JESUS MEANS

AN APPROPRIATE NAME

You shall call His name JESUS. —Matthew 1:21

The name of the southeastern Asian nation of Indonesia is formed by combining two Greek words which together mean “island.” That name is appropriate because Indonesia is made up of more than 17,500 islands spanning nearly 750,000 square miles. Indonesia—an appropriate name for a nation of islands.

In the Bible, we find that people were often given names—sometimes at birth, sometimes later—that made a statement about them or their character. Barnabas, whose name means “son of encouragement,” continually encouraged those he encountered. Jacob, whose name means “schemer,” repeatedly manipulated people and situations for his own selfish ends.

And no one has ever been more appropriately named than Jesus. When the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph about Mary’s soon-to-be-born Son, he told Joseph, “You shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21).

Jesus means “the Lord saves” and defines both who Jesus is and why He came. He was also called Immanuel, which means “God with us” (1:23). His name reveals our eternal hope!

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
The name of Jesus is at the heart of our faith and our hope.

GOD WILL SURELY SHOW YOU KINDNESS :

2 SAMUEL 9:7 - So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

When the people in the palace heard that King Saul and his son Jonathan had died in battle, they panicked. Fearful that David was coming to seize the throne, and kill all the sons and grandsons of Saul, they ran for their lives. A nurse took Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and ran. But as she fled, the five-year-old boy fell and became lame in both feet. (2 Samuel 4:4)

The poor boy would not have been crippled if they had known that David actually loved Jonathan and Saul, and would have looked after Jonathan’s son because he had made a covenant with Jonathan. (1 Samuel 18:3)

In this story, King Saul represents the human race. He is like Adam who sinned against God and forfeited all that God gave to man. He had the position, but not the power anymore because of sin. Jonathan, who came after Saul, represents Jesus, who came as a human. Jonathan was not like Saul—he was good, just as Jesus is not like Adam—Jesus is the perfect Man. David represents God. So Jonathan’s covenant with David speaks of Jesus’ covenant with God. Mephibosheth represents believers today who are “lame” in some way—sick, depressed, fearful, poor and so on.

Now, Mephibosheth became lame because of bad news that was based on a lie. Many believers today are suffering needlessly because they believe the wrong things about God. They think, “My sin has found me out! God is coming after me!”

Well, I have good news for all Mephibosheths: David is not after your life! When David looked for Mephibosheth, it was to show him kindness, to take care of him and restore to him the land that had belonged to Saul his grandfather.

Likewise, God is not out to get you. He knows all about your sins and still loves you. That is why He sent Jesus as the payment for your sins. And because of Jesus’ covenant with Him, He says to you, “Don’t be afraid, I will surely show you kindness. I will restore all to you and you shall always eat at My table!”

ACT OUT OF REST

ROMANS 11:6  And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

Whether it is partaking of the Holy Communion or confessing God’s Word, do these things out of rest. Don’t feel as if you need to put the demand on yourself to be healed. My friend, you can’t earn your healing. It is something that God gives you by His grace.

Beloved, God wants you to see that Jesus has already paid for your healing. Today, He is so pleased with Jesus’ finished work that He is more than happy to bountifully supply all the healing and provision that you desire.

When you truly have a revelation of this, nothing will stop you from declaring His Word over yourself and running to the Lord’s table with thanksgiving and expectation. And when you act in faith out of rest, it won’t be long before you see your miracle manifest!

JESUS TRIED HER FAITH
Matthew 15:27, "But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it unto the dogs."

MATTHEW 15:21-39; MARK 7:24-37; 8:1-10
   
It is very clear in scripture that Jesus was sent to fulfill God's covenant to the Jews. However, it was equally clear that Jesus would open up faith unto the Gentiles. Jesus certainly knew this, and had already ministered to numerous Gentiles without the apparent disdain that we see here with the Syro-Phoenician woman. Jesus could not have been forced into ministering to this woman's daughter if it was not His will to do so. Therefore, His silence and rough answer to this woman must have been designed to accomplish a positive result.

Humility is an important ingredient of faith. This woman was a stranger to the covenants of promise and had no right to demand anything. Jesus' silence and then comparison of her to a dog would certainly have offended an arrogant person, and it is possible that for this very reason, Jesus tried her faith. Jesus didn't need to do this with the centurion in Luke 7:6-7 because the centurion had already humbled himself.

An integral part of faith is seeking God alone with your whole heart. If we are concerned about what people think and gaining their approval (or honor), we will never take a stand in faith for anything. After all we might be criticized for it. This one thing has probably stopped as many people from receiving from God as anything else. You cannot be a "man-pleaser" and please God at the same time. Satan uses persecutions to steal away God's Word and, thereby, stop our faith. To see faith work, we must say with Paul, "let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4).

