So Good!

April 1, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

You may have heard it this last weekend. Someone says, “Jesus is risen,” and their friend responds, “He is risen indeed!” Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead is the greatest event ever! And yet some people just can’t seem to grasp how good this truly is.

We’ve been trained to believe if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. So we are careful to be skeptical of any too-good-to-be-true claims that we may hear. Our heart might get excited at the possibilities, but then our logical mind begins to shout, “Wait!” 

Here’s what a logical argument looks like: P1 + P2 + P3 = C. 

The Ps are premises, and if we put true premises all together, then the C (conclusion) is true as well. All I have to do is invalidate one of the Ps and the whole argument falls apart. Then my logical mind can say, “See! I told you it was too good to be true!” 

People heard the teachings of Jesus, they saw His miracles, thousands of them had even tasted the bread and fish He miraculously multiplied. They had hoped He was the One they had been longing for—the Messiah that would deliver them. But then He was crucified and their excitement was extinguished. 

On the Sunday morning after His crucifixion, rumors began to swirl that Jesus had been resurrected back to life. Others said they had actually seen Him and talked with Him. Hearts began to swell with excitement again. But for many of them, their logical minds began to shout, “Wait! Don’t fall for another too-good-to-be-true story!” 

We meet a couple of men who felt like this in Luke 24:13-24. They so wanted it to be true that Jesus was the Messiah they had longed for, but I notice that they use the word “but” three times. That’s their logical mind trying to invalidate any one of the premises. 

Jesus was indeed resurrected from the dead. There is so much evidence that I don’t have time to go through today, but let me just share one item with you: Paul listed all of the people who had seen Jesus alive (1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Facing persecution and even martyrdom, none of these eyewitnesses recanted their faith. 

Chuck Colson, who was at the center of the Watergate scandal and who was not a Christian at that time, said,  

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me twelve apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”  

Remember our logical statement: P1 + P2 + P3 = C. 

Jesus gave one of His own in Luke 18:31-33. It would go something like this: 

  • ✔️ P1 (He was turned over to the Romans) 
  • ✔️ P2 (He mocked, flogged, killed) 
  • ✔️ P3 (He was raised from the dead)
  • ✔️ C (Jesus fulfills every promise of God) 

The disciples on their way to Emmaus used the word “but” three times, but Jesus counteracted that by using the word “all” three times (Luke 24:25-27), when He said all of the Scriptures point to Him and are fulfilled in Him! 

The Bible is packed with promises! Promises of courage, assurance, wisdom, healing, direction, provision. And they are all valid promised because of the resurrection of Jesus—

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through Him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. … What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? (2 Corinthians 1:20; Romans 8:31-32)

It may seem like these promises are too-good-to-be-true, but Jesus is so good that He makes all of the promises true! 

If you missed any of the messages in our series looking at how Jesus fulfilled the smallest of details of prophecy, check them out here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Right Remembering

March 30, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

Jesus hung on the Cross for about 6 hours. He was mostly silent during this time—His seven statements from the Cross would have taken less than a minute to say them all back-to-back. 

He hung silently and thoughtfully. I know He was thoughtful because John records, “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scriptures would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty’” (John 19:28). 

Movie directors will often show a flashback scene where their character looks back to remember what came before. I think during this silent time on the Cross, Jesus reviewed His public ministry. He reviewed every jot and tittle of every promise His Father had made, and He knew that each and every one had been completed.  

This culminating event on the Cross was the fulfillment of the big picture that God had been painting all along. The system of sacrifices centered in the tabernacle or the temple had been trying to show us something. 

There were daily sacrifices and annual sacrifices; there were sacrifices for willful sins and sacrifices for unintentional sins; there were sacrifices for priests and for laypeople. Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, century after century these sacrifices continued, never feeling like the work was finished. 

These practices were only a shadow, but a shadow that foretells the Reality—

The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. … The reality, however, is found in Christ. (Hebrews 10:1; Colossians 2:17) 

(Check out all of the Scriptures in this post by clicking here.)

