Every Day with Jesus (4 page)

Mark 4:21-23

And he said unto them, Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a candlestick?

Mark 4:21

When Jesus said this, He had just taught and explained the parable of the sower to His disciples. This teaching stresses the importance of God’s Word in our lives. We can’t bear fruit without putting God’s Word in our hearts any more than a farmer can have a harvest without planting seeds. Then Jesus said that a candle must be put on a candlestick to shine its light. The Lord was still speaking about the importance of His Word.

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Ps. 119:105). Jesus was saying that God’s Word is how He sheds light on all of our situations. Without the illumination of God’s Word, we will stumble around in the dark. Furthermore, what’s the purpose of having a light if we aren’t going to use it? Why would anyone place a lamp under his bed or a basket and block the light? That doesn’t make sense. But that’s exactly what we often do with the light God has given us.

How many times have we neglected meditating on God’s Word because of our busy schedules, and as a result we just stumbled blindly through our day? The influence of God’s Word in our lives is not a luxury we can do without. It’s as essential as light in a dark room. Light in the darkness enables us to function as if it were day-as long as the light is in a prominent place.

Your heart is the candlestick on which you set the light of God’s Word. As you meditate on it day and night, there is no circumstance or secret that will not be clearly revealed to you through the light of the Word. (Mark 4:22.) You will see where you are going and not stumble today if His Word is shining brightly in your heart.

January 28: Your First Love

Revelation 2:1-7

Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

Revelation 2:4

Do you cringe at this passage of Scripture? Most Christians do because they know they don’t love Jesus as they should, and this just reminds them of that. But Jesus wasn’t speaking of returning to how we first loved Him; He was talking about returning to our revelation of how He first loved us. As the apostle John put it, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Often, preaching is centered on how we should love others. Although this is certainly appropriate, the greatest and most distinguishing characteristic of a true Christian is their love for the brethren. (John 13:35.) But we can’t give away what we haven’t received. Until we have a true revelation of how much God loves us, we can’t genuinely love others. Trying to do so without a vibrant, experiential love within us is like trying to give someone a drink from a well that’s run dry. It can’t be done!

The Christian life is not just hard to live; it’s impossible to live in our own strength. True Christianity is not you and I living for Jesus, but Jesus living through us. (Gal. 2:20.) Nowhere is this more apparent than in loving other people. The kind of love Jesus commands includes turning the other cheek (Matt. 5:39) and forgiving those who crucify us. (Luke 23:34.) This kind of love is humanly impossible. We can only live this way by walking in the supernatural love that only comes from God.

Therefore, loving others is the fruit—not the root—of God’s love for you. As you return to the joy of understanding how much God loves you the way you did when you first received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you’ll love others more accidentally than you ever have on purpose.

January 29: Little Is Much When God Is in It

And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

By anyone’s evaluation except God’s, this poor widow’s resources were woefully inadequate to meet her needs. Her tiny bit of oil was worth only a pittance, certainly not enough to get her out of debt and the impending slavery of her children. Reason would say her situation was hopeless, but Jesus said, “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26).

The widow knew she had this oil. She’s the one who told Elisha about it. No doubt, she had taken a complete inventory of all her assets and had dismissed them as insufficient to meet the need. But little is much when God is in it! She had failed to factor into her equation what God could do with what she had. The man of God opened her eyes to the possibility of what God could do, and she acted in faith. In the end, she not only met her present need but had enough left over to live off of the rest of her life.

Like this widow, we often fail to see the potential of what God has given us. We look at ourselves and what we have only in human terms. We fail to factor in the power of God and His love for us. With His blessing, a few fish and a couple of pieces of bread can feed thousands. But first, we must take that step of faith and use what little we have as He instructs us.

This woman’s oil didn’t multiply until she had borrowed the vessels and began to pour out what she had. She prepared for increase and then began to give. As she gave of what she had, the power of God multiplied it back to her abundantly.

Everyone has something. What do you have today? It may seem too small to do any good, but give what you have to God in faith and watch it grow.

