He
Who Receives Me Receives Him Who Sent Me
The ministry of Jesus was a phenomenon
never seen before. People began flocking to Him to hear His teachings and to be
healed by Him or delivered of evil spirits. The religious leaders also came. They
heard His teachings and witnessed the miraculous healings. Could this be the
Messiah? But Jesus didn’t do things the way they expected the Messiah to
do them. They heard Jesus tell a man that the man’s sins were forgiven. Wasn’t
that blasphemy? Couldn’t only God forgive sin?
They saw Jesus socialize with sinners. The Messiah wouldn’t do that,
would He? The disciples of Jesus didn’t fast regularly like the disciples of
John the Baptist or the Pharisees. Wouldn’t they follow the religious practices
of the Pharisees? No, the ministry of Jesus was something new. And Jesus’
disciples did not walk in the way of the Pharisees. They walked in the way of Jesus.
They were expected to follow Jesus over anybody else in their lives – even their
own family. Jesus said that anyone who does not take his cross and follow after Him is not worthy of Him. He said, "He who has found his life will lose it,
and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” Matthew 10:37-39). Dear Father, help us to follow Jesus – not anybody
or anything else. Make Jesus Lord of our lives. May we lose our own lives for
Jesus’ sake so that we will find our lives in Him.
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