Burunche’s Blog

Matthew 5:11 “Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous – with life and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of your outward conditions) are you when people revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things against you falsely on My account. 12 Be glad and supremely joyful, for your reward in heaven is great (strong and intense) for in this same way people persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Yesterday we began discussing what it means to be persecuted. But Jesus didn’t stop with just one statement; instead, He went on to elaborate. In these verses, Jesus is promising us that as believers we are going to be reviled. The term “revile” means “to criticize or to abuse in an angrily insulting manner.” Here Jesus was actually describing ahead of time the verbal insults He was to receive throughout His ministry.

Long before the crucifixion took place, Jesus was already facing a fire storm of criticism. By the time Jesus came on the scene, Judaism had become a highly formalized religion with hundreds of tiny rules that were to be observed if one was to achieve true holiness. Tithing had become so organized that some extra – observant Jews were even tithing their spices – their mint and dill and cumin. The religious leaders were furious with Jesus because He didn’t follow every single one of these rules. Jesus criticized those leaders because they were more interested in following all of the rules and getting everything “right” than they were caring for people who were in need. It had reached the point that some religious leaders were making large gifts to the temple and then neglecting their aged parents.

The religious leaders became incensed when Jesus sought out sinners such as tax collectors and prostitutes and even ate with them – another violation of religious practice. And then Jesus had the audacity to heal people on the Sabbath and to point out that no religious leader would have left his donkey or his ox to suffer if that animal had fallen into a pit on the Sabbath, but would have quickly rescued the animal.

What did Jesus mean about the persecution of the prophets? There is good documentation for at least six Old Testament prophets dying through martyrdom. Their deaths ranged from being sawn in two to stoning, stabbing, etc.

Paul says in Hebrews 11:14 – 16 that all of these people died in faith “in search of a better and more desirable country.” Even though the prophets came before Jesus, they knew that Messiah was coming.  Even Balaam, a pagan seer, foretold the coming of the Messiah.

There’s a Country and Western song that says, “if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father, except through Me.” Today, what are you standing for? What is most important to you? Your job? Your family? Your status? Your bank account? Are you standing for something eternal or are you standing for something that can die or disappear? Yes, family members are critically important and we should love them, but love for your family will not cancel out your sin – debt. Only Jesus can give eternal life. Only Jesus can save you from your sins.

PRAYER: Father, persecution frightens us! We don’t want to suffer. But suffering is inevitable; sooner or later we will face it. Please help us to look to those things that are eternal. Take away our sins. Wash our filthy hearts. And help us to follow hard after Jesus for the rest of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:10 “Blessed and happy and enviably fortunate and spiritually prosperous (in the state in which the born – again child of God enjoys and finds satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of his outward conditions) are those who are persecuted for righteousness‘ sake( for being and doing right), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!”

Recently a Nigerian pastor was kidnapped by Muslim terrorists. In the video the captors intended as propaganda, the pastor refused to beg for his life, but rather testified to the goodness of God and the need for salvation through Jesus Christ. That pastor paid with his life; the terrorists beheaded him!

Many of us might never pay with our physical lives for our faith, but that does not mean that we will not be “persecuted for righteousness’ sake.” Each and every time we take a stand for what is right, we run the risk of becoming a target of someone else’s frustrations, bitterness, or resentment. We may be mocked at our workplaces. We may lose promotions because we refuse to cheat or to pay bribes. We may be verbally or physically attacked for the stands we have taken. But the struggle is worth it!

THE STRUGGLE IS WORTH IT! THE STRUGGLE IS WORTH IT!

THE STRUGGLE IS WORTH IT!

WRITE THESE WORDS ON YOUR HEARTS!

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.” When we have become Christ – followers, we have automatically enlisted in the Army of Light, the Army of Righteousness. “The church today is in a battle and there is no demilitarized zone,” to quote Ron Kenoly. And we are not contending for an earthly kingdom, but for a heavenly one. In the Hallelujah Chorus we sing, “The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ. And He shall reign forever and ever!”

