I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 

I am quite a people person. I absolutely love people and I could everyday around people I love and/or meeting new faces. Facebook to me isn’t just a “I’m bored” tool. I love knowing how people are doing, how many months their babies are, where they are living etc. I say all that to say that even though God gave me a strong personality and desire to be around and interact with others, I have to have my alone time. Especially when I don’t feel well, if I am around others I get drained so quickly! I quickly found out once I got married that I don’t like someone in my space all of the time ;) I like him haha, but I have to withdraw and be alone and be still. I may love talking and laughter, but I need quiet and peace too.

This scripture is especially near to my heart tonight. Never never never ever will Jesus leave us or forsake us! I am comforted by the fact that Jesus doesn’t need a coffee break from His job. He doesn’t need to withdrawal and ignore his phone, emails and millions of prayer requests for a few days. He doesn’t need to stay up late when the world is quiet and I’m off to sleep and secretly slip off duty. He is with me all day everyday. He is not obligated to be with me. Jesus delights in being with me. He desires to fill me with His Holy Spirit and guide me everyday.

He is with you as a child of God. He doesn’t want you to think that you’re ever alone. He doesn’t want you to buy into the lie that He is far away unaware and not considering your current state. This was a promise that Jesus gave to his disciples after His resurrection before He ascended to heaven. We have the joy and privilege to partner with Him everyday. We aren’t forsaken. Those who gave their lives to Him back then had the same assurance as we do now. We may not know Him in the flesh, but by the Holy Spirit we know Him and have the confidence He is with us.

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:22-23

What words we have here! Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist sends his disciples to inquire if Jesus is the Messiah or if they should look for another. John is in prison for a righteous standing against Herod. Of all words that could’ve been replied, this is Jesus’ reply to John.

Jesus’ reply doesn’t point to the different speculations of others about his birth, family or the unusual events of His life. All of these presented doubt in minds that the long awaited Messiah could be found in this seemingly ordinary Jewish carpenter. Jesus instead pointed to the miracles, the signs and wonders that flowed from His ministry. He confirmed that indeed He is the Son of promise, the long awaited Messiah who would deliver the people.

Jesus’ final words to John,”blessed are those who are not offended by (or because) of me” are quite intense. He is encouraging John to believe in Him and to not fall away from His faith based on other things. He is saying that He is the One and there is no need to look for another.

These word were sent back to John. While we don’t know why John sent his disciples to Jesus with these inquires, there are some good speculations. Was John shocked to now be imprisoned under Herod’s rule after standing for righteousness? Did he think Jesus would deliver him if he was truly the Messiah? Was John trying to encourage his own disciples by sending them to confirm that Jesus is the Christ? One can only speculate. Yet we can obtain so much from these words of Christ.

When we are bearing trials and tribulations, we can consider the blessing of following Christ and joining in the truth of His words. Blessed are we if we aren’t annoyed with what comes with bearing His will and words.

Many are offended with Christ back then through now and they deny Him as savior. Many are offended by His words and reject who He is. These kind often find other “gods” to worship or worship “self” as this is more comfortable and offers less offense to their flesh. Others accept Christ, but stumble upon difficulties and retreat. These people find their false ideas and unrealistic expectations of the way of the cross being destroyed and decide following Jesus isn’t worth it.

This is why Jesus’ words here are so critical, not just to His cousin John during that time but to every person now. Many speak against the words in red and try to get people to live for serving their flesh and not be held to an eternal life with Christ. If we join ourselves to Him, we must be bound to His humility and servanthood of His life and ways. May we not be offended because of His love and His ways. May we stand for His words and prepare the way for His words to transform lives like John’s life did even if that means dying to ourself and our desires.

Lord let us not stumble, fall away or be offended because of You.

And he answered them, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Luke 7:22-23

What words we have here! Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist sends his disciples to inquire if Jesus is the Messiah or if they should look for another. John is in prison for a righteous standing against Herod. Of all words that could’ve been replied, this is Jesus’ reply to John.

