Psalm 10:17-18 (ESV)
“[17] “O LORD, YOU HEAR THE DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED”
YOU will STRENGTHEN their heart; YOU WILL INCLINE YOUR EAR
[18] TO DO JUSTICE TO THE FATHERLESS AND THE OPPRESSED,
so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
NO COMMENTARY is forthcoming when HIS WORD speaks so plainly to this humble servant!!!
“O LORD, YOU HEAR THE DESIRE OF THE AFFLICTED” (humble; helpless; poor)!!!
Matthew 22:34-40 (ESV)
The Great Commandment
“[34] But when the Pharisees heard that HE HAD SILENCED the Sadducees, they gathered together. [35] And one of them, a lawyer, asked HIM a question to test HIM. [36] “TEACHER, which is the great commandment in the Law?” [37] And HE said to HIM, “”YOU SHALL LOVE” the LORD your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: “YOU SHALL LOVE” your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
The Pharisees and Sadducees were known for NOT being humble! They wouldn’t SUBMIT themselves to JESUS (GOD IN THE FLESH) but rather CHOSE to submit themselves to the Roman authorities.
Are we any better? We elect to PICK and CHOOSE which laws we think are best to obey, and JESUS says “YOU SHALL LOVE” is the great commandment of the Law! Not only to LOVE the LORD your GOD, but also LOVE our neighbor as ourselves!
JESUS left Heaven and lived in “this world” for 30+ years before paying for our sins on Calvary! HE did it all as a display of “YOU SHALL LOVE”!!!
Acts 17:24-28 (ESV)
“[24] The GOD WHO MADE THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT, being LORD of heaven and earth, DOES NOT live in temples made by man, [25] nor is HE served by human hands, as though HE needed anything, since HE HIMSELF GIVES TO ALL MANKIND LIFE AND BREATH AND EVERYTHING. [26] And HE MADE from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, [27] that they should seek GOD, and perhaps feel their way toward HIM and find HIM. Yet HE is actually NOT FAR FROM EACH ONE OF US, [28] for
“‘In HIM we live and move and have our being’;
as even some of your own poets have said,
“‘For we are indeed HIS offspring.’”
Matthew 8:23-27 (ESV)
JESUS Calms a Storm
“[23] And when HE got into the boat, “HIS DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM”. [24] And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but HE was asleep. [25] And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, LORD; we are perishing.” [26] And HE said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then HE rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. [27] And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that EVEN WINDS AND SEA OBEY HIM?””
Briefly this morning, although this is the same passage of Scripture shared in my previous devotional, there are MANY lessons that need to be learned from them.
“HIS DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM” plainly tells us that the CHOSEN FOLLOWED JESUS! We NOW know that they were headed to a “great storm”, but they had THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES in their midst, so why would they panic???
We need to always REMEMBER that JESUS will never leave us NOR FORSAKE US (Hebrews 13:5)! “HIS DISCIPLES FOLLOWED HIM” should be easy because of HIS PROMISE? We just need to REMEMBER what HE said!!!
Matthew 8:23-27 (ESV)
JESUS Calms a Storm
“[23] And when HE got into the boat, HIS disciples followed HIM. [24] And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but HE was asleep. [25] And they went and woke him, saying, “SAVE US, LORD; we are perishing.” [26] And HE said to them, “Why are you afraid, “O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH”?” Then HE rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, AND THERE WAS GREAT CALM. [27] And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey HIM?””
“The disciples” were CHOSEN (hand picked) by JESUS when he began HIS ministry. The occupations of many of the disciples was fishermen, so they were accustomed to “the storms” of life. But their FAITH had to be strengthened by THE CREATOR to serve HIM the way HE needed them to, displaying HIS ability and OMNISCIENCE to deliver them through any “storm”!
JESUS and HIS disciples had finished performing MANY miracles near and in Capernaum. A few verses earlier (v14), Scriptures record JESUS entering the house of Peter and healing his mother in law from a “fever”, and she rose and began to serve HIM! Why didn’t HIS disciples SEE that JESUS healed this lady so fully and completely that she was able (and willing!) to begin serving HIM immediately???
