Every Day with Jesus (13 page)

April 30: Godly Sorrow Leads to Repentance

Mark 6:7-12

And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Mark 6:12

Repent comes from the Greek word metanoeo and literally means to have another mind. It is a necessary part of salvation. Repentance may include godly sorrow, but sorrow does not always include repentance because repentance is a change of mind accompanied by corresponding actions. If someone is truly repentant, you will see a godly difference in their attitude and actions.

There is a godly type of sorrow and an ungodly type of sorrow. Godly sorrow leads to a change of heart that will manifest in outward behavior. Ungodly sorrow, or the sorrow of this world, just destroys and kills. Some believe sorrow of any kind is a negative emotion, and in general our culture has rejected all negative emotions; but God gave us the capacity for them, and there is a proper use for them. Ecclesiastes 7:3 says, “Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

People should feel bad about sin! There should be sorrow over moral failures. However, this sorrow should lead to repentance toward God and anyone who has been harmed. Then, when forgiveness is received from God, the sorrow can be cast upon Him. (Isa. 53:4.)

On the other hand, the sorrow experienced by those who do not turn to God to repent and to be forgiven produces death. They grieve over their situations because they cannot cast their care on the Lord. Christians should only have sorrow until they repent. Once repentance has come, we need to appropriate the forgiveness and cleansing that are already ours through Christ. (1 John 1:9.)

Godly sorrow that produces repentance leaves you with no regrets because God’s love and forgiveness melt away all guilt and shame. Today, let the negatives in your life become positives through Jesus. If you have said or done something wrong, go immediately to Him, repent, and be cleansed.

May

May 1: About Persecution

Matthew 10:16-26

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

Matthew 10:23

Persecution is an inevitable part of the Christian life. It is from Satan and is designed to uproot God’s Word from our hearts by taking our eyes off Jesus. We should not think it is strange to be persecuted. “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12). We can actually rejoice because we are being persecuted for Jesus’ sake, knowing that He will be with us in the midst of it and there will be more than ample reward when we stand before Him. (Heb. 11:26.)

Persecution is an indication that the ones doing the persecuting are under conviction. They realize they are not living what our words or actions are advocating; therefore, in defense of self, they attack the ones whom they perceive to be the source of their conviction. If this is understood, it makes persecution much easier to take. They aren’t just mad at you; they are convicted. When the Gospel is presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, there will always be either a revival or a riot-never indifference.

There are many forms of persecution. Having your life threatened because of your faith in Jesus is one way you can be persecuted, but history shows that the church flourishes during these times. During intense, life-threatening persecution, believers come together in unity and return to their first love. (Rev. 2:4.)

You may not be suffering life-threatening persecution today, but make sure Jesus is your first love, and pray for your brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted, tortured, imprisoned, and sentenced to death because of their faith.

May 2: Degrees of Denial

Matthew 10:32-33

But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 10:33

This word deny can mean a variety of things from “to assert the contrary of” to “to disavow; disown.” For example, we can see that it must have been the lesser type of denial that was committed by Peter because God certainly forgave Peter’s sin and continued using him. In Hebrews 6:4-6, however, the Word states there is no repentance from total denial of the Lord. (Heb. 10:29.) Therefore, even though Peter denied (asserted he did not know) the Lord, he did not disown or disavow the Lord.

No believer desires to deny their Lord, but failing to pursue spiritual health is the first step in that direction. Remembering this will help motivate us to seek the Lord as we know we should. It takes more than desire; it takes effort. We have all been taught how to rely on ourselves, but we have to learn how to be strong in Him and in the power of His might. (Eph. 6:10.) To keep our physical bodies strong and healthy, we have to exercise them; in the same way, we have to exercise ourselves unto godliness. (1 Tim. 4:7.) Then we will be spiritually strong to stand for the Lord when the time comes.

Maybe you have been tormented by fear, thinking you have denied the Lord because of some type of sin in your life. Rest assured God knows your heart.
(1 Sam. 16:7.) Regardless of how offensive your actions or words might have been, if you still honor Him in your heart and are truly repentant, He will not deny you. (2 Tim. 2:12-13.) He will forgive you, cleanse you, and you can begin anew!

