Editors Note: The devotional has a background song by
called 'Prince of Peace by Twila Paris' which can be heard if you use Internet
Explorer.
SCRIPTURE:
“In
fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was
possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. The woman was a
Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out
of her daughter.” (Mark 7:25-26, NIV)
Observation:
I asked
myself what we learn about the woman?
-
She
heard about Jesus.
-
She
was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.
-
She
had a little daughter who was possessed by an evil spirit.
-
She
came to Jesus
-
She
fell at his feet
-
She
begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
Interpretation:
I asked
myself what was the significance of the woman’s actions?
She was not Jewish and yet when
she heard about Jesus and all Jesus had done and was doing, she did not
let her nationality, race, ethnicity or culture to come in the way of
coming to Jesus for help. Not only that but she fell at Jesus’ feet
showing an attitude of humility. It was important for me to know that she was seen as a despised race among the
Jewish people. Knowing that, it shows us the courage she had. She did
not let her nationality or ethnicity come in the way of meeting with
Jesus. When she met Jesus, she did not just ask Him for help but fell
down and begged Him to drive the demon out of her daughter. We are not
told how far she traveled to see Jesus or if there was a Greek
population in Tyre at that time. What we do know is, we see the woman’s
faith in action even though she is not Jewish but seen as a despised
Gentile.
Implications:
I saw important implications for
my own life. It does not matter what race, nationality, or ethnicity we
are of. Jesus is real and we all need to turn to Him. I did not think to
myself that 'I am an Indian so I need to be a Hindu' because Hinduism is
part of being Indian. No, instead though I was a Hindu, I came to Jesus
because I heard of the miracles Jesus did thousands of years ago.
I had severe asthma and could not do a lot of things. I have hearing
this program called 700 Club about Jesus Christ. I told myself if Jesus
is the same yesterday, today, or tomorrow, then what Jesus did then,
Jesus could even do now. If Jesus can do it now that means Jesus can
heal me of my asthma when I give my life to Jesus and become a Christian
following Him and Him alone.
So, I gave my life to Jesus and before that my mom became the first
believer in our family to give her life to Christ. After that she got
rid of the idol pictures/worship from the house and is devoted fully to
Jesus.
I had given my life to Jesus Christ on Feb 14, years ago. Little did
I know that day was Valentine's Day in America. What a day to give my
life to the One who loves me so dearly and died for my sake to give me
new life and bring healing into my life when He came back to life to
save me.
My asthma was healed and I could do things that I never was able to
do! Praise the Lord! Since then I have grown a lot and come to know
Jesus a lot. I still have a lot of growing to do in the Lord.
As the woman realized what Jesus could do, I realized too what Jesus
could do. But, I need to always
remember that Jesus is still a Healer, a Teacher and much much more. Whatever help I need, I
should go to Jesus, fall at His feet figuratively while I am on this
earth, and beg Him for help.
Begging Jesus for help is through talking to Jesus about what I am going
through. I need to make prayer a part of my life consistently as I plead
to Jesus for help. We all need to do that. I can take to the Lord my
prayers for healing and salvation of my loved ones. You can too!
I ask you
now dear friend, what do you do to S.A.V.E your loved ones?
Dear friend, the woman was a despised Gentile. She did not let that stop
her from coming to Jesus, falling at His feet, and begging Him for help.
She did it for the love of her daughter. We can too come to Jesus to ask
help for our loved ones Salvation! No matter what our
loved ones nationality,
ethnicity, or race is, we should bring them before Jesus and ask Jesus
to save them whether they are our immediate family, close relatives, or
friends. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Whatever
Jesus did then, He can still do now! Yes, He can friend and we need to
have faith.
You should continually ask Jesus to save your loved ones
without giving up no matter what they have done or where they have been.
The woman had the opportunity to come to Jesus, fall at His feet, and
beg Him for help. You too have an opportunity to come to Jesus and beg
Jesus for the salvation of your loved ones. For Jesus’ salvation alone
can save our loved ones from the permanent attack of the enemy.
