Daily Huddle - Tue Mar 16, 2021 Don't Take The Bait

 Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It’s offensive.  That’s not why I love it, it’s just an observation.  I love God’s Word because it’s true.  “Let God be true and every man a liar.”  Sometimes truth is offensive.  Like when Jesus called out the Pharisees.  Even the disciples were uncomfortable, as if Jesus (the One who loved the world so much that He gave his life for everyone in it) – was being rude?  What seems right isn’t always right, and what seems wrong isn’t always wrong.  What standard do you go by?  Truth is not absent of love, it is the definition of love – it’s included in love, there is no love without truth.  The lack of truth cannot be love.  The problem is, everyone has their own truth.  Their opinion is what they deem to be the truth, and demand that you agree.  Humans do that.  Do you?  But what about the times when God does something that doesn’t seem right?  Is He not right?  We’re right? And He’s not?   Crazy story about Jesus that amazes me every time I read it… and the amazing person who was a part of that story.  Mark 8:24 – Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.  He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.  In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet.  The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia.  She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.  “First let the children eat all they want,” he told her, “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”  What?  Did he just stay that?  That’s why he lost His Twitter account.  Jack Dorsey and his thought police were having none of it – that was a permanent ban.  That is so racist! – inexcusable!  Clearly He couldn’t be God, God would never say such a thing!  I am so offended!  Aren’t you offended?  Does that offend you?  Here’s an amazing fact - Do you know who wasn’t offended?  The Greek Lady from Syrian Phoenicia! The victim, who wasn’t a victim.  She wasn’t there to give an opinion, she wasn’t there to judge anybody or anything, she wasn’t there for any other reason than to get her healing.  And Jesus is The Healer – God’s commands to the Jewish people, or his rules for their culture were of no concern to her.  She had one concern, her daughter, and she let nothing get in the way of her healing.  She didn’t take the bait.  Before he barely finished his statement, she replied…  “Yes, Lord,” but even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”  Wow. That’s even more shocking than the last statement.  This lady wasn’t playing around, she had no time for anything else than what she came for, she wasn’t going to let the devil use anything she didn’t fully understand, to get in the way of what Jesus could give her, and was about to give her.  She didn’t take the bait, she took the faith.  She didn’t worry about things that were of no concern to her.  What other people thought or did, didn’t matter.  She knew this Jesus was the healer, that He was sent from God, and when she heard, she believed that what He did for others, He could do for her.  She didn’t get tricked to take offense, she determined to take faith.  Instantly Jesus replied, “For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.”  She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.  Praise God! Her faith brought her miracle – Jesus said so.  Was Jesus racist?  Capital N, Capital O,  He’s the one who created male and female, every man, woman and child, chose their nationalities and their families.  He’s the one who died for every person of every race and every color – and adopted all of them including you and me into His family.  He’s the one who appeared first to a woman, He is the greatest force in human history for equality, and heaven one day will be full of those – from every tribe and tongue and nation, who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, and will live forever in eternity with God in heaven.  So what about you?  Do you take the bait?  Do you take offense or do you take faith.  Are you distracted by what you don’t understand, or may not agree with?  What do you do when God says something you don’t understand, or question?  Do you disagree with God?  You would have handled that differently?  Really?  That’s kinda funny.  Of course we would, we’re human with finite wisdom and understanding.  He is The Almighty God will infinite wisdom and understanding.  His actions aren’t subject to our opinion, our opinions and actions are subject to His Word and His Truth.  And there may be some things I don’t fully understand yet… but you will either take the bait, or take faith.  Praying that you will always take faith, not offense.  That you will allow for things you don’t understand yet, whether God says them or others.  That you won’t take offense at God, or other people, whom God has called us to love – not without truth, but with truth in love.  Praying that you will be like this awesome woman, who believed God no matter what, and got what she came for. 
 
Love you all,
dad