In the story where Jesus heals the man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-14, Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11)
The Pharisees who saw themselves as strict observers of the law, asked Jesus “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” Jesus, always tried to teach and enlighten the minds, He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”
Notice the Pharisees, who are so rigid in keeping the law, not only for themselves but for everyone else. They will quickly point out other people's missteps, let's keep the plank out of our own eyes (Matthew 7). Also notice that at the end of the story, they were plotting how they might kill Jesus, which would be breaking the law. Rather hypocritical, don't you think? One more thing concerning these Pharisees, they seem to be in many of these stories that are recorded in the Bible, you would think that being around Jesus so much that many of them would have become followers after seeing the many miraculous things that Jesus did. Are we doing the same thing, seeing but not seeing what God has done for us?

What was it about Jesus’s voice or words, "Follow me”, that caused people to drop what they were doing and follow him. Peter and Andrew were casting a net into the lake; they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19) Matthew was sitting at the tax collector's booth and he got up and followed him. (Matthew 9.9). There are several examples of those who did follow, some didn't. There is a cost of surrender, self-denial, your cross. Is Jesus saying those words, “Follow me", today? Look closely at those words, "Follow me". He is not saying take the lead but follow. He doesn't start leading then hand you the reigns and say take over. If God is your co-pilot, you should trade seats. How do you become a good follower? 1 Thessalonians 5:23, tells us that we are made up of spirit, soul and body and in John 4:24, God is spirit. So, we must connect with God spiritually. You must improve your spiritual awareness to be led by the Spirit. As a kid, you might have went outside in the snow and followed your dad, you can't match him stride for stride, your legs are not as long, so you do the best you can. As you grow, someday, you will step in his steps in the snow. In the same way, you follow Jesus, do what you see that He did, do the best you can but don't quit. So, is Jesus still saying "Follow me"? Absolutely, 1 Timothy 2:1-4 tells us how to live, what pleases God and that it is God's will that all people are to be saved. So, keep studying the word, keep praying the word, keep sharing the Good News and keep believing to have ears to hear to understand and eyes to see to perceive all that the Father has for you.

The Holy Spirit recently corrected me pertaining to an incident that occurred while driving. I was sitting at a stop light behind a couple of cars on a three-lane road. When the light changed, we started moving, then all of a sudden, a car in the right lane gunned his car and cut in front of me. I had to hit my brakes, I threw up my hands in disgust, but didn't say a word. He opened his window and gave me the one finger salute. I just shook my head but continued to think about it. This guy was made in the image of God but acted like a child of the devil in his recklessness. That night, in the wee hours of the morning, the Holy Spirit stirred me and said your actions (of throwing up my hands) lead him to put his finger out the window. If you would have immediately forgiven his recklessness, it wouldn't have happened. There is not much you can say when the Holy Spirit corrects you, except you are right. I allowed myself to step out of the kingdom of light and into the kingdom of darkness. Forgive me Father, I don't want to dip my big toe into the kingdom of darkness not even if it was for a split second.
I just want to live above what normal humans live, a little closer to God's and not to make situations worse. Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Help me Lord Jesus

Have you ever had someone do you wrong and told you "I'm sorry" then turned around and did you wrong again, maybe over and over again. This person never repented for doing you wrong, they were sorry in the moment with no repentance. In Matthew 3, John the Baptist saw some religious leaders coming to where he was baptizing. He said "Who warned you from the coming wrath?" Yes, that's coming but John then shows us where Missouri got its nickname the "Show Me State" by telling them to "Produce fruit in keeping with repentance" (Mathew 3:8) This means if you are truly 'sorry' then you have made a conscious decision to turn away from sin and it will be demonstrated by a new behavior in your life which will prove a change of heart. If your truly sorry, show me! In Luke 3:11-14, John gives some examples: “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." To the tax collectors, “Don’t collect any more than you are required to” To soldiers, he said, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” Notice these examples are not towards God but towards our fellow human beings. I've thought of a few places these few examples might apply to us today, I'm sure you can too.

When someone sends you a letter, an email or a text, the very first thing you do is check to see who sent it. As you read the message, you read it as that person is speaking it to you in their voice. You think of a response and may even verbalize your response before you type or write anything. We should handle the Word of God, the Bible, the same way. As we read a passage, we should hear the voice of God speaking to us, then make it a part of your life. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Every church goer wants strong faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Don’t weaken your faith by watching your symptoms or worrying about your problems.Instead, you should become strong in faith, like Abraham, look unto the promises of God. Your basis for faith must be God’s Word, not your feelings. Find the scripture that pertains to your situation, confess it, believe it and having done all, stand then watch God.

