THE SINFUL WOMAN (PART TWO)

“He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” 

(Luke 7:44, NASB).

It is interesting to note that Jesus was silent throughout the action the woman performed in anointing His feet with her “tears” (her sorrows) and her “perfume” (her costly worship). During this period Jesus was silent, while Simon, though verbally silent, was not silent in heart. He was judgmental of her reputation as a sinful woman (see Luke 7:39). Now the Lord breaks the silence in his conversation with Simon. He acknowledges and points out four things the sinful woman did that Simon failed to do. Jesus begins with drawing Simon’s attention to the woman with a searching question, “Do you see this woman?” Obviously Simon overlooked the woman’s service to the Lord, and only saw her as a sinner. Where Simon only saw a sinful woman, Jesus saw a repentant woman. Here in this scene we see a man invite the Lord Jesus into his home, but failed to provide the customary greeting and hospitality that was required of the host to be shown to a guest in the Middle East. The Lord then continues by stating four things the sinful woman did that rebukes what Simon did not do. First, Jesus acknowledges and points out to Simon, “she has wet my feet with her tears”(v.44a)—not just water drawn from a well, but with her own tears of sorrow she wiped His feet. Second, the Lord acknowledges and draws Simon’s focus on the fact the woman did not use a towel to wipe his feet, but “wiped them with her hair”(v.44b)—she stooped in humility and laid her glory at Jesus’ feet. Her hair mingled with her tears reminds us that her glory is tainted by her sin. Nevertheless, Jesus receives her kind service. Third, we read that Jesus further points out to Simon the fact he did not greet Him with a “kiss,” whereas the woman “has not ceased to kiss my feet,”(v.45)—here we see Simon’s cold unaffectionate hospitality compared to the sinful woman’s loving, affectionate adoration of the Lord Jesus. Fourth, we see Jesus pointing out to Simon that he did not “anoint [His] head with oil,” whereas the woman “anointed [Jesus’] feet with perfume,”(v.46)—which speaks of worship. The fact the perfume was costly, reminds us of the value we place on Christ. Simon did not love or value Jesus like the sinful woman did. Dear reader, how much does the Lord Jesus mean to you in your life? Is He just a passing thought, or are you devoted to Him and His cause in the gospel?

Heavenly Father, thank you for challenging us today with the story of the sinful woman and the self-righteous Pharisee, Simon; Help us to be wise like the sinful woman in humble service to Christ. For there is no cost too great to worship and adore Him, let us not be foolish like Simon and neglect being welcoming and hospital to our precious Lord Jesus, Amen.

THE SINFUL WOMAN (PART ONE)

“And standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.” (Luke 7:38, NASB).

We are not told who this sinful woman was, nor are we given her name. She is simply identified as a “sinful” woman (v.37). In other words, she was named according to her bad reputation as opposed to her actual name, which I am certain she had. Now what actual sins she was guilty of? Is anyone’s guess, for her sins are not specifically mentioned in the passage. Usually when a woman is identified as sinful in Scripture, the woman is usually associated with such sins as adultery or prostitution. Now that’s not to say she was not guilty of such other sins. In today’s Scripture text, six points can be drawn from this woman’s action in the presence of Jesus. First, we see the woman “standing behind Him”—this speaks of her shame. She at first, felt she could not face him with her sin. Nevertheless, she was there. Second, we observe her “weeping”—this reminds us of her brokenness and sorrow over her guilt and sin. Third, the woman stooped and “began to wet His feet with her tears”—does this not show her humble and submissive attitude in the Lord Jesus presence? The Lord does not respond in forgiveness to us in our pride, but He does forgive, when we approach Him in humility (see James 4:6). Fourth, we learn the woman “kept wiping them with the hair of her head”—she laid her glory at Christ’s feet (see 1 Cor. 11:15). Fifth, we witness the woman “kissing His feet”—this reveals her heart, her affection, love, and appreciation of His person. Sixth, lastly we are in awe of the woman’s sacrifice in “anointing them with the perfume”—her worship was costly (see John 12:3). Now I should point out here the slight difference between the woman’s “weeping” as opposed to her “tears.” “Weeping” reminds us of intense emotion expressed through a multitude of tears, which in turn speaks of her brokenness over her multitude of sins; whereas, “tears” speaks of individual sorrow over specific sins. The wonderful truth is, we read Jesus saying, "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:47, NASB). Friend, have you a multitude of sins that are weighing you down? If so, lay them at Jesus’ feet in repentance, and like the sinful woman in today’s passage, the Lord Jesus will forgive you of all your sins. “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30, NASB).

