Category: Uncategorized (Page 21 of 26)

John 6:5 – When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. ⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” ⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. (NIV)

Today’s reading is a familiar story to most, if not all, Christians.  The stories of the feeding of the multitudes are as familiar as John 3:16.  What we don’t focus on very often is why Jesus left in such a hurry following the miraculous feeding.  If he had wanted to get his message of God’s love and grace out to the masses, here were some folks who hung on his every word.  Or did they?

The Jewish people of Jesus’ day were looking for a Messiah, but not the kind of Messiah that Jesus came to be.  They were looking for a political or military messiah, one who would ride into Jerusalem and remove the occupying Roman army.  If Jesus could miraculously feed thousands, they believed that he could certainly defeat the Romans, and I suppose that Jesus could have.  The people did not really listen to Jesus’ teaching as much as they saw his signs.  This is why Jesus so often told those that he healed not to tell anyone.

This makes me wonder – what kind of Messiah are we looking for?  I’ve know people who got mad at God and quit going to church because someone they loved died.  We all will die.  I’ve known people who have gotten disillusioned with God because they prayed and prayed, yet still lost their job.  We are all at the mercy of economics.  I could go on with more examples, but the fact remains, not all who call upon the name of Jesus are seeking the Messiah that Jesus came to be.  

Ultimately, Jesus came to make us right with God.  Our sin separates us from God, and Jesus bridges the gap.  This was Jesus’ goal.  He healed because he had compassion, but his ministry was to die for our sin.  Today, let’s celebrate a Messiah who makes us right with God!  

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 12:9 – Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰ So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, ¹¹ for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him. ¹² The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. ¹³ They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

“Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!”

¹⁴ Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

¹⁵ “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
see, your king is coming,
seated on a donkey’s colt.”

¹⁶ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.

¹⁷ Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. ¹⁸ Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. ¹⁹ So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!” (NIV) 

To better understand what is going on in today’s reading, let’s consider what took place in the previous chapter.  After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, some of the Jewish leaders viewed Jesus as a threat.  It was no secret that a number of the Jewish leaders were well connected with the Romans.  It was in the best interest of those leaders to keep the peace, so that their own titles would be secure, not to mention their incomes.  Following the raising of Lazarus, it became evident that many of the Jews wanted Jesus to be their Messiah.  The only problem was that the long held Jewish belief was that the Messiah would remove the Romans from their land.  This would certainly pose a problem to the well-connected Jewish leaders.  In John 11:47-48 we read: “Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”” 

This debate amongst the Jewish leaders begs this question from us: What kind of Messiah do we believe Jesus to be?  There are many Christians today who believe that Jesus is some sort of free pass for material possession and wealth.  Indeed, preaching such a Gospel has made more than a few preachers wealthy!  Other Christians view Jesus as nothing more than a ‘get out of hell free card.’  Such Christians don’t take seriously Jesus’ call to “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:11).

I think it is important for us to regularly check ourselves as to what we are expecting from Jesus.  If we really believe that Jesus is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6), then what does that mean for our daily lives? What truth about Jesus do we believe, and how are we living out this belief?  This, my faithful readers, is why daily reading from God’s Word is so vital.  Without it, we may be led to believe things about Jesus that are not true.

Jesus is the way and the truth and the life.  The life that Jesus gives is a life of inner peace, not a peace that the world says we can gain through material possessions or status.  To gain this peace, Jesus calls for us to live radically different than the rest of the world.

Today, reflect upon the question that Jesus asked in Mark 8:29:  “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” 

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 9:35 – Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” ³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” ³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” ³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹ Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?” ⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains. (NIV)

I wear glasses.  The very first thing I do when I get up in the morning is reach for my glasses.  I confess, I can’t see without them.  Imagine if I were arrogant enough to think that I did not need any help at all.  Imagine if I were to get up and say to myself, “I need no one’s help, I can see just as I need to see.”  If I were to do this, I would stumble over every little thing.  I would have a rough time making it through life. 

The simple truth of today’s reading is that left on our own, we are all blind.  Left on our own, we would stumble over every little sin that comes our way.  Left on our own we would have a rough time making it through life.  Likewise, left on our own without a Savior, the guilt of every little sin would remain.  Fortunately, with Jesus as our Savior, we are not left on our own, and our guilt is removed!

Let us freely confess to God that we cannot see our way through life on our own.  Let us confess that we need a Savior and let us celebrate a Savior who removes the guilt of our sin!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 12:35 – “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (NIV)

In today’s reading, Jesus uses two analogies to teach us to be ready.  In the first, using the analogy of a wedding feast, he tells us to be dressed and ready.  This reminds me of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus where he tells us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).  Paul also tells us to clothe ourselves with Jesus (Romans 13:14 and Galatians 3:27).  Then, in Colossians 3:12, Paul writes: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” 

Clothing ourselves is something that we do every day. Likewise, preparing our hearts and minds for our service to God is also something that we should do every day.  To miss even one day of spiritual readiness is to set ourselves up for the possibility of being unprepared.  Unprepared for what?  Unprepared for service.  Unprepared for an encounter with someone God sends into our path.  Unprepared for an encounter with God. 