Jesus knew that He had come as the Reality (John 13:1), but before this final event on the Cross that would fully reveal the Reality, Jesus had one last thing to do: He wanted to share a final meal with His friends (Luke 22:7-15). 

Jesus said that eagerly desired to eat the Passover meal with them. This Passover remembrance looked backwards to the deliverance from Egypt and was celebrated year after year, decade after decade, century after century. 

The events were so long ago that they may have seemed like fading shadows to those who were celebrating this meal over a millennia after the fact. Jesus brought Reality. 

Jesus knew He was the most powerful Person on earth, but He also knew that He had come to serve (Mark 10:45; John 13:3-5). To demonstrate His servanthood…

  • He washed the feet of His betrayer 
  • He washed the feet that would run away from Him in terror 
  • He prepared them for what was coming 

Peter boldly declared that he would never run away, and Matthew and Mark record that all of the other disciples declared the same thing—(Luke 22:33; Matthew 26:35; Mark 14:31). But Jesus knew the prophecy that said, “I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered (Matthew 26:31). 

So Jesus prepared them by praying for them, and He prepared them by showing them the Reality of all those daily, weekly, monthly, annual, and Passover sacrifices (Luke 22:17-20, 31-32). 

Jesus was the completion of this sacrifices (Hebrews 7:26-28, 9:11-14)! 

The prophecy God gave in Jeremiah was completed in Christ’s broken body and spilled blood on the Cross—“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:12). 

The purpose of this Last Supper—this meal that completes so many jots and tittles—is to remember. The devil wants you to remember what YOU did. Jesus wants you to remember what HE did. 

Good Friday and the celebration of Communion helps us remember correctly that Jesus paid in-full the penalty for our sins, so now our forgiven sins are forgotten sins. The moment we sin, there is already the remedy for our sins that has been paid for. We repent, ask forgiveness, and receive His immediate cleaning. 

Such amazing love! 

If you have missed any of the messages in this series looking at some of the jots and tittles of prophecy that are fulfilled in Jesus, you can check them all out by clicking here.  

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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A Week To Slow Down

March 26, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I would like to make a case for you to really slow down this week.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Here are some helpful resources from this episode:

I have two series of messages focusing on the Passion Week that will help you go deeper in  your Bible study time: Christ’s Passionate Journey (which I mentioned in this podcast) and Bold Claims.

This is a helpful timeline of the whole Passion Week, and this timeline focuses on the events of the crucifixion.

I loved the book The Blood of the Cross by Horatius Bonar. It is an eye-opening (and heart-opening) devotional book that has stood the test of time.

My new book When Sheep Bite is available for pre-order!

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Fearless Stewards

March 25, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I’ve noticed over the years that some people get quite nervous—even fearful—with the thought of God coming close to then. Some people have told me, “I can’t go to church—the roof will fall in on me!” 

If I’m honest, I had a time in my life when I feared God’s approach. I didn’t want to pray, “God, use me however You want to” because I just knew He was going to send me somewhere I didn’t want to go, or ask me to give up something that was special to me. 

But from the the birth of Jesus until His ascension, the consistent message is: Fear not! and Rejoice! 

Today we celebrate what is now called Palm Sunday. This is the triumphal arrival of Jesus in the Holy City of Jerusalem, just a few days before His earthly ministry will reach its climax at His crucifixion. This is a story recounted by all four Gospel writers.

Matthew 21:4 says that Christ’s arrival on a donkey was “to fulfill” another one of the jots and tittles. And John adds, “Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, ‘Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt’” (John 12:14-15).  

Typically, conquerors came with a show of overwhelming force, not a show of humility. But Jesus came to Jerusalem with the same message repeated at His birth, “Fear not.” 

This is elaborated on in the original prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9-14, where the opening word is, “Rejoice!” We rejoice because He is coming to take away the instruments of war that the occupying forces used to keep the citizens in bondage. He is coming to bring freedom He is coming to announce hope and restoration. 

