FEBRUARY 25 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#06-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 25  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

056 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, thank You Lord for Your Grace so freely bestowed on such an undeserving sinner such as I — Lord, it matters not what other men do with the knowledge of Christ, but it is of Eternal Importance what we ourselves do with the knowledge that Jesus came to earth, took on flesh, lived a perfect life, and allowed Himself to be the Lamb of God to be offered for the sins of each individual as an atonement for those sins in order that we can be “Forgiven our sins” and through the Sacrifice of Christ we can exchange our guilt for the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, our Savior! Lord, what does matter in our lives is that we ourselves “Believe in God and His Righteousness” and that we “Believe” it enough to share the “Good News” with other men that they too can have the Saving Knowledge of Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that all the remaining days that You choose to grace me with that I will use that day to point others to the Truth of God that He so Loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son to become flesh and dwell among us and show us the “Way” to the Truth of God and His Great Love for us!     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 25  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) Jesus took a simple Question about “grapes” and “figs” and pointed us to the Truth of God that God will make His Truth “obvious” to us if we will use our God-given common logic — of course we don’t get “grapes” from anything but grape vines nor do we gather “figs” from anywhere but fig trees, so why do we go to the world of men to learn of God? Jesus warned us “beware of false prophets” which tells us that there are “real prophets” and there are “false prophets” and to keep us safe Jesus tells us how to tell the “good” from the “bad” and that is simply to see if the bush has “thorns” or “grapes” or does the tree produce “thistles” or “figs”?  Jesus then made it clear that we will be judged by the fruit that we produce and not by what we profess to be with our mouths, and the penalty is rather severe, if we do not produce good fruit in the eyes of God, then our tree will be “cut down and thrown into the fire”! God never asks us to do anything that He does not provide everything we need to accomplish with our lives what He asks us to do and God always gives us very clear detailed instructions not only “How” but “Why” we should follow His instructions! Such as is this case as Jesus teaches we should produce “good” fruit then He immediately teaches us a parable on “How” — and if we use our God-given logic we will also easily understand “Why”! Jesus had just warned “Not everyone that says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 7:21a) and Jesus then illustrates the Truth of God that we are not to just “say” Jesus is “Lord” of our lives but we must “live” our lives and “do” those things that prove that He IS the “Lord” of our lives. Jesus was blunt in His “Consequence” of our lives producing fruit of the world and of men rather than the fruit of following Jesus as “Lord” and producing kingdom fruit when He proclaims: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"  (Matthew 7:23) Then Jesus starts His Teaching Parable of the two builders: “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25) When we look at the simple Truth of God through simple common sense, we will not try to gather grapes from thornbushes nor will we try to build our refuge from the world on the sands of the doctrines of men that change with the prevailing winds of popularity but provide no real shelter from the storms of life. Jesus tells us that there will be storms but build your life on a strong foundation found in trusting the “rock” and your house “will not fall” but if you build your house on the shifting sands of the world that your house will fall, “And great [will be] its fall!” (Matthew 7:29)

FEBRUARY 24 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#06-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 24  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

