Tag: Christian

The Unfathomable Depth of God

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TEXAS GOSPEL STAFF

When we think about God, we quickly realize that we’re dealing with something far beyond our understanding. God’s nature is so vast and deep that our minds can’t fully grasp it. We might study other subjects and feel confident in our knowledge, but when it comes to God, we find ourselves in awe of His greatness.

This realization is both humbling and awe-inspiring. It reminds us that there are limits to our understanding and that we are small in comparison to the infinite God. But this isn’t a discouragement—it’s a call to worship. The more we recognize God’s greatness, the more we are drawn to honor and revere Him.

In our daily lives, we often like to feel in control and knowledgeable. We take pride in what we know and understand. But when we approach the study of God, we quickly see that there’s so much more beyond our grasp. This awareness helps us stay humble, knowing that we are just a small part of God’s grand design.

But even though we can’t fully understand God, we can still know Him. God reveals Himself to us in ways we can comprehend, inviting us to explore His nature and draw closer to Him. The journey of getting to know God is endless, and with every step, we discover more of His beauty and majesty.

The Ultimate Study for Christians

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A thought for today

People often say that studying humanity is the best way to understand life. While that might be true, for Christians, the most important study is getting to know God. Diving into who God is, understanding His character, His actions, and His essence, is the highest calling for any believer. This isn’t just an intellectual pursuit—it’s the most meaningful and rewarding journey a Christian can embark on.

When we focus on God, we engage with something far greater than any human endeavor. The study of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, goes beyond any other field of study. It’s not just about gaining knowledge; it’s about growing in our relationship with the Creator. As we learn more about Him, we find ourselves drawn closer to His love, wisdom, and power.

This study doesn’t just fill our minds—it transforms our hearts. The more we understand God, the more we see the world through His eyes. We start to realize that everything revolves around Him, not us. Our priorities shift, our values change, and our lives take on new meaning as we align ourselves with His purposes.

For Christians, this is the highest science, the deepest philosophy, and the greatest wisdom. No other pursuit can compare to the life-changing impact of knowing God. It’s not just about studying facts or concepts—it’s about connecting with the living God who created us and calls us His own.

Jesus desires compassion rather than sacrifice

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 12:1-7  
12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat. 2 Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— how he entered the house of God, and they ate the consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? 6 But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here. 7 But if you had known what this means: ‘I desire compassion, rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.

Matthew 12:1-7 tells us of an encounter Jesus had with the Pharisees and some scolding words they had for him. Let’s look at the context, focus on what the Pharisees said and what it reveals about their motives. Let’s also look at what this says about those who misuse God’s word to impose their own understanding onto others and see if we can find an underlying principle.

Matthew tells us the Pharisees called out Jesus because his disciples picked the heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. The Pharisees considered this work on the Sabbath. In context, this encounter comes right after Jesus spoke of the wise being confounded by things revealed to those who are as infants. Jesus is now confronted by the “wise” people of his day. The preceding verses tell us God’s burden is light, but the Pharisees have something different in mind. They knew the law very well, but were they blind to its purpose? Let’s look a bit more at the situation.

The wise Pharisees were baffled by a religious leader allowing his followers to do something their understanding of the law told them was a violation of the law. They were also baffled by Jesus’ response. He gave examples from what was written that contradicted the burden the Pharisees were adding. He spoke of David eating “consecrated bread,” and priests who had no guilt even though their actions in the temple on the Sabbath violated the Pharisees’ understanding of the law.    

I believe there is an underlying principle here that we see throughout God’s word.  Our actions are meaningless if they only serve tradition, and they can be harmful if done for the wrong motives. Consider earlier verses in Matthew where Satan spoke of what was written in prophecy as he told Jesus to turn stones to bread or jump off a cliff, but Satan told Jesus to do these things for the wrong reasons; that is, to test God rather than serve Him. Jesus rebuked Satan for this and in Matthew 12:1-7 we see Jesus rebuking religious leaders for doing the same thing. They followed the law for the wrong reasons and imposed it on others as a burden.

The Pharisees enforced religious rituals and external acts with no regard for what was in a person’s heart.  Is this what Jesus meant by a desire for compassion rather than sacrifice?