With all of these jot-and-tittle prophecies, we have been asking three questions. 

(1) What did it mean then? Quite simply, on that first Palm Sunday it meant that this was not the time for judgment. 

(2) What does it mean now? Since the final judgment has not taken place, it must mean it still is not a time of judgment, but a time of favor. God is still drawing people to Himself by His kindness (Romans 2:4). 

Zechariah 9:14 makes it clear that there will be a day of judgment. And Peter says that God’s not being slow about this, but He is demonstrating His patience so that none will have to perish without Him (2 Peter 3:9-10). 

(3) What does it mean for me? It means that I don’t have to fear the approach of God. 

First, there is no fear when God calls me to stand before Him because my sins have been forgiven (Romans 8:1). 

Second, there is no fear when God asks me to give something to Him because God has equipped me ahead of time to respond obediently. When Jesus sent His disciples ahead of Him to bring back the donkey that He would ride into Jerusalem, Jesus must have already informed the donkey’s owners that this would be coming. The disciples were simply to say, “The Master needs the donkey now.” 

God has already prepared me to say, “Yes” to whatever He calls me to do (Psalm 139:16). 

Finally, there is no fear when God asks me to give something to Him because I’m only giving back to Him what is already His. You and I are just stewards of what God has given us. When the disciples talked to the steward of the donkey, they assured him, “The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly” (Mark 3:11). And the prophecy in Zechariah, God says, “Now I announce that I will restore twice as much to you” (Zechariah 9:12). Maybe not here on earth, but the rewards in Heaven will be incalculable for His faithful servants! 

Those who know Jesus as their Master can live as fearless stewards. 

We don’t fear the requests of our King, but we rejoice to allow Him access. We don’t fear the approach of our Judge, but we rejoice to stand before Him forgiven and rejoicing! 

If you’ve missed any of the other messages in this series, you can find them all here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Winning Souls, Not Arguments

March 20, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

The men who were guarding Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. They blindfolded Him and hit Him again and then demanded, “Prophesy! Who hit You?” And it wasn’t just the physical abuse, but they heaped mocking insult upon mocking insult upon Jesus (Luke 22:64-65). 

All four of the Gospel writers recount how Jesus responded to both the physical and verbal abuse: 

  • To the false charges before the Sanhedrin, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 26:57-63) 
  • To the spitting and hitting by the members of the Sanhedrin, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 26:67-68) 
  • To the physical abuse of the guards, along with their mocking insults, Jesus remained silent (Mark 14:65; Luke 22:64-65) 
  • To the mocking He endured before King Herod, Jesus remained silent (Luke 23:9-11) 
  • To the false charges announced to Governor Pilate, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 27:12-14) 
  • To the insults and mocking thrown His way as He hung on the Cross, Jesus remained silent (Matthew 27:38-44; Mark 15:29-32; Luke 23:35-36) 

His only verbal response was after being slapped in the face by one of the officials in the Sanhedrin. Jesus said, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike Me?” (John 18:22-23). 

These are what we call an ad hominem attack. That is attacking the person, instead of confronting the ideas or arguments the person is presenting. 

The self-control of Jesus here is absolutely astounding! Peter records, “When they held their insults [and their fists and their spit] at Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23). 

Even as His trial got underway, Luke records, “the council of the elders of the people…met together, and Jesus was led before them” (Luke 22:66).

Dr. Henry Halley points out that extra-biblical sources have told us that this trial violated at least four of the Sanhedrin’s own rules:

  1. Meeting on the morning of a festival 
  2. Meeting in Caiaphas’ personal residence 
  3. Trying a defendant without defense 
  4. Passing the verdict of a death sentence in one day instead of two days 

I would add a fifth rule which is found in Scripture: At least two witnesses need to be in agreement with their testimony for there to be a death sentence (Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:5; Mark 14:55-59). 