That pastor who died in Nigeria is not an isolated case! It is estimated that 75% of the Christians in North Korea eventually die for their faith. One father who showed a Christian video in the privacy of his home was later run over by bulldozers in the public square in front of his horrified family. The family refused to renounce Christ. This story was recounted to us by South Korean believers we met at a CHE training in 2011. In Northern Nigeria, Muslim extremists are trying to kill as many Christians as possible. Make no mistake! The time is coming when each of us must individually decide to take a stand for Christ or against Him. And we may die or suffer as a result. So why bother?

We have been promised “a Kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken.” (Hebrews 12:28) Nothing we have on this earth is permanent. In the news yesterday we learned that Kobe Bryant, one of the outstanding basketball players of all time, perished in a helicopter crash. Yesterday morning before that helicopter took off, Mr. Bryant had it all – fame, fortune, family. But in an instant, everything was gone, and his life was over.

Today, what is the purpose of your life? For what are you striving? If you are striving for anything less than the Kingdom of God, you are cheating and deceiving yourself. Don’t settle for feel – good substitutes! Turn to Jesus while you still can!

PRAYER: Father God, help us! We want to give our hearts to you but aren’t sure how to do so. We confess that we are sinners and that nothing we have done or can do will earn our way into Your Heaven. Forgive our sins. Clean up our hearts. And help us to follow hard after you all the days of our lives. In Jesus’ mighty Name. Amen.

Matthew 5:9 “Blessed (enjoying enviable happiness, spiritually prosperous – with life – joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the makers and maintainers of peace, for they shall be called the sons of God!”

Many Americans have grown up idolizing men of action – the Rambos, the John Waynes, men who never backed down from a fight, no matter what. No matter which country you visit, you will find that there are similar warrior traditions. And yes, there are times when you need to take a stand against evil and wrong – doing. We should have the courage of our convictions. But many times, we use these mental images as an excuse to take offense needlessly or to throw our weight around as a matter of course. Picking unnecessary fights is tiring for the fighter and equally tiring for those around him/her. Proverbs 26:17 says, ”He who, passing by, stops to meddle with strife that is none of his business is like one who takes a (passing) dog by the ears.” (NKJV)

Nobody in his right mind would try to grab a strange dog by the ears! You could get bitten and get rabies and die. But sometimes we are willing to do something just as stupid, getting involved in quarrels that are none of our business. Why are we so willing to embroil ourselves in conflict but so unwilling to make peace? The video that accompanies this devotional features Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, Leymah Gbowee, and Mother Teresa. Leymah Gbowee is a Liberian peace activist responsible for leading a women’s nonviolent peace movement, Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace that helped bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War in 2003. In 2011 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Do peacemakers have an easy time of it? Are you kidding! Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi were murdered. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years. Leymah Gbowee and her followers faced public ridicule and all kinds of problems. But all of these people were faithful to the idea of creating and MAINTAINING peace.

Maintaining peace is even trickier than making peace in the first place. Anyone who has tried to settle a long – standing family conflict can testify that just when you think everything is going to be fine, someone suddenly remembers an old hurt, and the whole mess begins all over again! So why even try in the first place?

1. We all need peace. Development, whether personal, institutional, or national, requires peace.
2. Our bodies and our hearts were not made for continuous stress. After awhile your adrenal glands become tired of continually pumping out adrenaline. Stress from unresolved conflict takes its toll on our hearts, our brains, our kidneys, and on every other part of our body.
3. Continual stress destroys families. We carry our fights home with us and then fight with spouses and children.
4. God made us to live in peace with one another. If we want to be called the children of God, we must make peace with one another.
5. Being a man or woman of peace allows you to become close to God. As long as you are hugging your hurts and offenses in your heart, you are making it impossible for the Holy Spirit to heal you. You are literally blocking God from moving in your life as long as you refuse to live in peace with your neighbor.
6. Being a man or woman of peace requires forgiving those who have hurt you. Note: forgiving is not the same as trusting. You may need to distance yourself or just “hold your peace.” But forgiveness is always possible. Remember that the battle is not against people, but against Satan.