055 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Lord Jesus, the Only Begotten of the Father, Son of the Living God, my Redeemer, Savior, You are the Christ! You Lord are the fulfillment of Prophecy, You lived the Perfect Life, You Suffered as the Perfect Sacrifice and Paid the Penalty that I could not pay, You died in my place, Your side was pierced as You were hanging Dead on the Cross, Your Body was Broken, Your Blood was Shed, You were laid in a grave! You Lord, being Loved by the Father was Obedient even unto death and the grave and on the Third Day You AROSE and the Greatest Testimony ever given was proclaimed: “HE IS ALIVE”!!!  As a follower of Jesus Christ there can be no greater TRUTH in our life — Jesus is the Resurrection!!! Praise God!!!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 24  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) Jesus began JQ#6 with a simple question about gathering “grapes from thornbushes” and “figs from thistles” that may seem totally out of context for a Truth of God Question but it makes perfect sense if you consider the statement/warning Jesus gave us before asking the Question about “grapes” and “figs”: “Beware of false prophets…” and then telling us how to identify them, “…you will know them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:15-16) On the surface this seems like a mundane question but consider that first of all it is Jesus asking it and secondly Jesus never asked a question that did not point us to a Truth of God to help us live a successful life. Of course we don’t get “grapes from thornbushes” nor do we get “figs from thistles” but if we are not careful and discerning about where we get the sustenance of our daily lives then we could end up prey to “ravenous wolves in sheep’s clothing” and then Jesus applies simple logic: “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17-18) Then Jesus gives us the “Spiritual Caution”  when He tells us “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:19-20) Once Jesus gets us to thinking in terms of God’s Truth that we can know if a tree is “Good” or “Bad” just by observing the “fruit” produced by that tree, Jesus proclaims that a tree that does not bear “good fruit” will be judged by God and the penalty for producing nothing but bad fruit is that the tree will be “cut down and thrown into fire”! Jesus is Teaching us with this simple Question that we will be judged by the fruit that our lives produce, not what we “say” we are going to do, but did our actions actually produce “good fruit” or “bad fruit” — good fruit will give nourishment and will be rewarded with an abundant life but bad fruit produces no good results and simply consumes the nutrient from the soil without providing any benefit  to others therefore the tree must be cut down and burned so that the life giving nutrients will be returned to the soil and will be used by the good tree to provide life to those that consume the fruit from a good tree. Jesus has us focused on our producing “good fruit" for the benefit of others then He really gets “Real” when He then amplifies this lesson about not just “saying” we will do good but by actually “doing” good when He says “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) Wow, Jesus took us in a matter of minutes from thinking “of course we don’t get grapes from thistles” — to clearly telling us that the “will of [our] Father in heaven” is that we produce good fruit and join Him “in heaven” but if we don’t we will be “cut down” and “thrown into the fire”. In simple terms — If we follow Jesus and His Teachings we will know the will of God and we will produce good fruit but if we simply declare we are followers but do not produce any good fruit, our Father in heaven will judge us, not by what we “said” we would do, but what “did” we produce with out actions in the way of “good fruit” for the kingdom. This Lesson sounds simple but how quickly the Master Teacher  transformed  the “simple” into the “Sublime” — That’s what Jesus does with our simple lives — but only if we do “the will of [our] Father in heaven”!!!

FEBRUARY 23 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#06-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 23  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

054 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Precious Jesus, thank you for the visit from the Holy Spirit yesterday that reminded me that every day is a “Good Day” because of Your Sacrifice on the Cross and what that means to the world and its great impact on not only our eternity but in our everyday day-to-day lives — but mostly for the Great Sacrifice You Personally made and the Personal Suffering You endured for my sake! Lord Jesus, as I think about all You have done for me I am also reminded by the Spirit that part of that Suffering was for You to be in the grave and experience death for us so that at the end of our life we would look forward to sharing another experience that You so Graciously Share with believers! Just like You experienced “life” for us by being born of the flesh, You also have experience “death” for us, and not just “death” but the worst death imaginable so that You can Truly say “I know what you’re going through and Rejoice for I Am the Victorious Life and I am also Victorious in death! Praise be the Name Jesus the Christ.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 23  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) Jesus has now taken us through 5 questions that have been woven together as only the Master Weaver can and now He is beginning a new section with a new Question but the object is the same, to Teach us a Truth of God! This new section for JQ#6 in Matthew 7:15-29 which actually contains two Questions, but if the section is studied in context, both Questions are essentially the same, just asked at different angles which Jesus always does to get us to think more completely about the Lesson and the Truth of God that He is trying to Teach us. As I studied this section I see that it is broken into 3 sections. Section 1 is verses 15-20 and deals with “false prophets”, Section 2 is verses 21-23 and deals with false profession of who our “Lord” really is, and Section 3 is verses 24-29 and is a parable of two builders and warns us to build our lives on the True Foundation that is the “solid rock” and not on a false foundation that is the ever-changing sands of humanism. There is one key phrase that the Holy Spirit pointed out that pulls this all together and that is where Jesus is teaching the parable of the two builders and in the middle of His Teaching He says: “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand…” (Matthew 7:26) This verse spoke to me and said that if we “listen and hear” what Jesus is “saying” and study His “sayings” then we will not fall for “false prophets” nor profess anyone but Jesus Himself as “Lord” and we will not be guilty of having “prophesied” in any name but the Name of Jesus. And lastly the obvious: if we build our life on the “Rock” that we will have a True Shelter in time of storm. Read this passage again with these thoughts in mind and see if Matthew 7:15-29 is not 3 sides to the same issue of being a True Christian, for we can only truly be a Christian if we listen, live, and follow Jesus the Christ, and Him Only! From this viewpoint we can give Jesus the obvious answer to His two Questions found in this section: (1) JQ#6a — “Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) and (2) JQ#6b — “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’” (Matthew 7:22) To fully answer this question we must also recall that during one Passover in Jerusalem and performing many signs and wonders that many believed in Him because the saw “signs” yet we read: “but Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.” (John 2:24-25) Therefore we should be very careful to build our Spiritual Life on the solid “Rock”!  

FEBRUARY 22 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#06-01 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 22  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-01 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16)

053 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, today Lord as I awake with the “Joyful” thought that it’s going to be a “Good” day I stop and remind myself where that “joy and confidence” comes from — and my heart rejoices because You are the “Good Good Father” and you have “Good Plans” for us! Help me LORD to share with everyone that they may know that every day with God is a “Good Day”! My prayer is that our  “Good Father” will be revealed today to those that do not understand why the Cross is “Good News”!! Nothing but the Precious Blood of the Son of the “Good Father” could purchase such “Joy” — “Joy” everlasting because of Your Eternal Victory over Sin, Death, and the Grave! There is no thought so dynamic as God-Very-God choosing out of Love for the unloveable to be the Sacrificial Lamb for the Sins of the world, and the Son of the “Good Father” willingly and in Pure Innocence Suffering for all our sins on the Cross at Calvary! Then, in His Grave He defeated Death, and on the Third Day was Risen by the “Good Father” to Eternal Victory over sin, death and the grave! Praise God, the “Good Father”, Jesus the “Good Son”, and the Holy “Good Spirit” of God from whom ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 22  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#06-01 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#6 “Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matthew 7:16) Jesus with His unique JESUS Questions/Lessons proves that He IS the Master Teacher — for only the Master can Teach such Deep Truths of God just by getting His students to answer simple day-to-day questions. Jesus never taught just one Lesson with only a single moral implication but with each Lesson Jesus revealed a Deeper Truth of God so that we could begin to glimpse God’s Bigger Truth picture for the world. Jesus is also revealing the Father and the Father’s Heart to us that we may come to know the Greatness of God’s Love. This next section was originally two JESUS Questions but after studying this section (Matthew 7:15-29) of Holy Scripture, the Holy Spirit made it clear that both Questions (Matthew 7:16 and Matthew 7:22) are in essence the same. These “JESUS Questions” should be studied for God’s Truth and to glimpse God’s Glory as we learn about the Magnificent Characteristics of Almighty God! As I stated before, when I first started reading this section it seemed like several small sections thrown in at the end of Chapter 7 but then as I read and studied, it now seems like Jesus is actually bringing up these questions to get our attention and then He teaches one of His many parables using our curiosity generated by the simple questions. Matthew 7:21 has always caused me discomfort but after applying the parable to my personal uneasiness I have come to another of those places where Jesus shines His Light on my discomfort and illuminates another “Peace” that can only come through a study of Holy Scripture. So not only is Jesus teaching us Truths, He is also confirming where we are to obtain the seeds of Truth, where and how to plant Truth, and how to know that through Truth He is blessing our lives — which is the only True Peace we will ever find in our day-to-day lives. Read through the sections in Matthew 7:15-29 and see if they are all teaching Divine Truth as only the True Master Teacher can! This section starts with a warning: “Beware of false prophets…” (Matthew 7:15) then gives us a test to apply to false teachers: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them…” (Matthew 7:20) but then Jesus points out that only “God’s Truth” will stand as the “Witness” at our “judgment” when He declares: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you…” (Matthew 7:23) Jesus then teaches us the parable of two builders which illustrates that we should choose wisely where we build our “house” and what we should use as the “foundation” of our spiritual life! See Matthew 7:24-27  for the parable but consider Matthew 7:15-23 as Questions to get us thinking along certain terms that adds Godly Truth to the teaching of the parable of the two builders. I would also ask you to consider these as additional revelations from God on His “Law of Choice and Consequence” as there are several “choices” presented in this section and as always God is perfectly clear as to what He has already before the foundations of the earth dictated as the “consequence” of our actions. Tomorrow we will begin deciding on materials to use to build our “foundation” as we look “false prophets”.

