The Cost

I Peter 1:7-9

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire---may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed, though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your life, the salvation of your souls.

Today’s Reading:  Matthew 8

Isn’t Jesus always willing?  And is there really any difference between me and the man with leprosy?  Jesus was willing to hear my plea for salvation and he saved me, he was willing to listen to the man with leprosy and he healed him.  When I was lost, I was just as bad off as the man with leprosy, actually I was worse---he had faith!  We were both unclean and he cleansed us, one spiritually, one physically.  As a leper you are considered a public outcast, as a sinner I was a secretive outcast.  I seemed to fit in nicely with the world, but I was a self-induced outcast when it came to being a child of God.  I now realize that Jesus is always willing even when we’re not, he is always there to heal us, save us, hear us, and love us, but it is our responsibility to turn to him and allow him to do so.

What faith the Centurion must have had to say to Jesus, “but just say the word and my servant will be healed” (vs.8).  The Bible says that even Jesus was astonished at his faith.  Really?  Can you just imagine Jesus being astonished at your faith?  That would have to be about the best thing that could ever happen to me.  “It will be done just as you believed it would.”  So many times I have found in scripture where Jesus says similar things to people of great faith.  Things like your faith has made you whole or your belief has healed you.  I think Jesus is trying to tell us something here, don’t you?  Just believe that Jesus is who he says he is, just believe that Jesus can do what he says he can do, and just know that you can put all your faith in him and he will never, ever fail you.

What is the cost of following Jesus for me?  The cost includes me not getting to do everything that I want to do.  The cost is not always fitting in with everyone around me.  The cost is not always being liked by others.  The cost is being laughed at and spit upon for what I believe.  The cost may seem great to a worldly mind, but the reward is greater than anything a human mind can even begin to fathom.  The cost to follow may be great, but the cost not to follow is unthinkable!

I don’t know about you, but I oftentimes make a little swell in my life into an enormous storm.  We should not be afraid of the storms, but we should seek shelter in the arms of Jesus and know that when the storm passes, and it will, that we will be stronger for it, that our faith will have grown a little more with each passing wave.  Just as much as Jesus was astonished about the Centurion’s faith, he seemed to be as astonished at the lack of faith that the disciples had when it came to the surrounding storm.  I have found that I don’t always need to ask Jesus to take the storm away, but I need to ask him to be with me and keep me calm in the midst of the storm.

Wow, these two demon-possessed men knew who Jesus was immediately and they even referred to him as the “Son of God.”  Would I recognize Jesus immediately?  I would hope, but it saddens me to think that some days I may be too busy to notice him, that is why I have to stay in his word and in prayer with him.  I have no other choice but to surround myself with Jesus, to allow myself to be consumed by him because if I don’t, I fall.  And why did they ask Jesus if he was going to torture them and then  begged him to let them go into the pigs.  Is Hell so bad that the demons don’t want to go there?  Was that the torture that they were referring to?  I don’t know the answers to these questions, but there is one thing that I know without a shadow of a doubt…I do not want to go and if it cost me everything that I have, then so be it.  The cost to follow Jesus may be great, but what else could possibly be any better?

Thanks so Much!

Romans 10:17

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Well today makes one week for me posting the blog and I have been overwhelmed by all of your comments.  They have all been very encouraging and I thank you all so much for reading.  Again, I am no theologian, but I do honestly seek God with everything that I write, and it is really, simply what God lays on my heart to say.  Just doing this has made me more focused on God's Word and his plan for my life.  I continue to pray that I stay in God's will and that something that I write will minister to you in some way.

I will leave you one of my favorite quotes by Abraham Lincoln...

 

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to
succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have." 

Today's reading will be Matthew 8.  I encourage you to read it with me today.

With Much Love, Blessings, & a Thankful Heart,
Rosanne

Listen and Follow

Ephesians 3:20-21

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.  Amen.

