Entitlement
I need You this day, Father, as I do every day. Help me to seek You out in all I do. Help to listen and to obey. Amen.
Matthew 8:10-12 (<<click the green)
Entitlement: the belief that one is inherently deserving of privileges or special treatment.
More and more this is becoming an enormous issue in our society. On the highways – “Stop signs? Oh, they don’t pertain to me; if I can squeak out into traffic, why stop? Or even slow down for that matter?” At the department stores – “I don’t care if my coupon expired last week (or doesn’t start until next week), I demand that you honor it today!”
These are just too small examples but our culture is replete with individuals who believe there are entitled to what’s coming to them and what they think is coming to them! I want it and I want it now! (Reminds me of Violet in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory – her entitlement turned her into a giant blueberry!)
That may be how the world thinks but, spiritually, entitlement does not factor in at all. It makes no difference who we are, what our heritage is, or what we think we have coming to us. What matters is a relationship with Christ. Our salvation is found in Him and Him alone.
Lord, that is what You very clearly communicate as You are interacting with the centurion. Your Kingdom is for everyone, and even though there are some for whom the Kingdom is prepared in particular, if we don’t have a relationship with You we “will be thrown into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
May I never get away from the fact that I am dependent upon Your grace and mercy in getting into Your Kingdom, Lord. I cannot earn it and I am definitely not entitled to it. It all is by Your generous hand.
Feb 23rd, 2018, Fri, 5:30 am
Amazed!
It has been a busy day, Father, and unfortunately, I did not get right at it bright and early this morning. I thank You though for the opportunity to spend some quality time with Karen and for a productive day at work. Help me to listen to what You have for me in our time together. Amen.
Matthew 8:5-13 (<<click the green)
In my mind, I don’t come close to being any kind of trained Biblical scholar. What God has graciously given me, I have mainly gleaned from reading and listening to His written word and then being open to what He has to share with me about it. And I willingly acknowledge that every time I do so, God lovingly has more to share, taking me deeper and deeper still.
In this passage, it has never registered with my brain that “Jesus…was amazed.” v10 I don’t think He was surprised – how can one surprise Someone who knows absolutely everything! But as I did a bit of research I learned that Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines the word “amazed” to mean “to wonder; by implication, to admire:–admire, have in admiration, marvel, wonder.” (#2296)
Can you imagine causing the Creator of the entire universe – in all of its beauty and awe-inspiring diversity and intricacy – can you imagine causing Him to admire, marvel and wonder at something you did? Now, this is relatively early on in Jesus’ ministry but already He had seen more than enough faithless hearts. People who should have known Him and who He was and what He was all about were either oblivious or in outright opposition to Him. And here out of the blue, an obvious “enemy of the state” by virtue of his position in the oppressive regime now ruling Israel, comes forward and shows that he totally gets who Jesus is! As the NIV Quest Study Bible Notes puts it “Jesus was amazed that this Gentile seemed more spiritually aware than most Jews seemed to be.”
Lord, I would ask that I might become more spiritually aware. I would ask that You would help me exclaim with the desperate father in Mark 9:23-25, as he “said with tears, ‘Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!’” So many need to know of You, use me to do Your will today and every day! Amen and Amen!
Feb 21st, 2018, Wed, 9:06 pm
Touch of Compassion
Father, there are many things going through my mind this morning – personal struggles, heartaches for others, just the wear and tear of the world. May I feel Your presence today. May I hear You speaking to my heart. May I live every moment for You today. Amen.
Matthew 8:1-4 (<<click the green)
Many years ago I remember hearing the tragic outcome of an act of compassion. A pastoral acquaintance of mine had gone on a mission trip outside the country. After a day of labor this pastor, in his interactions with local peoples, came across a man who was very ill. If I remember correctly the man was lying on the ground. The pastor, in an act of kindness and love, stooped down in order to help the man in his predicament, picking him up. When he did so he discovered that the man’s back was covered in blood. The man was suffering from AIDS and the pastor unknowingly had exposed himself to a death sentence through the abrasions on his own hands from his day of labor and his act of love.
