“Remember Everyone, Carefully Onward Graciously, Now Immanuel Zealously Enters Deliverance!” (R.E.C.O.G.N.I.Z.E.D)” 

By Ramesh C.Reddy
Pittsburgh Standard

June 09, 2008

Editors Note: The devotional has a background song  which can be heard if you use Internet Explorer.

Observation:
I asked myself what we learn about the people at Gennesaret?
As soon as Jesus and His disciples got out of the boat, the people recognized Jesus.

Interpretation:
I asked myself why people recognized Jesus?
Whatever Jesus had already done traveled fast and reached places including Gennesaret. Jesus’ actions made an impact that people recognized Jesus for who He was. They would have come to know Jesus as a teacher, healer, forgiver of sins, and provider so far. When they recognized Jesus, they recognized Jesus for the good He does and for who He was. 

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. When people recognize me, it should be for the good I do and have done. There is nothing great to be recognized for the evil or bad we do. Rather, it is a disgrace and a shame. To be recognized for the good we do is being in the company of Jesus. Jesus reminds me to let my light shine upon men that they may see my good deeds and praise His Father in Heaven.

The key however is getting to know Jesus as our Lord and Personal Savior so the good we do is not humanistic in nature because good on a humanistic level is not being in the company of Jesus.

There are a lot of people who are seen as good by the world's standards because of their altruistic activities, philanthropic activities, etc but according to God's standards they are all filthy rags. God does not recognize the good we do apart from Jesus. This means even if the world gives us a Nobel Peace Prize for being good, it is nothing to God unless the good we do is a result of the fruit of the Spirit. In other words, the good we do will be a work of the Holy Spirit that produces it when we have Jesus in our lives. Then, God will recognize the good we do.

In other words, sin marred the relationship between God and man. Because of what sin caused, we are separated from God for God to recognize us. But God in His love for humanity could not bear to see His creation dying a spiritual death so He intervened as God-incarnate and wrote Himself into the world He created. Jesus walked the earth to become a mediator between God and man so God in His holiness would recognize us once again so we can be with Him in eternity when we acknowledge that we have been separated from God and need Jesus to show the Way, the Truth, and the Life for us.

Jesus did that for us on the cross of Calvary while we were yet sinners. This is exciting to know that God recognizes me now because of what Jesus did for me when I accepted Jesus' sacrificial death on the altar of the cross to set me free. Jesus shed His precious cleansing blood to get rid of the virus of sin in me so when I use His blood as the antidote, I am cleaned of this virus.

I want to be recognized for having Jesus Christ in my heart so He alone can guide me and lead me. Most of all so I can be recognized for having the Creator of the Universe reside in me that others may come to know Jesus Christ too.

Being recognized for great accolades apart from Jesus is really no recognition at all but just temporary. But being recognized for living for Jesus has eternal implications too even while we live on earth.

I ask you now dear friend, what are you recognized for in your life?
Dear friend all of us will be recognized one way or the other. The question is whether we will be recognized for doing the will of God and following Christ and His teachings or will we be recognized for following the ways of Satan and his deception. There is no middle ground. It is one way or the other. Jesus told the Pharisees if they do not belong to His Heavenly Father then they belong to the father of lies, Satan. The bottom line is whether we will be seen being in the service for the Kingdom of Heaven or will we be seen serving the demons of Hell.

Jesus actions made an impact where He went and because of that people recognized Him and wanted to hang out with Him and be with Him. We can follow the ways of the Lord as we depend on Him. When people see us, they need to be magnetized to us not because of the wealth we have, not because of the fame we have, not because the academic credentials we have, etc but because our lifestyle reflects Christ Himself so that people are drawn to Christ through us.

We need to be recognized for being followers of Jesus Christ. One of the worst things that can happen to those that profess to be Christians is someone saying, “And you are supposed to be a Christian?” In essence, what they are saying is that they do not recognize us as Christians because our lifestyle does not reflect Christ and His teachings. Friend, this should not happen for we have the best company to be associated with. Jesus is His name. Serving the Lord should be our game!