FEBRUARY 21 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#05-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#5 “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 21  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<  JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

052 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Praise You Lord Jesus for the work that You have given us to do in Your Name. We know that You can do all things and that in reality You do not need us but You chose to let us participate in the Kingdom Work with You! O Blessed thought that Your Spirit empowers us and we can proclaim because of Your Grace that we “can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!” (Philippians 4:13) Lord I praise You because I know I have no value to the Kingdom unless I do my deeds in Your Holy Name — I praise You also because You value me because that is what You have chosen to do — therefore I can quote Your Holy Scripture with great joy, “I have chosen you, to be My own precious possession.” (Deuteronomy 7:60) Lord Jesus, I pray daily to be crucified that daily I may be raised with You for I pray as did John, “[Jesus] must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30)    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 21  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-04 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<  JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8) Jesus in Matthew 7:9-10  asks questions with obvious answers and I believe that Jesus does this to make us realize that we overlook the obvious about “our Father in Heaven” (Matthew 6:9). The most Obvious fact from Matthew 7:9-10 is that if an Almighty God that can do anything His heart desires, choses to send His Only Begotten Son to become one of us, that “our Father in Heaven” has only “good” intentions for us on earth!!! God would not give His Only Begotten Son a “stone” if the Son “asks for bread” and the Loving Father would not give His Beloved Son a “serpent” if He asked for a “fish”!!! This should make it obvious to us that the Father desires good things for us. Jesus almost reprimands us for not understanding the “obvious” because Jesus immediately scolds us with the answer to His two “obvious” questions in Matthew 7:9-10 by stating the “obvious” answer to us: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:11) The fact is that God desires good for all men and is teaching us that to be like Him that we also should desire good for others as Jesus immediately follows with another Truth of God: “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) If we study the teachings of the “Law” and the “Prophets” the main theme God teaches us over and over through them is that we are to desire good for others and not evil. All ten of His commandments God gave as the “Law” through Moses are “God’s Laws” intended for our good and each “Law” deals with how to prevent being “evil” to God and to others! The “Prophets” deal with the history of man and the cycle of man choosing evil, the judgment of God that follows man’s choice, but then God providing a “Way” back to the Father through His Redemption and Grace — (more examples of the “Law of Choice and Consequences”) — Then we have Jesus stating emphatically that He came “to fulfill the Law” (Matthew 5:17”) and later Jesus connects “God’s Law” to “God’s Love” as Jesus proclaims: “A new commandment I give you; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34) One cannot read the Bible as a whole without seeing a Loving Father who wants only good for His Family! For God, through His Holy Word, has provided a “Way” for us to be heirs with Him! God came to the world of fallen man and offered us Grace and Kinship for He Promises that “…as many as [receives] Him, to them He [gives] the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name; who [are] born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13) It should be obvious that “our Father in heaven” Loves us and desires only good for His children—all we need to do is to “ask” the “Way” and “seek” the narrow gate, knowing with all “Faith in God” and confidence in His Goodness that our loving Father will “open” whenever we “knock”!!! (Matthew 7:13-14).  

