Day 187 "If I must look down to see you, then I have placed myself above you."

Day 187 Matthew 23:1-12 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” This very well could be the message Jesus gave that caused the Pharisees to become bold enough to accuse Christ, for I truly believe that this is one of the most powerful messages He gave while in Jerusalem. These spiritual leaders had let their power corrupt them, they had stepped over the line, and their actions had become the opposite of their words. Jesus was giving those who would hear this (including us) a message that would remain timeless until His return. Yes, these men were the keepers of the law; however, they were not the law. They spoke one thing and did another; they were first-class hypocrites, and they were far from humility. When men of God seek the best place, seek the glory, seek to be served rather than to serve, they are walking on very thin ice; they are heading down a dangerous road that could lead to destruction. In recent years, we have seen much evidence of so-called great leaders of the faith fall long and hard largely due to their lack of humility and desire to be lifted up. I will confess to you that this is, in my opinion, the very toughest battle that we leaders face, and I would admit to you that I fight this battle myself on a daily basis. I thank God for the many friends I have who have committed with me to keep me from such failure by reminding me of who I am in Christ, a fallen, forgiven man. One of the greatest examples of this desire to be lifted up became very obvious to me a few years ago while working the relief effort in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All over the area where we traveled in the midst of great devastation were the largest billboards I have ever seen. Many were illuminated and very colorful, and it was very obvious that great care and (ongoing) expense had gone into these roadside signs. Most of these billboards had one thing in common, the picture of the pastor and possibly his wife in their entire splendor. The signs were obviously made with the intent of getting people to come to see this great person. Oh yes, some of them mentioned Jesus, but I cannot remember seeing a sign that proclaimed Him as the head or made Him the point of honor–that place was obviously reserved for the pastor. And, oh yes, I realize that this may be cultural and, yes, I may be offending some people, but if I am, you might want to once again read this passage–for it is the Holy Spirit who is offending you, not me. Anytime we, as leaders, place ourselves in a position of splendor or a position of high honor, anytime we become the focus of the flock rather than Christ, we are on dangerous ground. I realize that there are those who will place pastors in such a position; however, I also realize that we, as the leaders, are to thwart such efforts when they interfere with peoples understanding of God's role and the Holy Spirit-led direction for us believers. Pastors are shepherds. Our role is to tend to the flock, to see that their spiritual needs are met, to feed them, care for them, protect them from the attacks of the enemy, and so on, not to be served by them. I pray that, as leaders, none of you have allowed yourselves to fall into such a trap, and as followers, may we never elevate our leaders to a wrongful standing as well. Keeping the balance is difficult I will admit; however, balance we must! Daily Prayer: Father, I pray for humility as I serve You. May I never place myself above those whom I serve. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "If I must look down to see you, then I have placed myself above you." Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 186 “Wise men fear Him, but the truly wise are not afraid of Him.”

