Thursday, October 16, 2014

Life and Death are Truly in the Tongue

Journal Thursday, October 16, 2014



Scripture
Mark 6:23New King James Version (NKJV)
23 He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

Observation
John the Baptist warned Herod and his wife Herodias about their illegal marriage. She left her husband, Herod’s brother, to marry him. John warned them about their sin, but instead of taking heed, Herodias wanted to suppress the message. In this famous scene Herod, promises half of his kingdom to Herodias’ daughter because he was pleased with her dance. 

Herod spoke impulsively (a trait also attributed to King Saul in 1 Samuel). He was under Roman rule and was a figure head at best. He actually had no kingdom to offer. Herod was a man driven to impress people and here his words trapped him. Herodias’ daughter asked for the head of John the Baptist — a man he did not want to kill.

Application
Here is an example where life and death is actually in the tongue. Herod trapped himself by being concerned about impressing his guest. To not concur with the request would have caused him to loose credibility and weaken his position as ruler. He could have repented and put his life in the hands of God, but the words he spoke made it too difficult for him. He felt forced to heap on another level of evil to his life because he was bound by the impulsive words that he spoke.

Prayer

Lord help me measure my words carefully. Please save me from the temptation of worrying about the opinions of others to the point that I make unwanted compromises. Help me to listen and follow your commands, not just be entertained by them. Amen

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Sometimes God is Late

Tuesday 10/14/2014


Sometimes God is Late
Scripture Luke 8:50 NLT 
    But when Jesus heard what had happened, he said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”

Jairus was desperate for his daughter to be healed. There was a real sense of urgency when he asked Christ to come with him. He must have been very concerned and had mixed feelings when a woman touched Jesus’ robe and received her healing. We often separate these stories but they go very much together. As Jesus conversed with this woman  Jairus must have been thinking, “Couldn’t this wait?” Panic must have been growing in him as Jesus stopped to look for the woman. Every precious second waisted could mean the end of his daughter's life.  Suddenly his worse fears were realized — his daughter was dead. They were too late. I wonder if he screamed in agony at this horrible loss. I can only imagine the feeling of despair as he hears those words "don't bother the teacher any more ... " It was over now. Jesus was late and the situation was hopeless. 

Suddenly Jesus spoke to him, "Don't be afraid..." At this point he had a moment of decision. Did Jesus let him down? Did He neglect his daughter or could he trust Him once more? Taking the huge step to trust in Christ, he received his daughter back form the dead!

God isn’t always on time, sometimes he is late. He has total control of life and of time. It appeared like one woman's healing would mean death for Jarius’ daughter but Jarius received a greater miracle then he could have imaged. What seemed like Jesus ignoring his need, provided an avenue for a greater blessing. We must be careful about being jealous of the blessings that others receive. They are not a deterrent to us receiving a blessing but are meant to be a faith builder for us. We need not fear the waiting but trust in Christ. 

Can we trust God even when He is late?

Lord help us to be patient. We know a great healing and a blessings are coming. We choose to trust you one more time!