David's Bible Blog

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Proverbs 13:10 (NIV)

Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.

It is part of all of us. Pride, it makes defensive and argumentative when others question and advise us on our ideas and actions. They may be wrong but they may be right, even if only partially. At the very least there is value in understanding the different perspective. The bible tells us to be wise, and take such advice as a time to learn something.

I need to heed this myself!

Luke 13:34 (NKJV)

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!

Here is Jesus praying and lamenting over the people of Jerusalem. He desired them to come to God as would be demonstrated by their acceptance of God's prophets. Sadly however, because of their freedom of will given by God, they rejected God and His prophets and Jesus too.

This is a mind boggling thought that the sovereign God would not achieve his desire but He has a higher, more important desire, and that is to allow man freedom to choose Him or not. The necessary consequence of this is the possibility of sin, wickedness, evil in the world. A coerced choice for God is no choice at all.

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)

... choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Psalm 78:72 (NIV)

And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

King David had a whole heart for God. Yes, he faltered and sinned terribly in the situation with Bathsheba. But he sincerely repented of that and received God's forgiveness. David was weak in the flesh as we all are. But when it came to his relationship with God, David was clearly devoted to and in love with his Lord. That is my heart's desire that I might be like David, having a heart completely dependent upon and devoted to God.

Luke 9:58,60,62 (NKJV)

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head."

Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God."

But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

I don't think Jesus is talking about salvation here but rather being called to full-time ministry for Christ. The first answer was to a person who had not received a call from Jesus to follow but was expressing a desire to do so. Jesus in essence discouraged him by telling him what the costs were. The second and third times, Jesus had given a clear call to follow but the person was half-hearted in his commitment. Jesus makes it clear; commitment to Him comes before any other desire.

Becoming a full-time minister for Christ will be miserable if you have not received the call from God to do so. To do so would be to attempt it with your own power dooming the mission to failure without God. It is also a miserable life for the one who has received a call but wavers in his commitment. Blessed is the one who receives a call from Jesus and follows Him with his whole heart.

Luke 9:23-24 (NKJV)

Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

What a paradoxical statement. Such a truth cannot be seen by a simple reading but only by a deeper understanding of what Jesus is saying.

If I put myself first, then the best I can have is whatever I can muster up for myself which is not a lot. After many attempts, I know by experience that my efforts don't amount to much. However if I put Jesus first then the best I can have is whatever He can provide which is anything and everything. My way leads to frustration and ultimate death. Jesus' way leads to fulfillment and the abundant life.

John 15:5 (NKJV)

I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

Luke 8:24-25 (NKJV)

And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!"

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. But He said to them, "Where is your faith?"

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, "Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!"

The disciples had an imperfect understanding of who Jesus was. The bible says they marveled. We should marvel too at such power but it should not surprise us that the one who spoke the worlds into existence should be able to calm the storm.

Speaking of calming the storm, Jesus can calm any storm, even the storms in our personal lives. By trusting him, we can know that our fate is in the hands of a loving and wonderful savior who has the power of creation and with whom all things are possible.

Colossians 1:16 (NKJV)

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.