstrated the Significance and Power of His Word as He dispelled the darkness, the emptiness, and the lack of purpose of the world when God spoke these words in Genesis 1:3 “Let there be light” . We read that as soon as God Spoke the words that there “was light”. All the Power of God is in His Word.  The Power over all creation and all that is in it is The Word of God and all creation is subject to The Word. If we who have been created want to navigate the stormy seas of life we must learn to listen to the Word and not run ahead of Him because if we are to be “perfect” we can only learn from a “perfect” God — Psalm 18:10 “As for God, His way is perfect…”  so to “learn from the Master” we must listen and learn each lesson so as we embark on JQ#10 I strongly encourage to build your foundation on the rock, precept upon precept, and read again Matthew Chapters 5-9 as an “Intro” and Matthew 10 as a “job description” to discipleship — if we are to “labor” in His harvest, we should know our tools and learn from the “Lord of the Harvest” before we enter His Fields that are “white unto harvest” (John 4:35”) “ARISE” and let us “GO”.

APRIL 12 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 12 / Day 44

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, a new day — thanks to You — a new opportunity to live as you intended full of Mercy and Grace. Lord Jesus, each day as I think about Your Sacrifice for my sake I am overwhelmed that God “so loved the world” that He would do such great a thing as Sacrifice His Only Begotten as “The Atonement” for the sins of a world that thinks so much “evil” in our hearts! Lord forgive me daily of my transgressions and let me walk in newness of life in the Power and Strength of Jesus Christ.

The Jesus Questions

JQ#9 -  The Holy Spirit pointed out in my reading today the “Summary” of JQ#1-8. “You are the light of the world…” (Matthew 5:14) gives us a realization of what our purpose is if we listen to Jesus.  Jesus next calls His listeners to “…be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect…” (Matthew 5:46) and Jesus tells us that we will attain this “perfection” only by loving the world, the whole world - “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44) Jesus immediately says that the reward for living our lives as He commands is great: [that] “you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven…” Jesus is both instructing how we should “Choose” to live our lives [“love your enemies”] and declaring the “Consequence of our Choice” [we become heirs to our “Father’s {kingdom} in heaven”] as an introduction to the “Law of Choice and Consequences” with which Jesus teaches us that we can “choose” our action with our Free Will Gift from God but the “results” of each “action” we must “accept” for God has established the “Laws” by which all of creation must abide by! Jesus follows the command to love with instructions how to pray [see Matthew 6:9-13. In succession Jesus has taught that to be the “light of the world” (which was God’s original solution to darkness [see Genesis 1-5 key verse: Genesis 1:3]) that we will need to be “perfect” like the Father and “love” like the Father and to be successful in being like God we must “pray” to the “Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9). Jesus continues His “questions/lessons” with instructions “not to worry” (Matthew 6:25) and throws in that the focal point of our success will be when we “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” Matthew 6:33. Jesus adds a companion to “do not worry” with “do not judge”. It is interesting to note that Jesus says the “Consequence” of our “Choice” to “Worry” is completely futile and will gain us nothing because we have no “power” to change anything we worry about because God has it already figured out (Matthew 6:32) but the “Consequence” of our “judging” will be measured out to us as we measure out judgement to others! (Matthew 7:2) Jesus continues with assuring us that our Good Father will treat us as sons and daughters and to trust that our “Father who is in heaven [will] give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11). Jesus adds that we will be known not by our words but by our actions: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:20) The key to bearing good fruit is to plant ourselves in God and to build our foundation of faith in God on the “solid rock” (Matthew 7:23), for the Son was sent to reveal the Father to us. Jesus demonstrates His Power given Him by the Father by not only healing the physical problems we have but also the spiritual problems and Jesus showed He has power over creation when He calmed the “winds and the waves” (Matthew 8:26) and encourages us to “believe that [Jesus] is able to do [these things]” (Matthew 9:28). Jesus concludes the introduction (JQ#1-8) by telling us that He is recruiting “laborers” to send “into the Father’s harvest.” (Matthew 9:38). Are you ready to learn “how” to labor in the “Father’s Harvest”?    

