AUGUST 01 THE JESUS QUESTIONS
JQ#23
“What do you want Me to do for you?”
(Matthew 20:32)
LIVING FOR JESUS Daily Prayer
JESUS, I find myself once again completely amazed at how You
have brought all the circumstances of my life together into a single
purpose and it is obvious that indeed everything in my life of following
You will work together for the best ——— and the unspoken blessing
is Your Unconditional Love that drives it all, Your Love is at the center
of it all, and Your Love is becoming my all in all — Lord, whatever happens
in terms of earthly circumstances is of no consequence as long as it
is Your Love consuming my old worldly self and the Light of Your Love
is leading this old sinner down the paths of righteousness. Lord forgive
me of all my earthly weaknesses that have caused me to worry and
to take my eyes off the Heavenly Prize of Your Calling, even for a
single second or even for a passing glance at my old life, keep me always
singing Your Words that Your Holy Spirit gave to me as You led me
to write these lyrics:
Remember My Word, And all that you’ve heard,
Believe that the Father sent Me,
That I came to Save, Put Death in the Grave,
My Blood won the Victory,
Because I’m Risen, Your sins are Forgiven,
For all Eternity,
I drank the Cup that the Father filled up,
And I died to set you Free ———
My Blood will Wash you Clean!”
{Chorus from “Grain of Wheat”}.
AMEN
THE JESUS QUESTIONS
Jesus begins JQ#23 by once again telling His disciples that
His purpose for His “living in the flesh”
will be His “dying on the cross”
so that the Glory of God will be demonstrated when
Jesus the Son of God through the Power of the Holy Spirit
is Resurrected on the “third day” by God the Father!!!
Jesus reminds us about the centerpiece of
His Purpose
and then immediately Teaches that how we respond to the
Truth of God that Forgiveness of Sins
is the primary mission of Jesus becoming flesh
and how
His Purpose
impacts our eternity because the
Resurrection of the Son by the Father and
His ascension
into heaven to intercede on our behalf
is the cornerstone of our Faith!
There is significance to the
“Resurrection Prophecy”
and to the place where the prophecy will be fulfilled, Jerusalem!
Matthew records:
“Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples
aside on the road and said to them,
‘Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man
will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes;
and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles
to mock and to scourge and to crucify.
And the third day He will rise again.’”
(Matthew 20:17)
Jesus again Taught a very valuable Kingdom Lesson to the disciples
who seemed to always turn to thoughts of their own glory every time
Jesus revealed that
in the Resurrection that it was God who would be glorified
and not Himself and certainly not the disciples
— in Galilee Jesus had reminded them that
“The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,
and they will kill Him, and the
third day He will be raised up.”
(Matthew 17:22)
Immediately the disciples came to Jesus and asked
“Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
and Jesus Taught that
“unless you are converted and become as little children,
you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
(Matthew 18:1-3)
Then later Jesus Taught the parable of the landowner
after reminding the disciples that the Resurrection would be a
“regeneration when the Son of Man
sits on the throne of His Glory”
and that it is God Himself
who calls all the followers of Jesus to enter into His
“Labor”
(Matthew 19:28)
and concludes the parable stating
“So the last will be first, and the first last.
For many are called but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 20:16)
But now the disciples are in Jerusalem
with Jesus and when He says
the Son of Man will die and be
“resurrected on the third day”
that the disciples again turn their thoughts to
what are “they” going to get when Jesus goes to heaven?
This time the issue was actually raised
by the mother of James and John
as she requested that Jesus allow them to
“sit [with Jesus], one on Your right hand
and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.”
(Matthew 20:21)
Jesus started His Lesson
on what the disciples true responsibilities would be as
He turned and asked the mother
JQ#23a, “What do you wish?”
(Matthew 20:21)
and when she asked for her sons to be honored by Him, Jesus replied,
“…you do not know what you ask…”
(Matthew 20:22)
Jesus begins Teaching how we should respond to the
Truth of God
that even though His death on a cross was for the Forgiveness of our sins,
that it should be viewed from the perspective that
Forgiveness of Sins is in Truth
all about the Glory of God
in bestowing “Grace”
on our undeserving lives
and certainly not to elevate us to a position of “honor” but should
instill in us “humility”!
Mankind has and always will try to take credit
for ourselves instead of giving God the glory!
Just stop and think then how important it is
to look at our motivation
for asking Jesus for anything at all,
for He knows your thoughts
and the desires of your heart
so He will know the “Truth”
when you have to answer Him
when He asks you,
“What do you want Me to do for you?”
(Matthew 20:32)
