Daniel 7:13-14

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a Son of Man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

"Who do people say the Son of Man is?"  was Jesus's first question, no doubt with this verse in mind.  Was it John the Baptist?  Elijah? Jeremiah or some other prophet?  No doubt this question was more than likely a hot topic among Rabbi's and Jews of the age.

"Who do you think the Son of Man is?" Jesus's second question should've logically followed from the first, but his actual question "Who do you say I am?" seems to both teach and inquire from Peter.  A rhetorical question, however Peter's response seems to catch Jesus off his guard.

"You are the Christ, Son of the Living God." You might have expected Peter to say "You are the Son of Man." in typical Sunday School fashion where "Jesus" is the answer. Peter doesn't say Jesus is the Son of Man, but Jesus calls him blessed because God has revealed to Him this truth.  Jesus is not only the Son of Man, but the Son of the Living God, a mysterious marriage of earthly and divine.

Amazing!

Luke 6:24

"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort."


Has anyone ever told you this?  Has anyone ever told you that seeking to be wealth is a wrong thing?  That being comfortable is not to be desired?  Indeed Jesus goes against the very ethos of American society and the American Dream of a house in the suburbs and a white picket fence to surround your impeccable green lawn.

Why should we seek comfort in this life?  Such things are a trap to spiritual stagnation and laziness.  It is no wonder that the more comfortable we are, the less we pray.  The more we rely on our own wealth, the less we rely on God.  When a branch refuses to grow, it is in danger of being cut off and thrown into the fire.  It needs to be brought to maturity so that it might bear fruit.

Let God lead you into difficult situations, things you never thought you could handle.  He will stretch you and grow you.  You will feel like breaking but you are clay in God's capable hands.  If you believe there is an afterlife, than live like there is one.  What good is it to store up comfort now and forsake eternal comfort?

After all, we only have a short time to spend on Earth, so don't get to comfortable.

Proverbs 21:2

"All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart."


Does any man truly believe that what he does is evil?  Surely if a man thought his actions were wicked he would not do them.  Or perhaps he knows what he ought not to do, but finds some reason to justify his doing it and therein he does what he believes to be right?  Truly no one does what is evil in their own eyes but only what they can justify.

It is no wonder then that we are not fit to judge each other, for each person only does "what is right for them" and what is "right for them" isn't always "right for you".  Hitler told the German people that he wanted to create a supreme race.  Not a bad idea on paper, but we didn't see death camps.

Maybe we would tell him today that he has a right to his beliefs and although we might disagree, we each must only do what we think is right, but that's how wars start: two groups working towards opposite ends each doing what they think is right.

A world of relative morality is chaos.

Only one sovereign over humanity can set order for us.  God is the only one capable of judging us because he can see our hearts. We know God to be righteous fair in his dealings because of the Cross. We trust that he is just in order to be the one who justifies us.

Job 35:6-8

"If you sin, how does that effect Him?  If your sins are many, what does that do to Him?  If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does he receive from your hand?  Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men."


Elihu is answering a question posed by Job, "What profit is it to me, and what do I gain by not sinning?"

The answer is nothing at all from God.  Even when we do what is righteous and correct, we are only doing what was asked of us all along.  We do nothing above and beyond what has been our duty since the beginning of creation.  Why do you expect praise for things that are listed in your job description?  Can we give God anything he does not already own?  Who can cause God to be indebted to them?

Do we offend the Lord when we sin?  No, but rather God comes and shows us our sin that we might repent and be corrected.  His stance towards us has never changed.  God has never been against us but only for us and no sin will change that about God.  In the same way, none of our righteousness affects God either.  There is nothing we can do to earn the love of God.  We have it already.

Do you believe that?