Nepotism

16 And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

19 When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets. 20 And immediately He called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.

Nepotism (noun) nep-o-tism means favoritism shown to relatives.

In the past our kids have been involved in ministry. At different times we have had several people question our children being in leadership. In this portion of scripture Jesus called families to serve Him. In verse 16 Jesus called Simon Peter and Andrew his brother. In verse verses 19 and 20 Jesus called John and James, brothers again.

Jesus called families to the ministry, and still does. He also called people out of their families to serve Him. Once we enter God’s family aren’t we all related? That might be something to think about. But nevertheless, to some people it bothers them that some families minister together in ministry. If you are a complainer are you ready to commit to minister? Because the Word of God says that, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” We need laborers. If someone is willing to labor for the harvest I don’t care who they are related to!

Now some of you would say, “But their Father wasn’t the senior pastor and his sons, the youth pastor or associate pastors.” My response to that is God chose His only Son to be the Savior of the world. Yep I went there. If God chose His one and only Son to become the Savior of the World then I think that He set the example. I am not saying that every ministry has to be in clusters of family but if there is a family that serves together, don’t criticize them, pray for them! And then ask how you can serve too.  I can guarantee that there is room for everyone to minister. If you have a problem with that go talk to the Lord. He called them and He set the exampleJ

Praying for families in ministry together,

Shanin

Tom, Follower and Believer of Christ

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:24-29 NIV

You know, I think that Thomas gets a bum rap in the christian world. He is known as "Doubting Thomas." When I read this passage what I think is that Thomas is just human. As a matter of fact let's call him Tom. Now think about it, Tom, was one of the twelve disciples. So he was one of Jesus' friends/followers. He knew that Jesus, his friend, was crucified and died a horrible death. He probably knew that they were not on the top twelve of the most popular people list either. One day his friends said that Jesus came and visited them and he wasn't dead afterall.

Okay...wait a minute...if you knew that someone was dead and you knew where he was burried (totally dead) wouldn't you be a little skeptical? I know that I would probably think, "Wow, their grief has driven them a bit crazy! They must have seen a guy who looks like Christ because I know that he is dead! I was there!" Or could it be an imposter trying to find all of the remaining twelve to cash in on a little reward money? But alive? No way, not unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side!"

Who could blame the poor guy? And how many times have you said, "Not unless I see it myself with my own eyes will I believe such in such."

But Jesus knew. He knew Tom. Jesus came and told Tom to reach right in my nail scars and touch me...believe me...it's true! I am really here! Jesus actually said, "Stop doubting and believe.” But I think that Jesus gave Tom what He knew that Tom needed. Jesus gave Tom the confirmation that yes, indeed, it is true...I have risen from the dead...it really is ME! Jesus was gracious to Tom. There have been so many people who refer to Doubting Thomas in a negative connatation but I am wondering if those very same people wouldn't have done the same thing if they were in that situation? But Jesus loved Tom enough to provide the exact evidence, of what Tom needed, to believe in Him.

After Tom touched the nail scarred hands, he immediately knew that it was true. He believed! He exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!"

Then scripture says in vs. 29 that Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

We are blessed! We have never seen Jesus in the flesh and we believe! Yippy! But I am here to tell you that even if we haven't seen Jesus in the flesh we have seen glimpses of Him. We have seen miraculous provision and miracles. We have seen His love displayed through others. I am truly blessed in so many ways. Jesus knows our needs and meets those very needs. He "knows" us by name. And I am truly thankful that He doesn't know me by "Doubting Shanin." He knows me by the name of Shanin, Daughter of the Most High. You noticed He never called Tom "Doubting Thomas." He didn't label or define him by that one moment or action. His name was Thomas, one of the twelve, His friend and follower of Christ. Thomas the believer :)

The world will label you. The enemy will try and tell you that you are a doubter, you are ineffective, a loser but our Father says that you are a son or daughter of Christ! You are victorious through Him. So proudly claim what He has provided for you, salvation, the crown of righteousness. Don't let people label you a doubting Suzy or John. You are a child of the King!

Shanin

Respond Don't React

Have you ever had conflict? How did you handle it? Did you react or respond? Reacting is that knee jerk reaction. The quick terse response and then hit "send." You know what I mean, he pushed me so I pushed him back!

Responding is taking time to evaluate and then to prepare a response that would be righteous and healing. I have been guilty of reacting and responding. I am here to tell you that responding is always better unless you are in physical danger:)

One of the most valuable things my sweet husband has taught me is to take a step back and think to yourself, "What is their motive?" Most usually, especially if it is your friend or someone that you have fellowship with, their motive is never to injure or offend you. What is your motive in your response?

