Unfolding Words

God does keep His promises, even when we fail to recognize it. He said, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 7:14; 9:6). Jesus fulfilled these precious promises from God. In Him, God has proven His faithfulness to Israel and to all the world.

This season we celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah as well as the miracle of Christ’s birth. Because God keeps His promises, He will save and keep all those who call upon His name through faith in Immanuel, our Messiah Jesus. 

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Consider the fact that Noah preached for more than 100 years while building the ark, but no one besides his family was converted. What does this say about what we often view as successful ministry versus faithfulness to God? 

So Noah built this ark and looks like his act of faith didn’t draw crowds. But we can’t determine Noah’s success based on our culture’s definition of success. Humans are poor judges of success and failure because  use the wrong measuring sticks. For us success equals the rich, the powerful, the influential, and the attractive. But these successes don’t hold the same weight in God’s kingdom. On the other hand, we often determine on failure to equal—the poor, the broken, and the unimportant people. These are often the ones God calls blessed.

According to Jesus, it is possible to gain the whole world—to reach success according to the world’s standard—and still fail at life because you lose your soul in the process. At the same time, Jesus declares that it is possible to lose all your possessions, relationships, and status, and yet succeed in what really matters—in your relationship with God.

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Have you ever faced a predicament and wondered how God was going to resolve it? Or even if He was going to resolve it? It can be so easy to want to know what God is up to when we can’t trace His hand.

In 2 Kings 6:24–7:20, the city of Samaria, Israel’s political capital, is under siege, and food supplies have run so short that things that are unthinkable to us were sold as food at a premium price. Things became so bad that the people inside the city even began to eat their own children.  

Elisha announced that the Lord would deliver them overnight and that by the next day, they would find themselves with an abundance of food. However, even with this good news, the king’s officer doubted that such a thing could happen. He was a skeptic and scoffer, and could not wrap his mind around the possibility that God was able to something so big in such a short span of time. 

God is about to open up the windows of heaven and pour out His blessings on them and He is going to do it in a very unusual way through very surprising people.

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Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and attend to your own business and work with your hands, just as we commanded you, so that you will behave properly toward outsiders and not be in any need. (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12)

In our social media driven world, it’s hard to imagine how this verse fits into our culture today…and why anyone would even want to live a quiet life. The Bible has a lot to say about quiet living. But many people are attracted to flashier subjects like: how to get more followers, how to get your message heard, how to stand out or how God will make your wildest dreams come true.

In that phrase "make it your ambition to lead a quiet life", Paul used the two verb forms in almost a contradictory manner. Make it your ambition (from philotimeomai) means to be zealous and strive eagerly, even to consider it an honor, whereas lead a quiet life (from hesuchazo) means to be silent, not speaking out inappropriately, remaining at rest and tranquil. As Christians, a hallmark of our lives should be that we lead peaceful lives, don’t stir up conflict and hostility toward others, which all points to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

Our culture runs counter to Paul’s command to live a quiet life. Worldly ambition excludes quietness and prompts to constant quests for greatness. The apostle's admonition really means, "be ambitious not to be ambitious."

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What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?" Luke 10:26

It’s the same question Jesus is asking you today. How are you to interpret the Bible, and to do so correctly? It isn't as complex  as some think. In fact, much of it boils down to common sense and a basic understanding that the Bible is a written document whose forms of expression is similar to other works of literature. When you’re in a predicament, or when you have to draw a line in the sand, instead of asking, “What would Jesus do?” and taking your best guess, ask instead, “What do the Scriptures say?” The same question posed by Jesus. After all, that is what Jesus would say if you asked Him what He would do.

Scripture is our sole authority today. It is referred to as the living Word of God and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 tells us “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

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And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

Jesus likely asked this question in Mark 8:17 out of frustration. In verse 12, the Pharisees argued with him asking for a sign. They were arguing WITH the sign. And He sighed deeply in His spirit. This is a glimpse into Jesus' heart. He came for them to understand. But they didn't. Instead, they seek for a sign when they had such abundant evidence already.