You can do it friend as you seek
Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior. He is there for you. Yes,
He is and that is exciting to know!
Regardless of who your loved ones
are or have become, do not give up on them for you cannot save them but
the One who gave His life for us to ransom us from our sins has the
power, protection, and pardon to save. Yes, He does!
The woman wanted her daughter saved from demonic possession and
oppression. Friend all of us belong to the enemy and are under the
oppression of Satan when we do not know Jesus as our Lord and Personal
Savior. For He alone can save us. No one else can save us, not Buddha,
not Muhammud, not Krishna, not Confucious, etc. Even their teachings
cannot save us. Only Christ can save us by His Saving Grace. You can
experience the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you spend time in the Word of
God and let the Word minister, guide, and lead you.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the
Life! No one comes to the Father except through me!" (John 14:6)
There is no Name under Heaven whereby we must
be saved except in the Name of Jesus Christ.
Friend Jesus alone can save and wants to save you and your loved
ones. You can bring your loved ones before Jesus and ask Jesus to save
them. Jesus has the power to do that. Jesus can change the hearts of
your loved ones so don't give up.
The act of the woman was not passive but very active (fell and
begged) for her daughter to be delivered from demonic influence.
Friend, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is ACTIVE and the Answer for you,
me, and our loved ones. For in the Gospel alone can we all find
Salvation. But it does not stop with finding Salvation alone in Christ.
Once we have found Salvation in Christ, our lives will never be the same
again. Instead, our lives will experience a daily transformation by His
grace.
Friend, if we stop at the point of Salvation when we are SAVED BY HIS
GRACE then we become stagnant but the Christian life is not a STAGNANT
LIFE but an ABUNDANT LIFE IN CHRIST.
It is God's Salvation in our lives revealed through Christ Jesus by
His Grace that also helps us LIVE BY HIS GRACE. It is His GRACE that
transforms us.
We know that the woman believed for the healing of her daughter so
she came and fell before Jesus and begged Jesus. We too should always
believe that Jesus can save our loved ones so we should never give up
but keep praying, praying, and praying leaving the results in our Lord's
precious Helping Hands.
My beloved dad who was married to my mom for 37 years went to
be with Jesus. We prayed and prayed for him almost everyday that he will
come to know Jesus. We praise Jesus that He did and is now with Jesus.
We thank the Lord for letting us know that. Never give up on your loved
ones but keep praying.
Only Jesus Christ can free us from the bondage of sin. So we need to
come to Jesus as we are and ask Jesus to reign in our lives.
You and I need to understand the dangers of sin and the hopelessness
we all have because of this deadly virus known as sin. Until we realize
the magnitude of sin and its consequences here on earth and beyond this
life, we will not take seriously the importance of SALVATION IN CHRIST
and CHRIST ALONE.
It is Christ's Salvation paid for you and me at the Cross of Calvary
that has redeemed us. Christ suffered and died for us taking the pain of
the whips, thorns, and nails so we can be ransomed by HIS CLEANSING
PRECIOUS BLOOD.
For JESUS' BLOOD alone can CLEANSE US AND WASH US CLEAN so we are not
trapped in demonic possession or oppression to sin. Yes friend, Christ
alone the hope of glory is what you and I need just as the woman
realized what her daughter needed.
Jesus loves you so much and loves your loved ones that Jesus went to
the cross to save them. Jesus already paid the price for what they nor
we can ever pay. Jesus paid it with His life and the antidote was
released to wipe away the deadly virus known as sin BUT we have to
ACCEPT THE ANTIDOTE.
If we do not ACCEPT the ANTIDOTE after CHRIST CHOSE TO DIE FOR US TO
REDEEM US, we will be trapped in our sin forever.
ACCEPTING THE ANTIDOTE OF HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD because HE CHOSE TO SAVE
US, and INITIATED THE PROCESS, we have the opportunity to come to Him to
be saved forever! And also pray for the Salvation of our loved ones so
their hearts will be softened and Christ's Spirit will work in their own
lives to be saved. Praise the Lord!