God's desire for us is for us to be healthy and flourishing and fruitful. In Matt. 12:20 it says, A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering which He will not snuff out, till He leads justice to victory. NIV

The enemy loves for you to be offended so he can get you to isolate!

So what stunts our growth or separates from the vine?

I. The Offense
Like mold the offense starts to grow and spreads all over you. It's a trap! It's the trigger on the mouse trap. It robs you of your blessing while you are in the trap. However, the offense is an opportunity for growth and release. How to escape from the trap is forgiveness.

II. Admit The Offense To Yourself.
We have all been trapped and we have all trapped. In Luke 17 Jesus tells us that it is impossible not to be offended and it's impossible not to offend people and He teaches that it is hard on both ends. You are not the only on that this has happened to.

III. Admit The Offense To The Other Person.
Let's state this very clearly...Admission is not accusation!!! You can never know what their motive was! Generally they were oblivious or careless or hurt. How often have you "plotted" to hurt someone? Most usually it is a misunderstanding and the enemy uses it for his advantage (to set that trap). Please make sure that your heart is right with the Lord before going to do this. LOVE needs to be your motivation. Don't go to "confront" the person...go in love.

IV. Forgive The Offense.
God forgave us for so much how can we not forgive for so little? Be mature, make the first move, right or wrong. We have to make the choice to will forgiveness. When we forgive, it releases the issue to God so He can take care of it. When we forgive that is letting the vine dresser to lift us up out of the mud. He then washes the mold off and stakes us to the vine so that we can produce fruit.

Unforgiveness cuts us off from the nutrients of the Word, Prayer, Worship and Fellowship.

V. Get Back Into The Game.
Once we get out of the mud we need to get back into the exercise of reading the Word, praying, worshipping and fellowshipping which equals ABIDING!

Pray for God to reveal any unforgiveness in your life. Unforgiveness is like poison and as it courses through your veins it kills you! Do not let the enemy plant a seed of bitterness in your life. Listen to your outside voice and use that for your heart check. Make the choice to be righteous no matter what the situation is and everytime God will cover you. It may not feel like it at the moment but I promise you that you will reap the benefits of doing the right thing.

Like I said before that I have been guilty of not responding and reacting. When I have done that I am saying that I do not trust God to take care of me. God has convicted my heart of this very thing. I have repented and made a decision to respond not react, especially in my workplace. I cannot tell you how much better it is for me! Thank You Jesus for bringing my focus back to You and not making things "just" or "fair."

No matter the outcome, God is in control!

Still learning,

Shanin

It's Over There, No It's Over There!

Today while I was at work in my office I could hear a cell phone set to vibrate, buzzing away. I had heard it go off two or three times and then silence and then start again. I got up to go look for it because it was driving me crazy! So I talked to my co-worker and said, "Do you hear that? I think it is in your area."

He replied, "No, I am pretty sure it is in your office." I checked my phone that was in my pocket just in case but it wasn't the culprit. So I decided to get up and go look for it about the fourth time that it started ringing. It started again and then my co-worker said to go look in another office...but to no avail! All of a sudden I heard it ring again and found it! It was in my co-worker's office on his filing cabinet and that is why I could hear it! He was surprised but another co-worker had set it down there and left it. We both got a good chuckle out of the whole situation.

Then I remembered one night while I was in Israel last year. We were spending the night in the middle of the desert. We were staying in a giant tent of the Bedouin people. I mean that this tent was HUGE! It has big wool rugs on the floors and walls to help insulate the tent. They had a giant heater at one end to heat the tent. We had about 48 women sleeping in the tent. One big giant sleep over. It was so much fun. Finally everyone was falling asleep and I would hear this cell phone notification. About every ten minutes this phone would chirp. Well Rebecca Bauer and Kimberly Dirmann were on the opposite wall from me. Rebekah whispered, "Shanin, is that your phone?"

I replied, "No!" We went back and forth for a while like this. I finally had to take my phone out to prove that it was off!  I got to laughing. So we got up out of our sleeping bags with our flashlights trying to find the phone in the few chirps it would make before stopping again for another ten or fifteen minutes. Did I mention that this tent was huge? I mean HUGE! LOL Everytime it would go off I would think that the ring was coming from the other side. We searched the entire tent till finally it chirped while we were nearby and we found it! The owner of the phone had her earplugs firmly placed in her ears, eye mask on (not mentioning any names Tracy Barber!) and could not hear the notification. We woke her up so she could turn it off! This sleeping bag was only two bags away from me! I would have never guessed that this phone was nearby because to me it sounded like it was over by Rebecca. I laughed today when this was brought to my memory by that buzzing phone.