Luke 1:5-25 tells about the birth of John the Baptist being foretold. John's father was Zechariah, a priest. His mother was Elizabeth and both were well advanced in years with no children. Zechariah was chosen to perform the burning of incense in the temple. During the event, an angel appeared to Zechariah and tells him that your prayer has been heard and Elizabeth was going to bear him a son and you are to call him John. The angel tells him other important information. Then Zechariah opens his mouth and out comes, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Thoughts:
• I know it was a cultural disgrace for being barren, but Zechariah praying for a child at their old age, more power to them.
• Zechariah is in the GOD business, being a priest, yet he basically says to the angel, "How can I be sure that you're not lying?" Gabriel reveals his name and tells him "I stand in the presence of God". I perceive this being very strong words of the impossibility to even insinuate the possibility of a lie would come from God Almighty as God cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:18)
• Notice also that Gabriel had the authority to deal with Zechariah's unbelief himself. He didn't have to zoom back to heaven and consult with the Father.
• Like Zechariah, we have heard good news, the gospel, the promises from God's Word, but are we letting our unbelief keep us from acquiring? If we were struck with silence for a season due to our unbelief, sign language would be our common form of communication. Our church services would be rather quiet.
Jesus said "Everything is possible for one who believes.” Declare: “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24).

I remember when I used to go home to my parent's house, since being in the country, the doors weren't locked, so I would just walk in. I didn't ring a door bell nor knock on the door. This was where I grew up, I was home. I'd sit down and shared with Mom and Dad what was going on since the last time we saw each other. This made me think of how I approach and communicate with God the Father. We are to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence (Hebrews 4:16) just like I'd walk in at my parent's home. Remember this world is not my home, I'm just passing through. So when I come to the Father, I'm home. I know that God knows all but it makes me think, do I hold back talking to God because I know he already knows? Maybe my communication with the Father would improve if I communicated like I was talking to my parents as if He didn't already know, but sharing everything since I last talked with Him. Isn't that what a relationship is about?

Thinking about a Christmas gift
A gift started with someone having an idea, this equals God’s plan of redemption for mankind.
The process of making the gift is equivalent to Jesus (God) taking on flesh in being formed in the womb of Mary.
Shopping and choosing the gift would be like choosing Jesus, accepting Him as your Lord and Savior.
Wrapping the gift to give an element of surprise would be like when your eyes are opened to all the benefits of knowing Jesus.
The giving is because of love just as God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son (john 3:16a)
The receiver accepts the gift as one who decides to believe in Jesus (John 3:16b)
The purpose is your desire to bless someone just like God's desire that you should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16c)
Merry Christmas to all.

I have heard people say over the years, "I'm just an old sinner saved by grace". I've always wondered if this is just an excuse to continue sinning. Using those words seems to be identifying as a sinner rather than the redeemed. It is true that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In John 8, the adulterous woman (In Leviticus 20:10, it says both shall be put to death, where was the man?) was brought to Jesus for her encounter with Him. In the end, Jesus showed why he came. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (John 3:17) He didn't condemn the woman, but did tell her to go and from now on sin no more. In John 5, a man who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years encountered Jesus. Once healed, Jesus also tells him to sin no more. It would be unjust of Jesus to say "sin no more" if it were not possible. Once you, in your sinful nature, decide to accept Jesus as your savior and Lord, putting your faith in Him and Him alone, you are born again and sealed with the Holy Spirit. You have been cleansed of your sins and you now have a new nature and you are to walk in the newness of life. Understand that we all have two things that we have fighting against us. Our own flesh and Satan (because he hates God). James 1:14-15 "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death." (Abort the desire) 1 Peter 2:11 "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles (means this is not your home, heaven is) to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul." The word “soul” is the Greek word psyche, which describes a person’s mind, will, and emotions. This is the area where Satan wages his greatest warfare against an individual. We look to the scriptures for the answer. 2 Corinthians 10:5 "We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ," James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." So when a thought pops in your mind, judge it based on the Word of God. Basically if it's a bad thought, take authority over it and reject it (This is one way you resist the devil). This is part of the process of renewing your mind which will require you to study the Bible, the Word of God. Also remember you have the Holy Spirit, your helper, learn to listen and obey his guidance. And if you mess up and sin, don't hide from God like Adam did, go to God, confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9). So identify yourself as in Christ, you are a child of God, a new creation, loved, forgiven, redeemed, strong, protected, complete, chosen, never alone, accepted, His masterpiece, a temple of the Holy Spirit, a light in the world, a citizen of heaven, an heir with Christ, filled with His Spirit and empowered for His purposes.

