Just A Minute ... With Jesus

By Steve Riley

JUST A MINUTE ... WITH JESUS is presented in the form of devotional gems in which Steve Riley examines Bible passages, illustrations, anecdotes, vignettes, and even nursery rhymes, exposing the ubiquitous influence of a God who cannot be limited by time or space. The book unearths latent themes of the Bible that are applicable and enriching to those with a penchant for the deep things of God.

 

In JUST A MINUTE...WITH JESUS you will find insightful and compelling perspectives of the Bible that not only appeal to the intellect but vivify the emotions as well. Just take one minute with JUST A MINUTE...WITH JESUS and let Jesus take over your life permanently.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Breaking News
• Release date: Feb 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393264842

Book preview

PROCEED WITH CAUTION

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths (Pro 3:6).

On approaching an intersection, a licensed driver is obliged to proceed once the traffic light immediately ahead of him is green. If the light is red he is expected to come to a complete stop. But what is a driver expected to do when the light is blinking continuously? The safest option is to proceed with caution as blinking traffic lights are ambiguous signals. To proceed otherwise when confronted by mixed signals can be hazardous.

The enemy of God is never threatened when the Bible is treated like a flashing traffic light of mixed signals. Those who misconstrue, misinterpret or disregard biblical precepts are no different from those who neglect them altogether. They are like delinquent drivers who have a penchant for ignoring traffic regulations. They navigate across critical junctions, slighting the relevance and importance of having God in their lives, proceeding through life following the dictates of their own whims and caprices. Admittedly, making some decisions is not always as straightforward as obeying a green or a red traffic light. Still, the light of Christianity ought not to flash with ambiguity, especially in an age where morality and spirituality are considered relative or optional. Our Enemy is as decisive as a roaring lion whose aim is to devour the vulnerable at the crossroad of deception. Let us therefore proceed soberly and vigilantly, acknowledging Jesus so that He may direct our path.

A CHANGE IN THE CALENDAR

This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year (Ex 12:2).

This was the month of Abib, and the time being referred to was the time when the people of God were about to be set free from the hands of Pharaoh (Ex 13:4). Whatever was then regarded as the first month of the year was about to be changed, not on account of the time nor season, but because of a significant event! Deliverance through divine intervention would usher in a new era to the people of God, an era that would be commemorated not only by an appropriate change in their lifestyle. No longer was the calendar to be regulated by daily habits, customs and traditions; rather it was their newfound lifestyle that determined the calendar of events.

God adjusted the calendar because He had purposed to change the status and wellbeing of His people. Which calendar do you follow? Is it a new year for you only when the times and seasons have changed, or when you sense some sudden change in the atmosphere, or is it a new year because something new is happening in your life? God has given us the authority to readjust the yearly calendar. If He is doing a new thing in your life, then for you this month, today, right now can be the beginning of a new year!

THE PRODIGAL SON

And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living (Luke 15:13).

The story of the Prodigal Son is one of the most famous parables in the Bible (Lk 15:11-32). It tells of a young man who left his father’s house with his own inheritance and went into a far country, wasting his substance doing as he pleased. After he had realized his folly, he returned home seeking a haven in his father’s house. To his amazement, he was welcomed back with open arms by a father he had once despised.

To be prodigal is to be wastefully extravagant, to spend recklessly. Surely this younger boy was nothing short of prodigal when he selfishly invested his substance in a life that had no promise of meaningful returns, a lifestyle which produced a false sense of security in things that are transient. Perhaps you too are guilty of wasting the substance of your God given life. The oasis of worldly pleasure makes us believe that we are rich when we are wretched, for folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom (Pro 15:21). After all the partying and frolicking, like the younger son, you awake to the sad reality that without God life is nothing short of a famine of real joy and lasting freedom. You can change this, however! Turning your life over to Jesus now will ensure that you do not waste the rest of it!

THE PRODIGAL BROTHER

Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf (Luke 15:30).

In the story of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), we observe with great consternation how profligate the younger son had been with his father’s substance. As we frown upon him, however, let us not lose sight of the elder son in the story who was no less as guilty in squandering his opportunities. While the younger son was guilty of misappropriating his father’s substance, his aggrieved elder brother was negligent in maximizing what was already available at his disposal. His gracious father, recognizing how incensed the elder boy was due to the favor shown to his ungrateful younger brother, reminded him saying, Son, all that I have is yours (v. 31). He made it clear to his elder son that his complaints were unwarranted. Why are you complaining about the little you lack when I have already taken care of all your needs, for all I have is yours?

Are you being prodigal as well? Are you filled with discontent when the abundant joy of the Lord is at your disposal? Are you choosing to remain distressed when His peace that surpasses understanding is available? Do you find it difficult to love someone who has hurt you because you yourself have resisted the love of God? If so, you too are squandering your Heavenly Father’s goods. One son left the father and was riotous; the other remained with his father and became invidious. What a waste of precious blessings! Yet, our Father can change our riotous and invidious ways. He invites us to ask...seek...and knock... and whatever we need, He will supply.

THE PRODIGAL FATHER

But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet’ (Luke 15:22).

If the word prodigal means to squander or spend extravagantly, then the father of the two boys is the true prodigal in the parable of The Prodigal. The father can easily be accused and convicted of overspending. Which responsible father would run to put a crisp, new Van Heusen shirt on a malodorous son, an exquisite diamond ring on his feculent finger, the latest pair of brand name shoes to cover his smelly feet, or kill a fatted calf and throw a big party for an ungrateful son who became used to meddling in mud? Was not all of this a waste? Moreover, the father still expected his older unsullied son to be excited about this extravagant gesture shown to his brother. Only a prodigal father would love so lavishly!

His love covers us despite our despicable lifestyles. His grace is greater than our sin and the expanse of His mercy is as far as the east is from the west. The death of Jesus on Calvary is the ultimate portrayal of His prodigal love for all humanity – a love that was overspent on a cross to save a hopeless world that esteemed Him not. O what a love! Perhaps you are living with shame in the pig sty of your own contrived selfish pursuits, longing for a return to a place of honor. In the Father’s presence there is always enough and to spare... He will substitute His righteous life in exchange for your riotous living. Accept Him and let Him waste His prodigal love on you.

SEARCH FOR THE IDEAL CHURCH

...But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more (Rom 5:20).

A man once approached a preacher telling him that he was seeking advice on finding the ideal church that he could join. The preacher pointed the man to his own church. Are you sure it’s the ideal church, pure and holy? the man queried. Of course, it is! the preacher reassured. "It is just like the Early Church in