The bible talks about a time when there will be people who claim to be Christ and for us not to be fooled. ⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:3 NKJV
We need to know Jesus's voice and to know him so well that we will not be conned! Otherwise if we think that every person that performs a "miracle" or claims to be Christ is over there then we will run over there! All of the time being deceived running back and forth and not following Jesus! We will get lost and confused.

We need to know the Word so that when it is twisted we will be able to recognize a counterfeit. ² Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. ³ For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 2 Timothy 4:2-4 NIV How will we be able to tell the difference if we don't know the Word of God? I already hear Christians who say, "Well, I know the bible says that but I don't believe that way." How sad. They are changing the Word to fit into their lifestyle or into what their itching ears want to hear. The Word of the Lord says to be discerning! Part of discernment comes from knowing the Word of God.

I know that some of you will say, "Well, I am too busy or I don't like to read or I can't understand it when I read it." When I was younger I used everyone of these excuses. Then one day I prayed that the Lord would help me to grasp, remember and understand what I was reading. I made a decision to read His Word. People, this changed my life! My identity started changing to reflect Christ! I started understanding it...I started grasping it and I started to remember! It is like drinking water. I have heard many people tell me that they hate the taste of water or that they are never thirsty. Do you know that if you are dehydrated that you won't be thirsty? You won't get thirsty until after you start drinking it! After a while it will even taste better! (If not get a filter!lol) Before long your skin will improve and you will wash away toxins that are stored in your body! A lot like the Living Water! Try it! Commit to reading a chapter or two everyday. Before long I am guessing that you will want to read more of the Word! Take one scripture that stands out to you and write about it! We use a bible program call SOAP. Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer. Write your observation and then how it applys to your life and then write a prayer to the Lord. Lord, help me to implement this in my life or Lord, help me to understand your Word! He will answer you! He will speak to your heart! BTW all of this only takes up about a 5x7 piece of paper. If you make it into a journal you can look back and see how you have grown or what the Lord has spoken to your heart! I even keep track of answered prayers and many days when I have looked back it stirs my faith!

Take the Challenge! Then let me know how it works.

Still Soaping!

Shanin

No One Knows!

Remember when Jesus was supposed to come back last year? Remember when the end of the world was going to happen in December of 2012?  I never get too stirred up over these predictions. Why? Simple! Jesus told us that:

³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. ³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ³⁸ For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. ⁴³ But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁴ Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

I am confident that if Jesus said that no one knows only His Dad knows then NO ONE KNOWS! The Word of God is true. So if Jesus clued us in on that I doubt that some self proclaimed prophet, who has missed the date before, is going to know before the angels of heavens knows ;)

But this I do know...we need to be ready for when He does come! Jesus will come one day and I want to be ready. I want everyone I know to be ready!

So when you hear people telling you that Jesus is coming back next Friday at 3:16 don't worry! But be ready for when he does come! I am thinking that God likes surprises :) And that will be one party that I won't want to miss!

Shanin

Reach Out and Reach Up!

³⁴ When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

³⁵ And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him ³⁶ and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed. Matthew 14:34-36 NKJV

These two verses of Matthew speak volumes! Jesus had landed at Gennesaret. And as soon as people started recognizing it was Jesus they spread the word. They didn’t have the internet but still the word spread! They sent the word out to everyone to bring all of the sick to Jesus.

We live in a small town of approximately 10,000 people. We have the luxury of internet or cell phones and if someone famous is in town the word gets around fast! You will see it on Facebook or it will be texted to you. Chances are if you live in a small community and something happens big you will find out about it before it has time to hit the 6:00 news. If we get so excited about some famous singer or actor (who doesn’t even know your name) and eagerly spread that news about, how come we don’t spread the news about Jesus around with such determination of getting “the good news” out to everyone? This is just something to think about.

Okay back to the story. People started showing up by the groves bringing the sick to Jesus. They were desperate! How do I know this? Because the scripture says that they begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak. Can you imagine being so desperate that you would beg to touch someone’s coat or blazer? Americans are so blessed that there are very few that are desperate, much less find a need for a Savior in their lives. Yet there are many who have a gaping, God shaped hole in their lives and they try to fill that emptiness with everything from material goods, work, busy schedules, food, sex, drugs or alcohol out of desperation. They need Jesus…correction, we need Jesus.

