Highlighted New Testament Bible

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Sunday, August 25, 2013

St Matthew, Chapter 18, verse:1, Pride: Who is the Greatest

Our paragraph topic is:  (Against ambition) Part 1.    

So the disciples were in the house with Jesus.  Simon Peter was off fishing to deal with his thoughts of anger and frustration with the taxing system.  But the others were debating and dealing with other issues.  Satan was at work, never resting.  He was dividing.  He was instigating, he was seeking ways to turn the disciples away from Christ so that he could use them for his own purposes.  

The disciples were young in the spirit.  They did not completely understand what they were doing or who they were dealing with.  It was spiritual warfare and Satan was on the prowl.  He could not directly affect the disciples because of Christ but he could influence them with little suggestions.  He could plant thoughts in their minds.  He could give them ideas like seeds that would grow and fester in their minds until they became full blown thoughts that would lead to actions that were against the spirit.  So, at that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 

Who is the greatest?  Who is the best?  Who is the prettiest?  Who is the strongest?  We could think about all these superlatives all day and wonder where we fit in the grand scheme of things.  What are our greatest qualities?  How can we maximize upon these qualities to get ahead, to make ourselves noticed, to put us above the rest of the crowd.  Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?  The disciples discussed this question among themselves and wanted to know the answer.  They thought about and argued the question among themselves with each having their own opinion as to the answer.  And while they were arguing the answer Satan was working in their midst.

We all want to feel proud.  It is a natural human emotion that makes us feel good about ourselves while at the same time making us feel bad about ourselves.  For in considering the question of what we have done and what we have accomplished, we can also think about what we have not done and what we have not accomplished.  We are proud of what we have.  We are proud of who we are in the community.  We are proud of our accomplishments, our titles, our homes, our cars, our clothes, how we look, our physical being, and all the things that will make us feel good about who we are and how other people will see us.  We are proud of the physical and not the spiritual.

For how can we be proud of the spiritual?  How can we have others see the spiritual being that we are and make us feel proud that we are spiritual?  Do we become religious?  Do we become knowledgeable of the scriptures that we can show others our spiritual growth?  Do we speak of religious things among our friends and associates that we can demonstrate our spiritual being?  Do we do all these things that we may become spiritually proud of who we are?  Only God sees our true spirit.  Only God knows what is in our hearts.   Only God is the true cause of how we feel about who we are. 

For it is the truth of the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus that leads us to know the true nature of our being.  And without the knowledge of our spirit we are still just physical beings, lost in the physical world.  We are spiritual beings not knowing the light of the spirit that is within us.  We are spiritual beings unable to perceive the light within us, unable to see the light of life given us by Christ Jesus through his sacrifice.  And without true knowledge we are walking in darkness, simply physical beings. 

Christ told us that the eye is the lamp of body and if the eye is sound then the body will be full of light.  Do you have a sound eye?  Can you not see the light within you?  Do you not know the light of your soul?  Come!  Follow the path before you.  See the spirit that you are.  Know the light of Christ that is within you and you will no longer be in darkness.  Christ has opened the door for you.  He has given the path to walk.  He will come and send the Holy Spirit to be with you for the rest of your days, if you simply ask. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.