Answers To Questions

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: Answers To Questions Date: Thursday October 06, 2011 Chapters: Matthew 13-14, Proverbs 6, Psalm 111 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-6 Hello My Friend/Guest, “And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive: For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” - Matthew 13:10-15. The answers to our questions in life no matter what we are going through are found in God's Word, of course, sometimes we have to do some research to understand what the meaning of something is, but once we understand what we are looking for we get our answers. For instance, What is a parable? A parable is a short story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principal, or moral lesson. Jesus often spoke to people in short story form, the short stories relating to the things of God were designed for those willing to be taught to understand, and at the same time unwilling to be taught more difficult to understand. Sometimes the Gospel is received quickly, sometimes it must be presented to a person several times before they understand it, but some never understand it, regardless, only those who understand it and receive it will be converted or saved. Jesus did not come here in the flesh to prove Himself as God, He came here to warn, convict, and teach all that unless they receive Him, who was about to die for them, they will not be saved from the coming judgment. When we die we all must stand before Jesus, not once, but twice. Through a parable Jesus explains this further. “Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” - Matthew 13:24-30. Christ tries all ways and methods to do good to the souls of the people and to make impressions upon them; if people will not be instructed and influenced by plain preaching, He will try to reach them with parables. Jesus never tells a story without an explanation. Here is the explanation to the above parable. “He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” - Matthew 13:37-43. Jesus is the living Word of God, He came into the world in the flesh to save those who believe in the Living Word. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:1,14. Jesus will return and when He does only those who have believed and received Him before the first death will be saved from the second death. “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.” - Revelation 21:7,8. The second you receive Christ as your Savior He snatches you up out of the pit of hell and places you in His watchful eyes. Knowing this, we should all be more aware of what we are doing, right? Nevertheless, Jesus never takes His eyes off us, oh, it may feel as though He is not near, but He never leaves us out of His sight. As the disciples got into a boat, Jesus stayed behind to pray, yet He never took His eyes off them. “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” - Matthew 14:25-32. This is an illustration of just how fast Jesus is there to catch us when we fall. Are you going to mess us again? Of course you are, until we remove this flesh from us we will all mess up time and time again. Does Jesus cast us out? No, we may feel as though we are cast offs, but that is our own thinking. Jesus might not approve of what we are doing, but He will never cast us out of His sight. Of course, we can expect some storms, of course, we can expect some affliction, and of course, we can expect some chastening, but when we endure it all we can expect something much more than trials and afflictions, we can expect the Kingdom of God. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” - I Corinthians 6:9-11. Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, we don’t always know where our present steps will take us on life’s journey, but we do know they lead us to heaven as we walk with You. Our steps here may lead to cold, dark mountains or deep valleys. Or perhaps crooked paths and rough terrain may be part of the journey, but ultimately we will rest where the steps of Jesus ends at heaven’s throne. We will no longer have questions about You or our future, for we know that we will spend eternity forever worshiping You as we give You glory, honor, praise, and thanksgiving. Give us peace and joy for our journey here below and heavenward anticipation for our future inheritance. In Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina

God's Commands

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: God's Commands Date: Wednesday October 05, 2011 Chapters: Matthew 12, Proverbs 5, Psalm 110 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-5 Hello My Friend/Guest, “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;..Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.” - Exodus 20:2-5,7,8,12-17. God's commands are simple, they keep us living a moral, decent life and while God gives many commands, the first ten are important to live by. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior than you have been brought out of the bondage of Satan, you are no longer bound to his chains. Christ has set you free! How hard is it to make a little effort to show Him some gratitude for saving your life, for keeping you out of hell? “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid...What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” - Romans 6:15,21-23. The Sabbath day commemorates a finished creation, the seventh day of the week was a day of legal obligation. Some religions have church services on the Sabbath, which is a Saturday. Many have corrupted the Sabbath day and every one of God's commands by adding other rules to them. I use to think that the Sabbath was a day of rest, which it is, but it is a day of rest from our daily labors, not from serving God, serving God is daily. Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath day, giving us the true example of the acceptable use of that day, spending it with and for God. He gives us some understanding of the Sabbath and how we are to keep it holy. “And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him. And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.” - Matthew 12:10-14. God gives us commands not to keep us from doing what we want to do or to deprive us of things, He gives them to protect us and keep us from suffering more than we have to. While many of the laws that were for the Jews are no longer a factor for us today, they are all a good reminder that everything we do needs to be done in a godly way, from the things we see, to the things we hear, to the things we put in our bodies, all things need to be done in a godly manner. People who reject God, who are out to destroy the name of Jesus, and or change God's laws do so because they are living wicked, immoral lives and can I tell you, those who change God's laws to be more complicated then they are are living a more wicked life than someone who rejects God. “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;..Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:..While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” - II Peter 2:12,14,19-21. I can not stress enough how important it is for all to realize that religion is the biggest downfall of Christianity and will be what destroys the world. Religion goes well beyond Christianity, religious leaders create their own rules, books, and even gods, those who create occults and even evolution is a religion. Many so called Christian religions also make up their own rules rather than do what the Bible says. Oh, they read a little bit of Scripture to deceive the people, but have no idea what it means to be a Christian, in fact, religion is what actually led to Jesus being crucified. We must fact the fact the we are going to face opposition from Satan because we follow Christ, but it is a good thing because we are now family with Christ. Jesus gives this assurance as He was talking to a group of people. “While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” - Matthew 12:46-50. All who believe in and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior become family with Jesus and are a part of God's Kingdom. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” - I Corinthians 6:9-11. Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, I want to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. It is my Guiding Light to help me live by faith and triumph over Satan's tactics to get me away from serving You. Help me forsake Satan's temptations with Scripture just as Jesus did during the wilderness temptations. I may be weak, but Your Word is powerful to fight off the temptation to sin and to reassure me that You are with me even when others may forsake me. As a sign of my love for You I will obey Your commands and heed Your instruction. I can do this because I know that Christ, who lives in me gives me the strength to do so. In Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study Subscribe To This Devotional: King James Bible Study Visit: I'm Following Jesus