Lord Jesus, thank you for this sinful woman’s example that no matter how bad we have sinned, there is hope and forgiveness to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

BORN CRUCIFIED?

"For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." 

(Romans 8:13, NASB).

In today's text, we are shown a choice between living according to our flesh, or according to the Spirit. If it's after the flesh, then the sentence of death, but if after the Spirit, then we have abundance of life. The fact our flesh is under the curse of sin, it is subject to death, so to live according to the flesh brings death. Now on the other hand, the Spirit is life. Paul writes: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." (Rom. 8:2, NASB). Sin brings bondage and death, whereas the Spirit brings freedom and life.

The title for today's devotion was taken from the title of L. E. Maxwell's book, "Born Crucified." We are all born in the flesh, but not in the Spirit; we were dead spiritually to God.We were very much alive physically, but dead in our relationship with the Lord. In a sense, when we were born the first time, we were dead to God spiritually, but when we were "born again" (John 3:3, 7), sometimes referred to as the second birth, we became alive spiritually to God. It is then, we began to learn the art of "daily dying" to ourselves (see 1 Cor. 15:31), Paul's letter to the Galatians outlines the threefold truth about the term "crucified" as follows:

1. We have been "crucified with Christ" (Gal. 2:20). That is, we have died in the death of Christ. "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3, NASB). This is the death we are identified with, the death of Christ.

2. We have "crucified the flesh" (Gal. 5:24). Meaning, we have put to death the "passions and desires" of our flesh that had for so long enslaved us. So what are we to put to death? "Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry." (Col. 3:5; see also Gal. 5:19-21, ESV).

3. Finally, we are "crucified to the world" (Gal. 6:14). In other words, we are no longer a slave to the fashions, pleasures, social status, power, and philosophies of this present evil world. We have been set free and sanctified in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Christian's threefold enemy that rages against him daily is the flesh, the world, and Satan. However, when the believer learns to daily die to himself, he becomes free in the death of Christ, becoming dead to the appetites, passions, and temptations of his flesh with, the world around him, and the enemy Satan who rages against him. Now that the flesh, the world, and Satan no longer have power over the saint, seeing he is dead in his response to these enemies, he is alive only to respond to his new Master, Christ. Wherein we were once dead in our trespasses and sins to Christ, now we are dead to those trespasses and sins that once separated us from Christ.

So in summary, we are identified in the death of Christ. Due to this truth that we are identified in Christ's death, we are dead to the passions and desires of our flesh, and dead also to the system and course of this present world. Let us consider once again Paul's words in today's text: "For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13, NASB). We are all destined to die in the flesh, for that is a part of the curse our first parents brought into the world (see Gen. 3:1-24; Rom. 5:12), but the second Adam, brought light in life through His death, burial, and resurrection. So in light of this, let us continue living in the Spirit, so the deeds of the body will be put to death. "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires." (Rom. 13:14, ESV).

How many Wise Men, How many Gifts?

“After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

(Matthew 2:11, NASB).

According to Christian tradition, there were three wise men who came from the East with three gifts. The question is, is this true? The passage in question is found in Matthew 2:1-12. First, the passage in question talks about the “Magi” a caste of wise men specializing in astronomy, astrology, and natural science. The term Magi is in the plural. So we know it is talking about more than one wise man. However, this does not imply there were three wise men as often heard during Christmas time. For all we know there could have been as many as a dozen wise men. No doubt, the popular notion that assumes there were three wise men comes from the three types of gifts that were given. The gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (see Matt. 2:11). The truth is, the Scriptures never tells us that three wise men, or Magi came searching for the birth place of Christ the child, nor does the Bible tell us how many wise men came. Second, the question about how many gifts were given is usually believed to be only three gifts. Again today’s text does not say only three gifts were given. The passage only tells us that three specific types of gifts were given, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It does not tell us how many gifts were actually given. The gold speaks of Christ’s deity as the Son of God, the frankincense tells us of His holy and righteous life as the Son of Man, and myrrh reveals to us the sufferings of Christ as the Lamb of God. Not only were such gifts given to the Christ child as an act of worship by the wise men. They also prophetically speak of His life and purpose. To conclude, since the passage of Scripture does not tell us how many wise men there were, we also don’t know how many gifts were given. To teach there were three wise men who gave three gifts is reading into the text what is not there. It is being dishonest with the word of God to teach a congregation or an individual that there were only three wise men who presented only three gifts to the Christ child. Dear reader, let’s stay true to the text of God’s Word and teach what it actually says, not what tradition or poor Biblical hermeneutics wrongly asserts.

