By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Editors Note: The devotional has a background song called 'Seventy Times Seven' which can be heard if you use Internet Explorer.

SCRIPTURE:
“Consider carefully what you hear," he continued. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him." (Mark 4:24-25, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what does Jesus continue to tell the disciples and those around Him?

1. “Consider carefully what you hear.”

2. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you-and even more.”

3. “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

Interpretation:
I asked myself what all this could mean?
Jesus had just talked to them about concealment and making a point for them to hear what He tells them. Now, Jesus goes a step further and wants them to consider carefully what they hear.

I asked myself why?
Jesus wanted them to put into practice and take seriously what they hear from Him. This is evidenced by using the word, ‘CAREFULLY’ and what follows:

“With the measure you use, it will be measured to you-and even more."

I asked myself what this could mean?
It reminded me so much of sowing again. Jesus had just given them the ‘Parable of the Sower’ and now it was like Jesus telling them whatever and however they sow in their life, it will be reaped back in their own life-even more.

This is evidenced by the next point Jesus makes, “Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.”

I asked myself what this could mean?
I believe it is all tied into obedience. Jesus had just told his disciples not to hide their light under a bowl or bed followed by those that have ears to hear to hear after telling them the 'Parable of the Sower'. Now, Jesus wanted them to consider carefully what they heard so they could put it into practice. It is not enough just to hear if it is not put into effect so Jesus lets them know with the measure they use, it will be measured back to them-even more. Also, Jesus goes a step further to let them know if they are obedient, more will be given to them and if they are not, even what they have will be taken from them.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life and the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The most important thing has to do with applying what I hear from Jesus through His Word, through His Spirit, through Prayer, and through the Church as it is tested through the Word. Then, the results will be blessings because of obedience.

The Good News of what Jesus Christ did for us has to be acted out in our own lives by the way we carefully hear and apply what we hear. For there is no Salvation in any other name than the Name of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ needs to be heard and followed for He alone redeems and saves. For we are helpless and bound in the bondage of sin on our own without Christ's intervention in our lives. No amount of self-help books etc can help us unless we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and put it into practice in our lives.

I ask you now dear friend, what do you do with what you hear?
Dear friend, we can do a lot with what we hear. We can tune it out; we can take it in; we can share it with others; we can be obedient; we can keep it to ourselves; we can be disobedient, etc. Jesus wants us to consider carefully what we hear and be obedient to His Word. Whatever you hear from Jesus, Jesus wants you to put it into practice whether you hear it through His Spirit, through Prayer, through the Church, etc all tested by the Word of God to make sure we are actually hearing from Jesus.

When we are obedient, with the measure we use, it will be measured back to us-even more. This is exciting to know especially when we are obedient and do the right things. However, if what we hear is good and we do not put into practice we place ourselves in a precarious position hurting only ourselves. When we do not heed the call of Jesus, whatever we have could be taken away from us because it is not for our good and we attained it without the blessings of Jesus. For Jesus wants to bless us with His abundant life that comes through the Salvation that Jesus alone offers. Without His grace and mercy, we are helpless and what we hear will go through one ear and come of the other.

I believe it is so important that we hear what Jesus wants to tell us and put it into practice starting with the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ exists to save and bring you into a knowledge of your own sin and helplessness that only Christ's justification can bring about your Redemption when you hear what Jesus is telling you and apply it being sanctified by Him. Jesus wants you to believe on Him, for to all those who believed in Him, He gave them right to become children of God, children born not of natural descent but by the will of God. Believing also means acknowledging your helplessness and sinful nature that only Christ's cleansing blood can wash away and set you free. Acknowledging alone is not enough unless you act upon that knowledge, confessing all your sins to the Lord, repenting of them, and asking for forgiveness so Jesus can be your Lord and Personal Savior for Jesus already paid the price while we were yet sinners.

Friend, when you take the Gospel seriously knowing what Jesus did for you and why He did it for you, you should be so thankful and grateful for the cross that Jesus did not wait for you to change your ways before going to the cross but went to the cross while we were yet sinners. Yes, friend Jesus died to save you.

Now, the question is will you really hear Jesus and give your life to Him and apply His Word in your life so you can be on good soil?

Friend, you can do it right now and need not wait for a special time. Hear that the Lord Jesus desires to save and save you. For we are all sinners in need of a Savior. No matter how righteous we feel or how highly people think of us, what really matters is what God thinks of us. If in God's eyes we are far from Him and do not accept His grace to free us  from the bondage of sin and death, we will remain there. All our works are filthy rags to the Lord without His blessings. Come as you are to the Lord Jesus and have Him transform and change you the way He can. It starts with SURRENDER this THANKSGIVING break.

No matter where you have been or what you have done, you are never out of His saving grace and forgiveness. If it is merited than it won't be grace anymore but Jesus came to give you grace.  So, please come to Jesus just as you are and put into practice what you hear from Jesus for you will hear from Jesus when you pick up His Word and read it, spend time in prayer meditating on the Word, waiting for the Holy Spirit to lead you, and allowing the church-body of believers to speak to you through the Word.

 May you hear the Lord and consider carefully what He tells you so you put it into practice because He loves you and only wants the best for you that you can be saved and have Abundant Life in Him! Amen!

“Hearing Emmanuel Always Redeems!” (H.E.A.R)/”What do you do with what you hear?”