Matthew 4:1-4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Notice Satan first tried to get Jesus to question who He was, "If you are the Son of God". Since we are not unaware of his (Satan's) schemes, he will try to get you to question who you are. Expect: If you are a child of God, … Don't fall for it. There is no 'IF', once you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Then he wanted Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Yes, Jesus was hungry, but notice what Jesus said. The first part: 'Man shall not live on bread alone', Jesus is not saying we don't need bread (food) to live, we do, but not just food. We are only partially living (real, true, God-kind of life) if we only eat food. The last part of what Jesus said informs us of what we need to fulfill our living needs and that is we live 'on every word that comes from the mouth of God.', this is primarily the Word of God. Are you lacking that which is needed to 'live'? I pray that you get enough daily nutritional meals plus that you take enough time in the Word (Bible) to hear what Father God is speaking to you so that you can truly live.

Luke 24:45 Father, open my mind to understand the Scriptures.

Obedience to God results in blessings from God.

James 4:8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
The words 'draw near' means to come near or approach. The subject to this statement is 'you'. You draw near to God, you make the first step or action to draw near to God. How does one draw near to God? I would say the most obvious would be to go to church and read the Bible. These activities would definitely be an effort to get closer to God, but what else? Acts 10:38 tells us that Jesus went about doing good. We know Jesus pleased God and since he is our example what can I do to do good? Matthew 7:16-17 gives us some insight that we are recognized (identified) by our fruits (words and actions). Let's look at some good fruit; Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. So if any of the good fruit is coming out of you, you are drawing near to God. Taking Bible reading to a deeper level, would be to meditate on the scriptures day and night (Psalm 1:2). You might think of other ways but why do this? One reason is that God is light (1 John 1:5), when you draw near to God and he draws near to you, you start seeing things in a different light, things become clearer, solutions to your problems may be revealed and solved, etc. One obedient step may change your life forever.

God made a promise "I will never leave you nor forsake you" found in Hebrews 13:5, Deuteronomy 31:6 and Joshua 1:5. It signifies God's unwavering faithfulness and presence with his followers. I wonder what it would be like if God's followers would make the same promise to HIM.

You know the feeling you have at family get-togethers, everyone is having fun, the joy and laughter, almost hate to see it end. I believe Father God has similar feelings when His family come together for church.

Picture your life as a bowling ball rolling along down the alley of life hoping to hit the target. Sin means to miss the mark or target, while many miss the mark and end up in the gutter, you don't have to. If you are a Christian and if you study your Bible allowing the word to get in you, in your heart, in your thinking, it would be like you have bumper pads in the gutters. If you get close to the edge (start missing the mark) and if you listen to that inner voice (the Holy Spirit reminding you of the implanted word), it will gently guide you along the way and get you back on track. If you miss the mark, You simply confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) If you're not a Christian, which means you are dead to God, you have no Godly spiritual guidance. You can expect to end up in the gutter and miss the mark. God does not want that. (John 3:16) There is only one way to get out of the gutter and that is through Jesus Christ (John 14:6). He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20), open the door of your heart and let Him in. He is waiting on you to help you out of the gutter. You have not cause you ask not (James 4:2). So ask today.

Lets talk about faith. Faith is not the type of church you go to. If you and I are standing on a sidewalk and I say we are going to walk to the next street but I’m going to put a blindfold on you. If you trust me as I lead you and you can see (in your mind’s eye) the sidewalk as you take each step, you are walking in faith. But if you only ‘see’ that you are walking in space or ‘thin air’, you are not in faith. Trust God, He is more sure than the sidewalks in your life. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6

