"People everywhere reveal mankind's idiosyncrasy towards Truth's emancipation daily!" (P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D)/""What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?" By Ramesh C. Reddy

Updated Feb 20, 2010 at 10:04 p.m. JAN - FEB 2010 Edition

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“People Everywhere Reveal Mankind's Idiosyncrasy Towards Truth's Emancipation Daily! (P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

“Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" "What did Moses command you?" he replied. They said, "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away." "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied." (Mark 10:2-5 NIV)

APPROACH QUESTION:
What is something that is permitted that you have done that is not necessarily condoned?

OBSERVATIONS:
I asked myself what are the questions I see in this passage?
Questions:
1. "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" asked by the Pharisees.
2. "What did Moses command you?" asked by Jesus.

I asked myself what are the answers given in this passage?
Answers:
1. "Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.", said the Pharisees.
2. "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,", said Jesus.

I asked myself, "Why do you think the Pharisees asked Jesus this question?"
The Pharisees wanted to test Jesus to see if He would keep the law or break it when it came to the issue of handling divorce.

I asked myself, "Why did Jesus answer a question with a question?"
Jesus usually had a habit of answering questions with questions especially when Jesus knew that others were out to test or trap Him. This put the burden of proof on the person/s who were trying to trap or test Jesus so Jesus could first gauge their answers and then reply to them.

I asked myself how did Jesus respond to the Pharisees response?
Jesus responded to the Pharisees response by acknowledging that Moses permitted divorce: "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,"

I asked myself what is the significance of Jesus saying, "It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,"
I believe Jesus was letting them know, when God gave the law of divorce, it was not to condone divorce but to protect the woman who was being divorced. Without that certificate of divorce, the woman would have still been seen as married even though the man sent her away. This would create all kinds of problems for the woman if she wanted to remarry, wanted property, etc because in a patriarchal society everything basically was under the man's name. Without that certificate of divorce, she could not be free to marry even though she was divorced so the law of divorce was not given because God approved divorce but so that the woman who was divorced was set free if it had to happen. This way she would not be accused of adultery if she were to be with another man.

APPLICATION:
I asked myself what are the implications for my own life?
Just because there is a law in the books does not necessarily mean it is condoned. Jesus used divorce as an example to let the Pharisees see that Moses' law did permit divorce but it can be inferred that divorce is not something that Jesus ever condoned. That said, even though there are laws in the books, I should analyze those laws in the purview of the Gospel of Jesus Christ because most laws could still be against what the Lord condones. I need to remember just because something is permitted does not mean that it is approved by the Lord. For example, divorce is permitted even now but it is not something that is approved by the Lord.

To be continued.....

The purpose of today's study was to understand that just because something is permitted does not necessarily mean it is approved by the Lord.

I asked you now dear friend, what do you do with what is permitted in your life?
Dear friend, what you do with what is permitted in your life will determine who you are serving whether it is the law of humanity or the grace of Christ. Just because something is permitted in your life does not mean it is condoned by the Lord. If you give in to what is permitted in your life such as divorce then you are giving in to what humanity emphasizes which is based on the hardening of the heart and self-centeredness but if you give in to what Christ desires then that is based on the softening of the heart by His grace in our lives. In the end what will really matter is whether we are being bound by the law or being freed by grace. Grace is all about mercy and forgiveness where the law could be about merciless justice.

"People everywhere reveal mankind's idiosyncrasy towards Truth's emancipation daily!" (P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D)/""What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, you always seem to answer a question with a question to gauge the response of the one who asks. Oh Lord, help me to handle situations the way you do especially when people are trying to trap or test me. Also, Lord thank you so much for teaching me and making me realize just because something is permitted does not mean it is condoned. Help me Oh Lord to put that principle into practice. Thanks so much Jesus. Help me to live for you and serve you. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR, JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

May the Lord Jesus guide you in His love leading you! Amen!

"Valiantly Always Love Emphasizing Now Totally Immanuel's Nurturing Emancipation!" (V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E)/"How will you be someone's Valentine using 16?"

If you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart. You can invite the GREAT PHYSICIAN right now as you make this your prayer.

