Testing Jesus

Have you ever tested Jesus? No? Well, think again because at some point in time, we all have.

Here are some thoughts shared by Rev Francis Taylor in her devotional. 

"The Pharisees came to ask Jesus for a sign even though they had witnessed the many miracles of healing he had performed. They had heard him preach and knew the authority with which he did it. Why didn't they believe, what more were they looking for! We declare our belief in Jesus yet we often do the same. In our darkest moments don't we wonder where Jesus is? I know I have said, "Please just let me know you're there?" What about you? We see people pick up pennies from the sidewalk and if the date on it is the same as the birth or death year of someone we love, we think this is a sign that they are in heaven. How different is this from the Pharisees?

Our faith is tested every day. Sometimes it is tested in small ways, sometimes in a big way. It is tested when someone we love is seriously ill or dies. We ask, "Why God? He was a good person, prayed, went to church. Why him?" Or we lose our job just as our children are ready for college. Why me? Wildfires rage and hundreds lose their homes. Storms rage and lives are lost. Haven't you ever wondered how a good God could let things like this happen? We are not that different from the Pharisees. Some people allow the doubts to turn into denial that God exists. The rest of us hang on knowing that God doesn't cause bad things, he helps us get through them".

The Peacemakers

The Colt Peacemaker revolver was named for the sentiment that an armed society was a polite society. The presence of a Colt revolver was thought to discourage troublemakers from picking a fight. The Colt Peacemaker was also seen as an equalizer for women, the elderly, and those who were physically smaller.

In a warped sense, the very instrument of violence was thought to bring about peace.

But Christ talked of a different peacemaker. Men and women who are empathetic to others.

The peacemaker initiates reconciliation when others have wronged them. The peacemaker is also quick to repent when they have wronged others. In a world, where we have been discipled to avoid conflict, peacemaking takes a commitment to move toward it.

The human peacemaker does not enforce peace with the threat of violence but brings about peace with love.

When we contemplate the profound words of Jesus in Matthew 5:9, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God,” we understand the inheritance that peacemakers receive – the kingdom of heaven itself.

Temptation is Beautiful

Good for the Eyes, Bad for the Soul (Adapted from the KJV Devotional) 

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise…” Genesis 3:6 KJV

Satan never lures people with repulsive bait, but he always uses things that appeal to our greatest desires. The truth is that God has already provided everything that we need, but Satan incites a dissatisfaction that began in the Garden of Eden. He creates counterfeits of God's blessings and falsely presents that he can give even more, as in the case of Eve and the forbidden tree. The tree was not just pleasant to look at and with good fruit to eat, but it offered something extra—it seemed to make one wise. But in the end, what the devil offers may look good, but it is always destructive to one's soul.