It is not wrong to be recognized for accomplishments when those accomplishments bring glory and honor to the Lord. What is wrong is when we are recognized for self-indulging deeds and not because we know Jesus and are walking in His ways.

I want to be recognized for being a follower of Jesus Christ and doing His works on campus and where I am. This does not mean that I do not mess up for I do. In those moments, I need to rush to the cross of Christ and receive His forgiveness and grace. I need to let Him pick me up and go on. You can do that too friend! You can go now, you can go! You can be the witness that people see and want to know what is so different about you. You can be the one when people look at you, they are reminded of Christ because they recognize Christ’s power working through you equipping you, enabling you, and empowering you to do good works!

Serving the Lord
By Ramesh C. Reddy

Ramesh is my name
Serving the Lord is my game
Christ did not come for fame
But to save you and me from the flame
So please give Jesus a start
By giving Him your heart
So He can do His part
And Satan’s fiery arrows you can dart!

Amen!

May you come to be known for remembering everyone carefully onward graciously, now imparting zealously Emmanuel's deliverance!

“Remember Everyone, Carefully Onward, Graciously Now Immanuel Zealously Enters Deliverance!” (R.E.C.O.G.N.I.Z.E.D)/”What are you recognized for in your life?”

Listen to the background song, "You can go"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for making such an impact in the places you visited and had been part of. You Oh Lord have made such an impact and still do! Oh Lord because of everything you have done, people recognized you. That is awesome to know Jesus that you were recognized for being an example of what goodness is all about. Oh Lord, please help us to live our lives in such a way that when people look at us, they will recognize you in us. When they see us, I want them to see you in us and be drawn to you Oh Lord Jesus Christ. With you all things all possible so please help us Jesus. Thank you for your help. Forgive us our sin and please hear us and answer us! Thank you for dying for our sin, cleansing us with you precious blood and coming back to life to save us. Thank you so much Jesus. Lord when we mess up and people recognize us for the bad we have done, we are sorry for being a bad example. Thank you that you lift us up when we humble ourselves before you and seek your face. I pray right now for the one that is backslidden right now and people do not recognize them for who they began to be but for what they have become apart from you. Forgive them Oh Lord and touch them with your awesome love and presence. I pray for the one that does not know you that they come to know you! Fill them with your love and let them know they are never out of your love and never out of your reach. Help them to know they can go now, they can go. They can go to you and receive forgiveness and grace in time of need as they can boldly approach your throne of grace. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you Jesus you have heard our prayer and answered us! In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

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:
Jesus, I thank you for being the Bread of Life. You are the Living Bread of my life. Thank you for coming from Heaven and giving your life for the life of the world. You sacrificed yourself for humanity. Thank you Lord when we eat of you symbolically making you part of our life, digesting what you teach us by following you, we can be living Eternally, and the fruit that comes will reflect and resemble your life. I want that Father God. I want that Lord Jesus! I want that Holy Spirit! I know of a lot of people who partake of Holy Communion where the bread represents your body broken for their sin and the juice represents your blood shed for their sin. When we partake of Holy Communion, we are reminded that we are remembering you. I want to remember you always Lord Jesus. But for me to remember you always, I need to know you and acknowledge everything you said you are. So right now I acknowledge that you are my Lord and Personal Savior who died and rose again to give me life from sin. So right now, I come to you and say how sorry I am for my sin and living a life on my own. I repent of my sin and ask you to forgive me of my sin with your cleansing blood which I accept. Wash me and I will be clean from this infection of sin. Come Lord Jesus and please become part of my life as you live in me and I will live for you. I thank you Jesus for coming into my heart and making my heart your home. Thank you for living in me Jesus and I will live for you and serve you the rest of the days of my life. I do need your Spirit to reside in me and work in me and through me so I surrender all that I am and will be to you. Whatever your will is for me, please give me the strength and willingness to bear it and rejoice in you. Thank you so much Jesus. I thank you Jesus for becoming my Lord and Personal Savior. I thank you Jesus you have heard my prayer and have answered me. I thank you that I am your child Oh God. I thank you for becoming my only Way to Eternal Life. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!