Heavenly Father, there is so much misinformation and misinterpretation being passed off as the truth of God’s Word during Christmas time. Today’s text about the Magi and the gifts presented to Christ is only one example among a number. Lord, help us to be true to Your Word and present only the truth of Scripture to those we share it with, in Christ name. Amen.

The Magi’s Question that Troubled Herod

"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." 

(Matthew 2:2, NASB).

This chapter in the Gospel of Matthew opens with the “Magi [wise men] from the east” asking a very pertinent question: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” This question had quite an impact upon king Herod and all Jerusalem. For verse 3 tells us that Herod and all Jerusalem “heard this” question, and it troubled them all. Imagine, Jerusalem, known as the “The City of Peace” was troubled at the news of the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). It is interesting to note that king Ahab had this in common with king Herod, for “When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, "Is this you, you troubler of Israel?"” (1 Kings 18:17, NASB). Ahab was troubled at the sight of Elijah, a prophet of God, who had peace with God. Now we read in today’s passage of another “troubler of Israel.” Only this time, we are not dealing with a prophet of God, but the very Son of God! It is this Son of God who the prophets prophesied of His coming into the world in the flesh, this “King of the Jews” that troubled Herod and all of Jerusalem. So it is with man. He may proclaim he has peace, but is troubled at the good news of the Gospel that teaches that only Christ can give true lasting peace. For apart from Christ, man can never know true satisfying peace. On hearing this troubling question, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”  Herod “gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people” to find out where the “Messiah was to be born.” Four truths can be drawn from this scene: 

First, we read that Herod and all of Jerusalem were troubled about the news of Christ, whereas the wise men rejoiced (see Matt. 2:3, 10-11)! 

Second, we see Herod enquiring about the birth of Christ through the religious rulers. The religious rulers were not the wise men who sought and knew about the birth of Christ. They could quote Scripture, but they did not seek His coming. So it is with religious man, he knows what Scriptures say about Christ, but do not know Him personally as Lord and Saviour (see Matt. 2:4; John 3:3, 7; Rom. 10:9-10). 

Third, we note that Christ was not found, nor was He born in Jerusalem, this supposed city of peace. So it is with man. As long as man erects his own “city of peace,” the true peace of Christ will never be found there (see John 14:27).  The human heart can know no true peace until it finds peace with God. 

Fourth, just as “Bethlehem” [house of bread] was the birth place of Christ, so it is with the believer who has trusted Christ. His heart is a “little Bethlehem” where Christ dwells. Because The Lord Jesus is “the Bread of life” (John 6:35) the believer has bread to share with those who hunger for God’s salvation that satisfies.

 Five, finally we read of Herod’s deceptive reason for wanting to find the Christ child. He told the Magi he wanted to “worship Him” (Matt. 2:8), when really he wanted to kill him (see Matt. 2:13). So it is with the natural man. The flesh cannot reign beside Christ in the heart, neither will Christ share the throne of a man’s heart with the flesh. Either man dies to the flesh or he dies to Christ. The truth is man needs to die in the death of Christ in order to truly be dead to his flesh. Only then, can we have our Bethlehem, were Christ is born in our very heart!

Lord God, we are challenged by today’s passage that is often read at Christmas time. Are we troubled at the good news of Christ coming into the world like Herod was? Or do we rejoice at the news of Christ like the Magi did? How we answer such questions reveals where our heart is with God. We can never have true lasting joy and peace in our heart, if we do not have peace with God. Thank you dear Lord, for sending Christ into the world to die for our sins; in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

WHERE DO WE DRAW OUR WEALTH FROM?

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19, NASB).

Riches don't make a man wealthy, it is the man behind the riches that makes him truly wealthy. The man who only has material wealth to offer is truly impoverished, whereas the man who is wealthy in character and personality is truly Rich! Richer and more wealthy still is the man whose inheritance is in Christ. (see Rom. 8:17; Eph. 1:11-18). To know the Lord Jesus Christ as one's Saviour gives that person access to an endless supply of wealth to draw from. For rich is the man whose wealth is in Christ! "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" (2 Cor. 9:15, NASB).

During this Christmas season, let's not just focus on what we get in material blessings, but instead, let's focus on that one specific Gift, the Gift that trumps all gifts. The very Gift God the Father gave, when He sent that "indescribable gift" of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Let us give special thanks giving and praise this Christmas season for the best Gift of all, the Lord Jesus Christ!

Wealthy is the man,

Who has his inheritance in Christ!

Wealthy is the man,

Who has trust in the work of Christ! 

Impoverished is his soul,

Who only makes passing wealth his goal.

Wise is the man who has Christ,

Who has trusted in His sacrifice.

"LOVE THY SELFIE"

"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy" (2 Timothy 3:2, ESV).  