The key is PRAYER to the Lord Jesus for the Salvation of your loved
ones. Yes friend. Satan will blind people to the Truth because he does
not want them to know the Truth, tricking them but Jesus wants to treat
them with His Truth.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His
only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but
have everlasting life. God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn it but to save it." (John 3:16-17)
Our prayer should be that the scales of deceit, bondage, oppression,
etc will fall off and each person will realize their worthlessness
before the Lord not counting the good they think they do to receive
God's favor because none of us apart from Christ can receive God's
Eternal favor.
For God says that all our good works are like filthy rags to him
without Him in our lives. This 'filthy rags' concept is described using
a woman's menstruation terminology.
So, you, I or your loved ones can ever say to the Lord, "Lord, I have
done all these good works so I know you will be pleased to let me into
heaven because you see I fed the poor, am seen as a great
philanthropist, kept most of the laws without breaking them, pray 3
times a day, fast this many times, go to pilgrimages, try not to hurt
anyone, received Nobel Prize for peace, etc"
HOGWASH!
Even if your loved ones think they are such a good person and don't
harm anybody, doing all these things and more, they have still sinned.
They can be doing 99% good things but that 1% sin in their lives will
still not allow a HOLY GOD to let sin enter His presence.
There is no such thing as 99 good deeds will erase 1 bad deed. This
is not biblical. We are accountable for our actions.
"As it is written: "There is no one righteous,
not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All
have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one
who does good, not even one." (Romans 3:10-12, NIV)
What is biblical is that 1 bad deed or sin will not let your loved
ones into Heaven without Christ in their lives because God in His
Holiness cannot let sin enter His presence.
Then can anyone be saved?
But with Christ, our accountability is put on CHRIST and Christ
became ACCOUNTABLE for all our sins when He died on the cross shedding
His precious Blood. Thanks be to God for what Jesus Christ has done for
us on the CROSS OF CALVARY. He ransomed us By His Blood. We can be
covered by His BLOOD and BE JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE.
This past few weeks, I have focused on the DEATH and RESURRECTION of
JESUS CHRIST for all of us. Now it is appropriate to address the issue
of BEING SAVED!
Now when we come before God and God asks us,
"WHY SHOULD I LET YOU INTO HEAVEN?"
You, I, or your loved ones can confidently respond because of
Christ's righteousness covering over us by saying, "I am BLOOD BOUGHT
and SAVIOR SANCTIFIED all because of my BELIEVING IN THE LORD JESUS
CHRIST. Now, I know God your JUDGMENT will PASSOVER me for you only see
CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS in me when you see me"
Praise the Lord that our Salvation in Christ alone saves us and our
loved ones.
"But now a righteousness from God, apart from
law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all
who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice
of atonement, through faith in his blood." (Romans 3:21-25, NIV)
"Therefore, since we have been justified
through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the
glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2, NIV)
"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. You see, at
just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall
we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's
enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how
much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans
5:5-11, NIV)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"What, then, shall we say in response to this?
If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own
Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him,
graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32, NIV)
"For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor
any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus
our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39, NIV)
"But what does it say? "The word is near you;
it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we
are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord,"
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be
saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture
says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." For there
is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all
and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the
name of the Lord will be saved."(Romans 10:8-13, NIV)
"How, then, can
they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe
in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without
someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?
As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good
news!" (Romans 10:14-15, NIV)
May you come to Jesus without
thinking it is hopeless, for Savior anoints valiantly emancipating!
Amen!
"Savior
Anoints Valiantly Emancipating!" (S.A.V.E)/"What do you do to
S.A.V.E your loved ones?"
