MARCH 28 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#11 “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” (Matthew 11:7)

MARCH 28  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#11 “What did you go out into the wilderness to see?” (Matthew 11:7)

LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Lord, another morning I awake and it is overwhelming to think that You ARE Lord and that You ARE right here to answer my prayers and concerns and provide for my daily bread. Lord, how did I live all those anxious years trying to make it through this valley of the shadow of death without You? Jesus, I will continue to lift up my praises to You for what You’ve already done, which is much more than I deserve, and I will give You Honor for the Grace You have given to me and the Mercy that You renew daily each morning. Lord, forgive me of all my shortcomings and strengthen me as I daily try to Glorify God.    AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is the Master Teacher and the previous Lesson the Master Taught using the sparrows and copper coin Question was Taught by the Son of God to make us aware of our “Spiritual value” to the kingdom and “our Father in heaven” — now Jesus is asking us another simple Question to make us aware of another Kingdom Truth and that Truth of God is that our “Spiritual expectations” of the Messiah affects our “spiritual vision”. A. W. Tozer in his book “The Knowledge of the Holy” addresses JQ#11 in a powerful way as Tozer titled the first chapter “Why We Must Think Rightly About God” and in his opening prayer to start Chapter 1 Tozer prays: “O Lord God Almighty, not the God of the philosophers and the wise but the God of the prophets and apostles…[those that do not know the True God] worship Thee as a creature of their own fancy…[but] enlighten our minds that we may know Thee as Thou art, so that we may perfectly love Thee and worthily praise Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen”.  Tozer’s first sentence in his insightful book is a most powerful thought about how important our “thinking” about who God really is and answers JQ#11 perfectly when Tozer writes: “What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”  Tozer in my mind is most likely answering the Jesus Question about our “spiritual expectations” of God with that opening prayer and his first sentence to open that first chapter; and if we look at the context in Matthew 11 immediately following JQ#11 found in Matthew 11:7-9 Jesus encourages our personal discipleship and prays to the Father: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.” (Matthew 11:25)  Tozer, if he intended it or not, is giving all the right answers to JQ#11 as he writes an entire book about who God really is and states in an opening prayer that we should know God as He reveals Himself to us and not the God conjured up by “[wise and prudent] philosophers”. Tozer says that we ourselves should “think rightly about God” and then Tozer makes it clear that the “most important thing about us” is what we “expect” from “God”. Just after Jesus had asked the multitudes, “What did you ‘expect’ to see?” He immediately draws our attention to great cities that would come under future judgement because they had different “Spiritual expectations” for the Messiah therefore they “saw” the Divine work of the Messiah but rejected “His mighty works…and did not repent!” (see Matthew 11:11-24) Then after Jesus announces the judgement on those that have “false expectations” of the Son of God, Father God, and the Holy Spirit, Jesus assures us that if we will accept Jesus as the Son of God sent by the Father as the True Messiah then Jesus will reveal Himself and the Father to us through the Holy Spirit of Truth! Jesus concludes that if we “Come to [Him],” then He will “give [us] rest”. Jesus concludes with this promise: “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:30) Be honest, were your “Expectations of Jesus”  to find “rest” for your troubled soul? Our “expectations” ARE directly linked to our “faith” and how often did Jesus say TO THOSE HE HEALED, “Your FAITH has made your well.”?