SURE TO WIN IN HIM :
Wherefore remember, that...at that time ye were without Christ...having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. – Ephesians 2:11-13

Have you ever really thought about what it truly means to be in Christ Jesus? Have you ever gotten a clear revelation of that? Once you do, it will revolutionize your life.

You see, it's in Him that we're raised up from our sins. It's in Him that we're made to sit in heavenly places so that God can show us the exceeding riches of His grace. It's in Him that we're made the righteousness of God!

If you want that revelation to explode in you, start searching out scriptures that refer to being in Christ. Watch for the words in Him, with Him, through Him, or in Whom. Mark those and meditate on them until the truth of them gets down into your spirit man. They'll give you some powerful ammunition against the attacks of Satan.

When he tries to tell you, for instance, that you're just a sinner and God doesn't want to be bothered with your problems, you'll know he is lying. You'll be able to answer him boldly and say, "Thank God, I was a sinner, but now I'm the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. I've been raised up to sit with Him in heavenly places. Now I'm in Him and you can't touch me at all!"

Be prepared the next time Satan comes at you with doubt, unbelief, and condemnation. Be ready to fight back with the scriptures about who you are in Jesus. You're sure to win once you truly know you're in Him!

PULL UP YOUR STAKES AND PRESS ON :

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 3:14, ESV

Are there some tent stakes in your life that you need to pull up so you can press forward? Maybe you’ve stopped in a temporary place, and it’s time to keep going. Maybe you’ve gotten comfortable and decided that your dreams are never going to come to pass. Your health is never going to improve. I’m asking you to pack up your tent, gather up your belongings and start moving forward. You may have taken a temporary delay, but that’s okay. That didn’t stop your destiny. Today can be your new beginning. God is breathing new life into your spirit. He has greater victories in front of you!

Remember, the first place we lose the battle is in our own thinking. If you don’t think you can be successful, then you never will be. If you don’t think you can overcome the past, meet the right person or accomplish your dreams, then you’ll get stuck right where you are. You’ve got to change your thinking. God said no good thing would He withhold because you walk uprightly. Get rid of a negative, defeated mentality. Make room in your thinking for the new thing God wants to do, pull up your stakes and let God lead you in to your promised land!



IN EVERY SITUATION, THERE ARE ALWAYS TWO STORIES—THE STORY YOU SEE AND THE STORY GOD SEES.
 Sometimes life seems to be taking us down a huge detour and everything looks like it's not going our way. In those situations, our life and our story seems to be a disaster.

This is exactly what happened to Joseph, whose story is found in Genesis 37-50. Joseph's brothers jealously hated him and sold him into slavery. Joseph was wrongfully put in prison for raping Potifer's wife, when really he refused to compromise his integrity by sleeping with her. Then, Joseph helped get the chief cupbearer out of jail; however, when the cupbearer had an opportunity to return the favor and get Joseph out of jail, the man forgot about Joseph. Joseph ended up spending thirteen years in jail for something he didn't do.

At this point Joseph's story was going haywire, but God's story was right on track. That's because God had an amazing plan for Joseph's life; God was going to use Joseph to save Egypt and the surrounding lands for seven years of devastating famine. What looked to Joseph like a huge detour was really a great plan of God to provide food for countless people, including the very brothers that had sold Joseph into slavery.

At the end of this, Joseph realized that God had a bigger plan for his life, and after his brothers come to him for food, he tells them: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Genesis 50:20).

All along, God's story was right on track.

This same principle is also true in the life of Jesus. To the disciples, it looked as those Jesus would be a great king who would rule Israel and return the nation to greatness. They hailed him as a great leader. So, when Jesus was being crucified, the story they saw looked like a major train wreck—this great leader whom they had followed for the past three years was suddenly dead. However, God's story was at its peak—God was in the process of connecting humanity to himself.

There's what you see and what God sees. 

When your life seems to be a major disaster; know that God has bigger plans to use your life for great things. The story you see may not reflect the long-term story God has planned. Therefore, trust God, knowing that he works for good in all circumstances (Romans 8:28)

PRAYER FOR THE DAY :

“You give me Your shield of victory, and Your right hand sustains me; You stoop down to make me great.” (Psalm 18:35)

Dear Lord God, I praise You. I honor You. The voice of love from the heaven above awakened me from dreams this morning. The maple leaves are dancing in the air; greeting the Lord in the song of wind. I treasure each day I live for it is the grace of God. I give thanks to the Lord for I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus. Let the unfailing love of God wrap me up like a cloak and dress me with the garments of salvation throughout my sojourn on this earth for I am Your chosen servant and wonderfully made child.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ holy name. Amen !!!

Free Christian Ebooks http://walthope.tripod.com

Fair Use Notice: There is some copyrighted material on this site, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to our efforts to advance understanding of serious issues. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit for educational purposes.