Luke 8:19-21

Luke 8:19-21 Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

Sometimes the most difficult part of living a Christian life is not hearing God's voice or knowing what to do that will please him, it is putting his Word into practice. We are often distracted and fall short of living out the Word and fulfilling the will of God. The above verses carry on the theme of the good seed and the lamp put on a lamp stand. Good seed sprouts and becomes a viable producer because it puts God's words, the living elements of life, into practice. Reproduction, multiplying, comes from the hand of God in the form of seed or light in a believer's heart. When put into a compliant heart, the seed multiplies or reveals light. It produces more of God's anointed or blessed creation. Bad soil or a lamp hidden produces nothing good, blesses no one. Jesus said in the above comment, the life that is pleasing to God is one that not only hears God's words but puts them into practice.

Many of us are dull of hearing. Yes, we know the Word, we know the right things to believe, but we are negligent in living out the word daily in our lives. Often we let our own spirits control our actions and reactions. How many of us truly love other things, other people, or ourselves more than God? In Matthew 10:37-38, we hear Jesus' words: Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. If anything is in the way of God and our walk with him, we are not worthy of him. These are difficult scriptures to face, for we are human, going around once in this world. How can we leave our natural affections and hold onto God more than what we see, hear, feel, and know? How do we overcome our fleshly inclinations?

Total commitment to God comes only with the help of the Holy Spirit. Any other enlightenment, inspiration, or self-motivation will fall short of God's plan. Our temporal insights or fresh starts will fail when we are troubled in spirit, when things aren't working out well, and we wonder why. Then we often begin to complain, for our flesh does not understand our circumstances, is not able to hear God clearly and to see his many blessings. In those troubling times, we truly know how much we need the Holy Spirit to show us who we are and who God is. Then we will desperately need to hear the Father's voice, calling us by name, saying, "Son, daughter, I am here, and I have a plan for your life." How else will we stand? How else will we be the good soil or the bright lamp? The Holy Spirit ensures that the soil remains good, producing much fruit. The Spirit is the oil that lets the lamp burn brightly, shining for all to see in the darkest of times. Who is in Jesus' family? Those who endure to the end; those who allow the Holy Spirit to activate their spirits regardless of life's circumstances. They are the good soil, the brightly lit lamp, and the sons and daughters of God. They are the ones who hear God’s word and put it into practice. This is our privilege and our joy to listen and to obey.

Luke 8:16-18

Luke 8:16-18 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.”

Exodus 33:12-17 Moses said to the LORD, “You have been telling me, ‘Lead these people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You have said, ‘I know you by name and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. Remember that this nation is your people.” The LORD replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?” And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name.”

The Bible indicates Christians are the light of the world. We bring the "good news" that a Savior has come to a dark and dying world. As Christians, we express the Savior's personality to others through our actions and words. However, if we hide our obligations to the Lord, if we hide the fact that we are his and not our own, we will perform his work dimly or not at all. When we place his light, his likeness, under our personalities, under our interests, under our obligations, under our sins, we will not fulfill his purpose for our lives. If we try to follow any other philosophy or any other purpose for life, even our own self-interests, we will have missed the divine purpose for our lives, to be the light of the world. We cannot fool God. God knows what is in the heart of man; He knows what motivates us, what is foundational in our lives. If He is not, we are not lights, and we will be judged for our waywardness.

What is the most precious thing in your life? That is an important question for each of us to answer. For some of us it is life itself. We hold our life as the most precious possession we have. It is the engine that motivates us in everything we do. Others focus more on jobs, relationships, or loved ones as being the motivating aspects of our lives. They are precious because they keep our lives going; they give us a purpose for living. But the Bible indicates that none of these reasons for living should supersede our relationship with God. He should be by far the most precious element in our lives, more precious than life itself, for He is not only our creator, He is our Father, the lover of our souls. Anything less than total devotion to him will be exposed, for nothing can be hidden from God.

Is the Holy Spirit within you the most precious gift you have? Does He make life worth living? Do you daily hear him call your name or do you not have spiritual ears to hear? Jesus said be careful how you listen. Are you hearing his voice or are you hearing all of the other things that you consider precious? Are you hearing the Lamb's voice or are you hearing the self voice? This is very important because Jesus says whatever voice you hear will determine whether your lamp shines. If you hear the Spirit's voice, your lamp will shine brightly, but if you hear your voice only and its concomitant fleshly desires, your lamp will flicker or cease to burn. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him.