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you so much for receiving the woman who was seen as a
despised Gentile. She was not even Jewish and you gave her time to speak
her mind and did not turn her away even though others would have. I love
you Jesus. Thank you for dying for my sin and coming back to life to
save me. I confess my sins to you and am so sorry for my sin. Cleanse me
with your cleansing blood and I will be clean again, wash me and I will
be whiter than snow. Thank you so much Jesus. I pray right now for the
one who feels so troubled and hurt; they need your help Oh Lord to
minister to them where they are. Help them not to give up on their loved
ones no matter what path they have chosen but that they would intercede
on their behalf always until the answer and healing comes for YOU ARE
OUR GREAT INTERCESSOR for them. Thank you
Father God it will come and our prayers are never wasted in vain. We
praise you and thank you for everything. Lord we want to lift your Name
on High. We want to thank you for everything you have done for us and do
for us. For you alone are God Eternal throughout earth and Heaven above!
Thank you for hearing our prayer and answering us, for being our Lord
and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!!
May
you experience the POWER OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION this day, and give Him
the LOCKED areas of your life too so you can experience His PEACE as you
become an ACTOR in the film called LIFE being directed by your DIRECTOR,
JESUS CHRIST who comes to give JOY and PEACE.
You
don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and
give you peace to live out your actions.
How
do you look at GODISNOWHERE?
One
of my pastors, Pastor Hugo shared this example this past Sunday at the
RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh
Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:
If
you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin
and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no
peace.
But
as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to
tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.
Yes,
friend God is alive and wants to bring a transformation in your life
through the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on
the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and live
with us.
Yes,
friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE
& LIVING GRACE.
When
we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive
us and restore us to Him and we will find peace in Him.
"Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has
come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ
and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the
world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he
has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore
Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him
who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God." (Colossians 5:17-21, NIV)
"For the wages
of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the
light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his
Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive
ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)
Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our
sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge
so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the
finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.
"For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not
by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)
May
you come to know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Personal Savior becoming
His offspring so you can spend Eternity with Him. He is waiting for you.
Come as you are. Please do not reject the gift of God.
If
you would like to invite Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him a
daily part of your life, you can this very moment. You will never be
alone. You can claim God's promises for you in the Bible and see them
come true, before your eyes, in His wonderful timing. You don't have to
wait for a special time to come to the Lord. You can come right now as
you pray this prayer, meaning it in your heart and finding your new
identity in Christ Jesus.
Make this your prayer. Don’t let
the enemy deceive you into thinking you need all the answers before
coming to Christ. Let me just assure you though you may not have all the
answers right now before coming to Jesus, He will answer them slowly.
Yes, He will for I know our Redeemer will! Amen!
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, thank you for foreshadowing once again about SAVING US when
you spoke to the disciples about the KERNEL OF WHEAT. Thanks for dying
for our sin so we can have Eternal Life and be saved when we turn to
you. The previous day, you allowed Mary to wash your dirty/stinking feet. Anything
you do has a reason and you foreshadowed what you would do for us one
day on the cross. You washed away all our sins with your precious
cleansing blood on the cross. Thank you so much Jesus. No matter what we
have done or where we have been, we can know that you love us and paid
the ransom to deliver us from the stench of sin. Thank you Jesus. I
accept the antidote you offer and want you to wash me clean with your
precious cleansing blood so I can have new life. My sin I give it all to
you so you can cover me with your righteousness. Help me Jesus. I don't
want to live like I have been living. I don't want my life to smell
because of the stinky/dirty sins of my life. I know you offer cleansing
and washing so I come to you now and receive it. Thank you for forgiving
me of all my sin when you paid the price on the cross for me which I
accept now. Please give me new life Jesus. Come into my heart and make
my heart your home. Live in me Jesus and I will live for you and help me
to serve you the rest of the days of my life so I can say, "Lord Jesus,
ANYTHING, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, I am ready" as you strengthen me and walk
with me and talk to me. I love you Jesus. I accept you as my Lord and
Personal Savior. Please be my Lord and Personal Savior. Thank you for
helping me learn about what Mary did for you and the implications for
our own lives. Thank you that you have heard my prayer and answered me
giving me new life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!