Only a brief time later, JESUS and HIS disciples got into a boat to “go to the other side” of the Sea of Galilee! Storms are “common” on the Sea of Galilee, something that THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSES undoubtedly understood. Why did JESUS desire to traverse a body of water where severe storms were common? Maybe because HE KNEW that HIS disciples needed to SEE HIM delivering them from the forces of “nature” and display that HE controls those forces?!?
“Why are you afraid, “O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH”?” is something that I need to be asked from time to time. The morning before the heart surgery in 2017, I was tired and emotional. My sons hugged my neck, then my wife kissed me and hugged me! I cried like a baby for a minute, but then it was as if JESUS said “O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH”, I’ve got you bubba! Within two weeks of the surgery I was walking two miles with NO problems! “Why are you afraid, “O YOU OF LITTLE FAITH”?” has a TOTALLY different meaning on the other side of the storm!!!
Romans 8:9-11 (ESV)
“[9] You, however, are not in the flesh but IN THE SPIRIT, if in fact the “SPIRIT OF GOD” dwells in you. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST DOES NOT BELONG TO HIM. [10] But if CHRIST is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the SPIRIT is life because of righteousness. [11] If the SPIRIT of HIM WHO raised JESUS from the dead dwells in you, HE WHO raised CHRIST JESUS from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through HIS SPIRIT WHO dwells in you.”
Recently I watched a video of a famous man at a professional sporting event with his approximately 10 year old son. The son didn’t have to be concerned with security because he was with his father who was known by all, because he was a celebrity. The son just walked behind his famous father who was welcomed because of his celebrity.
As Believers, we have the “SPIRIT OF GOD”LIVING inside of our very bodies! ANYONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST DOES NOT BELONG TO HIM according to the passage of Scripture above. Then why do we CHOOSE to live in DEFEAT, failing to acknowledge WHO is living within our very bodies?? John 10:10 says “the enemy” comes to steal, kill, and destroy, so it is the mission of the devil to prevent us from SEEING precisely WHO we are IN JESUS!!! We MUST NOT surrender ourselves to the enemy for his defeat to our SAVIOR has already been accomplished!
Acknowledging WHO we have living inside of us is PRECISELY what “the enemy” wants us to avoid! Having us live in defeat is a level of victory for him that he can only achieve through our refusal to accept his defeat and our VICTORY through JESUS CHRIST! Because of the miraculous work of JESUS, we have the “SPIRIT OF GOD” living inside of us. We need to be more expectant about letting that be known to anyone HE places on our hearts!
Like the son I witnessed walking behind his father in the above statement, we have the protection of our HEAVENLY FATHER through the “SPIRIT OF GOD” living inside of us! Fear of rejection should not enter our minds. FATHER IN HEAVEN, I pray that I will readily profess that the “SPIRIT OF GOD” lives in me and THAT is all that matters!!!
Psalm 103:8-10 (ESV)
“[8] “THE LORD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS”,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast LOVE.
[9] HE will not always chide,
nor will HE keep HIS anger forever.
[10] HE does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.”
“THE LORD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS” is a statement that says FAR MORE than mankind can fully comprehend. “HE does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” is something that is seldom contemplated by we who are “not righteous” (Romans 3:10)! Why does anyone EVER think that they “deserve” better? If we received what we “deserved”, I would have been dead a LONG TIME AGO, as I am certain that ALL OF US would be???
“THE LORD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS” is not something that we should read over in haste, without allowing THE WORD to penetrate our hearts and minds! “Abounding in steadfast LOVE” needs to be focused on as well. Why does HE LOVE me so much, and how do I deserve such MERCY and GRACE?? Because JESUS CHRIST lives within me is the ONLY reason I can imagine! “THE LORD IS MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS” not because I am worthy, but because JESUS IS WORTHY!!!
