9.24/09

Luke 23:1-12 (New International Version)

Luke 23
1Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. 2And they began to accuse him, saying, "We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ,[a] a king."

3So Pilate asked Jesus, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied.

4Then Pilate announced to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no basis for a charge against this man."

5But they insisted, "He stirs up the people all over Judea[b]by his teaching. He started in Galilee and has come all the way here."

6On hearing this, Pilate asked if the man was a Galilean. 7When he learned that Jesus was under Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that time.

8When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased, because for a long time he had been wanting to see him. From what he had heard about him, he hoped to see him perform some miracle. 9He plied him with many questions, but Jesus gave him no answer. 10The chief priests and the teachers of the law were standing there, vehemently accusing him. 11Then Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked him. Dressing him in an elegant robe, they sent him back to Pilate. 12That day Herod and Pilate became friends—before this they had been enemies.

The main theme that I gathered from this scripture was about Pilate and Herod's relationship. Pilate and Herod were rival kings, but Pilate sent Jesus to Herod because Jesus was a Galilean. Herod was amused by Jesus but did not feel humbled. He also ,like Pilate, found him not guilty. This ended up causing diplomacy between the two kings which allowed them to end their rivalry. Even during Jesus' trial, he was able to create love and understanding.

Has God ever seemed distant from you. God is real no matter what you feel. How do you react when you can't find him? We must praise him in spite of trials,temptations, suffering, and seeming separation. This is when the deepest level of worship happens. God will test you during these times to mature your relationship with him. he has promised never to leave or forsake you. It is painful to feel separated but it is vital to our faith. We must not seek an experience, but we must continue to seek God. Seeking a feeling even if it is a "Christ" feeling is not worship. God will remove those feelings to test us. As a new believer, God will give many confirmations to let you know that he exists, but as you should be maturing with him, he will hide his face from you. Just remember that God is always present.He is more concerned that you trust him rather than feel him. Faith, not feelings pleases God. There are several ways to stay connected in a crisis without communication. 1. Tell God exactly how you feel. He can handle all of your emotions. Believe in God, believe he will listen to you, believe that he will never stop loving you. 2.Focus on his unchanging nature. He is loving, all powerful, detail oriented, in control. He has a plan for you and he will save you. 3. Trust God to keep his promises. Patiently rely on his promises. Don't be troubled by trouble. 4. Remember what he has already done for you. He will always deserve our praise for the cross alone. Jesus could have saved himself from the cross but then he couldn't have saved us. What a sacrifice that is. He spared us from Hell, and allowed us to live in Glory forever. He gave up everything so that we could have everything. Never again wonder what there is to be thankful for!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this wonderful day. Lord I sometimes feel as if I can't feel you and thank you for reminding me that you are always there whether I realize it or not. I pray for all my friends and family that you meet their needs as you are the only one that knows them. I ask for opportunities to minister today Lord. Show me your will for my life. Lord cause me to be slow to anger, and quick to assist where needed. I pray for our country and our soldiers. I still pray for this bible study that you have lead me to, and I thank you for setting the initial topics to be covered. I pray that all glory will go to you from this venture. Lord forgive me where I fail you,in your precious name I pray........ amen.