Faith By My Works

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: Faith By My Works Date: Monday October 03, 2011 Chapters: Matthew 7-9, Proverbs 3, Psalm 108 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-3 Hello My Friend/Guest, “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?..Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” -James 2:14,18-24. The word faith means convincing yourself into believing that what God has revealed is true and acting upon that belief. It is more than a simple belief of the Scriptures that gives us faith in God, it is acting upon that belief and seeing a result. Anyone can believe what the Bible says is true, but seldom do people act upon that belief, therefore, they are unprofitable, laboring without seeing any results. Many people believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross, but very few do what is needed to receive Him. It is more than believing that Jesus died on the cross that saves us, it is acting upon that belief that saves us and that is what produces faith by my works. While our works cannot save us, it is making the effort to receive Christ as our Savior that saves us. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” - Hebrews 11:6. The second a person receives Christ as their Savior their lives begin to change, if they continue to follow Him their faith in Him increases as they diligently seek Him, but if they never act upon that belief they will have the opposite effect. Jesus shows us that it is not be enough to know Him as our Savior, only in word and tongue. It is necessary to our happiness that we believe in Christ, that we repent of sin, that we live a holy life, and that we love one another, it's what He commands and what is profitable. Jesus tells His disciples that God will give them anything they want if they just ask Him, that means making the effort to pray. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” - Matthew 7:11-14. We have a choice, do what we need to do by faith and let God handle the rest of it or try to do everything on our own and dig ourselves into a hole that we cannot get out of. We have to accept that whether we allow Christ in our lives or not that we are still going to suffer from time to time. Christ suffered as well, no one suffered more than He did, but He got through it and lived to tell about it. If we allow Christ to live in and through us He will give us the strength to endure our trials, then we also will live to tell about them as our faith increases by our works. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” - I Peter 4:12,13. You see, while Satan does try to play God, even he is under authority of God. When God tells him tells him to back off he must obey. As Jesus was sailing by boat to Gergesenes he was confronted by two men possessed by evil spirits. “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters.” - Matthew 8:28-32. Can I tell you that anyone can believe in the Scriptures, even Satan believes in the Scriptures, he believes and knows his fate. Does that stop him from being an evil, wicked, deceiver? No. He will continue sending many people to hell with him until the day Jesus returns and is cast into the lake of fire, never to bother anyone else again. Sadly, many people will be cast into the lake of fire with him because they never acted upon their belief. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever...And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” - Revelation 20:10,14,15. Jesus gave His life for each and every one of us, it is not by our works that we can get saved, it is not by our believing in Him that we are saved, It is by having faith in Him that we are saved. However, unless we make the effort to ask Him to come into our lives and save us He will not save us. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:13. Jesus is with all who call upon Him to save them, no matter how long it has been since they got saved, even if they walked away from Him. The amazing thing is that He does not get mad or take away anyone's salvation, but patiently waits for them to put their faith in Him to help them, but unless we make an effort we will remain unprofitable. Those who truly want to see what faith can produce, must let go of their pride, humbly stand before God, and seek forgiveness. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9. Praise God! Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, I know that You are the rewarder of those who diligently seek You. As I diligently seek You, by faith, I know that I will endure all my hardships. You have gone before me and cleared the way so that I might follow in Your footsteps and the steps of other righteous, godly saints. I am comforted in knowing that I don’t walk alone, but I walk hand in hand with You as my Guide. Through eyes of faith I see a great cloud of witnesses, those spoken of in the Bible and those I’ve known in my lifetime, who’ve already finished the race cheering me on as I persevere in this path of righteousness. May I endure hardship as a form of discipline and may I wholeheartedly seek You above everything else. In Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study Subscribe To This Devotional: King James Bible Study Visit: I'm Following Jesus