Here is the good part…and all who touched it were healed. Out of their need or desperation or sickness, they reached out to grab at his clothing and they were healed! We need to grab at Jesus instead of clinging to what doesn’t fill that God shaped hole in our lives. Whenever I start to feel needy or scared or unsure instead of reaching for that bowl of ice cream or doing some “shopping therapy”, I need to reach out to Jesus to fill those needsJ. He will meet those needs or those hurts right where I need them met.

So let’s recap. First of all reach out! Be eager to spread the word about Jesus. There are so many people who don’t know Him. If you know of someone in need invite them to church or to just hang out with you! The worse thing that can happen is that they might say no. (I invite people every opportunity I get!) Second point, reach up! Reach up to touch Jesus; even if all you can do is grab at the hem of His garment He will reach back to catch your hand. He loves you so very much that when you reach out to Him, cry out to Him or even just beg to touch His garment, He will touch you. He is faithful. He reaches out to everybody, the rich and poor, the healthy, needy or the desperate. He came for everyone. I am very thankful that He is there all of the time for me.

Reaching for Him,

Shanin

Facing the Giants of Life

I normally write different posts for each of my blogs but today I am going to link you to my other blog because I did a two day post on Facing the Giants in your life...David faced Goliath with all odds stacked against him. Be sure to read both day's to get the whole story :)

Shanin

http://thebenefitofroyalty.blogspot.com/

Play Date with Jesus

¹³ Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” 15 
And He laid His hands on them and departed from there. Matthew 19:13-15 NKJV
The parents had brought their children to Jesus hoping for a chance that He might put His hands on them and pray for them. The disciples must have thought that Jesus’s schedule was too busy for this because the bible says that they rebuked them. I am thinking in my imagination with something like, “Hey, Jesus is much too busy to be bothered with little kids. We have a schedule to keep” Children were just considered property during that period of time but Jesus loved them. He took time and blessed them.

If I close my eyes I can play it all out in my mind… Jesus smiles when He looked into the eyes of each little one. He knew them well…He knew little John with his big brown eyes and little Ruth with her nurturing qualities. I can see Jesus tilt his head back and laugh when He looked into the eyes of the mischievous Matthew and maybe even whispered in his ear about the funny joke that he had played on his brother. When Jesus looked into Hannah’s eyes He tells her that He can see the fire that burns deep in her heart and she just beams with pride. I can see Jesus tickle their bellies and then I see the compassion and love in His eyes. He starts to speak blessings on each and every one of them. He speaks of the great things that He knows that each one of them will do in their lives. They would remember Jesus for their whole life and so would their parents.

Jesus knew that His time would be well spent with these kids. Oh how He loved them. He didn’t think of them as a nuisance or a bother. He didn’t think of them as just another mouth to feed. He treasured them! He invested in them. We should think of our children in the same way that Jesus did. We need to value them, take time for them and teach them. They are little sponges soaking up whatever is around them. We need to make sure that they are protected and surrounded with sound doctrine, love and goodness. We need to make time to bring them to our Lord and know that He will touch them. We don’t want to be the ones who shoo them away from Jesus…we want to make the way for them to meet Him just like those parents did in that passage.

We are God’s kids. He loves us and desires to spend time with us. He is willing to make time for us if we are willing to spend time with Him. He wants to laugh with us, look into our eyes, encourages and bless us!  
Making Time With Him,

Shanin

No One is Disqualified

⁹ As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” So he arose and followed Him.
¹⁰ Now it happened, as Jesus sat at the table in the house, that behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. ¹¹ And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
¹² When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Matthew 9:9-13

I was talking on the phone with my girlfriend early this morning and she was laughing at the wide variety of friends that I have and have had during a course of a lifetime. I had been sharing with her about my most favorite Aunt in the whole wide world.  She laughed and told me that she was once shocked to hear who I had befriended over the years, know their past and still love them and be a pastor's wife. I love this friend and when we first became friends, she led a totally different life than she does now. She had thought that she had managed to hide this side of herself from me and was surprised when she found out that I had known the truth the whole time. But the Lord had shown me her value long before she realized it herself. You see, Jesus loved my girlfriend long before she ever knew him.