Day 186 Matthew 22:41-46 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:‘The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. Jesus has determined that now is the time to silence His accusers. At least for now, He has answered their questions. He has played their games and, since finding truth was not their goal or objective, He turns things around. You see, they were OK trying to trip up the man Jesus; however, they knew they could never win a theological discussion with Him, especially when He is now referring to the Son of David as a God–this was more than they could or wanted to handle. You see, when Jesus asked them this question in verse 44, He was quoting Psalm 110:1, and the word “Lord” here means Adonay, a word used only to describe God. For example, in Job 28:28, God is speaking to Job and his cohorts and says the following: “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’” In order for the Pharisees to win this discussion, they would need to either deny the Word of God as true or openly say that Jesus was a liar and not the Messiah, which is exactly what they will later do. However, let's go back and look at this from a different perspective. There are two ways in which Jesus was viewed. By one group of people, He was viewed as a God in the form of a man, sent by God to set men free, a deity. By the other group of people, He was seen as a man–a rabble-rouser–a politically charged person who was seeking His own gain; someone who was uncomfortable with the status quo. In the first group, the believers held Him in high regard and respected Him for who He was. They did not treat Him as a man but rather as their Messiah. I would say in many ways they feared Him. I mean, wouldn't you, if you saw Him do the things He did and say the things He said? Therefore, according to Job 28:28 (and other various passages), they were acting in wisdom. However, those who viewed Him as a man did not fear Him, they loathed Him. They became familiar with Him; therefore, they lacked in wisdom, did they not? Now, can I muddy up the waters a little? I'm not saying that the disciples and the followers of Christ were afraid of Him; however, I would say they feared Him–big difference. I believe we are to reverently fear the power of God, and we are to understand that our God is one who will do as He pleases, when He pleases, and his judgment will fall upon those whom He chooses to judge; therefore, in His presence we will rightfully maintain respect. While we may and should know God, we must always remember that He is God, and familiarity can often lead to failure or sin on our part. Again, look at Job 28:28–while fear leads to wisdom, wisdom leads to departing from evil, which is understanding. You see, if we view God as a deity and fear His power, we understand that evil is not for us. The point I am trying to make is this: if we are familiar with God because we are often in His presence seeking His forgiveness, mercy, and grace, maybe we had better get a little more fear of Him in our hearts, for if we do fear Him, our tendency is to flee evil. I truly believe that there are many people in this world who are being wrongly influenced to have too comfortable of a relationship with God; they are being encouraged to bathe in His grace rather than bask in the glory of His presence. One is very self-serving, and the other, while it serves us well, serves the Lord much better, for He desires to be in fellowship with us. I believe our God wants more than a superficial relationship; after all, He does desire to spend eternity with us, does He not? Now, that’s cool. I don't understand why, but I'm sure glad He does! I pray that we would all be familiar with God, not just his grace and mercy, but familiar with all His attributes. How about you? Do you know Him well? The good news is His grace and mercy provides the way for all of us to know Him better. Daily Prayer: Father, I thank You that you are a God of mercy and grace and that You love me in spite of my failures and shortcomings. Give me the ability to have a healthy fear of You that I might depart and flee from the evil of this world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “Wise men fear Him, but the truly wise are not afraid of Him.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 185 "Loving God fulfills all law."

Day 185 Matthew 22:34-40 But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Having silenced His accusers in every other way, they now bring out the heavy hitter, the lawyer, one who is well-versed and educated in the law of the prophets–the basis of their religious beliefs (and ours, I might add). Surely, now they would be able to trip Him up. You see, they were seeking an answer which they could use against Jesus. They desired to trip Him up with the law of the Word yet, once again, He spoke with the Spirit of the Word. In a battle between the Spirit of the Word and the law of the Word, the Spirit will always win, for mankind has always failed to uphold the law. Why, you ask? Because the Spirit of the law is the backbone of the law; the Spirit of the law can exist without the law; however, the law cannot survive on its own. Let me explain. The law of the prophets, which began with the Ten Commandments, was put in place to guide the people of God. They couldn't keep the law so the law expanded to cover more areas; when those boundaries were breached, again, the law was forced to be expanded and so on and so on. Just look at our own government. We are continually adding new laws to keep people in line and to punish those who have missed the mark, and as long as people continue to attempt not to break the law, they will indeed do so; hence, requiring more laws. However, the Spirit of the law is very simple, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind" and "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." If mankind were to love God in the way we are told to do so, then consequently there would be no need for the law. If we love God to the degree we should, we would, indeed, love our neighbor. We would fulfill every law ever written because we would never desire to do anything to harm anyone else and, after all, by harming others, we are, indeed, harming God. Our cheating, lying, complaining, and envy of others are, in fact, acts against God more so than they are acts against those individuals; we are His creation, created in his image and loved by Him. Yes, this is a very simple solution in theory to all of the problems of the world. In these earthly tents, filled with earthly desires and under the influence of a demonic realm, it is nearly impossible to live such a life; however, that does not excuse us from constantly attempting to do so. Thank God for his grace and mercy, for I would much rather face the grace of a merciful God than the wrath of man backed by the law. Any doubts, look at what they did to Jesus. Yes, we truly are people who are under the law of the land; however, we have nothing to fear if we will but strive to fulfill the Spirit of the commandments that Jesus has mentioned here–to love our God! Daily Prayer: Father, for all time, after the fall, mankind has struggled with maintaining our place with You. Help me, Lord, to love You with all my heart, my soul, and my mind that I might be a light to a lost and hurting world. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Loving God fulfills all law." Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 184 "Watering down the truth to fit our agenda is a sign of watered down faith."

