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“Goodness Offers Omnipotent Deliverer! (G.O.O.D)”

Ramesh C. Reddy
Publisher

SCRIPTURE:
"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone." (Mark 10:17-18, NIV) "

Approach Question:
"If you could use a four letter adjective to describe yourself, what would it be?"

Observation:
I asked myself what is Jesus' reaction to the man's adjective about Jesus?
"Why do you call me good?"
"No one is good-except God alone."

Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of Jesus' remarks?
For me Jesus' remarks to the man became very significant because Jesus was basically telling the man to choose his words carefully and know what he is saying before saying it. In this instance, Jesus wanted the man to realize the implications of calling Jesus, 'Good teacher'.  In other words, Jesus was letting the man know that he cannot just go around calling someone a 'Good teacher' unless he understands the implications of that statement. The significance of that statement is huge because basically Jesus was telling him that if He is called 'Good teacher' then that means the man has to believe that Jesus is God and Jesus' response to the man has more serious implications than the man will ever realize. Jesus is basically alluding to the fact that humanly there will never be a teacher that is good because 'No one is good - except God alone'. And if the man believes Jesus to be good then that means the man is actually saying Jesus is God. That is true because Jesus is God and Jesus wants the man to believe that.

How can we really know that Jesus is God?
What is the man's reaction?
Will he ever get Eternal Life?

To be continued.....

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life here. I saw here that Jesus is making a powerful statement that 'No one is good-except God alone' which means just because I think I am good does not make me good. This also means just because someone says that I am good does not make me good. I have to be God to be good and since I am not God, I cannot be good on my own without outside intervention.

I ask you now dear friend, why cannot we be good in life?
Dear friend, if your definition of being good is based on relativism or what the majority of the people believe is considered good, then you may as well live your life in the confines of the game 'Imagine iff' that many of us played last night at a couple's house. Because that's all it is going to be which is relativism without any absolutes. We will be stuck in a world of relativism which will not get us anywhere except in that game. Real life however is not about relativism but about absolutes and Jesus made a powerful remark by saying, 'No one is good-except God alone'. This means none of us can be good. Until we realize that we will be living a life of a lie. The best thing the enemy loves to do is making you think that you are good and that you do not need God because you have it together. But none of us have it together on our own.

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile;  there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 14:1-3, NIV)

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their ways are vile;    there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one." (Psalm 53:1-3, NIV)

The Psalmist reiterates what he wrote in Psalm 14 and it becomes significance here because this Psalm 53 follows Psalm 51 and Psalm 52 after David's confession of murdering Uriah and committing adultery with Bethsheba.

"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5, NIV)

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins." (Isaiah 64:6-7, NIV)

To put it in a nutshell, even what we think as righteous-good acts are like filthy rags to the Lord. Filthy rags refer to the by product of a women's menstruation cycle which is considered unclean and referenced in Leviticus.

"As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless;  there is no one who does good, not even one." "Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The poison of vipers is on their lips." "Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."(Romans 3:10-18, NIV)

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,through faith in his blood. " (Romans 3:23-24, NIV)

^"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2, NIV)

^"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8, NIV)

We cannot be good in life without Jesus Christ who is God and who paid the price for our iniquities.

To be continued....

"No Good Without Wood!"
By Ramesh C. Reddy
(Written first in 1996 when doing biblical counseling)
(Revised on Mon, May 24, 2010 at 6:33 a.m.)

When you are struggling with a sin
When you cannot seem to win
When the scars still hurt like mace
When the tears run down your face
When you are overwhelmed with pain
When your life seems to be in vain
When you can never do right
When guilt eats you with a stinging bite
When sorrows fill the day or night
You can still win the fight
With Jesus, your Bright Light!
It is never too late
Upon Him you can wait
Having trust and faith
Though so much guilt you feel
Your sins and scars, Christ will heal
He loves you more and more
To Him, all your worries you can pour
No matter where you have been
No matter what you have seen
Upon your Savior, you can lean
He alone can make you good
Paying the price on the cross of wood
So come and find rest
From every test
In Him who knows you best!
Amen!

"Goodness Offers Omnipotent Deliverer!" (G.O.O.D)/"Why cannot you be G.O.O.D in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, I learned today that there is no one good except God. Oh Lord, I have known that but as I read Mark 10:18 and reflected on it, it became more powerful to me. Oh Lord Jesus that means I am of no good and will never be of any good without you. I need you in my life. Oh Lord, Your Word says that no one is good but thanks so much that you did not leave us to ourselves because we would have perished. You did not ever emphasize a post-modernism view or relativistic or even a utilitarianism view but Your Word is based on what is Absolute Truth and it is found in only you. Help us Oh Lord God of our Salvation to realize that and act on it. Thank you so much Jesus when I struggle with sin and never can seem to win, you intervene to help me win when I cannot be good on my own. Thank you so much Jesus. You are good and you paid my ransom on a cross of wood to fill me with your goodness as I turn to you. Thank you so much Jesus. I need you each day of my life. Help me Jesus. Thank you that in you I can find rest from every test because you know me best. Oh Jesus, I rest in you.  I am sorry for my sins. Please forgive me and set me free. Thank you so much Jesus you will do that.  Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. In Your Name I pray Jesus! Amen!

 
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?

If you are reading this and do not know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior and 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 giving 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 and Personal Savior! 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.  Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me! 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)

Express Your View

2010 DEVOTIONALS:

"What do you do when you T.H.I.N.K about Jesus?" (May 21, 10, 7:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"Whose life do you get I.N.V.O.L.V.E.D in?" (May 20, 10, 7:13 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What is the point of being a C.H.I.L.D?" (May 08, 10, 8:51 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "Whose T.E.R.M.S do you follow in life?" (May 07, 10, 7:21 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What H.I.N.D.E.R.S you from coming to Jesus?" (May 04, 10, 8:23 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13-16: "What does who do you V.A.L.U.E. in life tell about you?" (Mon, April 05, 10, 9:54 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

"What does the C.R.O.S.S mean to you?" (Sat, April 03, 10, 11:49 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12: "Will you be the offspring of the S.E.E.D cultivated?" (Mon, March 29, 10, 10:09 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

John 12:3: "What costly S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E will you make for Jesus remembering His stinky/dirty feet?" (Sat, March 27, 10, 11:06 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Proverbs 23: "What  has  A.L.C.O.H.O.L done to you in life?" (March 20, 10, 9:17 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with an I.N.T.E.R.R.U.P.T.I.O.N in life?" (March 13, 10, 11:40 p.m.)

Mark 10:13: "Why S.H.A.R.E Jesus with others in life?" (March 09, 10, 4:59 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10:13: "Why B.R.I.N.G Doggy Poo to Jesus?" (March 08, 10, 9:01 a.m) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "When have you become an A.D.U.L.T.E.R.E.R in life and what now?" (Feb 24, 10, 9:31 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "Why D.I.V.O.R.C.E the one you marry in life?" (Feb 22, 10, 12:15 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 10: "What do you do with what is P.E.R.M.I.T.T.E.D in your life?" (Feb 20, 10, 10:08 a.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

1 Corinthians 13: "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

Mark 10: "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

Mark 9: "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

Mark 9: "What do you help your friends E.S.C.A.P.E from?" (Feb 03, 10, 12:30 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "Why bother with H.E.L.L in life?" (Feb 02, 10, 2:39 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy

Mark 9: "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

 Mark 9: "Why heed Jesus' W.A.R.N.I.N.G in your life?" (Jan 30, 10, 12:41 p.m.) By Ramesh C. Reddy