James 3:18 states “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” (New Living Translation) Today, choose peace.

PRAYER: Father, today, help us to be people of peace. Help us to seek your peace and to pursue it. Help us to forgive those who have hurt or offended us and to plant seeds of peace, so that we will reap harvests of righteousness. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:8 “Blessed (happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous – possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions) are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!” Psalm 24:3-4 “Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord/ or who shall stand in His Holy Place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.”

Sometimes the tide of filth in news media, entertainment, and in places that were previously clean is overwhelming. The innocence of childhood is under continual assault – drag queens being allowed in public libraries, lewd pornographic figures being generated from children’s computer games – it’s incredible. How can we achieve purity of heart or maintain purity of heart once we have achieved it? Are we straining after the unachievable?

If purity of heart were unachievable, why would Jesus have bothered to teach about it? Surely there is nothing more frustrating than having a teacher hold up a standard too high for any pupil to achieve as the measure of success in learning. In the end, pupils just become discouraged and cease trying altogether.  At the same time, all of us realize that there are times when our hearts are far from pure. Oh, we might not access pornography on the internet, but how may of us keep anger and bitterness in our hearts? How many of us even almost cherish the thought of the offenses others have committed against us?

Purity of heart can only come from God. 1 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Love…takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].” Certainly, we can avoid obvious evil influences. We can choose which TV programs or movies to watch. We can choose which books we read. We can avoid choosing to be involved in obviously evil. But still how can we cleanse our hearts and minds from bitterness and hatred?

The bad news is that we can’t cleanse ourselves! Romans 7:18 says, “For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right , but no power to carry it out.] But the good news – the very best news – is that “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Romans 8:2 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God wants us to have pure clean hearts! God wants for us to be “happy, enviably fortunate, and spiritually prosperous – possessing the happiness produced by the experience of God’s favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His grace, regardless of their outward conditions.” What we cannot do for ourselves, God will do, if we will only ask Him.

PRAYER: Father God, today we are ashamed of the state of our hearts. Our hearts are full of bitterness, resentment, hatred, irritation, and all kinds of horrible things. But you have promised that if anyone comes to you and asks, you will give them new hearts so that they can serve you and see you. Please clean our hearts and make us pure. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5: 7 “Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous – with life – joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy!” NKJV Amplified

As I began to research today’s Beatitude, I discovered John Piper’s excellent teaching on this. It’s long, so I have posted the reference at the bottom for anyone who wants to read Piper’s entre piece. But here are a few highlights:

 “Mercy comes from a heart that has first felt its spiritual bankruptcy. The heart has come to grieve its sin, and has learned to wait meekly for the timing of the Lord, and to cry out in hunger for the work of God’s mercy to satisfy us with the righteousness we need. The mercy that God blesses is itself the blessing of God. It grows up like fruit in a broken heart, a meek spirit, and a soul that hungers and thirsts for God to be merciful. Mercy comes from mercy. Our mercy to each other comes from God’s mercy to us.

The key to becoming a merciful person is to become a broken person. You get the power to show mercy from the real feeling in your heart that you owe everything you are and have to sheer divine mercy. Therefore, if we want to become merciful people, it is imperative that we cultivate a view of God and ourselves that helps us to say with all our heart that every joy and virtue and distress of our lives is owing to the free and undeserved mercy of God.”

Luke 6:38 states, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” If we want to receive mercy, we must learn to be merciful. For many of us, being merciful is very difficult. Some people grow up in homes with parents whose first reactions to childish mistakes are angry ones. Many of us have found ourselves in situations where we are tempted to retaliate or to judge. Being merciful is not easy, but God can give us the strength and the ability to do what we are not able to do ourselves.

PRAYER: Father, for many of us, being merciful is not at all natural. But You are merciful to us countless times every day. Help us to accept and appreciate Your mercy so that we may also be merciful to others. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed and fortunate and happy and spiritually prosperous (in that state in which the born – again child of God enjoys His favor and salvation) are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (uprightness and right standing with God), for they shall be completely satisfied!”

