JUNE 28 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#21-02 >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#21 “What do you think about fish, taxes, lost sheep, forgiveness, and your fellow servants?” (Matthew 17:25, 18:12,33)

LIVING FOR JESUS --- Daily Devotional

JUNE 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#21-02  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#21  “What do you think about fish, taxes, lost sheep, forgiveness, and your fellow servants?” (Matthew 17:25, 18:12,33)

Daily Prayer to JESUS    

Jesus, Forgive me for not doing more with the provisions and understanding you have given me. Lord, Your Teachings have given me “Spiritual Insight” to the world that I am living in and issues that “my generation” is facing and I have done so little with those precious resources to make the world a better place — forgive me. Lord may I truly take this “second chance” to do that which will honor and glorify our Father in heaven as Your Spirit has shown me that “His Purpose is the process itself.” Give me grace then to be a good steward of the understanding imparted by the Holy Spirit and use whatever circumstance presented to us to bring Glory to God. {{Once again, the Holy Spirit has brought to my attention a prayer written in 2004 that shows the timelessness of God’s Understanding!!! Once there is an issue, it will remain an issue until we use every resource available to us to bring the issue before God and enter into His Work with Him for He has chosen to do His Work through those that choose to follow Him.}} Please read the following prayer written years ago but still current and see if there is something you personally could do today to honor God, pray about it, and then let the Lord lead you in doing His will for your life so that others will be helped by your obedience. Prayer from 2004: “Jesus, Lord how I seek to live my life in a way that is pleasing to You, and not for my sake and all my old selfish reasons but for Your sake and for reaching this world with Your Message of Repentance. Lord Jesus, as a nation and as a people, and as individuals we have turned from God, and we have “leaned on our own understanding” and that also is a sin against God. We have sat silently by and let abominations against Your Holiness gain popular acceptance. Lord, we have not fought the battle of freedom for our rights as Christians and our nation is losing the God-given right to worship You freely, we have not fought for the sanctity of marriage and we are losing our families, and worst of all, we are killing our own babies and are losing our future and our hope -- and we let the courts legislate the sins of our generation into the “law” of our nation!?!?!?!? O Forgive us Lord and drive us to true repentance and the path that will bring us back to serving the One True Light and the Living God”!!!     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

JUNE 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#21-02  >>> Lessons, Lifestyle, and Parables of Jesus <<< JQ#21  “What do you think about fish, taxes, lost sheep, forgiveness, and your fellow servants?” (Matthew 17:25, 18:12,33)    Jesus, in this next ‘section’ of scripture, addresses several issues that seem lighthearted at first but we must keep in mind while reading this passage that this is God in the flesh asking us to “think” about issues and He has just previously warned us that there are those that seek to “destroy” our souls, therefore let us try and understand the Truth of God that is always uncovered when we seek it. The first such Lesson is found in Matthew 17:24-27 and the Lesson starts with a question from “those who received the temple tax” when they asked Peter, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” (Matthew 17:24) My first thought when I read this is “Wow, Jesus had to deal with tax collectors too” so I was very interested in how Jesus would handle the situation. Peter handled the situation like we should handle circumstances where we find ourselves having to “defend” our following Jesus — Peter answered “Yes” and then he went to ask Jesus about what had happened. As Peter entered the house we read that “Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon?’” (Matthew 17:25) This is the beginning of a very valuable Lesson and the revelation of another Truth of God because before Simon Peter had a chance to ask Jesus the next question about paying the temple tax, “Jesus anticipated him…” and then to make it a one-on-one personal relationship Jesus called Simon by name and then God Himself looked a mortal in the eye and asked “What do you think?” !?!?!? Wow again!!! God KNOWS EVERYTHING and can “anticipate” our questions yet He stops and asks us what we “think” about the “question” we have not even asked Him the question yet?!?!? Before you continue, it is a good time and stop to ask yourself this very same simple question but answer it only after you fully realize that it is God Almighty Himself asking the question directly and personally to you!!! — “What do you think, _______________{add your name here}?” (Matthew 17:25)