To browse more spiritual readings, please go to: http://www.webprayze.com

When you are desperate for information about your failure, turn to the sovereign God of heaven. He is the only One who holds the answers we seek. Shall not He who led us safely Through the footsteps of this day Lead with equal understanding All along our future way? The what of our future is determined by the who of eternity.

Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Sirach 51:12cd-20

Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 11

M ark 11:27-33 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, (28) and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" (29) Jesus said to them, "I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. (30) Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me." (31) And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say, `Why then did you not believe him?' (32) But shall we say, `From men'?" -- they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. (33) So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Meditation by Don Schwager

Do you accept the authority of God’s word and submit to it with trust and obedience?

Many religious leaders took offense at Jesus because they could not accept his authority. After Jesus had dramatically cleansed the temple of the traders and money-changers the Jewish leaders question Jesus to trap him. If he says his authority is divine they will charge him with blasphemy. If he has done this on his own authority they might well arrest him as a mad zealot before he could do more damage.

Jesus, seeing through their trap, poses a question to them and makes their answer a condition for his answer. Did they accept the work of John the Baptist as divine or human? If they accepted John’s work as divine, they would be compelled to accept Jesus as the Messiah.

They dodged the question because they were unwilling to face the truth. They did not accept the Baptist and they would not accept Jesus as their Messiah. Jesus told his disciples that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:31). Do you know the joy and freedom of living according to God's word of truth?

“Lord Jesus, your word is life and truth. Instruct my heart that I may grow in the knowledge of your truth and live according to your word”.

Supplementary Reading

The Who of Eternity

Deuteronomy 18:8: When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.

A popular afternoon television program a few years ago was hosted by a self-proclaimed medium. He supposedly received messages from spirits of the dead to give to their family members in his studio audience. His readings prompted many people to believe in this occultic practice. We live in a culture where people are desperate to know their future, and they’ll turn to psychics and mediums for answers a practice expressly forbidden in the Scriptures.

The ancient Israelites were desperate to know their future, and God knew that they’d be tempted to consult ungodly sources for answers. So He warned them to stay away from mediums and those who contact the dead (Lev. 19:26, 31; 20:27; Deut. 18:9-14). God knew that these practices would prevent ancient Israel from being a holy, set-apart people who would be a blessing to all nations. The future for Israel was determined by their faithfulness to God’s covenant, not the words of soothsayers and psychics. Reliance on these evil practices indicated a failure to trust the Lord with their lives. When you are desperate for information about your failure, turn to the sovereign God of heaven. He is the only One who holds the answers we seek. Shall not He who led us safely through the footsteps of this day Lead with equal understanding All along our future way?

The “what” of our future is determined by the “who” of eternity. # # #

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU. – Bobot Apit

For past gospel meditations or to browse spiritual readings, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com

http://www.webprayze.com