Blog Archives - Created through Him

Created Through Him

In the fourth watch of the night

11/20/2012

25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. 27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid (Matthew 14:25-27).

God in His sovereign love comes to us exactly when we need Him. He immediately brings calm out of chaos. The chaos of life may at times threaten to overcome us, but we should rest assure that the God that called us into existence and walks towards us in the storms of life will surely save us from all trials. We often have to walk through the trial but God is always present with us along the way.

Blessed

11/19/2012

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them (Matthew 13:16-17).

The blessings of God are purposeful and directed at people individually. The scripture verses immediately preceding these verses seems to indicate that there are those that hear and understand the Gospel and there are those that do not. These verses also show that many looked forward to hearing the words of the Messiah but it is the generation that hears and sees that is truly blessed. It is an abundant blessing to hear and see the word of God in action. Those that heard Christ preach and saw Him heal are blessed. And while we cannot see Christ, we can know that He is present through the work of the Holy Spirit. We also have seen the impact of Christ on our lives and the lives of others. No one in history has had more impact on the lives of individuals than the human son of the carpenter from Nazareth, and the Son of the living God.

And in His name

11/18/2012

20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust (Matthew 12:20-21).

This scripture verifies the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy from Isaiah that the Gentiles would follow the Messiah. Although present in the Old Testament scriptures is several places, the idea that Christ would be the savior for all people was hard for many to accept. As we now know though, multitudes over the generations have come to faith in Christ while most of Israel has rejected the Messiah. The rejection of the Messiah is caused ultimately by trusting in self, tradition, or lineage to save. But salvation doesn’t result from our actions, our traditions or our birth lineage it results from the gift of trusting in God. The gift of God is the salvation of the soul.

The inconsistencies of Man's thoughts

11/17/2012

16 But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, 17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. 19 The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children (Matthew 11:16-19).

The truth is never relative to what people think. The truth simply is. Jesus in this passage draws our attention to the inconsistencies of human thought. These inconsistencies of human thought lead to faulty conclusions. Which leads to the point of this passage, conclusions should be based on the truth, not perception of truth. It is therefore necessary to remove perception from our reflections on the truth. Our perceptions, when it comes to God’s word and God’s ways, simply lead us frequently down the wrong path. In short, hypocrisy is born out of the difference between Man’s perceptions, and God’s desires. God’s desires are truth and this is the very truth that sets us free.

God knows and cares

11/16/2012

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29-31).

This is one of the verses of scripture that should be very comforting to us. God knows and cares for each us personally. There is therefore nothing that we should fear or fret about. The God that created us, created us for a purpose. God’s purposes for us will not be thwarted and we can rest assured that when God is for us there is nothing ultimately to fear. There is no greater advocate and protector for you than the God that knows you by name and called you to His set purposes.

Follow Him

11/15/2012

9 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him (Matthew 9:9).

When God calls a person to serve Him, He means now. There is no hesitation or looking back. If you notice that each time he called a disciple, they immediately responded. God desires our total commitment. I wonder if Christ were to come in our day, how readily would we drop everything and follow Him? Interestingly, we need not wait or wonder, God has already asked us through His word to be totally committed to Him. What does total commitment look like, or what does it mean? Well, for starters, commitment is costly and not cheap. I don’t mean monetarily but rather, personally. In fact, Christ says we must be willing to give everything in order to follow Him. But this is actually for our benefit, because what we gain is infinitely more valuable than whatever we have lost.

Great faith

11/14/2012

10 When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 11 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:10-11).

Although we share a common faith, the amount of faith can vacillate on an individual basis. In this passage, the Centurion (a gentile) displays tremendous faith and as a result his servant is healed. Christ was deeply moved by the faith of the Centurion and He goes on to explain that many gentiles would come to faith. This is a profound revelation by Christ, that through Israel’s Messiah, many even outside of Israel would be saved. It is God’s will to save all those that come to Christ in faith.

Knock and it will be opened

11/13/2012

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).

It is God’s will that all people that call upon Him will receive faith in abundance. If we seek God earnestly and with our whole heart, He will open the door of salvation to us. But God does not force Himself on us; we must seek Him. While it is true that God draws people to Himself and that without the assistance of God no one would come to saving faith, we still must respond to God by seeking Him. So, when God calls on us to respond to Him, we must respond in faith and in so doing we will be granted the everlasting saving faith that we ultimately seek and need.

Control

11/12/2012

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? (Matthew 6:27)

There are many things in life that we simply cannot change or control. When we try to control and change things and circumstances that are beyond our ability to do so, we are not trusting God. The purpose of trusting God is to benefit us. We benefit when we trust and rely on God because the burden of worry for us is no longer present. God knows that we wish to control too many things, and he pleads with us through scripture to let go of the things that are beyond our control. When we are concerned about anything, our best course of action is to turn to God in prayer. God will provide according to His will, and what He provides is sufficient.

Both salt and light

11/11/2012

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:13-14).

We are told in scripture to be salt and light in the world. We are to improve and guide those around us. The world, although ever increasing in knowledge, in many cases lacks the true knowledge of God. Through our influence in teaching and by our example we should seek out the lost and help as many people as possible to come to the true knowledge of God. In order to be effective, we cannot hide our faith. We are to show, on a daily basis, the effects of the Gospel in and on our lives. Be the salt and light to the world.

Created Through Him