"At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife....... (Read the whole chapter here: http://bible.us/114/mat.14.nkjv )
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Yesterday's sermon in church was titled "The King's Game Plan". This seems quite appropriate given that tonight we get to watch the NCAA Men's Basketball championship game. Well the dictionary defines "game plan" as a strategy for achieving an objective worked out in advance. Matthew 14 lays out for us a solid game plan for how we can become disciples of Christ.
First, we need to be disciples of Conviction. John the Baptist spoke the truth with conviction to Herod about his relationship with his brother's wife. We also need to speak the truth and be willing to pay the price as John did. Second, we need to be disciples of Compassion. Jesus had compassion on the five thousand. We also need to have equal amounts of truth and compassion. Third, we need to be disciples of Communion. We need to be in constant close communion with God and trust him to lead us. We need to be willing to step out in faith just as Peter did on the water. Fourth, we need to be disciples of Confession. When the woman who touched Jesus' robe was healed, she told all who would hear. Then wherever Jesus went, everyone brought the sick so they could touch Jesus and be healed. In the same way we need to confess Jesus to all we meet, so that his love can touch them and they also can be healed.
So as a disciple of Christ we need to stand firmly on our convictions, but at the same time add a good measure of grace and compassion. And we need to continually nurture our relationship with Jesus and share Him with all we meet. If we follow this game plan, we will indeed achieve our objective of being true disciples for Christ.
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
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