Friday's Footnote

Matthew 13:54-58

⁵⁴ And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?

⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?

⁵⁶ And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

⁵⁷ And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.

⁵⁸ And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

Good morning - and a Fabulous Friday to you all!

As I read my daily Bible readings, I re-read the above passage of scriptures, feeling again the sadness at the attitude of the people in Jesus' own country. They questioned who He was, seeing Him only as the "carpenter's son" or the son of Mary, whose brothers and sisters lived among them. Rather than be glad that He was back home, they were offended in Him; they resented Him.

Jesus knew that a prophet was without honor among his own people. He knew these people. He knew their hearts. There is great sadness in verse 58 - "He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." Doubting who Jesus is, and failing to believe what He can do, hinders His ability to work. Imagine the miracles His own people missed simply because they refused to accept that He was God manifest in the flesh! God was among them but they didn't really see Him.

A great lesson is to be learned by these scriptures. Trust God, even when it seems He is not near. Never, never allow unbelief to find a place in our hearts for, if we do, we will stop the move of God among us. How sad it is for those who refuse to see how great He is, and believe Him for BIG things. God will not work where there is unbelief.

I'll close with this sweet chorus:

Open the Eyes of My Heart

by Michael W. Smith

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord

Open the eyes of my heart

I want to see You

I want to see You

To see You high and lifted up

Shining in the light of Your glory

Pour out Your power and love

As we sing holy, holy,  holy

Holy, holy, holy

We cry holy, holy, holy

I want to see You

I want to see You

My heart's desire is to see the Lord, and believe Him, for He is well able to perform greater miracles than we can even imagine!

Enjoy your Fabulous Friday with the Faithful Father!!

Hope to see you again tomorrow with another spoonful!

Footnote:

During tough times, emotions are not reliable. Scripture trumps feelings. God is near whether you sense His presence or not. 

-- Max Lucado