The Light of God

King James Daily Bible Study Devotional Message Title: The Light of God Date: Saturday October 01, 2011 Chapters: Matthew 1-3, Proverbs 1, Psalm 107:1-23 Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-1 Hello My Friend/Guest, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;..This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” - I John 1:,15-10. People who live in sin have a hard time seeing the light that God shines upon all who receive His Son. But those who walk in the light of God, meaning those who let Jesus live in and through them, not only see the Light, but it shines through them upon others. We are no longer sinners walking in the darkness of our sins, we are sinners walking in the Light, cleansed through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ that is applied upon every one of us who believe in and receive Him as our Savior. The Book of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, the fortieth book of the Bible and it contains twenty-eight chapters. The author of the book is Matthew and it was written to all believers, although it was the first directed to the Jews to whom Jesus was presented as the Messiah, the Son of David. The timeline for these events took place approximately between 4BC and 33AD. The purpose of the book was to present the ministry of Jesus, stressing His role as King of the Jews. What we are to learn from the book is the Gospel of Christ and that it is to be preached in all the world until Jesus returns. “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” - Matthew 24:14. The Book of Matthew opens with the genealogy of Judah in which Christ would descend. The genealogy of our Savior is important as it proves that our Lord Jesus is of the nation and family out of which the Messiah was to arise. It was promised to Abraham that Christ would descend from his lineage and also David's, unless we know Jesus as a son of David, and a son of Abraham, than no one would have known Him to be the promised Messiah. “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham...And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” - Matthew 1:1,16-20. Notice verse 16 states that “Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus ”, proving that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David, but it is important to understand that Mary was conceived of the Holy Ghost, meaning she was not touched by a man. If Joseph would have been the biological father of Jesus, he would have gotten the sin nature of Adam that is passed on to all of us when we are born. This would have made Jesus a sinner by nature and unable to die as the sinless substitute for our sins. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.” - Romans 5:12-14. People who see the Light respond to it in one of two ways, they follow it until they reach it and remain in it or they seek to put it out at all costs. After Jesus was born, men from all nations flocked to Jerusalem to see the King of the Jews. However, Herod, the king, did not receive that title very warmly and sought Jesus to kill Him. “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him...When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.” - Matthew 2:1-3,9-12. This is the first of 21 unsuccessful attempts on the life of Jesus which mark the enmity of Satan and his desire to destroy Jesus before His appointed work could be done. However, when God has work to be done, no one, not even Satan can interfere. God will guide those who are appointed to find the Savior. Even if for a time the Light should be withdrawn, yet it will again appear and direct us in the way to the Redeemer. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” - John 15:16. Matthew, a Levi, was a publican, or tax collector under the Romans at Capernaum, before he became a disciple of Christ. The contents of this Gospel, and the evidence of ancient writers, show that it was written primarily for the use of the Jewish nation. He particularly selected such parts of our Savior's history and addresses issues that were best suited to awaken the Jewish nation to a sense of their sins, to teach them the spiritual nature and extent of the Gospel, and to prepare them for the admission of the Gentiles into the church. Matthew is an example of how the light of God can find it's way to the chiefest of sinners and shine through them as they allow Christ to live in them. “And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” - I Timothy 1:14-17. Today's Prayer: Dear God, Lord, You have called us to be a chosen generation, a people set apart to show forth the light of Christ who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. Since You have enlightened our darkness we will not conceal it in the privacy of our home or car, but we want to shine it forth wherever we are; in the marketplace, in the business place, in the neighborhood, in church and wherever we have opportunity to bring forth the Light in this world of darkness. We can show the world how wonderful it is to walk in the Light. Help us to witness faithfully through the Holy Spirit guiding us and let Jesus walk in and through us. In Jesus' name. Amen. God Bless You, I am praying for you, Christina Are You 100% Sure That You Are Going To Heaven? You Can Be: http://www.godsprice.com Missed A Devotional: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/daily-bible-study Subscribe To This Devotional: King James Bible Study Visit: I'm Following Jesus