Today’s Reading:  Matthew 7

So many times I have judged people without even really realizing that I was judging.  It is so easy to see the wrong in someone else’s life, so many times I have looked at situations and thought that I knew best, that if they would just listen to me everything would work out for them.  I honestly thought I was doing all this with the best intentions, mostly thinking that it was my Christian responsibility to get them on the right path.  I have come to realize that my Christian responsibility is to love the ones around me and to trust God to give me the words to say to them or to simple be quiet and leave the task of getting them on the right path to God.  Scripture is so true when it says that we can see the speck of dust in someone else’s eye without seeing the plank in our own.  I can only control myself and my actions, therefore that is the only thing that I need to have full rein over.  Besides, I have plenty of things that I need to improve about myself that I don’t have time to try and fix everyone else.

When I was young I took verses 7 & 8 very literal and would often wonder why God did not give me what I asked for, but now I am unbelievably thankful that he didn’t give me all that I wanted because I am certain that my life would probably be in a mess right now if that had happened.  So what is Jesus telling us here?  I believe that he is saying that if you ask for my assistance I will assist you and if you knock on my door, I will always be there to listen.  When I think about what I have asked for he always came through for me, even when it wasn’t how I thought it should be.  When I asked him not to take my aunt, he did, but through everything he gave me a strength that I never knew I had.  I have never told anyone, but he also spoke to me and said now you pray and I knew exactly what he meant.  You see my aunt was a great prayer warrior and I was not.  I have prayed my whole life, but I had never been a person who seeks God on behalf of others on a regular basis…she was!  I knew God was telling me that I needed to step it up, that I cannot depend on others to do what I was called to do.  I miss her tremendously, but I have grown closer to God because of her life.  You see Jesus has a plan and although that plan may not be what I want, it is what I need.  Even during the times that I did not feel worthy to go to Him, he welcomed me with open arms.  Sometimes there are no words, it is just about lying there face down allowing Jesus to forgive you and hold you. 

There are so many false prophets, teachers, preachers, books, and everything else out there, that is why it is our personal responsibility to read God’s Word.  You have to know that you know, we can never depend on anyone else to give us the knowledge that only God can give us.  I told my Sunday school class the other day that while I would never intentionally lead anyone in the wrong direction, they should never put all their trust in what I teach them on Sunday mornings.  Instead they should follow up on what I said, they should go back and read the scriptures for themselves.  As much as I love God and desire to do his will, I am still human and I will mess up, but Jesus, on the other hand, will never lead anyone in the wrong direction.  What I am trying to say is that there will be people that are false prophets and intentionally lead you astray, but it is your responsibility to know the truth about God’s Word so that you can differentiate between false teachers and teachers that are true to God’s Word.

We not only have to read and know God’s Word, but we have to apply it to our lives.  We have to seek his will through his word and through prayer.  It took me a long time, but I finally learned that my plans are not always God’s plans.  However, his plans are so much better than mine, he has so much more for me than I could ever imagine for myself.  The catch---I have to do what he asks me to do, I have to follow the guidelines that he has set for us all.  “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” (vs. 28-29).  Jesus did and continues to have all authority and so he does not simple gives us laws to obey, but when we truly listen and follow him, he teaches us how to live.

Trust in Everything!

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Today’s Reading: Matthew 6

“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (vs. 1) Wow, pretty strong words! Jesus usually uses parables to get his point across, but there is no questioning his message in chapter 6. I really think that Jesus is telling us that when we give, it should be from our heart, out of love, and therefore we should have no desire for people to know that we gave. Our joy should come from what others receive, not from us getting credit for anything. I also think that we have to change our mindset when it comes to giving, we think so many times that we have to have something in order to give something, however, all we truly need is love in order to give. I think about all the little things that God does to show his love for me. Most of those things come in the quiet, alone times in my life, when it is just me and God. I think about how I feel when someone does something special for me, it is the little things that make a difference in people’s lives. The little things that show you truly care about them. Someone had put a piece of chocolate on my keyboard one morning at work and I wondered all day long who had done that, but it made my day---it let me know that someone cared about me. Later that day I ran into the one who did it, and with a big smile she gave me a hug. Whether our giving is large or small in cost or time, it should always come from love, nothing more, nothing less. Besides when we give like Jesus has taught us I am sure the reward that he has waiting for us is better than anything that we could ever receive on this earth!