God knows us by name if we are his. We cannot, we dare not, live this life without his presence, without communication with him. Moses said, I cannot do anything, nor do I want to do anything, unless your presence goes with me. Our lives are hidden with Christ in God and He is in us. We cannot do anything eternally unless He goes with us, prepares the way for us. Today, hear his voice inside you; know that He loves you and understands who you are. Covet his presence. He calls you by name.

Luke 8:4-8, 15

Luke 8:4-8, 15 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” . . .But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

Good soil has a persevering element in it. Jesus describes people who are considered to be good soil as those with noble and good hearts. We might consider these people as those who will stand beside us regardless of the difficulties of our condition or our circumstances. All of us want people with noble and good hearts in our lives. We want people we can count on as advocates for us. Every child, every friend, every spouse, every boss, anyone who needs help wants this support. How many of us have seen a sporting event where members on the losing team give up at the end, fail to play until the last buzzer. They are not there at the end of the game, playing just as hard as they did at the beginning of the game. They quit on themselves and on the team. I knew a wonderful Christian man whose son was in a penitentiary for robbing several local banks. The father confided in me that he would rather his son had died, for he was embarrassed he had a son who was a bank robber. The dad gave up on his son; he quit before the end of the contest. How sad.

Good soil never gives up. Its rich depths of nourishment persevere until a marvelous crop is produced. Good soil is loyal, loving, caring, nurturing, and sacrificial in nature. Bad soil produces a meager crop, an immature crop, because it is self-centered in nature: faithless, unloving, uncaring, and neglectful. Good soil reflects God's nature. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:7) What kind of soil are we? Well, God is never finished with us; He is always working on our soil. If we are too much into ourselves, God will make us better soil if we ask him. We can always be more altruistic, more full of the Holy Spirit's attributes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Hearts can be changed. God can change any of us with a stony heart or with poor soil into a person who can be receptive to God's words and yield an abundant harvest. Of course, God sowed the seed, but regardless of the condition of our hearts, our lives, our soil, we are not without hope. "Whosoever will" can be changed. When we believe in Jesus Christ, all things are possible. If we hold onto this truth and run the race to the end, we will bring a plentiful harvest into God's storehouse. So if you feel like quitting, stepping off the course, don't. God is with you--let your roots go down deep in him, in his Word. He has promised salvation TO YOU. Therefore, keep running, keep battling, for you are God's child; you have a NOBLE AND GOOD HEART.

Luke 8:4,5,7

Luke 8:4,5,7 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.

Luke 8:11,14 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature.

The seed among the thorns are those people who don't run the race to the end, who jump off course somewhere along the route. They sprout as all good seed does, but the cares of this world pull them away to be as the world is and therefore they quit the race. They never mature into God's image as children of the King. Many people who claim to be Christians are in this category. At a time in their lives, they heard the message and received it, but they accepted it in name only. In the United States we have a huge majority of the population who tag themselves as Christian, but in reality they have very little to do with Christ's body until maybe a special holiday comes along. They'll attend an Easter service or a Christmas mass, but they will not commit the rest of the year to God.

These people carry the likeness of the world in their actions, words and attitudes, yet they still want to be identified as Christians. They are buried as Christians, but their lives were spent for the world. Sundays to nominal Christians are days of relaxation, a day when you get up late, do your own thing, maybe watch your kids play sports, A FAMILY DAY. They don't feel any need to be in communion with other believers, to be in the house of the Lord, for Jesus is not their Lord; He is not in control of their lives. These tagged Christians or vaccinated Christians, are Christian in name only. Jesus says to these "Christians," I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:15-16) Consequently, these Christians in name only need an encounter with God; they need maturity in him or they will be destroyed by this world.

