The Hand of a Fisherman

As Jesus and his disciples were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were overwhelmed with grief. When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax approached Peter and said, "Does not your teacher pay the temple tax?" "Yes," he said. When he came into the house, before he had time to speak, Jesus asked him, "What is your opinion, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take tolls or census tax? From their subjects or from foreigners?" When he said, "From foreigners," Jesus said to him, "Then the subjects are exempt. But that we may not offend them, go to the sea, drop in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up. Open its mouth and you will find a coin twice the temple tax. Give that to them for me and for you." 

Consideration: Jesus is told by Simon that it was the foreigners who were to pay the census tax. So, Jesus, not wanting to offend the tax collectors, tells Simon where he would find the coin to satisfy the sum for Simon and himself. Of all places, in the mouth of a fish; to the hand of a fisherman.

Glory, Honor, and Praise!

Awesomeness of the Father; Glory of His Son; fullness of the Spirit of Life; the Triune God is One.

 

Majesty, honor and praise; blessed be Thy Holy Name; all that is and will forever be; for all of eternity. 

When time is no more; your children are home; the last tear has been cried; infused with your love.

 

Thy will be done; Thy Kingdom come; together in Paradise...Glory of Peace!

The voices of Angels; ageless melodies; glory, honor, and praise; joyous things fulfilled and revealed.

Divine exaltation; all things will and forever be; as was intended…Glory and Peace!

Awesomeness of the Father; Glory of His Son; fullness of the Spirit of Life; the Triune God is One.

 

Majesty, honor and praise; blessed be Thy Holy Name; all that is and will forever be…Glory and Peace!

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the Triune God is One; awesomeness of Paradise...Glory, Honor, and Peace!!!

I Search My Soul

 

 The many roads I’ve traveled,

Days and nights thinking of you,

My restless mind was unsettled,

From the pain I put you through,

 There’s one thing I want you to know,

There’s a feeling deep inside me,

That keeps me from losing control,

When I’m down on bended knees,

 I search my soul for answers,

When questions fill up my heart,

Away from all life’s romancers,

That’ve caused us to drift apart,

 At times I need to gather my senses,

To live out the truth inside of me,

Cast away all my defenses,

So I’ll be free, with eyes to see,

 I search my soul for answers,

Looking deep within my heart,

Away from all life’s romancers,

Nothing could ever keep us apart,

 I search my soul and find you,

From selfish ambitions I’m set free,

 Nothing is impossible to get through,

With you in my soul… am I… truly free!

Walking on the Sea

After he had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified. "It is a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was, he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, "Truly, you are the Son of God."

Consideration: When the storms of life cast us to and fro, do we panic, lose faith and trust in the Lord? Or do we call upon the name of the Lord, to come to our aid and assist us in our time of need? The Lord is the true Shepherd; never will he abandon us when we are in need or have lost our way. Amen.

A Mustard Seed

A man came up to Jesus, knelt down before him, and said, "Lord, have pity on my son, who is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him." Jesus said in reply, "O faithless and perverse generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring the boy here to me." Jesus rebuked him and the demon came out of him, and from that hour the boy was cured. Then the disciples approached Jesus in private and said, "Why could we not drive it out?" He said to them, "Because of your little faith. Amen, I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."

Consideration: Jesus explains to his disciples that their lack faith prohibited them from healing a severely ill boy. 

Do we possess the faith the size of a mustard seed? When we are confronted with a situation that will require us to put our trust totally with the Lord; will we have the faith to do so? 

Lord Jesus, we pray that you will bless us beyond the earthly limitations that bind our faith and trust. That even with our limited faith, the size of a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for us to achieve. Amen.

Coming in His Kingdom

Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and to forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and there he will repay each according to his conduct. Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom."

Consideration: This remarkable scripture passage is one of great hope and trust in the Lord. Jesus tells his disciples that there were some among him that would not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom. It takes deep faith to enter into what Jesus is telling his disciples. Will some be given to the grace to fall asleep in Jesus, and awake to see his glory without experiencing death? Will we also be given this grace as well? We shall see! Amen.

I Will Forgive Their Evildoing

The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers: the day I took them by the hand to lead them forth from the land of Egypt; for they broke my covenant, and I had to show myself their master, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer will they need to teach their friends and relatives how to know the Lord. All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more. Jeremiah 31:31-34