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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
Matthew 7:28-29
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
I recently left my job to rest and recuperate from two years of working in crisis management. My time off has given me an opportunity to do things that I didn’t have time for prior.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
Matthew 7:28-29
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
I recently left my job to rest and recuperate from two years of working in crisis management. My time off has given me an opportunity to do things that I didn’t have time for prior.
One of those things was to watch a couple of DVDs a
friend gave me. Each had a message delivered by a fantastic evangelist and
preacher by the name of Louie Giglio. Maybe you’ve been blessed with the
opportunity to either see him in person or watch one of his messages as well.
The two messages, “Indescribable” and “How Great Is Our God”, essentially take a look at the vast universe that God created and remind us two things.
First, the works that God has done are unable to be calculated or quantified. We have no idea yet how many galaxies exist in the universe or how many stars they contain, the very stars that God made as confirmed in the following passage:
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:4-5
In our limited wisdom and intellect, we can’t even begin to fathom how great and awesome God is, our God who is “mighty in power” and limitless in understanding. We also can’t fully grasp just how small we are in the big picture of God’s creation. Even the smallest dot we might be able to place on a piece of paper would still make us bigger than we really are. And yet we too often carry ourselves in a way that defies humility, as if we are bigger than the One who made us.
Need to always be in the right mindset and attitude toward the Lord? Then adopt these other words from the Psalmist as he writes:
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4
Indeed. Why should the Lord care for such an insignificant, sinful speck in His universe like me? Why should He ever be mindful of me? Of you? Of us?
And yet, He loves us and sees us as fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), each of us, all created in His own image (Genesis 1:27).
Truly, the words of this praise and worship song ring true:
Amazing love, how can it be?
That you my King would die for me.
Amazing love, I know it’s true
And it’s my joy to honor You
With all I do, I’ll honor You.
Friends, He and He alone is worthy of our worship and praise and humble adoration. Always.
The other thing we’re reminded of as we truly examine the awesome vastness of God’s mighty works is that all of it was done through His only Son, our only Savior, Jesus. Jesus was there from the very beginning. We know this through the words that open John’s gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5
Jesus would later remind us in this same gospel that:
The two messages, “Indescribable” and “How Great Is Our God”, essentially take a look at the vast universe that God created and remind us two things.
First, the works that God has done are unable to be calculated or quantified. We have no idea yet how many galaxies exist in the universe or how many stars they contain, the very stars that God made as confirmed in the following passage:
“He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” Psalm 147:4-5
In our limited wisdom and intellect, we can’t even begin to fathom how great and awesome God is, our God who is “mighty in power” and limitless in understanding. We also can’t fully grasp just how small we are in the big picture of God’s creation. Even the smallest dot we might be able to place on a piece of paper would still make us bigger than we really are. And yet we too often carry ourselves in a way that defies humility, as if we are bigger than the One who made us.
Need to always be in the right mindset and attitude toward the Lord? Then adopt these other words from the Psalmist as he writes:
“When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” Psalm 8:3-4
Indeed. Why should the Lord care for such an insignificant, sinful speck in His universe like me? Why should He ever be mindful of me? Of you? Of us?
And yet, He loves us and sees us as fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), each of us, all created in His own image (Genesis 1:27).
Truly, the words of this praise and worship song ring true:
Amazing love, how can it be?
That you my King would die for me.
Amazing love, I know it’s true
And it’s my joy to honor You
With all I do, I’ll honor You.
Friends, He and He alone is worthy of our worship and praise and humble adoration. Always.
The other thing we’re reminded of as we truly examine the awesome vastness of God’s mighty works is that all of it was done through His only Son, our only Savior, Jesus. Jesus was there from the very beginning. We know this through the words that open John’s gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:1-5
Jesus would later remind us in this same gospel that:
“I am the Way and
the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John
14:6
Indeed, the One who was present at the very formation of the heavens, Jesus Christ, is the only One through which we can enter them at life’s end. There is no other path, no other way, no other authority.