I have one particular spot in my house that I go to pray and while I pray in many places, this is my favorite. I can’t tell you why I like this spot, but I have had many awesome conversations with God there, and when things are not going so great I long to get in my prayer area and bow my head before my King. I have read many books and articles about prayer, but honestly I think that God just wants us to be real with him. Like the Bible says, he already knows what we are going to ask, so why wouldn’t we just be honest with him? I once heard someone say that when we pray we should listen to God and equal amount of time as we took to speak to him. Is that not just the truth! I think if we would just stop and listen to him, we would not need to be asking for so much and our lives would probably be running a little smoother.

Shouldn’t the treasures that we store up in heaven be in the giving, in the prayer, in the forgiving, in the fasting, and in the loving that we do for others? And isn’t our relationship with Jesus built upon giving, prayer, forgiving, fasting, and loving? That is why I believe that Jesus stresses so deeply for us to do all this in secret before our Father and not before men. Yes, we will be rewarded in heaven, but we do these things and follow the instructions that Jesus gives in order to grow closer to him, in order for the light of Christ to shine a little brighter from us.

With everything going on in the world it is hard for people to understand that we are not to worry. How can I not worry when I can’t pay all the bills? How can I not worry when I am loosing my job? How can I not worry when the diagnosis is so grim? How can I not worry? While it is much easier to say don’t worry than to actually not worry when something is going wrong, when I really think about it what does worrying really accomplish? Like the bible says in vs. 27 “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Worrying pulls us down, when things are not going good, we have to look up and trust our Father to take care of us---there is no other option. We either trust him with everything or with nothing---I want to trust him with everything!

Just Love!

I John 4:16,18-19

And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love.  We love because he first loved us.

Today’s Reading:  Matthew 5:17-48

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  I tell you the truth until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (vs. 17-18).  I have heard a lot of discussion lately questioning whether the Old Testament is still valid for us today, which I always thought was a ridiculous question, but I am certain that this scripture answers it very clearly and I see no reason to elaborate on this one!

When I think about what Jesus has to say about murder, I think about the fact that he always forgives each of us of everything that we ask him and continues to love us unconditionally, why would he not want us to do the same for others.  How can I bow down at the altar and begin to ask Jesus for anything when I have hate or resentment in my heart?  Isn’t that being hypocritical? What if Jesus only chose the ones that he wanted to forgive, that he wanted to love?  What if his forgiveness was a selection process?  Thank God it is not like that at all; instead anyone can come to him and receive complete forgiveness and unconditional love.  I also think that Jesus simply knows that forgiving others is for our own good.  Holding anger and hate in our heart will only gradually destroy our spirit, but forgiveness and truth will only bring us freedom.  Besides anyone can hate, but only a child of God can truly forgive, and that forgiveness not only changes you, but those that witness your act of forgiveness as well. 

I think that when it comes to avoiding adultery and divorce that it is not only a commitment to your spouse, but it has to be a commitment to God as well.  I am extremely blessed to have a wonderful, Godly husband, however, marriage is not always easy and both partners have no other choice but to put God first and in the center of the marriage if they want it to work.  When my husband and I got married we both committed ourselves to never quitting on anything no matter what, we even promised each other that we would never discuss divorce no matter how bad things got.  I really believe that because of this we just always knew that we would have to find a way to work problems out because there was no other option.  I am no expert on these matters I can only speak from my personal experience (6 years of dating and almost 18 years of marriage) and just rely on God to guide me. 

“Simply let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’, and your ‘No’ be ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (vs. 37).  Isn’t this just the truth, we need to quit trying to maneuver our words to fit what we need them to fit, just be honest, yes or no, and stand on truth!  Isn’t that all we can do anyways!

Rejoice in the ones that curse you and now love your enemies?  Again, this I believe is Jesus acting in our best interest.  Always remember Jesus knows everything (the beginning, the middle, and the end of our earthly life), and I believe this is really not about the other person; it is about our soul and our walk with God.  When we humble ourselves down and give to those who persecute us, love those who talk about us, and forgive those who hurt us in imaginable ways, then we not only grow more closer to the likeness of Christ, but through our actions others are brought to Christ.  The Bible is so true, it is easy to love the ones that are like us, the ones that we really like, but honestly what faith is that?  That is easy; the hard part is loving those that seem to be unlovable, however, isn’t it the hard parts that make us better?

