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Today is Saturday October 02, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of Matthew, chapters 4-6. If you would like to read today's chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this link onto your browser: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-october-2

In Today's Bible Reading:
Jesus being tempted by the devil, Jesus gathers His disciples, the sermon on the Mount, His believers are compared to salt and light, Jesus teaches on the Law, divorce, oaths, giving, and fasting.

Today's Message: You Are The Light
One of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to see what it was like to carry around the flesh that we all have and show us how we can overcome the devil and sin while still in it. Jesus got tempted, just like you and I, at any time He could have forfeited His purpose to give His life as the sacrifice that would save the human race. However, He remained sinless and was able to fulfill the prophecies given long ago. How did He remain sinless? God. He never did anything without God, He studied His Word and every time He was tempted He resisted the temptation by reminding Himself that God and His Word was with Him. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” - Matthew 4:1-4.

The devil waited until Jesus was weak and severely hungry before he tempted Him. You see, the devil waits until we are at our weakest moments to tempt us and that is how many strong Christians fall into sin. However, allowing God and His Word to be in every part of our lives gives us the strength to resist that temptation, even at our weakest moments. God never allows the devil to tempt us without giving us a way out of that temptation. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” - I Corinthians 10:13.

When Jesus began to preach, He knew He was going to need some help, so, He began gathering disciples, those who would not only be believers of the Gospel, but help preach it as well. “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.... And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.” - Matthew 4:18-20,23.

While Jesus saves anyone who asks Him to save them, not everyone will go beyond knowing Him by salvation. Jesus knows this and encourages all that follow Him that there are great rewards waiting for them in the Kingdom of God. “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” - Matthew 5:19. Amazingly, those who do choose to follow Him after their salvation become one of His disciples. Jesus chooses every one of His disciples, even today. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” -John 15:16.

Since we are chosen to be one of His disciples that means we are to follow in the footsteps of Christ, remember, we are capable of doing in our flesh whatever it is that Jesus did while He was here in the flesh. By following in Jesus' footsteps we shine, Jesus shines through us, and we shine so bright that everyone is effected by it. “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-16.

Even those who do not know Jesus or do not want to follow Him see the light of Jesus in us. Some will embrace it right away and follow Jesus as well. Some will observe a bit until they know for sure it is Jesus that shines through us then will follow Him too. Some will run or make fun of and mock us and never follow Him. Either way we are His light, the more we do what He did the more we shine, the more we shine the more blessed we become. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him....Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” - James 1:12,17.

We have nothing to fear by following Jesus, He is our strength to withstand the devil and everything that He tempts us with. Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” - Matthew 6:31-34.

God knows what we are in need of and He will always provide for those who put Him first in their lives. You do not have to know the entire Bible, no one does and no one will know all of what God has to say to us, just seek Him and be the example that Jesus knows you can be. In the flesh it is humanly impossible to please God and do everything He calls us to do, but when we allow Jesus to lead us nothing is impossible. “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26. Praise God!

Enjoy the rest of your day/night and weekend.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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