by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year This evening read Matthew 26:51--75

The Father Would Have Fulfilled Jesus' Request

As Jesus is arrested, Peter draws a sword, and attacks one of the men arresting Jesus. The Lord rebukes Peter, and then asks this question,

53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels (Mat. 26:53).

Evidently, although there was a plan to save man, yet, if Jesus decided to take action against the people arresting Him, the Father would have gone along with Jesus! The Father did not send Jesus joyfully to His death, but there must have been some great reluctance on the Father's part. Therefore, if Jesus were to ask for heavenly help to stop the arrest, the Father would not have resisted.

Yet, Jesus did not make the request and the Father did not step in to stop this whole thing. The Father above allowed His Son to be arrested by mere men. Why did He allow this? Meditate on that today.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year This morning read Leviticus chapter 14

Distinguishing the Clean From the Unclean

Leviticus chapter 14 shows how people and homes were cleansed when they were infected with leprosy or similar diseases. The chapter ends, saying,

54 This is the law for any leprous sore and scall, 55 for the leprosy of a garment and of a house, 56 for a swelling and a scab and a bright spot, 57 to teach when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law of leprosy (Lev. 14:54--57).

The children of Israel have to know when something is unclean or clean. This is an issue for Christians also, although not of the same matters as the children of Israel. Galatians 5:19--21 says that uncleanness is a work of the flesh. Do I know the things that make me unclean? They are the things that make my spirit dirty. Mark 7:14--23 shows what defiles us.

Let us be clean in the spirit that the Lord may accept us.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year This evening read Matthew 26:26--50

Boasting of What We Will Do

Jesus predicts that Peter will deny Him, but,

35 Peter said to Him, Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You! And so said all the disciples (Mat. 26:35).

Peter truly means what he promises, because he truly believes that under the most trying circumstances he will remain loyal to the Lord. For the rest of his life, after this evening, he will be right, but as you know, on the very night that he made his boast, he denied the Lord. It is better not to boast, then to boast and later fail.

Do you boast of your abilities? Perhaps your abilities should just speak for themselves.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year This morning read Leviticus chapter 13

Praise God for Hair and for Baldness!

I am not bald, but I do have a thinning spot on the back of my head and my forehead has receded some, but even under the Old Law, I am clean!

41 He whose hair has fallen from his forehead, he is bald on the forehead, but he is clean (Lev. 13:41).

Whew! This verse is in the middle of a chapter dealing with diseases of the skin, especially leprosy. While no one wants to lose his or her hair, it is good to know that it is clean by the Law. There are many things to worry about in life, but the children of Israel did not have to worry about baldness being unclean. Now, they may have had other concerns about baldness, but whether it made them, clean or unclean was not on the list of concerns.

Likewise, there are plenty of concerns that we have, but let us make sure that we do not add to them. Be concerned with what God is concerned and try not to add anymore.

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100

by Don Ruhl

Read the Bible in a Year This evening read Matthew 26:1--25

Using Deception Is Not a Good Sign

The leaders of the Jews assembled

4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him (Mat. 26:4).

The word trickery can also be translated deception. If they have to use deception to take Jesus, then something is wrong. Right there, they should have examined what they were doing, and they would have seen that the things they were proposing were not right.

Watch yourself and see how you deal with people, especially with people with whom you disagree, or who disagree with you. Are you like Jesus or like the Jewish leaders?

Don Ruhl Church of Christ 220 NE Savage Street Grants Pass, Oregon 97526-1310 541-476-3100