Question of the day is…“Who is your Andrew?” Let me explain… Andrew had probably heard stories of the coming of the Messiah from the time he was a little boy. Then John the Baptist came on the scene and Andrew spent time listening to what he had to say. Andrew had to have liked what he heard. When John pointed Jesus out to Andrew, Andrew was ready to follow. Andrew and the other disciple went up to Jesus and were curious as to where he [Jesus] was staying. Try to picture in your mind what Jesus looked like when they asked Jesus this question. My mind will only let me see a huge smile and a very welcoming man. He said, “Come and you will see.” Once they got to the place Jesus was staying they spent the rest of the day with him. I don’t know about you, but I enjoy being around someone who makes me feel comfortable. Sometimes we feel like we have so much sin in our life that God is looking down on us (we feel that way because we are looking down on ourselves). Guess w
We are at the point in Luke's gospel where we see Jesus' last few days before he is crucified. Even though Judas had followed Jesus for three years, his loyalty was far from him and he was ready to make some money. He knew the religious leaders wanted Jesus gone and in his greed he helped speed the process along. In actuality God's perfect timing is taking place! "At just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6-8 Jesus made it clear at supper that evening he knew who the betrayal was coming from. Yet, Jesus still ate with him. Jesus knew Peter would deny him, yet, he prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail. Even the guards who came to arrest Jesus were taken care of by him. One guard's ear was cut off by a zealous disciple and Jesus healed the guard. Living like and following Jesus' teachings looks extremely different from how the world tells us to act and react. May our lives reflect and
The religious leaders of Jesus' time spoke the truths of the Scripture, but they added so many religious details and traditions to their teachings that no one could live up to their standards. As believers in Jesus Christ was don't want to live our faith out like those religious leaders did. At Salem we want people to encounter Jesus whatever stage or situation in life they are in, "See to it that no one misses the grace of God!" Our faith in God is not about rules, but rather a personal relationship. Following all the rules don't make us right with God, but when we are in relationship with Him we want to follow the rules, because we love Him. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for our free gift of salvation - even though it was not free for You. It cost You the life of Your Son. Thank you for loving us and continually wanting a personal relationship with each of us! Let our lives reflect Your grace to the people around us. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. M
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