"Work hard
and become a leader; be lazy and never succeed." (Proverbs 12:24, TLB)
“When he had gone a little
farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat,
preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their
father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him. They
went to Capernaum and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the
synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching,
because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of
the law." (Mark 1:19-22, NIV)
Observations:
I asked myself what does
Jesus do?
1. Jesus went a little farther after calling
Simon and Andrew.
2. Jesus sees James and John mending their net
and without delay calls to them.
3. He arrives at the synagogue and began to
teach.
4. He taught them as one who had authority not
as teachers of the law.
Interpretations:
I found it very interesting that Jesus sees
James and John and calls them WITHOUT DELAY. There is no procrastination
with Jesus. Jesus started His ministry and looked for helpers
immediately to help Him carry it through. That is so cool that Jesus
turned to fallible human beings to help accomplish His purposes. James
and John at hearing the voice of Jesus leave their father Zebedee with
the hired help and follow Jesus. After that, Jesus stepped into the
synagogue and began to teach on the Sabbath in Capernaum. Jesus did not
waste time.
Observations:
I asked myself, how did
the people react to Jesus' teaching?
The people were amazed at His teaching!
Interpretations:
When Jesus taught, He captivated the
audience and they could not help but listen. They were utterly amazed
with Jesus' style. They saw the authority of Jesus' teachings as opposed
to what they were used to listening from the 'teachers of the law.'
This is very important to realize
because Jesus is God, incarnate and knew exactly what the people needed
to hear rather than what they wanted to hear. He gave them God's Word
every time He spoke and His Words had authority than what they were used
to listening from 'teachers of the law.'
Jesus condemned the teachers of the
law many times because they acted as though they were following and
giving people God's Word but in actuality they could have mixed their
own man made traditions. Jesus lets the teachers of the law know that in
other passages.
Implications:
I saw important implications for my
own life in this passage. To accomplish things for the honor and glory
of the Lord, I cannot do things on my own but should enlist help. I also
learned the value of listening to Jesus and following Him! It is the
best value we can attain because He will give us the right message!
I ask you
now dear friend whose teachings do you listen to?
Dear friend, I
personally love to listen to teachings/sermons that focus directly on
God’s Word and is given in expositional format. Mostly, I look to see if
the person speaking to me is speaking from the Word of God and relating
it to current life or whatever is spoken can be backed up by Scripture.
Knowing whose teaching we intend to listen to is
very important for our Christian growth so we need to be part of a
church that wants Jesus Christ to be known and be known by Him. This
happens when the bishops/ pastors/ priests/ ministers, etc speak God’s
Word to the congregation than their own personal views.
With personal views can enter man
made traditions over God's Word and hurt the congregation more than help
it. Jesus spoke with authority because He was giving them the right
message as opposed to what they were getting from the teachers of the
law.
When you go to church and you hear a
pastor say something that conflicts with what you have known from God's
Word, don't just accept it just because that person is a pastor. Only
accept it after you have tested it with God's Word. Anything that is
contrary to God's Word is not valuable to take in no matter how
comfortable it makes you feel. If it is contrary to God's Word, the joy
and the message will not last.
This does not apply just to pastors
but anyone who teaches God's people. God's people need to hear what God
wants them to hear rather than selective listening. When I used to do
full-time ministry and put in 40-80 hrs/week, I wanted the students to
know that they could question me anytime if what I said was not in line
with the Word of God. For that to happen, I encouraged them to seek the
Scriptures and study them. Even now when I share my devotional times
with others, I encourage them to do the same.
"Dear friends,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the
world"(1 John 4:1)
In conclusion, I believe it is so important to be part of a Church that
puts a heavy emphasis on God's Word than their own teachings. In any
situation, a person needs to spend time in prayer before the teaching so
that Scripture cannot be twisted and made to sound like what they want
people to hear rather than what God wants them to
hear. Our prayer should be that we hear Christ's voice through the
messenger speaking His Word so today, everyday answering Christ's homily
indeed nurtures greatly souls!