Now, we Christians are more susceptible to the thorns in our lives than any other problem we face. If we are not careful, our days can be consumed with the worries, riches and pleasures of life with no time for God, not even in our thought lives. Our jobs, our entertainment, our obligations will always threaten our time with God. One of the reasons I write these breakfasts is that you might fight back the thorns in your life, that your mind might be focused on the things of God for a few minutes each day. We all need a hearty breakfast each morning to stay physically healthy. As Christians we also need a spiritual breakfast to keep our spirits healthy. I pray each morning that these breakfasts will feed your souls, will prepare you for anything that you will face today. Yes, thorns will be a part of each one of our lives, but thorns do not have to destroy us or to make us anemic Christians, those who bring no fruit to maturity. So today, ignore the thorns, abide IN CHRIST, turn your focus on him, and run the race gladly to the end.

Luke 8:4-6

Luke 8:4-6 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.

Luke 8:11-13 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away.

John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Seed that falls in good ground, fallow ground, will not escape trouble: In this world you will have trouble. Sometimes we believe trouble comes to those who have done something wrong in their lives. They just didn't exercise enough, didn't eat the right foods, failed to remain silent at the right time, didn't work hard enough, and the like. The Bible says, we will have rocks in our lives; hard places or difficult circumstances will come to us. However, the Bible warns us not to allow the vicissitudes of life to defeat us. We are to endure in faith regardless of our earthly circumstances. The kind of faith that says I will believe regardless of the troubles of life is the sustaining faith that allows us to overcome. Jesus went to the cross illustrating this faith. He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:41-42) We often have a "foxhole" faith. "Lord, if you get me out of this circumstance, this problem, I will serve you better; I will serve you more." This kind of faith is conditional on whether a situation turns out positive or not, but this is not the sustaining Biblical faith that pleases God and makes us grow stronger and become fruitful.

We must be careful when we listen to our present day media ministers who are always requesting money to prove our faith. They constantly promise us a way out of our troubles and trials. They describe a life without any rocks for the chosen ones. As Jesus said, this is not our way of life: life is full of troubles. So if we are going to face trouble, we need deep roots. If our roots are viable only when we are trouble free, we will be like the plants on the rocks that seem to be healthy when they first sprout, but due to their shallowness, they fail to find moisture, the living water, when trouble strikes them.

Most of us will face a number of rocky struggles in our lives. When the vicissitudes of life strike, we oftentimes cry out: Why me Lord, I've been faithful to you, I'm even a tither? Why are you allowing this trial in my life? Why am I facing these deep throes, battling for my survival? Under duress our hearts cry out and our roots struggle with the hardness of the rocks, with the scarcity of the soil. This is when we need moisture. The Bible says God sends rain on the just and the unjust, and it also says, ask and you will receive. These promises are especially for us Christians, God's sons and daughters, for the healing of our souls. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Matthew 11:11-13)

The Word promises out of our innermost being will flow living water. The Holy Spirit who abides in us is the GREAT COMFORTER, the heavenly water. He alone takes us safely through these rocky places. He sustains our souls when we are greatly troubled and sometimes harassed by doubt. He gives us moisture to root us down deeper into the soil of faith. The Lord said that He will never FORSAKE us or LEAVE US. We don't need to climb out of the foxhole to find God, for He is there. If we go to the pyre, He is there. If we stand on the mountaintop, He is there. In every desert, in every oasis, He is there. The Holy Spirit continually speaks to us, "Child, I am here. I am with you." His words moisten our roots, establish our days, make us victorious. Knowing this, how should we pray? "Father, increase my faith, let me hear your words of love, and let your songs of praises be on my lips regardless of the rocks in my life."

Luke 8:4-8

Luke 8:4-8 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up.

11-15: “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.

Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

In the above passage, Jesus does not tell us how the devil takes away the word from the hearts of men. But realistically, the devil uses other people to steal the heard word from men's heart. He is not incarnated in men, but his spirit influences and uses men. His spirit from the beginning has always been one of self-rule, self-determination, which coincides very well with man's basic nature since the fall.

The seed on the side of the road never germinates, never sprouts life. The seed, or people, on the side of the road do hear the word, but they never allow it to germinate in their hearts, for they are influenced by other worldly people and by the spirit of self. "Don't listen to that Christian stuff. You'll become some sort of geek. You'll never have any fun in life if you let that kind of thinking take root in your life. There is nothing to it." These words of the blind and the hopeless trample or snuff out the good seed; therefore, it doesn't germinate, and the word of God never takes root in the hearers' lives.