APRIL 11 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 11 / Day 43

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, You Lord are to be Greatly Praised, You alone are Worthy of this Great Praise from all mankind for You gave Your Perfect Life that an imperfect world could be justified before the Father who is Faithful and Just, full of Mercy and Grace. Lord Jesus, there is no explaining why God would become flesh and offer Himself as an acceptable atonement of the world’s transgressions against that same Holy Merciful God?!?!? Lord, no explanation is needed, let us instead of questioning “Why” or “How” it is possible step out in faith and accept the Gift of Grace and praise You for Your Mercy! Forgive me this day my iniquities and guide me in Your Path of Righteousness.

The Jesus Questions

JQ#9 -  The Jesus Questions that have been asked so far and the context surrounding each question JQ#1-8 (Matthew 5:1 through Matthew 9:13) has introduced us to the Divine Work of Jesus and to being a “Follower of Jesus”. In His Divine Teachings Jesus has established that the “Truth of God” should be “lived” in our lives, that we are to first “learn” the “Truth of God” then we are to “Live the Truth of God” and then share the “Light of God’s Truth” with others. These lessons are single in nature and built around simple questions designed to cause us to see the simple truth which in turn should cause us to simply live a “Godly and righteous” life as we apply the lessons in our day-to-day world. The method Jesus has been using is to ask a question that can easily be answered by observation and common sense and the expectation is that we will acknowledge the “obvious truth” contained within our answers. Jesus asks a series of questions that appear individual in nature but are building “precept upon precept” of the “Truth of God” so that with each lesson we gain another glimpse of the “Almighty”. In this study so far all the questions and their context have been in a “logical sequence” and have established “principals” such as the “Law of Choice and Consequence” and the “Fundamentals of Faith” and then in Matthew 9:15 Jesus introduces a new concept which caught me off guard and caused me to study His Word a little deeper, which could well be the lesson — “There is always more to learn in God’s Word!” JQ#9a is “Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom  is with them?” (Matthew 9:15) which introduces us to the concept of Jesus being a “bridegroom” suggesting an upcoming marriage and Jesus calls those following Him “friends of the bridegroom” which suggests an intimate relationship with the bridegroom and will be expected to attend the wedding ceremony. Jesus also introduces the fact that “the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away” which foreshadows His leaving sometime in the future. Jesus immediately moves to two examples that illustrate His intent is not in “repairing” our sin nature/sickness but He has come to completely make us “new” as He uses the illustration of “unshrunk cloth on an old garment” and putting “new wine into new wineskins” (Matthew 9:16-17). This “new” concept combined with the two miracles of healing in Matthew 9:18-29 and the healing of two blind men and a demonic points to a “summary” of JQ#1-8 as the introduction to discipleship and the responsibilities of being a follower and building the foundation of faith on the “solid rock” — JQ#9b then enters as the key to understanding lessons 1-8 as Jesus asks: “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” (Matthew 9:28) and then Jesus assures us with this great “Truth” — “According to your faith let it be to you.” (Matthew 9:29) 

APRIL 10 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 10 / Day 42

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Praise be to Your Spirit that calls us to identify ourselves with You and to Your Crucifixion for the Crucifixion is the Ultimate Solution to our sin problem and only by being Crucified with You can we truly identify with Your Resurrection which is the Victory over the world! Lord You gave me a glimpse of this Great Truth 12 years ago and I prayed for Your Guidance “as I try to be a part of Your Crucifixion and Resurrection each day.” (written April 10, 2004) Lord Jesus, You have made my heart tender with Your Love and I pray that You will continue to heal my “spiritual blindness until the day arrives that I  behold Your Face!” 

