AUGUST 14 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#24 “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?”” (Matthew 21:25)

 AUGUST 14  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#24  “Is the power and authority of baptism from heaven or from men?””  (Matthew 21:25)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, I pray for Your Holy Spirit to direct my steps today and keep me focused on finishing well — Lord I know that even though they are “good intentions” on my part, far to often do I let my “good intentions” draw my focus off the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and then before I know it, I am blindsided with my own “good intentions” and find I have drifted from the “main thing” towards “self” again, it is slow, it is a subtle drift, but it is a drift “away” and Lord I pray that Your Spirit will warn me when I start drifting to “self” for the results are never good, regardless of my intentions — I have surrendered to Your Way and pray to remain surrendered to Your Will, completely!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus clearly never Taught a Lesson without first “living the answer” ——— with “Supreme” confidence can a “follower” step in THE FOOTPRINTS OF CHRIST and KNOW THEY LEAD THE “WAY” TO THE FATHER! When we read that Jesus cleansed the temple of God in Jerusalem, we can see the Messiah executing the will of the Father in the Father’s temple, and when Jesus is attacked after healing and forgiving sins in the midst of the temple that He had just cleaned, we can see the Son of God declaring “Have you not read [My Father’s words]?” (Matthew 21:16) so then we must know that there is a deep spiritual message when “[Jesus] left them and went out of [Jerusalem] to Bethany, and He lodged there.” (Matthew 21:17) Jesus had made a Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, He then cleansed the temple by driving out the moneychangers and after reclaiming the temple for its rightful purpose and establishing the temple as a “house of prayer”, the temple filled with multitudes needing healing of various types “and [Jesus] healed them.” (Matthew 21:14) Then when Jesus, the very Son of God, was attacked for doing the Father’s work, in the Father’s house, in the Father’s city, Jesus rebuked them and sent them away and one might expect that once Jesus got things in order there in Jerusalem that He would have “lodged” there but no, Jesus went out the Eastern Gate, walked through the Garden of Gethsemane and across the Kidron Valley for about 30 minutes and then up the ridge at Olivet into the small village of Bethany on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives — and Jesus found lodging there instead of “downtown Jerusalem”!  Jesus was always letting His life show the “priorities” that He consistently used to guide His actions and in this particular case, the fact that Jesus preferred staying in a humble abode in Bethany instead of some lavish room in Jerusalem spoke volumes ——— for there were some circumstances existing in Bethany that caused Jesus to take the walk “out of the city”, across the Kidron Valley into Bethany and “lodge” there instead! There is much to be considered here if one is a follower of Jesus or if one is a defender of the “doctrines of men”. There was something or someone in Bethany that made the Savior, the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the Son of David want to “lodge there”. If we want Jesus to come “lodge” with us it would be good to know what it was in Bethany that was so appealing to our Lord. On the other hand, if you don’t want to open your house and home to Jesus then you might hang a sign out that says “There’s NO ROOM in the Inn” or flash a big “NO VACANCY” sign and point out to Jesus that His room in Jerusalem was already “rented out”!  Before we head back to Jerusalem, don’t you think it would be a good idea to find out what drew Jesus to “lodge in Bethany”?!?!?