Lord, in today’s passage You didn’t let a potentially contagious disease stop You from reaching out and touching someone who needed You. There is no mention of revulsion or hesitancy. You didn’t have to touch him, You could’ve just spoken his healing into existence but You placed Your hand on a man whom probably no one had touched for a very long time – he was an outcast, rejected from society. You communicated more than just Your ability to heal – You communicated love and compassion.
I don’t know what this day may hold, or the next or the next but Lord, I would ask for Your compassion. May I be a true reflection of You in a world that so desperately needs to feel the touch of acceptance and love that in reality comes only from You. Amen.
Feb 20th, 2018, Tues, 6:39 am
I May Seem Small…
I am grateful for answered prayers, Father. Your presence was felt in worship, in travel and as we gathered with family. Thank You for never leaving nor forsaking me. From a human perspective, You would have done that long ago but You are my heavenly Father and love me more than I could ever begin to comprehend. Praise Your holy name!
Matthew 7:28-29 (<<click the green)
Lord Jesus, reading through this passage makes me think of the responsibility You have laid upon my shoulders. It is a privilege and an honor to serve You in proclaiming Your word. In the eyes of the world – and possibly in the eyes of the Church – I am small and relatively insignificant. But that fades into insignificance when You stand by my side. When I preach, it is not just me – and it is my heart’s desire that that will always be the case – but You are with me. You take the little I have to offer and You fill it out to its entirety! And You are not just active on the delivering end, You are on the receiving end as well, aiding those who are hearing to hear what You need them to hear.
As I read Your Word each day I too am “astonished and overwhelmed at [Your] teaching.” As I have communicated a couple of times now in our Bible Study at church, I don’t know how many times I have read or listened to the Gospels but this time through I am seeing things that I have not seen quite this way before. You make “all things new” (Revelation 21:5). Your word may be thousands of years old but there is always something to learn. I am Your humble student. “Speak, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
Feb 19th,2018, Mon, 6”19 am
House of Cards
Today is going to be a very busy day, Father. I would ask for Your palpable presence in worship – may we hear Your word clearly and may we take action on it. And as we travel to visit family today, I would ask for Your hedge of protection about us – may we love to the fullest and arrive home once safe and sound. Amen.
Matthew 7:24-27 (<<click the green)
Lord, as I read this familiar portion of Your teachings many things flit through my mind. The study notes in my Bible* make me pause and think as well.
It should not be the case but one of the hardest things for many of us who would consider themselves Your followers is to share our faith in You with others. One thing that stops us in our tracks is the fear of negative repercussions. We fear that they will blow up. We fear that we won’t have all the answers to their questions. In all honesty, we fear that we might lose our friend by offending them in some way.
In many, many ways our excuses are unfounded. And we have extremely important information – life changing information! – eternally impacting information! – that absolutely must be shared!
As You wrap up Your Sermon on the Mount, You share a very simple parable. The individuals in it “both build…both hear [Your] teaching, and…both share the same set of circumstances in life.” And as my study Bible continues, “The difference between them isn’t caused by ignorance but by one ignoring what You said.”
The second study note paints a very clear picture that I can’t say any better.
“Like a house of cards, the fool’s life crumbles. Most people do not deliberately seek to build on a false or inferior foundation; instead, they just don’t think about their life’s purpose. Many people are headed for destruction, not out of stubbornness but out of thoughtlessness. Part of our responsibility as believers is to help others stop and think about where their lives are headed and to point out the consequences of ignoring Christ’s message.”
Lord, please burden my heart for my friends, family, and acquaintances that don’t know You personally. Give me the courage and wisdom I need to convey who You are to me so they might see You through how I live and in what I have to share – verbally – about You. Amen.
*Life Application Study Bible New Living Translation
Feb 18th, 2018, Sun, 6:36 am