In Matthew 8 and Luke 9, Jesus makes the statement that foxes have holes and birds have nests but He (the Son of Man) has nowhere to lay his head. Now lets first off realize that Jesus was not poor. The gifts that the magi gave him when he was born would have been worth the equivalent thousands of dollars or more today. Secondly, He was the most sought after public speaker in the Middle East at that time. Furthermore, He was in a society that was based heavily on giving (call it a first century love offering). He didn't have any money "on Him" because he gave nearly all of it to help feed the poor.
The next fact that we need to realize is foxes don't sleep in holes. Neither do birds sleep in nests. So that begs the question, "What in the world was He talking about?" To answer that question, ask your self this, "What do foxes do in their holes/dens, or birds in their nests?" They multiply. The only body of Christ that was known about at the time of this being said was the one that was saying it. After Christ died and was resurrected, the body of Christ was formed and grew and grew and grew. Now Christ is able to reproduce Himself in us if we actually let Him because He has a place to put His head: The Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:15, 1 Corinthians 12:27). Ever seen a body without a head?
Now that we've established a good foundation, lets move on to life application. What is one of our main jobs as believers and disciples of Jesus Christ? HINT: Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission. Simply put, it is to win the lost and make disciples. Show the love of God to others that they might come to repentance and salvation. Furthermore, guide/mentor them to do the same for others. Helping the body replicate itself and multiply to grow. Wait a second, I think we just hit something. Body is growing, cells are multiplying. What do foxes do in holes? This is how our body works as well, why should His be any different?
I've covered the good mushy stuff. That's great. Now lets have some balance. What happens when there is a group of cells that grow but they have no beneficial function to the rest of the body what so ever? In fact they are draining necessary resources that they body needs and killing other cells around them. That is called a Cancer! Unfortunately there are plenty of cancers within the body of Christ today. The reason that people dont want to have anything to do with God is that the ones that are supposed to be showing Him to the world are like a fun house mirror. Stressing only certain parts and not giving a good image of the whole thing. Give you an example of what I mean. What kind of cells does cancer multiply into? The more and more they grow, the more people want nothing to do with God. Then they are not able to find out about His love, forgiveness and blessing. Yeah, I said it! GOD WANTS YOU TO BE BLESSED! Deuteronomy 30:19 "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." Its a multiple choice test that we're given the answer to.
Go forth and multiply Him my friends. Lets show the world the passionate, gracious, abounding in love and forgiveness God that we serve.
Grace and Peace be with you ALWAYS!!!
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