Luke 6:1-10 - Feed the hungry; forget about the rules.

At that time, Jesus was going through the grainfields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath?" And Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?" And he said to them, "The Son of man is lord of the sabbath." On another sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" And he looked around on them all, and said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored.

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It's all about the people.  In this passage in Luke we find people who are hungry and people who are in need of healing.  If we live lives that care only about rules than those who are created in the Image of God will suffer. If, like the Pharisees, we concentrate only on the law than we will miss following God's law which is to love our neighbors as ourselves. God's law is not to be ignored but, rather, fullfilled.

O Lord, help me this day to remember that those who You send in my path may need to be feed or may need healing. Help me not to care so much about rules and the proper way to do things but, rather, help me to feed my brothers and heal my brothers for surely this is the Will of God. Amen.

Luke 10:16-21 - The Humble have their names written in Heaven.

The Lord said to his disciples, "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me." The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name! " And he said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. " In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will."

Written in Heaven!
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The real reason why I should rejoice should have nothing to do with any success I may achieve in this life, whether in the temporal or spiritual realm. Yes, victories are great and, yes, it does give satisfaction for me to achieve something whether it be somehow helping another person, thus living out the Gospel or something of a personal nature, expanding upon my talents in someway. Yes, it is okay to be happy about that. But, how much more important it is to rejoice about my name being written in heaven, like those of the Apostles.

To think that God would take notice of me, sinful though I am. To think that God would want my name written in heaven.  How important it is to keep humble and realize that the Holy Spirit will not reveal Himself to the proud and arrogant man but to the one who is humble of heart~ humble like a child.

O Lord, how I desire to remain that humble so that I would see You. The proud and haughty man cannot see You, because they look to themselves. But I want to rejoice in You and see my name written in Your Kingdom. Help me to live like that today, I pray, Amen. 

Matthew 23:29-39 - Like a Hen gathering Chicks

The Lord said to the Jews who had come to him, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'

Hen gathers chicks
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The Lord is always going to tell the truth and in this passage He doesn't hesitate to call it like it is.The truth is that people who claim to be religious, who are the spiritually elite and who relish being looked up to as big-wigs in the Synagogue, are, in fact, children of hell. For they oppose the Kingdom of God and every time a true prophet of God comes along, they kill them for their message is against them.

Yet, the Lord longs to gather all who reject Him and wishes to care for them as a hen cares for its chicks, under her wings. So great is the compassion of the Lord and yet these chicks will not be gathered but instead will meet their own destruction.

O Lord, let my heart always be soft and may I always look to You who gathers those who will be gathered. Let me not be among those who oppose You for they will have no peace.  Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Matthew 5:14-19 - Let Your Light Shine

14

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15

Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

16

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

17

Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

18

For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

19

Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

The Light will be Noticed
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O Lord, it is hard to believe that I am a light. For, surely, too many times I allow darkness to overtake my soul and that darkness snuffs out the light.  But, Lord, I want the Light of Christ to shine forth through and in my life.  May others see that Light and give glory to Your Father.  Your Word, O Lord, is a Light to my path and Your commandments are Life everlasting! May I read, learn and inwardly digest Your commandments, O Lord, and may I teach others to follow them as well. For Lord, I surely do not want to be called least in Your Kingdom. Rather, may Your Light shine through me and my actions, illumining Christ for all to see. Amen.

Matthew 15:12-21 - External Cleanliness is NOT the Key!

At that time, the disciples came and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?" He answered, "Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain the parable to us." And he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a man; but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man." And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.

These Kids understand -external cleanliness not important
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What passes for unclean is not what you eat. Rather it is what comes out of your heart!  So to live "unclean" externally. i.e., by what you eat  does not necessarily mean that your heart is impure. Truly, it is out of the heart that all manner of evil proceeds. Hatred, bigotry, murder, sexual sins, lying and rage are not effected  by what you eat nor if your hands are clean when you are eating (all very important to the pharisees) - Indeed, any religious activity that I might deem important, is actually useless if my heart is unclean.

I must take stock of my heart and see what lies therein. I must make sure that I do not rely on religious activity but, rather, make sure my heart is not unclean. This can only come about by constant prayer, vigil and repentance, My life and attitude must be one of humble submission to God and His ways. Then, what comes from my heart will not be unclean.

O Lord, grant me a clean heart. May I not worry about external cleanliness as much as my heart's purity. Then only Love and Praise will show forth from my life and none of these sins.  Help, O Holy Spirit! Create in me, a clean heart, O God and renew a right spirit within me. Amen.

Matthew 9:18-26 - Reaching out in Faith

At that time, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples. And behold, a woman who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment; for she said to herself, "If I only touch his garment, I shall be made well." Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. And when Jesus came to the ruler's house, and saw the flute players, and the crowd making a tumult, he said, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.

A baby knows who to go you...so should we!
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How marvelous is the faith shown here. A rule, knowing his daughter had died, still knew that Jesus could raise her from the dead. On His way to the ruler's house, Jesus is touched by a woman who reached out in faith. She did not ask Jesus for healing but, instead, believed that just touching Jesus' garments would be enough to heal her hemorrhage, which she had been suffering for 12 years! The ruler believed. The women believed. And their faith was rewarded.

