"Behold Jesus"

"Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!" John 19:5 

When Pilate brought Jesus forth to stand before the crowds, he said to them, "Behold the man!" In other words, "Look at this man!" As we look more closely at what Pilate said, there is a question that arises in his statement. The question being, "Look at Him, what do you see?" 

 

Pilate saw a man who was hated to the point that the religious leaders wanted Him dead. He also saw a man who was innocent of any crime. The soldiers that beat Him saw another criminal upon which to inflict their cruelty. The religious leaders saw Him as one who was a threat to their power and influence over the people. Some saw Him as a king who would deliver them from Roman oppression. Some in the crowd saw Him as a dreamer. Some saw Him as a teacher. Others saw Him as a miracle worker who had healed them of their disease. There were those who saw Him as a rebel bringing in a new philosophy and going against the old established ways. Some saw Him as the Messiah. Some saw Him as just another man, while others saw Him as God.

 

There were many different views of who He was among those in the crowd that day, but what others believe about Jesus isn't what is the most important thing. The most important for you is-- what do you believe about "this man". It brings us back to a question that Jesus asked His disciples earlier in His ministry-- "who do you say that I am?".

 

It is not about what the crowds say, other individuals say, the religious leaders say, your parents say, or the political leaders of the day say... it is about what you say. Pilate missed who Jesus was. The religious leaders missed who Jesus was. Many in the crowd missed who Jesus was. If we miss who Jesus is then we lose out on everything-- eternal life. When the culmination of the end of this world as we know it comes, there is only going to be one answer that will be the right answer to the question of, "Behold, Jesus, who is He?" That answer will be the same one that Peter gave-- "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God". "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10,11)

 

Many in the crowd the day of His crucifixion may not have recognized who He was, for them their opportunity is gone. But you and I still have the opportunity today to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Will you? Have you? When the question is asked, what will you say? Who will you say that He is? 

 

Have a great day. What do you see when you "behold Jesus"? 

 

For further reading:

Mark 8:25-29

 

"Spring Cleaning - Part 2"

"For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." Numbers 32:29 

Yesterday we talked about how a lot of ladies do a once-a-year spring cleaning to give their houses a thorough, deep cleaning, de-cluttering and reorganizing. We also talked about the fact that we should do the same with our "spiritual houses"-- give them a cleaning, de-clutter them from all the unnecessary things, and reorganize by placing our priorities in order. I probably should clarify that while we should do this, it is not a "once a year" thing we should do. 

 

Even if my house gets a good once a year cleaning, the task isn't finished for a year. I have to clean it on a regular basis. Each week, sometimes each day, I have to dust the furniture, wash the clothes, sweep the floors, etc. The same thing should happen with my spiritual house. Daily when I see the "dust" collecting- bad attitudes, wrong behavior, unkind words, and so on- I need to clean it up. We don't wait until we are in church, and a specific altar call is given. We don't wait until revival services to take care of it. We have to take care of anything that comes into our lives and threatens to steal our joy, rob us of abundant life, weigh us down with cares, or pulls us away from our Savior... and we have to take care of it then. Don't wait. 

 

Although, when I see the dust on my furniture, I would like to put off dusting it until a later date, the dust is a sign I need to do it then. If you see "dust" collecting in your heart, that is a sign you need to take care of it now and not put it off. The longer you put it off, the dustier it becomes. The dustier it is the more problems it turns into. The time is always now to deal with whatever is going on in your life. 

 

Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to take care of besetting sins. Today is the day to come clean and repent. Take care of it now. Don't put it off. Don't leave it for another day. When you see the problem, is when you deal with the problem. When you see the issues arising, when you recognize the hindrances, when you know things are not right between you and God, that is the time to do some "house cleaning"... then, not later.

Have a great day. Spiritual house cleaning should not only be done once a year, but it should also be done whenever you notice the "dust".

 

For further reading:

2 Corinthians 6:2

"Spring Cleaning"

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1 

Each year at this time many women do a spring cleaning of their homes. It is a time when they give their house a deep and thorough cleaning. Three things are accomplished when you spring clean-- 1) everything gets a good washing removing the dust, dirt and buildup; 2) things get re-organized and put back in their proper place; 3) it is a time to re-prioritize what is important and valuable and discard what is unnecessary.

 

Perhaps we should do a "spiritual spring cleaning" from time to time as well. Doing a spiritual spring cleaning would accomplish the same three things for our spirits as a physical spring cleaning does for our homes. 