The second analogy uses the example of a thief coming in the night.  Thieves do not announce when they are coming.  Likewise, we never know when we will encounter Jesus, spiritually or physically upon our death.

Let us do everything that we can to stay prepared spiritually.  If we do, we will never miss an encounter with Jesus. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

2 Peter 1:1 – This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. ² May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

³ By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. ⁴ And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.

⁵ In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, ⁷ and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 

⁸ The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT) 

In these opening verses of Peter’s second letter, we read through a list of characteristics that define the Christian faith.  We read about moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, and godliness.  Every Christian should be growing in these areas.  We may not have achieved all we should in these areas, but we should be growing and improving.  If we are having difficulty realizing any growth in these areas, we must ask ourselves: How well do we really know God?

How do I arrive at this question?  In verses three, Peter wrote: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him.”  For anyone to grow closer to anyone else, they need to nurture their relationship with that person.  If we wish to grow as a Christian, we must know God better, and we can know God better by nurturing our relationship with God.  We can nurture our relationship with God through prayer, Bible study and worship. 

The Apostle Paul wrote several times to the churches that he was praying they would know God better.  In Ephesians 1:17 he wrote, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better (NIV).”  This is a good prayer for each of us! 

Take time this day to nurture your relationship with God.  Grow as a Christian.  Shine God’s Light! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 133:1 – How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!

² It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
³ It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life forevermore. (NIV) 

How good and pleasant is unity amongst God’s people.  It is, indeed, good and pleasant, but it can often be quite elusive.  Every day, dissatisfied men and women leave churches in hopes of finding something better.  Congregations become divided by a myriad of issues, from differing ideas about direction and leadership to worship styles.  Our world is filled with sin, and sadly, this sin often comes between those who worship together.

Psalm 133 is part of a group of psalms called ‘Psalms of Ascents.’  Psalms of Ascents would be sung by Jewish pilgrims as they made their way from distant lands to Jerusalem to worship in the temple.  Interestingly, it was divisions amongst the Jews that led in part to their downfall as a nation, and dispersion throughout their world.  Had they maintained their unity of purpose as the people of God, they may not have been spread so far and wide.

Verse two tells us that unity among godly people is like precious oil poured on the head.  This referred to the oil that was used to anoint the high priest.  It was precious because it was reserved for one solemn ritual.  In this verse it runs down Aaron’s beard.  This signified all of God’s people. 

Verse three speaks of the dew of Hermon.  Mount Hermon is located along the border of present day Syria and Lebanon.  It is nearly ten thousand feet in height, arising abruptly from near sea level. The peaks are often snow covered.  The land below Mount Hermon is very fertile, being watered from the frequent dew.  We are told that godly unity would be as refreshing as if that dew watered the arid land surrounding Jerusalem (Mount Zion).

Unity may be rare and precious at times, but it should always be our goal.  In all we do, we should seek to be unified with our Christian brothers and sisters.  Will we always agree on everything?  Of course not, but we can be unified in our purpose as God’s people.  Our purpose is clear, to be and make disciples for Jesus Christ.

Today, let us seek to live in unity with our Christian brothers and sisters.  Let us be unified in our purpose of shining God’s light into the darkness of the world. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 11:33 – “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.” (NIV) 

 What is a Christian?  Is it believing that Jesus is God’s son?  Is it believing that Jesus died for our sins?  It certainly is those things, but it’s more.  When I receive someone into church membership, I not only ask them if they trust in Jesus Christ as their Savior, but I also ask them if they promise to serve Jesus as their Lord.  This is a part of Christianity that many overlook. 

Being a Christian is living the life that our Lord commands us to live.  In today’s reading we have some directions from Jesus as to how it is that we are live our life.  This short passage has three critical parts.

First, there is a practical lesson about lamps: “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.”  Lamps have a purpose, and that is to illumine the area around the lamp.  It would be foolish to light a lamp (or turn one on), and then cover it up.  It would be defeating the very purpose of the lamp. 

The second part of this passage is: “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness.”  This reminds me of the line from the children’s song that goes, “O be careful little eyes what you see.”   What we see, and what we experience, will help to determine whether our spiritual life is healthy.  If we take in as much of God’s light as we can (through Scripture, worship, Christian fellowship, prayer), our whole body will be filled with light.  When we ignore these things, darkness soon fills our life.

Third, if we are careful with what we see and take in, then we will be like a lamp, shinning for others to see God’s light: “See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”  Other people, who may not have God’s light within them, will see God’s light illuminating through us.  Just as we are drawn to a light when all around us is dark, those who live in darkness are often drawn to those whose lives shine God’s light. 

