Bible Thoughts

December 24, 2000

A noble statement indeed. To follow Jesus wherever he would go would be an enriching experience indeed. The words are easily said; following the Lord would be much harder. If the man truly understood what would happen if he literally followed Jesus and experienced what he would endure, perhaps his statement might have been different.

Jesus responded by pointing out the price the man would have to pay. The Son of man did not have a place to "lay his head." Did the one who stated he would follow Jesus understand what kind of sacrifices would have to be made? Jesus depended upon others to provide for his needs. He owned no real estate; he had no bank account; his closest disciples were not men of wealth and power. Would I have been willing to follow the Lord wherever he went and endure all that he endured? From another standpoint, consider: would I take the Lord with me in my journey through this life?

Would I take the Lord with me to the places that I go?

Would I be embarrassed to have Jesus along with me? Are such places the kind of places that Jesus would frequent if he was upon earth? When it comes time for me to leave would I be glad the Lord accompanied me?

When the Lord comes to my home, would I watch the same TV programs I have been watching? Or, would I rush to change the channel? Would I blush and be embarrassed by the language, behavior, and dress of the actors and actresses?

How about the movies? Would I be glad to have the Lord with me in the theater? Could I tell him how much I enjoyed having him sit with me? Or, would I be embarrassed by the nakedness, the vulgarity, and the worldly behaviors on the screen?

When I went with the Lord, would I wear the same clothes I wear in public places today? Would I be conscious of the modesty(or lack thereof) of the garments I am wearing? What kind of impression would I leave with Jesus Christ if I dressed as I usually dress around others?

In all areas of our interest, we need to consider the same approach. Would I participate in the activities in which I engage if the Lord was present with me? What would be my reaction if the Lord was watching me? Well, he is. The Lord knows about my life, about my interests, about my concerns, yes, about all that I do. The Lord wants to be with me every place I go and in all that I do. Do I want the Lord to be with me?

David was king over all the people. He must have been a very important, powerful man to hold that position. He must have had many people that would lay down their lives to protect him from harm, just like the president of this age. But, is this why he felt safe and secure, for we read in the above verse that he will fear no evil? No, he tells us that he fears no evil because God is with him and it is God that gives him comfort and not the position he holds or the men that would protect him. He relied on God for all his needs.

In Psalm 3 we read that God was a shield for him, his protection. And just like a shield would protect the soldiers from the arrows and the swords of their enemies, God looked after David, protected him from those who wanted to harm him. David goes on to say that God is his glory and the one who lifts up his head, and we read how true this was when we read about the life of David. David goes on to tell us that the Lord sustained him, and that he will not fear the tens of thousands of people who set themselves against him. God will look after him. And then in verse 7 we read, arise O Lord; save me, O my God.

David knew he could not save himself, he knew that all the blessings, and all the protection he got was from God. It was not because he was king, or that he was a soldier and had many that would follow him. He knew God was with him, but only if he trusted in God.

If we could only learn this lesson from David. So many times we are surrounded by sorrow or there are so many obstacles in our way. We live in a world full of evil, and often things don’t go the way we like. David suffered all these things, the same things we suffer, but he trusted in God and was happy in the end. We just have to trust in God and obey his will and he will look after us, and save us too.-Vaughn Botha

Jesus did not teach according to the first century world’s idea of how he should teach. He taught differently than they had expected, as one who had authority, and not one of their rabbis. He was not their idea of what the Messiah should be. Their minds were convinced that what they had experienced and were taught by the religious leaders of the day was correct and refused to listen or to contemplate anything that would threaten that belief. Ultimately this refusal culminated in the death of the one who came to save them.

The ability to think “outside of the box” and see beyond our current individual scope of understanding is an important trait for the Christian to gain. Many Jews in Christ’s time refused to challenge themselves and so missed the coming of the Messiah and the salvation which he brought. They were focused upon searching for their earthly king who would come with his military force, conquer the Roman nation, and establish his physical kingdom of this world. In their refusal to recognize the Christ and the proper nature of his spiritual kingdom they failed to see the great blessing from God and were lost as a result.

Are we the type of Christian who actively chooses to examine themselves daily so as to make sure that the things they do are correct? Or are we of the type which insists upon believing what we believe and following what we follow merely because we have done it this way forever? The former seek absolute truth no matter the personal cost. The latter pervert the teachings of Christ into the traditions of men. “...the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonian, for they ...examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).-Joe Cook