The Jesus Questions

JQ#9 -  The Holy Spirit has now released me to move to JQ#9 but the context for this “Summary of JQ#1-8” will include the text from Matthew 9:14 through the end of the chapter at Matthew 9:38. This study on “The Jesus Questions” has been teaching me some additional lessons on “following the Spirit” which I did not anticipate but one thing the Holy Spirit has taught me is that if we can anticipate what is going to happen and we can explain it then it is not from God because “His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts” (Isaiah 55) and “His understanding we cannot fathom” (Isaiah 40). The more we learn of God the more we learn that our knowledge in finite and limited but God’s Knowledge is Infinite and is not limited in any way! In my personal experience God has always answered my prayers in such a way that there is no mistaking the Hand of God at work as He has personally puts His Divine Signature on His Work in my life, so now when I discern that He is trying to teach me something deeper than I have learned before, I wait on Him to reveal to me in His Perfect Timing by some circumstance what He wants me to see. That happened this morning as I was reading my prayer to Jesus written April 10, 2004 in my Oswald Chambers journal “My Utmost for His Highest”. I had tucked my “Utmost” journal away for several years but in was my privilege to mentor a new believer in 2014 named Dominic. The Holy Spirit told me to give my 2004 copy to Dominic and let him read what I had written 10 years earlier as I had written a prayer to Jesus every day in 2004 and how relevant the teaching of the Holy Spirit was 10 years later. The lesson there for all of us is to acknowledge that Jesus is both the “author” and the “finisher” of our faith and that we are to “daily take up our cross” and “follow Jesus” and April 10, 2004 was the beginning of my journey to the “Narrow Gate” as I read “…our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.” (Romans 6:6). In God’s perfect timing it is 12 years later and as I am writing and seeking how to summarize JQ#1-8 into what lesson Jesus is teaching I am directed to the words of Jesus at the end of JQ#8: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13) Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and to teach His followers that if we are to be like Him we are to extend “mercy” to others and in doing that we will be sacrificing ourselves as He did, therefore as “friends of the bridegroom” we should identify with the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the upcoming “marriage feast” for the bridegroom is the “Lord of the harvest” and we should “therefore pray that the Lord of the harvest [will] send laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:38)  In JQ#1-9 Jesus is teaching His followers to be “harvesters”, so let us “Arise and enter the Harvest”!

APRIL 9 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 9 / Day 41

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, no other name is like the Name of Jesus, there is no name under heaven or on the earth that man can call on for Salvation but Jesus, there is none but You, Lord Jesus that loves us even though we are continually sinning against Your Holiness and yet instead of Your arms folded in rejection when we repent and return, like the Father welcoming the prodigal son, You run to greet us with open arms and You receive us unto Yourself as Your own. Lord, eternity will not be enough time to praise Your Name! 