May 3: Opposition to the Gospel

Matthew 10:34-42

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Matthew 10:34

This statement seems to contradict the Old Testament prophecies like Isaiah 9:6, which said Jesus would be the Prince of Peace. There are also Jesus’ other statements concerning peace, and much of what was written of Him in the New Testament epistles. However, the peace Jesus purchased with His blood was peace between God and people. Through Him any person can now have peace with God. (Rom. 5:1.) We are exhorted to take this peace and extend it to everyone, but it is also made very clear that not everybody will receive it.

Peace can only come when we relate to God on the basis of faith in what He did for us instead of what we do for Him. People who believe they must live up to some standard to be accepted by God will have no peace because the burden of their salvation is on their shoulders, and they can’t bear that load. When these people are confronted by the true peace and joy of a believer who knows they are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8), they often attack the believer in order to defend their own self-righteousness. This is the “sword” Jesus refers to in Matthew 10:34.

The Gospel will always produce opposition from those who don’t receive it. This sword of division, even among family members and friends, is not from God but from the enemy. Satan stirs up pride in people to oppose anything that goes against their being able to please God in their own efforts and abilities. Opposition will inevitably come to all believers, so Jesus was simply preparing His disciples for it.

As much as you would like everyone you love to be saved the moment you tell them the Gospel, you must not think it is strange when they don’t receive the truth as you have. Jesus was rejected by His own, and you will be also. Today, remain faithful to continue preaching the Good News, for there are others who will receive; and never lose your faith and hope for your family and friends to be saved.

May 4: No Peace for the Wicked

Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9

Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead.

Luke 9:7

Others may have thought Jesus was John the Baptist risen from the dead, but as can be clearly seen by looking at Matthew’s account and especially Mark’s record, Herod was convinced of this. He was under conviction of the sin John had rebuked him for his sin of beheading John, and he was afraid of John and the God he represented. Overall, you could say Herod was obsessed with John because of his guilt.

As revealed in Mark 6:20, at one time Herod listened gladly to John. It is certain that John was preaching his favorite message of, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For Herod to hear him gladly, he must have been under deep conviction from God. But Herod feared his wife and the opinions of others more than he feared God. He was not like Festus, who told Paul he was mad for speaking of the resurrection from the dead. He knew the truth and was sorrowful—but not with godly sorrow. In the end he chose death—John the Baptist’s physical death and his own spiritual death.

In these verses above, Herod had no peace. He had chosen to be wicked, and he was haunted and tormented the rest of his life. According to the world’s mentality, peace is the absence of problems; but getting rid of John didn’t solve Herod’s problems!

Your peace is not dependent on circumstances; it is dependent only on Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8.) Today you can have great peace even in the midst of terrible problems because your faith is in Him. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isa. 26:3). Trust Him alone, and let His peace rule in your heart.

May 5: You Are the Christ

Mark 8:27-30

And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.

Mark 8:29

People often think how wonderful it would have been to be one of Jesus’ disciples. They speculate that if they had seen Him perform all those miracles, it would have been easy to believe. Not so! I once dreamed I was one of Jesus’ disciples. I saw Him raise Jairus’ daughter from the dead. I saw blind eyes see and deaf ears hear. I walked down a road with all the disciples, and we talked about the incredible things we had seen when Jesus walked right up to me and asked, “But who do you say I am?”

I was torn with emotion. Everything I’d witnessed and all my heart wanted to say, “You are the Christ,” but how could I? As I looked at Jesus, He appeared like any other man. There was nothing special about His looks. There was no halo like you see in some pictures. All my sensory knowledge screamed that He was just a man. That’s when I realized just how hard it was for Jesus’ disciples to believe.

Finally, I gave Peter’s reply; but to say, “You are the Christ,” took all the faith I could muster. I had to look past His physical body and see who He was on the inside. Now I understand how in some ways it is actually easier for us who are removed from the scene to believe. The disciples were constantly battling the logic of how God could be in a human body. We just read the Word about all the miraculous things Jesus did, about His death and resurrection, and envision Him seated on the throne in heaven. Knowing all that, it is easy for us to believe.

