From: "Ramya Rachel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> ODB - Peripheral Vision
Dear all,
Quote from today's reading:
Some people follow Jesus Christ,
Then obstacles get in their way;
But if they'll focus on the Lord,
They won't be led astray. -Sper
Let's focus on our GOD who has paid the price on the cross and set us free.
Have a great Wednesday and a happy holiday.
Love,
Mya
February 6, 2008
Peripheral Vision
READ: Luke 9:51-62
Now it came to pass, when the time had come for [Jesus] to be received up, that
He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. -Luke 9:51
Peripheral vision enables us to be aware of our surroundings while remaining
focused on our destination. What we see from "the corner of our eye" can be
useful, unless it distracts us fr! om our goal.
During the weeks leading to Easter, as we think about the cross, we may be
struck by our Lord's purposeful approach to the city where He knew crucifixion
and resurrection awaited Him. "Now it came to pass, when the time had come for
Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem"
(Luke 9:51). From that moment on, Jesus' eyes were on the cross. Every obstacle
to accomplishing His Father's will became part of His peripheral vision.
When a man professed an interest in following Him, Jesus told him: "No one,
having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God" (v.62). The issue was probably not the man's family (v.61) but his focus.
We can't move ahead while looking at what we've left behind.
Neither cries of "Hosanna" nor shouts of hatred could deter Jesus from His goal
"to give His life a ransom for many" and to pay the price to set us free (Matt.
20:28).
Where is our focus today? -David C. McCasland
Some people follow Jesus Christ,
Then obstacles get in their way;
But if they'll focus on the Lord,
They won't be led astray. -Sper
You don't need to know where you're going if you know the One who does.
Luke 9:51-62
Samaritan Opposition
51As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely
set out for Jerusalem. 52And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a
Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53but the people there did not
welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54When the disciples James
and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire! down from
heaven to destroy them[a]?" 55But Jesus turned and rebuked them, 56and[b] they
went to another village.
The Cost of Following Jesus
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you
wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the
Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and
proclaim the kingdom of God."
61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and
say good-by to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit
for service in the kingdom of God."
Footnotes:
Luke 9:54 Some manuscripts them, even as Elijah did
Luke 9:56 Some manuscripts them. And he said, "You do not know what kind of
spirit you are of, for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but
to save them." 56 And
.
==========================================
From: Elsie
FAITH FORWARD
What happens when you become a Christian? Here's Billy Graham:
He gives you new powers, new directions, new visions, new dimensions of living,
when you come to know Him. He once said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me
to heal the brokenhearted, [the preaching of] deliverance to the captives,
[the] recovering of sight to the blind, [and] to set at liberty them that are
bruised". Good news for the poor! Good news for the suffering! Good news for
the enslaved! Good news for the blind! Christ can indeed cope with the social
problems of the world if we have the capacity. And He gives that capacity when
we come to Him and accept Him as Savior.
As Mr. Graham says, you become new when you come to Jesus Christ by faith, and
accept him as Savior. To make a decision of faith today, call us at the Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association, toll-free, at 1-866-JESUS-CARES. Or, click
billygraham.org.
Thanks and regards,
Elsie Lim
Lamar Boschman - "When I worship, I would rather my heart be without words than
my words be without heart." .
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