FEBRUARY 20 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#05-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#5 “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 20  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<  JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

051 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, the only Name by which man can enter the narrow gate to heaven. Jesus is the Name that all generations call out to for salvation. Jesus, we bow humbly before You because You so richly deserve all praise and honor. There is no Name other than Jesus that man can call upon for Hope, there is no other Name but Jesus that brings so much Hope to our hurting hearts. Lord, I realize that there is no good in me but only through Your Name can I give anything good to my generation. Jesus, Holy Spirit of God, I yield to Your Will, I will “wait for the Lord” to see how You would have me serve You and Your kingdom. Forgive me of all sins, even the hidden sins, that I will be made Holy.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 20  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-03 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<  JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8) Jesus starts this passage in Matthew 7:7-14 out pretty simple with “ASK-SEEK-KNOCK” but Jesus has a way of reaching deep into us with these simple questions and revealing some of the deep Mysteries of God. Let’s examine the 2 simple questions Jesus asks in this section, keeping in mind that Jesus came to Teach us about the Father: (1) “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:9) (2) “Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?” (Matthew 7:10) When you answer these two identical questions from the viewpoint of the Truth that Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, we can immediately see that if we “ask” of “our Father in heaven” that He will give us only “good” things. Jesus is saying that if we will stop and look at the things the Father has already given us that we should have supreme confidence that He has only “good” intentions for our future. Isaiah quotes God Himself: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9) There is another great Truth that is contained in these simple questions in Matthew 7:9-10 that is often overlooked and that is that Jesus, being the Son of God, is the most reliable source of Truth about the Father that we could possibly have!  We could read the entire New Testament with the single thought that Jesus is the Son of God and we would see all the characteristics of the Father whom we seek to know being revealed by the Son! The fact that God chose to have a Son should thrill our hearts and souls because if God had chosen not to have a Son then how could we think of God as the “Father”? And if God really chose to be “childless” then  we would not have any confidence that we could possibly be considered for “adoption”! To think of God as merely a Supremely Powerful Being gives no “Hope” that an inferior being such as man could never aspire to inherit the kingdom unless that Supreme Being in all His Superiority reached down as a “Loving Father” and says to us, “You are not inferior, I created You in My image and I have chosen to be a Family Man. I love you so much that I sent My Beloved Son to walk among you and bring you home — if you will only believe in Him, I will make you joint heirs to My kingdom.” These questions in Matthew 7:9-10 were answered when God sent His Son and made Him the Bread of Life for us and “our Father in heaven” has provided for us in great abundance if we but look to the Son to see the Father. We will see further glimpses of our LOVING GOD  standing with open arms in the narrow gate as we finish Matthew 7:10-14!

FEBRUARY 19 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#05-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#5 “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

FEBRUARY 19  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<   JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8)

050 of 365 - Prayers to JESUS    

Jesus, Thank You Lord for the new day You give us each morning and the Hope that comes with knowing that You are in control of our lives for an eternity of sunrises! Lord, I thank You for the bright sunlight that greets me each day and for the warmth and Light of Your Holy Word. Lord Jesus, You came to earth to seek and to save that which is lost and Your Words were designed that in our lostness we might find the Way so Lord as I open Your Word this morning I look to Your Light to guide my Way.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