When I look back over this entire chapter doesn’t it all go back to love…just love, and isn’t that all Jesus really wants us to do?

Rejoice in the Light

II Corinthians 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.  

Today’s Reading: Matthew 5:1-16

There is no other teachings like Jesus’ lessons. I wonder what the disciples were thinking when Jesus sat them down on that mountainside and begin teaching them about the beatitudes. And aren't the beatitudes the opposite view of how the world sees people. The world promotes famous people, rich people, outspoken people---no matter if their life seems to be good or bad. In fact don’t we publicize people’s demise? It seems that we track the ones that are falling down in life and then question why they can’t seem to get it together. I have to admit that I have been guilty of it, I have watched the news and wondered why they can’t just pull it together when I should have been on my knees in prayer for them.

And what about when Jesus gets to the part about being persecuted for his sake and that we are to rejoice and be glad during those times. Really Jesus? You want me to sing your praises as people are stabbing me in the back? I can answer this one----yes I do! Jesus said in verses 11 and 12 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” I have to admit that in the last year I have been working on this one and although I have fallen short many times and allowed people and things to get the best of me, I have seen what a difference this kind of attitude can have on me and the people around me. When you begin to identify what is happening to you when you are being persecuted, when you begin to recognize it for what it truly is, then there is an overwhelming sense of peace and freedom that comes with that. I have come to realize that sometimes the people that are attacking you don’t even realize what they are doing and who they are being used by. So open up your spiritual eyes, know that when you are being insulted, being persecuted, being talked about, or being treated unfairly that there is something bigger going on here. This is happening to you because of your love for Jesus, so recognize it for what it is and rejoice because of this. People don’t look at what is happening to you, they look at your reaction to what is happening, make your reaction one of faith and love.

I find it extremely interesting that Jesus moves from teaching the beatitudes to teaching the disciples that they are to be the salt of the earth and the light to the world. Why? In my opinion it was Jesus saying that even though you will be persecuted, rejoice and be glad because you are the light that will continue to shine on this earth. Me living in you will make you different from everyone else and you will lead many to me by letting your light shine. However, Jesus reminds us that even though people see our deeds, we are not to take credit for it, people should praise Jesus as a result. I am reminded of a good friend that always had people telling him everything about their life, even strangers would come up to him in public and begin to tell him their life story. We were talking about this one day and he jokingly said I don’t know why people do this, is there something about me that makes people want to tell me their problems? I actually witnessed a few of these encounters and it was definitely odd, however, when I came across II Corinthians 3:18 I knew the answer to his question. It is not him at all, it is the light that shines from within him. In fact, they don’t see him at all, they just see Jesus, and isn’t that how we should all be. The closer we get to Jesus, the more we reflect his light. In this dark world we have no other choice but to continue to allow our light to shine in order to light the path that will lead others to our Savior, Jesus Christ. With rejoicing and gladness we can even lead our adversaries to Christ in the midst of persecution---nothing is impossible when we allow Jesus to truly work through us!

With much love and blessings!

Good News!

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of fullness of God.         Ephesians 3:16-21

Today’s Reading:  Matthew Chapter 4

Before I get started with today’s reading and my thoughts I wanted to thank everyone for all the encouraging words and positive comments about the blog. Each word that you have spoken encourages me even more to follow the leading of the Lord. Many of you also reminded me to be prepared for attacks because when you step out to do something for God the enemy will do anything in his power to interfere.
I told myself not to make this blog personal, that I was going to stick to reading the Word and just sharing my thoughts about what I had read, however, today it became personal.
I woke up early, took my daughter to softball practice, bought groceries, cleaned the house, prepared a couple of meals, entertained my daughter and her friends during a sleepover, read Matthew 4, and finally sat down with my computer to write today’s blog. However, nothing would come. I would begin a sentence and not get anywhere. After a while, I decided to get a shower and pray about it, my bathroom is definitely my prayer closet. Upon uttering my opening line to God I realized that was the first time that I had spoken to Him today. I am certain that he tried to speak to me many times today, but that hectic lifestyle that I just recently spoke of got in the way today, well actually it wasn’t the hecticness (I am sure this is not a real word), but it was me that allowed it. I allowed my schedule for the day to come before my relationship with Christ. Needless to say, I fell to my knees immediately. I have a note taped to the mirror in my bathroom that says “It is not about me, but it is all about the love of God”, and after I finished praying I read those words aloud. God spoke to me tonight and reminded me of this once again, it is not about this blog, it is not about me, it is not about my schedule, it is only about the love of God!