When the Sanhedrin then hauled Jesus before Pontius Pilate, even their charges made before the governor in Luke 23:1-2 were flimsy at best: 

  1. Subversion—there is no proof for this 
  2. Opposing taxes to Rome—this was false (see Luke 20:20-25) 
  3. Jesus was a rival to the Roman throne—not true 

And still Jesus remained almost completely silent! He only spoke when asked a direct question, but He remained silent throughout the false accusations, the verbal taunts, and the physical abuse. 

When I am treated unfairly, when the rules are bent against me, when false charges are lodged against me, I get angry! I want to defend myself! I want to put my accusers or abusers in their place! 

Could Jesus have prevented His arrest? Yes (Matthew 26:53)! 

Could Jesus have defended Himself before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and King Herod? Yes! 

Could Jesus have come down from the Cross to prove His power? Yes! 

But Jesus wasn’t trying to win a momentary argument; He was winning souls for eternity! 

Jesus came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). So, “for the joy set before Him He endured the Cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

When anger boils up because of the mistreatment we are enduring, we must “consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:2-3). 

Like Jesus, let’s not try to win just a momentary argument that may result in the loss of a soul for all of eternity. There is a time to speak and there is a time for silence. As we keep our eyes on Jesus, we will know what time it is. 

(You can check out all of the Scriptures I referenced in this post by clicking here.)

P.S. You may also be interested in a previous blog post Winning the Argument or the Battle or my short video How Should Leaders Handle Pushback. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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A Christlike Response To Skeptics

March 18, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

God is precise in His promise making and promise keeping. He doesn’t just fulfill promises in a vague way or in “the spirit of the law,” but He attends to the jots and tittles of every single detail.  

Last week we saw the example of Jesus going into a dark place to bring the light of hope. It’s the same for us: God uses circumstances to direct our steps into dark places because people need to see the light. 

But people living in darkness sometimes don’t like the light. 

When we feel like our message of hope is being ignored or rejected (or we’re even being persecuted for sharing the truth) we have a natural emotional response that begins to bubble up. That emotion is anger. How do I know this? Because Jesus experienced this too. 

We can do two things with our anger: 

  1. We can blast skeptics with righteous judgment <or> 
  2. We can follow the example of Jesus  

In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Faithful told how a man came and beat him because he had broken the law. Even when Faithful begged for mercy the man said, “I don’t know how to show mercy to anyone.” This man was Moses the Lawgiver. Faithful explained what finally gave him relief: “He would have finished me off, but then One came by, and told Him to stop. I did not know Him at first, but as He went by, I saw the holes in His hands and in His side and I concluded that He was Jesus.” 

Moses had every right to be angry, and he expressed it a way that tried to finish off Faithful. 

Jesus also got angry, but let’s see what He did with it. 

(Check out all of the Scriptures I list below by clicking here.)

In Matthew 12:9-10 we see the motive of the skeptics: catch Jesus doing something wrong. This opposition came from the religionists—they weren’t interested in the truth, they were interested in proving themselves right and righteous. 

As they are asking their entrapping question, Luke tells us that “Jesus knew what they were thinking” (Luke 6:8). And Mark tells us that Jesus then asked a question of His own (Mark 3:4-5). These religionists refused to answer His question, and their stubborn hearts made Jesus deeply angry! 

So Jesus answered His own question, concluding that the Sabbath was the day that god intended for healing and helping. To prove this point, Jesus then healed the shriveled hand of the man who stood before Him (Matthew 12:11-14). In response to this, the Pharisees plotted with the Herodians on how to kill Jesus (Mark 3:6). 

Matthew then writes, “Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place (Matthew 12:15). He didn’t withdraw in fear, but in complete awareness of His Father’s plan. Part of that plan was not for Jesus to win argument, but for Him to win souls. 

Perhaps in His anger in the moment, Jesus would have spoken words that were too harsh. There is a time to speak, but it’s usually not in the heat of the moment. In fact, Laurence J. Peter rightly said, “Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” 

So in fulfillment of another prophetic word given in Isaiah 42, Jesus withdrew to continue His teaching and healing ministry (Matthew 12:17-21). 