FAKE NEWS!!! Sometimes it seems that all we hear is fake news designed to capture attention. Facts don’t appear to matter. Statistics that are real are meaningless; instead, the news media feeds us a steady diet of distorted items designed to fulfill someone’s political agenda. And then there are the disappointments and shocks. Every day, it seems another group whom we previously respected is exposed as having mishandled money or power or both. And the outrageous events such as the rise of human trafficking and massacring of people for their religious beliefs leave us sickened and depressed. It isn’t even safe to go into many major stores for fear one will be abducted or assaulted in the rest room. Sometimes it seems tempting just to avoid the news altogether in hopes of remaining a little positive.

These days, there are very few leaders in any arena, whether religious or political, who have spotless reputations. One of the things that distinguished the late Reverend Billy Graham was that his organization had a reputation for transparency and accountability. Once the Grahams built their house in North Carolina, they remained in that house for the rest of their lives. Reverend Graham remained on a fixed salary and the money that came in from books, videos, etc., went into the ministry and not to him. This honesty and transparency were two of the main reasons Graham was befriended by a long list of world leaders; they felt they could trust Reverend Graham.

Aren’t you tired of this suffering and this filth? Don’t you long for someone who is completely good and who truly never fails? The answer is God. Isaiah 55:6 says, “Seek, inquire for, and require the Lord while He may be found [claiming Him by necessity and by right]; call upon Him while He is near. 7Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have love, pity, and mercy for him, and to our God, for He will multiply to Him His abundant pardon.”

How do we come to the Lord? We pray, and it doesn’t have to be a long prayer.

PRAYER: Father, today we are heart – sick of crooked leaders, of money managers who only steal, of perversion and evil. You have promised that if we come to you in prayer, you will hear us and will answer. Lord, hear our prayer! Listen to our cry! Clean our hearts and our minds and fill us with your love, your peace, your joy, and your righteousness. In the matchless Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5:5 “Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually prosperous – with life – joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the meek (the mild, patient, long – suffering) for they shall inherit the earth.” (NKJV, Amplified) Psalm 37:11 states, “But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.”

If you weren’t sure there was anything such as good grief, then this beatitude is likely to really confuse you! When the word “meekness” is mentioned, most of us get an immediate mental picture of some weak, spineless person who is afraid to say anything or to confront anybody, someone easily imposed upon. But that definition is totally wrong!  Wayne Jackson on the Christian Courier site writes, “In the Greek New Testament, “meek” is from the Greek term praus. It does not suggest weakness; rather, it denotes strength brought under control. The ancient Greeks employed the term to describe a wild horse tamed to the bridle. In the biblical sense, therefore, being meek describes one who has channeled his strengths into the service of God. Numbers 12:3 describes Moses as the meekest man on earth — certainly no weakling.  Zephaniah 2:3 declares that the meek of the earth are those who have kept Jehovah’s ordinances. The meek person submits to God! “Jesus gave us the perfect example of meekness as strength under control. Despite the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, He submitted Himself to a shameful death on a cross for the sins of mankind. Jesus had plenty of power to deliver Himself, but He submitted Himself to God.

What does it mean that the meek will “inherit the earth”?

As to the expression “inherit the earth,” the following facts should be noted:

1. God is the owner of this earth (Psalm 24:1).

2. Those who obey Christ become children of God (Galatians 3:27; Hebrews 5:9), and “joint-heirs” with the Lord

(Romans 8:17).

3. The Father supplies all our needs (Philippians 4:19), we therefore enjoy this earth and its blessings more than all others.

4. Mainly, however, our inheritance is spiritual (Acts 20:32); we are heirs in the kingdom of Christ (Ephesians 5:5), and

citizenship in that kingdom is available now on this earth (cf. John 3:3-5; Colossians 1:13).