Dear Jesus, I want to be free. I don’t know everything about you. I still have a lot of questions. What I do know is that you died on the cross for my sins. When it comes to sin, I am a paralytic Oh Lord. I am infected with this deadly disease known as sin. I am not perfect but a sinner who needs your cleansing blood to clean me of my sin. I confess to you my sin and repent of my sin. I know you have forgiven me when you died on the cross and shed your blood. I want to accept that forgiveness. Thank you for shedding your cleansing precious blood for me. You were nailed to the cross because of me. It is like I actually held the hammer and pounded the nails. Thank you for willingly dying for me Jesus. Thank you for taking the shame and pain for me. Thank you for doing that to set me free. I come to the cross and ask you for your healing in my life. Thank you for the power of your love using your Blood to redeem all humanity that comes to you. Thank you for coming back to life to save us and give us Eternal Life as we yield to you. Your blood can heal us where we are. I love you Jesus. I want you Jesus. Even with my questions, I come to you now and accept you into my heart. Please Jesus come into my heart and make my heart your home. Give me a transfusion of change. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus. I acknowledge you now as my Lord and Personal Savior. Please be the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for being my Lord and Personal Savior Jesus and because of what you have done for me when God looks at me, He now sees me covered in Your blood and His judgment passes over me. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me. Thank you for being with me Lord. Thank you for saving me. Please fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you Jesus I now belong to you and never need to be alone! You will always be with me and have given me Salvation. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

May my spoken words and unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)

No matter what you feel in your heart, know that Jesus has come in and resides with you! You are not alone! To make your walk strong with the Lord, spend time in prayer talking to Him as you would to a friend. You don’t need special words to talk to the Lord. Spend time in His Word reading Psalms and turning them into prayer. Next allow God to heal you and speak to you through the Gospel of John or Gospel of Mark before moving on to other Books of the Bible! Slowly, let the Lord show you to which Scriptures He wants you to go to next. It is also important to be part of a body of believers to help you grow in the faith. Find a Bible believing church that preaches the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation proclaiming Jesus Christ our crucified and risen Lord who brings us hope, healing, and help! But beware of churches who do believe in the Word of God completely but there is no freedom in Christ but legalism involved.

As a professional, it is not too late to join a church! As a student, it is not too late to join a fellowship on campus this new year of 2010! May the Lord's presence and peace fill you with His love now and forever! Amen!

Friend, if you have prayed this prayer and meant it in your heart, you are a new creation in Christ and all old things are passed away and everything has become new! You may feel something or may not but don’t base it on feelings but base your new life in Christ on the promises of our Savior who will never leave you nor forsake you! Amen!

Spend time in His word and let the Lord speak to you! Start out in the Gospel of John! You can also check out the Gospel of Mark which are the devotionals I have been going through. Learn from Jesus through study and prayer. Also find yourself a church fellowship and a college fellowship you can be part of where you can be part of a community of believers to supplement your own walk with the Lord. Let it be a Bible-believing and Bible-breathing church! Believe in Bible LIVE Eternally!

Feel free to email me at reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com if you want to meet to study the Bible, pray with, talk about Spiritual issues or whatever is on your mind! My number is 412-641-9426

"This is my work and I can do it only because Christ's mighty energy is at work within me." (Colossians 1:29, TLB)

Love in Christ,
Ramesh

Express Your View

2010 DEVOTIONALS:

"How will you be someone's V.A.L.E.N.T.I.N.E using 16?" (Feb 13, 10, 12:16 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Who do you become an A.T.T.R.A.C.T.I.O.N to and why?" (Feb 05, 10, 9:43 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"How can you be a S.A.L.T in someone's life today?" (Feb 04, 10, 11:27 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E from?" (Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?" (Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"When are you planning to cut your hand, foot, or eye to escape Hell?"" (Feb 01, 10, 1:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Why heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?" (Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

CHRISTIAN NEWS:

Oakland International Fellowship welcomes incoming students to its worship service on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. near North Dithridge St. followed by Sunday School at 11:30 a.m. and fellowship lunch at 12:30 p.m.

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