Doing Good

When Jesus found out about His cousin, John the Baptist, being beheaded from His disciples; He left from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. However, the multitudes heard and followed Him on foot from their cities. When Jesus saw a great multitude, He was moved with compassion for them. He healed their sick! 

The disciples told Jesus they needed to send them away to get some food since it was late at their deserted place. Jesus said otherwise though. He told them the multitudes didn't need to go away and told the disciples to give them some food. 

The disciples told Him they only had five loaves and two fish there. Jesus told them to bring the existing food to Him though. He also told the multitudes to sit down in the grass. He took the loaves and fish while looking up to heaven, blessed, broke the loaves. Then, Jesus gave them to the disciples who distributed the loaves to the multitudes. 

They all ate and filled up. Afterward, they took up 12 baskets full of fragments left. They fed more than 5,000 including women and children that day.

When Jesus received bad news about His cousin, He went off by Himself. It didn't last long though. He discovered people who needed Him. Consequently, He was able to meet their needs including feeding the multitudes and healing their sick. He did good!

When something bad happens in our lives and/or in this world, we can also find people in our path who need us to do good for them.

I have had the opportunity to speak the truth in love to people and pray for people on a couple of occasions while at a local hospital in recent months.  We can all take the opportunity to help, support, encourage, minister to other people during this difficult time in the world.  (See Matthew 18:19; Ephesians 4:15)

Additionally, read Matthew 14:1-21.

Copyright 2021 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.

Life or Death

I am not a political person but a biblical person. The upcoming Presidential election is very important to the health, life, and well-being of the United States of America. One candidate represents life, and the other candidate represents death.

I am reminded of God's word to all people.

“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

(Deuteronomy 30:15-20, NKJV)

I encourage you to choose life not just in this Presidential election but always in every area of life.

Copyright 2020 by Dawn Freeman. All Rights Reserved.

The Need for a Savior

Everyone needs a Savior, and His name is Jesus.

It doesn't matter if you are "good" like a Pharisee in your own eyes or one of the worst of sinners like the Apostle Paul was considered for persecuting Christians before his actual conversion. It doesn't matter if you haven't ever accepted Jesus and His "free" gift of salvation, or you have been a Christian warming the seats on the pews for decades. It doesn't matter if you have not ever stepped inside a church building, or you grew up in the church and attended on a weekly basis. It doesn't matter if you keep all of the man-made rules, regulations, and traditions or you break all of those rules, regulations, and traditions in this world. It doesn't matter if you are a goody two-shoes or a dirty, rotten scoundrel in the eyes of this world. It doesn't matter where you fall on those different spectrums. It doesn't matter if it is just one of those items or a combination of those items within those different ranges either.

Also... if you break one part of the law, you break all of the law (See Deuteronomy 5:1-22).  Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NKJV)

Can you really love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, strength? Can you truly love your neighbor as yourself?

If not, then you have broken all of the law.

And, if you break all the law...Then, you cannot truly do anything by yourself. You cannot really do anything on your own in this world.

You need a Savior. He's not just a part-time Savior either. He's a full-time Savior.

He's a Savior for every moment of every day.

Do you recognize and acknowledge your need for the Savior?

Have you confessed your need for Him?

That is truly all that matters then.

Recognize, acknowledge, confess your need for the one, true Savior of this world every moment of every day for the rest of your life here on earth as it is in heaven.

(See Isaiah 53; Matthew 6:10; John 3:16-17; Romans 3:23, 6:23, 10:8-10)


Copyright 2019 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.

The Kingdom of Heaven

Jesus often spoke to people in parables. Once, the disciples asked Him the reason for it. He gave a lengthy answer to their question.

He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. (Matthew 13:11-17, NIV)

In Matthew's account, there are several of Jesus' parables regarding the kingdom of heaven.

A former minister at my local church described the kingdom of heaven as a different reality which is true. It definitely is a different reality. Once you see something new and different, you cannot unsee it. It's like trying to describe an old black and white television program in color to someone who has never seen the color version of that particular program. It cannot be done very well.

However, we can tell people what we see and know ourselves. We can share our own personal experiences, insights, and knowledge. We can also hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will open their spiritual eyes---give them eyes to see, ears to hear, and a mind and heart that's open and receptive to Him and His truth.

Here's a great example of His truth.

Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matthew 19:16-30, NIV)

To much of the world, the kingdom of heaven may sound like an upside down reality. However, in truth, it is a right side up reality.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." (Matthew 6:33, NIV)

When we first seek God, His truth, His ways [of doing and being right]; everything else will also be given to us.

In essence, that is heaven on earth.  (Matthew 6:10)

Copyright 2014 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.