January 30: Your Whole Heart to Make You Whole

John 4:4-26

Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

John 4:17-19

It didn’t take great discernment for the Samaritan woman to make this last statement. Jesus had just “read her mail.” He told her the most intimate details of her life. Anyone could have perceived Jesus was a prophet after something like that.

This woman came to get a bucket of water and encountered someone who was more than just a man. God was speaking to her. What was her reaction? She changed the subject. She brought up a doctrinal issue concerning the proper place to worship—anything to get Jesus’ attention off of her personal life.

We all have a tendency to build walls of privacy around the intimate details of our lives. We are afraid to let anyone, especially God, look inside. The truth is, God already knows our hearts! He wants us to give all of our hearts to Him. He wants us to share everything with Him so that He can make us whole.

Jesus brought this woman right back to the subject of her personal relationship with God. He told her that the place of worship or the forms of worship weren’t important. God was looking for people who would open their hearts—even the hidden parts—to Him.

Today you can stay occupied with everything except the one thing that counts which is to worship God with your whole heart in spirit and in truth. Choose to do the one thing He wants you to do. Open your heart fully to Him, and just watch the living water of Jesus pour through you and make you whole.

January 31: Spiritual Food

John 4:27-46

But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

John 4:32

Food is essential for life. Without it we can’t grow and remain healthy. We get strength and vitality from food; however, the wrong food can kill us. Improper diets have killed more people than any disease.

Our souls need nourishment too. The things we think on and the desires we have are food for our souls. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). He valued spiritual nourishment more than He valued physical nourishment. He was thrilled to see the Samaritan woman and the people of her town respond to His gift of salvation. His disciples had come with meat for Him to eat, but He said what nourished Him was people coming to Him for salvation.

Likewise, we should set our desires on the things of God so that spiritual matters are more important to us than physical ones. The wrong diet for our souls is the leading cause of failure and depression in the lives of Christians. The Bible says that being spiritually minded produces life and peace, but being carnally minded produces death. (Rom. 8:6.) In our health-conscious society, many of us wouldn’t dream of abusing our bodies with a poor diet; yet, we kill our souls by feeding on ungodly, worldly things.

Today, treat yourself to a healthy, spiritual meal. Read your Bible and get filled up with God’s Word. Then go to the mall and lead some people to Jesus. You will discover the “meat” Jesus loved more than any natural food.

February

February 1: All Debts Canceled

Luke 4:16-30

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Luke 4:19

This Scripture was written prophetically by the prophet Isaiah about 650 years prior to when Jesus read it in the synagogue. It was read in Jewish synagogues thousands of times but never by the person it referred to. With this pronouncement, Jesus began the year of Jubilee.

The year of Jubilee is described in Leviticus 25. It was a year when no farmers worked in their fields and everyone kept the Sabbath. The Lord gave the people a miraculous provision the year before every Jubilee year started, and that sustained them for three years until their crops could once again be harvested.

The year of Jubilee was different than any other sabbatical year because it only occurred every fifty years and all debts were cancelled. All property was returned to its original owner, and anyone who had been sold into slavery was set free. It was a year of new beginnings.

Jesus proclaimed “the acceptable year of the Lord,” which was a spiritual jubilee. We now live in a time when all our debts to God because of sin have been cancelled, and all the things the devil stole from us have been returned. Even our slavery to the devil has come to an end through the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rejoice today because you are in the time of continuous Jubilee!

February 2: The Chosen Ones

Matthew 4:13-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 4:31-32; Luke 2:36-40

Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

Mark 1:16

Jesus never chose an apostle from among the religious people. Every one of His twelve disciples was from the secular world. It wasn’t because God didn’t love those who were religious; it was just that most of those who were part of the religious system didn’t have much faith in Him. They were so tied up in their own holiness and the outward appearance of being religious that they left out a personal relationship with Him.

One of the most common mistakes religious people make is to put faith in themselves. They think God accepts and uses them because of their holy lifestyle or special abilities. Paul said, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are” (1 Cor. 1:27,28). That describes the twelve.