So as we look at the final two verses from Matthew, Chapter 7, it’s little wonder that those who listened to Jesus’ sermon reacted as they did as we read:
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
Indeed, the One who was present at the very formation of the heavens, Jesus Christ, is the only One through which we can enter them at life’s end. There is no other path, no other way, no other authority.
So as we look at the final two verses from Matthew, Chapter 7, it’s little wonder that those who listened to Jesus’ sermon reacted as they did as we read:
“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”
As we discussed earlier in a devotional series on the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus took what was and took it to a new level. He didn’t
come to replace the Old Testament law that the Israelites were so familiar
with. He came to improve and enhance it.
The people, limited in their understanding, had just experienced the power and authority of Christ first hand, the power and authority of the One whose understanding has no limits. And so He broadened and enriched the hearts and minds of His listeners as He taught them from the mountainside and He continues to do it to those who choose to listen to Him today.
Question: What amazes you?
Is it people who are adept at magic or illusions? Is it exceptional performances in film or music or sports? Or is it any of the world’s structures that may get dubbed as a “wonder of the world”?
Frankly, there are so many other things that are amazing but they are things we too typically take for granted.
Take nature for example. Every animal, every fish, every bird, every tree, every flower - everything in nature was created by the Lord, unique and purposeful in their own ways. Look at nature and look with amazement at the incredible craftsmanship of the Lord.
How about the birth of a baby?
The people, limited in their understanding, had just experienced the power and authority of Christ first hand, the power and authority of the One whose understanding has no limits. And so He broadened and enriched the hearts and minds of His listeners as He taught them from the mountainside and He continues to do it to those who choose to listen to Him today.
Question: What amazes you?
Is it people who are adept at magic or illusions? Is it exceptional performances in film or music or sports? Or is it any of the world’s structures that may get dubbed as a “wonder of the world”?
Frankly, there are so many other things that are amazing but they are things we too typically take for granted.
Take nature for example. Every animal, every fish, every bird, every tree, every flower - everything in nature was created by the Lord, unique and purposeful in their own ways. Look at nature and look with amazement at the incredible craftsmanship of the Lord.
How about the birth of a baby?
There are roughly 340,000 births every day in the world,
each beautiful and precious additions to God’s child population, each carefully
and skillfully formed in the mother’s womb before emerging into the world of
their Creator.
Do you ever get tired of seeing the beautiful innocence
that is found in a newborn baby?
I know I don’t.
They are one of the Lord’s most amazing miracles, ones He
repeats over and over and over and over.
And again, just go out on a clear night and look up into the sky. Everything that you see - the moon, the planets, and the stars - were all designed and placed there by the Lord. Now consider that in the vastness of space, there is so much there that we can’t see and will most probably never see in our lifetime. You only need to look to our universe to get a glimpse of how big the Lord is and how very small we are.
Yes, all around us there are signs of the Lord’s handiwork. We are also exposed to His amazing grace and mercy and love, all brought to us through one other incredibly amazing display of power and authority displayed by Jesus. For after He was nailed to a cross for the sins of mankind, had shed His blood, died and was buried, believed dead forever, He was resurrected to new life, conquering death and the graver so whosoever would believe in Him would have the chance to do likewise.
And again, just go out on a clear night and look up into the sky. Everything that you see - the moon, the planets, and the stars - were all designed and placed there by the Lord. Now consider that in the vastness of space, there is so much there that we can’t see and will most probably never see in our lifetime. You only need to look to our universe to get a glimpse of how big the Lord is and how very small we are.
Yes, all around us there are signs of the Lord’s handiwork. We are also exposed to His amazing grace and mercy and love, all brought to us through one other incredibly amazing display of power and authority displayed by Jesus. For after He was nailed to a cross for the sins of mankind, had shed His blood, died and was buried, believed dead forever, He was resurrected to new life, conquering death and the graver so whosoever would believe in Him would have the chance to do likewise.
Could there ever be anything more amazing than that?
Could there ever be something so blessed as that?
Indeed, in life now and forever more, there isn’t
anything more amazing than Jesus, who will always take the ordinary and make it
extraordinary, with a power and authority that will always leave us awestruck.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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