The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 250


The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 250

Christ’s Example to Be Followed

1 Peter 5:1-4 – Shepherding the Children of God

The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.


Jesus, the Christ, God’s Messiah

Hebrews 1:1-4 – God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

As the time approaches the soon return of the LORD Jesus! He, who is the Christ/Messiah of God the Father, does not change. The writer of Hebrews brings this to the forefront in his closing of this epistle in Hebrews 13. He reminds his readers that time has CHANGED NOTHING. Hebrews 13:7-17 reminds both the flock of God and the shepherds of God that Messiah is the Chief Shepherd.

Looking at Christendom today, we should be sensitive to what is going on, we ought to be saddened, like Nehemiah when he heard from Hanani that Jerusalem was destroyed, that the walls were broken and the gates burned. Also, the people who survived were starving and many were homeless (Nehemiah 1). Spiritually speaking, the church of Jesus Christ is in such shambles. Religions, isms and cultish practices of celebrating within the churches today are making a mockery of God today. How do we come to grips with such a wide range of beliefs that permeate the church?

I spoke with a man last evening who was in tears regarding a message he heard from his church in Cranston, RI. This man heard a message that today in the United States of America that most churches do not present a clear gospel message. I believe this is true! Yes, we talk about Jesus, we sing about Jesus and we work to please Jesus, but why is it then that Jesus remains outside the door of most every church in the nation. “Behold (LOOK!) I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears MY VOICE and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him and he with Me.” How do we overcome the shambled mess that the overseers (shepherds) of churches today have made of feeding the flock of God?

In Revelation 3:20 Jesus is speaking to any person in the church of Laodica who will hear Him. Our personal relationship with Jesus is through personal conviction to be ‘born again’ (1 Peter 1:3). As sinners we need to be SAVED, we do not need to abide in a church that refuses to let the gospel reign in the souls of those who attend.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 203

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 203 Luke 21:7   –   So they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?” Matthew 24:3 – Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Mark 13:4 – “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?” Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah Yesterday we looked briefly at the First coming of the LORD Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, suffered and crucified, killed by the power of sin of which we all had and have a part in. He rose from this death; He is alive again . The apostle Paul writes, “For I deliver to you first of all that which I also received that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose
Read more

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 169

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 169 Luke 14:7-14 - So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; “and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. “But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. “But when you give a fea
Read more

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 161.1

The Devotional – Search the Scriptures – 161.1 SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:   Luke 12:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. “Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Jesus, the Christ of God/Messiah An excerpt from yesterday’s devotional: In our passage, the point of the LORD is not that of being a newscaster but placing the death of these people beyond human judgment, in fact; Jesus does not look at the death of human beings as we do. All humans, past present and future will die a ph
Read more