[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (LRAU) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟞:𝟙𝟚
"In these days he went out to
the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God."
*Went out
*To the mountain
*Prayer
*All night!
Who would like to climb a mountain especially
only to pray? People don't want to even sit up on their beds to pray, forget
about going to church.
Who would spend all night on a mountain
in prayer? People love to sleep and sleep! Btw Luke recorded the prayerful life
of Jesus and the importance of prayer more than any other writers of the
Gospels.
Btw, if you want to talk or read
about prayer, choose the book of Luke!
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟟:𝟛𝟡
"Now when the Pharisee who had
invited Him saw this, he said to himself, 'If this man were a prophet He would
know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is
a sinner.'"
Indeed, such a sinful woman doesn't
deserve salvation! If I were God, I would send her to hell! In fact, I would send everyone in this group
to the deepest hell, and I would put myself first! Nobody deserves salvation.
Salvation is a gift of God!
Thank God, I am not God! Thank God
those Pharisees weren't God. Now, that Jesus is Yahweh, a wretched man, even I am
saved! And if He indeed saves me, there's nobody who is so sinful that cannot
be saved! Indeed, Jesus came to save sinners, yes even of my kind!
Btw, if you were God and you
wouldn't send yourself and everyone to hell, that means you were already in
hell!
Heaven will not be heaven without
Jesus (the righteousness of God)
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟠:𝟚𝟙
"But He answered and said to
them, ‘My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do
it.’"
I grew up hearing blood is thicker than
friendship and even politics. People look out for relatives.
I saw a movie, Operation Chromite, (how
America's 5-star General Douglas MacArthur won a decisive victory against North
Korea,) the landing and capture of Incheon. There, one Korean soldier said,
"Ideology is thicker than blood!" [for the Communist]
Really? Is there anything thicker
than blood???
Indeed, there is. Gospel is thicker
than blood. Because Jesus's blood is thicker than your blood! Jesus affirmed
that in this verse!
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟡:𝟝𝟠
"And Jesus said to him, ‘The
foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere
to lay His head.’"
I am certain that if you are about
my age, you have watched The Drunken Master, a Jackie Chan starrer
Chinese movie. [A friend of mine said that you must be living in Jupiter if you
haven't watched that.]
In that movie, when the Master was
asked about his whereabouts, he replied, "The sky is my roof and the earth
is my floor" I picked up that line when I was just 7 or 8 years old and
still consider it to be one of my favourite movie lines ever!
Well, The Ultimate Master Jesus Christ,
our Master has a similar answer, but better and superior! And this is more
famous than any movie line!
We love security, stability, and
serenity. We want a good job, a handsome salary, and a decent living. Well,
Jesus promises nothing. Indeed, Jesus didn't come to be a king, but to die like
a criminal.
So, following Jesus is also
expensive, demanding, and costs us everything. Or the other option is v25.
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟙𝟘:𝟚𝟘
"Nevertheless do not rejoice
in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are
recorded in heaven."
What is your joy, strength, hope,
and confidence? What brightens your mood, mind, heart, and soul every day?
Is it your gf/bf/spouse? Is it
money/salary? Is it good food, a good place, and good looks? Is it the praises
of people, achievement, and your good works? These are good and should make us
rejoice. But they fade (and should) away in comparison to the fact that God has
saved you.
Have you chased out demons? Has
Satan bowed down before you? That's tougher than going to Mars against earth's
gravity; yes, tougher than beating cancer; yes, tougher than an Olympic race;
indeed, Satan is the ruler of this world. Even beating Satan is not great in
comparison to getting saved from the wrath of God to come.
The greatest responsibility for a
man is to get saved.
Those who are not joyful in life do
not seriously realise the joy of salvation. Those who aren't delighted in God
haven't really understood the love of God. Similarly, as I was talking to a
friend this morning, those who have pet animals seriously don't realise the
grandiose love of human! Sorry @Mermie and @Timothy Guwahati
Animals are food! 😎😆
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟙𝟙:𝟚𝟟-𝟚𝟠
"While Jesus was saying these
things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him,
'Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.' But He
said, 'On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe
it.'"
Do you notice how similar is it to
Luke 8:21? Everyone wants to identify with a popular person. They want to be
his relatives, classmates, friends, or from the same locality. Well, for Jesus,
even the closest people, the family members, His earthly mother herself is not
closer to Him than those who hear His Father's word. After all, Jesus is more
God's Son than Mary's son. And we are more God's children than our parents'
children.
Therefore, if you love your
siblings more than your friends or neighbours, you ought to love your spiritual
siblings just like that! How blessed when your siblings are also fellow God's
children!
𝕃𝕦𝕜𝕖
𝟙𝟚:𝟛𝟜
"For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
There is a Manipuri song that
sings, "Ukhrul da eigi thawai leihoure," Indeed, wherever
whatever we treasure is, there is our heart. It can be wealth, people,
popularity, or anything that holds dear to us.
Blessed are you if Jesus is the
dearest thing in your life.
A friend of mine works with spice
jet airlines, and no matter what, she wants that airline to prosper so that she
can prosper along with them. If you invest your money in Bitcoin, I am sure you
would want that Cryptocurrency to prosper. If your investment is in heaven and the
kingdom's work, you will love mission, church, orphanage, etc. Btw, this is the
only investment that will never fail but will secure you eternal rewards!