You can believe in Jesus just as strongly as those who walked with Him during his physical ministry. Choose to believe and follow Him today, being fully persuaded that His love and power will manifest fully in your life and all the lives you touch.

May 6: Gratitude Glorifies God

Luke 17:12-19

There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.

Luke 17:18

Jesus healed ten lepers and told them to show themselves to the priests as Moses commanded. As they obeyed Him, they were healed; yet only one returned to thank Jesus. Verse sixteen says this man fell at Jesus’ feet and gave Him thanks. Then in verse eighteen, Jesus said this man glorified God. Therefore, giving thanks to God is glorifying Him.

Thanking and praising God means you acknowledge Him as the fountain of your blessings. You are humbling yourself and proclaiming it was His ability, not yours, that raised you up. Ingratitude is like a child whose parents paid all the expenses to put them through college, but they just go out and brag on what they did without mentioning their parents’ generosity. We would think that young person was self-centered and spoiled, and we’d be right! Likewise, it is self-centered and arrogant to fail to thank God.

Our gratitude glorifies God. A very simple yet profound theology is, “There’s only one God, and I am not Him.” We didn’t make ourselves. (Ps. 100:3.) God is our Source, and we must glorify Him accordingly. We do that by being thankful for all He has so graciously done for us. As the doxology, which many of us were raised with, says, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.”

When you express your gratitude to God in everything you accomplish and for every blessing, large and small, you are someone who glorifies Him with your life. You won’t have a hard heart. You will never dethrone Him and place yourself on the throne of your heart. So you see, keeping an attitude of gratitude glorifies God and keeps you safely in His hands.

May 7: Healed or Whole?

Luke 17:12-19

And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

Luke 17:19

Ten lepers cried out to Jesus for healing. He told them to act healed by showing themselves to the priests and asking them to declare they were clean. They obeyed, and all were healed; yet only one came back to thank Jesus-and I’m sure He noticed that 90 percent of the lepers did not return. There is no indication that their lack of gratitude caused Jesus to withdraw the healing He had given. That’s not the way God is. The Lord “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matt. 5:45).

Jesus did do something special for the leper who gave thanks, and it is interesting that he was a Samaritan. Normally, Jews and Samaritans did not go near one another, but as we saw with Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4:9, He is no respecter of persons.

As you may know, leprosy causes parts of the body to decay and fall off. Lepers often lose fingers or toes. All these men were healed, which meant that the leprosy was no longer in their bodies and no longer doing any damage. However, Jesus told the man who returned that he was made whole. This implied that not only did the leprosy depart, but any damage the disease had done was repaired. It’s possible that at that moment his fingers and toes grew back. Praise the Lord!

Which would you rather have, healing or wholeness? Of course, everyone would rather be whole. Only the leper who returned to give thanks was made whole. Why settle for less than God’s best? Today, be thankful for all God does for you, and you will see the greater miracles in your life.

May 8: How Far Are You Willing to Go?

Mark 8:22-26

And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.

Mark 8:23

We usually focus on the miracle this blind man received, but for a moment, think about the faith he exhibited. Jesus took him by the hand and led him out of town. Remember, this man was blind. He didn’t know where he was going, and he was putting himself at risk. If Jesus decided to just leave him, what would he do? He couldn’t find his way back on his own—he couldn’t see! This man was committed. He was expecting to be healed. He made no arrangements for anyone to take care of him in case he wound up stranded and still blind.

What if this man would have decided to stop following Jesus as soon as he discerned he was getting out of his familiar territory? After all, if he remained blind, he would be in trouble. It’s probable that thoughts of unbelief like that could have stopped him from receiving his healing. He had to go all the way with Jesus. So do we.

There’s no record that Jesus explained where He was taking this man or how far away it was. He just told him to hold onto His hand and follow Him. Isn’t that enough? We often don’t know exactly where the Lord is leading us or how things will go if we don’t receive our miracle. But as long as we’re holding His hand, we should feel safe.