 

1) Our spirit man needs a good "cleaning" to remove the "build up" of worldliness that attaches itself to our hearts and minds. We need to wash away fleshly mindsets that have formed by exposing ourselves to the philosophies and opinions of this world. We need to wash away the influences that we have picked up from the ungodly. We need to wash away the conformity to this world that has settled on us and renew our minds so that our thoughts are transformed into what is clean and clear. "That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word." (Ephesians 5:26) "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2a)

 

2) We need to get "re-organized" by putting things back in their proper place. If we aren't careful, we can allow spiritual things to begin to take a "backseat" to the natural things. Bitterness can get in the place where love should be. Anger can get put where gentleness and meekness should occupy. Unforgiveness can be found where grace and forgiveness ought to be. If we are careless with our spiritual well-being, then things in our lives become out of order and chaos and confusion set in. But when we put everything in its proper place- spiritual things first- then we live in peace. "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) 

 

3) We also need to take time to re-prioritize our lives. Have you let what once was the most important things- prayer, fasting, Bible reading, worship, communion with the Lord- be replaced by entertainment, socialization, busyness, the cares of this life? Spring cleaning is a time to make some changes and decide what is really important and what is not and discard what isn't. When was the last time you examined your life to see if your priorities are still intact or have they been misplaced or replaced by something else? "..let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.." (Hebrews 12:1)

 

Has it been a while since you have "spring cleaned" your spiritual life? Have you noticed a "build up" of worldliness in your life? Do things seem to be out of order and not in their proper place? Do your priorities need to be rearranged? 

 

Have a great day. There are those who are doing a spring cleaning of their houses, perhaps we should also do a "spring cleaning" of our "spiritual house". 

 

"Equipped For The Storm"

"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full." Mark 4:37 

The disciples were in a boat in the middle of a storm. The majority of them were well trained and experienced fishermen. They had lived their lives on the sea. They were used to storms. They were well educated about boats, seas and storms. Being outdoors men, they were also physically fit. Yet they were afraid in this storm for their lives. 

 

There are situations in life that hit us hard and threaten to destroy us. No matter how well equipped we are, no matter how well educated we are, we are no match for these situations. The disciples should have been able to navigate through this storm based on their knowledge and experience, but they couldn't. They had to wake Jesus up to come to their rescue. 

 

Are you going through a storm of threatening proportion? You may have all the knowledge in the world on the subject. You may have lots of experience in dealing with it. You may have physical abilities but that is not enough. The only way to get through it is to bring Jesus into the situation. But you may say... when they woke Jesus up and brought Him into the situation, He rebuked them for not having faith. He didn't rebuke them for waking Him up. He rebuked them because they did not trust His word. He had already told them when they got in the boat that they were going to the other side. He never said anything to them about drowning or not making it to their appointed destination. Jesus never rebukes us for calling on Him. He even gives us an invitation to call upon Him when we are in trouble. He rebuked them because they did not trust Him. 

 

They brought Jesus into their situation physically. We bring Jesus into our situation by calling upon Him in prayer, by trusting in His word; by standing on His promises; by remembering what He said to us and holding fast to it. While we are no match against the storms by ourselves, if we will remember that Jesus is with us in the storm, He has power over all things, His word is more powerful than anything, He has given us power and authority over the winds and waves, then because Jesus is with us and in us the storms then become no match against us. 

 

Have a great day. No matter how well equipped we are we are no match for some of life's storms. But those same storms are no match for Jesus so don't try to handle them alone. Put your faith in Jesus and the storm will not destroy you. 

 

For further reading:

Mark 4

 

"Overcoming Life"

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

Life throws a lot at us-- pain, misery, heartache, trials, accusations, discomfort, broken relationships, tests, difficulties, and so on. One moment things are going in our favor, the next minute it seems as everything is against us. One-minute things couldn't be better for us, then all of a sudden, things couldn't get any worse. One day the sun is shining, the next day all we can see are gray storm clouds. Yes, life throws a lot at us that we have to overcome and steer our way through. 

 

Life threw a lot at Jesus too while He walked on earth. It threw all the above at Him-- plus more. He was loved by many, but there were those who hated Him, who tried to kill Him, who falsely accused Him, who lied about Him, mocked Him and finally crucified Him. He was confronted by demons. He dealt with hurting humanity. He faced physical tiredness, hunger, thirst, attacks against His mind and body. But in everything life threw at Him, it did not overcome Him, it did not get the best of Him, it did not defeat Him. Instead, He was victorious over it. 

 

When He says to us to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world, He is telling us that because of His victory over everything life threw at Him, we can be victorious too. Our lives now belong to Him. They are hidden in Him. We are crucified with Him and His life is living through us. Therefore, our trials don't have to destroy us. Our storms don't have to drown us. Our problems don't have to defeat us. Because our lives are hidden with Jesus and He overcame everything life threw at Him, we are now more than conquerors over everything life throws at us. Because He was victorious, we are victorious. "Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ." (2 Corinthians 2:14a)

 

Don't throw in the towel. Don't give up in defeat. Don't get discouraged. Don't give into the enemy's lies against you. Don't let whatever you are facing get you down and cause you to give up. You are not defeated. You are not the loser. Jesus overcame and gave you the victory and His own trophy to display in your life. Get up and go forward, strong in Him and the power of His might... and victorious in Him.

 

Have a great day. Jesus overcame everything life threw at Him. And because He did, you can too.

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:37

Galatians 2:20

Colossians 3:3