January 29, 2018 Monday

“Then they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:21-22 NKJV)

            Jesus went to the synagogue wherever he went.  Wherever Jesus went the nearest synagogue or the Temple was part of the itinerary.  Part of this was to share the Good News but it seems Jesus also went to join in community worship since the good News was preached everywhere.

            And when Jesus taught people were usually amazed at and the wisdom and authority with which He preached and spoke.  They were used to messages from the scribes which had not authority.

            Without authority a message becomes little more than a sharing of ideas or the law which though helpful doesn’t touch the deepest need of the soul.  Self-help messages can improve life but cannot create life or renew a life darkened by sin.

            How can we as broken human beings teach or share with authority?  We can understand that Jesus as God had the authority to teach and preach.  But how can we?

            The simple truth is our authority comes from our relationship with Jesus and being led by the Holy Spirit.  Our message must also have its foundation in the Bible which is the written word of God.  The combination of Jesus as the Living Word and the Bible as the written word gives us the authority we need.  By this our message can reach into the hearts where a person’s life can be changes eternally.

            This is not just true for preachers and teachers but for everyone who is a Christian.  For each of us are called to share the Good News with those God places in our lives.  To share a message that has authority we must immerse ourselves in the Bible and be guided by the Holy Spirit.  Are you?  Does your life and teaching make an eternal difference?

            Not as tired as I thought I would be after the weekend and doing better than I thought.  The meds for my stomach and for jerking seem to be helping a lot.  God is so good to give Dr Byrd know what I need.  Right now all they can do is treat the symptoms.  God has taught me that with Him every day is a good day no matter how painful or exhausting it is!