So with an extremely humble heart I would like to share my thoughts and questions as I read Matthew 4.

In the face of evil, known as Satan, Jesus stands upon the Word of God! We find that with each lure that Satan places in Jesus’ way, Jesus fights back by quoting scripture. He doesn’t argue with Satan, he doesn’t try to figure out his plan, he doesn’t try to reason with him, he simply fights back by quoting and standing on the Word of God! As I read this I thought about the acronym that was very popular a few years ago: WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?). We know that all our attacks are a result of Satan trying to knock us off the path that God has set before us, so we simply need to do what Jesus did, however, we cannot quote scripture and stand on God’s Word if we don’t know it. It is not called the living Word for nothing, it truly lives and grows within us as we read it and therefore becomes more readily available as we need it. My most favorite scripture quoted by Jesus is when he says “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10), and we know that from the remaining scripture that the devil left Jesus. If we are following Jesus and we want our life to reflect him, we have no other choice but to do what he did. We will never be able to live up to the standard that Jesus Christ set for us, but thank God  we have a standard to look towards, and that we can live our lives with the hope that we will one day see Jesus face to face, what a day that will be!

As I read about the calling of the first disciples, I cannot help but think about what made Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John drop everything instantaneously and follow Jesus. I know that he is Jesus, but what did they see, was it something about his physical appearance that drew them to him? Was it a spiritual connection that pricked their heart so deeply that they felt such a passion for him immediately? Once again, I can’t answer these questions, but I do know that their lives and the lives of the people that they ministered to was completely altered because of their decision to follow Christ. Has my life been altered by Jesus? Has your life been altered by Jesus?

This chapter ends by talking about the beginning of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). With everything bad in the world, with the daily struggles that we all face, with everything that seems to go wrong, even with all this we are to know beyond any doubt that there is good news and his name is Jesus!

With much love and blessings!

A Humbling Relationship

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”   Matthew 3:3

Today's Reading:  Matthew Chapter 3

Did John the Baptist ever pause in the midst of his ministry and say, really God, really you want me to be the one preparing the way for the coming Messiah? Did he ever feel overwhelmed by this task or did he just do what he was asked to do? We read about John preaching and telling everyone to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” and I sense that John was unconcerned about his attire or what his next meal would consist of, but there had to be a time of quiet for him to be with God. I just think that John undoubtedly had a deeply devoted personal relationship with God and he had to have moments that he would be alone with God in order to build this relationship. How deep is my relationship with Jesus? Do I have enough alone time with God or do I allow my hectic schedule to limit my much needed time with God? I have heard my entire life that I should have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I never really understood that until just a few years ago. I honestly thought I had a good relationship with Jesus, but it was not until I went through an extremely difficult time in my life that I come to truly understand what a personal relationship really is. Until I had no other option than to depend on Jesus did I truly come to know Him. Our relationship with Christ can only be built by spending time with Him, there is no other way!

I believe that with every action, with every word, Jesus is telling us something, and we see here that even in the very beginning of his ministry Jesus is showing us what being humble truly means. When Jesus comes to be baptized, he tells an unsure John that it is proper for you to baptize me. Our Savior, the King of heaven and earth, could have shown his authority from the beginning, but instead He shows us how to humble ourselves and just do the right thing, no matter who you are. Actually we see two acts of humbleness in these last few verses, John because he believes that he is not worthy to baptize Jesus and Jesus because he wants John to baptize him. They both simple allowed God to work and did not allow conflict to come in. As our relationship with Jesus deepens, we hear his voice a little more clearer, as we listen and follow his direction, we can not help but to be humbled by our Father. ---Everything works for the good to those that love God!

I will leave you with this quote that I heard in a message a few weeks ago--I just can’t stop thinking about it.

