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Behold!

9/14/2016

Behold!

   “Behold! The lamb of God.” John 1:29

  With these words, John pointed Jesus out for all to hear and see.

   “Behold,” is a forceful word, a command to “Pay attention,” “Look!”

His pronouncement is a powerful, earth-changing declaration: a call to attention …

John boldly declares, “He is the one!”

   “…Whose sandal straps I am not worthy to untie.” John 1:27

“…He surpasses me because he was before me.” John 1:30

“…I have seen and testify that this is God’s Chosen One.” John 1:34

“…I saw the Spirit come down from heaven and remain on him.” John 1:32

His announcement is barely noticed.

From all of John’s disciples, only two are mentioned who listened to his words. The others stayed with him to the end, failing to seek the one he so powerfully proclaimed.

   But two men took John’s staggering testimony to heart. They immediately left him for the one who had drawn such a powerful endorsement, “This is the Lamb of God.”

  They followed him for a time before Jesus faced them and initiated the encounter; he always does.

“What do you want?” John 1:38
   The question is an invitation, not a challenge.

   They had no answer. Confused all they could say was, “Where are you staying?”

It was enough.

They were hungry for a life in God, and Jesus had what would satisfy them.

  “Come and you will see.” John 1:39

And so the adventure began and it changed their lives forever.

If you follow him, he will ask you the same question, “What do you want?”
   It begins the conversation and the adventure

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Seeing Jesus

9/14/2016

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Seeing Jesus

   “Lord when did we see you hungry and thirsty…” Matthew 25:44

Jesus answered, “I am seen in anyone who is hungry, in anyone who is thirsty, I am in the needy, the stranger, the sick and the one in prison. That is where you see me.”

   When you look for Him in others, you also reveal Him to others.
   And He and the Father will reveal themselves to you. John 14:21

The very nature of your faith declares that you have an obligation to those who are lost, those who are your enemies, who hate you. Luke 6:27-30

As James so powerfully declares;
   “What good is it, …, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? .., faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:14-17

Your life is not counted by, "How much you believe" Or even by ”How much you pray" But by, ”How much you did for others”.
   Private prayer and faith are never persecuted, but the deeds they produce are.

  Jesus always acted on behalf of his “neighbors,” to the point of dying for them. To see Jesus, you must walk in the same spirit.
   And suddenly your neighbors are everywhere; all you need to do is look, and you will have an opportunity to minister to Jesus as he presents himself to you in one of His many of disguises.

   The beauty of your faith in action, is the delight it brings Him to see you being present on His behalf to another.
   Your goodness will draw out the hidden manna in them: a revelation of Jesus, the one who truly loves them.

In the sight of the Lord failing to do “Good” to another is an offense.

   Therefore, let us never tire of being kind and doing good, always aware of his delight in it.

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The Withered Hand

9/9/2016

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The Withered Hand

“Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.” Mark 3:4

   The Sabbath was a day to glorify God, but the people had turned it into a day of limitations, where even God’s glory would not be allowed to manifest.

“Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath.“ Mark 3:2

The withered hand was the trap. A deformity, the cause of deep grief, was used as bait to trap Jesus into breaking the law.
   Any deformity (spiritual, emotional, mental or physical) that keeps you on the fringes of community feels like living under a curse and must be confronted.
   Otherwise it becomes a life sentence of isolation and rejection.

   The leaders and the people had come to accept his condition: “It is the result of sin!” “This is the will of God!”

Any other answer would require their effort in seeking a solution which may upset their carefully developed theology that allowed them to stay uninvolved and “undefiled.”

   Their detached acceptance of the man’s condition prompts the question, "Is it legal, is it right to do good, to bring life on a day set aside for rest by God?”

   This is the question we all face. Is it right to ask God to extend grace and healing to those who for all intents and purposes are withering under a curse as a consequence of “Their Sin?”

   When faced with the confusing, the disturbing, the impossible, you can easily lose your confidence, and wonder,
“What can I do?”
   The question is an admission of unbelief and powerlessness.

   It is not so for Jesus. It never is.

   Jesus sees things differently. He always does.

   Where there is no fulness of life, there is no fulness of God, and he is driven by the heart of the Father to confront the situation.

