On my noodle...

^"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God." -1 Corinthians 3:10-23

"'But go and learn what this means, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice." -Matthew 9:13


To stop hiding behind myself.
To be thankful that even when we mess-up, he says that we'll still have a chance to escape the flames.

Smile big,
E.H.

Did anything ever astonish Jesus?

Hehe, it's a funny thought right?
Well, I'm reading Matthew 8:5-13 and it says that, yes, Jesus was astonished! =)


"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

'Lord,' he said, 'my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering.'

Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him."

The centurion replied, 'Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my rook. But just say the word , and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldier under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant 'Do this,' and he does it.'

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished and said to those following him, "I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go! It will be done just as you believed it would." And his servant was healed at that very hour.'


Cool things about this passage:
1. This centurion (Roman leader of 100 soldiers) came to Jesus in Capernaum just to seek healing for his SERVANT.

2. Jesus was ASTONISHED. I definitely grew up thinking, "Oh, nothing could ever move Jesus to be surprised. The man slept through a storm on the sea and simply told the sea to shut up. He knew when he was going was going die. What could surprise Jesus?" You know? =) Jesus really was a man of FAITH.

3. When the centurion came and told Jesus about his servant, Jesus replied so easily and willingly. The centurion didn't even have to ask, "Will you heal him?"

4. The metaphor he uses for those who will be in Heaven and those in Hell...it's a dark metaphor, but at least here, he says that "many" will come to feast.

5. Jesus did as the centurion pleaded and simply healed the servant right from where he stood.

6. The centurion's depiction of who he is in society. He is a man of high ranking but still, he comes on behalf of his SERVANT, and humbles himself before JESUS saying that he is not good enough for the Lord but that he trusts and believes in the Lord. Even though he knows he is not worthy, he doesn't run away from Jesus. Rather, he came to him.

Very, very cool =)

Smile big,
E.H.