"May my spoken words and
unspoken thoughts be pleasing even to you, O Lord my Rock and my
Redeemer." (Psalm 19:14)
I don’t know what church you are part of or if
you are looking for a church. There are many Bible-believing churches in
Pittsburgh. I personally know of six churches that I visited of which I am
part of one. All six of them have emphasized the importance of God’s
Word and I have seen exposition of Scripture there. They are listed in
alphabetical order. If I did not mention a church you are part of, it
just means I don’t know about the church. Also, there are more churches
out there that are Bible-believing but I have not had an opportunity to
visit them to comment on them!
Allegheny Center Alliance Church (North Side)
Asian Indian Christian Church of
Pittsburgh (Forest Hills)
Covenant Church of Pittsburgh (Wilkinsburg)
New Hope Christian Community
(University Center-CMU)
Pittsburgh Chinese Church/Oakland
International Fellowship (North Dithridge St)
Shepherd’s Heart (Oakland)
"Today,
Everyday Answering Christ's Homily Indeed Nurtures Greatly Souls!" (T.E.A.C.H.I.N.G.S)/"I
ask you now dear friend, whose teachings do you listen to?"
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you
so much that we mean so much to you. You teach with authority and want
us to have your Word hidden in our hearts. Help us please to follow you
faithfully. I thank you so much Jesus. We give our lives to thee and ask
you to be in control of our lives. Help us to do your will please Lord.
Please forgive us of our sins, for we are sorry. Thank you so much
Jesus! Lord, thank you for your teachings in our lives. Thank you for
enlisting the help of James and John too to carry out your work. I thank
you that you enlist us too. Lord, most of us are in the academic field
and learn a lot of stuff. Sometimes what we learn does not agree with
your Word. Help us to be able to take everything our
instructors/professors give and separate your Truth from them. Thank you
Lord you have allowed humanity to take part in so many academic fields
that can be used for your honor and glory as they are used to serve
humanity. Help me to use whatever I learn to bring honor and glory to
you. You remind me how you decided to use Andrew and Simon’s profession
to become fisherman for the souls of men. You can use our fields too to
bring you honor and glory and spread the Gospel. I thank you for that
Jesus. I entrust our lives into your care! Help us please to be part of
a church that will give us your teachings and your Word. I thank you for
that Jesus! Thank you for hearing our prayers and answering us! In Your
Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
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.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, I am a sinner Lord.
I am so sorry for my sins. I confess my sins to you. I confess the wrong
things I have done and messed up my own life. I need you Lord right now
and in the years to come. I have gone my own way and have not found what
only you can give me. You alone have the words of Eternal Life. You
alone love me unconditionally for who I am. Thank you Jesus! I turn
myself to you Oh Lord in this Fall of September 2005. Please forgive me of
all my sins and come into my heart. I accept
you Jesus into my heart. Thanks Jesus for coming into my heart. Thanks
for forgiving me of all my sins. Thanks for giving me a new identity in
you. I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior as I believe in my
heart that you died and came back to life to save me now and forever. I
give myself to you and ask you to be in control of my life. Thank you
Jesus for the coming days we can do things together. Thanks for being my
Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and
answered me. Thanks Jesus for changing me and helping me through life's
storms and winds. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
Friend, you may feel something
or you may not but this you can be assured that the Lord Jesus has come
into your life and will give you a new beginning! Amen!
Get yourself involved in a
campus Bible study, fellowship, and most of all find a Bible believing
church and be involved to grow in your Christian walk with the Lord.
They all need to be supplements for your own precious time with the Lord
in prayer and meditating on His Word. If you need a Bible, please let me
know!
If you
need anyone to talk to, pray with, or study the Bible with this Fall of
September 2005, you can email me at
reddy4hisglory2004@yahoo.com or call me at 412-720-4579.
Love in Christ,
Ramesh
Next Devotional:
What C.A.P.T.I.V.I.T.Y are you facing today?
Express your view