Jesus’ reply doesn’t point to the different speculations of others about his birth, family or the unusual events of His life. All of these presented doubt in minds that the long awaited Messiah could be found in this seemingly ordinary Jewish carpenter. Jesus instead pointed to the miracles, the signs and wonders that flowed from His ministry. He confirmed that indeed He is the Son of promise, the long awaited Messiah who would deliver the people.

Jesus’ final words to John,”blessed are those who are not offended by (or because) of me” are quite intense. He is encouraging John to believe in Him and to not fall away from His faith based on other things. He is saying that He is the One and there is no need to look for another.

These word were sent back to John. While we don’t know why John sent his disciples to Jesus with these inquires, there are some good speculations. Was John shocked to now be imprisoned under Herod’s rule after standing for righteousness? Did he think Jesus would deliver him if he was truly the Messiah? Was John trying to encourage his own disciples by sending them to confirm that Jesus is the Christ? One can only speculate. Yet we can obtain so much from these words of Christ.

When we are bearing trials and tribulations, we can consider the blessing of following Christ and joining in the truth of His words. Blessed are we if we aren’t annoyed with what comes with bearing His will and words.

Many are offended with Christ back then through now and they deny Him as savior. Many are offended by His words and reject who He is. These kind often find other “gods” to worship or worship “self” as this is more comfortable and offers less offense to their flesh. Others accept Christ, but stumble upon difficulties and retreat. These people find their false ideas and unrealistic expectations of the way of the cross being destroyed and decide following Jesus isn’t worth it.

This is why Jesus’ words here are so critical, not just to His cousin John during that time but to every person now. Many speak against the words in red and try to get people to live for serving their flesh and not be held to an eternal life with Christ. If we join ourselves to Him, we must be bound to His humility and servanthood of His life and ways. May we not be offended because of His love and His ways. May we stand for His words and prepare the way for His words to transform lives like John’s life did even if that means dying to ourself and our desires.

Lord let us not stumble, fall away or be offended because of You.

And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept. Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” John 11:34-35, 38-39

Today we found out why our guesthouse didn’t have any hot water and why there was hardly any water pressure. The tenants living here before us had two little adorable little boys. They’re so adorable in fact that they filled the water pump with sand;) While this has gone on since we moved in, someone came to our rescue today! He came and removed all of the rocks and did many other tasks to get the water pressure back on.

Today’s events made me think about this passage. The faith of Jesus. The humanity of Jesus. The raw emotions. With the removal of the stone guarding Lazuraus’ grave, life being called back into his body as God was glorified.

What a passage of scripture! All of John chapter 11 centers around this story of Lazuraus’ death and resurrection. It was obviously a marked moment in Jesus’ life to have such detail recorded. I love how He decided to draw near. Upon hearing that Lazuraus is dead, Jesus asks where He is laid. This shows to me that Jesus is not afraid to get near the dead things in our life. He knows that what temporarily looks dead has the opportunity to have life renewed.

While these aren’t necessarily words in red, my favorite part of this chapter is verse 35,”Jesus wept.” Sometimes Jesus is portrayed almost like a heavenly robot as if the fully man part was absent and He was only fully God operating on Earth without emotion. This verse shows His humanity, shows His brokenness and full operation of compassion. He cried and mourned over the loss of His friend. He cried over those who had lost their brother and friend.

His longing for things to be made right called forth a prayer from deep within His spirit and Lazuraus’ life was restored.

I’m thankful for the intercession of Jesus over my life. I’m thankful that He was fully God and fully man on the earth so that He experienced what we experience. I’m thankful that He speaks life to dead situations in our lives. I’m glad that Jesus wasn’t afraid of the stench of my deadness in sin and rolled away the stones that kept me locked in a tomb. He drew near and called me into eternal life with Him. Jesus loves us and desires that we walk in the fullness of all that He has for us.

And a man was there with a withered hand. And they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might accuse him. He said to them, “Which one of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And the man stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. Matthew 12:10-13

There will always be questions to come against who Jesus is and what He stands for. The ways of the world and the spirit of religion will try to put limitations on the power of God. Man’s reasons stand to contradict the simplicity of faith.

