The Wonderful Smell of Clean Laundry
Greetings in the Lord!
Today's word comes from Luke 20:1-8, and Luke 19:41-44~
"One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"
Jesus replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
41-44) "As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
~The Lord is telling us today that there are many who do not recognize His presence in their midst; many even resist His sweet words, starting from within the Church. How can it be that they don't see Him or that they refuse Him? Today's passages shows us how--just like the Jews who rejected the God-sent and annointed ministries of John the Baptist and Christ himself. They rejected and plotted against their ministries and divinely-inspired words because of jealousy, hardness of heart, and pride; all they saw and heard were two men standing in front of them saying things that made their hearts wild with anger and offense.
Similarly, we will see this season more annointed spokespersons of the Lord coming into our midst saying things--things inspired by the Holy Spirit--that will uncover true heart conditions and provoke a response from their listeners, listeners that they were sent to minister to. Here we must ask ourselves, "How well do we really accept words from an annointed person of the Lord when they say things we don't agree with, understand, challenge us, or reveal our true intentions or heart conditions?"
It's interesting also, to see how Jesus answered the chief priests' question with a question, forcing them to make a decision about what they believe and what their true intentions were. If we believed that "annointed" spokesperson was sent by the Lord, why do we doubt and refuse their words? Does that not say volumes about where we are at spiritually? It is wise to ask the Holy Spirit and allow the Lord to reveal to you what their words meant...maybe it's not so far from the truth afterall.
I believe this is the season where many will be given a "time out" from their usual religious routine--even from their positions of authority--as they receive a disciplinary rebuke from the Lord and have chance to re-evaluate things and get their heart right before the Lord. Make no mistake about it, Jesus wept at the prophetic knowledge he had about the fall of Jerusalem: ie, discipline saddens both the giver and receiver. But alas, the Lord loves us so very much and cannot bear to let us continue carrying the sinful baggage we've become accustomed to carrying. It is time to be laundered and come pure before the Father.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
Today's word comes from Luke 20:1-8, and Luke 19:41-44~
"One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. "Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"
Jesus replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, John's baptism--was it from heaven, or from men?" They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they answered, "We don't know where it was from." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
41-44) "As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, "If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace--but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God's coming to you."
~The Lord is telling us today that there are many who do not recognize His presence in their midst; many even resist His sweet words, starting from within the Church. How can it be that they don't see Him or that they refuse Him? Today's passages shows us how--just like the Jews who rejected the God-sent and annointed ministries of John the Baptist and Christ himself. They rejected and plotted against their ministries and divinely-inspired words because of jealousy, hardness of heart, and pride; all they saw and heard were two men standing in front of them saying things that made their hearts wild with anger and offense.
Similarly, we will see this season more annointed spokespersons of the Lord coming into our midst saying things--things inspired by the Holy Spirit--that will uncover true heart conditions and provoke a response from their listeners, listeners that they were sent to minister to. Here we must ask ourselves, "How well do we really accept words from an annointed person of the Lord when they say things we don't agree with, understand, challenge us, or reveal our true intentions or heart conditions?"
It's interesting also, to see how Jesus answered the chief priests' question with a question, forcing them to make a decision about what they believe and what their true intentions were. If we believed that "annointed" spokesperson was sent by the Lord, why do we doubt and refuse their words? Does that not say volumes about where we are at spiritually? It is wise to ask the Holy Spirit and allow the Lord to reveal to you what their words meant...maybe it's not so far from the truth afterall.
I believe this is the season where many will be given a "time out" from their usual religious routine--even from their positions of authority--as they receive a disciplinary rebuke from the Lord and have chance to re-evaluate things and get their heart right before the Lord. Make no mistake about it, Jesus wept at the prophetic knowledge he had about the fall of Jerusalem: ie, discipline saddens both the giver and receiver. But alas, the Lord loves us so very much and cannot bear to let us continue carrying the sinful baggage we've become accustomed to carrying. It is time to be laundered and come pure before the Father.
~Be blessed and be a blessing.
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