Day 184 Matthew 22:23-33 The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.” Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” And when the multitudes heard this, they were astonished at His teaching. The Sadducees would be the equivalent of what we would today call the liberals; their intent was to mix just enough truth with their own beliefs in order to give their belief validity. Again, knowing the truth was never the goal; the goal for them was to justify their position by bending and watering down the truth. While I realize that there are those who read this and disagree with me about some of the points, I must say to you that I am simply repeating the truth as it is written in the Word; therefore, take up your issue with the One who inspired it. The fact is that the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection; they believed that life ended upon death; therefore, they were not simply asking a question of Jesus. They were actually making fun of Him. However, once again, Jesus used the very scripture that they were said to have studied to trip them up and reveal to all the true desire of their hearts. It never ceases to amaze me how many people make up their minds about something and then argue the point to death when the truth would suit them better. Here's a simple one for you: if life begins at a point other than conception, why do we need to kill it to make a choice? The choice has already been made, and the only alternative to life is death, and no matter what abortionists say, this is the truth! No matter how passionate we may be about something, God is not interested in our passion–He is, however, bound by, committed to, and will fulfill all truth; therefore, little else matters. The truth is this: when Jesus quoted the scripture, it said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob," not ‘I was.’ If He had said ‘I was,’ it would be past tense, and those who had died would, in fact, be dead; however, He said, "I am"–present tense; so they are still alive, and they are, in fact, with Him. Therefore, they have been resurrected, and that is why the people wondered so at Jesus. He took the obvious truth and turned it back on the arrogant deceivers and allowed the simple truth to disarm them. Far too often we strike up a cause that has no root, no depth, no bearing. Why, so we can be right? How can we be right when what we are doing is wrong? Impossible, yes? Are you fighting for a lost cause, and are you challenging the truth in order to justify your actions or desires? If so, please stop. God is not impressed, and neither is anyone else. Daily Prayer: Father, may we learn to seek Your will, allow You to do our warfare, and trust You to hear our prayers in order that we may focus our energies toward truly pleasing You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Watering down the truth to fit our agenda is a sign of watered down faith." Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 183 "You can never out give God, but it sure is fun to try!"

Day 183 Matthew 22:18-22 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the tax money.” So they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” When they had heard these words, they marveled, and left Him and went their way. Every believer should, in my opinion, have this passage engrained somewhere in their memory banks or hanging on their wall, as the profoundness of this passage should calm fears, subside anger, and allow great peace to fall upon every believer. How is that, you ask? Do not let the simplicity with which Jesus answers this question be all that you see; look beyond to the incredible freedom allowed by such direction. When the Lord of Hosts says to you ‘give to Caesar what is Caesar's,’ He is giving you the incredible freedom and intense command to pay your taxes and to support your government. You may say things like, "I don't like the way they spend my money" or "They don't deserve my money," both of which, while they may be true for you, are not true under God's direction. Yes, it is OK to feel frustrated with your government, and, yes, you are obligated and allowed in our great land to freely voice your opinions; however, you are not allowed to withhold you taxes. The Roman government was as corrupt and immoral as any government ever has been, and if Jesus says to the people that they are to give according to what this corrupt government is requiring, then surely we are called likewise to give to ours. The second half of this statement should be even more important and of greater priority to all of us who believe: "…and to God the things that are God's." What are the things that are God's, you ask? How about, first of all, you? Yes, you are God's–He created you, redeemed you, and is caring constantly for you. How much do you give? Let me ask this, how much did He create or, even better yet, how much did He give? If we weigh our obligation to give against His giving to us, we will surely find that we can never equal His sacrifice and devotion, so again, how much do we give? The answer is truly simple: we simply hold back nothing, and by doing so, we become free, unbound, blessed, and joyous. We no longer will fall into the trap of selfish desires, for now we walk in the freedom of faithfulness, enjoying everything we have, and experiencing it to its fullest, fulfilled in Christ. Hallelujah! Daily Prayer: Father, I want to be satisfied in life, complete and whole in You. If I'm holding on to anger, frustration, or bitterness, please show me that I might allow You to free me and make me whole. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "You can never out give God, but it sure is fun to try!" Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 182 "Truth never has an agenda but man always does."