How in my life can I show that kind of faith?  Faith that looks at my own situation, knowing I cannot do anything about it and yet knowing that Jesus can! Will I take the actions necessary for my faith to "work?" Surely, the women would not have been healed had she not reached out and touched Jesus' clothes. Surely, the ruler's daughter would not have been raised if he had accepted dead as dead. Their actions, meager as they were, changed the whole situation.

O Lord, help me to take whatever actions I need to take to show my faith.  I can do nothing, Lord, except reach out to You. Like the woman with the issue of blood and like the ruler whose daughter had died, I can do nothing except go to You, Who is able to heal! Heal me, O Lord, and help me to live in faith. Amen.

Luke 21:12-19 - Your words are from the Spirit

The Lord said to his disciples, "Beware of men who will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony. Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives.

The Holy Spirit will give you the words....
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O Lord, give me Your Words by Your Holy Spirit. When confronted by evil or when ridiculed by those who oppose Your ways, let me not worry about what I shall say. Rather, may it be given my by Your Spirit. Then, Your Holy Name will be glorified, even in the midst of those who blaspheme You. And help me, I pray, to endure to the end for with my whole heart, I would serve You. Amen.

Mark 5:24-34 - Reach out and touch the Hem of His Garment!

At that time, a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease."

Reach out to the Right Person!
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 A woman who had suffered more than a decade and who had spent all her money trying to get herself cured, found no relief until she met Jesus. Being humble and knowing as an unclean woman, she should not touch anyone, let alone Jesus, she decided that she would reach out, in faith, and touch the hem of His garment. She believed that doing so would effect a healer for her and she was right! Jesus sensed that power had left her. He, in His humanity, didn't know who had touched her but, in His divinity, He had healed her.  He stopped everything so that the woman, besides being healed, could be commended for her faith.

It was the faith of the woman that healed her. Yes, of course, it was Jesus and the woman could not heal herself but her action, he understanding that there was only one place to go-to Jesus- in order to get healed; it was that which allowed the healing touch of God to flow to her.  

O Lord, make me a man of action. I know where to go to get healing but do I, like the woman with the issue of blood, do anything about it? Do I approach Jesus for healing, in prayer, in Bible reading, in attendance of Divine Services? Surely I know where to go but, help me I pray to take the necessary actions to encounter Jesus and His healing! Amen.

Matthew 11:27-30 - Resting Easy!

The Lord said to his disciples, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Taking a rest; good for the soul
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The Father is revealed to those whom to whom the Son wants to reveal.  And who does the Son want to reveal the Father to? Surely, His invitation is to all: Come to me, all who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest, says Jesus. He will reveal the Father to those who answer the call of their hearts, their overburdened and troubled hearts. Yet, if one would just take the yoke of Jesus upon himself, he would find rest in the Father. This rest is available to all; it is available to me.

O Lord, how I long to enter into Your rest and how I desire to know the Father. Help me to answer Your call and to take Your yoke upon me. For, surely, Your yoke, unlike the world's is delightful and good for the soul. Amen.

Mark 5:24-34 - Reaching Out to One who Cares

At that time, a great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, "If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well." And immediately the hemorrhage ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone forth from him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched my garments?" And his disciples said to him, "You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.

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O Lord, give me the faith of the woman with an issue of blood. She, in her desperation, knew of only one place to turn. In faith, she grabbed the hem of your garment and in faith she received the healing she desired. In Your Humanity, O Christ, You did not perceive who touched You, nor did you ascertain for whom Your power left Your body.  But, this woman, O Lord, seeing she could not keep her action a secret, fell at Your feet and sought Your Mercy.  Your Mercy, O Lord, is exactly what was received and Your healing touch endured as she left.  Grant that I might, this day, touch the hem of Your garment. In Faith, I prostrate myself before You, asking for Your healing for You, in Your Mercy, delight to heal those approach You in Faith. Amen.

Matthew 7:24-29; 8:1-4 - And Great is the Fall of it!

The Lord said, "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it." And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. When he came, down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean." And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them."

A house built on sand is like a house made of sand!
...it's not going to last!
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The Words that Jesus used when teaching the people were unlike another of His time. The teachers of the law quoted "the Fathers" and other learned people when they were trying to  prove their point. They pointed to the authority of someone else. But when Jesus speaks, He can speak of His own Authority, for it is rightfully His.  Happy is the man who follows the Words of Jesus, Who, speaking from a position of Authority, can deliver to us, life-giving Words.

Jesus taught that Words were, indeed, life-giving and if we would heed them, our lives would be like a house that was built upon a strong foundation. Yet, the person who ignores Jesus and all of His teaching will not stand when the storm comes because his house is built upon shifting sand. The wind will blow, the rain will come and the house will fall. And great will be that fall! How much better it is to have a house built upon the strong foundation of Jesus' Words and commandments. For when storms come (and they will) that person shall endure, in Hope and in God's Faithfulness.

O Lord, I do not want to have my house collapse around me! Help me to follow You and Your teachings, knowing that such a strong foundation will support me in all times! This day, O Lord, help me to meditate on the house that stood and the house that fell and, in Your mercy, let my house stand! Amen.