Jesus, our Lord, wants those in darkness to be drawn to him through his disciples.  Remember, covering a lamp would be defeating the very purpose of the lamp.  Likewise, not doing what we can to have the light of God shining from within us is defeating the very purpose of the Church, the Body of Christ.  Let’s let our light shine! 

Posted by Ramón Torres

Psalm 124:1 – If the Lord had not been on our side—
let Israel say—
² if the Lord had not been on our side
when people attacked us,
³ they would have swallowed us alive
when their anger flared against us;
⁴ the flood would have engulfed us,
the torrent would have swept over us,
⁵ the raging waters
would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord,
who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird
from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth. (NIV)

When I read Psalm 124, several images come to my mind.  Certainly, the psalm conjures up mental pictures of floods and raging waters, but the image that grabs my attention is a picture of a bird escaping a fowler’s snare.  This image is striking because when I read this psalm, I think in terms of my own life.  I think of times when I felt like a bird in a snare, trapped with no help of escape. However, I also think of the times when I knew that it was only by God’s grace and presence that I was able to move through those difficult times.

The psalm begins with an affirmation of faith – if it hadn’t been for the Lord, we never would have made it.  I think it’s good for us all to sit back for a moment and make this same affirmation of faith.

When I think in terms of God’s larger picture, there is another image that comes to my mind.  I know that the power of sin is the greatest evil I will ever face.  We are all sinners, and the power of sin separates us from God.  When I read this psalm, I see sin as the great snare that is written about in verse seven.  Left on our own, we are defenseless against this great snare.  Thanks be to God for Jesus our Christ!  Without Jesus, we would never make it.  The snare has been broken, and we have escaped!  This is Good News, and that’s Good Stuff!

Posted by Ramón Torres

Luke 15:1 – Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

⁸ “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NIV)

Scandalous behavior!  That’s really what it was.  Jesus was intentionally hanging out with people who were deemed to be sinners in the eyes of the religious.  To those who sought to live by religious laws, this was unacceptable behavior.  For many Christians today, it is still unacceptable behavior.  

Jesus responds to their shock and outrage by telling parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin.  The application is clear – if we want what is lost to be found, we must seek out what is lost.  The lost among us will not find Jesus if we do not seek them out and show them Jesus.  While we can, and should, rejoice over crowds in religious services, we ought to be actively seeking those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Through these parables, Jesus asks us: How can we seek the lost and show them Jesus if we choose not to associate with them?  How can we reach the lost if we judge them? 

Paul addressed this issue of judging nonbelievers in his first letter to the Corinthians.  He made it clear that we should do what we can to hold our Christian brothers and sisters accountable for their actions, but speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus he wrote: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people —  not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10).  Speaking of those without a relationship with Jesus, Paul added in verse twelve of that same passage: “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church?”

Jesus certainly preached repentance, but he had to establish relationships with the lost before he could get to repentance.  We should do the same.  If we approach the lost with judgment, we will push them away before we can establish a relationship with them and share the Gospel.

Let us not be quick to judge those without a saving relationship with Jesus.  Like Jesus taught us, let us seek the lost. 

Posted by Ramón Torres

John 12:37 – Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴⁰ “He has blinded their eyes
and hardened their hearts,
so they can neither see with their eyes,
nor understand with their hearts,
nor turn—and I would heal them.”

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.  ⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved human praise more than praise from God. (NIV)

When we think of the term ‘peer pressure’, we usually think of teenagers and the things they do to ‘fit in’.  Peer pressure is not limited to the young! We all face peer pressure.  We face peer pressure because we want others to accept us.  No one wants to be disliked or rejected, and so we often choose our words carefully so as not to upset others.  Indeed, we should choose our words carefully, and we should try to get along with others, but there is a line we must not cross. When we cross that line, we have compromised our belief that Jesus as our Lord. 

In today’s reading, we are told that some of the Jewish leaders believed in Jesus, but were fearful of what others would say.  We are told in verse forty-three that they loved human praise. Are there times when we love human praise more than we love Jesus? Or, are there times we seek human approval?  Are there times when we go along with the off color jokes instead of speaking up because we fear what others may think of us?  Are there times when we join in the gossip so that we can be included in the conversation?  Are there times when we do not stand upon what we know is right because we ‘love human praise’?  When we act in these ways, we have given into peer pressure, and have compromised our belief that Jesus is our Lord. 

Jesus is our ‘Lord and Savior’.  It’s relatively easy to live with Jesus as our Savior.  A Savior saves us from the power of sin, but a Lord calls for us to live differently than the rest of the world.  It’s difficult, at times, to live as if Jesus is our Lord.  Today, let’s not give into peer pressure.  Let’s affirm by word and action that Jesus is our Lord! 

Posted by Ramón Torres