Mark 7:24 ” Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet He could not keep His presence secret.”

Initially, no one may have known Jesus was in town.  But people sensed something different happening…there was an awareness and feeling of hope and anticipation in the air…and they came searching for the source.  For the presence of Jesus could not be hidden.  Just as the indwelling Holy Spirit can not be hidden in us…it must be allowed to shine forth. As it tells us in Matthew 5:14-16, ” You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Allow that light from within you to shine like a beacon for the lost and searching world.

II Corinthians 6:16 ” For we are the Temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘ I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.”

Life from whom all living things derive their viability and existence only comes from the Lord above.  And as the Body of Believers, we not only receive life and breath from the Father, but  we also are given the Holy Spirit to reside within us.

Psalm 45:1 ” My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.”

Religious scribes were an important and integral part of ancient Jewish history.  They preserved and interpreted the Holy Scriptures.  When they spoke the word of the Lord out loud to the people…they were speaking on behalf of God…knowing His word would never return void without first accomplishing its purpose…the ultimate purpose for each listening ear.

II Chronicles 20:20 ” Have faith in the Lord your God and you will be upheld; have faith in His prophets and you will be successful.”

On this last day of 2015, whose report will you believe today?  The pessimistic and slanted world’s view, or the Lord’s divine perspective on things?  The most reliable truth comes from God and His people.   His Word will sustain you, and cause you to prosper…to be happy and victorious in this next coming year.  Look to Him and His people for this guidance as you move into 2016.

Mark 15: 38 ” The curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”

This curtain hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the Temple. It’s function was to separate all men, even the Priests, from the presence of God. Only the High Priest was able to go beyond the curtain, and that was only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The moment that Jesus breathed His last breath on the Cross this curtain was torn in an instant from above, downwards. The barrier that separated us from God was suddenly…gone! We no longer needed someone else to inquire of God for us…the middleman now was no longer needed. That open curtain had made a way for us to go confidently into the Most High Place…and to have intimate access to our Lord. That ripped curtain hung as a memorial to the Old Covenant, and the shed Blood of Jesus.