Day 134 "True believers don't need convincing, they will do their own."

Day 134 Matthew 15:21-28 Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us.” But He answered and said, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. Every moment of Jesus’ time on earth had great purpose, the first of which was to bring the messianic message to God's chosen people, the Jews. It was only after their rejection of that message and Christ Himself that the door was opened for the Gentiles to have that same privilege and access. The questions of why are probably best left for the Lord, for all we men can do is offer opinions based upon what we have read or heard, which truly is all theory and conjecture. What we do see here is Jesus is very clear about His purpose and mission, yet again, He is not without compassion for all mankind, and He is obviously moved by the faith of people. This woman made it very clear that she understood that the Jews were the first to have access to Christ; however, she also made it clear that there was more than enough of Jesus to go around. In addition, she understood that just a little Jesus is all anyone needs to be delivered from bondage. She knew and understood better than the Jewish leaders who Jesus was, His purpose, and His power, and she was bold enough to seek Him out. As an evangelist, I have learned many lessons; some the hard way. One of the most freeing and enabling lessons comes from this passage, and maybe it can help you, as well. All too often we do everything we can to shove Jesus down the throats of everyone we meet, and while exposing people to the truth is definitely our role, choking people on Jesus is not. When people are ready for Jesus they are ready because they have been prepared and understand or because they are in a place where hearing the good news is giving them hope they have never had–the key here being that they are ready and they are making a purposeful choice. Like I have heard many times before, "If you need to talk someone into receiving Jesus, someone else may be able to talk them out of it." This is not to say that arguing the case for the gospel is wrong, but rather to say that once the truth has been shared, the receiver of that truth must choose to accept or deny. We should never force or drive people into confessing to believe something that they truly do not. If we do, what good have we done? The only person who is satisfied by such actions is the one who is seeking another notch on his belt, another nonbeliever converted, another pat on the back; I don't think God is impressed with such actions. Yes, He is blessed by faithful people who understand their place and His power, people who are passionate for God and not afraid to share the truth with everyone they meet, but most of all, He desires relationship with every one of us. Daily Prayer: Father, may we always be willing and faithful to share the good news of Jesus Christ and never forget that He is the only hope for all mankind. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. "True believers don't need convincing, they will do their own." Pastor Gene Burroughs