Carol J German

An important trait about Jesus Christ is that He never walked alone while on earth. He abided 24/7 with His Father. There is something to be said about this faithful communion between the Father and His Son. God is showing you and I how we are to abide too. Life has never been a solo act, and it never will.

God teaches this throughout the scriptures. For example, you see it in Matthew 22:43. Jesus asked the Pharisees what they thought about the Messiah, wondering whose son is he; see verse 42. They replied knowing that they understood the scriptures somewhat, “He is the son of David.” Look at verses like Matthew 1:1, Romans 1:3, and John 7:42 for added insight into this truth.

Notice how Jesus answers them. He tries to lead them into deeper truth and greater understanding for they remained stuck understanding some truth instead of believing the whole truth. The whole truth was standing before them. They couldn’t get past their pre-conceived ideas and expectations of who the Messiah would be and what He would look like. Jesus wasn’t fitting their image of the Son of God.

Jesus was teaching a new way about following God. The Pharisees held onto the ways they were taught, what they knew to be true.

Pay attention to the bolded phrase in verse 43. Jesus says, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’?” Jesus was giving a reference from the Old Testament, Psalm 110:1, figuring the Pharisees would understand Old Testament teaching. He was helping them to believe and receive who He was. Jesus wanted them to realize that He was more than an earthly son with David as His father. David calling Jesus ‘my Lord’ reveals that Jesus is God. Realize that when David spoke of this in Psalms, Jesus had not been born yet. Stop and ponder this.

David, along with every believer past, present and future, must abide by the Holy Spirit when walking with Jesus Christ. Man cannot live on bread alone, meaning the physical, tangible side of life. Jesus says so in Matthew 4:4, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The Pharisees had Jesus in front of them. They kept missing out on what they believed for themselves. Jesus disciples’, other than the one who betrayed Jesus, fed on Christ and His words and were changed from the inside out. Religious people, like the Pharisees and Judas, weren’t willing to live in a new way where the Spirit led them.

Faith is a lifestyle where the Holy Spirit leads you moment-by-moment like Jesus was led. One cannot walk in faith without the Spirit. If so, then Jesus wouldn’t have needed to walk so close to His Father. He would have performed miracles and healed people on His own apart from the Father and the Spirit. But the three of them are never apart. They work in unison for our benefit.

Because of sin, you and I are thrust into a world where ‘me, myself, and I’ are taught that we are capable of doing life our own way. We soon find out that life on earth is vulnerable and lonely. These two, along with other maladies, are catalysts for storms to brew and wreak havoc. They are brought on by the enemy who is out to destroy the name and power of Jesus Christ.

The battle between good and evil wages on daily. It will until Jesus returns to put Satan and his followers in their place. Jesus conquered the power of Satan at the cross when He resurrected from the dead. Since then, God does allow Satan to puff around wreaking havoc, see 1 John 5:19, 2 Corinthians 4:4, and Ephesians 2:2. You and I are in the crosshairs when we follow Jesus.

So, how do you and I battle? 1. Pray – talk to Jesus 24/7/365. 2. Abide in Christ – He is your only ally in this world. 3. Align yourself to God’s will – confess your sins and continually ask God to change you where He needs you to change. 4. Feed on God’s Word – you cannot function for the Kingdom without clearly understanding who God is, Jesus is, the Spirit is, who Satan is and how he operates, and who man is apart from God. Sin runs through every person’s veins. The only cure is the blood of Christ. 5. Obey – you cannot make a difference in this world for Christ without obedience to the Spirit. The Kingdom is not about you (or me). It’s about God. When Jesus takes you home, you will be worshiping God in all His glory.

Right now, you and I are full of ourselves. God made a way for us to be rescued from our sins. When we say yes to Jesus, we are to follow Him home. During our days on earth, God will strip you of your fleshy ways and reclothe you with heavenly garments. He is getting you ready to worship the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.

Today is the day to stop living life as if it’s a solo act. The world may make room on the stage for you but in heaven, it’s all about God. The world’s stage will come crashing down. There is an end to it. When you live for the here and now, your legacy ends at death’s door. When you choose Christ and His Kingdom today, Christ extends your life into eternity. What a wonderful day that will be!