What does this mean for us today? I think we can see five important responses in these prophetic words: 

  1. I am to serve others as Jesus did—even those who want to silence me.  
  2. I can let the Holy Spirit use this opposition to bring greater fruitfulness out of my life (Galatians 5:19-26).  
  3. I don’t need to win an argument with skeptics. 
  4. I can be a peacemaker that points people to the Prince of Peace (1 Peter 2:8-12). 
  5. I should live in the assurance of ultimate victory, just as Jesus did (1 Peter 2:23).  

God gets the final word, the decisive word, and the best word, so I don’t have to try to win arguments with skeptics. Like Jesus, I can love and serve in a way that leaves them an unmistakable testimony. 

To check out the other messages in this series called Jots and Tittles: Why it matters that God is in the smallest of details, please click here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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No Need To Prove It

March 13, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

“Who gave You this authority,” the chief priests twice demanded of Jesus in Luke 20:1-8. 

Worldly minded people are always looking for a résumé of accomplishments or the stamp of approval from a superior, so they can demand the unquestioned loyalty from those who report to them. In other words, they are looking for authority from their position that allows them to prove to others that they are in charge. 

The “chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders” (v. 1) had earned their positions, or so they thought. They are, therefore, asking Jesus to, “Prove it!” They want to know why Jesus gets to say and do the things He says and does.

Jesus had every right to flex on them! But He knew that His words and deeds spoke for themselves. He “knew that the Father had put all things under His power” (John 13:3) so there was nothing for Him to prove to anyone. 

In my book When Sheep Bite, I have a chapter about sheep questioning the authority of their shepherd. In that chapter I wrote—

     When our conversation with criticizing sheep hasn’t gone well, and when those unhealthy sheep begin to gossip and then slander, it’s inevitable that they will eventually began to question your authority as a shepherd. Perhaps they think you’re too young and naive, or too old and out of touch. They may question your motives, or the vision you’ve imparted for the church, or your ability to follow through on what you have already shared. Whatever the case, these biting sheep seem to be implying that they know better than you do how this pasture should be run. During times like these, it is tempting to want to “prove” that we are qualified, that we do know what we’re doing, and that we can indeed successfully pursue the vision we’ve articulated for them. Once again, it’s natural to want to say, “I’ll show you just how qualified I am!” 

     Before we respond, we need to recognize the source of our authority. … Far greater than positional authority is moral authority. This is authority that comes not merely from a title or position, but from who conferred that title or position on the leader. If God has called us and appointed us to this pasture, that is all the authority we need.

Jesus didn’t answer the “Prove it!” demand, but went right on teaching and serving. We need to remember that there is only One to whom we must give an answer. There is only One who can say to us either, “Depart for Me,” or “Well done, good and faithful servant!” 

A mark of a godly leader is one who is quietly confident of his moral authority. 

As a result, that leader no longer feels the need to prove anything. 

This is part 78 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here. 

You can order my book When Sheep Bite here. 

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Unusually Usual

March 12, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

If you want to experience something usually powerful in your life, you may need to add something usual to your life.

Check out this episode of The Podcast.

Some resources from this episode:

The Scriptures I reference: Luke 22:39-43; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Daniel 6:1-23; John 18:1-2, 12:49, 5:19; Luke 4:1-12

Here are a couple of blog posts about how Jesus prayed: 4 Practical Prayer Tips from Jesus and Pray Like Jesus.

My new book When Sheep Bite is available for pre-order!

Here are a bunch of ways to get in touch with me and follow along with other projects on which I am involved

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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Walking Boldly In Dark Places

March 11, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

I was reading the results of a survey which said one of the top traits for exemplary leaders was: They keep their word. 

But don’t we really mean, “They keep their word most of the time”? After all, we do allow those who have a track record of integrity an “out” for unusual or unexpected circumstances. And we would still say that leader had honesty and integrity. 