When we are faced with opposition, we must lean on the Lord’s reasoning. Here was a man in great need and men came along trying to delay this man’s healing all because of trying to trap Jesus. Often a spirit of religion or ways of the word want us to operate within their own confinements. Here we see the Shepherd heart of God displayed and a man’s health restored.

What I find beautiful here is that Jesus addresses the religious men with an explanation of His heart of compassion verses theirs oflegalism. He doesn’t only heal the man and leave the questions unanswered. He clarifies before the healing that indeed He cares more about the wholeness of a man verses the legalism of the law.

“Is it lawful to heal?…” Of course it is—this is who Jesus is and what he embodies. We must know that Jesus is for us in the midst of every pain that we are suffering. He doesn’t operate by the kingdom of this world. He operates by the kingdom of God and the love of God. Stretch out your hand in faith today in the midst of your adversaries. There is nothing standing between you and your full healing. Jesus is in your midst and desires you to see Him being for you.

And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. Luke 13:11-13 

My USA phone currently is in airplane mode. I only have coverage in the States and if I don’t want to be charged a ton of money, I have to keep it on wifi feature only in order to use it. Stephen’s USA phone on the other hand has an international plan that allows you to enable all phone features with free unlimited data (thanks T-Mobile). His phone is how I’m currently writing these blogs :) While my phone is disabled from making calls and requires wifi for any additional features, Stephen’s phone is enabled to function as it would back home. One is completely restricted and limited and the other is just as if it had never left home. It made me think about this woman’s condition.

I can’t even imagine the freedom this woman experienced. To go from being disabled to enabled to do anything in one moment. One encounter with Jesus has the ability to alter your life entirely. This woman was bent over and a minute later she was standing straight up. What a perspective change!

Can you imagine looking at the ground everyday? Here in Kenya there are gorgeous trees and plants you would miss. I know my heart would grieve if I couldn’t see a spectacular Oklahoma sunset because I was disabled. You might not be looking down naturally at your feet, but maybe you need an alteration in your view point. Maybe for so long you’ve been staring at the wrong thing because you’ve believed lies that have disabled you from walking in victory. Maybe you feel you’re defeated and can’t be set right again. What hope is in these verses! What joy in a perspective change. You could be looking down at your circumstances and failures and then a word from Jesus sets you straight and enables you to see rightly.

Today I believe there is freedom for you like there was for this lady. You too can go from seeing one way to being set straight so you can see what Jesus sees. Let Him give you an adjustment today. You’ve been weighed down and held back for too long. Allow Jesus to switch off the disabilities of your “airplane mode” and free you to aline with the network of heaven(cheesy? Maybe, but it’s true) ;-)

“And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”” Mark 2:16-17

I’ve been in more doctors offices in the past 18 or so months than I can count. In some offices, I’m sure some were fine and in need of a routine checkup or physical. However in the majority of situations, the patients are usually experiencing some sort of symptoms or else wouldn’t be there. Even those there for a routine visit need a clean bill of health to continue their activities and work life.

It would be ridiculous for me to schedule an appointment like I went to today for nerve conduction if I had no reason to believe there was a problem. It would certainly be a waste of mine and the doctor’s time as well as a waste of finances. I would have no need to have his expertise if I already knew that nothing was wrong.

Jesus had no problem advising people that they needed the kingdom of heaven. All kinds of people drew near and heard His truth and received His love and gift of right standing with Father God. Many believed and many were healed. Yet many scoffed and assumed they were right with God already and rejected what Jesus advised. Those who addressed Him in this passage should’ve known Jesus as they were the religious leaders in that day and were looking for the “Messiah”, the promised One who would deliver them. They missed Him. They failed to draw near and seek his “medical attention” and as a result, they charged Him as a criminal and crucified Him.

