"Everyone agreed that Jesus was someone special..."

A thought by Charles R. Swindoll, from his book, Jesus: 09 (Great Lives Series) (p. 11). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)

And He was and is.

Charles said, "Everyone agreed that Jesus was someone special, and everyone had his own theory as to how or why. John the Baptizer back from the dead? An ancient prophet returning to announce the revival of Israel? As theories abounded, only a very few thought of Jesus as the Hebrew Messiah. Eventually, when Jesus thought the time was right and that His disciples had enough evidence, He put them on the spot. His companions would have to make a decision. He asked them, 'But who do you say that I am?' (Matthew 16:15)."

Charles goes on, "The 'you' in that question is plural. Who do all of you say that I am? The group probably stammered and squirmed before one brave disciple blurted out, 'You are the Christ' (Matthew 16:16).

"The word 'Christ' in this verse comes from the Greek term christos. The Hebrew used the term mashiach, from which we get 'Messiah.' Both words mean 'anointed one.' In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a person would participate in a ceremony in which a small amount of oil was poured over his head as a symbol of special recognition. It could be a reward for valor on the battlefield or victory over a national enemy. Most often, it was the way a leader was commissioned. And in Israel, to be 'the Lord’s anointed' was to be the king."

He continues, "For centuries, hopeful Jews looked for a very special king—an ultimate Messiah, promised by prophets of old, who would supersede all of Israel’s past 'anointed ones.' He would usher in a new way of relating to God, He would establish an unprecedented time of peace and prosperity, and He would rule the world from Israel (Jeremiah 31:31–34). This person would not be merely a christ, but the Christ.

"Peter declared that Jesus was indeed this long-awaited, ultimate king of Israel. But he didn’t stop there. He went on to affirm another truth about Jesus."

Matthew 16:16, "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.' "

Charles says, "In the Hebrew vernacular, to be a 'son' was to share all of the father’s qualities in common and to inherit the father’s privileges and power. No one dared call himself a son of God, or he would be guilty of blasphemy. Only someone having God’s divine qualities and powers, and possessing God’s ruling authority, could call himself 'the Son of God.' And for Peter to give Jesus this title meant that Jesus was a worthy object of worship, just like the God faithful Jews had worshiped in the temple for centuries.

"Jesus didn’t object. Instead, He praised Peter, saying, 'Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.' Matthew 16:17"

Charles then says, "In other words, Yes! You’ve got it! This is a supernatural insight you have received from heaven. I am in fact deity.

"Who is this man? If we are to believe the man himself, He is God."

And that is so important and can be life-changing to believe. I believe it to be true. And you can too. Okay? Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

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