Lord of All Creation
Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're going to drown!" He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!" When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"
Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region. Matthew 8:23-34 NIV
I have commanded Marines and Sailors and as a general rule, they did what they were told. Some excelled! There was of course, always that five percent that just had to do things their own way even when they knew it would get them in trouble. You could explain things logically, explain the penalty for disobedience, chew on them until they didn’t have any behind left, and still they could find a way to disobey. In the passage above, Jesus commands demons—whom I would believe by their very nature rebel against God—and they obeyed Jesus. Even those that worked against God’s will obeyed the commands of Jesus. This would be truly incredible and substantiate that Jesus is Lord all by itself, but in the verses preceding, we witness an account of Jesus commanding even nature itself. His disciples ask a question—“what kind of man is this that even the wind and waves obey him?” We know there is only one
This survey explores and confirms that this is a very viable thread throughout the gospels, epistles, and eschatology of the New Testament. Decide for yourself if you agree with Dr. Rustenhaven and myself, that the message of the New Testament is JESUS IS LORD!
Working Day Wisdom
Weekend Wisdom
One Month to Live Writing Contest [read more]
Here are some articles that look at the very challenging book of James.
Photo - psbchurch.org
How about something from the Gospel of Matthew
What do you call a guy with degrees in Political Science and Biblical Studies? What do you call someone that served as a Marine Officer for over 20 years and now pastors a church? What do you call someone with this unique perspective of the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God?
Most folks just call me Tom.
Check out a leadership mix of Pastor, Parent, Marine, and American in Forward Deployed.
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