JUNE 14 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#19 “For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

JUNE 14  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#19  “For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, all Praise, all Glory, and all Honor to the Son that was willing to Sacrifice Himself that all might be Saved from the curse and slavery of sin which entered the world because of an act of disobedience that has been repeated in each individual’s personal life as we continue to live for ourselves and ignore the “Gift” of True Freedom that God has so generously offered everyone that will but “receive” the Grace extended to all. Lord Jesus, even when we have accepted the “gift” we need daily reminders that we must guard against slipping back into the sin of disobedience when we take the shadowy path of self gratification and turn from the Light and drift away from the True Path to the Narrow Gate, a Path that never goes through the Valley of Self, but remains day-by-day clearly marked by the Beacon of God’s Truth.     AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus never lets any circumstance in our lives degrade into us losing ground to the enemy and therefore it is clearly God’s “Intent” that we see His Truth and use God’s Truth so that we can guard against attacks from the deceiver!  JQ#19 is an excellent example of the depth that God will go to Teach us that we must be on guard against these attacks from the enemy that the enemy launches by infecting us with a “virus” attached to our “good intentions”!!!  Though we “intend to do good” the “enemies virus” will actually create a distance between ourselves and God and in turn becomes a major victory for the enemy. Jesus is Teaching in JQ#19 the “eternal value of the soul” which is an eternal unique gift from God. We must continually be aware that if the enemy can cause us to not appreciate “God’s gift” then we are in effect not receiving the “gift” in a manner that “honors” the “Gift-Giver”. The enemy knows how much God desires for us to accept His “Gift” and to use it to defend against the attacks from the enemy — but this is a sad thing, that instead of using the “Gift” to defend ourselves from the enemy that we disrespect the “Gift” and end up aiding the enemy in his desire to keep us from God. This is a very fine point but if we do not “understand” its significance then we will suffer defeat from within and fall victim to the sin of disobedience and self-destruction. Jesus had commanded us when Teaching us about sharing the Love of the Father that we must pay close attention to not go the way of the world but to follow the example of Jesus and the Father as Jesus said: “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) And lest we overlook the fine print, remember that Jesus was Teaching us that by being obedient to the Father that we would be on the True Path and “…that [we] may be sons [and daughters] of [our] Father in heaven…” (Matthew 5:45). If we fail to read the “fine print” we will lose all the benefits of being “heirs to the kingdom” if we like Esau will sell our “birthright” for a bowl of stew to satisfy a worldly hunger. Selling our “spiritual birthright to the kingdom” is what we are doing if we do not keep on guard for the attack of the enemy from within ourselves as we think with all honorable intentions that God needs our limited finite abilities to work out a “Spiritual” problem for Him!?!?. This is why Jesus calls our attention to the fact that He “must … suffer many things … be killed … and be raised the third day …” (Matthew 16:21) and then why He reacted the way He did when Peter (with all good intentions succumbed to an attack from the enemy from within) as Peter “took [Jesus] aside and began to rebuke Him saying, ‘far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” (Matthew 16:22) Peter had been the one to whom God had revealed that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16)  and now here is Peter telling Jesus that the things that Jesus said “must” happen, “… shall not happen …” ?!? Definitely this is an attack from within and Jesus calls out the enemy post haste: “But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:23) Jesus makes it very clear in these three verses that we “MUST” be on guard from these internal attacks from the enemy that uses our “good intentions” as Trojan Horses to hurt our relationship with God. Do you not see that when we think we can “take control” of God’s Plan that we become an “offense” to God and can’t you hear the enemy laughing out loud at us and pointing his crooked little finger saying “Don’t look at me, you did it yourself” ?!?!? The Good News here is that Jesus won’t let that happen because He cannot be fooled by Satan like we can, and remember Jesus promised: “… and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” (Matthew 28:20)