March 1, 2025 Morning Devotional
Morning Devotion: Read Luke
Luke 10:10 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were shoreline cities on the see of Galilee. Tyre and Sidon were along the shoreline of the Mediterranean sea.
As you read through the scriptures you will find that all of the above mentioned cities were destroyed because of sin. Do we know of any coastal cities today who live licentiously and reject Christ. I can think of many, starting with the east coast going all the way to the west coast and many in the middle.
These seventy men were sent out to preach the kingdom of God. Those who would receive the message were blessed and those who rejected the message were not. In fact, as you read the passage you will find, they were cursed even more so than Sodom.
The sad part is that these cities had mighty works done within their cities and they rejected the message of the Lord.
Matthew 11:20 Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:
Remember, what John said in his gospel. John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
All the mighty works and miracles done by the Lord and the disciples and the seventy men were a sign to authenticate the Word of God. These cities rejected the works and the message.
There are a host mighty works being done today. Many of those works are subtle and barely recognizable because of the blindness of mens eyes. We see volumes of scripture being fulfilled before our very eyes verifying the Word of God. Yet, like the preverbal frog in the water and because the timeliness is slow or hidden, men cannot see.
Example: from 09:00 am until 02:00 am today there have been over twenty earthquakes in the world, some small, some larger on the rector scale.
God said there would be earthquakes more then ever. Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
We have had more earthquakes in the last year than we have had in the last 2500 years. The reason most people do not see is because the earthquakes are global and not in their back yard.
God said there would be pestilences. We have more pestilences in the last four years than ever before. The reason people cannot see it is because the pestilences are global and slowly moderated in a host of different pathogens.
The point is this, the message of salvation is being preached and the truth is being put out there for all to receive. Many will reject and some will receive.
The Lord Jesus said to the seventy men: “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.”
To reject the message it to reject Jesus, to reject Jesus is to reject God.
The choice is still yours,
Pastor Cook