God always keeps His word. He never needs an “out” because nothing is ever unexpected for Him! He is always the Promise Maker and the Promise Fulfiller (Isaiah 42:9, 46:10, 55:10-11; Jeremiah 1:12). 

I like the way Jesus sums up these statement from His Father: For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled (Matthew 5:18 NKJV). 

A  jot is the smallest Hebrew letter (yodh). In Greek the word is iota. This tells us that God is concerned about the smallest of details. 

A tittle is the precise difference between Hebrew letters like cheth and he, between daleth and resh, and between beth and kaph.  

All of these are fulfilled—brought to their perfect completion (Luke 1:37, 22:37)! 

When we see any of God’s promises made and kept, we need to ask ourselves three questions:

  1. What did it mean then? 
  2. What does it mean now? 
  3. What does it mean for me today? 

For example, look at the promise that was made about people living in a very dark place seeing the Light of God. The prophecy is first made in Isaiah 8:19-9:7 that the people of Zebulun and Naphtali would get to see and experience the light of the Messiah. 

Matthew 4:11-17 tells us that after Jesus endured the temptation of the devil for 40 days, He went to Capernaum—the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. But before He arrived there, He was first rejected by the folks in His hometown of Nazareth (see Luke 4:14-31). 

Our God who knows the end from the beginning never makes a mistake; nothing is ever random or inconsequential. We should develop the habit of praying, “Now that this is happened, what would You have me do?” As Jesus was rejected by the people who should have been so excited to see His ministry flourish, He wasn’t dismayed or discouraged, but He directed His steps toward Capernaum. 

In my heart, I may plan a course for my life, but I must trust God to direct my steps. My life has a purpose. Just as the Holy Spirit directed the movements of Jesus, He is directing my steps. 

Even when God seems to have directed my steps into a dark place, He has sent me there as His light. I am sent on purpose. I walk a path Jesus has already walked, and a path that He is still walking with me—He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me (Psalm 23:3-4). 

I don’t walk into the darkness in my own strength or as a way to fulfill my own plans but instead I trust that “the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:7)! 

Because Jesus is fulfilling every jot and every tittle, I can live confidently in Him! 

If you would like to follow along with all of the messages in this series called Jots and Tittles, you can find them all here. 

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Always Ready

March 6, 2024 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible. 

A large crowd surrounded Jesus. “He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to Him and said, ‘Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.’ He replied, ‘You give them something to eat’” (Luke 9:11-13). 

Why did the crowds seek out Jesus? They came to Him because they knew He had wisdom, healing, and food for them. As disciples of Jesus, we never know when people will be around us that are in need. In fact, the closer we walk with Jesus, the more needy people will begin to gravitate toward us.

Jesus never intends that we simply give them a verbal blessing like, “Go, be filled and be warm” (James 2:16).

Jesus wants us to give them something substantial.

This means we need to both prepare and stock up ahead of time (be proactive) and we need to be sensitive to the prompting of the Holy Spirit in each encounter we have with a needy person (be reactive).

Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would remind us of His words (John 14:26), but that means we have to study His words ahead of time. The Holy Spirit can then give us those words to share in the heat of the moment (Matthew 10:19–20). 

Jesus also instructed us to have available both old and new treasures to share with people around us (Matthew 13:52). The old speaks to being proactive, and the new is reactive to each thing that we are learning and experiencing.

One of my life’s mottos is: Leave every place better than I found it.

That means I also want to leave every person better than they were before we crossed paths. 

In order to do this, I have to have something substantial—something eternally significant—to give to them. When needy people show up, it is too late for me to prepare.

I want to be always ready. That means I need to be always abiding with my Savior. I need to be learning at the feet of Jesus, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and saturated in the love of God, so that I always have something good to give. 

Jesus, when you tell me, “Give them something to eat,” I want to give them You. Help me to proactively prepare so that I am ready to react in a way that glorifies You every single time.

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎

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