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Deuteronomy 5:1-6:25; Luke 7:11-35; Psalm 68:19-35; Proverbs 11:29-31
“Then John’s disciples told him about all these things. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord, asking, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?’ When the men reached Him, they said, ‘John the Baptist sent us to ask you, “Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for someone else?” At that time Jesus healed many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and He granted sight to many blind people. He replied to them, ‘Go and report to John the things you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And anyone who is not offended because of Me is blessed.” (Luke 7:18-23)
Here’s John the Baptist having done a fine job for the Lord and is even commended further down in the scripture, but he’s sitting in jail. No doubt he thought that if Jesus is the One then he’d soon be released from jail and allowed to do even more work for the kingdom. I mean, John was a serious player on the team, MVP. Sadly, John was never released; his story came to an end when he was tragically murdered at the request of an ungodly woman. Gasp! Sigh…No doubt many in his shoes would wonder if Jesus was really God and if so, “Why is this happening, I mean I gave it my all.”
Question of the ages: Why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes things don’t play out like we think they should. Jesus said blessed are they who aren’t offended because of Me. Do you get offended when you feel that God should handle things differently? There are plenty of opportunities to be hurt and upset, but the bottom line is, are we living for this world or the next?
Jesus is God, He was and is definitely the ONE as the signs and wonders testified. Despite this there is a lot of heartache and disappointment in this world and while God is concerned with our needs, He’s more concerned with our eternal destiny. It’s hard to clutch on to heaven when we’re constantly attached here.
The enemy will use things to distract us from our true purpose and to destroy our confidence in our Lord. Always remember, things here are temporal. We all have an expiration date, we all have issues, the Word says in Matthew 5:45 that God allows it to rain on the just and the unjust. “What benefit do I have in knowing the Lord then if I must still face tragedy in my life?” Character is built and destiny is formed within us over the period of our lifetime. We are called to be spiritually minded and to stay focused on the prize of being with God forever. Is it always easy? No, not at all, because we still live in a body of flesh, we still have emotions and honestly, we aren’t always fully convinced that God has our best interest at heart. I’m asking you to trust the Word of God, roll with the punches and keep heaven as the backdrop in your life. Do not allow yourself to be offended. It is a trick of the enemy to steal your joy and sever your lifeline to God.
PRAYER:
Great God of comfort and compassion, I pray to keep my eyes focused on You. I see this world is dominated by sin and things are going to periodically happen that I don’t agree with or possibly can’t understand. I choose to believe in You. I choose to know that regardless of what I may face here, I will one day be home with You and all of this will be like a dream. You are a good God and I appreciate You, keep my heart faithful. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen. |
