THE MAN GIFT
Before Jesus came to our world as a person, God's messenger said to Mary, "YOU WILL BECOME PREGNANT AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND YOU WILL NAME HIM JESUS". God had His son to be born of a woman and become a human being like us. Over the centuries people have made up many doctrines and teachings that ignore the simple fact that God sent His son as a person like us. Why does it matter? If Jesus is anything other than God's son born as a person, He is only a pretend person with a pretend resurrection, a deceiver and is not an example for other human beings. Satan is a deceiver not God, not Jesus. Jesus is real! Jesus says that "ANYONE WHO HAS FAITH IN ME WILL DO WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING". Jesus is our example and we can do everything He did from walk on water to raising people from the dead because as Jesus says with, "GOD EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE". Yes we do need to remember to ask in Jesus' "NAME". Do we get everything we request? Probably not! Some who foolish think they are teaching faith make wild claims and cause people to have difficulty with grief when there is a death of a loved one. Yes, most people can have more from their relationship with God than they currently experience. We can have proven results from communication with God. We can see healings of an abscessed tooth where a dentist may say we need a root canal. We can see healing of a knee where many doctors would recommend surgery. We can experience healing of a thyroid where many doctors would tell a person they need to take thyroid medication the rest of their life. Most of us can experience more healing from God than we currently experience. In the same way, many can have more effective spiritual warfare as Jesus says He has given us "AUTHORITY … TO OVERCOME ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY". 1
If we frequently make requests from God, most of us humans have experienced not receiving what we asked for at times. Did Jesus, "THE SON OF GOD", our human example, ever fail to get what He asked God for? Yes! One time Jesus, followed what He taught about persisting "CONTINUE TO ASK, AND GOD WILL GIVE TO YOU", by asking God three times for a "PAINFUL THING TO BE TAKEN FROM ME". We correctly focus on Jesus concluding words to God in the story "DO WHAT YOU WANT, NOT WHAT I WANT" yet we must recognize that Jesus persistently asked God for relief from the painful beatings and crucifixion without getting what He asked for. Jesus, our human example, who said what God told Him to "SAY" and did what God told Him to "DO", at times asked God and did not always get what He wanted. Fortunately Jesus was willing to do what God wanted and we should follow His example and do what God wants. When a loved one is dying, we may ask God if we should pray for them to be healed or pray for them to be comforted with less pain. When in the presence of a person who has died, we may want to ask God if we should pray for them to be raised from the dead or only pray for comfort for those who are grieving. When people make up teachings and doctrine that make Jesus more than "THE SON OF MAN" that He frequently says He is, they are suggesting that He has supernatural powers, which means He cannot be an example for us and that Jesus is a liar and a deceiver. Jesus does not lie! 2
"GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY SON" to be born as a "baby". Jesus learned like we all learn by "listening … and asking questions"and He was "obedient" to His mother and step-father. Jesus could "read" and "write" and He "walked" almost everywhere. He was such a normal person that people who knew Him personally before His ministry "did not accept Jesus" early in His ministry. Even after He begin His ministry He was so normal that people accused Him of speaking against God because He said He was "GOD'S SON". Jesus is our "EXAMPLE" in every way and we need to follow Him totally. 3
BEING HONORED BY GOD
We are created in God's "IMAGE". A part of the image we human beings share with God and apparently Jesus is that we all enjoy praise and being honored. Very early in His relations with His children of Israel God encouraged an offering of "PRAISE" to Himself. The psalms are full of praises to God and God is recorded as saying, "WHOEVER OFFERS PRAISE GLORIFIES ME" or "GIVING THANKS IS THE SACRIFICE THAT HONORS ME". We are frequently so self centered that we forget to say thank you to others, including God. One time, there were ten lepers who called out to Jesus wanting to be healed. Jesus gave them instructions to go verify their healings and as they were obeying, they were healed. Only one came back praising God "in a loud voice" and thanked Jesus. God told (Jn 12:49) Jesus to express His disappointment that "TEN MEN WERE HEALED; WHERE ARE THE OTHER NINE?" We can be disappointing to God. 4
Jesus encourages us to "DENY" ourselves and speaks against "PRIDE", yet it is part of our God given image to enjoy thanks and praise. Jesus, being human, was aware of how tremendous His ministry was, by His response when John the Baptist sent people to ask Jesus if He was the One. Jesus replied, "TELL JOHN WHAT YOU HAVE SEEN AND HEARD" and then described highlights of His ministry. Although Jesus was aware, Jesus was not cocky or prideful or boastful or self promoting like some people might be. Near the conclusion of Jesus ministry on earth, God, out of His great love for His son, gave Jesus, our example, a time of honor. Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on a donkey with people loudly praising God for Jesus and His ministry. Some of the religious leaders spoke harshly to Jesus and told Him to tell the people to be quite. Jesus joyfully responded "I TELL YOU THAT IF THEY KEEP QUIET, THE STONES THEMSELVES WILL START SHOUTING". Jesus gives us an example of being humble and not being self promoting. If we live our lives denying ourselves and rejecting what we want by doing what God wants, we are being obedient. Yes, God may also bless us as He did Jesus who says, "WHOEVER HUMBLES HIMSELF WILL BE EXALTED". We should not seek being blessed or being honored, rather simply follow Jesus and serve Him which results in doing what God wants us to do. Jesus tells us that "WHOEVER WANTS TO SERVE ME MUST FOLLOW ME". Unfortunately many who say they serve Jesus follow their church or follow manmade doctrines or follow religious leaders, etc. instead of following Jesus. Jesus assures us that "MY FATHER WILL HONOR THE ONE WHO SERVES ME". Follow God because you love Him and someday you may find yourself being honored like Jesus was honored. 5
1. Lk 1:31(GN); Jn 14:12 (NI); Mt 19:26; Jn 16:26 (GN); Lk 10:19 (NI)
2. Jn 10:36 (KJ); Mt 7:7; Mt 26:39-44; Jn 12:24, 14:31 (IC); Mt 12:40
3. Jn 3:16; Lk 2:12, 2:46, 2:51, 4:16 (GN); Jn 8:5; Mk 5:42 (NI); Mk 6:3; Jn 10:36, 13:15 (IC)
4. Ge 1:27; Lev 19:24; Ps 50:23 NKJ (GN); Lk 17:12-19 (IC)
5. Lk 9:23; Mk 7:22; Lk 7:22 (NKJ): Lk 19:40 (GN) ; Mt 23:12 (NI); Jn 12:26 (GN)
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