There are many on the side of the road. There are many who never allow God to establish his life inside of their hearts and minds. Their busy lives, their entertainment, their hobbies, their search for security all drown out his compelling voice. And within this context, the devil tells them through the influences of others and within their own spirits, "Don't pay attention to the words that you are hearing from God. Don't assess the value of your life beyond today's experiences, activities and thoughts. Don't look to the future. Don't look to the reason you are here for such a short time. Just drink, party and be happy, for tomorrow you may die." When people follow these entreatments of fleshly thinking, the devil prevents the words of God from germinating in their lives; he steals life from them. Sadly, these lives without germination become carrion, food for the devil. He rejoices to know that God will never hear the praises of those who fell by the side of the road.

Yes, the devil has come to rob and to steal those who were made in God's image. He enjoys repeatedly asking, “Did God really say that you can't rule your own life, do your own thing? Did he really say that you should be obedient to his will? Don't you know if you live your life for yourself that it will be fulfilling, that your eyes will be opened?" All of his words lead to death. There is no life germinated from his words, only death. However, the word of light and life is still the message that can be heard by all human beings, either inside themselves as they view the intrincasies of nature as stated in Romans one, or as the message of the "good news" is proclaimed by Christians or seen in God's written Word. God is calling humanity. Let us pray that those on the side of road will hear and be germinated. Let us pray that their land will be fallow, ready to accept the seed of God gladly.

Luke 8:1-3

Luke 8:1-3 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Acts 14:8-10 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

Can the Lord heal our lameness? Can He deliver us from evil spirits and diseases? Yes! But that does not mean we will receive the "good news" completely. Do we have faith to be healed, but not enough faith to follow Jesus? Do we want the Jesus of the fishes and the loaves but not the Jesus of the cross and sacrifice? The women in the Luke passage had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. They believed so much in Jesus that they supported his ministry throughout Israel. They supported his ministry financially out of their own means as well as with their presence. They were dedicated followers who also followed him to the cross. It must have been confusing to them as they observed Jesus on the cross, the one they loved, the one for whom they sacrificed their all. They had been healed supernaturally, yet this man died a natural death on the cross. He could heal others, but He could not heal himself.

Healings sometimes lead you to the cross. If the women had not been healed, they probably would not have been at the cross. If Jesus had not walked into their lives and touched them, they would probably have been doing the mundane things of life that day Jesus was on the cross. The "good news" and the cross that follows leads you to a death, a dying to self. God leads you to the realization that this world is not your own. You realize this world actually holds nothing for you; its oxygen will not support you. You are breathing now the breath of God. His life, and his alone, is the only one that pleases you. Nothing else holds you here, for you long for Jesus face-to-face.

I know some of you want to be healed. Praise God, you should be healed, but healing will lead you to the cross, not to a new and better life but a life devoted to the Lord. We don't want to hear that many times; we want to hear be healed so we can have the successful life that we so desired. Yet in the above passage we see these healed women following Jesus to the cross. We see them putting all their energy into the spreading of the "good news." We see them away from their families, isolated from their own communities, devoted to serving God. We see them immersed in the idea of getting the "good news" to the world. Is that our desire when we seek Jesus to heal us form our diseases and our infirmities? Are we looking for a better life or for Christ's life? WE SHOULD BE HEALED IN OUR SPIRITS, healed in our innermost beings, so we might take up the cross and follow him.

Luke 7:43-50

Luke 7:43-50 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said. Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven — for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Luke 18:10-14 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Simon, the Pharisee, saw this woman as unacceptable to be in their presence. She was an outcast, a sinner. But Jesus said, I will make her acceptable: Your sins are forgiven. He made her acceptable even to God. How many of you feel acceptable? How many of you feel you need to do something to be pleasing? This morning on my way home from Bible study, I saw a woman walking a long distance in five-inch heels, and she was walking as if her shoes hurt her. I was thinking she is doing this so she will be acceptable, so she will be pleasing. She is hurting herself to please others; her self-worth is so low that she feels she needs to wear those uncomfortable shoes to be worth something. How many of us are walking through life hurting ourselves so we will be acceptable to others? Simon knew this woman as a sinner, the community knew her as a sinner, but Jesus saw her as a person of great worth, a loving person who needed help. Consequently, He did what no man could, He did what only God could do: He remitted her sins. He made her whole; he made her acceptable to God and to any just person.

