“WHOEVER IS NOT WITH ME IS AGAINST ME, AND WHOEVER DOES NOT GATHER WITH ME SCATTERS.” LK 11:14-23
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Prayer Prompt before reading LK 11:14-23: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father and God the Son are so that I may know who I am.
The crowd assumes many things about Jesus’s powers and even asked for “a sign from heaven”. Jesus responds with a very clear answer, “If it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you”. Jesus is God casting out demons. It is by the same finger of God through the power of the Holy Spirit that priests cast out demons today.
What point does Jesus make today? Love always wins. God is love and mercy. He is the most powerful through love, Christ the King of the Universe. This love and mercy bring peace and joy. God’s grace is bigger than any sin or any number of sins. He conquered Satan and sin on the cross.
How? He took on humanities sin and literally sweat blood in the Agony in the Garden. He took on close to 120 lashes by two Roman soldiers with flagrums that had lead balls and sheep bones losing a considerable amount of blood at the Scourging at the Pillar. He had thorns crushed into His skull, carried a heavy cross and fell many times due to the severe nature of the scourging, and had nails driven through His wrists and feet. He hung on the cross for 3 hours then gave up His Spirit.
We don’t have to remain in our sin. Grace restores what sin has damaged. We don’t have to pay the consequences of our sin. This is why we worship God and go to Mass to give thanks, praise, worship and adore him for what he has done for us and to continued to be cleansed of our sin receiving the Eucharist.
His love and mercy for us are unmatched by anyone. Jesus always wins because He was unselfish. This is what love does and God is love. Most importantly, He did the Father’s will. He stayed obedient even unto death on a cross. We must fight every day to become other centered instead of self-centered. Jesus is the perfect model of total self-sacrifice. In very clear language, Jesus sets Himself apart from everyone including other religious leaders, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters”.
There is no fence in Christianity to straddle. It is hard to be a follower of Christ. We have to be unselfish, suffer, and forgive. Most of all we need to rely on God and His grace instead of trying to always be right and believe we can do everything ourselves. Stop trying to tough it out. Let Jesus into your boat, swallow your pride and get rid of your ego.
The grace won through Jesus Christ’s love and willingness to die gives us new life. Jesus doesn’t leave us other options, we are either with Him or against Him. He forces us to make a choice. Choose wisely, your souls future depends on it. You can’t take any of your material possessions, trophies or money with you to heaven. Now is a great time to change.
Today’s challenge: Make a decision to ask God for His help realizing you need Him to help you change. Change is hard but possible with God’s grace. If you want peace, joy, a fulfilled heart, and eternal life filled with love, Jesus is the Way!
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; We will live again!)
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