The Jesus Questions

JQ#8 - The Spirit has not released me yet to move to JQ#9 as He wants me to present the outline that has been formed by JQ#1 - JQ#8 in Matthew Chapters 1-9. The Holy Spirit directed me to initiate this “The Jesus Questions” project and during morning devotionals He guides me to keep notes in a separate folder which now has developed into an Introduction Outline to Discipleship and sets forth the mindset for Following Christ that builds upon itself step by step the importance of placing our “Faith” in one who is “Worthy” of our “Faith”. Jesus begins proving He is “Worthy” and is called for the purpose to do the work of God as Jesus in Matthew Chapter 5.  In His “Sermon on the Mount” He listed in the “Beatitudes” that to inherit the kingdom of heaven we must enter through the “spirit”, that if we care for and comfort others we ourselves will be cared for and comforted, that strength to inherit the earth will come from our weakness, to be filled with righteousness we should hunger for it, be merciful to gain mercy, our ability to see God will come through our purity, and if we strive to make peace we will be called sons of God and concludes with “not to worry” about the persecution on earth of our faith because our righteousness will be rewarded in heaven. Jesus concludes with JQ#1 that those that follow Jesus will be “salt and light” to the world.  JQ#2 teaches us that Jesus did not come to destroy the law of God but to fulfill the law and then Jesus proceeds to instruct us how to “love others”, both our enemies and our friends as the greatest law. Jesus builds on these lessons with a new command on how to be “salt and light” and how to “love others” with a concept important to a follower of Christ as they encounter opposition to their “faith in God” when Jesus teaches in JQ#3 “Not to worry” and builds on the concept of “Do not worry” by teaching us that to be successful in not worrying we must practice what He teaches in JQ#4 “Do not Judge”. Jesus then teaches where to obtain the “power of His Truth” as He tells us in JQ#5 that we are to “Ask-Seek-Knock” and we will “Find”. Jesus then calls us to “live” the principles He is teaching and says we will know if we are living by His principles if we start “bearing the fruit of the spirit” as taught in JQ#6. Jesus then makes it evident in JQ#7 that by going through these steps that we will be growing the basic element of discipleship and that we must continually work to “build our faith”. We do that by focusing on Him! Jesus then starts instructing us in JQ#7 that there comes a point in our “faith” that we must “exercise” our “FAITH” and that is when we put “Action” to our “Belief” and we will “Arise & Walk” as Jesus details in JQ#8. This “Outline”  for how to begin our walk and why we should trust Him I believe is summarized in JQ#9 which is found in Matthew 9:15 as Jesus introduces the “bridegroom” and characterizes His Followers as “friends of the bridegroom” — Chapter 9 concludes Point A  “Introduction” of the Jesus Questions and Point B begins with Matthew 10. Any suggestions as to what to title Point B? 

APRIL 8 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 8 / Day 40

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Lord there is a peace that the world just cannot offer, there is nothing in the world, not fortune nor fame, that can provide the Peace that comes from knowing You, for Your PEACE is PRICELESS. Lord Jesus, I praise You for knowing my heart and my thoughts for You in Your Lovingkindness knows just how to speak those well placed and perfectly timed Words of Grace just when we need them most and this morning as I awoke with a cloud on my spirit You spoke to me through the inspired verses Deb made for my desktop as I read this “personalized” verse: “You will have perfect peace if you keep focused on Me, Lanny.” (Isaiah 26:3) 

The Jesus Questions

JQ#8 - Each day as I study JQ#8a&b (Matthew 9:4,5) and read ahead to find JQ#9 the Spirit keeps revealing new ways to look at the whole project of “The Jesus Questions” from the viewpoint that Jesus never teaches just one lesson. Because of His Infinite Knowledge and Love for us, Jesus always gives us more than we expect. As He opens our Spiritual Eyes we naturally see different aspects of His Divine Nature. As I examine the context surrounding each question encountered so far in the Gospel of Matthew an underlying pattern is emerging that demonstrates that Jesus is building our understanding of the Father by teaching us “precept upon precept” and “line upon line” but He is also developing an “Outline” to living the Christian Life if we but follow His Example, the key verse for that concept emerged today as I was looking to conclude JQ#8 and move to JQ#9 when the Holy Spirit directed me to use Matthew 9:9-13 as the conclusion of JQ#8 and a summary of JQ#1-JQ#8. Let’s start with Matthew 9:9 where we stopped yesterday with Jesus calling Matthew, a tax collector, with these two words: “Follow Me” and it was noted that as soon as Jesus called Matthew that Matthew immediately responded: “So [Matthew] arose and followed Him. (Matthew 9:9) What started me on the “Summary of JQ#1-8 was the opening line in Matthew 9:9 “As Jesus passed on from there…” and the opening line in Matthew 9:10 that reads “Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table [with] many tax collectors and sinners…” and these were tied together with the last line in Matthew 9:13 which Jesus Himself summarizes “why” he has been healing, demonstrating the Power of God, and forgiving sins when He clearly states: “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13) A parallel verse is in John 1:17 “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” Therefore the Spirit showed that in JQ#1-8 Jesus calls us personally to get involved in His Work which is to do the Father’s Will and we know from John 3:16 that Jesus is God’s Gift to those that BELIEVE in the work of Jesus. Belief in the Work of Jesus as a Gift of God results in “Eternal Life” and JQ#1-8 teach us that Jesus came to “heal” the “sick”, give “sight to the blind”, enable the “lame” to “walk with God”, and that Jesus came to call “sinners” to “repentance”. In these first 8 Jesus Questions Jesus clearly has presented His Gospel which is to personally recognize our need as sinners for a Savior, then we are to “believe” that Jesus is the Son of God and has the Power of God to “forgive us our sin” and lastly once we have been “healed” we are to “Arise” and “follow” Him. In our modern church vernacular (1) We admit we are a sinner (2) We believe Jesus is the Savior and (3) We confess before men we have decided to “Follow Jesus”. Have you made your personal decision to live your life for Christ?

