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About-Him.Com Devotional 06-12-2004
Psalms 42:2 My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?
We just passed another milestone on the great march towards eternity. As I was formulating my thoughts for this segment, I realized that I had written and posted them 4 years earlier at another birthday. I trust that you find them to be uplifting - http://about-him.com/page39.html
As we state below, Jesus is our pattern.We desire to be conformed to His image, and reflect His glory. May our every thought, action, reaction and instinct be such as advances His kingdom, and nothing else.
We brought nothing into this world and it's a sure thing that we will take nothing out. We are ordained to stand in judgment before the throne of God. Our gold, silver and precious jewels will remain and our hay, wood and stubble will be burned up. Most of all we look forward to seeing and being with our Lord.
The Life of Christ From His Baptism to His Ascension
139: The Tribute Money - Mt. 17:24-27
Matthew 17:24 ¶ And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute?
25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers?
26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free.
27 Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.
Jesus and His band had just returned to Capernaum . The masses had deserted Him and Calvary was getting closer. Perhaps He wanted to visit family and friends one last time before setting His face like a flint towards Jerusalem (Isaiah 50:7, Luke 9:51) where he would fulfill our redemption. He had recently instructed His disciples as to the cost involved in following Him. He told them of His approaching death. They saw Him transfigured with the glory of God.
While all of these thoughts were stirring in Peter’s mind with their resulting conflicts, he was approached by those who collected taxes. They could have been agents of the Roman government, but most scholars feel that they were collectors of the temple tax.
“Peter, does your Master pay taxes?” Peter, possibly fearing a trap that would lead to the arrest and death of Jesus, quickly answered , “Yes.”
When Peter returned inside the house where they were staying (possibly his own), Jesus posed the question , “Do the kings of the earth tax their own children or do they tax strangers?” Naturally the answer was strangers.
If this taxation was from Rome, Jesus was exempt because He was king over all the earth. If this taxation was for the temple which was the house of His Father, He was exempt because He was the Son of the living God, a fact which Peter had recently affirmed.
Jesus’ time had not come and He was not willing to offend. He forgot about His perogatives and submitted to the rule of those in authority. “Peter, go down and cast a line into the sea.. The first fish that you catch will have a coin sufficient for the both of us.”
Conclusion and Application
Our rights are not as important as our commission to advance the kingdom of God. We are told to submit ourselves to every ordinance of man ( I Peter 2:13). We are to pray for those who bear the rule and authority over us (Titus 3:1).
Jesus once again affirmed His Deity as the Son of God. He was exempt from any claim of man, but He submitted that He might fulfill a higher purpose. May we do likewise.
Jesus is our pattern. Although He was God, He laid aside all of His perogatives as God and walked among us in the form of a Servant (Philippians 2:5-10). All for the purpose that He might redeem us and bring us into fellowship with Himself. May our every word, thought, action, reaction, impulse and desire conform to His pattern.
Somebody Has Said
If you promise not to brag about your denomination, I promise to not hold it against you.
In About-Him
Two New Songs:
Nothing But the Blood of Jesus
RealAudio http://about-him/com/music/nothing.ram
I would Not Be Denied
RealAudio http://about-him/com/music/denied.ram
Our collection of hymns in MP3 and RealAudio http://about-him.com/audio.html
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Humor
The banker fell overboard from a friend's sailboat. The friend grabbed a life preserver, held it up, not knowing if the banker could swim, and shouted, "Can you float alone?
"Obviously" the banker replied. "But this is no time to talk business!"
Keep Looking Up!
Don & Marie Spooner
About Him! Ministries
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