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us so much and dying for our sin and coming back to life to save us. Thank you for your Word and the power of your Word. Oh Lord, we want to hear from you and need to hear from you. However, many times we let the things of this world cloud out our time with you; to be able to listen to you. Please forgive us and help us Jesus. We are so sorry for our sin and ask you to help us please. Thank you Jesus you are so loving and whatever you do in our lives is for our own good. I love you Lord. Help us to always trust in you. Thank you Jesus! I confess to you all my sin, repent of my sin, and ask you for forgiveness and to cover me in your precious cleansing blood. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you Jesus for coming into my heart as I ask you. Thank you Jesus for making my heart your home as I ask you! Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. Please Jesus be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus and thank you, you have heard my prayer and answered me. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Now won’t you accept what He did for you and come into His presence and give your life to Him so He can cover the virus of sin with His blood cleansing us and making us clean?

He will give us a transfusion of change! Yes, He will my friend!

ANALOGY OF INVITING PEOPLE TO THE GREAT PHYSICIAN:

We are like an ambulance taking sick people to the hospital. People are dying and there is an emergency because of an epidemic virus. The ambulance takes the initiative to go to the place people are dying and bring them to the hospital. They are not dead yet but there is no time to wait. The ambulance needs to get to the hospital for that virus to be treated. The virus has infected the mind, body, and soul spreading rapidly. You and I cannot do anything to heal our friends of this virus except be the AMBULANCE taking them to the HOSPITAL where the GREAT PHYSICIAN waits.

Once at the hospital, there is a GREAT PHYSICIAN that waits. The sick are gathered from all corners of the earth and come to this hospital.  This hospital is called CALVARY OF SALVATION and the EMERGENCY WARD is called GOLGOTHA.

The GREAT PHYSICIAN is not like other doctors who can only treat patients with  physical ailments but this GREAT PHYSICIAN is much more and knows He has to stay 72 HOURS for every dying person there to be healed.

He knows what He has to do! This GREAT PHYSICIAN knew that only His BLOOD can wipe away this epidemic VIRUS, so for you and me He went to the blood transfusion room where people were about to die. There He lay down on the bed  made of wood.

The surgeons walk into the room. They turn this GREAT PHYSICIAN on His back.  Instead of using an IV, a WHIP with sharp glass, etc is used to draw out the BLOOD from the GREAT PHYSICIAN'S back! It does not stop there but to elevate the head on the bed of wood, a CROWN OF THORNS is used which draws more BLOOD.

As the head is elevated, the GREAT PHYSICIAN's hands are stretched wide on the wooden bed. Then the feet are bound together. This is done for the BLOOD transfusion to begin. Instead of using an IV, NAILS and a HAMMER is used. The NAILS are pounded through the hands into the wooden bed with a HAMMER so the BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. The NAILS are pounded through the feet into the wooden bed with a HAMMER so more BLOOD flows and that BLOOD is saved. As the BLOOD continues to flow from the GREAT PHYSICIAN's body, the GREAT PHYSICIAN flat lines. Then the surgeons insert a SPEAR into the heart to make sure all the BLOOD is out. All the BLOOD is out!

Now, the GREAT PHYSICIAN is moved into the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE being guarded by security.

Now the CALVARY OF SALVATION hospital has a BLOOD DONOR whose BLOOD can be used to save everyone there from this EPIDEMIC VIRUS. 

Those dying need to be taken there to receive the BLOOD transfusion that is available. However, the BLOOD will not be forced upon those dying! THE PUREST RED ANTIDOTE is only given to those that are willing to receive the BLOOD TRANSFUSION so they could LIVE.

All that accept the BLOOD are being CLEANSED of this EPIDEMIC VIRUS in their system that is infecting the mind, body, and soul.  This BLOOD goes into the dying person's mind, body, and soul and eats away at the virus cleaning them and making them pure. This VIRUS is known as SIN. The BLOOD is the PRECIOUS CLEANSING BLOOD OF THE GREAT PHYSICIAN, JESUS CHRIST.

The WOODEN BED is the CROSS OF CHRIST where the dying need to be led too.

72 HOURS LATER, there is a commotion at the JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA MORGUE. THE GREAT PHYSICIAN is not there anymore and the ANGELS that visit tell loved ones who came there, that THE GREAT PHYSICIAN IS ALIVE and will save all that come to Him.

It is true even to this day, for all that come to the HOSPITAL OF CALVARY come to realize that His CLEANSING BLOOD shed on the WOODEN BED (CROSS) will never run out. Anyone infected who wants to be healed of their sickness can accept what Jesus did for them and be covered in His precious CLEANSING BLOOD.

I have done that friend and know that at the foot of the cross where Jesus died shedding His precious cleansing blood for my sin and the sins of the world, I can find forgiveness and grace.

Thanks be to God that Christ's death on the cross was temporary to remove all His precious cleansing blood for our sake but after He was buried, Jesus came back to life to save.

To this day, all who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved when they acknowledge what Jesus Christ has done for them and what He can do for them.

Friend, Jesus loves you so much and if you were the only one living on earth, Jesus would have done the same for you. What I shared with you was an analogy but in real life it has happened. Jesus went to the cross for you and me and His precious cleansing blood was shed so you and I could have life. Jesus came back to life 72 hours later and is alive but His blood continues to heal people on every corner of the earth to those that accept Him.

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.

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us. I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen! Thank you that your Word says whatever we ask in Your Name shall be done by your Father in Heaven! Amen!

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