November 9: Yes to the Flesh Brings Regrets!
Mark 10: 13-30
Amplified Bible (AMP)
13 And they kept bringing young children to Him that He might touch them, and the disciples were reproving them [for it].
14 But when Jesus saw [it], He was indignant and pained and said to them, Allow the children to come to Me—do not forbid or prevent or hinder them—for to such belongs the kingdom of God.
15 Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive and accept and welcome the kingdom of God like a little child [does] positively shall not enter it at all.
16 And He took them [the children up one by one] in His arms and [[i]fervently invoked a] blessing, placing His hands upon them.
17 And as He was setting out on His journey, a man ran up and knelt before Him and asked Him, Teacher, [You are essentially and perfectly morally] good, what must I do to inherit eternal life [that is, to partake of eternal salvation in the Messiah’s kingdom]?
18 And Jesus said to him, Why do you call Me [essentially and perfectly morally] good? There is no one [essentially and perfectly morally] good—except God alone.
19 You know the commandments: Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.
20 And he replied to Him, Teacher, I have carefully guarded and observed all these and taken care not to violate them from my boyhood.
21 And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him, and He said to him, You lack one thing; go and sell all you have and give [the money] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come [and] accompany Me [walking the same road that I walk].
22 At that saying the man’s countenance fell and was gloomy, and he went away grieved andsorrowing, for he was holding great possessions.
23 And Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, With what difficulty will those who possess wealth and keep on holding it enter the kingdom of God!
24 And the disciples were amazed and bewildered and perplexed at His words. But Jesus said to them again, Children, how hard it is for those who trust (place their confidence, their sense of safety) in riches to enter the kingdom of God!
25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
26 And they were shocked and exceedingly astonished, and said to Him and to one another, Then who can be saved?
27 Jesus glanced around at them and said, With men [it is] impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.
28 Peter started to say to Him, Behold, we have yielded up and abandoned everything [once and for all and joined You as Your disciples, siding with Your party] and accompanied You [walking the same road that You walk].
29 Jesus said, Truly I tell you, there is no one who has given up and left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for My sake and for the Gospel’s
30 Who will not receive a hundred times as much now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life.
31 But many [who are now] first will be last [then], and many [who are now] last will be first [then].
Seven nuggets of truth gleaned from this passage:
1. Before I jump in and try to help or take over, I need to hang back and observe. The situation may not be as it seems.
2. Be nice to children. Take time for them. Look into their eyes.
3. I must have childlike belief if I want to enter the kingdom of God! if I don't, I wont!
4. I must forsake whatever is most dear to me in order to enter the kingdom of God. If I dont, I won't.
5. The impossible is possible with God!!!
6. If I give up all (houses, lands, relationships), I will receive a hundred times more than I had! Yes, thats what it says!
Hey, are relationships standing in the way of eternal life with Jesus? Sure, you will HURT when they turn their back on you because of Jesus. PAIN! AND MORE PAIN! OUCH! A BROKEN HEART!
But when it's all over, you will find deep, lasting, meaningful relationships. People who really love you. People who really want to be with you. You will realize you were being used before. You will actually LAUGH. And praise God He brought you out, away from those awful chains that were KEEPING you from Him and life eternal!
7. If I push to be first, I will end up being last. If I drop back and let others take the limelight or the best portions, I will end up being first! Not just in heaven, but also in this life! Yes, it's true!
I must continuously strive to go against what my flesh is demanding. When I say no to the flesh, I am soooooo glad I did. When I say yes to the flesh, I always have regrets. At first, everything seems fine and feels good! But later I am crying tears of regret. Every time!
Luke 19:1-10
Amplified Bible (AMP)
19 And [Jesus] entered Jericho and was passing through it.
2 And there was a man called Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, and [he was] rich.
3 And he was trying to see Jesus, which One He was, but he could not on account of the crowd, because he was small in stature.
4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass that way.
5 And when Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.
6 So he hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully.
7 And when the people saw it, they all muttered among themselves and indignantly complained, He has gone in to be the guest of and lodge with a man who is devoted to sin and preeminently a sinner.
8 So then Zacchaeus stood up and solemnly declared to the Lord, See, Lord, the half of my goods I [now] give [by way of restoration] to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone out of anything, I [now] restore four times as much.
9 And Jesus said to him, Today is [Messianic and spiritual] salvation come to [all the members of] this household, since Zacchaeus too is a [real spiritual] son of Abraham;
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.
This rich man did the right thing! He was desperate to see Jesus. He got Jesus' attention. He then repented and changed his ways!
Mark 10:46-52
Amplified Bible (AMP)
46 Then they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, a son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.
47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, saying, Jesus, Son of David, have pity and mercy on me [now]!
48 And many severely censured and reproved him, telling him to keep still, but he kept on shouting out all the more, You Son of David, have pity and mercy on me [now]!
49 And Jesus stopped and said, Call him. And they called the blind man, telling him, Take courage! Get up! He is calling you.
50 And throwing off his outer garment, he leaped up and came to Jesus.
51 And Jesus said to him, What do you want Me to do for you? And the blind man said to Him, Master, let me receive my sight.
52 And Jesus said to him, Go your way; your faith has healed you. And at once he received his sight and accompanied Jesus on the road.
Another desperate man finds Jesus! Hallelujah! One dominant theme throughout the Bible is this: Desperate people find Jesus. Comfortable people do not. Plain and simple.
"Dear Jesus, Wow. How can I do this? I must not have a "me first" attitude, but at the same time, I must be desperate for You. I must not be seeking for position and status, and yet I must push through all the people and noise to get to You! I must not be always trying to gain recognition, and yet I must be willing to do crazy things to get Your attention, like Zachheus and Bartimaeus. Sounds a little tricky to me, but I know I can figure it out with Your help. I love You sooooo much, Jesus. To You be all the honor and glory, AMEN."
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