Thinking of Jesus's final time in the Garden of Gethsemane, by the way Gethsemane means "oil press or olive press". I used to wonder: How long I'd live and whether or not I'd want to know the day I'd die. Many grocery items have an expiration date, some around the neck or top or bottom of the product. What if God put our expiration date on our necks. Imagine looking at it in the mirror, every day. Hmm is that a 2 or a 5, a 0 or 8. If you have a cantankerous co-worker, who is always a thorn in your side, would you try to get a glimpse of their expiration date? (Just kidding). And when it got close to your expiration date, would you run up your credit card bill, thinking you were putting something over on the credit card company, but really leaving your debt for a family member to clean up. I would imagine, some of the unsaved folks might be knocking on some church doors only to find they are closed or locked. Then maybe frantically searching for a Christian who could show them how to secure their salvation. Now that would be fear, afraid of their final destination. Fear could also grip those who have only played with Jesus, now they are unsure. But if you are a true believer, you know where you are going. Why not be like the ancients, who called their family together and blessed them, then went home. I would expect knowing when you were going to die, would create some anxious moments. Jesus knew the day and time. Many times Jesus would say, it is not my time or not my hour. But in John 12:23-24 He says: “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.” Jesus not only knew the day and time, but He knew how. He knew what He had to face, the betrayal, the denial, the abandonment, the beatings, the crucifixion and the cross. No wonder he was troubled (deeply distressed), because of this tremendous pressure (remember Gethsemane meaning). Some martyrs were defiant when they were put to death, but Jesus wasn't. Matthew 12:34b tells us "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". So what was in abundance in Jesus's heart? (Luke 23:34) And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Jesus didn't want what they were doing to Him to be held against them at judgement time, so He asked the Father to forgive them. Can you grasp the love of Jesus and the Father? Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Real power is in he who resists evil when tempted.

Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But where does mankind get faith? It says in Romans 12:3, that God dealt to every man (individual) the measure (portion) of faith. Can faith be increased? Jesus said the centurion had great faith (Matthew 8:5-13) Peter started strong when he got out of the boat but when he became afraid and doubted, he started to sink, Jesus said "you of little faith, why did you doubt"? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17). It is our responsibility to increase our faith by hearing, believing and acting on the Word of God. For we live by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7) If you do nothing with your measure of faith, you are like the man who dug a hole and buried his talent (coin), which displeased his master. You should be like the other two who increased their talents (faith) which pleased their master. (Matthew 25:14-30) F. F. Bosworth said, “Most Christians feed their bodies three hot meals a day, their spirits one cold snack a week, and then wonder why they are so weak in faith.” You need to have strong faith in this messed up world.

Don't waste your time. Yes, we are to take time to pray about things. (Philippians 4:6 ESV "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". But if God has told us specifically what to do about something in His Word, why pray about that specific issue. Do you expect God to change His mind and tell you something different? (James 1.17b "…who does not change like shifting shadows.") For example: We just read, not to be anxious about anything, but what are you to do with that anxiety? 1 Peter 5:7 "casting all your anxieties on him (Jesus), because he cares for you." This means to give it to Jesus and don't take it back. If you are tempted (the devil is the tempter) to start to worry or to feel anxious again, say no I don't have it, Jesus has it. And then God's peace will rest on you. Philippians 4:7 "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I know I said don't waste your time, but if you don't know what God provides, get in your Bible and find out. Trust Him, the devil will lie to you (He is the father of lies), push through the doubts. Just ask God in, tell Him you need help. He is so close, on the other side of the door of your heart, just open it by asking Him in and enjoy the peace.

If you wake up at night, you realize how dark it is as you may head to the bathroom or kitchen to get a drink. With the help of nightlights or your familiarity of your house, you reach your destination and return to your bed. If you are in a hotel, that effort has become increasingly more challenging. Recently we was on a several day touring vacation, in a different hotel every night, so our challenge was to remember the room number, let alone the layout of the room. Can you imagine living in this state of darkness? Someone please turn some lights on. Spiritually speaking, there are many people who walk in this state of darkness all the time. Some look for answers in life but their minds are fogged by this darkness so they just try to 'feel' around bouncing off obstacles as they go along, beat up and bruised throughout life. It doesn't have to be this way, there is a kingdom of light and you are welcome to walk in. Imagine going through life with the lights on. The obstacles are still there, but you are now able to walk around them or able to go through them without them affecting you negatively. But this would require you to make a decision that may be unpopular. You may lose some friends and some may say things about you. But it is well worth it. The choice to live in the light, is to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Come live in the light now and for eternity.

In the parable of the sower, Luke 8, Jesus said the seed is the word of God. If you are a farmer or gardener, would you ever expect to get a harvest if you never planted the seed? Of course not. The harvest from God’s word is no different, spend time in the Bible, plant the seed and reap your harvest.

James 1:9 Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. What high position? The Amplified version tells us:
“Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his high position [as a born-again believer, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God];” ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭AMP‬‬
We “who are believers in Jesus Christ” should hold our heads up, no matter how much persecution comes our way from non-believers or religious people because we are born-again, called to the true riches and an heir of God. Hallelujah