Are you acceptable? Do you feel acceptable today? Well, you are if you are a child of the King. He has already placed the robe of royalty on you, and your feet are shod with the shoes of peace. No longer do you need to isolate yourself from the community of believers. No longer do you need to hide in the back room. God knows who you really are, and He desires to introduce you to the community as his own. "This is my beloved who is in right standing with me. This is my daughter, my princess; she is wholly pleasing TO ME. This is my son, my prince; he is totally pleasing TO ME." Can you believe who you really are IN CHRIST or are you still wearing the five-inch heels; are you working out to develop the six-pack abs physique?

If you are a woman or man of faith, you must believe God is not a liar and that He doesn't make junk. If He says you are acceptable, YOU ARE. In the above passage, the guests said, Who is this who even forgives sins or who does he think he is to make people acceptable to God. Jesus answers them by saying to the woman, Your faith has saved you (made you acceptable); go in peace (believe it). CAN YOU BELIEVE IT MY FRIEND? DO YOU KNOW IT IN YOUR HEART? Foundational, saving, faith says, Yes, I believe it. I will rest in the fact that Jesus has made me acceptable. He has forgiven me of my sin. He has made me lovely. I will put away my five-inch shoes and six-pack ab look and depend on his mercy and GRACE, for He has brought me into his family, and I am a much loved child of God. Praise God, He has made me pleasing, He has made me acceptable. Blessed be his holy name!

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 7:36-50 Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner.” Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you. “Tell me, teacher,” he said. “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

How big a debt do you owe? Is it considered to be little by you? Are you a pretty good person? Sometimes our perception of how good we are gets in the way of God's grace. We are so sure of our goodness that we forget who we are in God's eyes. In God's eyes sin is a cancer, an enemy, a destroyer, and people outside of Christ deserve a just sentence of eternal damnation. If you don't see who you are in God's eyes, you will never fully understand what Jesus did on the cross, and you will surely never be found at Jesus' feet with tears, wiping his feet. The woman in this scripture understood two things that day. She knew herself and she knew Jesus. The Pharisee knew neither. He was comfortable to be with the Son of God as an equal. He was there to question Jesus' authenticity. He was with Jesus to judge, not to worship. If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is — that she is a sinner.

Do we know that we are colossal sinners? Do we understand as sinners we don't deserve anything from God but judgment? Unless we fully comprehend that unadulterated, unmerited grace has come to us through the cross, we'll never find tears of gratitude on our faces, and the alabaster jar of perfume will always be too expensive for us to waste it on Jesus' feet. If we don't fully appreciate the marvelous work of Jesus on the cross, we will be parsimonious in our thankfulness and love. I often wonder why people cannot worship wholeheartedly, with vigor. I wonder why they cannot readily praise God joyfully with their lips. Maybe, they are like the Pharisee who doesn't believe he has to be forgiven of anything or maybe they don't believe there is much in their lives of which they need to be forgiven. If they hold either one of these opinions, they will never know the full extent of God's mercy and grace.

Yes, the Pharisee could sit there smugly, wondering how much of himself he should give to this man Jesus. But the woman knew she needed to give all she had to Jesus, for she knew who she was: she was a sinner. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume and poured the contents on Jesus' feet, revealing how much she loved him. Do we love him that much? Are our souls ready to burst with tears of love or are our souls dry? Do we find worshipping and serving Jesus just an empty, unemotional experience? Would we cheer louder for a football team than for Jesus? Would we maybe even shed a few tears of joy if our favorite team won a championship? But for Jesus we find no tears, no tumultuous joy inside, no shouts of victory on our lips, no songs of praises in our hearts. How much do we love Jesus? Is Jesus just your love on Sunday or on the mountaintops? Is He your love in the valleys, the hard times? Is He your love all the time, expressed with tears of joy and perfume for his feet? Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (vs 50) The woman, who loved Jesus greatly, knew Jesus as her man of authority and grace, who could take away sin, who could make her whole again. May each of us open our eyes and see him so clearly.