5. Finally, we also look for an inheritance that is reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4), because we are aware that the

earth will be destroyed when Christ returns (2 Peter 3:10).

[Jackson, Wayne. “Matthew 5:5 — Meek Inherit the Earth.” ChristianCourier.com. Access date: January 21, 2020.

Meekness is having the strength and ability to be forceful, but refusing to misuse that strength. Abuses of power only generate more abuses. But when we control our strength, we open ourselves up to happiness, joy, spiritual prosperity, life- joy, and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of our outward conditions. Nehemiah 8:10 says, “the joy of the Lord is your strength and stronghold.” And we can delight ourselves in the abundance of peace, God’s peace, the peace that passes understanding.

Are you tired of struggling? Tired of forcing? Tired of trying to impose your will on others? Ask God what He wants you to do with your strength of character. Allow God to teach you what true meekness means: strength brought under Gods control.

PRAYER: Father, today we are tired! We are tired of trying to force things and people and circumstances. Lord, please show us where we have gotten off track and where we are now actually fighting You rather than submitting to You. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.  

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed and enviably happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!”

If the first Beatitude was a puzzler, the second one seems worse! Who among us has not stood by the bedside of a dying loved one? Who among us has not agonized as we listened over the phone, realizing that we were hearing our beloved father, mother, sister, brother, or close friend speak for what could well be the last time? And which of us has not accompanied a body to a graveyard?

There are also other forms of grief just as profound. One friend went to work one morning, confident that he had a few more years before retirement from his secure position, only to find that his company was moving his particular division 700 miles away. Our friend was given a choice: take an early buy – out and cease the work he loved passionately, or tear up all roots and move to a location far from family, church, and friends. Our friend chose the buy – out and went home jobless. His grief was just as deep as that of someone losing a beloved relative. Think of families of veterans who have returned struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The wounds are all internal ones, but the loss of a “normal” life leads to prolonged grieving. There are all kinds of grieving and mourning. But in the midst of grief comes Jesus’ statement that those who mourn will be blessed. So, where is the blessing in these losses?  

The Amplified Version of New King James states that those who mourn may receive” a happiness produced by the experience of God’s favorand especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace.“ When Jesus preached in a synagogue, He quoted Isaiah 61:2 which says, “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor], the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Luke 4:18 NKJV Amplified states ..He has sent me…to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity]”

Now there’s a thought! All of us can relate to being downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity! But why would God favor those who mourn? “Favor” is defined as “an attitude of approval or liking.” God is a loving Father who likes His children. These days, many people are growing up without fathers at all, so fatherhood is a difficult concept to understand. But a true father cares for his children. When a father sees his children suffering, his heart breaks with longing to fix the problem, to make things right, and to comfort his child. The idea of fatherhood began with God, so it makes sense that as the ultimate Father, God would feel our grief as much or more than we do.

In the midst of our grief, God comes with “revelations of His matchless grace.” When do we need grace and comfort? Only in times of grief are many of us open to receive the grace of God. When things are going well, we don’t feel a need for comfort. God wants to become our Comforter in times of grief if we will allow Him. But there is more. God wants to “send us forth as delivered.” God is not merely Comforter but also Deliverer. When Peter was walking on the water toward Jesus and his faith failed, Peter prayed a very simple prayer, “Lord, save me!”

Today you may be caught in terrible problems. You feel that you are drowning in oceans of grief. Or you are in the middle of a terrible situation and see no way out. Do not be afraid! Your Comforter and Deliverer is near and ready to save and deliver. Only turn to Him.

PRAYER: Father, today many of your children are grieving. Sorrow threatens to overwhelm them. Many are caught in situations from which they see no escape. Lord, save us! Lord, deliver us! Lord, comfort us! In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 5: 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The crowds were following Jesus, and so he went up on top of a high hill overlooking the sea of Galilee, where the valley was shaped like a natural amphitheater. And then Jesus began his teachings in a perplexing manner by giving a long list of those who would be blessed in the Kingdom of God. A good teacher introduces his subject, giving the goals of the teaching. Only after setting forth the goals will the teacher proceed to explain how he wishes his students to achieve those goals. But this was such a strange list! This list had nothing in common with the writings on blessings appearing today.

