August 30th 2020
Can You Tell Someone How Having Jesus In Your Life Has Brought You JOY?
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
These instructions about how to pray were given immediately before Jesus taught His disciples (us) The Lord’s Prayer. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:3-8). The selected verse for today can be found in the instructions Jesus is giving to us about giving to the poor and in our acts of going to God in prayer.
Praying should not only be asking for “things,” it should always be a time of talking with God. It must always be a two-way conversation between you and Jesus Christ! Most of the time when you call a friend, you would expect your friend to respond to what you were asking them, else it would not be a conversation. When you call Jesus through prayer, make sure your prayer door is open to having a two-way conversation with God/Jesus, just like you would with another friend. Remember Jesus has called His disciples His friends, because He has told them what His Father wanted us to know. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:11-!7). What a friend we have in Jesus!
Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command. What did Jesus command us to do? “This is my command: Love each other.” In our country today it is difficult to see such an attitude as this. As we see fewer people attending a church of their choice, we also see fewer people who even know about Jesus, and almost no one who knows Jesus. As Christians we are expected to be working on becoming more Christ-like every day. We need to know WWJD, when faced with circumstances that require a loving attitude before we can be expected to show love toward someone who has elected to hate us for some reason of their own making. Yes, it is true Jesus has said we are to love everyone, even those who consider us as their enemy. We are to love them even if they choose to persecute us because we profess to be a Christian. Did Jesus come to this earth as the Prince of peace? Well listen to what Jesus once said about what His coming MAY cause! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53). Here, Jesus is just being real in His estimation of what believing in Him may cause with your family and friends.
Satan is always using the love of Jesus to be twisted by mankind to disrupt friendliness and love between friends and family members who do not understand who Jesus is! Most people do not want the Biblical; account about Jesus to be true, they do not have any room in their lives for Jesus! Worldly religions run away from Jesus and the God of the Bible, as they do not want to repent in humility to Jesus Christ! What about you? Are you working on repentance to keep you on that narrow path that leads you toward Jesus? Most people do not believe that having Jesus in their life will improve it and they will be happier. Jesus told us His disciples about how His joy will be transferred to you. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” We all seek joy in our lives, and Jesus is the answer to this quest, nothing else can totally supply this type of joy!
What did Jesus tell us about how love comes from God, and thus, we must love God before we can love other people, as we all have an immortal soul which was created by God in each of us. This immortal soul is created in us even before we are born. Matthew wrote about a time when Jesus was being tested by the Pharisees. Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:34-40). Therefore, you must first love God, and then you can love yourself, because Jesus died for your sins, so your immortal soul will go to heaven. Then it is possible for you to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Even if your neighbor chooses not to love you!
Solomon was one of the wisest men to ever walk this earth, yet he was puzzled by what God does! He was overcome by his worldly possessions, he did not overcome this world, it overcame him! What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure for ever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).
Most of the members of mankind walking on this earth today do not seek the knowledge related to the God of the Bible. They seek worldly possessions first, and many are too busy with that process, and thus, they do not have time for seeking Jesus to get them on the narrow path that leads to Him. They fight against the knowledge of eternity that only Jesus controls and seek joy from their worldly possessions. When they die their possessions are passed on to other people who did not earn them, and their immortal soul proceeds to hell for all eternity. Can you tell someone how having Jesus in your life has brought you JOY? They need to know Him!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
These instructions about how to pray were given immediately before Jesus taught His disciples (us) The Lord’s Prayer. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 6:3-8). The selected verse for today can be found in the instructions Jesus is giving to us about giving to the poor and in our acts of going to God in prayer.
Praying should not only be asking for “things,” it should always be a time of talking with God. It must always be a two-way conversation between you and Jesus Christ! Most of the time when you call a friend, you would expect your friend to respond to what you were asking them, else it would not be a conversation. When you call Jesus through prayer, make sure your prayer door is open to having a two-way conversation with God/Jesus, just like you would with another friend. Remember Jesus has called His disciples His friends, because He has told them what His Father wanted us to know. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other. (John 15:11-!7). What a friend we have in Jesus!
Jesus said, “You are my friends if you do what I command. What did Jesus command us to do? “This is my command: Love each other.” In our country today it is difficult to see such an attitude as this. As we see fewer people attending a church of their choice, we also see fewer people who even know about Jesus, and almost no one who knows Jesus. As Christians we are expected to be working on becoming more Christ-like every day. We need to know WWJD, when faced with circumstances that require a loving attitude before we can be expected to show love toward someone who has elected to hate us for some reason of their own making. Yes, it is true Jesus has said we are to love everyone, even those who consider us as their enemy. We are to love them even if they choose to persecute us because we profess to be a Christian. Did Jesus come to this earth as the Prince of peace? Well listen to what Jesus once said about what His coming MAY cause! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." (Luke 12:51-53). Here, Jesus is just being real in His estimation of what believing in Him may cause with your family and friends.
Satan is always using the love of Jesus to be twisted by mankind to disrupt friendliness and love between friends and family members who do not understand who Jesus is! Most people do not want the Biblical; account about Jesus to be true, they do not have any room in their lives for Jesus! Worldly religions run away from Jesus and the God of the Bible, as they do not want to repent in humility to Jesus Christ! What about you? Are you working on repentance to keep you on that narrow path that leads you toward Jesus? Most people do not believe that having Jesus in their life will improve it and they will be happier. Jesus told us His disciples about how His joy will be transferred to you. Jesus said, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” We all seek joy in our lives, and Jesus is the answer to this quest, nothing else can totally supply this type of joy!
What did Jesus tell us about how love comes from God, and thus, we must love God before we can love other people, as we all have an immortal soul which was created by God in each of us. This immortal soul is created in us even before we are born. Matthew wrote about a time when Jesus was being tested by the Pharisees. Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matthew 22:34-40). Therefore, you must first love God, and then you can love yourself, because Jesus died for your sins, so your immortal soul will go to heaven. Then it is possible for you to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Even if your neighbor chooses not to love you!
Solomon was one of the wisest men to ever walk this earth, yet he was puzzled by what God does! He was overcome by his worldly possessions, he did not overcome this world, it overcame him! What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure for ever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-14).
Most of the members of mankind walking on this earth today do not seek the knowledge related to the God of the Bible. They seek worldly possessions first, and many are too busy with that process, and thus, they do not have time for seeking Jesus to get them on the narrow path that leads to Him. They fight against the knowledge of eternity that only Jesus controls and seek joy from their worldly possessions. When they die their possessions are passed on to other people who did not earn them, and their immortal soul proceeds to hell for all eternity. Can you tell someone how having Jesus in your life has brought you JOY? They need to know Him!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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