No matter what they saw Him do, His disciples still didn’t get it. Jesus had just fed four thousand people with seven loaves of bread and a few fish. And Prior to that, he had fed another 5,000 with just five loaves of bread and two fish, healed a deaf and mute man, cast a demon out of a young girl just by saying the words, and walked on water in front of them while they watched from a storm-tossed boat. What more did they need to see to understand that He was the Son of God?

The disciples took things at face value, missing Jesus' meaning. Today, you and I need to take the time to listen deeply.

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In Matthew 8:26, Jesus asked His followers why they were so afraid their boat would overturn on account of some wind and waves, especially since He was right there in the boat with them. Certainly, if the Son of God was in their midst, they would safely get to the other side of the lake.

If they had really understood who He was, they would have understood that no boat that carried Him would be allowed to sink. He was safe in His Father’s hands. By extension, they should have understood they were safe with Him, for they were His chosen followers. This would later give them assurance in the future that they were in God’s hands.

Then having initially rebuked the disciples, He rebuked the winds and the sea. By the power of His word the storm was stilled. And immediately there was a great calm, indeed such a sudden calm after a storm that it was beyond the experience of even these hardened fishermen. In that moment they knew that they had seen the Master of wind and wave at work. And they were filled with awe.

Just like the disciples, you and I have Jesus with us in every circumstance we encounter. And, He has promised to never leave us or desert us. So, what are we so afraid of? 

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Do you want to be healed?

The verse in John highlights your need to know yourself. When it comes to your illnesses (sickness, mental, spiritual, relational), do you honestly want to be healed? Or have you become so comfortable in what affliction you are facing that it’s become tied to your identity. This is prime time for you to believe God can do the impossible. Maybe it’s time we not only ask Him, but we ask Him to change our hearts to desire the healing. Whatever that healing may look like.

Maybe you’ve never considered that you’ve become comfortable in our afflictions (whatever form they take in our life). How many “illnesses” have you accepted as the norm because that’s just he way it’s been. Have you accepted the sickness of unforgiveness because you were wronged? Then you need to pick up your mat. Have you accepted the illnesses of slave to your temptations? Maybe you need to pick up your mat.

There are many healings you may need, but first you need to look at your heart and see if the desire is there first? And if it’s not, that’s where you start. Ask Jesus to change your heart to desire the healing you need most. Then pick up your mat and walk it out.

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I'm starting a series on the questions of Jesus. The first one we will be looking at is from Matthew 9:28: "When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 

Jesus was asking more than whether they believed in the power He had just shown in other people’s situations, or even that whether they believed in theory that he was the Messiah.  He was asking whether they believed that He had power to do this…right now…for them.

Sometimes it can be easy to believe the theory of who Jesus is, but it can often be harder to believe that He wants to work in your life and in your situation.

This is the kind of faith Jesus is looking for though, and it is the kind of faith the blind men display. It is one thing to believe in theory abut another to walk this belief out practically—yet this is exactly what Jesus is seeking.
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Although our worship of God is no longer limited to the Temple Mount, we still can fall prey to the temptation to climb the high places—to follow the true God by climbing the wrong hill.

There are “high places” in our personal lives that must come down if we are to please God. We must continually be transforming ungodly beliefs and behaviors that contradict God’s Word. We must determine to climb up to the high places and destroy them. And whatever is lifted up against the knowledge of the true God we must identify and replace, no matter how comfortable we are with it or how long it has been around.

Questions to ask to determine where your high places exist:

1. Do I aim to become like Jesus Christ or like my Christian culture?

2. Do I give God my all or do I just give what’s necessary to keep up appearances?

3. Do my Bible reading, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines serve to draw me to Him—or are they convince me (and others) that I’m spiritual?

Show notes: http://www.unfoldingwords.com/blog/episode67

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Harvest of Kindness: A Study of Ruth 

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