It is hard to stay focused on the Christian Center...

It was Tuesday of Holy Week (Luke 20:20-47). Jesus had come to Jerusalem to fulfill his ministry... to suffer for our sins and rise again.

The devil sent distractions...

• Teachers of the law... the religious right of his day... challenged him with the question about paying taxes. "If you side with the Romans you aren't strict enough."
• The Sadducees... the religious liberals of his day... challenging the authority of Scripture and the resurrection. "The Bible is filled with hopeless inconsistencies." 

What is the devil using to detract us from the mission the Lord Jesus has given us to make disciples of all nations and to seek and to save the lost? 

• Is he using politics to distract you? Or the tensions in our nation and in the world? Is the devil causing us to spend more time thinking about the world today so that we lose our eternal mission focus? 
• Is the devil challenging you with the "inconsistencies" of faith... when God doesn't seem to be answering your prayers?

Let us find comfort in the truth of Psalm 110, which Jesus quoted. The LORD has said to our Lord Jesus that he sits at the Right Hand of God until all his enemies are defeated. Our God reigns. I do not need to be afraid. 

In Psalms 46-50 I find great comfort "in the center" of each psalm when my world seems to be falling apart...

• The LORD Almighty is with us (Psalm 46:7)
• Our Ascended King continues to rule (Psalm 47:5)
• I am safe in the City of God (Psalm 48:8)
• Wealth and success are no indication of real victory. God will redeem me from the grave (Psalm 49:12,15)
• The LORD our God hears us when we call (Psalm 50:14-15)

This morning after reading the psalms, I listened to them (try it here) and heard a theme I hadn't before.

• Psalm 46 - troubles will come "mountains fall into the heart of the sea"
• Psalm 47 - don't be afraid in the midst of your troubles - the LORD is the great King who rules over all
• Psalm 48 - the City of God, where our God reigns, is secure in the face of troubles. The City of God today is His Church. 
• Psalm 49 - wealth cannot rescue me from my troubles. "But God will redeem me from the realm of the dead; he will surely take me to himself."
• Psalm 50 - the best offering I can give to my God is to call upon him in my day of trouble. 

Thanks for allowing me to share with you some of my thoughts from today. 

God bless your personal reading of God's Word.

Pastor Pete