Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.
Scripture- “Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town and in his own home.” -Matthew 13:54-57
Insight: Are we too busy to even notice God anymore? Would we even notice or care if the Son of Man himself walked down the middle of the road? Would we run to him in joy to celebrate His return? Or would our shame even allow us to come to Him if he invited us to dine with Him that night at our house, like He did with Zacchaeus in Luke 19:5-6 or would we turn quickly away and seek out our own version of pleasure? Would we rather watch the NFL game of the week or spend an hour in the presence of Jesus? Do we even seek His wisdom anymore, the wisdom that keeps us out of all kinds of trouble? I heard it said once that “true wisdom is keeping yourselves out of situations that require it.” I have found in my life I can only do that when I am closest to Jesus. Otherwise, all the things that my flesh desires more than anything leads to my destruction. Partying, sex, affirmation, money, power. Without Christ at the very center of my life, I easily gravitate to these things that destroy me.
We must understand we are in a fierce battle for our soul, whether we realize it or not. Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Satan is always tempting, always scheming new ways to destroy us. 1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” The enemy always shows us the worm, the allures of this world, but never the hook, the terrible consequences that follow our fleshly desires. He is crafty and clever, and only walking closely to Jesus, reading His Word in the Bible, praying and being in close fellowship with other believers can protect us. Besides, as I have gotten older, I have found all the lesser things the world has to offer never satisfy the deep longings of my soul. They only leave me empty and worse off than before. It can be a roller-coaster ride that is hard to get off, but turning away from following the false promises of this world, and instead turning to the soul quenching peace and contentment that comes from knowing our Crucified Christ is so much better.
Jesus could not even get a welcome reception in his own hometown, as the scripture above says, so nothing should surprise us today. People are more distracted today than ever before, and the media has assaulted us with false messaging about our need to be strict rulers of the kingdom of self, which is heavily defended territory, and only leaves us empty, angry and disillusioned. But nothing has really changed. People were skeptical and cynical back when Jesus walked on the earth, when people had less gadgets and information traveled by foot, much more slowly than today, so we shouldn’t be shocked about our cultural apathy towards Jesus today. He has been misrepresented and maliciously maligned by a media that is under the control of the evil one, the Prince of the Air, as Ephesians 2:1-2, says, for the last 50 years. People that lived during Jesus’ time on earth looked right past His deity because “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God,” as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:3. What about us? Are we too busy to see and hear Jesus all around us, inviting us into a deep relationship with him (Revelations 3:20) just as we are? Are we too busy and self-absorbed to respond to his plea to “ask, seek and knock” so we can find Him, as Matthew 7:7 implores us? We don’t need to change anything, other than our willingness to fit him into our busy schedules. He should be our first priority, not a distant, annoying afterthought. I have prioritized many things over Him in the past, yet He still loved me enough to continue pursuing me. Saying yes to Him was the most important decision of my life and it will be for you as well. He deserves nothing less for He is our Creator. The question is are we too busy seeking our own pleasure to even notice?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, please keep us always focused on You and our need for You every second of every day. Without Your leadership, we are destined to destroy ourselves through our fleshly pursuits. We ask for your wisdom and discernment to guide our lives today and forever. Amen!
0 Comments