Luke 7:29-35

Luke 7:29-35 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) “To what, then, can I compare the people of this generation? What are they like? They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling out to each other: “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not cry.’ For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

My Christian friend, where is your oasis today? Where is the fountain of strength in you? Where is your foundation? Are you still trying to reach God, to move his hand, or are you in the midst of his rest, his salvation? Or, are you living your life the way you desire? Jesus said, this generation does not want to repent of their sins, of the way they are living, for it is evident they will not dance when others dance and they will not mourn when others mourn. Otherwise, they want to run their lives in the way they desire.

The Bible says we have been bought with a high price, even Jesus Christ and his blood. The Bible also says we Christians are not our own, we are his. This is hard for Christians to fully comprehend because we tend to compartmentalize our lives. We have Jesus in some parts of our lives, but not all. When we desire to be spiritual, we go to church, pray, or read the Bible. But then we fill the other parts of our lives with self. However, this is not the life we should be living. If we are not dancing when Jesus says dance, if we are not mourning when Jesus says mourn, we are driving the car. God can do little with us or for us then. If our lives are filled with self, and if we are taking Jesus with us rather than the other way around, we are in the wrong seat in the car. If we are in control or even if we want to help the driver drive by keeping our hands on the wheel with his, we are not Christians who know that we have been bought by a high price and that Jesus is now THE AUTHORITY in our lives.

Can you, I, relinquish our lives to Jesus? Can we move to the passenger side of the car and let Jesus drive the car? Can we really trust that Jesus knows where we are going and does not need our help? This is faith--when we REALLY BELIEVE JESUS KNOWS WHERE WE ARE GOING AND WILL TAKE US THERE. I believe some Christians, especially people who are chronically ill, reach that kind of faith. I believe some people who are in constant struggle with life with an unbearable marriage or some other insurmountable problem reach that point. I believe some of poorest people on Earth, such as Christians in Africa, reach that point. But for most of us, we are often still driving the car or attempting to help drive it. We don't have faith in the driver. Our nights are filled with anxiety, our days are filled with fear, for we are trying to drive the car.

Without true faith in God's sufficiency, we find no comfort inside us because the words of the Spirit are drowned out by our own words or the words of others. We don't hear the resident Holy Spirit say, "I am in control of your life. I know where we are going. We are not lost on this road, for I AM WITH YOU." The apostles believed that. They all faced persecution, and some of them were put to death. Paul believed that. The martyrs believed that. How else could they face death? Can we believe Jesus is in control of our lives? Is there no oasis for us? Is the hot desert our dwelling place without a respite for our souls? So many of us need to hear the voice of God inside us. So many of us need to hear the comforting voice of the Father, "Child I am with you." All other voices, no matter how loving, lack that comfort. Only HIS VOICE is the oasis. HIS VOICE brings us off the desert, cools us by the living waters. Therefore, wisdom is to know God is the authority in your life: dance when he says dance, mourn when he says mourn, for HIS DAY IS ALWAYS YOUR DAY, HIS HOUR IS ALWAYS YOUR HOUR.

Luke 7:24-28

Luke 7:24-28 After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’ I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Acts 4:11-12 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

This is a marvelous scripture, indicating clearly that even a person chosen by God to prepare the way for his Son is not greater than any soul who believes in Jesus Christ as savior. No other man, theology, philosophy, belief, can cause us to be in right relationship with God. Only Jesus Christ brought salvation to men. He alone brought eternal mercy and grace from God to humankind. He paid the ultimate price of unrequited love by dying for a sinful world. His death broke the bonds of sin and freed man from the judgment of God. He, who is eternal, now sits at the right hand of God, making intercession for us: excusing our weaknesses and sinfulness by applying his cleansing blood to them. No other man, theology, philosophy or belief can perform that duty; only Christ the eternal High Priest can do such a perfect work of saving grace.

Does John the Baptist need Jesus as his Savior? Yes, he also has to trust in Jesus Christ as his savior. There is no salvation in any other, not even in John the Baptist's righteous life. If John could stand in his own righteousness because of his many good works, he could trust that salvation has come to him through another gate: his own righteousness. However, following the law and righteous living does not open the kingdom of heaven to any man. John, among those born of women there is no one greater, was not in the kingdom until Jesus died, for even the last person, the least righteous in the kingdom, was greater than John. Anyone who tries to enter the kingdom of God through any other gate than believing in Jesus Christ is a thief and a robber. If anyone says there is another gate, he or she is trying to rob you from the Kingdom and deceive you with false teaching.