I would hate to end up in the wrong doctor’s office and receive treatment based on my own diagnosis. From sprained and broken bones growing up, to my unknown allergy to carrots, I wouldn’t have been able to properly diagnosis my body. Furthermore, my righteousness is found in Jesus Christ and His right standing before the Father. I’m glad that He came to call me to repentance as I would’ve misdiagnosed the condition of my sin. The truth is I needed a savior, I still need a savior and I will always need a savior. I’m in need of the Great Physician both spiritually and physically. I need the finished work of the cross; salvation and healing. I’m glad that by this scripture’s definition that I am, “sick”, so that I have need of Him and that He might “eat” with me.

If you have ever wondered if you were “good enough” to approach Jesus, I have news for you you’re not and you never will be. This is good news because there is grace extended to you, empowerment to living in right standing with God when you make Jesus Christ your all and all and live for Him. He dines with the sinners and the tax collectors. He loves seeing the darkest of sin washed as white as snow. Are you sick and in need of the Physician today? :)

But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. Luke 5:15-16

These aren’t “words in RED” per say, however this text comes in between a lot of words in red;) I really felt ministered to tonight as I studied out Jesus’ alone times and then loneliness in scripture. There are many points made from the scriptures of how Jesus would retreat alone to pray and how it should be an example of how our pray lives should be. I agree with those teachings and I know that we must focus on the audience of One like Jesus did.

Tonight however, as this scripture came alive to me, I thought about the difference between Jesus in a crowd and Jesus with His Father. He was in crowds all of the time. He had men that followed Him and learned from Him often. Miracles and signs and wonders were performed constantly. Those who He discipled and who knew Him intimately on earth still didn’t know Him like His father did.

While I’m sure Jesus was off praying glorious prayers for mankind at times, sometimes I wonder if in the fully man state, He cried out to God with raw emotions. We see in the garden of Gethsemane this type of agonizing prayers, but what about the day to day? Did He retreat and say,”Father, no one quite understands me here” or “why do I have to keep explaining myself? Why doesn’t anyone understand the kingdom of God?”. I don’t mean to imply that Jesus was complaining, but I do think He could relate to the Father in a way He couldn’t with anyone else.

No matter how close we are with someone else, they’ll never fully understand us or our lives. Even those who live in our home. The Bible is full of accounts of people feeling lonely or misunderstood. Lev 13:46 clearly commands that if someone has an infection they must live alone. 1Tim 5:5 talks about how widows have needs. Jeremiah sat alone because he gave a critical message from God. Elijah felt so alone that he wanted to die (1 Kings 19). We knew from the prophecy in Isaiah 53:3 that Jesus would become a man “despised and rejected by men”.

While being misunderstood or feeling lonely will look different person to person, we can find peace that Jesus identifies with where we are. Not only does He identify with that, but He showed us the best thing to do and that is to go to our Father in Heaven. Only there will we find the strength to face others in our lives with the love and confidence in who we are as sons and daughters of God.

“While he was still speaking, there came from the ruler’s house some who said, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?” But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.”” Mark 5:35-36

Here we have someone seeking Jesus and others telling him not to bother or trouble Jesus. Often I have heard of words similar to this that have discouraged people from coming to Jesus. They are given harsh statements by others such as, “Jesus would never forgive what you’ve done!”, “You want to go to a church?! Watch our for lightening!” and various other remarks that keep them from walking in faith.

I once had someone ask me to pray for them and their words continue to stick with me. They remarked how they could pray to God for their spouse and kids, but didn’t think that He thought about or cared about their problems. Somehow praying for others was the right thing to do and somewhere along the line praying for yourself was selfish. I watched tears pour down their face as I prayed and shared how God wanted a personal relationship with them and that part of that was being able to pour out His love and goodness and be with us in hard times.

I think of these words in red today, “Do not fear, only believe”. I wonder how many people are bound in fear instead of experiencing freedom and peace in coming to Jesus. There are many things that can keep us back from just believing His words and living our lives for Him.

What is holding you back from believing today? Maybe you’re one step away from an answered prayer and another’s words have sought to deter you. I encourage you with these words today, have faith, seek Jesus! If you only believe, you too can see faith made sight like this ruler who later saw his daughter live!