March 30
Deut 13:1-15:23 | PS 71:1-24 | Prov 12:5-7 | Luke 8:40-9:6
Are you ready for Jesus? Oswald Chambers said, "If you are avoiding the call of the religious thinking of today's world and instead are "looking unto Jesus", you will be considered a daydreamer and impractical. But when He suddenly appears in the work of the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. You should trust no one, and even ignore the finest saint on earth if he blocks your sight of Jesus Christ". Many are very familiar with the four gospel accounts: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Throughout these accounts are multiple examples of people who "looked unto Jesus". Like us, some were working, or enjoying time with their families. Some were actually being taught by religious leaders when Jesus arrived on the scene. The thing that set them apart, was they were ready, while others were not. We never know when Jesus will step into our lives. This is more than discussing the Rapture and the second coming. Jesus is active now. Where are our minds and hearts?
We read in Luke 8:43-48 of a woman who had been tormented for years by a "flow of blood". This flow weakened her, impoverished her, and made her as a leper as she was unclean and unable to be around others in Jewish society. The religious leaders would have commanded her to stand back due to her uncleanness, but "looking unto Jesus" she ignored all the other voices and was healed. We read In 8:40-42, 49-56, of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, whose only daughter was dying, and then actually dies while he was seeking help from Jesus. He was told to leave Jesus alone, as all hope was gone, in that his daughter had already died, but "looking unto Jesus", he chose otherwise, and the life of his daughter was restored. As Jesus sends out His twelve disciples into the mission field, notice what He tells them in 9:3, "And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece." He sent them out with nothing, so that they could learn to "look unto Him" learning to trust in God and live out their lives in faith.
Trusting Jesus above all else is so important, as we read in Deuteronomy 13:1-3, “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." We should not forget the warning of Jesus in Matthew 7:22-23, "Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’" There will be wonders, and inspiring words. They might even be said and done by people respected by you and the world. But the litmus test comes from the truth as seen in the Bible. Anything that pulls you from Jesus is wrong. We need to "look unto Jesus", and be ready, for we never know when we might be touched by Him and called into His service.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: