From the Heart by B.Demaere

From the Heart by B.Demaere: Sibling's Rivalry (Luke 10:38-42) :   Sibling’s Rivalry (Luke 10:38-42) Attention We all seek it whether it be from parents or peers and even from our own boss.   We are na...

  Sibling’s Rivalry (Luke 10:38-42) Attention We all seek it whether it be from parents or peers and even from our own boss.   We are natural boasters.   There is a mature way to seek attention and a bad way.   Even from God, many people in the Church seek it by works or duties and its all by grace.   We get ourselves so windup for glory and then fall on our faces in defeat because we have missed the mark.   That is the actual meaning of sin: missing the mark.   Life could be a lot simpler if we well! Focused. Martha and Mary You can see that these two, with Jesus in their home were competing for attention from the Lord.   After all, it’s not every day you have Jesus sitting at your table and yet we do in our own way have him with us.   Only this time he was there physically.   I could have pictured Martha being busy and noisy with pots and pans saying to herself or out loud, “Look at me Jesus, I am here cooking you a meal, am I not special?” But Jesus calmly enjoyed his time tea

From the Heart by B.Demaere: Re-directed Joy (Luke 10:1-20) :   Re-directed Joy (Luke 10:1-20) Overview The seventy-two are sent ahead of Jesus and by Jesus.   I suppose it was to prepare the way.  ...

  Re-directed Joy (Luke 10:1-20) Overview The seventy-two are sent ahead of Jesus and by Jesus.   I suppose it was to prepare the way.   They went in groups of twos.   On their way, they cast out demons and healed people from their diseases. The number 72 was not chosen by Jesus randomly, I suppose it has a numeric biblical significance. As the 12 disciples were chosen so the 72 are also chosen for a purpose. Severity of the message The severity of the message was in proportion to the reception and belief in the message and the authority of the messenger given by Jesus.   They were not to discuss theology with them and deep issues; they were to give the message simply and truly.   No argument needed. If the message was not received, they were to move on and shake the dust off their feet (10:11) Move on.   No feeling sorry for anybody. The responsibility was clearly on the hearer. Return of Seventy-two They boasted in their ability to cast out demons. While we serve the Lord

  This morning, I did not know where my inspiration would come from but then this day began to unravel.  I always start my day by reading my Bible in French.  I read out of Luke 9:23 which begins:   “If someone wants to come with me, he needs to stop thinking about himself, he must take his cross daily and follow me. ( transliterated from the French Bible ) The Grossest thing ever Now use your grey matter and think of the grossest thing you ever did for someone else.  Well, that can be part of a relationship explained.  To lower your self to help someone else. Soon after I read this passage I was put to the test.   I plugged the toilet all by myself.   Furthermore, we have been travelling and we are in a motel.   There is, of course, no plunger and so I grabbed the closest thing to a plunger that I could find…. Took a deep breath and stack my bare hand in the toilet.   I forgot to mention that my wife needed the toilet, so I had better to unplug it one way or another.   I fin

  Love surpasses Religion (Luke 7:36-50) Simon, the Pharisees had welcomed Jesus in his house.  After all, it made him look great in the eyes of his peers and his disciples.  A woman of poor reputation, probably an adulteress or prostitute came in the house.  (God often uses ‘sinners’ to test religion’s authenticity and this situation is no exception).  This woman opened her heart to Jesus and poured all the love she had for him.  It was worship at its highest degree.  She knew who Jesus was and she didn’t care about her own reputation anymore.  She had none left.  She had probably spent all her love on men to no avail.  Now she fell empty of self at Jesus’s feet with the most expensive perfume she could find.  She had made lots of her money through prostitution and now she was not willing to use it on herself but on Jesus the only one who could save her soul.  What are you using your money on?  What was this Pharisee using his money for?  But she was using her money to exalt Jesus. 

  Rise up! After having driven over 1000 km my wife and I arrived at my mother’s funeral.  That same day, I read in my Bible the story of Jesus restoring to life a young boy and giving back to his widow mother (Luke 7:11-17).  There is no coincidence with God. Hope is always there even in the worse of circumstances.  It all depends on the individual seeking it or not. Life after death is real but is it real to you. What you have given up you have given it up long time ago. Come back to God and believe!  Once you give up on him you give up on hope and change for a better life. Now is the time to change and have a new life. Rise up from that grave and be restored.  Be born again (John 3) My mother’s life was long and bitter, but yours doesn’t have to be that way. Decide today and pray to God for a better life and he will hear you and answer you in his time. Life is too short to be bitter. It needs to be lived in truth and love with Jesus as the Captain