People who recognize their own inabilities and weaknesses are more dependent on God out of necessity. That is the way God wants it. He is constantly searching for someone who recognizes they are nothing apart from Him. Then He can do something through them. (2 Chron. 16:9.)

Instead of thinking of all your responsibility today, respond to His ability. Empty yourself and allow Him to be everything to you. You will be surprised at how much you will accomplish and how much better you will feel.

February 3: Demons in Church

Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:33-37

And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out.

Mark 1:23

Many people don’t associate demon-possessed people with places of worship. Yet, most of the demons Jesus cast out were encountered in the synagogue. Why would demon-possessed people be there? In some cases, the people were there because they were seeking help. A church, like a hospital, should offer people the cure for oppression and possession of demons; therefore, it attracts those who are sick.

In other cases, the devil sows these types of people in the church to spread spiritual disease. A church that is teaching the true Word of God should either try to evangelize these people or make them so convicted that they will move on. Sad to say, demon-possessed people can thrive in many religious settings today.

We always need to show love for the sinner as Jesus did, but we should cut the devil no slack. If a person wants to keep an evil spirit on the inside of them, they should not feel at home in church! Like in Jesus’ day, they ought to be agitated and bothered by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in their midst.

Today, let the Spirit of God live through you as He did through Jesus. If there is a demon present in anyone, you will either make people mad or glad. God will either use you to send them packing or set them free. If you are truly walking in the Spirit, you will never be indifferent to the enemy. You will expose him and defeat him, just like Jesus did.

February 4: Great Ministry

Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41

And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.

Mark 1:31

How did Peter’s mother-in-law minister to Jesus and His disciples? Did she sit them down and preach to them? Certainly not. Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to others is to admonish them with the Scriptures.

Peter’s mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them. The word translated minister is the same word that was translated deacon twice in the New Testament, and serve, served, or serveth eight times. Her response to receiving a great miracle was to serve lunch!

This story should humble us. We should never despise “the day of small things” (Zech. 4:10). We can minister mightily for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to be unimportant. Jesus said that even a cup of cold water given in His name would not go unrewarded. (Matt. 10:42.)

Many Christians are waiting for the important jobs to come along, so they can make a big impact or receive a lot of recognition. In the meantime, they pass by the lesser opportunities to be a servant like Jesus in so many different ways. They forget He said that in the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things. (Luke 16:10.)

Today, ask the Lord to show you ways you can minister to others by serving them in any way, big or small.

February 5: Expand Your Vision for Miracles

Luke 5:1-11

Let down your nets… I will let down the net.

Luke 5:4,5

Jesus had just used Peter’s boat to preach to the people, and He wanted to bless him for this. He also wanted to show Peter how He could meet all of his needs. Jesus told Peter to let down his nets for a catch. At that moment, all the fish in the lake started swimming for Peter’s boat.

Unfortunately, Peter couldn’t believe Jesus’ promise over the fact that he had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. He certainly wasn’t going to have better luck now. Jesus was a wonderful preacher, but what did He know about fishing? Peter was the expert there. It’s to his credit that he obeyed, but he didn’t do exactly what Jesus asked him to do. Jesus told him to cast his nets, and Peter only threw in one net. He obeyed, but he wasn’t expecting much.

As a result, all the fish Jesus sent to fill many nets jumped into Peter’s one net. The net wasn’t able to handle all the fish, and it began to break. This was the biggest catch of Peter’s life, yet it could have been even bigger! The fish were actually fighting to get into his net, but his vision was too small.

We often miss some of God’s supply because we do not embrace God’s vision for our lives. The widow in 2 Kings 4:6 could have had more oil, but she ran out of vessels to fill. Joash, the king of Israel, could have completely destroyed his enemies, but he wasn’t aggressive enough. (2 Kings 13:18,19.) Likewise, we often limit what God wants to do for us because we don’t fully embrace all He promises us in His Word. (Ps. 78:41.)

What has He told you to do? Do it with all your heart, and make plans for big results. Your faith determines the manifestation of God’s supply.

February 6: God’s Kind of Love