This section of Matthew shows a side of Jesus that a lot of  people don't know. Jesus and his disciples hung out with the tax collectors and sinners. He knew who they were and what they did but he loved them. It was the Pharisees that were all "judging" Jesus for hanging out and eating with the party crowd or the less desirable! The Pharisees were sure to point it out and asked, "Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

I love Jesus's response when he had heard what the Pharisees were asking,  “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Jesus didn't disqualify anyone! He came for everyone, he loved everyone. Jesus knew very well who and what those people did...just like he knows me, what I do and what I have done. He desires mercy. He desires  for you to know Him, so much so that He will come right where you are and hang with you.

Jesus just didn't hang out in the synagogues all the time in a suit and tie (shocker, he didn't own one or even invent the pinstripe suit). He went to the people where ever they were and what ever they were doing. Jesus didn't come just for the "together" people or the "church" people, He came for everyone, He came for us, He came for you and me. He didn't disqualify anyone from following Him then or now! He will take anybody regardless of their past or present. All you have to do is tell Him that you love Him and that you are sorry for what you have done. Jesus is the real deal. You do not have to wait to have it all together to start fresh with Jesus. He already knows.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to be able to love everyone, where ever they are in their lives. That means sometimes you might be surprised at whom I am friends with and if that offends you, then you will have to talk with Jesus about that :) BTW did you know that Jesus's closest twelve friends had a past when He called them? Pretty awesome, Jesus set the example.

Hanging with Jesus,

Shanin

Evangelism At Its Best!

²⁸ When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
³⁰ Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. ³¹ So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
³² And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
³³ Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. ³⁴ And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region. Matthew 8:28-34 NKJV

I love this passage. Two scary men who were demon-possessed had dominated this area so much that people didn't come around that area. Did I mention that they were scary? Yep. Anyhow I love it because the demons knew Jesus. No one had to tell them who He was! I love the second question that they asked Jesus, "Have You come here to torment us before the time?" The demons knew... Jesus dealt with them with one recorded word, "Go."  He cast them into the pigs and the pigs ran into the sea and drowned. Great! Two delivered men, right? They were once scary and tormented and now they could live normal lives! But there was a witness. The pig tenders.

The peg caregivers fled or ran to the city and told everything that had happened INCLUDING what had happened to the demon-possessed men. What a witness! Now you know that everyone knew who these two scary guys were! It is like any other town or city, they knew these guys. The people probably even had common used nicknames that identified the two scary guys like the "keepers of the tomb" or something like that :) (use your imagination). Every town has some "weirdo of creeper" that people stay away from because they are scary!

Anyhow, so Jesus casted the demons out and they ran into the pigs making them go berserk and suicidal. Good news right? I would think that this would be impressive stuff! This Jesus can take the insane or demon possessed people and bring them to their right minds and "normal!" The WHOLE CITY came out to meet this Jesus! Talk about evangelism at its best! Wow if a whole city turns out for an event I would call that a success! But the next part is what amazes me...they begged Him to LEAVE? I thought, are they out of their minds? Jesus just healed the outcasts! He took the creepers (the stuff that people make movies out of) and healed them and He gets this great turn out and they ask him to leave? This broke my heart when I read it this morning. I have read this passage like a million times and today it broke my heart. Why?

Because we invite people to meet Jesus and they do not want Him. He can heal them and they reject Him. So much so that it "offends" them. Don't even mention His name in your workplace unless you use it in a swear word. I guarantee you that it would offend someone and a complaint could be filed against you.

I began to read the passage again. In this case the people begged Him to leave because He affected their economics. He drove the pig market down so to speak (giggle.) if this Jesus was to do something like this again it could devastate their lives financially. I think of this being so petty but, is it if we were to put it in context with today? How many people are offended at church (or even the ones who have never gone to church) because we pass an offering plate around? All God asks for is 10% gasp...there He goes dabbling in the economics. What if Jesus were to come to your city and heal all of the cancer patients? Truly heal the sick? Would everyone be happy? Wouldn't that be so cool that we wouldn't need hospitals, insurance companies or doctors or pharmacies? I am thinking that would be HUGE! However, I am betting that the people who profit from that line of work would not be happy at all because He would change their economics or their livelihood.

Would you take a moment and be truly honest with yourself and ask what area does Jesus offend in your life? Would you be willing to give up that offense so that Jesus could visit your life and heal whatever area you are broken in? Would you be willing to be effected economically? Would you be willing to be offended if He asked for you to give up something (whatever that is) in your life? Or will you ask Him to leave?

I am hoping that you don't reject Him :) Let Him impact your life! I promise you that He will rock your world but in the long run He will change your life for the good! Don't confine Jesus just to one area in your life. Give Him free reign!

Shanin