It is no secret that "self love" is on the rise today. So much so that the present generation is three times more "self-centered" than the previous generations. It is one thing to "love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31, ESV), but it is quite another thing, when you have an unhealthy view of yourself. For another Scripture says, "I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he[she] ought to think." (Rom. 12:3, NASB). It is hard to focus on others, if our focus is too much on ourselves. The Apostle Paul instructs "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others." (Phil. 2:3-4, NASB).

At present, there is much in music, the social media, magazines, movies, and so on in our society that promotes the "self" life. Modern technology is boasted to help make our lives easier, but instead it has fed our egos and inflated our self-esteem in such a way that we think too highly of ourselves. Many people from various age groups have become narcissistic, self-entitled, and privileged. Such people get easily offended if you don't feed into their over inflated perception of themselves. Such social websites as Facebook is chalk full of profiles of young people who have numerous "selfie" photos. It's like they are obsessed with themselves and addicted to the attention they get from the number of likes and complimenting comments they get. 

I have personally come across this type of behaviour myself, in my interactions with some women here on Facebook. Look, I'm not against people taking pictures of themselves, but when you see their photo page littered with selfies, or their conversations with you peppered with little selfie shots, then it's obvious there is a deep underlying problem in their life. It's a cry for attention, insecurity, or as mentioned earlier an unhealthy obsession with one's self. For example, one 40 something lady on Facebook, titled her photo section, "LOVE THY SELFIE." She had over 200+ selfies. Or as one guest, Iyanla Vanzant on Oprah Winfrey put it, "It is Self-full to put yourself first." This lady on Oprah's show was exalting self as an actual virtue! Imagine that! Even more disturbing was when she cited this quote from A Course on Miracles: "When you give to others to the degree that you sacrifice yourself, you make the other person a thief." Then she concluded, "They are stealing from you what you need, and they don't even know it." This of course is in complete opposition to Jesus' words, "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, NASB). Again, Jesus says, "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matt. 16:25, NASB). Noted author, Ayn Rand, in his very telling book, The Virtue of Selfishness" made this self exalting statement: "To hold one's own life as one's ultimate value, and one's own happiness as one's highest purpose are two aspects of the same achievement." With such comments, is it any wonder people today are so self-centered and narcissistic. Whether people realize it or not, this unhealthy act of self-love, is a form of "self" worship. It is idolatry (see Ex. 20:3-5). Actually, the practice of self love and the worship of self is known among Satanist as one of their most revered practices.

The wonderful news is, it doesn't have to be that way. You don't need to post a hundred selfies to get validation from others. Put away your video cameras, cell phones, iphones, and other computerized gadgets and go out and talk to people, really make an effort to socialize with people without whipping out your cell phone every few minutes to check your messages and updates. Really make an effort to focus your interest on other people, and never seek validation from others. If you really want validation from other people, then give them a reason to do so, by focusing your attention on them, and not yourself. Put your focus on Christ, and not yourself; put your focus on your neighbor, and not yourself. Make this a daily habit, and soon you will reap the positive benefits from it. I challenge you with this thought provoking quote from Jim Elliot: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose."

I came across this quote from a friend on here on Facebook. The quote reads:

"So many years of education, yet nobody ever taught us how to love ourselves, and why it's so important." -Spirit Science. 

I would not say education is the problem, but rather the issue is, they don't know how to love themselves appropriately. For most people don't have a problem loving themselves. People are usually full of self love, so much so that many are narcissistic, in love with themselves. It is a self-centered kind of love that fails to reach beyond one's self in love towards others. For the Scripture says, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:31, ESV). You see, it is too much self love that is the real problem here, not a lack of it. People need to be taught to not love themselves too much to the exclusion of others. Why is this so important? Because without a healthy balance between loving our self properly and loving others appropriately, we get off balance and fall victim to such inappropriate behaviours as self-entitlement and narcissism.

Notice the host of sinful problems that follow right after Paul's phrase, "For people will be lovers of self." The list goes beyond just the verse in today's text. The complete list reads as follows: "lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God," (2 Tim. 3:3-4, ESV). This of course is akin to the works of the flesh (see Gal. 5:19-21). If focusing on loving our self amounts to producing such bad fruit that is mentioned in the list of bad behaviours by Paul in the verses above, I will gladly pass. I would rather have the fruits of the spirit produced in my life, which are as follows: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23, ESV). You see, as I stated earlier, it is not a lack of loving our self that is the real problem here, but rather it is "self love" that is at the root of our problem. If we are to be taught how to love, it should be in how to love others. For we selfishly love ourselves naturally. With that said, I concluded with Jesus words here: "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13, ESV).