FEBRUARY 19  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#05-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<<   JQ#5  “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?” (Matthew 7:8) Jesus starts this Lesson on knowing where to find success in life by going to the “Source of Life” who is God Himself. There is a huge blessing found in this opening statement by Jesus that we just read over without stopping to understand the implications of what Jesus is saying!? Let us read it again but this time think of the “Divine Implications” coming from the Son of God — “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you, for everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8) The most obvious and most important question to ask is “Who can make this kind of promise and keep it for ‘everyone’?” Jesus is telling us that God is in control of everything in the universe and God is “our heavenly Father” so if we go to Him and “ask” for His Advice, “seek” His Truth, and “knock” on the door of His Understanding, that God Promises to Give us His Good Advice based on His Eternal Truth and the Door to His Infinite Knowledge will be opened wide for us to enter into His kingdom! The “Law of Choice and Consequence” was introduced yesterday in order to take a stab at why Jesus would end His JQ#4 Lesson on “judging others” with a warning to “…do not give what is holy to the dogs…” (Matthew 7:6) — the Holy Spirit has been teaching me the “Law of Choice and Consequence” for several years now in my morning studies and it is brings to “light” the problem of our society abandoning the Holy Moral Standard given to us by the Eternal Holy God. The “Law of Choice and Consequence” was established by the Holy God before the foundations of the earth and supersedes any “laws” that may be passed by any society — in other words, according to The Law of Choice and Consequence you are free to choose to take someone else’s life but that action has a predetermined “Consequence” which will apply to every individual that faces that “Choice” — if you “choose” to let the person “live” the “Consequence” of that “Choice” is to be given God’s Mercy but if you “choose” to take that person’s “life” the “Consequence” of that “Choice” is to suffer God’s Wrath for the “Consequence” of “taking someone’s life is called murder” and God has declared that “murder” deserves “punishment” — and the issue here is simply that the “Law of Choice and Consequence” is “Eternal” and cannot be changed by any society that decides that it is “legal” to “take the life of someone else”! God has declared “taking the life of someone else is murder” and it will remain “murder” in the eyes of the “Moral Law Giver” for eternity! Only by making a “law” that is applied equally to every human being  is that “law” fair for every individual of every generation, regardless of race, nationality, religion, or social status!!! God has already “judged” that “murder” is “Wrong” and God Himself will declared the penalty — it is our responsibility as “stewards” of the “Holy Moral Law” to make sure that it is applied equally to every living soul! That is why Jesus told to us to “judge not” because when we use our definition of “Right and Wrong” we are usurping the Power of God and it is pointless to “judge” because God has established already what the penalties and rewards for our actions will be! It is our responsibility to learn and to know what God declares is “Right and Wrong”!!! When I answer truthfully this Jesus Question in both verses Matthew 7:9 & 7:10 there is a deeper burning Lesson that Jesus always teaches with His simple but powerful Truths about the Father that the Son reveals to us through His Question/Lessons. The Bible cannot be read without a great curiosity about God being generated in our souls and I personally believe that God inspired the Bible to be written in such a way that we would want to solve the “Mystery of God”. Once the curiosity has been sufficiently stirred by the Old Testament and the Prophecies of the “End Times”, the New Testament and the Teachings of Jesus flood us with special visions of God. The Son of the Living God Himself became flesh and dwelt among us to reveal the Father God to us. I personally started my “Journey to Truth” not knowing much about God but I did have a great curiosity to “really know the Creator God”. My personal journey has been “documented” by journals that I have kept since 2001 and God has revealed Himself through those journals to me through my day-to-day living. The Holy Spirit blessed me to have that initial curiosity to want to know God and I was further blessed with the desire to “take notes” as I made my “Journey to Truth” by seeking God. This curiosity was tempered with advice from the first Pastor that got me to thinking about actually “knowing” God. Pastor Brian Walls told me to study “World Views” and fixed firmly in me the thought that the Word of God is the “inerrant Word of God” and the foundation to our Christian World View. This passage in Matthew 7:7-14 is a great place to start and even though I didn’t know much scripture when I started my early journals, I did know “…seek and you will find…knock and it will be opened…” —so it was this section that started me down my journey and through my study of the WORD is soon realized that Jesus teaches us these simple Truths of God with His Lessons, all of which clearly shows us who the Father is! This passage teaches us that in order to find the answer to “who is God” and “what is Truth” that we only need to “ask”, “seek”, and “knock” and when the door opens we will see God standing there with open arms saying “Welcome Home!!!”. The “Truth” is that if we are to get to a destination we cannot just think about it being there, we actually need to perform a physical action towards achieving our destination and God is gracious enough to bless our actions with positive dependable results and moves us forward one step at a time. God can be found for God Himself has promised to reveal Himself to us but we must be actively involved in “asking, seeking, and knocking” about Him — {Word of Caution} — the action should be done with the desire to know God, and He will reveal Himself! Jesus reveals some wonderful characteristics of God the Father by passages like Matthew 7:9-14 and our study of these Lessons is a great “first step” for us to take on our “Journey to Truth”. It is these characteristics of God that teach us the “faith” we should have in God’s Holy Laws and the confidence that if we follow His Laws the results of our choice to follow Him will have “Divine” Consequences.