Well then, how does John enter the kingdom of God? He comes through Christ. He has to have a time when he can accept the works of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice. This comes after his death. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the prophets, and all the faithful who existed before Jesus had to enter into the kingdom of heaven the same way: by accepting Jesus Christ righteousness for their sinful lives, by allowing the cleansing blood of Jesus to be applied to their lives. Their sacrifices of bulls and goats could not take away their sins. If the blood of bulls and goats could have taken away their sins, there would be another way to God. Another gate. Jesus says, John is not even as great as the least in the kingdom. He needed a Savior too. He needed an everlasting righteousness. Jesus provides that. His life, his sacrifice, provides for a complete cleansing.

We, who are IN JESUS CHRIST should rejoice, for salvation has come to us. We are known as a ''peculiar people," a "set apart" people. We are known as kingdom people. We are those who can enter the throne room of God boldly: we are his children. Consequently, we do not enter that throne room in our names, we enter that throne room with the names given to us in heaven, and I am sure the surname ends with Jesus Christ, for we are now part of his body, in his family. Praise the Lord! The price was paid, and our names are recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life.

Luke 7:18-23

Luke 7:18-23 John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind. So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

2 Corinthians 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.

Jesus Christ, who was the Son of God, came in the flesh. This fact has always caused men to struggle, for how could God really come in the flesh. At this time, we see John who was in prison asking this same question. He wanted to know for sure that his relative, Jesus, was the divine one. John knew that he, John, had been a special messenger for God, but he now needed Jesus to be something more than a special messenger, a prophet, a holy man. He needed Jesus to be the one and only Messiah, the Christ. Jesus told John's disciples to report back to John what they had personally seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. He wanted John not to confuse the man of flesh, Jesus, with the man inside of Jesus who is the Christ. He did not want John to see him as a former carpenter, a relative, who now seems to be anointed; He wanted John to see him as He really is: the Son of God.

This aspect of Jesus being the Son of God has alway been difficult for men to believe. Many throughout the ages have failed to believe in Jesus the divine. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me. Paul said, I will know no man after the flesh, not even Jesus. He is saying, I am not going to talk to you about the fleshly Jesus, the man; I am going to talk to you about the divine Jesus. He personally knew the divine Jesus, not the fleshly Jesus. The divine talked to him on the road to Damascus. The divine asked Paul to stop persecuting him, his church. The divine Jesus arrested Paul from certain destruction and put him on the road of restoring humans to God. This is the Jesus Paul recognized and served.

Sometimes, we try to serve the Jesus of the flesh. We try to do good works as He did them and speak of love as He spoke, but unless we know the divine Jesus, the one who rescues us from eternal damnation, we don't know the Christ. Jesus in the flesh died on the cross and went to the grave; his life was over. However, Christ the eternal one rose from the grave. This is the message of the New Testament. We die in Jesus and rise with Christ. We are no longer our own FLESHLY SELVES, but we are IN CHRIST THE ETERNAL ONE. John who was soon to be beheaded needed to know: Are you Jesus the divine? Are you the one who will bring in the kingdom? Are you the one who will give us eternal life? The answer was: "Look at my works and hear my words and you will know."

He did not tell John's disciples emphatically that He was the Christ. He made it a matter of faith. Today, belief in him remains a matter of faith. As you read about Jesus, as you read about the many miracles and healings He performed, as you take in his teachings, can you believe He is the Christ? Yes, it is a matter of faith. Obdurate faith alone unlocks the door to heaven. This kind of faith places your life in the hands of Jesus. Are you there or are you holding back? Are you saying, yes, this Jesus thing might be real, but I am not sure? I'll test him or require another event to happen before I'll believe. If He gets me out this trouble or provides me with a job, or heals my body, then I'll believe. That is not saving faith: a belief in Christ regardless. Can you put away the Jesus of the flesh and believe in the Jesus of the divine? Can you put away the external, historical Jesus and say yes to the eternal one who will abide in you when you believe? These are all questions of saving faith. If the answer is yes, salvation has come to you; grace, not judgment, eternal life, not death has come to your life. Rejoice, for Jesus, THE CHRIST, has come for all of us.