For years, I had problems with this list because much of it failed to make sense. It wasn’t until I began reading the Amplified version of the Bible that I started understanding. In the Amplified version this verse reads “Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous – with life- joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Today there are all kinds of teachings about how to become prosperous, spiritually or otherwise. And for every book about becoming prosperous, there are equal numbers of books advising on how to promote yourself. But very few of these formulas involve being humble or rating oneself as insignificant. So, what was Jesus aiming at with this statement?  The first thing to examine is the definition of what it means to be blessed. Here the term “blessed” means to be “happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous – with life – joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward condition.” So many times, we equate being blessed with getting things – a new vehicle, a house, a great job, new clothes, fancy electronic equipment. And that kind of thinking was around in Jesus’ day as well. The crowd that followed Jesus was a mixed one, and there were probably at least a few rich people standing off at the side and feeling superior.  But Jesus didn’t mention “stuff” or social position at all! In fact, Jesus seemed to be saying that all the things that were so important in society counted for nothing in the kingdom of God.

What does it mean to be “spiritually prosperous?” The Apostle John in 3 John1:2 states, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and may keep well, even as your soul keeps well and prospers.” (For an expanded explanation, see https://abideinchrist.com/messages/mat5v3a.html) But briefly, spiritual prosperity is demonstrated by having the fruits of the Holy Spirit operating in your life. Those fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self – control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Spiritual blessings also bring “life- joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions.” Here it is obvious that blessings have nothing to do with any outward condition, but with one’s relationship with God and acceptance of His salvation. It would seem that rating oneself as significant or important removes one from the category of being poor in spirit. But why?

When we concentrate on our own significance, we lose sight of the greatness of God. We are in danger of worshiping ourselves rather than our Creator. We are insignificant in that the creation can function quite well without any particular one of us. We are significant because Jesus cared enough about each one of us to die on the cross for us. An old country Gospel song says, “When He was on the cross, I was on His mind.”

So today, rejoice! Rejoice that you are not carrying the burdens of the universe! Those burdens are God’s burdens. If you are attempting to carry burdens you shouldn’t, lay those burdens down. But also rejoice that in your insignificance, you can be blessed beyond measure and spiritually prosperous.

PRAYER: Father, thank you that You bless us far abundantly above all that we can ask or think! Thank you that you love each one of us individually. But thank you also that we don’t have to promote ourselves to become spiritually prosperous; we only have to love you and serve you. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.

Matthew 4: 23 “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering acute pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed—and He healed them. 25The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.”

In the beginning, Jesus’ ministry was highly successful. Crowds were following him, watching for miracles and hearing teaching and preaching in the process. At this point, the only disciples who are mentioned by name are the four fishermen, Andrew, Peter, James, and John. But others are beginning to follow Jesus as well. Opposition has yet to appear, and Jesus’ messages are being repeated across a wide area. Great things are happening, and the disciples are probably very excited about their new Teacher.

Sometimes, things do go well for us. Everything seems to fall into place; opportunities arise just when we need them, and the future seems bright. But we must remember that such days are not necessarily the norm. Most of the time, life is much more an up and down, back and forth proposition.

Many of us hope that our lives will run smoothly and that we will not face persecution. But we must realize that things may change quickly; therefore, we should be grateful for days of quietness and peace. We should thank God for these periods of respite because tomorrow our worlds may be turned upside down. But two things will never change: the love of God and the Word of God. Hebrews 13:5 says “5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you,

never will I forsake you.” 6So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.

What can man do to me?” And we must hold on to our vision of Jesus.

PRAYER: Father God, we thank you for days of quietness when things move well. We also thank you that no matter what happens, your promises are sure and that you will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you that we do not have to worry about men’s plans or schemes because you are always with us. In the mighty Name of Jesus. Amen.