“If you claim to be a Christian and you say you follow Jesus, yet you don’t read and study His Word, then there is absolutely no way that you are truly following Jesus Christ.” ---Louis Kathman
　

Our Faith & God's Will

This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.        I John 5:3-4

Matthew Chapter 1 & 2

There was 400 years of silence between the old testament and the new testament, but why? I can't answer that question, but prior to reading Matthew I backed up and read the final book of the old testament, Malachi, just to see what God had to say before the silence. You have got to read it for yourself, but I will say that throughout Malachi, God seems to be railing about his disappointment with His people and rightly so, it seems to me that the people are simply following tradition for the sake of tradition and not offering sacrifices out of true reverence and love for God. Malachi 3:1 says “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. Talk about prophecy! What a lead into the new testament, the story of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

The first book of the new testament told by Matthew, a tax collector, generally not a person known for an honest and upstanding character, however, Jesus changes us all! Mary, Joseph, and the Magi all had something in common besides the connection to Jesus, and that was their immense faith in God and His will for their lives. These were all common people, yet their faith in what God said to them was anything but common. Think about it, Mary was told that she was with child through the Holy Spirit, an angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife, to name the baby Jesus, to leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt, and to eventually go to Galilee, and the Magi followed a star in order to not only visit, but to bring gifts to the Christ Child. Do I listen to God this well? All the revelations or instructions that were spoken to them would be hard for anyone to wrap their mind around, yet they did exactly as God told them. What would happen if I did everything God told me to do? Well, first of all, I need to be more in tune with His voice before I can do all that He wants me to do. So many times I think that God needs me to do something, but I have come to realize that God does not need me, I need Him. Don't get me wrong, I know that He loves me and He wants me to be His, but He doesn't need me to do His work----basically if I don't do what He has called me to do, then He will ask someone else, I will be the one missing out, not God! What faith it must take to say alright God I know the world may think I am crazy, but I will do what you say!

I also found it interesting that Herod went to the chief priests and the teachers of the law to find out where the Messiah was to be born and they told him Bethlehem by referring to Micah 5:2. So wasn't it the chief priests that did not believe Jesus was the Messiah? They knew the prophecies of the old testament, they knew what it said about the coming Messiah, yet they were the main people against Jesus. Why, why didn't they see that He fulfilled each and every prophesy? Again, I am no theologian, but the simple answer to this in my opinion….Satan! Since the beginning, Satan has always done everything in his power to manipulate people in a way that pulls them away from God, and I hate to say this, but he is good at it. He works in such a sly and gradual way that people don't even realize what is happening to them. By using Herod as his instrument, Satan tried to have Jesus killed before he was even old enough to speak. We learn that Satan will do anything it takes to eliminate God's will, he showed this by killing all the boys under two in Bethlehem. How heart-wrenching that event must have been. What about God’s plan for my life? Am I allowing Satan to interfere in the plans that God has laid for me?

Allow? That is the key, see when we are children of God, we are covered by the blood of Jesus and Satan has no power over us unless we allow it. We have to stand on our faith in God, we have to read His word everyday, we have to proclaim that we are a child of the Most High God and that we will not allow anything else to interfere with our walk with Christ!
　
　

Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.        II Corinthians 3:4-5

I am by no means a scholar of the Bible and I recognize that I have a tremendous amount of things to learn, but I do acknowledge that my Father, Jesus Christ, guides me and opens my heart to messages that continue to amaze me.
I love to read the Bible, but I don’t just read, I ponder over the stories and prophecies that are contained within its pages. As I ponder, I write and share what is on my mind with anyone that will listen. Which has lead me to this point, a blog about all these thoughts that race through my mind as I read God’s Word. It is often early in the morning or late at night when I read, so either way my household is quiet and I can’t always talk to someone about what I am thinking. So after keeping a log of my thoughts, writing in journal after journal, and making notes on every piece of paper that is within my reach I decided to start this blog.
This blog will be a journey of my thoughts as I travel through the pages of the Bible. While I have read the Bible for years, I have not committed myself in such a way, well I have attempted many times to adhere to a plan of reading, but I always got off track. I am starting in the New Testament with the first book, Matthew.

So here goes……day one.