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devotional mp3 podcasts for young people

Great isn’t it, here we have hard evidence of the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. He is able to call on God to heal this blind man. So that’s it then, everyone bows down and worships Jesus in readiness for a party forever in Heaven. On no they don’t. They look for every possible reason that it could be other than the fact Jesus healed him. “You’re not the same bloke.” “You nothing but trash, you’re not trustworthy.” “You were never blind to start with.” “You’re his mate, that’s why you did it.” “Ehh an alien came down and healed you.” OK, I made the last one up, but I am sure they would have preferred that as an answer, rather then the truth that Jesus is the Son of God, and healed the blind man. Of course we never do that, do we? Noooo when God uses his Holy Spirit to guide us we never say things like. “That was coincidence” or “I just need one more confirmation and then I will know it was God.” When we see healing after prayer do we give the glory to God or do we say “well it might have been God, or maybe the doctors did it.” You see we can always pretend that the nudges we get weren’t God, we can ignore the fact that God may have used the doctors. The question we must ask ourselves is when we don’t say thank you and give the glory to God; when we don’t do what God’s Holy Spirit says, are we any better then the guys here pretending that Jesus didn’t heal the blind man?

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

When Jesus came to this earth he came as fully human and felt all the emotions we do. He felt anger, he felt joy and he felt the pain of losing someone close. “Jesus wept” may well be famous for being the shortest verse in the Bible but it is also one of the most obvious indications that Jesus knows how we feel. In times when we feel bad because someone we know has died, we can know that Jesus knows how we feel. In times when we feel sad because we are moving away from our friends, we can know that Jesus too felt the pain that it is to loose friends. So what, what does that matter? It matters because Jesus not only knows how we feel, but he also has the ability to help us in our pain. If when we feel rubbish because of circumstances around us we can know that they are temporary. All the pain that we may feel will fade away when we get to spend forever with Jesus in Heaven. When we feel pain if we turn to Jesus the one who has felt our pain and taking that pain with him to the cross, then we can ask that he heals our pain. Just like Martha we can know that the answer is always Jesus.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

I don’t know about you but whenever I see a problem I need to run in and try a fix it straight away. Broken window, no problem me to the rescue, Ill fix that. Hurt knee, hold on super me will bandage that up. Jesus had the power to heal his mate, remember he had all the power that the creator God had to offer. If I had heard that one of my most best friends was ill I would have been running over to his place before you could say “send for the ambulance.” So why would Jesus hesitate? Jesus knew the outcome Jesus knew what was going to happen; Jesus knew this was a chance to give God glory. He actually said that, he said, “It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son.” Jesus had one thing in mind to glorify God. Glory is one of those Christianise words that most of your mates wouldn’t have a clue about. It simply means, to show everyone how brilliant God is by the things he does. If I run off and bandage someone’s knee, that is showing everyone how brilliant I am, and I have received all the reward I am going to get. If whilst I bandage someone’s knee I talk to them about the skills God has given me and how he enables me to help people that is showing everyone how brilliant God is. If I pray for someone whilst I fix their window, that is showing true faith and glorifying God. So next time you do something for someone ask yourself if your actions are showing them how brilliant God is.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

The destroyer, the enemy, the thief, the devil. You can call him what you will but don’t give him any more credit then he deserves. Jesus is very precise here, and in another translation of the bible, it says, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand.“ And that sums up this whole passage in one sentence. Jesus is our protector, but he is not some type of wossey, flouncey Jesus who is going to tell the destroyer to go away or he will call his mummy. No, it says that no-one will be able to snatch you away from Gods hand. That’s, the sort of protector who could take on The Terminator and the Green Goblin at the same time and still be ready for more. This is Spiderman, Superman and The Fantastic Four all rolled into one. And what does Jesus ask for in return? Simply accept that he is the Son of God and through him you can get to know God. So, next time you feel the enemy try and drag you off course and steer you towards something you know is wrong, hold on to Jesus and know that he will protect you. Next time you see the destroyer hurt someone else and try and create doubt in your mind, ask Jesus the super hero to remind you of the truth that he loves you. Next time you see films, tv or cartoons give the devil more power then he has, remember that Jesus has already won the war and that the devil is defeated. Two thousand years ago on a cross, Jesus the ultimate super hero trounced the forces of evil once and for all.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »

OK, what’s all this farm language about? Talk to me about sheep and you may as well be talking about nuclear physics. But then Jesus probably wouldn’t have talked directly to me about sheep; he would have used language that I understood. Now what language would that be? I guess Jesus would have said something like “pop idol”. Yes he would have said, “No one gets to hear the song that will sooth their heart except through me. You might have heard other singers in the past but they were not the real deal. You know and love my voice, the only way to get to your song is by coming through me.” You see you know about pop idols and the guys Jesus was speaking to knew about sheep. It doesn’t really matter how you receive the message the message is still the same. The only way to get to God is through Jesus. You might search high and low for something to fill that gap in your heart, but it is not going to be filled. Your mates, might search high and low for something to fill that gap in their heart, but it is not going to be filled. So next time you speak to your mates, try and remember where they are coming from; and take a hint from Jesus, use language and examples that they will relate to. But, at the end of the day the message is simple. No other god will do! Jesus said it, in so many ways why he walked this earth but until we hear it for ourselves that is irrelevant.

Author - Max Cross, Uncategorized | No Comments »