He is a full blown agent of change. Anything less than the glory of God flowing through man is not acceptable.
   Receiving no answer to his question, he answered it by doing “Good”.

   “He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. “Mark 3:5

   The people's religious mindset caused their hardness of heart; they used the Word of God to justify their readiness to settle for less. It angered and grieved Jesus, and moved him to act.

Jesus’ actions bring an instant reaction; the Pharisees and the Herodians (religious and political leaders) immediately planned to destroy him.

“Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.” Mark 3:6

   They saw His actions as challenge to their religion, and they raged.

   When you do “Good" you release “life.” That is always a challenge to any form of limitation, spiritual or physical.

   Goodness begins to release people from that which holds them in bondage. Whatever their defects.
   Any withered “hand” is a call to do good.
   Against goodness, kindness there is no law, only opposition.

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Storms - Creators of Doubt

9/2/2016

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Storms Create  Doubt
   “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
   Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
   And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”  Matthew 14:29-32

   When you take your eyes off Jesus and focus on the storms in your life, you take your eyes off the only one who can calm them and you open the door to fear and doubt.

   Peter, a great man of faith, took his eyes off Jesus, and immediately began to sink, realizing that his ability and strength would not save him.

   Storms are big, violent and out of control events and are always alarming.

   When you are in the storm (an out of control circumstance), your tendency is to look for a solution, often in your own strength and wisdom.

   When you do, you take your eyes off the one who is the solution.

   In a moment Peter realized his helplessness and called out.     “Lord, save me!”

   Jesus pulled him out of the dire circumstance his doubt had caused saying, “Oh, you of little faith,”

   Even though Peter had shown more faith than the others, his faith took him out of the boat and he walked on water.

   Rather than praising Peter for his courage, however fleeting, Jesus rebukes him for his little faith.

   It was Peter’s double mindedness that brought him the rebuke.

   Peter "lost“ his confidence when he took his eyes off the source of faith and turned to what he knew - the storm, and its immediate danger.

   His loss of focus opened the door to doubt and fear.   "Why did you doubt?”

   He asks you the same question, ‘Why do you doubt?”

   You know the storms in your life, those things that cause you anxiety, fears and panic. The storms that easily overwhelm you and lead you into hopelessness and doubt.

   Your doubt exists only because your circumstances have become more powerful than Jesus.

   When Peter suddenly saw his circumstance, he panicked, even though Jesus was standing next to him.

   When your circumstances stir up your fear and worry, it is usually to take control and rob you of your faith.

Anything you submit to other than God, including your own abilities and strength, will move you into fear and doubt.
   Your faith in Jesus is the only tool you have to challenge and confront fear and doubt.

   “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

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Thinking Out Loud

These are short meditations on some of the thoughts and ideas we receive as we read, study or ponder the things of God.
They are short blogs meant to cause us to think, explore, meditate or simply delight in the things of the Lord.

Author

In a counseling career spanning over 30 years, author and teacher Martin Frankena has shared the life-changing power of Christ’s redemption with individuals and churches in America, Canada, South America, and Europe. Martin's heart is to further the Lord’s mandate of releasing people into freedom from bondages to experience greater wholeness and fulfillment in life. A major focus of the ministry is healing from generational issues.

Thinking out loud

Behold!

Seeing Jesus

The Withered Hand

Storms - Creators of Doubt

Thinking Out Loud

These are short meditations on some of the thoughts and ideas we receive as we read, study or ponder the things of God.
They are short blogs meant to cause us to think, explore, meditate or simply delight in the things of the Lord.

Author

Archives

Categories

Thinking out loud

Behold!

Seeing Jesus

The Withered Hand

Storms - Creators of Doubt

Thinking Out LoudThese are short meditations on some of the thoughts and ideas we receive as we read, study or ponder the things of God.They are short blogs meant to cause us to think, explore, meditate or simply delight in the things of the Lord.Author

Archives

Categories

Thinking Out Loud

These are short meditations on some of the thoughts and ideas we receive as we read, study or ponder the things of God.
They are short blogs meant to cause us to think, explore, meditate or simply delight in the things of the Lord.

Author