What are your thoughts?

Also on the web:

Why did Jesus tell his apostles to preach only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel?

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Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

Matthew 10:5-6 tells us Jesus sent his 12 disciples to preach to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. Jesus specifically ordered them not to preach to the Gentiles or Samaritans, but to tell to Israel’s lost sheep  that the kingdom of heaven is near. This may seem like an odd thing for Jesus to say.  Why not preach to everyone? Let me be very clear on this point: I don’t know; meaning, I do not know of a specific verse that explains this. I think we can infer an answer, but I make no claim that such an answer is Gospel. I only claim that my inference is based on scripture. With that in mind, let’s look at what is written, and where it may lead.

We can extrapolate from Matthew’s writing that he wrote to a Jewish audience to convince them that Jesus is the prophesied Jewish Messiah. I say this because Matthew repeatedly used the phrase “to fulfil what was spoken through the prophet.” I believe Matthew’s purpose is to show that Jesus is the one Jewish people had been expecting. With this in mind, would it not make sense that Matthew recorded things that Jesus did specifically for Jewish people?

It is written in the Old Testament that God made a covenant with the Jewish people. The fifth book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, tells us Jewish people are a holy people. It says God chose them, “… to be a people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.” Exodus tells us God told Moses that the Sons of Israel, “…shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” The Old Testament clearly tells us Jewish people have a special place. But what about the New Testament?

Romans 1:16 tells us salvation is for everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Acts 3:25-26 tells us the prophets say to the Jewish people, “… God raised up His Servant for you first, and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways.”  It appears to me that Jesus fulfills this by telling his disciples to go preach to the Jews. Fortunately for the rest of us, we too may accept salvation because of God’s grace. Salvation is not something into which one is born, even if one is born Jewish. I would argue that it’s harder for a Jewish believer because of social pressures. That certainly was the case in Jesus’ day if you consider how Jewish leaders reacted to Jesus.

Matthew 10:16 tells us that Jesus gave a warning to his disciples as they went to preach to the lost sheep. He told his disciples they would be sheep in the midst of wolves. He said some will be eager to hand them over to be flogged in the synagogues. The culture of Jesus’ day was not friendly to anyone who would upset the apple cart by preaching Messiah has come. But I would caution about being too judgmental of them because of this.  We certainly see people triggered today anytime someone mentions the Gospel.

Why did Jesus tell his apostles to preach only to Jewish people?  What are your thoughts.

AROUND THE WEB:

  1. CBN: What Does the Bible Teach about the Jewish People and the Nation of Israel?
  2. Got Questions: What does it mean that the Jews are God’s chosen people?
  3. IFCJ: Why God Chose the Jewish People
  4. CPM: Why are the Jewish people special?
The Book of Matthew

Do you read the Bible to prove a point?

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Matthew 9:32-34 (NASB) 32 And as they were going out, behold, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. 33 And after the demon was cast out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

Floyd Rogers – Texas Gospel Volunteer, Christian writer

The 9th Chapter of Matthew tells us of Jesus working miracles as he fulfills prophecy about the Messiah. Matthew tells us the Pharisees saw Jesus cast out demons and restore a man’s ability to speak. Their reaction was to infer from what they saw that Jesus cast out demons by the “…ruler of the demons.” It seems to me they inferred this because of their pre-conceived false idea that Jesus must be a fraud. I say this because I see no other way could dismiss what they saw with their own eyes. Perhaps the Pharisees reflected on Exodus that tell us when Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh, they did some miraculous things as a sign that that their message is from God. But Exodus also tells us that the “soothsayer priests did the same with their secret arts.” I believe they were blinded to the truth because they were more interested in being proven right.  What would happen to their position in society if Jesus was indeed the Messiah?

The Pharisees witnessed Jesus’ miracles, yet they still refused to accept what they saw for what it is. Matthew does not tell us they sought guidance from God to reveal the truth of what took place. Matthew only tells the conclusion they reached to dismiss it as something evil. Isn’t this the way people today react when presented with a scripture that goes against a doctrine they strongly believe? Are there not people today who read the Bible to prove an idea rather than read and pray that God would reveal the meaning of His word?

What are your thoughts?