I can do all things. 1/11/15

Matthew 8:18-34

The Cost of Following Jesus

18 When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake.19 Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

20 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

21 Another disciple said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

22 But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Jesus Calms the Storm

23 Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. 24 Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. 25 The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

26 He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men

28 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,[a] two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32 He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

Supplied Life Devotional by Bill Freeman

His relationship — our relationship January 11th 

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” 1 JOHN 4:9
To understand the Christian life properly, it is important to see that Christ is our relationship with everything. In Galatians 2:20, when the apostle Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me,” he opened up a profound revelation concerning our life — Christ is now our relationship with all things. If Christ now lives in me, with the “I” crucified and no longer in the picture, then I do not have a separate, independent relationship with God. My relationship with God is Christ! In fact, one of the most refreshing things to my spirit is to declare that I do not have a relationship with God. I have declared it many times, and said out loud — “My relationship with God is Jesus Christ!”
God has established one unique relationship, and that relation- ship is with His only begotten Son (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18). First John 4:9 says, “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.” To identify the Son as the only begotten means that God has a relationship with only one Person. Then to directly relate the only begotten Son to us by saying, “that we might live through Him,” reveals that His relationship with the Father has now become our relationship.
Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. As the Son of 11

God, He is the One who has the relationship with God. As the Son of Man, He is the One who has the relationship with man. He is the representative man. Indeed, only one Man has a proper and approved relationship with God and man. That one Man is Jesus Christ. He represents the meaning of man. In Hebrews 2:6 the question is asked, “What is man?” The answer comes in verse 9: “We see Jesus.” Jesus Christ is the one Man who has the one, unique relationship with God. Seek no further.