Day 182 Matthew 22:15-17 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk. And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.” The trickery the enemy plans for believers is so very well played out in this short section of scripture that I truly felt the need to stop and go deeper. We have a classic scenario of the divided religious leaders uniting to discredit the truth with lies and innuendos disguised as fact by taking things out of context. You see, they had one goal, to trick Jesus, to trap Him into saying something that would separate Him from one group of people or another. The Pharisees, who were purists in their view of religion, had failed to trick Him, so they call in the Herodians who are absolutely comfortable with watering down the law in order to appease everyone and make nice with the Romans. If Jesus answers without the direction of the Spirit, He will send a message of discourse to someone, and truly one of the four powers that be will have reason to be offended by Him; hence, leading to His downfall. We will, of course, in the next passage see how this all comes out to play; however, for now, let’s focus on the reason for the discussion, which is to fulfill a preplanned agenda. There was a goal set forth prior to any conversation with Christ and that was to discredit Him; it was not to get to the truth. Sound familiar? It should. It is the goal of our press in this world every day. The goal of the press is no longer to communicate the truth but rather to communicate its agenda. For believers, these are very trying times; we must do all we can to see beyond the agenda of the media and look to the truth, and that, alone, should form our opinions–not Oprah, not Diane, nor Wolf nor Barbara Walters or anyone else. If you are believing the things you read and see on the TV or other various forms of media you subscribe to, without filtering them through prayer, the Word, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit, then you, too, will be believing lies and, consequently, often be spewing them as truth. We are warned in the Word to "test all things." We are also told that in the end times "even the elite will be deceived." How can this happen, you ask? It is actually very easy for this to happen when we fail to seek the counsel of the Lord, for by failing to do so, we trust the counsel of man, and mankind is fallen. Don't believe everything you’re being fed by the media. Test it against the Word, wait upon the Lord in prayer, ask the Holy Spirit to give you direction, and then make your decisions. You will find yourself much more content when you do. Daily Prayer: Father, keep me from making snap decisions and believing the things I hear from the media. Give me the patience to pray and seek Your will, the ability to hear Your voice, and the understanding of Your Word. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Truth never has an agenda but man always does." Gene Burroughs, Pastor

Day 181 "Everyone must RSVP to the marriage supper of the Lamb in order to attend."

Day 181 Matthew 22:11-14 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are called, but few are chosen.” Once again, we see the extreme grace of God being exhibited in the same passage where we see the bottom line truth of grace being explained, almost in a matter of fact way. When the King saw the man who was not properly adorned, or in this case not covered by the blood of the savior, he still addresses him as friend. How comforting it should be to all of us that God truly does not see the sinners as such so much as He sees them as friends; those who are welcomed to be a part of the great gathering and end harvest. People who have chosen not to accept Christ are, in my opinion, not turned away from, forsaken, or punished (at least in most cases) until His return; they are, however, people who are not participating in the fellowship with, or receiving the protection of God today. He still views them as friends of the King; they are created in His likeness, and all mankind has within them an inherent understanding that there is a creator and that they are not a spawn of some primordial creature. However, many of the people around us may, in fact, be those who will not be allowed to enter heaven. Why, you ask? Because being a good person, hanging out in church, or giving to the poor according to the Word will not be enough. Yes, they have been invited to the party, they have been told what to wear, their invitation has clear guidelines, and when Christ returns, they will see Him, as will all mankind; however, at this point, there will not be a change of clothes available; it will be too late to be chosen. Yes, many are called to be a part of God's eternal Kingdom; however, few will be chosen, for few, by comparison, will choose to be prepared to meet the King. Some years ago, we held a joint outreach with Christ Has Risen Ministries, along with a large number of other ministries in Linda, California. Everyone in attendance heard multiple times the message of the gospel, the conditions of acceptance by God, and each one was given the opportunity to choose. Many chose to accept the truth, some felt the need to learn more, and some decided to rebel. All three are friends of God; however, not all will be allowed to participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb. By the way, my then ten-year-old daughter, with no prompting from me, led five people to the Lord; not everyone she shared with decided to believe, but five did! How many people have you shared the Lord with this week? Daily Prayer: Father, for those I know who have not chosen to believe, I pray for their salvation. I ask also for the courage, boldness, and the confidence to share the message of Jesus with those who do not know Him. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "Everyone must RSVP to the marriage supper of the Lamb in order to attend." Gene Burroughs, Pastor