APRIL 7 The Jesus Questions

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

April 7 / Day 39

365 Prayers to JESUS

Jesus, Lord we know that because You are Risen that we can have confidence that our sins are Forgiven. Because You are Risen, we can Hope for our Eternal Fellowship with You and the Father immersed in the Eternal Light of the Holy Spirit! Lord. Forgive me when I get distracted by the world, for when I think I am in control, I quickly see that there is no “Power” in me of myself— what “Power” that is in me is there because of the Marvelous Gift of Grace! Lord always keep Your Life-Death-Crucifixion-Burial & Resurrection before me for when my eyes are on You, I can’t see anything but You and the Living God!

The Jesus Questions

JQ#8 -  We concluded yesterday that there was a “multitude” of witnesses  (Matthew 9:8) that saw Jesus heal the paralytic and heard Jesus when He stated the Divine Truth that He had the “power on earth to forgive sins” (Matthew 9:6). It should be noted here that the “multitudes” and the “Scribes” all witnessed the same event but there were two different outcomes: (1) Those that believed Jesus “marveled and glorified God” (Matthew 9:8) and (2) those that accused Jesus of “blasphemy” were exposed as having “evil in [their] hearts” (Matthew 9:4). This section also was full of examples of God’s Law of Choice and Consequence. One of God’s ways of involving our personal actions in His Work is the Gift of Free Will. God will reveal Himself and His Powers and He will make it clear what His Purpose and Intents towards us are but He never forces us to choose Him! God wants us to be Free Agents so that we choose what we want to choose; however, He makes it perfectly clear that even though we are free to choose  our “actions” that God has and always will determine the “Consequence” of that “Choice”. God never changes and the “Consequence” of our actions is as constant as the effects of gravity for they are the result of God’s Law which is never changing and fairly administered to all creation. It is God’s Laws that keep the stars on their course through His heavens and we are able to chart our course because of that same consistency of God’s Laws. God declared in the Garden of Eden that the penalty for sin is death but He also provided an “acceptable sacrifice” to cover Adam and Eve’s sin when God killed an animal (most likely a lamb without blemish) which He then presented to Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness. God has been consistent to punish sin with death (i.e. the Great Flood) and yet with each judgement God gives us a choice — God told Noah to get on the ark but God did not force Noah on the ark. God rewarded Noah’s choice by giving all who chose to follow God’s instructions with “life” and those that chose not to get on the ark with “death” thereby administering faithfully His Laws. I challenge you to read this Matthew 9:1-9 passage again and consider how God’s Law of Choice and Consequence was fairly applied to (1) the ones that brought the paralytics to Jesus (2) some of the scribes (3) the paralytic himself and (4) the multitudes that witnessed Jesus physically healing the paralytic. It is very interesting that Jesus said “Arise and walk” in verse 5, then again in verse 6 he says “Arise, take up your bed, and go…” then in verse 7 we read that the paralytic “arose and departed”. The lesson is that Jesus wants us to get personally involved and exercise our Gift of Free Will to “act” upon our belief. Jesus then in verse 9 shows that His intent is for us to “Arise and go” when Jesus tells Matthew “Follow Me” and we read that Matthew “arose and followed Him.”  Who are you going to chose to follow?